I removed Rodger’s arm from my chest and slowly slid out of bed. He had been snoring with ardor in my ear for the past hour with his morning breath. Whew, I’d rather wake up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee, not last night’s dinner turned rancid.
I went to the window and watched the sun come up over the hill spreading fire over the land with out igniting anything. The miracle of sunrise; intense flames of fire licking the sky and touching the earth without damage. I have been feeling more like this was a curse than a miracle. I didn’t deserve to be alive, I should be burnt at the stake. In another century I would have been stoned. Thankfully, today’s society has become lax in it’s dealing with sinners, especially those that commit serial monogamy. Why did I say “thankfully” when I just thought I’d be better off gone from the land of the living? Boy, human emotions sure are subject to radically change on the drop of a pin.
The early morning’s quietude was broken as people up and down the apartment complex were getting up and leaving for work. Car engines revved up, motorcycles spun their wheels. Kids complained about being pulled from bed and strapped to car seats to head to the day care. Dogs were led to their special places by owners carrying plastic bags. Neighbors waved at each other, called out greetings, made arrangements for our after work cook out. After five was party time around here. We gathered at the picnic tables and built in grills with bring your-own-bottle beverages while the children worked over the play ground.
I watched my significant other roll over in bed sending his wretched breath to the opposite wall. I was getting tired of him. It was time for a change. This was the longest relationship I’ve had in a while and my attention deficit popped out of remission a month or so ago, I just haven’t dealt with it yet. I’ve never been without a man in my live for more than a month, I’ll probably dump this guy when I find his replacement. It’s best to not make any fundamental moves till all the options are in position. After all a girl has to eat.
I grabbed my beach towel and headed to the pool. I was on a week’s vacation, providing me with plenty of time to self indulge. Early morning was so peaceful at the pool, all the kids were gone to school or daycare and the adults were at work. I dove in and swam a couple of laps. The cold water worked on my nervous system better than any cup of java.
Water dripped at my feet as I toweled dry by a lounger. An old conversion van, lacking many of it’s original parts and paints, pulled up on the street and about a dozen men disembarked and spread out like roaches. One stranger disentangled himself from the pack an ambled in my direction. He nodded towards the water fountain and I shrugged, sure, he could have a drink: I didn’t pay the water bill. After he saturated himself and wiped his beard on his shoulder he moseyed over towards me. Ordinarily I enjoyed the company of men, but this guy looked like he needed someone to care for him. I preferred the type that could show me a good time. It was all about my needs.
He seated himself in a vacant chair nearby, after all, it would have been rude to sit in an occuppied chair. He wasn't handsome at all. Definitely not my type. Though my type is hard to pin point; it varies with the season, weather, location, but more precisely, with my bank account. The stranger started chatting with me and before I knew it hours passed. I actually was amazed by this fellow, he had such a good ear he could have been a bartender. His group rejoined him with hamburgers from a local diner and was surprised to hear him refuse nourishment, claiming he’d already eaten. I kept my mouth shut, I hadn’t seen him consume anything. He said his goodbyes to me and helped his friends unpack the van’s holdings into the motel catty corner to the apartments. I was thunderstruck when I noticed I wasn’t thirsty after having spent the better part of the day in the hot sun. I wasn't even perspiring, neither was he.
Eventually I returned home but the tingling encounter kept me wound up all day. I looked at Rodger with different eyes, I was more ashamed now of him now, than bored with him. When neighbors started trickling home I convened with a few women in the laundry room and described my morning meeting. The house wives all hinted I was about to fly the coup, they‘d seen the signs before. I couldn’t make them believe that I wasn’t attracted to the chap in a physical sense, but something about him did pull me close, there was no denying that!
I was delighted to see Him again that night strolling around the motel’s parameters so those I had discussed him with could get a first hand presentation of his wisdom. We invited him and his pals to join our barbeque, much to Rodger’s chagrin, he‘d already heard more about the stranger than he wanted too. Rodger even hinted the band of travelers were probably gypsies sizing the region up for Burglary Unlimited. When it was established that the newcomer was a itinerant preacher, Rodger lightened up. The man was categorically not in my class, he absolutely nothing to worry about. Some people with totally unacceptable life styles (or so they thought) left the area, not wanting to have their lives exposed by what seemed to be his psychic abilities. He had to have looked us up on the internet to know so much about us. Nighttime was falling but the abundant spiritual light that was present sent sinners flying. We were flabbergasted by how all the kids flocked to the man,and the stories he made sound so entertaining. The rowdy delinquents sat silently, as close to him as they could get, just to hear his tales.They were spellbound, this man really could work miracles.
The preacher stayed for a few days infusing us with inspiration, love and hope. It wasn’t the hell and fire preaching I had heard at church. He didn’t even have a concrete church (or wooden or straw one for that matter). He taught us to use our spirits, (not spirit guides), to converse with God. He didn’t disparage church attendance , he just explained how accessible God really was; being without boundaries God could be found on the mountains, in a restaurant, or crowded bus. Or by a pool side. Or in a apartment complex’s recreational area.
He and his entourage didn’t stay for many days and when he left it saddened us. Most of us had entreated him to settle here, but no, he had other sheep to feed. More work to do. Something about a harvest with minimal workers. He must work as a farmer somewhere, I thought. It occurred to me, I had nothing holding me here. Rodger and I had come to the end of our liaison, he didn’t feel the shame in our immoral lifestyle that I now felt. There was no point pretending we were going anywhere, especially now that I seemed to have changed course in my interests. A strong desire burned in my chest to...farm. To sow and reap. To work in the fields. To get my hands dirty, not my soul. To follow the man that freed me, accepted me as I was. Set free.
“We need to talk,” I announced to Rodger as I packed my bags, he was as good a place as any to start planting seeds.
john 3:19
john 4:1-26
john 4:35
john 10:1-27
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
2 timothy 2:20
