CHAPTER ELEVEN
Monday morning, Donnie was up early, preparing to drive the many miles necessary in order to make his restitutions. Thankfully, he had a wallet full of money. It was the money he had saved for his honeymoon. He would probably need all of it before he got back home the next day.
Mrs. Slocum bade him good-bye with a promise from God' s Word: Psalm 91: 1 0-11. "There shall no evil befall thee .... For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
Donnie had borrowed his mom's cassette tape recorder and some tapes she had recommended. He listened to the tapes as he drove along. How different from the wild rock-and-roll music he was accustomed to listening to while driving! The gospel music lifted his spirits, and he felt the presence of God right there with him. He sang along, the best he could, with the singers. Reaching over, he turned the volume up slightly. A young baritone was singing a song he had never heard before. He kept rewinding the tape so he could catch all the words. It was a beautiful song, and the words were blessed to his heart. Tears filled his eyes as he listened:
Sometimes, when my faith would falter
And no sunlight I can see,
I just lift mine eyes to Jesus
And I whisper, "Pilot me."
"Fear thou not, for I'll be with thee;
I will still thy Pilot be.
Never mind the tossing billows;
Take My hand and trust in Me." .
When temptations 'round me gather
And I almost lose my way,
Somehow, in the raging tempest,
I can hear my Saviour say,
"Fear thou not, for I'll be with thee;
I will still thy Pilot be.
Never mind the tossing billows;
Take My hand and trust in Me."
"Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to hear this beautiful song," Donnie prayed aloud. "I don't know what lies ahead today or next week or next year, but I suppose I'll be tempted and tried and tested, maybe severely. Just help me to remember that You are at the helm of my little ship and as I trust in You, You will guide me safely to the other shore."
At noon Donnie stopped at a roadside park, about half-way to his destination, and ate the lunch his mom had packed for him. After taking a little walk to stretch his legs, he was on his way again. He knew he would not be able to make it back home that night, so he planned to get a motel room and finish up his business the next day. Oh, how he dreaded facing some of the people he had cheated, especially one of the men he had worked with. This man had been a true friend, but Donnie had taken one of his good car tools once, and purposely failed to return it. How he wished he could honestly say he had forgotten all about returning the tool, but he knew in his heart, he deliberately stole it.
Donnie was not sure how many tools, bolts, and nuts he had stolen from the factory where he worked. He had not considered himself a thief at the time. He had soothed his conscience by convincing himself he was underpaid and the factory owed him whatever he could make off with. But under the searching eye of the Holy Ghost, he knew he was a thief and had to make that right also.
Late in the afternoon, Donnie noticed that a storm was brewing. The skies grew black with thick clouds, and the wind whipped the tree tops back and forth. Leaves and other debris were swept across the highway in front of him. Thunder rolled, and jagged lightning streaked across the sky. Great drops of rain began to splatter on the windshield. Donnie stepped on the gas. The storm was ready to break loose in all its fury. Maybe if he speeded up some, he could make it to the little station he had robbed. Surely it could not be much farther. He kept watching for the sign. Would he recognize it? he wondered. His heart began to beat more rapidly. His hands gripped the steering wheel. Would they call the police and have him arrested, when he confessed what he had done? The rain began to fall in torrents and made driving difficult. Every so often, the wheels hit big puddles of water, which threatened to wreck the car. Donnie felt uneasy and began to wonder if he would be able to make it safely to his destination.
Fear thou not, for I'll be with thee, echoed in his mind. He took courage. Surely God wouldn't allow him to come this far in the line of duty, and then let him perish in a storm. He kept on the alert for the neon sign.
There it was! Just ahead. There was no mistaking it. He slowed down and crossed over to a side road that ran in front of the station. He stopped out front and sat awhile, waiting for the rain to slack up. He took out his wallet and counted out the money he owed the lady. One hundred and seventeen dollars, plus the fifteen I used for gas ... makes a total of one hundred and thirty-two dollars. Guess I should allow something for interest. I'll just even it out to a hundred and fifty. With this thought, he added the extra eighteen to what he had already counted, and stuck his wallet back in his pocket. The rain was still pouring down unrelentingly. Thinking it could rain all night, Donnie decided to make a dash for the door.
