The Lost and Found

Chapter 2 - It's Time, My Boy; Come

The highway stretched out before him like a lazy river glistening in the late summer heat. It flowed smoothly back and forth through the woods that separated his home from the nearby city. His Mustang hugged the curves effortlessly as it purred down the asphalt. Its eight-cylinder engine was made for roads like this. The sun was shining brightly through the tree tops and the breeze caused the rays of light to dance upon the pavement in a restless waltz with the early fallen leaves. Squirrels busied themselves with gathering the nuts off the ground, while rabbits darted over the highway in a dangerous game of chicken with the traffic. The crows and the ravens made quick work of those that had failed to complete the journey across all four lanes.

He had never driven this route by himself before, though he'd traveled it at least a thousand times with his family. His parents would never let him drive it alone, insisting he wasn't experienced enough to venture out on his own. Their words ruminated in his mind as he drove this winding road. And whose fault is that? The thought bristled the hairs on the back of his neck as it fueled his determination. They had always been a bit over-protective of him, which made him feel all the more eager to get out on his own. He hated the way they played it down with their phony concerns of "It's the other crazy drivers on the road, not you," or "You'll understand when you have your own kids." The fact was that they were the ones who did not understand. They didn't understand that he had become a man in spite of their efforts to keep him a boy. They couldn't see that he was capable of taking care of himself and capable of driving the short eighty miles to the city to find decent work. He was, after all, twenty years old. It was high time he found his own little niche in the world—his own life. It didn't matter that his dad didn't believe he was ready to face the real world, or that his mom didn't want her baby to leave. They didn't really care about him, anyway.

What they truly cared about was church and what other people thought of them.

"What do you think the folks at church are going to say about this?" his dad would demand whenever he did something his dad thought was inappropriate; or, "I'm on the board of directors, son. You need to behave better than everybody else's kid." His dad disapproved of most of his friends because they either went to other churches or, even worse, they didn't go to church at all. God forbid he should associate with anyone outside of his father's creed.

He wasn't allowed to date the one girl he'd been in love with for years simply because his father disapproved of her family. Without ever really explaining what was so bad about them, his dad simply forbade him to have a relationship with her for reasons he would not understand until he was older. It didn't matter that she attended his father's church, sang in their youth choir, and volunteered at the hospital on weekends. Nor did the fact that her grandfather, who had raised her from birth, was also a deacon at their church and had led the youth group for years. It definitely didn't matter that she was the most beautiful girl in the whole town, or that she was in love with him and everyone knew it. She was forbidden fruit. Too young, too poor, too whatever. No, his parents didn't really care about him at all, did they?

He turned the volume up on his stereo in an attempt to drown out the memory of their latest argument. His father's words echoed through his mind, nearly drowning out the pounding beat of Toby Mac's latest release.

"As long as you live in this house, son..." his father spouted without even looking at him.

"But Dad."

"No buts. This is my house. We have a reputation to uphold. I don't ask much of you, do I?"

You don't allow much, either, he thought. "No, but..."

"But what, John? How do you plan to pay bills? You're not working. You've never worked." His eyes drilled into him as he continued. "You didn't even bother to finish school—a school I paid for, I might add. You know how much flak I had to deal with from the elders at church because of you dropping out?" He flung his hands into the air in frustration at his son's obvious disregard for the importance of higher education.