Unconditional

by Connie Keenan

Catherine Hager’s bathroom hadn’t been updated, literally, for decades.

  The last time the master bath had been renovated was when she and her husband had bought the house in 1982. It was long overdue for a fix-up, but because of the costs the couple had put it off, saving their pennies, dimes, quarters, whatever spare change and dollars over the years.

  It was a big job. One that would, with a crew of two, take more than a weekend to finish. Yet it would pay even better than the job they had done for Mrs. Hager’s friend, Sally Bazolli.

  As Elliot explained about obtaining the permit from the town that would be required before undertaking the job, Josh stood with his friend and the lady of the house in the room that was slated for renovation. Catherine Hager had a basic idea of what she wanted done; envisioning them, Josh grinned to himself. It would look terrific when it was finished, with all new fixtures that would include a garden tub and a walk-in shower, equipped with smoked glass doors. They could do the job, no problem. Only the time frame was in question.

  Along with another thought that came to him while he stood there.

  Had Sally told her friend about his record? Had she left that part out when she’d recommended their team for the job?

  Or had the conversation included a discreet warning, something along the lines of…Just so you know, Josh has been in prison. You may not want to have any money or jewelry out in the open while those young men are in the house.

  Lord, that is always going to hang over my head, he prayed silently.

  It doesn’t have to. Elliot is discussing business. Pay attention to that.

  Josh stood up straighter. He knew some Christians were always claiming to know when God was speaking to their hearts. That time, he knew for sure that had happened to him, and the words came with a wave of comfort and assurance.

  Regret over the past was forever hanging over his head. When he thought about it, he realized it had been nowhere in sight at Sunday service that past week. God’s Holy Spirit had completely taken over the music and praise portion of the service. Josh had thrown himself so completely into just praising and expressing his love for the Lord, and in turn he’d felt so fully wrapped in those loving arms of the Lord’s that the past, with all its failures and regrets, were nowhere in sight.

  That was how he had felt the other night with Valerie, as well. When he was with her, how could he dwell on his past? The more time he spent with her, the more comfortable he felt around her. Yet everything felt new with her; it was like looking at the world with a whole new set of eyes, and the world seemed more exciting, while he felt more alive.

  That’s what it’s like when you’re in love. He smiled. Wherever that had come from, whether from the Lord or from himself, it was true.

  “Josh? That okay with you?”

  He snapped back to reality, looking from Elliot to Mrs. Hager.

  “Sorry, I missed that,” he admitted. “I was just thinking about the changes, how good they’ll look in this room.”

  It wasn’t a lie, he had been thinking of that. It was an answer that the lady of the house received with a warm smile. Elliot was the professional at that moment.

  “We’ll be starting on the job next Friday,” he filled Josh in on the tail end of the conversation.

  “Next Friday. Not a problem.”

  “Great.” Elliot clapped his hands and nodded at the homeowner. “That okay with you, Mrs. Hager?”

  “Absolutely. Listen, boys, I waited so long to get this done that another couple of weeks isn’t going to make a difference.” She nodded. “And please call me Catherine. I’m so excited because Sally loved the job you two did on her floors. Now come to the kitchen and I’ll give that check for the first third.”

  “Cool!” Elliot’s enthusiasm melted into a somber stare when she started down the stairs ahead of them. He whispered, “Daydreaming while we’re closing a deal? Really?”

  Josh whispered back a reply meant to be humorous, tapping his cell phone lightly against his temple. “Temporary mental blackout.”

  “That so? Well, try to stay focused here. Doesn’t look good, you mentally blacking out while we’re layin’ down expensive Italian bathroom tiles.”

  That was intentionally funny, enough that Josh had to suppress a laugh. That was something he admired in Elliot, who over the years had been thought of as a bit of a goofball. When it came to work, he was unfailingly serious and centered. He had been working in construction longer than Josh and was talented and diligent at what he did.

  “You’re right,” Josh conceded.

  That was enough for Elliot, who let the matter drop after a nod. “Want to go for lunch before we get the materials?”

  “That sounds good. Get some lunch,” he repeated, plucking on the way to Elliot’s truck.

  They had both gotten into the habit of muting their phones right before discussing business, as they did at work. With his father moving that week, Josh had kept a closer eye on his messages. He saw that someone from an unknown number had left him a voicemail and clicked on it, listening to it on the phone’s speaker.

  “Hey, Josh! This Richie. Glad to hear from you, buddy. So glad you want to join us. Give me a call when you can and I’ll fill you in on what you have to do to start. God bless you, brother.”

  Elliot had overheard the message and turned on his way to the driver’s side, keys jingling in hand.

  “Richie?” His best friend hadn’t forgotten that name. “You’re going to do the prison ministry?”

  “Yeah. Been thinking about it long enough.”

  “You don’t have a problem going back there?”

  “I think I’m ready to do that.” Then Josh corrected himself, “I am ready to do that.”

