The Tent (6 page)

The congregation sat, stunned, some with their mouths literally open, some trying to smile as if it were a joke. Corey looked at Steven and Steven thought,
That's it, go for it,
and Steven nodded and smiled.

"We have," Corey continued, "been stealing
your faith. I do not deserve to stand up here, I do not deserve to take collections, I do not deserve anything and would not be surprised if you all got up and walked out right now."

He paused and waited but nobody got up, and he smiled.

"For those who stay, I want to talk about Jesus. Really just talk about Him. You know what He said—along with those other things I just read? I have been sitting for two nights reading what He said in this Bible, and He said, 'What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul?'" Corey turned to Steven, looked at him, and smiled and half whispered, "He really said that. He really did."

And Steven nodded and Corey turned back to the congregation and took a breath and said, "Let's talk about that, shall we?"

And they did. They talked for two hours and then sang and the people left, leaving money on the
benches even when Corey said he wouldn't take it, and when they were gone Jamey and Davis came back in and counted it.

"Seven hundred. One of the best nights and you didn't even heal nobody."

But Corey stopped him, took the money. "All of this goes into a local charity."

Jamey stared at him. "You were serious up there?"

Corey nodded. "Every word."

"You found God."

"I hope it was more that He found me."

"Can't we keep just a little?"

Corey shook his head. "Not a dime."

"Are you serious?" Jamey stared. "You mean you're going back to that trailer house and work flipping hamburgers somewhere?"

Corey nodded. "Later. First we are going to spend the rest of the summer making up for the first part of the summer." He looked at Steven. "If you
don't mind, I'd like to travel around with the tent a little longer like we first started to do and just set it up and talk about God and maybe read some more about Jesus. Not for money, you understand—just to ... well, to try and make it up, like I said."

Steven nodded.

"We'll sell the Caddy."

"And my bike."

"If you want."

"You people are nuts," Jamey said. "You're just plain nuts."

Corey nodded. "Probably. The thing is, we could still use some help—you know, setting up, putting out the word."

"For no money?"

"None. Not a penny."

Jamey frowned. "Not a chance."

"Well then..." Corey let it hang.

"Yeah. We'll be moving on. There's a guy over by New Orleans preaching the Word by making
animals talk. They say he can make a frog spout the gospel. We'll go help him." Jamey nodded to Davis, and they walked off.

Clean and gone,
Steven thought, watching them go like they came.
Just here and gone.
He turned to Corey. "Now what?"

Corey shrugged. "Like I said—let's go talk about God."

"Sounds good to me," Steven said and realized as the words came out that he really meant them. It did sound good....

1. How does Steven feel when his father first asks him to help with his plan? How would you feel if a trusted adult in your life asked for your help with such a thing?

2. Corey first presents the plan to Steven as wanting to help people. Do you think anyone was actually helped by his preaching?

3. What happens that makes Steven actually begin to enjoy what they do?

4. Eventually to Steven, "What was sad became funny." Why do you think he came to see their situation as funny? Can you think of a time when
you used
humor to deal with a sad or unpleasant situation?

5. How do you think Corey feels when Jamey and Davis mock him for thinking he had cured Helen?

6. Why do you think the people who came to listen to Corey preach never saw through his act?

7. Do you think there is ever such a thing as a "good lie"?