Mom nodded. “Oh, I’m sure he does. You’d want new ones anyway so you and Sam can fill them in together.” She picked up a cloth and began to wipe up. “Why don’t you call and ask him? I’m going by the church tomorrow at noon for that ladies’ prayer group. I could get them for you then if he has any.”
Without climbing down from the counter, Bucky slid himself over to the wall phone. A moment he had Pastor Jensen on the line.
“Oh, Bucky, that’s great! Sam wants to get into the Word with you?”
“Yeah. I tried to talk him out of it – and have him study with you – but no way.”
The pastor laughed. “Well, I’ll tell you something. He’s doing you a great favor.”
“What do you mean?” Over the phone he could hear a computer printer clicking away.
“Well, it’s like this. I could give him the studies, sure. That’s what I do for a living. But if you give ‘em, you’ll get the benefits that come from that kind of study. Believe me, it’s a tremendous learning experience.” The pastor’s voice softened. “Plus, it’s a wonderful thrill to lead someone to Christ. I wouldn’t want to take that away from you, Bucky.”
The boy was silent for a moment. “I never thought of that.”
“And, of course,” Pastor Jensen went on, “this will really bond your friendship. Any new Christian needs good, close friends . . . which I know you already are for Sam. But studying together like this will make it a real lasting relationship. You’ll see.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Anyway, your mom can pick up a couple of sets tomorrow. That’ll be fine.”
“Anything in particular I should think about?”
“Huh uh. This set of lessons is really good. You just go through them together, looking up the verses as you go. Of course, any time you can think of personal experiences, that’s always good.”
“But I don’t . . .”
“Oh, you’ll be surprised how many things will come to you right while you’re studying. The Holy Spirit almost shouts in your ear sometimes.” The pastor chuckled. “You just wait and see.” There was a bit of crackle on the line, then he added: “I still remember, maybe three years ago. I was driving to somebody’s house to give a Bible study, and literally as I pulled into their driveway I heard a news item on KNBR that was the perfect illustration for that evening’s topic.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It really was. All I could do was stick my head out the window and go, ‘Thank you, Jesus!’ Anyway, good luck to you, Bucky. This is awesome, man.”
Bucky nodded. “Well, we’ll give it a shot anyway.”
Replacing the receiver thoughtfully, he turned to his mother who had been listening quietly. “Well, here goes nothing,” he said slowly.
“I was just thinking,” she mused, “about that other boy you mentioned to us. During those baseball playoffs of yours. Dan? Is that his name? You told me he was interested, too. Right? Why not a threesome?”
Bucky shook his head. “After that one day in the hallway, we’ve never discussed it again.”
“Oh, really?”
He hopped down from his perch on the counter. “And, boy, after the way this last school year went, I’m not about to go around bringing it up.”
A look of concern crossed his mother’s face. “I guess it’s sometimes best to lay back and wait for something to happen,” she said at last. “Still, God just about always works through people. If you don’t speak up, maybe no one will.”
“Lately, every time I say something, it turns out wrong.” He grimaced. “Lisa’s dad still thinks I’m some kind of nut.”
She put a hand on his arm. “Well, just keep your eyes open for the right chance. If the Holy Spirit gives you your opportunity, then take it!”
He nodded unenthusiastically. “We’ll see.”
The next morning during his devotions, Bucky spent several extra minutes praying about his appointment with Sam. Then he added as an afterthought, “If I should get the chance, please show me what to say to Dan.” He paused. “If anything.”
That afternoon work was frantic as the crew unloaded two huge truckloads of new merchandise. “Seems like the center must think everybody in town is planning to spend the whole Fourth of July weekend fixing up their houses,” he panted to Gene, a tall college student who was helping him stock boxes of hand tools.
“Yeah. Murphy’s Law: ‘The biggest trucks come in on the hottest days.’”
Bucky heaved a sigh of relief when the clock on the wall finally indicated 5:00. “At last!”
Gene took a long drink of water before pulling his time card out. “What’re you doin’ tonight?”
