Riven - Jerry B. Jenkins [111]
The only person in the world Brady cared about was Peter, but the kid was not blind to Brady’s weaknesses. That left him with little basis to teach or counsel his brother, but for sure he had enough experience to warn him. He told Peter to stay away from cigarettes, let alone grass and coke and booze. He praised him for holding down a steady job and keeping up with his car payments. He urged him to stay in school and graduate.
“You know the old line about doing what I say and not what I do?” Brady said.
Peter nodded.
“That’s what I’m saying. I know I’ve screwed up. You don’t have to. Promise me.”
Peter shrugged. “Aunt Lois has been asking about you, Brady. Wants you to come see them if you want.”
“What have you told her?”
“The truth, mostly. I told her you’re doing good, working, making a little money, behaving yourself.”
“So not the whole truth.”
“Well, I didn’t think it would make her day to know you like the occasional joint and that you sleep around, no.”
“Good man.”
“She wants to know where we’re going to church.”
“There’s a surprise. Did you tell her Church of the Inner Spring with Pastor Blanket and Deacon Sheets?”
Peter roared. “I’ll tell her that next time. I told her we’ve both been real busy.”
Brady nodded. “And she told you that if we’re too busy for God, we’re too busy.”
“Exactly.”
40
Late September | Adamsville
Having Ravinia Carey-Blanc and Dirk over for the first time was about as nerve-racking a proposition as Thomas could imagine. He and Grace agreed that despite their discomfort over their daughter’s marriage, it was unconscionable that they had never hosted the couple.
“Should I say that?” Thomas said. “Just confess it and ask their forgiveness?”
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “I’d leave it alone. Let’s just be as gracious and warm as we know how. Make it clear we’re finally recognizing them as a couple. She’ll always be our daughter, regardless, and it’s time we started treating her like an adult free to make her own decisions.”
Thomas was as nervous as he had been in ages. Worry about Grace’s stamina niggled at him, but mostly he was trying to frame his meal prayer. He always prayed; they would expect that. But he didn’t want to offend them either.
What was the point of this? He would be talking to God, not to them. He questioned his own motive for wanting to mention them, and he knew it would be wrong to hint what he really wanted God to do for them.
This was all too disconcerting, and as their arrival approached, he and Grace seemed nearly frozen from anxiety.
“Let’s just be good hosts and let it play out as it plays out,” Grace said.
With everything ready and dinner cooking, Grace sat on the couch, looking as if she could use some sleep. Thomas sat in his easy chair, trying to read the paper but unable to concentrate. He couldn’t sit still and began to pace.
“You’re making me more nervous,” Grace said. “Just relax.”
“Sorry. I can’t. Has it been getting dark this early already?”
She looked at her watch, then out the window. “Storm brewing?”
Thomas moved to the picture window and scanned the sky. “How perfectly appropriate,” he said.
“Oh, Thomas.”
Addison
Despite being sleep deprived as usual and logy from smoking too much grass, Brady actually didn’t mind his work so much that day. He was mostly mowing and bagging, and the weather forecast showed potential for their getting off work early.
Peter didn’t have school that day, so Brady was using his car. No hitchhiking. He would ride back to the office in the company truck and be able to drive back to the trailer park. Peter said he was going somewhere with friends, but Brady begged him to be back at the trailer by five. “I need you to be there to take a delivery for me. Very important. Guy will give you a sealed-up cookie tin. You give him the envelope from the freezer.”
“The freezer?”
“Just do it. Don’t let me down.”
“What are you buying?”
“The less you know the better.”
“I don’t want to get involved in anything like that.”
“It’s cookies, okay? A gift for