Riven - Jerry B. Jenkins [184]
“By reading the Bible.”
“Exactly. And memorizing. And who knows? Maybe God will allow you to share this with someone else.”
“These guys? I doubt it.”
“Like I said, you never know. Sure, they’ll doubt you and mock you, but you may be able to reach inmates who would never listen to me.”
“I’ll read that book you gave me.”
“Good, and I have many, many more. Let me know every time you finish one, and I’ll bring you another. And meanwhile, my wife has a gift for you.”
“Your wife?”
“You didn’t think I was married?”
“I never thought about it.”
“I’ll tell you about her sometime. Meanwhile, maybe you will enjoy this.”
But of course it wouldn’t fit through the openings.
“What’re you doing there, Reverend?” came the guard over the intercom.
“Just trying to give him a tape.”
“I’ll have to see it first.”
“Hey!” someone yelled. “Give me a tape!”
“If you like what you hear,” Thomas hollered back, “I’ll bring you one too.”
“That’ll be the day!”
Thomas moved into the observatory and showed the cassette to the supervisor.
“What is this?”
Thomas told him.
“Sorry, Reverend. This could be broken and made into a weapon.”
“I’ll take full responsibility.”
“Yeah, that’ll do a lot of good when he’s lying there bleeding out, or one of my guys is stabbed trying to get him to the shower. I’m going to have to say no.”
Thomas sighed. He couldn’t have been happier about what had happened to Brady, but clearly, in trying to work with him, he was going to face obstacles every step of the way.
Thomas stopped by Brady’s cell on his way out and told him to request a private meeting. “I’ll play this for you over the phone in the isolation room. How are you feeling, by the way?”
“That’s something I want to talk to you about. How am I supposed to feel? It’s like I’m relieved, but I still feel unworthy, like I don’t deserve it. I am what I am, and I can’t be happy because of the people I’ve hurt.”
“You feel unworthy because you are unworthy, Brady. Relieved is the right way to feel. And that may be as good as it gets. I need to warn you though: this voyage is not going to be all clear sailing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You want to get to know God, right? to get to know Jesus by reading the Bible and the other stuff I’ll get to you?”
“Sure. ’Course.”
“As you start to grow and understand and get a picture of what God is really like, you’re going to start seeing yourself in light of Him. If you’re like me, you may have some real trouble with what you see in the mirror.”
Brady snorted. “If I was like you, I’d have an easier time looking in the mirror. I already know I’m scum.”
“I’m just telling you, the closer you get to Jesus, the harder it is sometimes.”
Administrative Wing
Thomas went directly back to Warden LeRoy’s office. “Frank, I’m going to be needing to see this inmate on a regular basis.”
“Yeah, no. That’s going to be hard to pull off without everybody else knowing he’s getting special privileges.”
“No special privileges. I’ll change the rules for my office. Any inmate demonstrating a sincere belief and wishing to be discipled or mentored in his effort to become more spiritually mature shall not be restricted in his requests for personal time with the chaplain. How’s that sound?”
“Like you rehearsed it. But I’d have to say that just might work, within reason.”
Thomas was so stunned that Yanno would even consider this, he hardly knew how to respond. “Well, sure, within reason, Frank. He has to be in his cell for counts, meals, and to be taken to his shower and exercise. And the meetings would naturally have time limits.”
“This would put extra burden on officers who have to transfer him back and forth.”
“C’mon, chief. What else are these guys doing all day? What’s another trip to isolation?”
“Put it in writing for the