  “Well. I guess Richie did that for you, so you can do that for someone else.”

  “Richie was never in prison. He just had a burden for those who were in jail. God sent him to evangelize to the prisoners.”

  Elliot waited until they were in the truck’s cab to say, “I don’t know if I could do that. Sorry, Josh, I don’t mean anything by that.”

  “I know you don’t.” To reassure him, Josh smiled as Elliot backed the truck out of Catherine’s carport and back onto the street. “Not everybody’s called to do that.”

  “Yeah. And not everybody’s you, either.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ahhhh…” Elliot laughed shakily. “I’m gonna get myself in trouble answering that.”

  “No, you’re not. You can be honest with me.”

  “Well, you know…not everybody in there wants Jesus. Not everybody’s a good guy. I mean, they’re in there for a reason. Right?”

  Josh licked his lips and gazed out the window at the now-familiar area of the town that had become his home.

  “I didn’t want Jesus, either,” he said. “And the sad thing was, I was raised in a Christian home. But I didn’t think living for the Lord would be as much fun as drinking and partying with my friends.”

  “Well, yeah, but that’s just young guy stuff. You didn’t deserve to go to jail. Those other guys, yeah—they did something wrong, but not you.”

  Spoken like a true best friend. Josh grinned at him.

  “And maybe if I didn’t end up in jail when I did,” he gave voice to something he’d wondered about for years, “I would’ve ended up in the grave instead. Because I was doing some dangerous things, Elliot. And I didn’t care. But you know, in God’s eyes, the inmate isn’t any worse than you and me. They might commit bigger sins, but any sin separates us from God unless we turn from sin and turn to Him.”

  Quietly driving for some moments, Elliot finally nodded. “I suppose that’s true.”

  “It is. And there’s a part in the Bible where Jesus said, ‘I was in prison, and you came to see Me.’ Obviously, Jesus wasn’t talking about Himself. He was talking about going to see and minister to those who are in prison. He didn’t say, ‘‘I was in prison, and I didn’t deserve to be there, and you came to see
Me.’ He only said, ‘I was in prison, and you didn’t leave Me there, without comfort and hope.’”

  With a glance at Elliot, who was nodding, Josh continued, “Richie, and people like him—because there are women who go to minister to female inmates, too—took time out of his day to come see us. To see me. To share the gospel with me. He told me that even though my body was in prison, my spirit didn’t have to be. And that there was nothing I could ever do that could keep God from loving me or Jesus from having died for me, like He did.”

  Pausing, Josh sat up. “I want to do that for someone else. Even if all I reach is one of those guys. I want to tell them what Richie told us in that room that day. That prison isn’t the end of the road. It could be in this life sometimes, but it won’t be in eternity.”

  “Then you should do that,” Elliot agreed, smiling as he kept his eyes on the road.

  “And you know something? I never told you how sorry I was for the way I treated you during that time. I guess I’ve always been ashamed of how I did that to you—how I threw your friendship away for my so-called friends…none of which are with me now.”

  That admission took Elliot by surprise. “That was a long time ago, man. You don’t have to apologize for that.”

  “But you came to see me sometimes with my dad. And you made time to drop by the house that first day when I came home, finally. The only reason I got a job so quickly was because you helped me get one working with you.” Softly, he said, “That’s a good friend. I wasn’t a good friend to you. We’ve been friends since before high school. I’m sorry I pushed you away and I took you for granted. I’ll try from here on out to be a good friend to you, Elliot. Always.”

  “Brothers. You’re my brother, not my friend. Like David and Jonathan in the Bible. You’re David and I’m Jonathan.”

  Elliot remembered that? How long ago had it been—at least over a year?—since he’d visited Josh’s church back in Parsippany. That was when he’d heard the pastor’s message that had centered around the extraordinary friendship between King David and Saul’s son, Jonathan. That had left an impression on his friend.

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “Want to stop there for lunch? We can sit on the river walk and eat, then go get the stuff.”

  Elliot wasn’t one to dwell on stuff that was too sentimental. Josh grinned.

  “That sounds good.”

  “Great. And I’m sure Jonathan was a jerk sometimes, but hey, David still was his friend. Probably because Jonathan had to put up with all of David’s jerkiness, from time to time.”

  Laughing, Josh said, “That does happen, so, yeah…probably.”

  “Probably. Happens to friends sometimes. What I’m saying is…if it was me who was doing time, you still would’ve been there for me. That’s the kind of friends we are.”

  “That’s right.”

  Nothing else needed to be said on the subject. Still, a weight was off Josh’s shoulders. He watched Elliot park the car in an available spot and they hopped out and stepped up to Catch a Quick Bite, which was a catchy name for the lunch stand on the corner. The place primarily sold hot dogs, cheeseburgers, wraps and sandwiches, usually served with a bag of chips and a regular-sized drink, all for six dollars.