When he got inside the building and had dried his face with a handkerchief, he realized he was trembling. One thought haunted him: What if they put me in jail? Again he seemed to hear the words, Fear thou not, for I'll be with thee.
He thanked God silently for His assurance and approached the cashier.
"May I help you?" the cashier asked. He was a young man, hardly more than a boy.
"I-I'm looking for an elderly lady who worked here about thirteen or fourteen months ago."
"Mrs. Fontenot?"
"I don't know her name. She was a sweet, innocent-looking little woman, with beautiful grey hair."
Tears filled the young man's eyes. "You must be speaking of my grandmother, the only mother I've known. She's in the Shady Rest Nursing Home, here in Casper Loop. She's dying with cancer."
"Oh-h, I'm so sorry to hear that," Donnie answered, his own eyes smarting as he thought of the grief he had caused the dear old lady. "I need to see her, personally," he explained to the young man. "Is there a chance I could see her if I went to the nursing home?"
"Yes, you can see her. She'll be delighted to have company. Grandad had a heart attack and passed away about two months ago. That left just me and my brother to keep things going, so we don't get a chance to visit her as often as we'd like."
Impatient to get on with the task before him, Donnie asked, "Which direction do I take?"
The young man walked to the door with him and pointed through the downpour toward a street to the left of the station. "Take that street, go five blocks, turn left on Elm, go three more blocks, then turn right, and you'll see the nursing home. Gran's name is Emily. Emily Fontenot. And she's in Room 4-B. Will you tell her 'hi' for me?"
"I'll be glad to."
"Okay, then, tell her there's a guy by the name of Jason who loves her and thinks of her often."
Donnie shook hands with the young man as he told him, "I'm a new Christian. I will remember you folk in my prayers."
"Thanks," the young man said, his voice choking. "I wish you'd pray especially for Gran. I don't know how my kid brother and I will make it without her. She's all the mother we have. It was really a blow, losing Grandad so suddenly. "
Donnie's heart was touched by the young man's plight. Longing to help him, he placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you a Christian?"
The young man dropped his eyes from Donnie's earnest gaze. "I don't have time to go to church. We keep this place open seven days a week, and we only have one other employee, besides my brother and me."
Donnie didn't know what else to say or do, so, after a few moments of silence, he bade the boy good-bye and made a dash for his car. He was soaked, but he knew he would not be able to rest until he had talked to Mrs. Fontenot and made things right with her. After that, he would find a motel and rest for the night. He could finish the remainder of his business the next day.
It was still raining when Donnie pulled up in front of the nursing home. As he sat shivering and watching the rain pelting down, he prayed, "Oh, God, help me to know what
to do and say at times like this. My heart is breaking for these people, but I feel so helpless to know how to reach them. Help me to say the right thing to Mrs. Fontenot. Help her not to get upset at me when I confess. Oh, God, I need You, and I believe You are going to go with me. Amen."
After a few more minutes, Donnie decided to go on in. No telling when the rain would stop, and he was already wet, so he might as well get it over with, he thought. Hurriedly, he got out of his car and made a run for the door of the nursing home. As he pulled it open, he discovered he was facing the information desk.
"Which way do I go to get to 4-B?" he asked.
"To your left, fourth door down."
"Thanks," he said, and with some trepidation, made his way down the hall to Mrs. Fontenot's room and knocked.
"Come in," someone called.
Upon entering, Donnie nodded politely to the lady sitting in a rocking chair nearest the door. On beyond her, an elderly lady lay in bed. Donnie recognized her immediately. His heart began to pound as he approached the bed.
"Mrs. Fontenot," he addressed her. He could not help noticing the light that appeared in her eyes when he spoke her name. It was evident that her visitors were few and far between.
Donnie caught her thin hand in his and said, "Mrs. Fontenot, my name is Donnie Slocum. You don't remember me, do you?"
