The Valley of Dry Bones (8 page)

“Doc's right about that, of course,” Zeke said. “Drink up, everybody.”

He led everyone out to the Commons and asked Elaine what food was available.

“You announced lunch on your own, remember? We were all going to get back together for dinner.”

“I did, didn't I?”

“Just tell everybody I'm opening the pantry to tide them over till dinner. If it's safe to eat out under the awning after sundown, Katashi and I can come up with a nice barbecue. I think we deserve it after today, don't you?”

“Sounds perfect, Elaine. And are you still available?”

“Of course. Send Sasha my way in an hour, but an hour after that I'll need to start working with Katashi on dinner.”

It was just as well Zeke, Mahir, and Doc had never devised a way to override the government's scramble of the airwaves to get a TV picture into the compound. Audio was the best they could manage, and it was enough. Movies and TV shows might have been just enough diversion to lend some sanity to such an existence, but Zeke was certain the entertainment would have become an addiction that would have softened them all.

As it was he'd made an executive decision and restricted recreational listening to the audio feed of most of the drivel. News and documentaries and some movies were fine. People tired of most of it without being able to see the visuals, but he at least had to know what was going on in the world every day.

Though he was ravenous, he devoured twenty-five minutes of headline news before he, Alexis, and Sasha sat munching dried hollyleaf cherries and juniper berries along with salted strips of gecko jerky. Zeke felt edgy after such a harrowing day, but he tried to head off Alexis's concern by saying how well he thought the memorial service had gone. She wasn't biting.

“It was nice,” she said, “no thanks to you.”

“Mom!”

“I'm not scolding him, Sasha,” Alexis said. “I'm just saying he seemed less focused than I might have wished.”

“Yeah, Dad, what was up with that?”

“Katashi saw Mongers on his way in, that's all. Put me on alert. But I thought you were great, hon. And Sash, that opening song—I gotta tell ya—how'd you come up with that anyway?”

“It just hit me that slow would be interesting. I didn't expect it to come out so special.”

“It moved everybody,” he said. “Me especially. Hey, by the way, Mrs. Meeks would like you to drop by for an hour or so. Can you do that?”

Sasha squinted at him. “Really?”

“Yeah, that all right?”

“Sure, but that's what she wants? It was her idea?”

“Well, I—uh, truth is . . .”

“Dad! You don't have to make up stories to get rid of me.”

“No! I—”

“Just tell me. It's okay.”

“Forgive me, sweetie. You're right.”

“Right now?”

“Please. If you don't mind.”

“On my way.”

“Thanks, and again, sorry.”

“It's okay, Dad. I like when you owe me.”

She left with a smile, but Alexis looked bemused. “What is going on?” she said.

“We just have to talk, that's all.”

“I had a feeling,” Alexis said.

T
HIS WAS WORSE
than being sent to the principal's office. And Zeke couldn't understand why his mouth was so dry. Why should it be hard to share something personal, something meaningful, with the person closest to him in life? If she couldn't understand, couldn't empathize, didn't have counsel or input or advice, who would?

He would talk to Pastor Bob too, but this conversation with Alexis was the one that would make or break his future—confirm that something significant was going on or that he was simply off his nut.

Here sat the most beautiful person in the world to him, inside or out—clichéd as that might sound—all her depth and character and personality in one precious package. And she gazed at him with what appeared to be wonder, expectancy, trust, and yet also puzzlement and perhaps a hint of fear.

They had been through so much together. Alexis had stood by him, believed in him, supported him, and—especially over these last several years—proved the ferocity of her most sacred wedding vows by virtually and literally giving up everything to join him on the most radical mission a couple could undertake. And now he was going to tell her what?

“I know this is going to sound strange to you . . .”

She raised her brows. “That ship sailed a long time ago, love.”

“Yeah, but Lexi, you're going to find this bizarre even for me.”

She grinned. “I can hardly wait.”

“I'm trying to be serious here.”

