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I HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS for her.
She didn’t answer any of them.
She had a weird knack for side-stepping conversations and turning the topic back where she wanted it. In twenty minutes I learned all about the layout of my apartment complex, how to recognize six of Hauser’s guys on sight, and which ones I needed to run from. I didn’t know anything about the girl, though.
I was determined to get some answers before getting off this call, but then Dad knocked on my door. It was more warning than request. He cracked the door, leaned in, and said, “Church in fifteen. Oh! You’re on the phone!”
“I am,” I snapped back. “And I’m not going to church!”
And she hung up. I heard the click. I don’t know if she was spooked off by Dad’s arrival or if she just took the chance to leave. She was gone, though.
I tried anyway. “Hello? Cass? Is that your name?”
Dad came the rest of the way into the room. He scowled down at me. “What was that?”
“A problem,” I said. “A girl—”
Before I could say more, he nodded knowingly. “They all are. Church in fifteen minutes.” And then he slipped out.
I shouted after him, “I’m not going to church!” He laughed like I was joking.
I dragged myself out of bed. I was not going to Dad’s church on fifteen minutes’ preparation, but I could at least make an appearance before they left. I brushed my teeth, ran a hand through my hair, and shrugged into the mirror. I pulled a clean shirt over my t-shirt and headed to the living room.
Before I left my room, I sent Cass1884 a chat message. “I need more answers. We’ll talk soon.” Then I left my phone on the charger and headed down the hall to wish my family a fond farewell.
But to my great surprise, my parents were both relaxed on the couch in the living room. As I came into the room, Dad patted the cushion beside him. “Grab a seat, champ.”
What was this? I wasn’t ready for a family meeting—my mind was on other things!—but I needed a place to stay. I went meek as a lamb to plop down beside him. He beamed, satisfied, and turned on the TV.
“I’m glad you joined us,” he said.
“What happened to church?” I asked. “What are we watching?”
“Church,” he said. “It’s on YouTube now. I recorded my part with Paul on Thursday.”
“The youth minister?”
“He’s the one who knows how to YouTube. He’s a whiz. Now shh! It’s starting.”
The stream kicked off with an acapella choir singing an old hymn with a complexity and skill that had never been heard in Dad’s church. It felt overdone to me, because I’d grown up listening to congregations, not choirs. I wondered how popular it was with his congregants.
One of the elders came on the stream to lead a prayer, then the professional choir sang a couple more songs before a deacon came on to say a few words and pray for the communion.
To my surprise, Dad popped up off the couch, and while the deacon was saying his piece, Dad was bustling in the kitchen. Just in time for the prayer, Dad came out with a tray bearing three steaming coffee cups and a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
I kept my response until after the prayer, but as soon as the deacon said, “Amen,” I looked at Dad and said, “That’s not unleavened bread.”
“It’s not wine, either, but it’s communion as long as we do it together.” Then he took a long sip of his coffee.
I turned to mom, “You okay with this?”
“I made the cookies!” When I gaped, she laughed. “Lighten up. We’re all doing new things these days. It’s a time for adventures.”
She leaned past me to grab her coffee and a cookie. Then a new prayer started, and I was left with my thoughts.
It’s a time for adventures. A little grandiose, but she wasn’t wrong. That was exactly what kept me at odds with my dad: I knew about regular work, and I didn’t want to do it anymore. I couldn’t make myself do it. It wasn’t time for that. It was time for adventures.
I was thinking about my game. But it covered Cass’s request, too, didn’t it? Infiltrate a criminal gang and rescue a helpless damsel? Why not? It was a time for adventures.