Even Bucky was confused. “But look . . .”
“Look, guys.” The pastor shifted in his seat and turned toward them. “Here’s how I look at it. When Dan turns eighteen, then he has an absolute right to join any church he wants to. I’m sure even your dad here, Dan, would see it that way. I mean, that kind of freedom’s what America’s all about. And even before then, Mr. Litton, I hope you’ll let Dan come to our church each week if he think’s it’s helping him.”
Mr. Litton scowled, looking at the pastor suspiciously.
“But as long as you’re living here, Dan, at least until you turn eighteen . . . I think you ought to respect your dad’s wishes.”
The son appeared about to reply, but he held his silence. At last he gave a big sigh. “Yeah, OK.” He looked up at his father. “Whatever you want, Dad. That’s fine, I guess.”
“But now let me say this, too.” The older man turned back toward Mr. Litton. “As clear as I can see it, being around Bucky has really helped your son. Last year with some of the problems at school and all . . .” He carefully avoided mentioning Dan’s drinking.
The father shrugged. “Yeah. I’ll grant you that. Things are better for him. So?”
“I hope you’ll keep this in mind. It’s Bucky’s faith in God – and now Dan’s faith in God as well – that has made them the solid young men they’re becoming.” He looked over at the two. “I mean, these two fellows have got their act together, and everybody over at that high school knows it. And it’s their Christian faith that has made ‘em that way.” He looked at both athletes warmly. “Including church and following the example of Jesus and the whole nine yards.”
Mr. Litton gave a noncommittal shrug.
The pastor rose to depart. “I really hope that when the time comes when Dan is able to make his decision, that you’ll be able to stand with him and support him on it.” His voice was gentle. “I’ve baptized a few people whose relatives were upset. You know? Angry . . . and they’d stay away. And that’s a tough thing for someone to go through, especially a young person.”
Reaching toward Mr. Litton, he offered a handshake. “When Dan’s moment comes, I just want you to know, we’d be real proud to have you sitting there on the front row letting him know that you’re a dad who cares.”
Mr. Litton accepted the pastor’s hand and gave a tiny nod, his eyes deep in thought. “Yeah. Well . . .” His gaze jerked from the pastor to his son and Bucky. Dan, who had been sitting quietly with his head in his hands, met his father’s gaze.
Chapter Four: Traffic Jam on the Bay Bridge
. . . And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Next to him, Bucky could hear Rachel Marie’s soft eight - year - old voice. She knew the Lord’s Prayer as well as any adult. Risking a peek, he glanced down at his little sister as she recited it.
“For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Bucky’s bass voice joined with Sam’s as the congregational prayer concluded. The row of worshipers resumed their seats and looked expectantly toward the platform.
Black-robed Pastor Jensen waded gingerly into the filled baptistery. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” he beamed. “Dan, come on in.”
Bucky’s heart skipped a beat as he watched his friend slowly lower himself into the tank of water. “And we have some people in the congregation I want to invite to come forward,” the minister continued. “Sam, I want you up here. Bucky, you too. In fact, all of you Stones might as well join us.”
Startled, Mom and Rachel Marie went up with Bucky to stand near the baptistery. Bucky gave his friend a thumbs-up gesture.
“Twice now we’ve had baptisms in this church as a result of Bucky’s willingness to share his faith,” Pastor Jensen observed as he stood waist-deep in the water. “But I know how Mrs. Stone has had Sam and now Dan over to her home, and made them feel welcome. In fact, Jen, it’s probably your cooking as much as anything that has brought these fine young men into God’s family!” Everyone in the worship center chuckled.
“And we have a very special guest here this morning,” the pastor added. “Dan’s father, Mr. Litton, is here today, and we’re so glad that Dan has his support. Mr. Litton, why don’t you come up front too? We’re delighted that you’re our visitor today and just want you to feel welcome.”
Dan’s father blinked once, then stood with the rest. Dan, also robed in black, looked up at his father.
Bucky felt his stomach do a flip-flop as he watched the unexpected scene. It had been just that morning that Mr. Litton had abruptly made up his mind to attend the service.
