The Jamieson family game night a few weeks ago had done Ace in. It had nothing to do with the oddest questions known to man that were asked, but the embedded feeling of connection among everyone else besides him and Kidd. The pride in the elder Parke’s eyes and voice when one of his family members gave the right answers was priceless.
As much as he loved his mother and Kidd, there was never that type of bonding with any of his cousins on his mother’s side. Amazingly, Kidd fit right in with the Jamieson crowd, as if he belonged all along.
What would it take for me to fit in? Ace wondered.
When Eva had slipped—or maybe it was on purpose—and mentioned Talise’s name, he left as promised. Not because he wasn’t having a good time, surprisingly. It was merely about saving face. He had to prove that once he made up his mind about something or someone, he didn’t change it.
Then two days later, it was a shocker to all, including Ace, when he accepted Kidd’s invitation to church. It was the first time since he had been in St. Louis that he said yes.
What was it that prompted him now? Maybe it was the feeling of living in isolation that he had been experiencing. Although it would be hard for Ace to admit out loud, his new apartment felt lonely, like something, or somebody, was missing. Perhaps that was increasing his desire to spend more time with his family.
Sunday morning, he met Eva and Kidd at Salvation Temple. Ace chuckled as he parked his car and strolled his way to the front entrance. He was sure Kidd would be waiting for him there.
What exactly did the church name imply? Was it an emergency room where people could go when they were sick and leave bandaged up? Ace had no expectations. Walking inside the vestibule, he nodded to a few who greeted him with “Praise the Lord.”
Kidd stepped up to him and shook his hand before giving him a bear hug. He introduced Ace to a few people, bypassing the ladies, and then headed to their seats to join Eva.
Until now, his sister-in-law hadn’t given Ace a smile so bright since he first moved to St. Louis. Back then, she wasn’t even aware of his motive for relocating. Since she found out, her smiles had been at a premium.
Making himself comfortable, Ace sat through the praise team, the choir, and the announcements. The church wasn’t much different than his mother’s in Boston. He knew how to go through the motions without letting a sermon change his mind about doing what he planned to do before he walked in.
It wasn’t long before Salvation Temple’s pastor, Elder Taylor, took front and center. Without much of preliminary, he opened his Bible and began reading from Acts, chapter nine.
Focusing on verse five from the King James Version, he read, “And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”’
Pausing for a slight moment, Elder Taylor began, “My subject today is ‘thinking you’ve got it all right, and in the end, finding out you had it all wrong.’”
“Amen,” “Well,” and “Preach, Pastor” comments circulated around the auditorium.
“Paul was an honorable man when he was on the road to Damascus. He was a Jew with knowledge and zeal. He didn’t take anything off of nobody. Yet God wasn’t pleased with what he was doing because it wasn’t God’s way. Here is the question you need to ask yourself: Are you living your life the way God wants for you?”
Pausing again, he went further, “You see, God doesn’t have to persecute you, your ignorance will cause you to persecute yourself …”
For the next hour, Ace listened to the message. Finally, although the altar call was stirring, Ace didn’t feel a need to make a change in his life. Once the benediction was given, he turned to say goodbye to Kidd and Eva.
“Did you enjoy the service?” Eva asked him.
“I did. When I get a chance, I might visit again.” Ace meant it and headed to his car. One thing that stuck with him was their pastor’s opening statement, “thinking you’ve got it all right, and in the end, finding out you had it all wrong.” But he really didn’t want to consider the consequences of him making bad decisions.
On Monday, Ace was in his office downtown. Things didn’t get better for him. He couldn’t concentrate because his mind was elsewhere. Instead of Sunday’s sermon inspiring him, it bugged him and made him grouchy.
When it came to Talise, who he once felt made him complete, he had miscalculated her intentions. She could definitely be chalked up as a misstep in his life. That thought made him both sad and mad at the same time.
