The Color of Hope (25 page)
Marcus gave a reluctant nod. “Okay, when you put it that way, the
maxim
fits really well.” He gave Charley the side-eye. “And I’m curious how you’d apply the good, better, best to the verses that follow.”
“I’m not surprised you’re curious.” Travis gave him the eye. “Isn’t it interesting that after Paul speaks generally of ‘excelling’ in our Christian walk, the first subject he hits is abstaining from sexual immorality?” He looked at Marcus. “You tell me how you can apply it. Give me a scenario that would be good, then how that same scenario could be better, then how you could excel still more in it.”
Charley took a bite of her slice of pepperoni, more than interested in what he would say.
Marcus thought a moment. “Okay. If Charley and I brought carryout to the house and you weren’t home, and we ate and talked on the sofa and . . . kissed but didn’t go further, that would be good.”
Travis glanced between them. “Is this theoretical or historical?”
“I plead the fifth,” Marcus said. “Better would be if we ate in the kitchen and talked at the table, to avoid possible . . . you know.”
“Yes,” Travis said. “Definitely moving upward.”
“Excel-still-more would be if we realized we didn’t need to be alone, so she only came over when our pastor was home, and on top of that we did a Bible study.”
“Ding, ding, ding,” Travis said. “And we have a winner.”
Charley laughed, though she was a little red-faced remembering that moment on the sofa.
“Seriously,” Travis said, “you two are going hard after ‘excel still more.’ You’re making tactical decisions that show how serious you are about keeping the Lord at the—”
They all looked toward the entryway when a knock sounded and the door opened.
“What’s up, man?” Travis said. “Come on in.”
“Hi, Todd,” Charley said.
“Hey, Todd, you should join us,” Marcus said. “We’d be taking good to better to double best with both of you.”
Todd’s smile showed his confusion. “What exactly did I walk into?”
“A Friday night Bible study,” Travis said. “We’re in I Thessalonians 4.” He patted the floor. “Have a comfy seat, grab a slice, and jump in.” He smiled up at him. “Unless you actually had a reason for stopping by.”
“Sure didn’t.” Todd sank down onto the floor. “Becca and the kids are next door at some girly sleepover party thing.”
Charley smiled. “That was Sam’s idea. She’s over there too.”
Todd continued, “Kory rescued Daniel and took him to Rocky Mount. Lindell’s in Haiti. So I decided to take a walk on a nice night and hang out with the guys.”
“Sorry,” Charley said. “You didn’t know a gal would be here too.”
“No, this is awesome.” Todd glanced around. “Place looks a million times better when a gal’s here, trust me.”
“You’re real funny, Todd,” Travis said.
“Todd . . . I want to say again I feel bad about leaving Calvary. I really hope you know it was nothing personal.”
Todd held up his hand. “Charley, we already talked about it, and you know I’m fine with it.” He threw an arm around Travis. “This is my guy. I love how God is using him.” He focused on Charley. “I wish more people in town operated like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“It would be great if people would visit both churches and pray about which one God wanted them to attend, not just assume, ‘I’m white, so I go here,’ or ‘I’m black, so I go there.’”
“That’s what I loved about the joint service,” Charley said. “On that Sunday, there was no need to choose. We were all together.” She looked at Todd. “Can I be honest with you?”
“Of course you can.”
“I’m sure my grandpa pressured you. I wish you hadn’t given in.”
Todd looked taken aback. “It wasn’t that simple, Charley. It’s pretty complicated, actually.”
“What’s the worst that could’ve happened?” Charley said. “Them firing you? I’m sorry if I’m out of line, but I wish you had stood firm. I feel like my grandpa won and the kingdom lost.”
She couldn’t read Todd’s face, but it was somewhere in the neighborhood of dumbstruck.
“I’m a little surprised at what you’re saying, Charley. Like I said, a lot went into the decision. Your grandfather made compelling arguments about the history of Calvary and the importance of maintaining the integrity of the church.”
“Just like he made sure I understood Willoughby history and the importance of maintaining the integrity of our family—as a basis for ending my relationship with Marcus.” Charley hadn’t intended to spill her heart, but here she was. “Todd, my grandfather was against worshiping with New Jerusalem, and he’s against my relationship
with Marcus. In the sixties, he was adamantly opposed to integrating the schools. What do you think this is really about?” She heard her cell phone ringing, but she ignored it.
Todd stared downward for several seconds, then back at Charley. “Your grandfather is a longtime elder of a church, the church of which I’m a pastor. He was instrumental in my decision to uproot my family from St. Louis and move here. Until I hear hard evidence to the contrary, I feel obliged to think the best of him.”
“I can understand that,” Charley said. “He’s my grandpa, and I love him. I want to think the best too.” Her phone had stopped and started ringing again. “Excuse me a minute.” She found her phone in the kitchen. “Why are you blowing up my phone, Ben?”
“I need a ride home. I’m at Kelsey’s.”
“I’m busy at the moment. Can’t Kelsey take you home?”
Ben sounded agitated, and loud, like he’d been drinking. “I don’t want that lying, cheating slut taking me anywhere. I found out she’s been seeing Roger behind my back. My own teammate!”
Charley could hear Kelsey in the background saying he had no right to be snooping in her Facebook messages.
“Didn’t you have another girl at the house last weekend?” Charley asked. “Wasn’t that behind Kelsey’s back?”