“Dan,” Pastor Jensen began, “you have a good earthly father here who cares about you a whole lot. And a heavenly Father who loves you just as much. I know how faithfully you’ve studied the Bible, trying to discover just what kind of heavenly Father we serve. And now that you’ve found Jesus to be a true friend, you’ve chosen to give your heart to him.”
The quiet hum of the air conditioning in the background seemed to add to the peacefulness that filled the sanctuary.
“And now in this public setting, Dan, you’re saying to your family, to your friends, to your high school classmates: ‘I choose God. I want to faithfully serve him.’ And I want you to know that this church family stands right with you, praying for you as you witness for him.” The baptismal candidate nodded.
“And so, Dan, because you love Jesus, it’s my great joy today to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
Bucky glanced at Sam with a smile as the quiet ceremony concluded. Mr. Litton watched without comment.
It was twenty minutes past noon before the large throng of believers spilled out into the foyer and front lawn of the church. A rare August drizzle went almost unnoticed. Dan, his hair nearly dry, accepted the good wishes of the members as they filed by, showering him with hugs and gifts of Christian books and i-Tunes cards.
“Can you stay for lunch today?” Pastor Jensen gave the new church member an enthusiastic welcome handshake. “Your dad, too, of course.”
Litton glanced over at his father. “Well, I think Dad wants to get going.”
“How about you?”
The young man shook his head. “I’m going with him.”
The pastor gave a nod of understanding. “That’s good,” he affirmed. He reached over and offered his hand to Mr. Litton. “Thanks so much for coming. We all feel really honored to have you here.”
“Yeah.” The middle-aged man looked around at the flow of worshipers. “Lot of people.”
“It’s a pretty terrific bunch.” Pastor Jensen waved to one family just climbing into their SUV. “I hope you can come again some time. And I’ll be sure to look for you over there at Sears Automotive.”
“Sure.” Mr. Litton motioned toward his son. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” Dan gave Bucky a grin of relief. “All set for tomorrow?”
“Yup. You won’t forget?”
“Nine o’clock. Get you to the airport by 11:00 easy.”
“Tomorrow’s the big day?” Mrs. Jensen clutched her husband’s arm as he continued to greet visitors.
“Yeah!” Bucky couldn’t hide his excitement. “Thailand, here I come!”
“I’m jealous,” she laughed. “Bring me back a souvenir. Some of that Thai silk.”
• • • • •
The next morning arrived with a splash. The 10:00 p.m. weather forecast the night before had predicted more drizzle, but Hampton Beach seemed to be the center of a full-force storm. Bucky looked out the window at the gloom.
“You boys better plan an extra half-hour to get to the airport,” Mom observed as she plopped a third helping of French toast onto his plate.
“I know,” her tall son muttered as he glanced at his watch. “Soon as I eat these, I’ll give Dan a call.”
The front doorbell chimed and Dan poked his head through the doorway. “Airport Limo Service,” he grinned.
“Man, you’re ea
rly.”
“Hey,” Dan retorted, “in this slop it’s going to take us a lot longer. Plus we gotta pick Sam up.”
“Well, eat some of this French toast for me, and then we’ll go.”
“I won’t make you beg me.” Dan plopped down with a cheerful grunt. “This looks good!”
“Here you are.” Mrs. Stone set a plate of food in front of him.
“Pretty good timing,” Bucky teased. “Always around mealtime.”
“Shhhhh.” Bucky’s mother gave him a playful flick on the top of his head. “You’re welcome anytime, Dan, and you know it.”
Minutes later Bucky lugged his suitcase and duffel bag down the stairs. “Heavy sucker,” he complained.
“I read that brochure,” his friend teased. “Supposed to bring only three changes of clothes and just keep rotating ‘em. You got the whole department store here.”
“I know.” Bucky paused at the front door. “Well, I guess this is it.”
Mrs. Stone gave him a big hug. “Honey, I’m going to miss you.”
