Maroon Nights | A Short Story [COMPLETE]

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The house was completely silent as I trailed my way down stairs. I could hear each muffled step of my feet padding against the carpeted stairs and my slightly rapid breathing. Cameron had texted that he was outside a few minutes ago, initiating my plan.

Basically, I was going to talk to my dad one way or another, but if things went south, I would rather Cameron was here. I told him to give me ten minutes, then knock on the door. If the conversation was going bad, that would hopefully break it up. If it was going good, then maybe Cameron could meet my dad on good terms. I knew that that was probably wishful thinking, but I always tried to hope for the best.

When I came down into the living room, I heard the soft speaking of Mama and Oliver in the adjacent music room. Good. They would be safe in there.

I suspected that Baba was in his study to the left of the kitchen and so I silently made my way over. When I peeked in through the french doors, I saw him staring at his laptop, papers strewn across the surface of his antique desk. His eyebrows were knotted together and wrinkles that I had never really noticed before set deep into his forehead. I knew that his job as a software developer was sometimes stressful on him, and for a moment I considered going back upstairs and leaving him be. But I shook my head. I needed to be brave.

Taking a deep breath in, I gently tapped on the paned glass.

Baba's eyes flicked up, meeting mine through the door. For a minute, he just looked at me, his gaze cold and calculating. A shiver ran down my spine, but I just stood up straighter and fought against my nerves.

Finally, he stood and meandered his way over to the door. He opened it, but didn't invite me in.

"Rebecca, you know not to interrupt me while I'm working."

I swallowed, keeping my eyes on his. "Yes, Baba, but I really need to talk to you."

His jaw clenched as he contemplated in silence. I waited painfully for his answer. Waited for him to invite me in, to yell at me to leave, to punish me for interrupting. I didn't even realize how tense my body was until he said, "Speak."

It was an invitation enough for me so I took the opportunity. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a page of my mutilated Bible. I saw his eyes spark with anger, but he didn't say anything as I held it out to him. "Would you read the highlighted words on this?"

"I will not read anything from that book," he spat with venom in his voice.

I nodded slowly, my hands starting to tremble. "Okay. Then I'll read it to you." I straightened out the edges of the paper nervously. I had specifically picked this passage because it was the passage that Cameron had used to convince me seven months prior that Jesus was real. And I really hoped it worked. "This is from John three when Jesus is teaching a man named Nicodemus.

"Jesus says, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.'"

I slowly lifted my eyes from the paper to meet my father's once more. His eyes were narrowed and he still looked angry, but there was also a hint of confusion there. I hurried to explain. "Baba, I believe that Jesus is the living Son of God and that he is my source of truth and salvation. I know that you don't want to believe or want to accept this as the real truth. But I've seen the light, Baba." My voice cracked at the end as tears gathered in my eyes. "And I don't want to go back into the darkness." I watched him for a response, but he was as still as a statue.