Lisa reached over Bridget and opened the outside storm door. “C’mon in, Missy.” Lisa nudged Bridget away from the door. Her little sister seemed mesmerized by the stranger at their doorstep.
“Bridget, this is my friend Missy.” Lisa almost choked on the word, ‘friend.’
Bridget backed up matching steps as Missy came in.
“You can hang your coat on any of these hooks.” Lisa pointed to the empty hooks. All the coats and extra scarves and gloves and snow suits where piled in a heap on her bed. She’d put them all back when Missy left.
“Bridget, where are your manners? Say hello to Missy,” Lisa said to her almost four-year-old sister wondering where sixteen-year-old Missy’s manners were. She hadn’t said a word to either of them.
“Hi,” Bridget said shyly. “You have nice clothes.” With that she ran back to the kitchen table to wipe it like Lisa had asked her to. “Thanks,” Missy mumbled. She tried to hang on to her backpack
while she took off her coat.
“Here,” Lisa said, “let me take this to the table.”
“I’ve got it,” Missy growled.
Lisa held both hands up and back away. “We’ll study at the kitchen table.”
“Is anyone else here?”
“My other sister and my brother should be home from school in about an hour.”
“No adults?”
“Missy, I’m not going to attack you. Geez. I told you my mother had to go to work and that I was babysitting this afternoon. You knew that.”
Lisa took the sopping rag from Bridget and rung it out in the kitchen sink. She grabbed a dishtowel and dried the kitchen table. She hung the towel over the oven door handle and then sat down in one of the chairs and opened her books. She grabbed a pencil and made notes in the margins of her notebook wondering if Missy was going to make it any further into the house. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Missy remain standing by the front door, one arm folded across her chest, the other clinging to her backpack.
“Is this some kind of ‘turn the other cheek’ thing?” Missy said, not moving any closer.
Lisa looked up. “What do you mean?”
“I see all you guys at lunch with your Bibles.”
“Oh, that. We’re doing a project for our youth group, that’s all.”
“I thought you’d be all ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ or something. See? I know the Bible, too.”
Lisa just shook her head. She never thought getting even with somebody was the right thing to do. As the silent seconds ticked on, Lisa realized something. Missy was nervous. Well, that was interesting.
“Oh.” Missy took a step toward the kitchen table, but then veered off when she noticed the many framed photographs on the family bookshelf. Missy, still clutching her backpack, looked over the photos as if trying to get a sense of what she was up against.
Bridget, unsure of this unfriendly stranger in her house, crawled into Lisa’s lap. Lisa barely noticed since it was a common occurrence.
“What d’ya think, Sweetpea?” Lisa said quietly to Bridget letting Missy explore at her leisure. “Do you want to learn about blood with us?”
Bridget giggled. “No. You’re silly, Lisa.”
“I know. I am silly. So what did you and Mama do today?” So this is what it came down to, small talk with Bridget.
Before Bridget could answer, Missy screeched. Lisa looked up to see Missy holding a picture of Lisa and Sam at the infamous Snowball Dance, the dance that had been the catalyst for Lisa’s public outing.
“Are you okay?” Lisa figured Missy was repulsed by the obvious fact that Lisa and Sam were a couple in that picture.
“Are you wearing an Yves Fornier Roux gown? No, don’t even answer. I know you are. Oh, my God.”
Lisa was shocked. It was the longest string of words the girl had put together since her arrival.
“God,” Missy said again, “this is so disgusting.”
“Listen, Missy,” Lisa’s temper flared, “I know you think I’m repulsive and all of that, but we have to do one hour of tutoring today or your deal with Mr. Braun is off, so why don’t you...” Lisa sighed. What had she gotten herself into?
Missy turned and shot Lisa a mischievous smile. “Your little sister’s right. You are silly. I mean it’s disgusting how in love you two are. In a good way. I wish Brad looked at me the way your girlfriend is looking at you in this picture.” With a sigh, Missy put the photo back on the shelf and plopped down in the seat next to Lisa.
Missy pulled the books she needed out of her backpack and tossed the pack on the floor. “Marnie and Collette said I was crazy for coming over here.”
Lisa agreed with the crazy part.
“But I told them you were a Bible thumper and wouldn’t break your little commandments or whatever.”
Lisa’s lips were pressed so tightly together, they were probably turning white.
“What’s a manment?” Bridget asked.
“One of the ten commandments in the Bible, Sweetpea. You’ll learn about those in Sunday school.”
Bridget squirmed out of Lisa’s lap. “Can I go read now?”
Lisa laughed. Bridget didn’t know how to read yet. She was stealing a page from their sister Lynnie’s book whenever Lynnie wanted to ditch an uncomfortable situation. “Okay, how about you read on the couch while Missy and I do our homework?”
“Are you gonna kiss her like you kiss Samtha when Mama’s not looking?”