"No, son, I can't recall that name. And I can barely see, so I can't see your face. Sometimes I recognize voices, but I don't seem to recognize yours."
Donnie breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered he was not recognized. That would give him time to choose the right words. But he found it difficult to go on with the reason for his visit, with the other lady staring at him. So he evaded his mission temporarily.
"Mrs. Fontenot, I'm a young Christian. I met your grandson Jason at the service station, and he wanted me to pray for you."
Tears filled her eyes. "My dear boys! I don't know what will become of them when I'm gone."
"Maybe God will heal you," Donnie ventured.
"Not likely, son. I'm being eaten alive with cancer. You know there's no cure for that."
"May I pray with you?"
"I'd be much obliged for your prayers, son. I need all I can get."
So Donnie bowed his head and prayed as simply as a child. He asked God to be with Mrs. Fontenot and her grandsons, to help them in every way they needed, whether it was physically, spiritually, or financially. He asked God to give Mrs. Fontenot a healing touch if it could be His divine will, to relieve her of her sufferings, to be with the boys and give them strength for their difficulties. He asked God to save them if they weren't Christians.
When he finished praying, Donnie noticed that Mrs. Fontenot's roommate was gone. He felt God had intervened in his behalf.
He was still holding Mrs. Fontenot's hand as he cleared his throat and began, "Mrs. Fontenot, do you recall a man coming into your store last year and robbing you?"
"Do I remember? I'll never forget that ordeal," she exclaimed. "It like to have scared me half to death. I had to quit working at the station after that, because I was a nervous wreck. Being already sick, that nearly finished me off."
Donnie kept feeling smaller and smaller as she continued:
"That robbery really set us back. We were just poor folk trying to make an honest living, but that man that robbed me didn't care about that. He was probably high on drugs and needed money to buy more dope." Peering at Donnie with intense interest, she asked, "Do you know anything about that robbery? We turned it over to the police, but nothing ever came of it."
"Mrs. Fontenot .... " Donnie hesitated, then he cleared his throat nervously and began to confess. "Mrs. Fontenot, I'm awfully sorry to tell you that I am the man who robbed you and--”
She threw up her hands in protest. "Oh, no, son! You'll never make me believe that. Anybody that prays like you do wouldn't steal a flea off a dog's back."
"But I wasn't a Christian then, Mrs. Fontenot. I was a wicked, low-down, no-good sinner. But Jesus saved me last week, and I have hunted you up so I can pay your money back with interest. Here's one hundred and fifty dollars."
"Oh, I can't believe this." She looked bewildered. "Are you sure you're not fooling me?"
"No, I'm not fooling you. I'm the one who took your money. Do you remember me calling you 'Grandma' and saying I would pay you back some day?"
"Yes ... I remember that."
"Well, I knew if I ever got to heaven I would have to straighten up my back life, as much as was possible. And I also knew I had a praying mother and a praying sister. I felt that some day their prayers would catch up with me. Well, they did last Saturday morning, and God saved my soul. After that, I couldn't rest until I paid this debt." Giving her hand a gentle pat, he added, "How glad I am that I found you!"
Mrs. Fontenot was crying. "You'll never know what this means to me," she told him. "You see, our Jeffy is graduating from high school. He has really been struggling to pay for the extras he needs, but there never seems to be enough money to go around. It will give me such pleasure to be able to pay for his graduation announcements and his cap and gown. Also, I can buy him a small graduation gift. It will probably be my last gift to him."
She pulled Donnie down to her and kissed his cheek. "You've made my day, sonny. May God bless you forever."
"You must be a Christian, Mrs. Fontenot," Donnie suggested.
"Well, I've been praying more than I ever have in my life, since I've been sick. Yes, I think I'm a Christian."
"You can know beyond any shadow of a doubt, Mrs. Fontenot. "
"You can?"
"Yes, God said if we'd confess our sins, He'd forgive us and clean us up. I can't remember just how it goes, in the Bible, but that's what it means. Have you confessed your sins to Jesus?"
