“My horses would never do such a thing but hypothetically, I would be beholden to that man… his wife, poor creature until – well, forever.” He took a drink from his coffee but muttered first, “I do not ride a goat!”
Hugh motioned to the waitress and they ordered breakfast.
Toni was sure her dialog was offensive in and of itself. In spite of this, she pressed forward. “Your answer reminds me of a historic tale. May I explain it to you or is it time to change the subject?”
A reluctant smile appeared upon his face. “No, go ahead,” Hugh replied gruffly with a wave of his hand. “I want to hear this other ‘tale.’”
Toni laughed briefly. “Well, if you put it that way... You see God – the God of the whole universe has always been correct in all of His actions. But mankind has offended God by disobeying the divine laws written upon our consciences. Understanding that there is a moral disconnect between man and God, mankind has rigorously endeavored to correct our personal and corporate offences against God in various ways because we are beholden to Him. But, the offended party, God has not accepted mankind’s efforts at apologizing. The end. My tale is not hypothetical,” she said looking him in the eye. The brown eyes seemed to go black as he digested her rendition of paradise lost. Toni knew her words and look were tantamount to a challenge but she wondered if Hugh would take the bait.
Toni was undecided about Hugh’s teaching offer. She had been praying about it knowing that she needed to talk with Pastor Miles back in Santa Fe but before she had that conversation with her pastor, she wanted to decode Hugh’s “agenda.” There were ten days remaining before Mishael and company departed for D’Almata. Being a steward of that time was important to her. Unlike money, time once spent could never be regained, she realized. She wanted no regrets on her part when the three men got on the plane to fly home.
Hugh bit.
After some furious eyebrow calisthenics, he said, “God of the entire universe… the whole universe. He is a great king, and so on and so forth, as you have been saying. I have eyes! I do not ride a goat! Christians profess this great God but when it comes to living like they believe it… Well… well, I do not ride a goat!”
Toni had pushed a button but now she wasn’t sure which knob to pull making the flow cease! After a minute or more of his raving, she spoke up. “Hugh, hang on a moment. Please, I don’t lump all the D’Almatans into one personality type. Surely, you are different from Mishael’s mother and Mishael is markedly different from the man who fishes in a small boat for a livelihood, right? And yet, you are all from D’Almata. Well, then you cannot lump the masses of people labeled as “Christian” into one type either, please. Your negative perception of Christian behavior has you blinded to the debt you owe concerning your own offenses against God.”
The food was coming. Hugh said hotly, “I don’t know what you mean!”
Toni asked the waitress for more tea. She schooled her face to reveal no readable emotion. “I mean that the slighted party is the one that decides how the offence can be corrected. God is the one who is offended by our nonsense, our sin, our rebellion. The one and only eternal God will not be placated by our limited efforts. There is only one way to make right our wrongs against God and He has set that parameter… not me, not you, and not the fine traditions of D’Almata or any other culture.”
He interrupted by lifting his hand. “Yes, I’ve heard this and I read about it in college. I know about Jesus. History says he was an excellent fellow and I absolutely agree – He was!” Hugh was finished with this discussion and she knew it. Looking Toni in the eye and then at her plate. “What is wrong? You are not eating,” he said grinding pepper vigorously over his own plate.
Toni improvised, “I was waiting for you. I like to pray and bless the food but since the Minister of Education is at the table with me, I thought you might want to bless our meal.”
Hugh’s brows went up and remained there until he finished the blessing which ended with, “and so on and so forth. Amen.”
The offshore breeze turned willy-nilly after a few hours but the swell remained intact allowing the surfers water time until noon. Hunger drove them ashore. Likewise, Rifta, who having moved his bed under the beach umbrella which Toni and Hugh setup, was ready for lunch too. Leaving their boards at the umbrella, they took both cars up to the famous burger place – a hotspot for surfers visiting the Cape.
Full from breakfast, Toni simply ordered a fresh banana shake, a small one. The men ate heartily including Hugh who wanted to try the famous hamburgers, but also the fries and a root-beer float.