At that moment he realized how far away Thailand’s nine thousand miles were going to seem for the next two weeks. “Me, too, Mom.” He clung to her for a moment.
“‘Bye, Bucky.” Rachel Marie tugged on his arm.
He swooped his little sister into his embrace. She squeezed him around the neck. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, kid.” He gave her a kiss. “You want me to bring you anything from Thailand?”
“I don’t know. What do they have?”
“I don’t know either. But I’ll look, OK?”
Bucky looked at his father. “Goodbye, Dad.” He stuck out his hand.
“Hey, cut that out. You’re going a long way from home. Give your old man a hug.”
“I know. I was only kidding.” The two of them embraced. “I’ll miss you.”
“Take good care of yourself. And e-mail us whenever you can.” Mr. Stone looked over at Dan. “I appreciate you guys driving Bucky over to the airport. With this meeting I got this afternoon, I just couldn’t have gotten back in time. And I don’t want Jenny out in this rain.” He slipped the stocky athlete a twenty-dollar bill. “Here. For gas and the bridge.”
“Thanks.” Dan picked up Bucky’s suitcase with a grunt. “Come on, missionary boy. All those Thai girls are waiting for you.”
Bucky watched as the house on Woodman Avenue disappeared around the corner. “Boy, two weeks.”
“Piece of cake, Buck, ole man. You’ll be back before you know it.”
The ride to San Francisco went quickly despite the rain. The freeways were nearly empty as the three of them motored through the downpour.
“You takin’ chem this fall?” Sam squinted through the streaked windshield.
Dan grimaced as he changed lanes. “Yeah, me and Stone both, I guess. Sick!”
“I’ll loan you all my lab notes. ‘Course, most of my experiments never came out like the manual said they were supposed to.”
“Thanks a lot.” Bucky glanced at his watch. “Man, we’re making good time. I’ll end up sitting in the terminal for an hour and a half.”
“Hey, don’t kid yourself.” Dan growled something inaudible to himself as he braked. “Taillights coming up.”
Bucky frowned as he stared ahead through the rain. “Oh, brother. What happened?”
“I’ll bet somebody slid out on the bridge or something.”
Moments later traffic came to a dead stop. “Good thing we’ve got some extra time,” Bucky commented. The next hour was a slippery stop - and - go experience. Even while bantering with his two friends, Bucky kept glancing at his watch as his reserve of “extra time” disappeared.
“I don’t know, Stone,” Sam grimaced. “I hope you don’t have your heart that set on getting to Bangkok on time.”
“Well, with this rain the airlines will probably be running a little late anyway, don’t you think?”
“I doubt it. Didn’t you say this just takes you up to Portland and then you and the other kids fly out from there?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, then, they’re not gonna run late on a short hop like Frisco-Portland. Otherwise, that screws up the whole rest of their schedule.”
“You’re so smart.” Bucky’s pulse quickened. “Come on!”
“You heard much from Lisa lately?” Sam tried to change the subject.
“Yeah, I called her about a week ago.”
“You tell her you’re chugging to Asia?”
“Yeah.” Bucky watched the road signs as they crawled by. At last they passed the main source of trouble: a huge trailer rig blocking two lanes.
“Thanks a lot, sucker!” Dan gave the stranded rig a “raspberry” jeer as the sports car slipped past. “Now we can make some time!”
“Well, let’s cruise!” Bucky sucked in his breath as he glanced down at his watch. “Plane leaves in twenty minutes!”
“Look,” Dan said, “we’ll just drop you off right there at the curb. You run in quick and tell ‘em you’re here. I think you’ll just make it.” He gunned the engine and the car shot into the fast lane. “We’ll just wait there at the curb for about ten minutes. If you don’t come back out weeping like a baby, we’ll know you made it.”
Moments later Dan squealed onto the exit ramp marked “Departing Flights.”
“Easy!” Despite his nervousness, Bucky managed a short laugh. “I’d like to live to play ball with you this fall!”
“Hey, we’re here, man.” The stocky driver spotted an opening right next to Delta Airlines’ main terminal. “Grab your suitcase and run!”
