"Alan, if I have to hear that socially retarded new
neighbor sing 'I Believe I can Fly' tune one more time, I'm going to scream!"
Alan put his index finger to his mouth as to
non-verbally ask her to be quiet. As he listened through their open kitchen
window, Alan laughingly stated, "I think our inept new neighbor sings that tune
pretty well Kristy," as he annoyingly tweaked her cheeks.
"Stop it Alan! I like the song, but I hate that man. I
tried to take him some of that expensive candy your sister sent us for
Christmas, and he might as well as shut his door in my face."
"Did he thank you for it?" Alan asked curiously.
"No, he didn't even take it. Said it made him sick to
even look at it, and then said he had to go because he had company to entertain!
Poor girl," she sarcastically finished.
Alan and Kristy moved into their small but cozy living
room and sat down on the couch by their cat they affectionately named "Lovely."
After watching a sitcom, Alan turned the television set off and asked Kristy if
she really hated their next-door neighbor, Craig.
"Don't know yet", she huffily replied. "I guess I just
can't stand the way he keeps everyone at arm’s length. We've both tried to be
friendly to him, and he just looks down like some comedian and says he has to
amuse his company. More like a circus probably, and he's the court jester!" She
pretentiously and finally concluded.
"Sounds to me, Kristy, that our Bozo next-door
neighbor has hurt your feelings. Maybe it's a girl he just met for crying out
loud! Are you jealous or something?" Alan curtly replied.
"Right Alan! And he's singing about how they're going
to soar and fly and all that sappy stuff? Please!"
She laid her head on his shoulder in silence for a bit
before replying, "He's just a social freak of nature who thinks he's God gift to
the poor pitiful soul he probably forces to hear him sing. She's probably just
as much a freaky social oddity as he is."
"Honey, why are so judgmental when we haven't even
known the guy for a month?" Alan responded with a frown.
"A month is enough, and I wish he'd move. I was hoping
we'd have that nice couple from just outside Tacoma move in. Instead, we get
this geek. We would at least have had something in common with them!"
"Whatever you say. I'm going to bed," Alan grumbled,
"rather be there than listen to you jab on some guy you don't know, and have
been hospitable to once! Mrs. Welcome Wagon herself teaching best what she needs
to learn!"
"Why are you being so mean to me over this?" Kristy
lashed back.
"Okay, I'll tell you why if you really want to know.
Seems to me you've been sulking around over your little friend Tara as of late!
Think? Plus, the way you're acting, I think you and Craig do have something in
common."
As Alan positioned himself to get up, she grabbed his
arm. "Hold on a second! Are you saying I'm some loser that has no life?" She
angrily questioned.
He moved away from her grasp and replied, "No, I'm
saying you are acting like one right now. Sleep on it, and you can come to bed
with me, or continue to have a pity party over the not-so-perfect neighbor next
door."
She watched as he walked toward the staircase and
began to wonder about why their new neighbor, Craig, was so stand offish.
Sunday morning rolled around and as Alan was getting
dressed for church, he asked Kristy if she was going to go with him.
"I don't need to go to church to get God," she sharply
answered, "I can read a devotional, say a prayer, and I'll get about as much out
of that as you will going to church."
"Kristy, I love you and you know I do. But if we are
to ever even think about having children, I want you to know that they will go
to church. And just because your feelings got hurt over one comment by your once
best girlfriend in Sunday school class, isn't a real good reason to think the
church is full of hypocrites! Is Tara a hypocrite because she is making more
money as a nurse than you are as a teacher?"
Kristy hurried over to the kitchen sink to put some
dishes away.
"Yeah, that's it Kristy, walk away from me and ignore
everything I'm saying. But don't you think that the reason I've been going and
probably most people do, is because they know they act like hypocrites. Is that
still your excuse?"
She paused with her hands resting on the sink briefly
before replying, "Okay, let's go to church today and meet some more…," she
halted her speech. "Like I was saying, give me a few minutes and I'll be down
and we'll go to church." She stated as she sheepishly looked down while briskly
walking past her husband.
As they pulled into one of the last spots in the
church parking lot, Kristy reached over and apologized to Alan for being so
intolerable.
"Alan, I am sorry for being such an idiot over Craig.
Maybe I'll make up with Tara today and who knows who else I may meet."
Upon opening the church door, they were both startled
to see Craig dressed in a dowdy suit and looking like he had gotten an hour's
sleep at best. They caught eyes and held them too long not to approach.
"Hi Craig," Alan cheerfully stated. "It's good to see
you. Didn't know you attended church here."
Craig, less stand offish, replied, "Well, you see this
is my first time going to this church. Figured I could meet some people being
new to this side of Tacoma and all."
"Hi Craig," Kristy inserted. "Thought you had plenty
of friends. Seems you have company every time I've stopped over."
Alan quickly stepped closer to Craig. "Would you like
to sit next to us in church?"