Bucky laughed. “You’d never believe it.”
“Oh, yeah? Try me.”
“A Bible study with a friend of mine.”
Gene gave him a curious look. “Huh?”
As Bucky passed the front checkout counter, he suddenly sucked in his breath. Standing in line, just getting ready to make a purchase, was Dan.
For a moment he paused. “What, Lord? Is this it?” As he stood thinking, his pulse quickened.
Just then the older boy spotted him. “Hey, slugger!” His tone was relaxed, friendlier than Bucky might have expected.
“How ya doin’?”
Dan handed the clerk a bill and accepted his change. “Great! How’s summer been for you?”
Bucky gestured at the huge warehouse. “It’s been all right here, is all.” He laughed.
Dan motioned toward the parking lot. “Where ya headed?”
“Home, I guess.”
“Can I give you a ride?”
“Well, I . . .” Almost by reflex, he began to explain that he had his bike outside in the rack. Yet the words died in his throat. “Yeah, that’d be great! If it’s no bother.”
“Hop in then.” Dan nodded toward a gleaming sports car at the far end of the lot.
Bucky eased himself onto the upholstered seat. “Awesome car!”
Dan grinned. “The payments kill most of my paycheck, but so what?” He turned the key and the engine gunned to life. “This baby is my dream.”
As he glanced out the window, Bucky wondered for a minute how he would get to work in the morning. Aloud he said, “How’s the job going?”
“Not too bad, I guess. Mostly pumping gas at the full-serve line.” Shaking his head, he added, “At these prices, I’m surprised anybody goes for full-serve, but you’d be amazed how many people do. Rich guys off the freeway.”
“You guys must be about the only station in northern Cal that still has someone pump gas for customers.”
“You got that right.” Dan slowed for a red light. “Then some oil changes. Real routine stuff.”
Bucky nodded. “You just work a day shift, right?”
“Uh huh. Well, I did do a few graveyards last month when one of the guys was sick. But usually 7:00 to 4:30.”
“What are you doing evenings?”
Shaking his head, Dan laughed. “Not a whole lot. Swimming some. Basketball at the gym.” He looked at Bucky. “Gearing up for this fall, like I told you?”
Bucky nodded.
“How about you? Anything much?”
“Nah. I see Sam and Lisa every now and then. Not much else.”
“Lisa . . . that’s the girl you were going out with in the spring?”
“Uh huh.”
Dan grinned. “Not bad. You guys still a pretty steady item?”
“Yeah.” Bucky hesitated. “Sam’s coming over tonight for a . . .” He took a breath. “This sounds dumb: he’s comin’ over for a Bible study. No big deal, just a casual kind of thing. He had some questions and so we’re going to chew them over.” Carefully he looked over at his friend. “It’d be great if you could come too.”
The older boy said nothing. Several long seconds went by. Even with the engine’s smooth rumble, the silence hung in the air.
Bucky waited out the long pause. At last, when it appeared his friend wasn
’t going to respond, he went on, his words slightly rushed. “I remember when you and I talked at school about God and stuff like that. And I’ve wished since then that we could find another chance to do it again.”
Still Dan stared straight ahead as he drove. Finally he turned and looked directly at Bucky. “Listen, man,” he said, almost apologetically, “I know what I said. And . . . I . . .” For just a second, Bucky got the feeling a small dam was about to burst. Then Dan turned back to face the road, squinting hard, thinking. “Just not now, OK?”
As they turned the corner onto Woodman Drive, the sporty automobile skidded slightly, veering dangerously close to a parked car at the curb.
“Watch it!” Without meaning to, Bucky yelled.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” Dan mumbled. He straightened the wheel and slid to a stop in front of Bucky’s house. “Right - to - the - door service for a friend.” He cocked his head as he looked over at him. “About the other . . . I’ll think about it. I mean, for real. Just not right now, man.”
“Sure. No sweat.” Keep it light! he told himself as he tugged on the door handle. “Listen, thanks for the ride. Huge favor, dude.”