“Bridget Mae Brown, go get your book and start reading!” Lisa couldn’t hold back a laugh. She covered her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry about that. Sam and I did homework together on Saturday, and it was our eight month anniversary, and—”
“No, no, no, I get it. The same thing happens when Brad and I try to do homework together.”
Lisa’s stomach was jittery. Missy had changed her entire school schedule trying to get away from her, but she was now sitting at Lisa’s kitchen table. Lisa hoped her scheme would work. Letting Missy’s fear and ignorance of gay people remain unchecked would only mean bigger trouble down the line. And Lisa had another year and half of high school left. That was far too long to suffer at the hands of Missy Matthews’ prejudice. And, besides, if she could win Missy over, then Missy’s entourage would certainly follow, and that might convince a lot of the other kids that being gay was not that big a deal.
Lisa mentally crossed her fingers hoping Missy would see that she wasn’t a threat. She cleared her throat and said, “Well, should we get started?”
“Sure,” Missy said and much to Lisa’s amazement reached down into her backpack and took out a pair of glasses. “I know. They’re the ugliest things on the planet.”
“I didn’t know you wore glasses.”
“You cannot tell a soul.”
“Your secret’s safe with me.” Lisa put one hand in the air in promise. “Do you wear contacts at school?”
Missy sighed. “I’m supposed to, but they bother my eyes. It always feels like there’s a boulder underneath one or the other.”
“So you walk around blind all day?”
“No.”
Lisa waited. She had three siblings and knew a lie when she heard it.
“Okay, fine,” Missy sighed. She took her glasses off. “Like, without them I can tell that the front door is brown, and I can see that there’s writing over the hooks, but, nope, I can’t read it unless I put these on.” She put her glasses back on. “Oh, how cute. You all have your names up there. That’s so sweet.”
“So, I have a question for you.”
“Hmm?”
“How do you read the notes on the board or Ms. Lye’s PowerPoints?”
Missy twisted her mouth back and forth. “I don’t.”
“You don’t.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Nope, but I listen, and I take notes from what I hear, and then I read the textbook later. Well, sometimes.” Missy took her hair and twisted it up into a bun behind her head. She
stuck a pencil in it to keep it together.
“Well, I think we’ve figured out half your problem.” Lisa tapped the table with her fingers. “You know, those glasses aren’t ugly. And please don’t freak out at my next statement, but you kind of have a sexy librarian thing going on with your glasses and your hair like that.”
“I do?”
“If you wear your glasses, maybe Brad will look at you the way you want him to, eh?”
“Hmm. That’s something to think about, Lisa. And you know what?”
“What?”
“I’ve always loved your hair. The way you wear it in a braid all the way down your back.”
“Thanks,” Lisa said. “Okay, we should get to work. The kids’ll be home soon, and I’ll have to get them a snack and get them settled somewhere. So let’s get busy.”
“Thanks.”
“For what? We haven’t done anything.”
Missy sighed and looked down at her notebook. “I panicked. I wasn’t ready for the quiz, and I couldn’t figure out a way to get my cheat sheet back out from under your desk and then Mr. Braun called me in, and, like I said, I panicked.”
“How were you able to see the cheat sheet?”
Missy blushed and said, “I wrote really big with black marker. It didn’t really help me, anyway.”
“Missy, what you did wasn’t cool, but let’s make a deal that you don’t ever do that to me again. I almost had a heart attack when I got called in.”
“I know. I’m a bitch.” Lisa did not deny it, and they settled down to study the veins and arteries of the circulatory system.
After an extremely productive study date, they set up another session for the following Wednesday, same time, same place. Lynnie and Lawrence Jr. burst into the house just as Missy was leaving. Perfect timing. Lisa didn’t want to subject Missy to more of her family than she could handle in one day.
After hanging the family snow gear back on the hooks by the front door and setting the table for dinner, she plopped down on her bed to unwind and write in her journal.
January, 22nd
So, it’s been a while since I’ve last written, and a lot has happened. Missy Matthews just left. Yep. THAT Missy Matthews. Long story. She was all nervous when she walked in. She said something weird about an ‘eye for an eye,’ like I was going to beat her up for trying to frame me for cheating or something. She also asked if I was ‘turning the othercheek.’ That’s from the New Testament.
Lisa put her journal down and dug her Bible out of her backpack. “Where is it?” she mumbled as she thumbed through the book of Matthew. “Ah, here you are.” She wrote the passage in her journal.
That’s in Matthew 5:38-40, and I quote: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resistan evi ldoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well.”
Okay, giving somebody my coat might be going too far, but I guess the idea is a good one. Can you imagine if everyone did that? Turned the other cheek? And how about the Golden Rule? That’s a good one. Now I quote Luke 6:31: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Wouldn’t that be freakin’ amazing? If people treated each other the way they wanted to be treated? Nope, that’s never gonna happen, is it?
With a sigh, Lisa finished her journal entry and was just about to put it away when it came to her.