“This is my
teammate
, Charley.” He spoke to Kelsey again. “You slept with him, didn’t you, you slut! Kelsey, you swing at me again, and I’ll—”
“Ben!” Charley grabbed her purse. “Don’t you dare touch Kelsey. Go outside and wait for me. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She walked back into the living room. “Ben’s got an emergency. I need to run him home real quick.”
Marcus jumped up. “You need me to go with you?”
“Thanks, but I’ll be okay.”
He hesitated, holding her gaze. “You coming back?”
She bit her lip as if unsure. “Only if Travis will still be here.”
Travis called over his shoulder, “You’ll have two pastors here—excelling beyond excel.”
She smiled. “Okay, cool, I’ll come back.”
Marcus held her hand and walked her to her car. “You sure you don’t need me?”
“It’s Ben and Kelsey. He’s losing it because she cheated on him or something.” She stalled by her car. “They’re living way beyond where they should. I wish
they
could’ve heard what we studied tonight.”
“I’ve been praying for Ben like you asked me,” Marcus said. “I’ll pray for Kelsey too.”
“Thanks.”
Eyes penetrating in the dark, her heart accelerating, Charley couldn’t move. Moments like this, the two of them so close, she wanted to melt into his arms.
“Don’t you have an emergency?” he whispered.
“I do.”
“This is why we need two pastors.”
She forced herself to open the door and smiled her good-bye.
S
tephanie couldn’t wait to talk to Sam at lunch. She’d gotten a call to substitute for the new study hall teacher and saw an entirely new dynamic in first period. Sam was no longer alone on a far side of the room. There were girls at her table who didn’t simply happen to be at her table. They were engaged in conversation with Sam, and Sam with them. Stephanie was so excited she didn’t bother to shush them up.
Before lunch she had gone to the front office to ask a question of Mrs. Walters. In the cafeteria now, she looked for Sam at the usual spot, “usual” one month ago, anyway. Sam was indeed there, though Stephanie almost missed her for the four other girls at the round table.
She walked over, wondering if she should find another table and catch Sam later. The others might not think it was cool for a teacher to sit with them. But Sam waved her over.
“I saved you a seat,” she said.
Stephanie slid into the chair next to Sam, where conversation was flying about several subjects at once—music; movies; history class, where someone got put out for cussing the teacher; and
Facebook and Twitter statuses, including their own, which they were updating at the table.
Sam didn’t have either a Facebook or a Twitter account, so Stephanie leaned over to her while the others talked social media.
“Things have changed a little at school, huh? Are these your new friends?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call them
friends
.” Sam spoke low. “Whenever I think that, I end up disappointed. But we sit together sometimes, yeah.”
“How did that happen?” Stephanie asked.
“You might not believe this, but I think it was the clothes you got me. Seemed like people started noticing me. But also, I wasn’t embarrassed about the way I looked anymore, so maybe I didn’t stay to myself as much.”
Stephanie touched her hand. “You never said you were embarrassed.”
Sam glanced downward. “I know.”
“Hey, Sam, come here a minute.”
Stephanie and Sam both turned. Ben Willoughby had taken a seat at the next table.
Sam pointed at herself. “Me?”
“Of course, you.” Ben laughed. “Come here. I want to talk to you.”
Stephanie was about to tell her to ignore him, but Sam was already up and walking over. Ben had never spoken to Sam before, as far as Stephanie knew. What was going on?
Ben pulled out his phone and typed something. They said a few more words, then he left and Sam returned.
The other girls at the table leaned in on her. “What did he want?”
Sam shrugged. “Nothing much.”
“Oh, come on!” one of them said. “It’s Ben Willoughby, senior, football star. He never talks to any of us. What did he say?”
Sam balled up her empty bag of chips. “He wanted my cell number. Said he’d like to get to know me.”
“What?” Another girl’s eyes widened. “He said that? He’s so cute. I’d die if he said that to me.”
The bell rang, and everyone scrambled to throw away trash and get to the next class.
Stephanie touched Sam’s arm. “Hold on a sec.” She waited until the other girls were gone. “Sam, stay far away from Ben Willoughby.”
“It was just one conversation,” Sam said.
“But you gave him your number, didn’t you?”
“Well. Yeah.”
“I wish you hadn’t. Don’t answer if he calls.”
“Why not?”
Stephanie got up and walked with her so she wouldn’t be late. “How much experience have you had with guys?”
Sam didn’t have to think about it. “None.”
“That’s what I thought,” Stephanie said. “We’ll have a long talk about guys later. Right now, I’m just saying stay away from him. He’s not your type.”
“I don’t even know what my type is,” Sam said.
“That’s okay. It’s enough to know what it’s not.”
They needed to part ways. “Soul Sisters tonight?” Stephanie asked.
“Yep. You coming to get me?”
Stephanie started down a different hall, saying, “I’ll be there at six fifty.”
Stephanie drove slowly up the lone street that led to Sam’s house. Her car jerked along on the gravel, and she wondered again why the town hadn’t bothered to lay fresh blacktop. Perhaps they felt no
need, with only three old homes, one unoccupied, served by a road that led to a dead end. Whenever she came to get Sam, it seemed she’d stumbled onto a section of Hope Springs that hadn’t quite kept up with the rest.
She pulled up to the house, situated alone on an unkempt plot of land. A couple of minutes early, she put the car in park and waited, since Sam always said she’d meet her outside. An Oldsmobile was parked in the yard, the car Sam’s mom drove. Stephanie had never met her, though she wanted to. If her mom was home when Stephanie came, Sam would say it wasn’t a good time.
