At the release of Susan’s first chantlike note, Natalie sank slowly to the floor, her backside brushing down along the refrigerator. The beauty of her sister-in-law’s voice, too long silenced, resonated somewhere deep within her, awaking a sense of holiness.
She went to her knees.
And then Drake’s song kept her there.
As the rhythmical weaving of their two voices rose, she almost pressed her face into the linoleum.
A short while ago, she and Rex had entered the beach house. They used the side door located at the rear of the kitchen and didn’t go much beyond the kitchen corner. The entire open space was nearly wall-to-wall people.
Good Friday services always undid her. The ache she began to feel on Palm Sunday magnified itself to an unbearable level. The anticipated fears of Sunday exploded into reality. He died, and He died in a most horrific, excruciating way.
Mixed in with her usual reaction to the season was all the emotional drama of the past few weeks. She thought she might have to find a beach house of her own and take a sabbatical from life. Maybe in Hawaii. Six months away sounded like a good idea. Thanks to Susan, speechless and frazzled were becoming close friends, two states of being Natalie never would have chosen.
In the silent stillness that followed their songs, she recalled the previous night’s events in the church office.
Drake had cried in his brother’s arms until Natalie thought her heart would break in two for him.
“Rex.” At long last Drake used the tissues she had placed beside him and looked out through red swollen eyes, blowing his nose. “I need to confess my sin.”
Rex rubbed his shoulder. “Hey, bud, God’s listening. I don’t have to.”
“No, I need to say it out loud. Natalie, sit down. Please. James says to ‘confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully.’”
Natalie sat in a chair angled toward the couch they shared. The depth of Drake’s knowledge of God’s Word always zinged her, even if it all seemed to emanate from his head and not his heart. It was there inside of him anyway.
Drake’s shoulders rose and fell. “I confess my pride as a grave sin against God and man.” He paused, eyeing her. “Man as in men, women, and children. I ask for your heartfelt prayers. You two are more upright than anyone I know, and I need to be cured. Preferably before I lose my family.” His voice caught. “If I haven’t already.”
“Oh, Drake,” she said. “Susan will never give up on reconciliation.”
At that he bawled again.
And then Rex prayed…for his brother to receive forgiveness and healing and restoration.
They had talked late into the night. Natalie’s own confession to him of her disrespect led eventually to smiles when he admitted he never really liked her much, either.
“Apologies, Rex,” he said, “but listening to your wife feels like the dentist’s drill hammering away in my mouth.” He grinned. “The truth is, she challenges my thinking. Pulls me right out of my comfort zone.”
Natalie nearly fell off the chair.
He went on in a more somber mode. “Pulls me the exact same way Kenzie does. When Susan started affecting me the same way, I didn’t know what to do. I felt like my back was pushed against a wall. I came out swinging. And then this kid, this boy, comes in talking about confession, baring his soul…” Referring to Aidan, Drake choked up. “I had an awful image of Susan living happily ever after with him and Kenzie and the baby. I wasn’t in the picture.”
They had driven him home and left, knowing that although Drake took a giant first step, he would not change overnight. They encouraged him to give himself some time alone, away from the office. He agreed he wasn’t ready yet to talk with anyone else, not even Susan.
Evidently he let his associate take charge of the Holy Cross Fellowship Good Friday service because there he sat now, singing in the beach house with a bunch of boycotters.
Natalie looked up. She watched Drake slip through the front door. He would not want to face parishioners.
But what of Susan?
Her sister-in-law stood and, in spite of the crowd, tore across the room and out the door after him in two seconds flat.
Natalie turned to Rex seated on the floor beside her. They exchanged a grin.
Enough of Friday’s death watch. It sure felt like the resurrection was already in progress. Maybe Jesus wouldn’t mind if she jumped ahead of the schedule.