Just as Bucky closed the door, his glance fell on a sack in the back seat. The logo of a nearby convenience store partially hid the six-pack of cans, several of them already opened. Were they soda or beer?
The powerful engine throbbed as Dan wheeled down the street. Bucky stood there thoughtfully, staring at the empty cul-de-sac. “Oh, boy,” he muttered to himself before heading into the house.
About fifteen minutes before 7:00, he picked up the colorful youth Bible study guides Mom had brought home. Quickly he scanned the material, looking for any illustration “hooks” he could use.
Promptly at 7:00 the doorbell rang. “Hey, come on in, boss,” he greeted his friend.
Sam raised his eyebrows when he noticed the TV set off. “Well, the game’s either going great or terrible,” he commented.
“Giants are up eleven to two. Goodbye, streak. I figure they can hold that with two innings to go.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sam laughed. “These days that might still be rated as a cliffhanger.”
“Come on in here,” Bucky invited. “We can have the whole family room to ourselves.”
Before the two boys began their study, Bucky looked intently at his friend. “I think it’s great that you’re willing to do this with me,” he began. “Is it OK if we start with a prayer?” His friend nodded.
“Dear Lord,” Bucky began, “thank you that Sam and I are friends and for his interest in you. Please help us as we study to find out the truth about . . . what you’re really like.” He paused a moment. In the background the wall clock ticked rhythmically. “And, Lord, please be with Dan Litton tonight as well,” he continued. “I know he’s interested in learning to know you – deep inside anyway. Please give me more chances to help him. Amen.”
Sam looked at him with a curious expression, then smiled. “Did you used to pray like that about me?”
“Yeah,” Bucky confessed. They both laughed. Bucky handed him a lesson. “Got a Bible?” The older boy shook his head. “Here, I have an extra you can borrow.”
The lesson went by quickly. Twice, while Sam was busy penciling in an answer, Bucky marveled to himself how right his pastor had been. God did give examples at just the right moment.
Right at 8:00 Sam filled in the final answer with a flourish of his pencil. “I’m gonna be an A student, man,” he grinned.
“Same time next week?”
“Yeah. No reason why not.”
“Come on into the kitchen,” Bucky suggested. “I think my mom’s got some popsicles from Costco.”
“It’s still light enough outside for us to shoot some hoops,” Sam observed. “Good old Daylight Savings Time.”
The two boys spent an amiable twenty minutes tossing free throws through the basketball hoop mounted over the garage door.
Then they had a quick round of one-on-one. “Good move!” Sam grunted as Bucky whistled by him for an easy layup.
“Hey, raw talent!” Bucky replied with a twinkle in his eye.
Finally dusk settled over the neighborhood and they sank down on the front lawn to rest.
“You seen much of Denise lately?” Bucky asked.
Rolling over onto his back, Sam grinned. “This weekend.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Uh huh.” He tossed the basketball up into the air, catching it neatly on its downward flight and thrusting it under his head as a pillow. “How about you? Done much with Lisa this week?”
“Nah. She and her family have been off on a trip. Some business her dad had up in Washington.”
“She’s an awesome lady.”
“You’re not kidding.” Bucky stared off at the darkening horizon. The growing moonlight eerily outlined the trees in the neighbor’s yard. “Boy, this past school year I don’t know how I’d have gotten along without her. Or you.” He added the last two words with emphasis.
Sam laughed. “Well, she’s better looking.” He peeked at his watch, and then scrambled to his feet. “Oh, man, I gotta go.”
“OK.” Bucky scooped up the basketball. “See you at church this weekend?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Sam strolled out to the car and climbed in. “See ya.”
Bucky watched the blue Nissan go around the corner. For a moment, his thoughts returned to Lisa. Her perky smile and laugh. Her head resting against his shoulder at church. A tiny smile started to form.
Overhead a dark cloud covered the moon.
Chapter Four: Divine Appointment at Register Five
July became a blur of long work days, twilight basketball, and Lisa. The young couple found themselves spending more and more time together during the long Bay Area evenings and too-brief weekends.