Craig looked pensive for a moment and then answered
with a rather confident "Yes!"
The sermon was on forgiveness and how miracles come
true when you believe in them. After the typical salutations and greeting the
pastor at the church exit, the three stood awkwardly outside in the warm breeze.
"Nice day out Craig. You want to come over and get in
our pool or just hang out?" Alan asked.
Before he could reply, they heard a faint shout from
Kristy's once best friend, Tara.
"Wonder what she wants?" Kristy glumly asked under her
breath.
Tara began motioning for Kristy to come over.
"Go on Kris," Alan encouraged her.
"Well okay, I'll be back in a few minutes."
Kristy began with a walk that turned into a slight
jog.
"I know that girl," Craig said.
Alan was taken back by his sudden ease and casualness,
and as curiously, how he knew Tara.
"Where do you know Tara from?" Alan asked with a
furrowed brow.
"She's the nurse I hired to take care of my foster
brother when I'm at work," Craig responded.
"Really? Tara is, well, hopefully will be Kristy's
best friend when they are done talking. They had a little argument over money,
and if you picked up on her sarcasm, it really wasn't aimed at you."
Craig nervously shifted his eyes towards the two that
they could both barely hear speaking from across the parking lot.
"Craig, if you don't mind me asking..."
Craig held up his hand so as to stop Alan before he
asked. "No, I don't mind telling you why Tara watches my brother."
"I thought you said he was your foster brother?"
"Same difference. We lived in foster homes together
since I was about five and he was seven years old," Craig answered as his bottom
lip began to shudder with emotion. "Tara comes over in the afternoons to feed
him lunch, and help him stretch his legs so they don't become stiff."
Alan looked dismally downward as his face became an
almost pinkish color before asking, "Is there anything I can do? You know, now
that I know who is taking care of your brother."
Craig glanced in the direction of the faint voices of
Kristy and Tara, and remarkably saw them hugging each other.
"Sounds like my wife made up with Tara", Alan
nervously mumbled.
"Like I was saying Craig, is there anything I can do
to help? I work odd hours, so there are days I could go over and talk with your
brother or something."
Craig paused for a moment and watched as the white
stream poured from the end of a jetliner high above. "Yeah Alan, there is
something you can do. My brother, Brent, used to fly fighters before he became
paralyzed from the chest down."
Alan looked at Kristy and Tara and they were still
hugging as his eyes began to mist.
"He was on his way to McChord this time last year to
fly a night sortie when he was in an almost fatal car accident." Craig quieted
and paused for a reflective few moments before shouting, "Dear God! And to think
my brother was only one mile from the Air Force Base front gate."
Craig, still emotional, noticed Alan looking down and
could tell he was crying.
"Alan, do you think you could go over to my house a
few days a week and just turn on his CD player? He only has one song that he
pretty much listens to anyway."
Alan grasped Craig's shoulder and wiped the tears onto
his extended arm that remained stilled on Craig for a minute or so.
"I believe I can handle that Craig," Alan happily
answered.
Craig smiled and watched as Alan began to walk towards
Kristy and Tara. As Kristy and Tara pulled away from each other with tears in
their eyes, Kristy saw Alan walking their way and could tell that he knew what
she now knew as well. Kristy said her goodbye to Tara as she clasped hands with
her husband and walked to their car, got in, and pulled up next to Craig and
Tara who were now talking.
"Craig?"
"Yeah Alan."
"Just wanted to let you know that I believe in what
the sermon was about today, and that I know that your brother will one day fly
again."
Alan pushed in his Yolanda Adam's CD of the same song,
gave Craig a big smile and looked over at Tara who was moved to tears. As they
drove off, both Kristy and Alan could be heard all the way out of the parking
lot singing, "I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky, I dream about
it every night and day, spread my wings and fly away.. I believe I can soar, I
see me running through that open door, I believe I can fly, I believe I can
fly..."
When the music and car had disappeared, Craig tapped
Tara on her shoulder and pointed up, and they both stared in awe at an F-16 that
seemingly, just for them, dipped its left wing very quickly before erecting
itself in perfect alignment with the ground.
"Craig, why did the pilot of the jet do that with the
plane's wing?" Tara asked.
"My brother used to fly over the foster home where we
lived for 11 years. He used to dip his left wing like that for the kids that
lived there then. I remember once that he told me that most pilots did it just
to check their wing responsiveness and some kind of non-instrument, situational
awareness thing. But he intentionally called the maneuver 'God Speed' because he
felt that God's timing would be perfect in getting those kids out of that foster
home and into a permanent home to live."
Tara watched the plane until it could be seen no more
and replied, "That's interesting. I believe Brent was right in both ways. I'll
beat you home Craig!" She giggled as they both ran to their cars.
Copyright © 2002 Brian G. Jett
brianjett@chrysalishouse.org
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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