"No-o .... "
"Would you like to pray now and confess to Him and ask Him to save you?"
"I believe I would."
So once again Donnie bowed his head in prayer, asking God to help Mrs. Fontenot to confess and believe. Then he encouraged her to pray aloud. The Holy Spirit lingered near as they prayed together. When they had finished praying, Donnie asked her, "Do you feel that God has forgiven you?"
"I believe He has," she said in wonder. "I really do. I feel all calm and peaceful inside."
They talked for some time after that. When Donnie remembered to deliver the message from Jason, Mrs. Fontenot began telling him all about "her boys." Finally Donnie rose to go.
"I'll be praying for you every day, Mrs. Fontenot," he said. "You pray too, and read your Bible, and God will help you."
"I can't see to read, son."
"Well, you just pray, and maybe one of your grandsons or your roommate will read the Bible to you. God will not fail you. There's a song that says, 'Fear thou not, for I am with thee .... Take My hand and trust in Me.' So if you hold to God's hand, He will see you through."
"I'll surely trust Him, Son," she said humbly. "I hope you can come to see me often. Do you live close by?"
"No, I live nearly four hundred miles from here."
"Oh, dear! I thought maybe you could come and read the Bible to me."
"I wish I could, but since I can't, I'll try to locate a preacher in this town and have him come. Maybe God will help me find someone."
"I sure would be much obliged if you could locate a preacher to come and visit me. It would really be an encouragement. I get so few visits."
When Donnie left, a little later, his heart felt light and happy. Surely God had been with him here. He had more confidence, now, that God would go the rest of the way with him. His wet clothes no longer felt cold, for he was basking in the warmth of the love and faithfulness of God.
Nevertheless, now that the rain was over, he decided to find a room and get cleaned up before he ate supper. He found a motel a few blocks away and checked in. After taking a hot shower, he was tempted to go to bed and forget supper, but his empty stomac
h protested at that. So, thinking he'd get a hamburger and hurry back, Donnie went in search of a quick-serve hamburger place. After passing several restaurants, hunger won out over weariness, and Donnie chose a place where he could get a regular meal.
An hour later, feeling much better after a steak dinner, topped off with apple pie for dessert, Donnie went back to the motel for a good night's rest. He read his Bible and prayed, then stretched out in the bed and was soon fast asleep.
He awoke early the next morning, much refreshed and eager to get on the road and complete his mission. He decided to go to his former landlady's first. She lived beside the little apartment he and Sharon had once rented.
Donnie wasn't prepared for the awful sadness that engulfed him as the little apartment came into view. Now that he was a Christian, he saw everything from a different perspective. The shame and regret seemed too much to bear. Oh, if he could only go back and live those days over and live them with Jesus in his heart! Oh; Sharon! he cried silently. I wish I could have been a Christian husband to you. I wish I had never given you reason to distrust me.
Memories flooded his mind. Where was Sharon now, he wondered. And his darling little Christy? She would be about two now. How he longed to see her, to hear her call him Daddy.
After parking in front of Mrs. Durant's, Donnie went up to the door and knocked.
"Well!" she exclaimed, upon opening the door. "What are you doing here? I guess you know you owe me some rent and utility money."
"That's why I came, Mrs. Durant. I want to pay you what I owe you."
"You do? Well, of all things! Come in and have a seat." She opened the door wider in invitation.
Donnie took the nearest chair and went on to state his business. "I don't know exactly what I owe you, because I was behind on my utilities too, but I thought you could give me some idea."
"I know exactly. I wrote it down, since you mentioned on the note you left that you might come back and pay me some day. Frankly, I never did expect you, but I wrote it down, just in case. Let me go hunt up the bill."
She went into another room and fetched a tin box and started rummaging through it, mumbling to herself as she did. After a few minutes her mumbling turned into a triumphant, "Uh-huhl Here it is. Rent $200.00, utilities $75.82. A total of two hundred, seventy-five dollars and eighty-two cents." She handed him the bill.
Donnie got out his wallet and counted out the money. "Here's an extra ten for the trouble I've put you to, Mrs. Durant."