“That’s it,” she said and punched her comforter. “Oh, my God. It was there all along. I knew there had to be something else. I have to call Marcus. We need one more round.” She leaped off the bed and ran for her cell phone.
Chapter Twenty-three
“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” — Matthew 9:22
FOR AN ENTIRE week, Lisa and her friends planned and plotted their strategy for the next and last debate session. Lisa hoped it would be the grand slam she was hoping for. Marcus, Julie, Susie, and Sam were really excited about it, and even Marlee was swept along by their enthusiasm.
The van ride to the college that Tuesday evening was fun. Everyone was full of energy and excitement. They had finally found a way to smash Alivia and Ronnie to bits.
“Hey, Lisa,” Julie said. “I saw two of the weirdest things today.”
“Oh, yeah, what did you see?” Lisa turned from the passenger seat to see Julie in the backseat. She and Marcus were sitting close together; it was cute.
“First of all, I saw Missy Matthews say hello to you in the hallway. And she wasn’t being mean or sarcastic or anything.”
Lisa burst out laughing. “It just goes to show you that a little honey does better than vinegar.”
“Whatever you say, Brown girl. Whatever you say.” Julie shook her head and laughed. “And the second miracle I saw today was Jessica Myers actually passing you the basketball in PE.”
“I know. Wasn’t that awesome? I even scored a few baskets.”
“It’s been, like, opposite week or something. The mean girls are being nice.”
Lisa laughed, but it was kind of true.
They pulled up to the college and before getting out of the van, Marcus said, “No matter what happens tonight, we know we’re giving it our best shot.”
“Hopefully, you guys will help people who are struggling with this,” Marlee said.
“Here, here,” Julie raised an imaginary glass. “Here’s to helping people. Not only the oppressed, but the ignorant assholes, too.”
They raised their invisible glasses and toasted.
Within moments of entering the meeting room, Jordan had them behind their podiums and ready to go. He said something about this being the final performance and he wanted to make sure there was time for both sides to make their points.
That didn’t sit well with Lisa. Maybe Ronnie and Alivia had come up with something else to sling at them. She took a deep breath and flashed a smile at Freddie’s nod of encouragement. Amazingly, Jessica from PE class was there, too, without her so-called friends.
“Ready, leading lady?” Marcus said sounding like Ronnie.
“Ready, leading man,” Lisa answered.
“Both sides ready?” Jordan asked. They all nodded. He smiled warmly at all of them before saying, “And action.”
Marcus spoke first. “Having outlined many of the outlandish laws set down in the Old Testament, we realized something. We no longer live under the law.” He paused for the briefest of moments. Here it was, their big grand slam swing. “We live under grace.”
Ronnie’s eyebrows shot up so high, that Lisa almost lost it. She kept herself together and quoted John 1:17, “The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Lisa flipped to Romans 12:6-7 in her Bible. “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching.”
Marcus opened his own Bible and read, “This is from Galatians 5:4-6. ‘You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. The only thing that counts is faith working through love.’”
“‘Love,’” Lisa echoed. She was pleased to see that Alivia and Ronnie were frantically writing down notes, and it even looked like they were arguing back and forth on paper. Good! Let them squirm for once.
“Galatians 5:22-23,” Marcus continued. “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”
“In Matthew 22:34-40,” Lisa continued, “one of the Pharisees asked Jesus which commandment in the law was the greatest and Jesus said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” Lisa smiled in an attempt to convey that she personally followed this commandment without question. She co
ntinued the verse, “This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Marcus looked straight at the camera and repeated, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He looked back at his notes and said, “This idea is also found in the Old Testament. Leviticus 19:18 says, ‘You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.’” Marcus looked at Lisa and his body language softened. This was her cue to say their final line. They may have overstated their point, but Lisa didn’t care. They were going to use their full two-minute allotment.
“In Romans 13:8-10, the apostle Paul reminds us, ‘Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.’”
Lisa folded her hands on the podium to indicate they were done mere seconds before Anne called time.
Lisa and Marcus fell on each other exhausted. “Phew,” Lisa said with a sigh. “That was a lot. Too much maybe.”
“Nah,” Marcus said. “It was just enough.”
After Jordan reminded Alivia and Ronnie they had ten minutes to prepare rebuttal arguments, Lisa and Marcus returned to the table with their friends.
“Amazing, baby,” Sam said and wrapped Lisa with a hug.
Lisa slipped an arm around Sam’s waist. “Thanks. But it ain’t over yet. Jordan wants us to do closing statements tonight, too.”
“And he has a script for us to use at the very, very end,” Marcus said.
Freddie smiled at Lisa and said, “Thank you.”
“For what?” Lisa asked.
“For reminding us what’s important. We get too caught up in religious dogma, that we forget what really matters. You guys are right. Loving each other. That’s what matters.”
Tools of the Devil Page 20