Sam slid forward so that Bucky could ease through the small opening from the back seat. Dashing to the back of the car he pulled his suitcase and duffel bag free.
“OK, I’m out of here!” Breathing hard, he set the suitcase down for a moment and shook hands with Sam. “Thanks, you guys. I really appreciate it.”
“Forget that! Just go!” Dan grinned, reaching out to shake hands, too, and then gave Bucky a forceful wave of dismissal. “Have a good one. We’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
Grabbing his suitcase, Bucky jogged toward the front door of the terminal, turning one final time to wave to his two friends. The check-in counter had one clerk available and he huffed his way over, handing his e-ticket to her. “Can I still make it?” he panted to the attendant.
The young woman shook her head looking at her monitor. “I think they just closed the door.”
Bucky groaned. “I can’t miss the flight!”
She took his ticket. “We have another one leaving at three.”
“But I’m connecting with a group going out to Thailand!”
“Oh, dear. That is bad.” She glanced quickly at the ticket, then picked up the phone. “Jim, is the door closed?” She listened for a moment, then set it down. “Go! Quick! They’ll hold it till you get up there. But hurry through security.” She took his bag, and then stapled a claim ticket to his ticket folder.
Heaving a huge sigh of relief, he trotted up the escalator and quickly made his way through the x-ray machine. With a sigh of relief, he handed his ticket over to the man at the gate.
“You lucked out, young man. We were about to zoom outta here without you.”
“Thanks.” His heart still beating rapidly, he made his way to his assigned seat just as the captain’s final announcements began.
• • • • •
Ninety minutes later the Delta airliner touched down in Portland. Bucky looked out the window at the unfamiliar greenery of the Pacific Northwest. “Well, at least I know I’m going to make it,” he muttered to himself as he unbuckled his seatbelt. The close call back in San Francisco still had him slightly unnerved.
Out in the main terminal he looked again for the always-present TV monitors listing overseas flights. “Seoul - Taipei - Bangkok. There it is!” He eyed the overhead signs and resolutely headed down the corridor.
In front of Gate Twelve milled a group
of fresh-faced teenagers. With a confident grin, Bucky headed toward them.
“Are you Bucky Stone?” An athletic - looking man about forty offered his hand.
“Yep.”
“Oh, good! I’m Gordon Humboldt. We were afraid with that storm down your way you wouldn’t make it. I was about to go over to the gate where you were coming in, but I figured you’d know how to find us.”
“No problem.” Bucky grinned. “I made the flight with about two seconds to spare.”
“As long as you’re here.” The cheerful youth leader turned to the others. “You guys, this is Bucky Stone. From . . . where do you live again, Bucky?”
“Hampton Beach. It’s real close to San Francisco.”
Everybody crowded around to greet him. The group of eighteen appeared to be an even mix of male and female.
“This your first time?” A tall Black student shook hands with Bucky.
“Yeah. How ‘bout you?”
“No way! Third time, man. These things are a riot.”
Pastor Humboldt gave the tall student a gentle punch on the biceps. “Yeah, Benny, here, is a real regular. If I get Asian flu, I’ll just let him run things.”
“All right!” Benny’s laugh was deep and sincere.
Pastor Humboldt pulled a list out of his pocket and silently scanned it. A moment later he tucked it away and whistled for attention.
“Folks, we’re all here now, so let’s just gather around for a second before we board.”
Bucky glanced around the terminal. Busy travelers scurried toward the various gates and the huge planes bound for overseas destinations. But already he felt that a spirit of togetherness had developed among the eighteen students headed for Thailand. A thoughtful smile tugged at the corner of his lips. This was a family!
“You heard them say we’re being routed through Alaska because of the headwinds,” the leader announced. Bucky’s eyes opened wide. “So we’ll be getting into Bangkok about one in the morning. Let’s just take it real easy on this flight. Get all the rest you can, drink plenty of liquid, and the jet lag shouldn’t be too bad when we get there.”
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 45