"Well--thanks, Donnie. My, I really appreciate this." Her face lit up. "I can buy me a new washer now. My old one is on the blink half the time."
Donnie started to get up to go, but Mrs. Durant kept talking.
"How did your mother ever get? You said she was in a wreck."
"She's fine now, and happy as a lark. You see, her only son gave his heart to God last week."
"Her only son? You mean you?"
"I mean me," Donnie laughed. "That's why I came to pay my bill. I can't be a Christian and cheat people out of money."
"No, you can't, you sure can't," she agreed.
Donnie could think of nothing more to say, so he started to rise again. This seemed to be Mrs. Durant's cue for another question.
"How's Sharon, and Christy? My, I sure missed that little doll after you folk left. I found her little pacifier, and I actually cried because it reminded me of her. I reckon she's really growing and don't have no use for the pacifier no more."
Donnie dropped his head. "I'm ashamed to tell you, but Sharon and I are divorced. I haven't seen her and Christy in over a year."
"What a shame! What a shame!" She shook her head, perplexed at the ways of young people.
"I agree with you, Mrs. Durant. It is a shame. If I had my life to live over, things would be different."
"I bet it would," she said.
As Donnie drove away from Mrs. Durant's, he counted his money. He had only one hundred and ten dollars left. He felt sure that would not be enough to cover the cost of his other restitutions, but at least he would acknowledge them and promise to pay later.
How he dreaded to face his friend Bert Meyers. If only he didn't have to acknowledge that he had been a thief. But he could not back out now. He wanted to clear up everything he owed while he was here. He had already taken care of his restitutions in Terryville, and he wanted to go home free of his past.
He drove up in front of Bert's house, thinking of ways he could get out of facing him. Maybe Bert would be working and he could just leave a note. He wondered if God would let him get by that easy. But when he knocked, Bert opened the door.
"Why, Donnie Slocum, you old rascal." He pumped his hand in welcome. "How in the world are you? My, it's great to see you. Come in, come in."
Donnie entered the living room, his heart racing with fear and dread.
"Sit down, old man. Hey, Carol, come see who's here."
Bert's wife entered the room and greeted Donnie cordially. Having her there made it all the harder for him to state his purpose for coming.
"Don't say anything now," the devil whispered. "You can write him later."
But Donnie recognized the tempter and was not to be defeated. "Bert," he addressed his friend, "I really didn't come for a social visit. 1 came on business."
"Business?" Bert questioned. "What kind of business?"
"I have a confession to make. You see, God saved me a few days ago, and He showed me that I had some things to straighten up."
Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, he hurried on, lest he lose his courage entirely. "When I lived here, I was visiting you once, and 1 saw a car wrench in your garage that 1 was needing. I took it-uh-I stole it, and I want to acknowledge my wrong and pay for it."
Both Bert and Carol looked absolutely astonished. Before they could reply, Donnie took out his wallet and was taking out some bills.
"I have no idea what a wrench like that costs," he said, looking at Bert. "I'm sure you can tell me."
Bert slapped him on the back. "You don't owe me a dime, boy. I would have given you the wrench if you had asked."
"That's what hurts, Bert. You were such wonderful friends. I don't know why I stooped so low, but I can't rest until you let me pay you."
"You'll never rest then, Donnie, because I'm not taking a dime. Put that money back in your pocket and let's enjoy your visit. Carol, bring on those cookies you baked yesterday, and something to drink."
"But, but, I--"
"Not another word, Donnie. Use that money on Sharon and Christy!"
There it was again! Donnie flushed as he repeated his story once more. "Bert, Sharon and I are divorced."
"You don't mean it! You must be nuts, boy. That Sharon was a wonderful little lady."
"I know, Bert. But I was full of the devil, and she got enough of my foolishness and left me."
Bert laughed, but Donnie did not find it a laughing matter.
"God has transformed my life now," he went on to explain. "I'm mighty thankful to Him for what He has done for me. I just wish I had gotten right with the Lord before my life got so messed up."