She reached across the table and took his hand in both of hers. “I see that, but I've had enough pathos for one day, don't you think? I was filled to the brim with all the reminiscing about Junior. It was as if he was there. How special that Katashi, Raoul, Benita, and Elaine are all with us now because of him. Wait!” she said, dropping his hand, eyes dancing. “I know what it is! It's you and the widow Meeks. She's finally stolen you from me. She's breaking it to Sasha now.”

Zeke sat back. “Yep, you guessed it. You stole my thunder. Don't s'pose you want all the lurid details.”

“Oh, do tell! You couldn't resist her charms!”

“'Course not. How could I? You had to know I'd grow bored with you eventually and look for an older woman.”

But Zeke's chuckle quickly died and his smile faded. She fell silent too, and he felt her eyes bore into him. “You know this is how I deal with stress, Z. I could tell you were on edge, threatened by that WatDoc guy, believed the compound might have been compromised. But like everybody else here, I believe in you. I count on you to rise to every challenge. And you know I'm here when you need me. You can tell me anything. Nothing's gonna be too strange or bizarre for me. If I wasn't here for the long haul, I'd have been gone a long time ago. So I'm all ears. Spit it out, big guy.”

“You sure?”

“You kiddin'?” she said. “Don't know where that speech came from, but it's the best I've got.”

“Okay, here goes.” He sighed. “God's been speaking to me.”

“Yeah? What's He been saying?”

“Audibly.” He waited. “So, did you speak too soon when you said nothing could be too strange or bizarre for you?”

Alexis seemed to study him again. She hadn't bolted, so that was in his favor. “Let's back up,” she said, pressing both palms on the table. “You're serious, right? You're not pranking me, getting back at me for something I've forgotten about—anything like that?”

“I wouldn't kid about something like this.”

“Just making sure. All right. Now that we know what we're dealing with . . .” She stood, quiet again. He searched her eyes, but she wouldn't look at him. Finally she said, “Tell me everything. When did this start? What form did it take? Exactly what did you hear, and what makes you think it was God?”

Alexis looked relieved when he told her it had started only that morning. He assumed she would say it was stress-related, perhaps water deprivation—or that maybe it had something to do with the anniversary of Junior's death.

He tried to recount the first couple of incidents humorously, how at first he didn't recognize the voice or the touch as God's and thought a Monger had actually slipped in and gotten the drop on him. But that didn't elicit so much as a smile from her. If he had hoped she would take this seriously, he got his wish. Alexis was clearly alarmed.

“Did you find it as bizarre as Doc did when Pastor Bob asked me to pray for Jennie and I wound up spouting a passage of Scripture?”

“Come to think of it, I did,” she said. “But I'd just learned of Jennie's diagnosis, and then I was actually impressed by those verses. I didn't know you had them memorized.”

“That's just it, babe. I suppose I've heard them before, probably a couple of times, but I have never, ever tried to memorize them.”

“Then how—”

“I told you. God said He would give me utterance. He told me to just open my mouth and He would give me the words.”

“Ezekiel, please! That's—”

“Say it, Lexi! I know you want to. It's crazy, I know. So then explain it. How did I do that? And that Scripture had nothing to do with Jennie, did it?”

“Not really.”

“Then what is God doing? What's He saying to me?”

Alexis looked seriously concerned. “Can you quote the passage now? For me?”

“Let me think—no. I can't. I'm not even sure where it's from. Clearly
it's Old Testament, but I couldn't tell you the reference or the context. All I remember is that Bob asked me to pray—”

“For Jennie,” Alexis said.

“Right, and like you, I was shocked by what we had just been told about her. And so I prayed silently that the Lord would give me the words. He impressed on me that He had already told me that whatever He commanded me I should speak, and He said something about ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.'”

“Oh, Zeke!”

“I know, right? What was I supposed to think? I just stood there waiting.”

“There
was
a long pause,” she said.

“That's the thing—I was waiting for words from God, and He had told me to open my mouth. I remember Him sort of scolding me about having faith and that I should open my mouth. So I opened my mouth and that's what came out.”

“You realize how that sounds?”

“Who are you telling? I told you this was gonna make me sound nuts.”