Between bites, the conversation ebbed and flowed as the surfers relived their morning antics. Alex was a hotdog on his shortboard but even Billie cross-stepping on his exceptionally long board got some clean waves.
As they were finishing, Mishael asked Billie and Rick about the zebra-like patterns on the bottom of their boards.
“Shark shield,” said Billie in his offhand way. “Outer Banks has deep water just off the beach and there are sharks out there. That black and white pattern is a type of camouflage that tells sharks – ‘I’m not edible!’”
Rick pushing away from the table said, “Time to get back to the water!”
Toni realized that it was Rick’s way of changing the subject. Surfers hated discussing sharks, drowning or blown-out rotator cuffs.
The afternoon was uneventful. The swell window closed as the wave got progressively mushy. The surfers – all but young Alex were surfed out by late afternoon. They loaded up. Stopping at the drive-thru, they then began their long drive back to the mainland.
Saturday morning the Magnolia Drive beach house was quiet... positively quiet.
Chapter 21
Saturday evening, a text coming from Merry read: Another banner day! She was referring to the Sunday morning swell which looked promising. Merry’s text arrived while Toni was loading the dishwasher and the guys were preoccupied with a soccer game on the big screen TV – the Bosnian team was playing. The household had been going to the Forecastle Church on the Rock each Sunday morning but great surfing conditions had never been an issue. Tomorrow would be different. Toni thought about saying nothing and letting Mishael discover for himself the wave condition.
A few minutes later, Hugh came into the kitchen. He rummaged around until he found the raw almonds he was searching for. Toni spoke up, “Uh, Hugh about tomorrow. It’s Sunday. Are you and Mishael planning on going to Forecastle for the church service?”
“Yes, but I won’t be wearing that business suit,” he replied with a charming grin.
She smiled and said, “No, I know. But tomorrow… I understand the wave conditions are going to be excellent in the morning and if we go to Forecastle and maybe to Ruth’s afterward… Well, you know what I mean?”
Up and down again, went the eyebrows. Hugh said, “Surely, your God – the ‘God of the entire universe,’ as you often describe Him, will give up from his treasure trove of time one day to a young man allowing him to indulge in a little amusement.” He turned dismissively to walk away but Toni stopped him when she spoke again.
“Actually, since you put it that way. One prince, soon to be king perhaps…” said Toni but then she regretted the misspoken ‘perhaps’ although she continued on to make her point. “… He should understand better than most people that a royal sovereign deserves periodic homage and continued loyalty above other… um, affections; whether those affections be amusement or family or business.” Hugh turned to her. He was grinning again but his eyes looked deep black and Toni sensed irritation.
“The God–King demands periodic homage once a week, on Sunday? And otherwise one’s loyalty, one’s fidelity is continually in question? Does that not seem extreme to you?” Hugh asked.
Toni loved this sort of searching, questioning talk when centered on God, His plan and His scripture but with Hugh it was different. He always probed her knowledge and depth in such away that Toni sometimes wondered at his motive. She smiled a
gain and said, “No, I don’t consider it extreme. His subjects’ loyalty in question? No, He is the King of all Kings, including princes. Hugh, it’s a real privilege to be able to worship God freely…on Sunday or any other day. There may come a time when I… when we, me or even you, will not be able to do so.”
Up went the salt and pepper brows. “In that case, we will go tomorrow,” Hugh said, decisively. “Now, I don’t like you using the word ‘perhaps’. Don’t use that insinuation again, in our presence.” He walked away still wearing a grin inspired by annoyance.
Toni sighed, “The man who would be king…”
Sunday morning went forward without a hitch. Toni came over to the main house, finding Mishael dressed and ready to go. He was standing in front of the large window watching the water.
The prince called to Toni when he heard her come through the kitchen door. “Toni! We have a great looking swell this morning. Take a look,” he said. She had already seen it, taking a long walk at sunrise but she came over as summoned.
“It’s stunning… but it’s not exactly the Mavericks,” Toni said, wishing to deter any hope of surfing. Unconvincingly, she added, “There might be something left when we get back from Forecastle.”
