| |
“I don’t think he healed anyone.”
“I know, Tiny,” Maggie said. “But maybe God did heal someone. We wouldn’t necessarily know it happened.”
“Yeah, but the kid prayed for a lot of people last night. And I didn’t see anything change.”
It was Thursday morning, and Maggie was only on her second cup of coffee. She was ordering supplies for the salon and seemed to be working fairly hard at not being annoyed with Tiny as he processed the events of the night before. Her efforts seemed to be failing as she slapped the desk and shouted, “Ah, crud!”
Tiny jumped. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’ll be right back. Would you please make some more coffee, Tiny?”
She got up and knocked on Pastor Chris’s door.
“Yes?”
She walked in. “The church’s credit card isn’t working. Did you do something?”
He smiled. “Yes, sorry, we canceled that account as we weren’t sure who had cards.”
“There’s only one card, and it stays in the safe.”
“Well, now all orders are going to go through our treasurer.”
“Phil?”
“Yes, Phil.”
“So Phil wants to deal with salon supplies?” Maggie said with no little snark.
“Mrs. Turney, why don’t you shut the door and have a seat?” Chris said, leaning back in his ergonomic chair. Maggie did as she was asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the salon.”
“OK?” Maggie said, defensively.
“Can you tell me exactly how that works?”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Well, the supplies go on the church credit card?”
“Yes,” Maggie said. “At first. I only order if there’s enough money in the safe to pay for it. We don’t go in debt over conditioner, but I use the credit card so I can order online, yes.”
“OK, but the church is paying for the supplies?”
“Right.”
“And how much do you charge?”
“I don’t charge anything. Some people pay what they can, but most people can’t pay. It’s a ministry, not a business, and it’s been working just fine for almost ten years.”
“OK, OK,” Chris said, holding his hands up. “I was just curious. We’re just going to try to keep a better account of what’s coming in and going out, that’s all. So yes, make a list of what you need, and let Phil know.”
Maggie sighed. “OK,” she said, and stood up to go.
“Wait just a sec, if you will.”
“Yeah?” She turned back around, but didn’t sit.
“We’ve got some people coming in to update our audio visual room this afternoon. So can you make yourself available to help if they need it?”
“Yeah, why, where are you going to be?”
“I’ve got a meeting to get to here soon.” He glanced at his watch. “And I probably won’t be back.”
“OK, so I just need to show them the sound booth?”
“Right. And just stick around if they need anything else. You know, sort of act like a buffer between them and the residents if you can.”
Maggie folded her arms across her chest. “Wow.”
Pastor Chris didn’t seem to notice her disgust. “Thanks a lot,” he said in a tone that said she was dismissed.
She left his office, closing the door behind her harder than she needed to. Tiny was sitting at her desk, playing with her stapler.
“What’s wrong?” Tiny asked.
“Nothing,” Maggie lied.
“What did Pastor want?”
“He said we have some people coming in today to update the sound room. He wanted me to know.”
“Oh.” Tiny got out of her chair and sat down in his. “What’s wrong with our sound room?”
“No idea, but would you do me a favor, Tiny? I’ll be in the salon this afternoon. And I know I asked you to hang out with me down there, but could you also check in on the sound room every few minutes, just to make sure they’re doing OK?”
“Yeah. I can do that, Maggie.”
––––––––
They weren’t just updating the sound room—they were gutting it. They filled the dumpster outside and they carried in load after load of shiny electronics. Tiny did end up being a help with the lugging, and the men didn’t seem to mind their lack of a buffer one bit.
At one point, Maggie let out a low whistle. “This must have cost a fortune,” she said to one of the men.
“Well, yes, but don’t worry. Most of it is just on loan from JCTV.”
“JCTV? Why?”
“Oh, I figured you knew. You guys have a contract with them now. They’re going to air your Saturday and Sunday services, starting this Sunday.”
Maggie laughed. “Seriously? Have they seen one of our services? This isn’t exactly Lakewood, you know.”
The man shrugged and walked away. He didn’t seem to know or care what Lakewood was.
“What’s Lakewood?” Tiny asked, out of breath from all his exertions.
“It’s a giant church in Texas. Their services are on TV.”
“Oh. Is that the church that paid for our addition?”
“No, same city, but different church. Apparently, there’s lots of churches in Houston.”
“Oh. So why did you say we weren’t Lakewood? Of course we’re not Lakewood. We’re not in Texas. I’ve never been to Texas.”
“I know, Tiny. I said that just because I think it’s a little funny that we’re going to be on TV, that’s all.”
“We’re going to be on TV?” Tiny said, elated. “That’s awesome! Can you give me a haircut first?”
––––––––
Sure enough, on Sunday morning, JCTV did send a few people to film the service.
“Unbelievable,” Maggie said to Galen, halfway through the service.
“What?”
“Everyone is on their best behavior. It’s like someone cast a television spell.”
“What, did you want them to act out?”
“Yeah, actually. I did. I wanted them to embarrass Chris.”
“Maggie!” Galen half-scolded her. “Stop it!”
She smiled mischievously. “Sorry, just telling the truth.”
At the end of the service, Chris gave a moving altar call and several people went down front, including Dwight, who appeared to be wearing new jeans and a new button-up shirt. After the music stopped, Chris asked Dwight to stand beside him. Chris put his arm around Dwight’s wide shoulders and said, “I’d like to introduce you all to Dwight here.”
“Geesh,” Galen muttered. “Hope the guy doesn’t mind being in the spotlight.”
“Dwight,” Chris continued, “is a war hero. He served two tours in Iraq, and like so many of our country’s veterans, came home to homelessness. We are honored to have him staying here with us, and we thank God that today, Dwight has chosen to give his heart to Jesus.”