“I should've listened.”

Zeke snorted. “I knew I could count on you, Lexi. I wonder what the widow Meeks is doing tonight.”

Alexis roared. She rushed around the table and fell into Zeke's arms, pulling his head down so they were nose to nose. “Nuts it is,” she said. “You're certifiable. Crazy.” She affected an exaggerated Jimmy Stewart impression and quoted George Bailey from
It's a Wonderful Life:
“‘You're screwy, and you're drivin' me crazy too! I'm seein' things.' You're a crazy holy man, Zeke. But you're
my
crazy holy man.”

She kissed him, made him sit, then sat in his lap.

“Can I be serious again for a minute?” he said.

“I think you'd better.”

“I gotta tell ya, I'm scared.”

She pushed back and held his face in both hands. “You're never scared of anything.”

“If you only knew, Lexi.”

“Tell me.”

“First, you know this isn't us, either of us. God impresses stuff on us, sure. I mean, look where we are. The rest of the world had enough sense to get out of Dodge when the Drought Gang came ridin' in, six guns blazing. But Pastor Bob preached his Marshal Dillon/Wyatt Earp/Gary Cooper/
High Noon
sermon one night, and that was all it took for us to leave caution to the wind. I didn't know if I dared ask you to dive into this with me, but if you remember, you committed before I did. And you had our only daughter in your arms at the time.”

“That's what I mean, Z. You're fearless, and I'm with you. So what's the problem?”

He drew her close and she laid her head on his chest. “It's just that up to now, hard as this has been, up till today I've actually found it kind of fun. I've been in my sweet spot. God has used almost everything I've ever known or been taught. I've been stretched and challenged and used in ways I never could have dreamed.”

“And you've become a leader too.”

“I know, and I didn't expect that either. But today, hearing God out loud . . . That's not something I bargained for, not something I'm comfortable with.”

“You want to know what I think?”

He gave her a look. “What do you think I'm doing here?”

“Trying to break the news to me about you and the widow Meeks?”

“Hilarious.”

“Sorry. Let me ask you this: Do you feel like this is something new—well, obviously it's new—but I mean a new normal?”

“That's just it. I guess I'm hoping it's not. I liked things the way they were.”

“Lots of people would give anything to hear directly from God, Zeke. They'd consider it a privilege. More than that. A sacred honor. A huge responsibility.”

“Would
you
?”

She paused. “Good question. I don't know.”

“I already have a huge responsibility,” he said. “Do I really want more?”

“God wouldn't choose you unless He thought you were up to it. And He certainly wouldn't give you more than you could handle. Mostly He wouldn't leave you alone, would He?”

They were quiet a moment. Finally, Zeke said, “My leg's falling asleep.”

Alexis slipped off his lap and sat next to him. “It wouldn't be like Him to force this on you if you're unwilling. But you might find yourself miserable if you miss a calling.”

Zeke sniffed. “Funny, I'm just relieved you're not packing a bag and trying to sneak Sasha out of here.”

Alexis chuckled. “Ezekiel, you're stuck with me. You know what I'd leave you over, and this isn't it. I've seen you in public and I've seen you in private. I've seen you at the height of success and I've seen you in the pit of despair. I know you're the same man of God when people are watching and when they are not. If the Lord has something more for you, for whatever reason—whether I understand it or I'm comfortable with it or even whether you understand it or are comfortable with it—you have to know this: Not only will I not stand in the way of it, but I will stand with you in it to the end. Any questions?”

“No, ma'am.”

A
FTER A DINNER
of tilapia and squash from an elaborate aquaponics system designed by Zeke, Doc, and Mahir, Zeke announced plans for the retrieval of the three damaged vehicles after sundown the next day. He hoped the recitation of logistics would get everyone's minds off the near-tragedy they'd suffered. As soon as possible, he wanted everyone who was able to get back to their daily routine of seeking out stragglers to minister to—sometimes these were as random as wandering alcoholics or the mentally ill, some of whom had never figured out where everybody had gone—and also helping sustain the compound.