A FEW DAYS later at the Meriwether home, after Ed had gotten off of work, he and Pastor Tom were in the kitchen talking about the upcoming trip, almost a week away. They were waiting for the rest of the hunting party to arrive.
Within the next half hour, the rest of the men had arrived and were serving themselves coffee or taking a soda from the kitchen counter and joining them at the table. During the discussion of what to take, who’s rig it was going in, and who was going with whom, the phone rang. Ed got up and answered it.
“Hello.”
“Hi Ed, its Braxton. Are you going elk hunting this season?”
“Yeah, we’re finalizing our plans now.”
“Who’s going?” Braxton asked.
“Pastor Tom Madison, Fred Hitch, Ross Spencer, Harley Comstock, and myself.”
“Mind if I come along?” Braxton probed. “I need to get away for a while and get myself an elk.”
“Got a tag?”
“Sure. Get one every year.”
How could he answer? Braxton and his brother Jed used to go with them all the time, until his marriage with Sheila had fallen apart and she disappeared on him. This was the first time Braxton had showed any interest in going again and he wasn’t sure what to say.
He missed his old friend, but he had changed. Braxton’s drinking had gotten out of hand for a while. He seemed to be handling it better now. At least, if he was drinking a lot, it wasn’t as noticeable as it had been. But you never knew with him and Ed didn’t want to deal with his drinking and his temper on such a long trip away from home.
“Brax… It’s been so long. I’d love to have you come, but there won’t be any alcohol allowed on this trip. Are you okay with that?”
Braxton seemed to hold his breath, then he responded somewhat coldly, “No problem… doesn’t bother me one way or the other.”
Ed wondered, but he felt God prompting him to accept and reach out to this man.
“Good. Love to have you,” Ed told him as he gave him the time and place to meet.
Then he continued, “Fred was going to squeeze in with one of us. Would you mind taking him in your rig?”
“Sure, why not? Anything else?” he asked, apparently perturbed.
“We’re using Ross’s old tent again. It’ll hold all of us, as you know, but it sure would be nice if you could bring your wood stove. It’s bigger than his and we can keep the coffee hot on it.”
“Sure,” Braxton agreed, not sure he wanted to go after all. This trip was starting to bring back too many memories of what he wanted to forget.
But, he could always keep to himself, once he was out there. He just wanted to get away, back into the hills and hunt.
“Does Jed want to go?” Ed asked.
“Nah, he’s helping Dad with the lodge this season.”
“Okay, Brax. See you in a couple of days then.”
When Ed hung up, he told the group that Braxton was coming.
It was received with curiosity from Pastor Tom who had never met the man in Pastor Andrew’s journal, and the source of some of his pain.
Ross and Harley acknowledged his joining the group with a chorus of “sure”, but their faces betrayed their worry.
While Fred was only too happy to have a ride and was content with whatever life threw his way. That was his nature.
“It’s a good time to exercise the fruits of the Spirit, men,” Ed suggested to the group.
Smiling, the men agreed and started talking about their trip again.
Only Fred looked puzzled.
What are they talking about? What fruit?
* * * *
A Tale Of True Love Page 25
