“Hey!” Caleb said, “Ralph, come up here, will you?”
Ralph, looking totally confused and not a little intimidated, followed Caleb up the stairs. Jenny looked as confused as I did, and we looked at each other, and raced after them.
“Ah, girls,” Caleb said. He was in the process of closing the door, but, after a moment’s hesitation, waved us in and we joined a very confused and nervous Ralph on the bed; with Jenny sitting rather close to Ralph.
“I suppose you all are wondering why I have asked you all…” his voice broke off as a knock came at the door. He spun around and stared at the door, and then, sort of slowly, opened it.
“Dad?”
“Am I invited to this meeting?” Dad asked.
“I… ummm… sure…” he said, and Dad came and sat next to me.
Caleb just stared at Dad, who finally said, “Oh, don’t be so freaked out. You were looking all serious and worried and all, and then you invite Ralph up here, and the girls rush up… come on, Son, speak up.”
“I was just. Look, Ralph, I have a question for you. This is going to sound odd, but what do you know about a guy named Jervis?”
“Jervis? Suzy’s brother?”
“Yeah.”
Ralph shook his head, slowly. “Not a good subject. You didn’t hear?”
“No. That is, I never really heard anything solid.”
“Well, I don’t know how much of what I heard is real, but I heard some nasty stuff. There was this little girl…” he looked nervously at Jenny, “Anyway, I’ve heard some nasty stuff. Why?”
Caleb looked at me. “Bobbi had this really bad dream and he was involved.”
“He? This Jervis guy?”
“Yeah.”
Dad looked at me. “Roberta, do we need to talk?”
I knew what he was asking. Had this Jervis guy abused me in some way. I thought back, but I really couldn’t remember him, although now that I wasn’t dreaming and able to really think I was able to remember some rumors about Suzy’s brother and some girl. The girl’s family had actually left town afterwards, too.
“No, no Dad. We’ve never met. Not outside of my dream, anyway.”
We all sat and chewed on that for a minute and then the phone rang. Caleb happened to be standing next to it and he absentmindedly answered it, “Jones residence. Who? Oh, yes, she’s here. Can I ask who’s calling? Who? Grace?! Umm, would you mind if I asked you a question? This is Caleb… Ow!” he said, looking back at us. “She screamed, and is getting all hysterical with some other girl. Here, Bobby, you had better handle it.”
I picked up the phone, all eyes on me. “Hello? Hello?” I said and then paled, as I heard a voice in the background. A voice I knew. A voice I knew, although I had never heard it. “Grace?” I whispered.
“Bobbi?” she said, and I knew the voice from my dream. But had I heard it, perhaps, on campus sometime. Was this really….?
“Yes,” I said, finally.
“This is going to sound really weird,” she said, “but I just have to ask. Did you have a dream last night…?”
“The took the boxes up” (They)
“Ralph brightened off and disappeared with Jenny.” What does “brightened off” mean? Looks like it was “brightened up and took off with Jenny” then the second part was changed to “disappeared with” but “off” got left behind where it no longer belonged.
“That dream had really affected me.” Jervis really screwed her over good, but God has turned his evil to good.
“defined as, “A permanent, committed, sexual union with a goal of producing children.” So when an old widow or other barren woman ‘marries’, this pastor thinks Scripture wouldn’t call it a marriage? When the virgin comforter of old King David was asked for by one of his grasping sons, she was considered a real wife.
“guaragneed you ten thousand a year” (guarantee) I hope Caleb thinks he will gain more than 10K/yr by employing him… The focus may be more discipling, but it still doesn’t need to be charity.
“Not a good star, Darling” (start)
“Jervis who, eventually, noticed and, looking almost guilty.” It would be an interesting twist if this Jervis-A were NOT guilty at all and even aided them against the pervy Jervis.
>>“defined as, “A permanent, committed, sexual union with a goal of producing children.” So when an old widow or other barren woman ‘marries’, this pastor thinks Scripture wouldn’t call it a marriage?
No. Having a goal does not imply the ability (especially in your own strength) to fulfill that goal. Sarah was, what, 99 years old when she had Isaac? And God specializes in giving the barren woman children.
He might well call it a non-marriage, though, if the couple refused to have children even tho they were capable, either through abstinence or some form of ‘protection’. Mal 2:14-15, Psalm 127, 128, the story of Onan, etc.
You can see my post here: http://vonstakes.blogspot.com/2006/09/sermon-on-doctrine-of-marriage.html for a fuller exposition.