  The young woman on line in front of them turned, holding her drink and lunch, which had been placed in that well-known-around-those-parts white paper bag. That young woman was Kylie McCoy, and she recognized them instantly.

  “Ah, stopping for some tofu and salad with alfalfa sprouts, huh, guys? Me, too!” she teased.

  Josh chuckled but it was Elliot who responded first.

  “Whatever ‘tofu’ is, I’ll have it—as long as they drown it in melted cheddar,” Elliot quipped.

  “That’s so true. Melted cheese or brown sugar. Put either of those two on veggies, and I’ll never eat meat or fish again.” She thought for a second, then clicked her tongue. “Okay, maybe I’d still have to have crab cakes once in a while…”

  “You working today at the coffee place, Kylie?” Josh asked.

  “Not today. I went in earlier just to cover for a new girl who couldn’t make it, but I’ve got the rest of the day off. Me and Linda are going to the boardwalk to listen to Valerie play with the band tonight. You guys coming, too?”

  She was looking at Josh, but he noticed her eyes darting at Elliot. His best friend was, ever so discreetly, checking her out. The girl really was one of those who took extra time with her hair and makeup. She could pass for one of those plus-sized models in her navy blue Capris and white-and-navy top, with cute high-heeled sandals that matched.

  “No fishing lately?” Elliot asked. “What kind of fisherwomen are you two?”

  “The kind that could blow you and Josh out of the water,” she shot back, narrowing her eyes at him mischievously.

  Flirting? Really? Holding back a smirk, Josh assumed Elliot suspected the same thing. He seemed to have lost his nerve and was frozen in place, blinking back at her.

  “You’re good at talking, but we’ve yet to see how you two would do in a challenge,” Josh said, coming to Elliot’s rescue. “Maybe next time we’ll go out on a party boat together.”

  “Yes, please! I’d love to do that. It’s been a couple of years. It’s not cheap, so we’ve been fishing off the rocks or the pier instead.”

  “We’ll treat you girls, me and Josh. We’re rolling in the cash with our side jobs.”

  Josh looked from Kylie to Elliot. Did he detect a slight but definite tone of bragging?

  “Rolling in the cash?” Kylie smiled and they all moved out of the way for another customer, since they were talking and she wanted to place her order at the window. “Valerie did tell me you were doing jobs for people. I didn’t realize you were doing that well, though. Congratulations—that’s good to hear.”

  “Well, we’re hoping to get some business cards made up,” Elliot continued, thrusting out his chest a little. “The main thing is finding time for all the jobs. With our full-time jobs, that is.”

  “That’s really good, Elliot, I’m very happy for you. And…you, Josh.”

  Yeah, I’m here, too! he almost said, returning her warm smile.

  “And what about the concert?” Kylie reiterated.

  “Oh, yeah, yeah—what time are they playing?” Elliot asked.

  “Starts at seven.”

  “I can be there. You, too, Josh?”

  “Valerie told me about it. So, no, I wouldn’t miss that.”

  “Good. Seven.” Elliot offered Kylie a shy smile. “See you tonight at seven.”

  With a smile and wiggle of her fingers, Kylie walked back the short distance to her car, a cream-colored Kia.

  “Showing off a little for the pretty girl, huh?” Josh taunted.

  Elliot frowned. “No. Not showing off. We have another call for work that came in this week, too, don’t forget that. So our business is really taking off.”

  “Yeah, but you made it sound like Donald Trump is contracting us to build his next hotel. Trying to impress Miss McCoy?”

  “Impress her?” He made a face. “Naaahh. Besides, I told you. She’s not interested in me. My dad says I’m unlucky in love. Among other things he says to me.”

  Josh stood behind his friend on line as he placed his order. Unlike Josh’s dad, Elliot’s father had always been a bit rough to him. Never physically, but the tongue had the power to wound even more than hands.

  “She was flirting with you,” he told Elliot. “She barely knew I was even here. Just paid attention to you.”

  “Why would she be interested in me? She’s a beautiful girl.” Turning his attention to the middle-aged woman on the other side of the window, Elliot ordered a BLT, a small bag of chips and a drink for himself. “What do you want, Josh?”

  “You paid for lunch last time. I’ll pay today. BLT sounds good. Having that, too.”

  “You really think Kylie was flirting with me?”

  When he turned, Josh saw Elliot regarding h
im hopefully.

  “Sure looked like that to me,” he encouraged him. “Go looking nice tonight. Be yourself, you know, but…shave. Get your hair trimmed, if you got time. Dress up just a little. See what happens. If not Kylie…maybe you’ll meet someone else tonight.”

  “No. I’ll shave and dress up and stuff for Kylie, not some other girl. And I was showing off for her. You think she was impressed?”

  “I don’t know for sure. I was, though.”

  Josh had made the claim so seriously that it took a second for it to dawn on Elliot that he was being teased. With a light punch in Josh’s arm, he made him laugh.

  “Smart mouth!” Elliot muttered with a smirk.

  ****