Forever Friends

by Murray, Tamela Hancock

  Soon Teague rose to his feet and summoned everyone to attention so the meeting could start. A few other guests lingered nearby, but he didn’t seem the least bit self-conscious as he led the group in an opening prayer. Peeking from half-open eyes, Kassia noticed that one couple looked up from reading their books, but otherwise no one expressed any surprise by their action. Teague sent up praises to the Lord, thanked Him for a safe journey and for their time together then prayed for various people who were having difficulties in their church. When he paused, a couple of members of the group mentioned some other names and prayed. When the petitions were exhausted, Teague ended with the group saying the Lord’s Prayer in unison. Kassia had no problem reciting the prayer, a part of church life she had not forgotten.

  Opening her eyes, Kassia felt moved by how the group genuinely cared about church members who were suffering. Their prayers brought back memories of how her own church had cared for its members. Often her mother would take meals to sick or grieving people and gifts to new parents. To her surprise Kassia missed knowing she was part of a congregation, a group of people she could depend on in her joys and sorrows.

  Before she could meditate any further, Matt took charge of the meeting and led them in singing “Amazing Grace.” The words came back to her as easily as if she had sung them the previous day. Maybe she could feel comfortable in the group after all.

  “Okay, everyone,” Teague said after thanking Matt for providing the tune, “who remembers our scripture verse for the week?”

  Several hands shot up, and as many voices said more or less in unison, “ ‘With God all things are possible’—Matthew 19:26!”

  Kassia nearly jumped at the volume of their response. She hadn’t seen a group of teens seem so excited or eager to show they remembered a verse. Slightly embarrassed, she glanced at a few other guests who were within hearing range. One couple who looked to be over thirty smiled at their enthusiasm. A group of younger guys appeared to be as amazed as Kassia.

  “Good job!” Teague beamed. “And who said this?”

  “Jesus!” answered several voices.

  “Can anyone tell me why He said this?”

  This question brought a slight pause. Kassia searched her mind until she thought she remembered the answer but, recalling her earlier prayer, decided not to risk making a fool of herself.

  “Remember?” Teague prodded. “We went into this a little bit last week. Didn’t any of you go home and read the verses for yourself?”

  Most of the teens looked at the floor, apparently to avoid eye contact with their leader, and the room grew quiet.

  Finally someone answered.

  “Because,” a boy said from the back, “He had just said it’s easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

  “Right. Good job, Rick. I’m glad to see someone is doing his homework.” Teague’s voice held enough reprimand in it to show he was disappointed.

  “So was there an actual gate named ‘Eye of the Needle’?” Matt asked.

  “That’s a good question,” Teague answered. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I asked you.”

  Kassia laughed along with the others.

  “I don’t think there was such a gate,” another young man said. “I think that’s just a theory somebody made up to explain something they didn’t understand.”

  “There might have been,” one teen disagreed. “I don’t think you can prove there wasn’t.”

  After several rounds of banter and exchange of opinions, someone returned to the central issue. “So it’s impossible for a rich man to enter heaven?”

  “Well,” Teague said, “what does our verse of the week say about that?”

  “That everything is possible with God,” a few answered.

  “Oh yeah.” The questioner blushed several shades of crimson while his friends nearby poked him in the ribs and teased him for not listening earlier.

  “You know, I heard most people have to hear something eight times before it sinks in,” Teague said. “So all good verses bear repeating.”

  “Or maybe fifteen times in some cases,” one of the girls said amid chortles and snickers.

  “Okay, guys. You’ve had your fun. Now, Ariana.” He nodded toward a girl sitting on the floor by the coffee table. “What verse do you think we should memorize while we’re on the slopes?”

  “It’s funny you should say that,” Ariana responded. “I found a verse I like about a mountain.” She opened her Bible. “Mark 11:23.”

  Kassia remembered Mark as being located in the New Testament, but she wasn’t quick to find the right place. She couldn’t help but notice that Teague flipped without effort to the passage.

  “Everybody got it?” he asked soon after pages stopped rustling. After receiving nods and affirmative answers, Teague indicated Ariana could begin reading.

  “ ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.’ ”

  “So how many mountains are you going to move tomorrow, Ariana?” Teague asked, smiling.

  “Not too many, I hope.” Ariana, a pert young woman with sandy blond hair, laughed.

  Kassia chuckled along with the rest of the crowd. She enjoyed being part of the group. She had never seen such a relaxed atmosphere and easy camaraderie in what amounted to a Sunday school class. Clearly these kids were friends with each other and didn’t mind sharing their foibles as they talked about the Bible. She hadn’t heard a word of Christian jargon. Anyone, even someone of a different faith altogether, would have no trouble understanding what both Teague and his youth group said. The teens seemed interested, too, in what he had to say. Kassia didn’t see any bored faces or irreverent expressions on their faces.