She was caught off guard when Mishael suggested, “Let’s pray about it. Rifta says God answers your prayers.” Mishael stuck out his hand expectantly. Toni took it and thanked God for His wonderful mercy in sending Jesus. She prayed that God would allow a swell for the afternoon when Mishael would return from a morning of worship and fellowship. She ended with a simple, “Amen.”
Later, at the end of the service, Mishael whispering to Hugh and then Hugh answering, distracted Toni. Finally, it was the altar-call. First, Mishael went up and then Hugh followed a few yards behind.
Is this what the whispering was about, Toni wondered? Toni slapped herself on the wrist mentally as she had assumed the two foreigners were simply being disrespectful in the house of her God. She wondered too, how many more times in the future she would jump to conclusions only to find out later, how wrong she was.
Toni looked at Rifta who had been sitting between her and Mishael. “Rifta, do you want to go to the altar and surrender to God, too?” she asked.
“Me?” He answered in a loud whisper. “Religion, it never help me, no. Of course, I will not go up. I can’t be religious. I’m bad,” he explained. He was loud and Toni wondered whether people were disturbed by his reply. Ruth and Dianna were sitting behind them. Ruth leaned forward and tapped Rifta on his shoulder. His gold covered back molar gleamed as he smiled a wide genuine smile upon recognizing her.
She whispered, “Rifta, religion only helps people like a band-aid. Sinners like you and me, we don’t need a band-aid. We need surgery… We don’t need religion – We need God!”
Toni looked around. No one paid any attention to them. People were either praying silently or beginning to stand as the pastor initiated the closing hymn.
“Religion – god. Same thing, no?” Rifta said over his shoulder to Ruth, who continued to lean forward.
Ruth responded in her raspy throaty voice. “No! Oh, no! God is not religion. Remember when Jesus was repeatedly angry with the religious people but he dealt kindly with the sinners? Understand Rifta, religion is man’s way of serving God, but God allows one way to serve Him and that is through a relationship with His son, Jesus.”
Rifta turned to look at her. “Yes, Jesus is the Son, no? I know this!” Then he invited himself to Ruth’s for lunch because then she would tell him more.
Once again, Ruth’s air conditioners were on high, barely cooling her three room house for an after church fellowship. Hugh, Mishael and Billie had taken their plates into the living room. Ruth was at the kitchen table with Rifta, her plate to the side and her Bible in front of her, opened to Romans. Toni, Dianna and an elderly saint from church, Elaine Reese were standing together, plate in hand discussing the service that morning.
The conversations revolved about the tangible grace arriving in the midst of the church goers as they sung the initial worship songs. The ladies standing in the kitchen spoke of the gentle but persistent conviction felt at the altar-call and how six people responded to God’s wooing by going forward to acknowledge Jesus as Savior, including Hugh and Mishael. Toni was overjoyed and the three women put the D’Almatans on the top of their list, their prayer list.
Elaine and Dianna were serving peaches ‘n cream cobbler when Rick and Alex arrived. The talk turned to the upcoming surf contest.
Alex said, “Well, there won’t be any professional surfers – not like Sweetwater last month… They were ripping it!”
“No, of course not. Forecastle is an amateur event and the purse is only $500,” Rick countered.
Alex and Mishael had entered the contest already. For Mishael, he had been asking questions to train for his category since he first heard of the Forecastle surfing competition. Toni was working him to be strong and agile on the board. Although Mishael was brimming with bravado, she focused on honing his confidence to a healthy, stress free level.
Hugh leaving the surfers’ huddle, joined Toni in the kitchen. She was washing up the dishes. Dianna had left to take Elaine home. Ruth stepped away from Rifta puzzling over a scripture, long enough to get Hugh a blue and white bib apron that read, “I’m the Boss” across the front of it in shimmery, bold letters. Hugh slipped it over his head and Ruth tied the apron strings behind his back.
“I am your servant. What would you have me to do?” Hugh asked Toni.
“Servant?” she questioned and then gave a tug to the apron he wore. “It says ‘boss’ right here on your apron.”
Hugh shook his head. “I am a genuine Christian now. Therefore, I must serve even when I am the boss. I will rinse the dishes,” he volunteered. Toni nodded toward the rinsing sink that had soapy dishes sitting in it. Hugh turned on the faucet and began his task.
