HEAVY METAL MIRACLES

CHAPTER 17

PENNY

BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER, TENDERHEARTED, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, EVEN AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGAVE YOU (Ephesians 4:32)

            “You!” The older woman barked through the screen door. Then she angrily crossed her arms. “What, did you come to steal my husband again?”

            “No, Ma’am,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. Why had I driven seven hours from Iowa into the Dakotas just to apologize and then turn around to drive seven hours back? “I came to say how truly sorry I am for the roll I played in, well, you know…”

            “Wrecking my home?” she said bitterly. It was like a slap in the face.

            “Yes, Ma’am,” I answered and then looked at my feet.

            There was a long awkward pause, and I put a hand on my very pregnant belly.

            “Do you still live in Cedar Rapids?” she asked, the sharp edge on her voice was lessening.

            I looked back up at her. “About fifteen minutes outside of.”

            “I see. Why come back now, after all these years?”

            “I recently became a devout Christian. As a matter of fact, I’m getting baptized, as well married this coming weekend. Before these holy ceremonies take place, I wanted a clean slate. Looking you and your ex-husband in the eye and apologizing was the last restitution I felt compelled to make.”

            “You’ll have a hard time looking Dan in the eyes,” she said with a grave expression.

            “Oh, did he move away from the area?”

            “No, but his address changed. He’s in section eight in Pine Grove Cemetery.”

            I felt myself stiffen. “Oh my, how, when?”

            “He died a year and a half ago of a drug overdose.”

            “Drug overdose! Why I never even thought of him as much of a drinker. When we…”

            What was I an idiot! I almost told her that the only time I ever saw him drink was occasionally a glass of wine during our romantic encounters.

            “Four years ago he got his back broke by a bull,” she explained. “He became addicted to pain killers, and the things that killed his pain, ended up killing him.”

            “I’m sorry,” I said hesitantly. I didn’t know how to respond. Their divorce had been bitter, and I was a major contributor. Yet they had been married for close to twenty years. Did she still have any feelings left for him?

            She shrugged a shoulder with a neutral expression, then an awkward silence ensued. So I figured I’d make a closing remark before turning and burning back toward Iowa. “It’s impossible to go back in time and undo what I did with your husband. But know this, if I could I would. For what it’s worth, I am truly sorry, and I completely understand if you don’t forgive me.”

            “I thought I already had,” she replied. “But then when I saw you standing on my porch, looking as cute as you did when you interned with Dan, those old feelings of betrayal and not feeling good enough, pretty enough came right up to the surface.”

            I nodded and looked at my feet again. Then to my surprise, she invited me in and introduced me to her second husband. We ended up talking for a couple hours. Everything from veterinary practice to her kids and grandkids, and most importantly, I shared about my newfound faith.

            It had gotten too late for me to drive back home. Maybe I could if I wasn’t eight months pregnant. To my surprise, she invited me to spend the night. I almost cried. The fact that she was always so kind and sweet, made my affair with her husband all the more brutal in the guilt department. I had patted myself on the back for mustering up the courage to come here. But I felt dirty, and she was much more honorable than me.

            My transgression also made me fascinated with the David and Bathsheba story. Uriah the Hittite was an honorable man, just like Mrs. Thompson was a devoted wife and mother. Psalm 51 became my favorite Psalm as I sought restoration from the Lord. For the record, I declined her offer to spend the night, thanked her profusely, and stayed at a Hampton Inn.

            On the other hand, upon arriving home I would discover that my fiancée had made one of his ex’s a temporary house guest. But before I journeyed home to make this discovery, I called Arlo after I settled into my motel room. I gave him the highlights of my restitution adventure, and he said Ariel desperately wanted to talk to me, so I called my sister after I finished with him.

            “Hey Sis, Arlo said you urgently wanted to talk to me,” I said into the phone.

            “I really wanted to talk to you in person, but Arlo said you are in North Dakota.”

            “I am.”

            “Does it have something to do with what’s his name?”

            “I went to see his ex-wife. What’s his name is dead.”

            “Oh! I’m… sorry… I guess.”

            “Yeah, it’s kind of weird,” I replied, and then gave her the highlights of my day.

            “So you wanted to make amends before you were baptized this Sabbath.”

            “I don’t think I ever heard you say that before.”

            “Say what before? Make amends?

            “No, you know, referring to Saturday as the Sabbath.”