  They were as respectful of one another when different members of the group spoke. Each person seemed to listen to the others’ ideas. No one tried to outdo anyone else or embarrass those who weren’t well versed. Kassia liked how Teague emphasized the positive aspects of scripture. Talk of condemnation was absent. Yet Kassia sensed that most of the students realized scripture wasn’t all sweetness and love. Some posed hard questions to Teague about faith, and she found herself impressed by his answers.

  Even more surprising, Kassia didn’t look at her watch once during the lesson. Before she knew the time was up, Teague called for a round of songs to close. Distressed when she realized the tune was unfamiliar, Kassia mouthed the words at first, although she soon caught on to the verses as they repeated the chorus several times. The uplifting words about God’s love left her feeling ready to face whatever challenges the slopes—and life—had to offer.

  “So what did you think?” Teague asked her after the meeting.

  She nodded. “I liked it. It was nice not to be taken on a guilt trip.”

  “If I took you on a guilt trip, I’d have to ride in the front seat right along with you,” Teague confessed. “In fact everyone here would.”

  She eyed Ariana and Matt. “Your whole group seems as if they know it.”

  “I try to keep them humble.” He chuckled. “Seriously, I always caution everyone that if we correct our brothers and sisters in Christ, we must approach them not as perfect people but as genuinely flawed also. We’re all on this journey here together. No one but the Lord got through without making a mistake.”

  “I know. And it’s nice to hear a Christian teacher admit that for a change.”

  A few moments later, they sat down to a meal of spaghetti in a large room filled with long tables. Kassia let the chatter of the group flow over and around her as she became lost in her own thoughts. Maybe God did want her to come back to the church after her lapse during college. Maybe He could get her back on track. She prayed He could—and would.

  Kassia recalled the verse she had forgotten from her youth, the one the group had talk
ed about earlier. “With God all things are possible.”

  Even for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Even for Kassia Dahl to experience His good grace.

  The hours passed much faster than Kassia could have imagined the previous week. As far as she knew, no one tried to move any mountains; but she felt her faith reawakened and grow as she enjoyed the fellowship of the group and marveled at the beauty of the Lord’s creation. She hadn’t been skiing in years, but she found her skill level increasing as the days flew by. Later in the trip, she even found the nerve to try an intermediate run. Her only disappointment came because Teague was responsible for the kids, so his time with her was limited. Yet considering the fact they were hardly what anyone could call a couple, and Teague hadn’t asked her to help teach or chaperone, she knew she had no right to complain. At least she could sit beside him during the meals. She ate heartily after a day of exercise in the frigid weather.

  As the trip progressed, a few of the teens discovered Teague had invited Kassia. As he had predicted, they had to counter the occasional good-natured ribbing. Kassia discovered she didn’t mind being associated with Teague. To her delight, she noticed only a hint of embarrassment was evident underneath his responsive grin. Maybe he didn’t mind they were considered a twosome either. The thought didn’t displease her.

  “Do you think the girls are disappointed now that some of the group has decided to link us together?” Kassia asked half jokingly when they were out of earshot one evening.

  Teague’s eyebrows shot up, and his mouth formed a circle. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Only a little.”

  “They think I’m an old man,” he answered. “And sometimes I think they’re right.” He rubbed his thigh. “Only an old guy would ache this much after skiing.”

  He reminded Kassia of her own sore muscles. She covered her upper and lower front teeth with her lips. “Then I–I must be pretty old t–too,” she said, her voice shaking, “ ’cause my old muscles are g–giving me a fit. M–maybe, dearie, we should try one of those n–newfangled aspirin tablets. I–I heard they’re the l–latest miracle drug.”

  Teague laughed at her antics. “Yep, they work mightily.”

  Kassia marveled at how comfortable she had become with Teague, a man who had made her somewhat fearful only a short while before. But at the same time she was thankful she felt so accepted by him—and his group.

  Even more surprising, she began to look forward to the time of fellowship, teaching, and praise after a full day of skiing. Teague’s knowledge of the Bible was evident in his lessons. Kassia admired the way he allowed the kids to introduce questions. Never did he condemn them or question their level of commitment. She realized he treated her with the same respect. Perhaps his respect was the reason she didn’t run away from him or the group, despite being expected to participate in the lessons. When Teague suggested further reading, no one was more surprised than Kassia when she wrote down the passages and resolved to read them.

  The last day of the trip came all too soon. Kassia awoke to sunlight streaming in through the window and the sound of her two young roommates snoring in the adjacent bed. Since they had shared the room together, Ariana and Emily had taken the liberty of asking how she knew Teague. Once she explained they were friends who met at a wedding, the girls let the subject drop. Kassia was thankful they didn’t ask more. She didn’t know how she would have answered more probing queries.

  “Time to get up if you two want to get any more skiing in before we leave.” Kassia shook the lump under the covers that was nearest to her. “We can only ski until noon.”

  One of the girls groaned. “Just until noon?”

  “Yes. That’s what Teague said.”

  “Umm.”

  She shook the sleeping form again. “Come on. Up and at ’em.”

  “I don’t wanna get up,” Emily moaned.

  “How about you, Ariana?”