Chris began to applaud then, and some followed suit, but they looked confused as they did so.
People weren’t used to cheering after altar calls.
––––––––
The next morning, the safe had been taken out of the office. As soon as Maggie saw Pastor Chris, she asked, “I assume someone official removed the safe, and that we haven’t been robbed by someone with a forklift?”
Chris chuckled. “Yes, we took it out. We won’t actually be storing any money at the church anymore. You’ve got enough to do without worrying about finances.”
“OK,” Maggie said and turned to go. Then she thought better of it. “And I’ve been meaning to ask. Are you going to move into the parsonage?”
“No,” Chris answered quickly. “It’s a nice thought, but I have a house, where I live with my wife.”
Maggie looked surprised. She had never seen hide nor hair of a wife. She slyly glanced at his left hand, and sure enough, there was a ring there. “Oh. Do you have any ideas about what to do with it?”
“Not at this point, no.”
“OK, well, sometimes, especially in winter, we do fill up around here. Maybe we could convert it to more rooms?”
“Maybe,” Chris said, but he walked away before Maggie could say anything else.
When Maggie got back to the office, Annette was waiting for her, holding baby Emma on one hip. “Hi, Annette! Have a seat!” Annette looked at Tiny nervously, so Maggie pulled one of the chairs over closer to her own. “What can I do for you?” Maggie asked.
“Um, I was wondering if I could talk to the pastor?”
“Oh, of course. I was just talking to him. But I’m not sure where he was headed. Let me give him a call.” Maggie dialed his cell.
“Yes?”
“Hi, Pastor. We have someone here who needs to talk to you?”
“Who?”
“Annette.”
There was a short pause. “Is she a resident?”
“Yup.”
“All right ... well ... do you know what she needs?”
“Nope.”
“Well, can you ask?”
“Nope.”
“OK, tell her I’ll be back this afternoon. I’ve got a meeting right now.”
“OK.” Maggie hung up the phone. “I’m sorry, Annette, he’s in a meeting I guess. He said he’d be back this afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No,” Annette said sheepishly. “I’ll just wait.”
“OK, well, let me know if you need anything,” Maggie said.
She left the office, but was still within earshot when Tiny said, “Pastor Dan always talked to us.”
“I know, Tiny.”
“He liked talking to us.”
“I know, Tiny. He really did.”
––––––––
When afternoon came, Annette and her baby found Maggie and Tiny in the salon. Maggie was giving Sally a perm. Sally didn’t have much hair left to curl, but Maggie had been practicing on her for years, so she was a pro. She looked up at Annette as her hands kept working.
“Hey, Annette!” she said brightly.
“Hey, um, I was looking for the pastor? He’s still not in his office. Do you know if he’s back?”
“I don’t know. Would you like to come in and have a seat? Tiny, would you mind doing a round and see if you can find Pastor? If you can’t, I’ll give him another call.”
Tiny grunted as he got up and left without a word. Annette took his seat.
“I think little Emma has grown in just these few days,” Maggie said.
“Well, she sure does eat,” Annette said. She was looking at her daughter with adoration, but her voice sounded tired.
After a few minutes, Tiny returned. “I don’t think he’s here. His car isn’t in the parking lot either.”
“OK, hang on just a sec, and I’ll call,” Maggie said.
Tiny sat down next to Annette on the couch. Annette looked uncomfortable, but she also looked too tired to move.
“You getting any sleep here?” Maggie asked Annette.
She looked up at Maggie as if she were guilty of something. “No, not really. Sorry, it’s not a bad place or anything. I just can’t seem to shut my brain off so I can go to sleep.”
Maggie nodded. “I understand that! OK, Sally, this is the last curl.” She snapped the last rod into place. “Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
“Getting too old to move anyhow,” Sally said with a giggle that made her sound much younger than she was.
Maggie pawed through her crowded counter until she came up with her phone. She stabbed at the screen and then held the phone to her ear. “Sorry, he’s not answering,” she said to Annette. “Do you want me to leave a message?”
Annette shook her head. “No, that’s OK. Can you just check me out?”
Maggie looked surprised. “Of course. Do you have somewhere else to go?”
Annette didn’t answer.
“Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Annette said. “It’s OK. We just need to go.” But the tears in her eyes said it was not OK.
“OK, then come with me, please. Sorry, Sally. I’ll be back for you.” Sally didn’t respond, but Sally’s hearing wasn’t the best anymore. Maggie put an arm around Annette’s shoulders and led her out of the salon. There really was no formal checkout process, so Maggie led Annette back to her room. She sat down on the edge of Annette’s bed and patted the spot beside her. Annette sat down, but kept her eyes pointed down at her hands.
“Talk to me, Annette. What’s going on?”
“It’s no big deal. Really. I just ... we’ll just find somewhere else to go. I mean, I’m homeless, but that doesn’t mean that I need to put up with bullies. We’ll figure it out.”
“Bullies?” Maggie said. She hadn’t heard that word used in their church before. “What happened?”
“Really, it’s no big deal. But I’m just not going to stay here.”
“But who was a bully to you?”
“I’m not a rat,” Annette said and stood up.
“Of course not, but maybe we can fix it. No one should be bullying you. You should be safe here.”
“What do I need to do to check out?”
“You don’t need to do anything. You can leave whenever you want.”
“OK,” Annette said, picking up a bag that was apparently all packed.
“But Annette,” Maggie tried, “please don’t go. We can work this out. Give me a chance to fix things. My husband can probably talk to whoever it is who’s bothering you—”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll be OK. I didn’t really want to stay in a church anyway.” She picked up Emma, gave a glance around the small room, and then headed for the door.
“You can also come back whenever you want,” Maggie said, but Annette just kept walking.