After a moment Toni asked, “So Hugh, what happened this morning?”
“I was like a little boy again,” he said. His hand trembled as he took a sudsy plate from her. He chuckled and then repeated, “I was like a little boy again when my grandfather swooped me up onto his majestic stallion. I was excessively young and small but his firm hand and his eye were on me to reassure me that I am safe… Terrified but safe! That is what happened this morning and I find that I am terrified but safe.”
Toni could not recall a conversion description like his but she understood remarkably well. Her own conversion 30 years prior had felt similar. The scripture from Proverbs came to mind, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When Toni started reverencing God as Creator and ultimate Judge, she got smart and found out what she needed to do to get right with Him.
“I’m thrilled for you. It’s a new beginning full of wonder and knowledge and joy unspeakable. I’m so very happy for you!” Toni told him and if her words didn’t convince him, the companionable twinkle in her eyes and the genuine smile did.
With a nod, Hugh took another plate. He said, “Thank you. Yes. I agree, a new beginning. I feel somehow different… Billie Cliff says next Sunday night is the water baptism.” His wonderment was tempered by solemnity. Toni was moved by his humility. He said gravely, “I am going to get baptized. Billie gave me something to read and then next Sunday, I will do it.”
That night, the four of them returned to Forecastle for the Sunday evening worship. Toni was glad to see a large crowd – most of the same people from the morning service were in attendance. They sat with the Cliffs and Ruth. Rick and Alex Salerno sat on the other side of the Cliffs. They hadn’t attended the morning service although they had shown up at Ruth’s for peach cobbler. Rifta sat between Ruth and Mishael.
The sermon was called, “Signs of the Times” and not only Hugh and Mishael were riveted to the message but the whole assembly including Rifta. Billie Cliff often spoke about the signs of Jesus’ return but the message that night seemed especially relevant; pieces of a puzzle that came careening t
ogether revealing God’s phenomenal end-of-the-age plan.
Mishael put his hand up at the altarcall appeal again. Toni sitting next to him with her head bowed, turned towards him. Mishael said, “It felt so good this morning I decided I would do it again.” Toni smiled with a slight nod but she didn’t know what to say to this innocent, genuine statement. Billie Cliff went up with him and they both returned to their seats smiling as the closing chords were sung. Surfing a great wave was far from either mind.
Chapter 22
The zeal of new converts can be extremely annoying to those who are resisting the Holy Spirit’s influence. Poor Rifta.Toni was careful to reach out to him in other ways while Mishael and especially, Hugh worked him over.
Thankfully for Rifta, Mishael continued to be preoccupied with the fast approaching surf competition. While Rifta, Mishael and Toni were spending some time getting familiar with the Forecastle beach break where the contest was to be held, Hugh was reading his new red-letter, large print Bible.
Although Toni concentrated on getting Mishael to the other side of the contest as a winner, she spent the evenings in the carriage house apartment thinking through the D’Almata offer and in focused prayer. Before Hugh’s and Mishael’s conversions, Toni knew the D’Almata job to be overwhelming, especially with the unknown element of Rose Cervantes working behind the scenes. Now she was confident that Hugh was on an elevated track with God’s approval and leading. Whatever Hugh’s agenda was before, it had been tweaked by God and by the spiritual rebirth he recently experienced.
The job offer was not brought up again. Toni wasn’t sure why but they were super busy readying for the surf contest. The Forecastle revival experience on Sunday thrust their last week of the Tour-before-Duty to a new level, energized by the joy of salvation. The surf contest would begin on Friday. The competition’s conclusion and performance results took place Saturday. On Sunday, the household would go to morning worship followed by a final fellowship at Ruth’s with the water baptism following that evening. Mishael decided that he too would be baptized in obedience to the scripture. Finally, Tuesday morning, the men were slated to fly out of Wilmington to catch their connecting flight in Atlanta and then back to D’Almata via Budapest, Hungary.
Cynic, Surfer, Saint (Scenic Route to Paradise #1) Page 17