            “Believe it or not, Eli got through to me.”

            “You mean the guy you’ve been fornicating with is teaching you Bible truth?”

            “Do you have to put it that way?” she replied disgustedly. “You couldn’t say dating?”

            I snorted. “Dating my foot, you’ve been bedding Eli more than dating him.”

            “If you weren’t my sister, you wouldn’t be my friend.”

            “A true friend tells you the truth.”

            “Okay, here’s some truth. You’re the pot calling the kettle black. Just how did you become with child yourself, dear sister? Why did I have to tell Arlo to tell you to call me anyway?”

            “Because you wanted to talk to me about something.”

            “Yes, I wanted to talk to you about something, not get an earful of rebuke.”

            “Alright,” I chuckled. “I’ll try not to give you my opinion so you can get whatever it is off of your chest.”

            “It’s nothing to get off my chest. I wanted to ask a favor. But if the answer is no, that’s okay. I don’t want to interfere with your special day.”

            I frowned. “Ruin my special day, how? What’s your favor?”

            “I was hoping you’d agree to a double wedding. Eli asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

            “Ariel, that’s wonderful! It would be awesome to have a double wedding with my big sister.”

            “Older sister.”

            “You are a little bigger, too.”

            “Not with you looking like a watermelon is under your shirt.”

            “Fair point. But in a month my watermelon will be out, and your seed will be expanding your belly.”

            “Yeah, yeah, whatever. There’s one more thing. I think Eli and I are going to get baptized with you all also.”

            This stunned me even more than the marriage aspect. “So, it was no fluke you calling Saturday the Sabbath.”

            “I dusted off my concordance and looked up all of the points that you and my son and Arlo and Eli have all been espousing, in particular the Sabbath. I looked up every reference to it and can’t deny that it’s legit. The biggest problem I have is why the vast majority of Christians keep Sunday.”

            “Oh, you mean how the majority have always been right? Like how a thousand people were saved on the ark. Oh wait, it was only eight people. Or how about Shadrach, Meshach,  Abednego, and a thousand others who refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Oh, wait, it was only the three young Hebrews. Or how the majority knew that Christ was gonna be betrayed and die on the cross but rise the third day. Oh, wait, the majority, even his own disciples, expected him to take the actual temporal throne. Or…”

            “Enough little sister, who’s actually bigger than me right now. You know sarcasm isn’t the best way to witness truth.”

            “But you’re used to it from me. If I can’t be obnoxious with you, I can’t be with anyone.”

            She laughed, I laughed, and then I told her that her favor would be a favor for me.

            The thing that inspired me to make restitution was Arlo’s pursuit of his own restitution. It had to do with his longtime girlfriend, Elsa. The last time they saw each other in person, it had been two weeks since they had broken up. She informed him that she was pregnant. What timing! Together eight years, they decide to call the relationship quits only to discover they are expecting.

            But due to her pursuit of an acting career, she didn’t want to have a baby, so she wanted money for an abortion. Not confident that the baby was his, Arlo gladly paid for it, then washed his hands from the relationship. But when he opened the door of his heart and let Jesus in, the role he played in aborting the child within Elsa weighted heavily on him.

            I was just a little bit insecure about him contacting Elsa. She was a nude model and softcore porn actress. Nature had been very good to her in the looks department. But in my heart I knew Arlo loved me and was completely loyal to any longings his old girlfriend might tempt him with. His intentions to apologize had motivated me to make my own restitution in the Dakotas.

            Although I felt inclined to make my apologies in person, Arlo intended to do his via the telephone. So imagine my astonishment when I showed up at Arlo’s room in Mrs. Mendelbright’s boarding house. I had burst through the door and shouted, “Surprise,” only to experience my own alarm at the same time.

            Arlo stood abruptly, and at first I thought guiltily. For his ex-girlfriend Elsa had been sitting next to him on the sofa. He shakily introduced us, and we greeted each other cordially enough for how awkward I felt. Then we went from awkward to the ‘Twilight Zone’ as I noticed a four year old little girl playing with one of Mrs. Mendelbright’s cats. She giggled as the cat joyfully chased a piece of string that she dragged back and forth.

            “Who’s this little cutie?” I asked with what I hoped was an even tone.

            Arlo rocked on his heels, hands in the back pockets of his jeans. He grinned from ear to ear, yet he eyed me hesitantly. “Penny, meet Ivy, my daughter.”