REBEL

Chapter Thirty Eight

                 Geary , Arkansas

Emily Gibson Lewis stood back and admired her award-winning rose garden. Her babies were doing quite well this year. She was destined to bring home another blue ribbon from the Purdue County fair in August.

" Mommy ," she heard a soft voice calling out to her. She looked down and smiled. She saw the reason for her life smiling up at her.

Her little Ricky Joe.

It amazed her that he didn't look like her or Lawrence. Her son was nearly identical to her brother. Soft wavy blond curls and those mismatched eyes. Only two people in her family had those eyes. Lawrence had brown hair and grey eyes. Like his father. She had her daddy's red hair and her mother's blue eyes. She loved her son so much.

"Yes , my precious," she said cheerily as she dropped to her knees and hugged him. He smelled like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

" I love you, Mommy! "

( " I love you, Sissy," Ricky Joe said that night as he drew up in a ball next to her blood stained bed. " I love you too," she said as she held him. Then she prayed over him as he cried. )

Emily pushed those memories from her mind. It was the past. Just the past.

" I love you too, Ricky Joe, darling. "

The little boy giggled, so much like her brother, and ran off towards the large colonial style house. Then her cell phone rang. She glanced at it. A coldness crept over her when she saw who it was. Yes he had changed and she was a woman of God but she still couldn't bring herself to like him.

" Yes ? ," she answered.

The man laughed heartily. "Hello, angel. I need a favor. "

Her stomach clenched. She suddenly wanted to vomit all over her pretty flowers. What did he want? Why couldn't he just leave her and her family alone? Why couldn't he just drop dead ? Then she felt guilty and said a silent prayer to God. God didn't like ugly thoughts. She was better than that. She was better than him.

She tried to calm her frazzled thoughts. He had apologized to her. He had cried in her arms. He had begged her forgiveness. He repented. All God's children deserved forgiveness. It was why she was so desperate to bring Ricky Joe back to the light with her. She missed her brother. She wanted him to be in heaven with her one day.

" What? "

" I need you to arrange a meeting with your brother. "

Her fingers tightened on the phone. " Why ? He's moved on. I don't think he'll want to see you again. "

" I want to apologize to him. I want to repent to him. Like I did you. But I can't get close to him in that sinful life of his. I need you to help me make up with him. "

" I don't think so. God told me that the past should remain in the past. Bringing it up does nobody any good. "

Suddenly the man turned cold and impatient. "Look you little twit. Either you arrange that meeting or I'll improvise another bit of past fun. One Ricky Joe is as good as another. Although he's a tad younger than I prefer but he looks so much like him. "

Her heart wanted to burst from her chest.

She wanted to scream.

No. Not again. Not her Ricky Joe. Not her son. He had changed, hadn't  he ? He lied to her and God. She had done everything he asked. She let him cry his crocodile tears on her. Why couldn't he just go away forever? She hated him.

Forgive me , God, she silently prayed.

" You lied to me. "

The man snapped," You really are stupid or crazy or both. Just get it done. You want to protect the family, don't you? "

She dropped the phone and fell to her knees.

That was how her husband found her later.

Kneeling on the grass , crying and praying.