Grace

18. The Beginning

A church. Grace had brought him to her church.  

Grace didn't seem to notice his hesitation. She quickened her pace. "Come on!" she said excitedly, hurrying past him. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and she was almost glowing, as if she was going to her favorite place on earth.

Jordan didn't move.

"Uh, Grace" he called, "I'm not going in there."

Grace turned around, saw his face, and seemed to understand. She smacked herself on her forehead. "Right, I didn't explain," she said, rushing back to him.

"It's like this," she began, "I never wake up early on Saturday mornings. But today I woke up at seven thirty and the first thing that popped into my head was 'I need to go to church right now.' I tried to ignore it, but it didn't go away, and it felt urgent, like someone needed me. So I got up and left a note for my parents and stepped outside... and there you were." She let out a breath. "I know this sounds crazy, but I don't think those thoughts were mine."

Jordan just stared at her. "So you think I'm supposed to go to church with you."

Grace nodded. "Exactly."

Jordan ran his fingers through his hair tiredly. It was a rat's nest. He really didn't want to hurt Grace's feelings, not after what she had done for him, but he was finding it hard to take her seriously right now. And just because he was beginning to consider that maybe there was a God did not mean that he was going to suddenly turn into one of those religious freaks...

"Nobody is asking you to do anything crazy. Just come in and sit for a couple minutes," said Grace, as if she could read Jordan's thoughts.

Still, Jordan hesitated. He felt that the moment he went into that church, he would be crossing in to the unknown, leaving his old life behind him forever, and that there would be no going back.

Then the truth forced itself slowly, inexorably into his mind... that he had already left his old life behind him forever, the day his brother had died. And he had already crossed that threshold last night, in the darkness, when he had said his first prayer and chosen life over death... Unbidden, Jordan saw Caleb again, looking at him over the sea of sand... Don't run from him.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," said Jordan.

Grace smiled, and Jordan let her lead him inside.

The-End