CHAPTER TWO
Later on, Lane was standing outside. He wasn’t really alone, for he was speaking to the Lord.
“Lord, I’m looking at the road you must have traveled more than a couple of times. I mean with your twelve disciples.”
He pointed to the west and a split in the road, one direction going directly to Joppa, the other further south.
And, Lane inhaled the fragrances of spring. There were flowers, but the rain in the distance brought something extra into the experience. He could see the rain, too, but far away.
“You walked into that city so you must know it.” He was still talking to the Lord.
Lane became very serious.
“I need your help, O Lord. I don’t have the first clue in where I ought to begin. And, Mom’s coming.”
He watched some grey clouds moving across the valley. They were coming from the mountains behind him, to the east, and they were rolling toward Joppa, on their way to the sea.
Lane imagined it was the Lord’s angel sent ahead to assist him, like in the days of the Exodus from Egypt.
“She’s going to expect me to be a man. I don’t even know how to do that, but I’ve got to do it.”
More clouds were heading in the direction of the sea, and Lane willed them to be God’s army, the Lord’s troops sent to rout the enemies.
“Please, Lord. Show me pity and have mercy on me. I need you to guide my steps, for you are the Lord.”
He gestured in every direction, dramatizing but serious about what he said.
“You created all these things, and I am just a boy.”
There was hesitation. Then, Lane turned his eyes to Heaven.
“I am from the tribe of Dan, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, your friend. Lord! You made him a promise. You said you’d give all these lands, all these things to his seed.
A wolf cried out in the hills.
“I know that it is you. You are the promised seed Lord. My father told me about you, how you came to live in the Galilee. You healed our sick and gave sight to the blind. You did everything the prophets said you would.”
He fought with himself, looking for the right words and a way to express himself.
“Please come with us tomorrow, into that city. Show me where to go, and to whom I ought to speak. Lord. I want to know what happened to Father. Why he hasn’t returned.”
Suddenly, he was aware of the crickets and the frogs too. Both could be heard in the grass. He listened to their songs, or the noise nearly sounded like a song.
“Lord. You made the crickets and the frogs too. Thank you. Please help us tomorrow. Show us what to do and how to do it.”
Lane looked heavenward again.
“You are my only support, my salvation, and my guide in this world. Help me, Lord. If you help me, I will serve you for the rest of my life. Amen.”
Looking down the road now, Lane could see ZIBA; that was his cousin, a bit older than himself. The visit was expected.
“Going to the city tomorrow?” ZIBA asked, but he knew the answer. That’s the reason he had come.
Lane surprised his cousin. “Mom’s coming too.”
Expectation lit ZIBA’s eyes, but he was expecting some kind of an explanation.
The two boys shook hands, and they turned in the direction of Joppa. It was a lazy walk at sunset.
Lane supplied some of the desired details.
“She told me at supper. Guess she wants to know what happened to Father, why he left, or why he never came home.”
ZIBA stopped, picked up a rock and tossed it into a field.
“I’m going to need you to look after things here.” It was Lane talking. He had also stopped.
“How long will you be gone?” ZIBA knew that he would be explaining this to his own parents, because they were certain to ask.
Later, the two boys walked up the path toward Lane’s barns. This is where he and his mother kept their few chickens and three goats. Lane had made up his mind to be honest with ZIBA.
“I’m not really sure. I planned to be back by the new moon, but I can’t even guess at what will happen.”
Together, they did the chores, which meant they fed the animals and gave them water.
Lane was pretty much talking the whole time. “Father was going to speak to those Romanists, the people from the northern regions.”
“You speak their language?” ZIBA flattered.
Lane continued. “I know enough to ask questions. Maybe I can understand the answers.”
“That’s a lot.” ZIBA encouraged.
“It’s enough.” Lane agreed. “The Lord has been kind to me, and it’s a gift. I mean a gift with languages. It comes easy.”
The light was pretty much gone from the sky for, though it wasn’t late, night had arrived.
The boys could hear the wolf crying out into the hills.
“Did you hear that male?” ZIBA questioned.
Lane smiled. “I been hearing him all day. And, I been praying to the Lord, too. That’s probably what the wolf is doing.”
ZIBA laughed at this. “What would a wolf pray about?”
“Same things I do.” Lane responded. “He seeks the Lord’s guidance, protection, provision, and love.”
“You pray for guidance?” ZIBA inquired. Lane stopped walking and faced his cousin. “I did today. And, do you know why?”
ZIBA had to admit that he didn’t. “You got me confused, but I want to understand.”
Lane continued. “I was reading about Elisha. You know, the Lord’s prophet.”
“What about him?” ZIBA invited more.
That’s exactly what Lane wanted ZIBA to do, so he continued. “It was, as you know, a long while back. David was long since dead. Our people had gone to worshipping idols, and the kingdom was under the Lord’s curse, just like Moses said would happen.”
ZIBA nodded, for he was following.
“Elisha had a servant.” Lane began walking again, as he explained.
“The guy’s name was GEHAZI.”
“I remember the story. It had to do with the ARAMEAN, the commander with leprosy.” ZIBA guessed right.
“That’s the one.” Lane confirmed. NAAMAN came to the prophet ELISHA to be healed of his disease. And, he offers to give Elisha gifts.”
ZIBA squinted, as one would do in trying to see or understand something difficult and strange.
Lane continued. “Elisha said, no!” ZIBA smiled. “I’d have said yes.”
“That’s what most people would do.” Lane lectured. “But, I’m thinking about something else Elisha said to GEHAZI, after his servant had gone after the commander, hoping to receive some kind of gift from him.”
ZIBA picked up there and tried to explain the story. “Yeah. GEHAZI told the commander some story and received both coin and suits of clothing.”
Lane corrected him. “What GEHAZI involved himself in, amounts to lies. He told the ARAMEAN a fable about traveling brothers and, when Elisha asked him later what he had done, he told another lie, in saying that he had gone nowhere.”
ZIBA remembered that part. “Elisha said something like: ‘I was with you in spirit and saw you.’”
Lane agreed. “He said that, but he said something else, too. He said that this is not the time to receive gifts, or to be receiving them. He listed examples, but pretty much included all worldly things.”
“Worldly things?” ZIBA didn’t quite understand.
“That’s the thing I was praying about.” Lane explained.
ZIBA was still confused. “You asked for worldly things?”
Lane shook his head, and he stopped walking. “No. That’s just it. I find that I don’t really want them. I’m going to Joppa looking into what happened to Father.” He paused, then started them back toward the house.
“Don’t stop talking now!” ZIBA walked alongside.
Lane gestured with his hands, as a dramatist would, but he kept talking. His hands worked to expand and broaden the topic.
“I’ll try to put it into words.” Lane offers. “Yes. Try!” ZIBA’s words encouraged.
“I find myself feeling totally at odds of the place I find myself in. I want to see Joppa and know what happened to Father. But, I want to hear God’s voice. That’s what’s important to me. I asked Him to watch my back and to show me the truth. Now, I have to pay attention.”
“You think God will help you out?” ZIBA asks an honest question.
“It’s His nature to be merciful. I think I can count on support from the Lord.” Lane let his cousin know what he believed.
Full circle now, they made it back to the path leading to the tiny house Lane shared with his mother. But, there was a wagon in the yard and somebody else was in the kitchen.
Lane’s uncle MAHLI could be seen through the kitchen window. This visit wasn’t common at all.