“You’re falling for that girl,” Sam teased as they practiced perimeter shots one evening after their weekly Bible study.
“Falling?” Bucky shook his head in mock chagrin. “I’m afraid I’m clean off the cliff.”
“Not even sixteen and the man is roped down for good.” Sam took aim and sent a jump shot swishing through the hoop.
“Look who’s talking,” Bucky responded. “Every weekend lately, it’s ‘Sam and Denise here’ and ‘Sam and Denise there.’” He picked up the ball and attempted to twirl it on his index finger.
The older boy said nothing, a puzzling expression on his usually cheerful face.
Bucky set down the ball. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
The older boy flopped down on the grass. “Oh, nothin’, really,” he muttered. “It’s just . . .”
Bucky joined him on the ground. “What?”
Sam looked at him. “I wonder what Denise thinks about . . . you know, our getting into the Word and church and all that kind of business.”
“Have you talked about it?”
He shook his head. “I’m not like you, man. I can’t just bring up Jesus freak things like that the way you do.”
Bucky picked up a blade of grass and inspected it in the twilight. “What makes you think it’s a problem?”
“Well, not exactly anything. ‘Cept I just get the feeling that if she knew anything about it, she wouldn’t go for it.”
“Does she even know you go to church each weekend with me?”
“Yeah. We were going out and I just told her, you know, ‘I’ll pick you up after church.’”
“What’d she say?”
“Nothing. Just shrugged and said OK.”
“See there? Maybe it’s no big deal.”
Sam remained unconvinced. “We’ll see.” He looked off in the distance at the hills on the horizon. “‘Course, when I get baptized, she’ll have to know about that.”
A tiny thrill went through Bucky as Sam spoke the words “When I get baptized.” He looked at his friend with genuine fondness. “Well,” he said slowly, “you know God can take care of it all. I mean, that’s the very thing that was in our
study tonight. Right?”
“Yeah,” the Vietnamese boy answered, forcing a grin. He yawned lazily. “I better jet.”
Bucky stood and stretched to his full height. With a ferocious leap he slapped the metal basketball hoop with the palm of his hand.
“Wow!” Sam gasped. “How did you do that?”
“Just jump,” Bucky shrugged. “Plus I guess I’ve done a little growing this summer.”
“Little nothing!” Sam eyed his friend. “Wow, you’re taller than I am now! How much?”
“I don’t know. ‘Bout six two.”
“Wow!” Sam repeated. “Hit it again.”
Bucky obliged him with a terrific leap. For a tantalizing second most of his hand perched over the rim of the hoop.
“You got that thing at ten feet?”
“Regulation,” Bucky grinned.
“Pretty good,” Sam admitted, shaking his head. “Ol’ Brayshaw’ll be by here with a chocolate cake, ready to make his peace with you.” He laughed.
At the mention of Coach Brayshaw, Bucky’s face froze. An uncharacteristically hard glint came into his eyes. “No way,” he retorted, his voice tense with hostility.
• • • • •
The next morning Bucky awoke with an unfamiliar sound drumming on his window pane. “You gotta be kidding,” he muttered to himself, opening one eye. “Rain? The first week of August?”
He sat up straight in bed and stared out the window. Baffled, he extricated himself from the tangled sheets and headed toward the hallway bathroom.
A few minutes later, he sat down in the corner of his room where he always had his personal devotions, and bowed his head in prayer. Somehow the words in the Bible passage this morning seemed hollow, forced. With a grimace he made himself concentrate.
Finally he had to admit to himself that he knew what was wrong. The emotion from last evening came flooding back as he thought about Sam’s chance remark about the high school baseball coach. Face it, he lectured himself. Deep down, you haven’t forgiven Brayshaw for how he treated you.
He winced as he realized the accuracy of his conscience. In fact, you almost hate him!
Setting his Bible aside, Bucky sat in the early morning quiet, his mind in turmoil. The rainfall had slowed to a steady drip on his window sill.
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 24