Highly agitated, he snapped at his assistant for opening his office door without knocking. She never knocked before, and it had never been a big deal. Later on that day, Ace gave a store clerk a hard time when she overcharged him fifty cents for a case of beer.
When Kidd called one evening, Ace roared at his brother. Kidd growled back. “Is there anything you want me to get for you while we’re there?”
Ace snarled over the phone. “Thanks for rubbing it in that you’re taking Eva on a Boston shopping spree.”
“I can’t help it.” Kidd snickered. “Who would have thought when Ma was teaching you how to walk you would become a love stalker on a ‘no-fly list’? How many more weeks do you have before you can buy a plane ticket?”
“So you’ve got jokes, huh?” Clicking off his new high-def TV that he wasn’t watching anyway, Ace padded across the carpet of his sparingly furnished living room and went into the kitchen to put his frozen dinner in the oven.
His apartment building was fairly new. Ace could still smell the freshly painted walls and the carpet was brand-new. Eva had offered to decorate, but Kidd declined for him.
“Get your own wife,” Kidd had said without a smile or blink.
Ace didn’t blame him. He was thankful Kidd let Eva still cook for him. Walking over to the sliding door, he glanced out. A plane coming in for a landing caught his attention and mocked him.
How ironic is that? He couldn’t board a plane for a couple more months. Yet the huge flying pieces of metal taunted him several times a day. Their engines seemed to roar louder than usual whenever another one flew over his head. Ace couldn’t wait until he was free to clear the security checkpoint again. Planning to be on his best behavior, if he saw anybody he thought he knew, he wouldn’t even offer them a handshake.
“I’m sure while you guys are in Boston, Eva will see Tay. Will you tell me how she looks?”
“You mean, if she looks pregnant?” Kidd huffed. “Well, I’m going to tell you right now, if I can’t tell at a glance from yards away, I’m not about to be staring. Not when I have a beautiful wife to gaze at day and night. You’re on your own.”
The joke was on Ace. What he meant was did she look okay health-wise? Or did she seem happy or not? Or was she as miserable as he was because she wasn’t in his life? At this point, he was over her, concerning the pregnancy Ace wasn’t about to explain himself.
Kidd softened his tone. “I can’t help you on this. I’ve been your problem-solver all your life. I don’t know the details with Talise, but be a man. Don’t handle it like the old Ace Jamieson I know would. Pray and God will show you the best way to deal with it.”
Ace grunted. “Like mumbling a few words will really change things.”
“It doesn’t take an hour to talk to Jesus. When your heart is heavy with concerns, God hears you. How do you think He drew me to Him when my mouth said one thing, but God zoomed in on my heart?”
Ace didn’t know if he would ever get used to the way his brother talked about the Lord. When Kidd repented years ago, Ace thought he’d lost his mind. Now, adding to his vexation, Kidd always made sense to him.
Closing his eyes, Ace leaned his head back against the wall. “The last time we spoke, it didn’t end well. I hurt her when I walked away, but she crushed me with her scheming. We can’t get pass that. But I do care about her, so just let me know if she looks well, please.” He returned to his spot on the sofa.
Kidd’s voice took on a serious tone. “Are you okay? This is the longest conversation we’ve had in months about Talise. What gives?”
“You all are killing me softly with your double-talk. You don’t talk about Talise in my face. But let me turn to the side or turn my back and those Jamieson wives are in cahoots with her.”
“Are you accusing my wife of something? If you are, it might be worth getting a speeding ticket to get to you.”
“Bring it on, Kidd. Why not let me take out my frustration on your face.” They both knew how to street fight. “All I’m saying is Eva and the others are guilty by association.”
“The only guilty party on this phone call is you. Handle your business, man. Go talk to her.”
“I can’t fly, remember?”
“I guess you’d better tie up your hiking boots, Ace, or buy a gas card. Pick your poison.”
Drive? Kidd was nuts. No woman was worth a train, a bus, or a twenty-hour car ride.