  Kassia’s question was met with another groan.

  “All right then. If you want to sleep until noon instead of skiing, it’s not my fault. Don’t say I didn’t try to get you out of bed.” Kassia suspected both girls, who were expert skiers, would appear downstairs for breakfast in a matter of minutes.

  By the time she checked out and left her suitcases with everyone else’s from the group, Kassia had enough time to grab a muffin and a cup of hot cocoa to fortify herself before she took one or two more runs on the slopes. She looked around the dining hall for Teague, hoping that perhaps they could spend a few moments together before they had to share their company with the others. Then she searched the lobby. He was nowhere to be found in the lodge. Kassia speculated for an instant that maybe he had remained in bed to catch up on lost sleep. Just as quickly, the thought popped out of her head. Teague would find it impossible to oversleep. By being the first to hit the slopes each day, he had proven himself to be a true morning person.

  She spent her last morning in a state of halfway happiness as she skied with various members of the group. Finally Teague caught up with her just before noon as she was planning to make one last run.

  “Looks as if you survived,” Teague greeted her. Hot breath met with chilly air, forming a mist of steam with each word. Despite the sun’s position high in the sky, its rays seemed to do little to warm the earth.

  “So far, so good. Where were you?” she couldn’t resist asking.

  “I tried out the expert slope.”

  “Oh, that explains why I couldn’t find you. How was it?”

  “Great!” She could see the outline of a broad smile underneath his blue knitted ski mask.

  “What made you decide to come back to the easy slope?”

  “Maybe I wanted to find you.” Teague looked at his watch. “We have time for one last run before we have to go.”

  “That’s what I thought. I had planned on making this one my last.”

  “You’ve gotten pretty good at skiing over the weekend. I’m surprised you didn’t try the expert run at least once before we left.”

  “I may have gotten good, but not that good. Or that daring.” She shuddered at the thought of injuring herself but recovered long enough to wish him well. “Make it a good one!” she shouted.

  “I will!” He pushed off and started down the run.

  Kassia watched Teague head down the hill, mentally applauding his smooth style and expert movements. She smiled. Then, without warning, Kassia heard a snapping sound.

  Teague’s right ski shot upward. He swayed to one side, skiing on one foot to maintain his position on both legs.

  She gasped. Had Teague struck some object hidden under the snow?

  Where is he going?

  She watched as he veered off course and headed toward a cluster of pine trees.

  “Watch out, Teague!” she screamed, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. “Watch out!”

  Her warnings were in vain. In horror, she watched Teague collide into a tree.

  “Teague! No!”

  Seven

  Kassia skied as fast as she could to where Teague lay on the ground. She stopped and knelt beside him in her skis and examined his still form. His eyes were closed. She took off her glove and placed her hand under his nose. She felt hot breaths against her skin.

  Kassia glanced up at the cloudless blue sky. “Thank You, Lord.” She didn’t care who heard her prayer of gratitude.

  Gently she slapped both sides of his face. “Teague! Teague! It’s me! Wake up!” She quivered with fear.

  She was so absorbed in trying to wake Teague that she barely heard the swishing of snow behind her. She turned only when a shadow blocked the sun’s rays.

  “Don’t do anything else, ma’am.”

  She looked up and saw a figure dressed in black ski garb with a patch bearing the words “Ski Patrol” on it. A second man in a similar outfit stopped just behind him.

  Good! They’ll help him!

  “Let us take it from here.” The first patrolman crouche
d down near Teague’s prone form.

  “Is he going to be all right?” As she stepped aside to make room for the patrolman, panic registered in her voice.

  From the corner of her eye, she noticed the second patrolman directing other skiers away from the scene. The top of the hill, where skiers had been lined up waiting for their turns only moments before, was now deserted. No voices carried through the chilled air. No one raced down the slope. The silence seemed eerie.

  “There’s nothing for you to worry about, ma’am. We’re doing everything we can. I’ve already called for assistance. But right now we need to examine him.” The patrolman’s tone was firm but gentle. “Did you see how this happened?”

  Kassia nodded. “Yes, I did. He had just pushed off and was heading downhill when it looked like his ski hit something in the path and threw him off course. He tried to regain his balance, but he lost control and ran into these trees.”

  “So he wasn’t moving too fast then.”

  “No. He hadn’t had time to build up much speed.”

  “That’s lucky.”

  Kassia shuddered. She knew the patrolman had left some words unspoken. Images of Teague sustaining far greater injuries—or even death—entered her mind. She shook her head, forcing such horrible images to exit.

  “The funny thing is,” she explained, “he’s a good skier. He had been on the tougher slopes and was making this easier one his last run.” Kassia realized she was offering more information than was necessary or even interesting to someone assisting Teague with his injuries. Yet for some reason she wanted the patrolmen to know Teague was accomplished in the sport.

  “Thank you, ma’am. You’ve helped us a lot. Now the best thing you can do at the moment is to move aside and let us do our work.” Despite his command his voice was gentle. He studied her for an instant. “Are you his wife?”