The smile died on Bert's face, and he appeared ready to change the subject.
Quickly, before he lost his chance, Donnie asked, "Have you ever thought of starting to church and changing your way, Bert?"
"Not hardly. We kinda enjoy life as it is."
"That's how I used to talk, but I didn't realize what I was missing."
Carol came in with coffee and cookies, and the conversation drifted to other topics. Soon Donnie rose to go.
"Sorry to have to run like this, but I've got to go see my former boss while I'm here, then I have an eight-hour drive back home."
"My, I hate to see you rush off. When will you be coming back?"
"That I don't know, Bert. You'd better let me pay you for the wrench."
"Never!"
"Well, thanks, Bert and good-bye. My prayers will be with you."
"I guess all of us can use prayer. Good-bye, Donnie. Come back when you can, and good luck in your new life."
Donnie drove away relieved that he had only one more restitution to make. And that, too, turned out to be easier than he had expected. At Donnie's insistence, his former boss took fifty dollars.
"I know I owe the company at least seventy-five dollars more," Donnie confessed, "but I'll have to mail it to you. I've got just enough left to get home."
"Don't mail another cent," his boss protested. "You probably had a right to what you took."
"No, sir, I had no right to other people's tools and bolts, and I'd like to pay the rest of what I owe."
"Give it to your church, Donnie, if it bothers your conscience. Your church deserves it for turning out such an honest young man."
Donnie walked out the door feeling as if a heavy load had been lifted off his shoulders. It was great to get his restitutions behind him.
As he headed back toward home, Donnie recalled his promise to try to locate a preacher for dear old Mrs. Fontenot. He would stop as he went back through Casper Loop, and see what he could do. Maybe he could find someone listed in the phone directory. But how was he to know what preacher to ask?
"Please help me, Lord, and lead me. I hardly know where to begin," he prayed earnestly.
Just as he was nearing Casper Loop, his car started missing. He pulled off the highway and raised the hood. Soon another car pulled off behind him and stopped also.
"Need some help?" a cheery voice called.
"I'm not sure yet," Donnie replied. "I'm having some trouble, all right. Nothing serious, I hope. I've got a long way to go."
The two men traced the trouble to a loose spark plug wire and soon had it fixed. Donnie slammed down the hood and went looking for the old clean-up rag he carried in the trunk. As he wiped his hands, he said, "Thank you very kindly, sir. Not too many people go out of their way to help others anymore."
"My job is to help others," the man replied. "I'm Jim Chaney, pastor of the church of Casper Loop, right up the road from here."
Donnie's face brightened. "Then maybe you're the answer to my prayer," he said, going on to explain about his promise to Mrs. Fontenot, also telling why he had visited her.
"I'll be glad to call on her," Reverend Chaney assured him. "Apparently my steps were ordered of God again today. I have found that to be true many times in my life."
"I've certainly learned a lot about God, the last few days since I've been saved," Donnie said.
They leaned up against Donnie's car and talked for nearly an hour, sharing experiences. What wonderful, sweet fellowship they had together!
Donnie finally broke away reluctantly. "I must get going, as much as I hate to leave good company. Oh, yes, I nearly forgot to mention that Mrs. Fontenot can't see to read. Maybe some of your members would take it upon themselves to visit her once in a while and read and pray with her, in addition to your visits."
"Perhaps some will want to do that. We also have cassette tapes of the Bible for cases such as this. We'll see that she hears the Word."
"I'm sure she'll appreciate whatever you can do for her. The tapes sound like a great idea."
They exchanged addresses and phone numbers, assuring each other they would keep in touch. Then they shook hands and parted. Donnie still had a long, tiring trip ahead, but his heart was light and his conscience free. The trip had been well worthwhile. Never again would he have to be troubled about those misdeeds he had made right today. Besides, he had helped someone spiritually. He rejoiced as he drove along. The feeling he had was beyond description. Turning on the cassette player again, he caught the last line of the song that had been such a blessing to him, "Take My hand and trust in Me."
"Amen," Donnie said softly.
Plucked Out of the Net Page 11
