by Jill Penrod
Chapter 3
“You look like you just lost your best friend, but since I’m here and fine, it must be something else,” Seth said with a grin as Shawn sat down. Shawn had bought a full lunch, but he really wasn’t hungry, and he put his backpack on Seth’s in an empty chair and pushed his tray away.
“My summer job was cancelled. Finals are a week away, and I have no job and no time to look for another one.”
“Oh.” Seth’s face fell into lines of sincere sympathy. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I need to spend every minute of the next week with my nose at a computer screen. Even if I had time to look, most summer jobs are already gone.”
“What happened?”
“Last minute changes in budget,” Shawn said, shaking his head. “ I was hoping to make enough this summer to get me through next semester and get Mom’s car worked on. I don’t like the way it sounds.”
“Makes me wonder what God’s up to,” Seth said thoughtfully.
“I suppose I hadn’t thought about that. I just figured it was the way things go for my family.”
“It takes time to change your whole way of thinking,” Seth said, taking a bite of burger. He and Shawn met for lunch Tuesdays and Thursdays at the campus cafeteria. The room roared around them as usual, but for the first time ever Shawn found the noise grating on his nerves.
“So, is God going to skywrite what He wants me to do now?” Shawn said, frustrated and uncertain.
“Probably not, although wouldn’t that be nice? I can’t tell you how it will come together, only that it will. What do you plan to do?”
“Check the campus employment office, but mostly hold off until finals are over.”
“Sounds wise to me. Doing what God wants doesn’t usually mean answers fall in your lap. You’ll need to look for work, but you don’t have to worry about it. He does the organizing. You know, Tom and Alex are great with cars. They can look at your Mom’s car.”
“I couldn’t ask them to do that,” Shawn said, shaking his head.
“But I can. If one of your friends needed help with a computer project, would you be offended if they asked for your help?”
“No.”
“And if anyone needs something translated into Spanish—which happens more often than you might think—I don’t mind. We like to have our gifts in use. These two get a major kick out of working on cars. Anyway, I think your Mom needs to see us united. See our togetherness in action.”
Shawn grinned and rolled his eyes. But, Seth was right. The pair had gotten together to pray once a week since Shawn had accepted Christ, and one prayer that hurt Shawn’s heart above all others was concern for his mother and brother’s souls. Neither understood the changes in Shawn’s life.
“Okay. I guess they won’t mind.”
“They’ll be delighted to show off their expertise,” Seth said. “So, how’s the knee?”
“Fine. The occasional twinge, but it’s only been two weeks.”
“Good. Ben has told me three times how glad he is you keep coming back after he let you get hurt on your first retreat.”
“Let me?” Shawn laughed. “It never occurred to me to blame him for it.”
“Good. I thought it was a little odd, too, but he thinks of all of us as his children, I guess. He’s very protective. So, are you ready for finals?”
“No. Well, maybe. I haven’t been moving around as much because of my knee, and when I get stir crazy I don’t think very well. I was planning to go to the gym today and work out a little and then do a marathon study session. Might help me stop worrying, too. I know God doesn’t want me to worry, but I’m not sure how to stop.”
Seth nodded. “It’s not easy. I have areas where I worry, too. It doesn’t really help that Ben canceled group these past two weeks to give us all study time. We need to hang out together a little bit.”
Shawn nodded. He’d missed everyone. Not everyone in the college group went to the church that sponsored it, so he hadn’t seen a lot of people recently. Also, pain had driven him home two Sundays ago before Sunday school, so he’d only seen Jenny, Julie, and Alex once since the retreat. “I agree. I haven’t seen Jenny in a while. Or anyone else.”
Seth grinned. “Or anyone else, huh? You’ve really got it bad for her, don’t you?”
Shawn shrugged. “I’ve been housebound a lot since the retreat. What else is there to do but worry about my summer job and think about pretty girls?”
“Well, I’m telling you not to worry about your job, because God is working it out for you. Which I guess means you’ll have more time to think about the pretty girls, but I’d recommend you find better things to do. Maybe study for finals?”
Shawn laughed. “I’ll try.”
“Good,” Seth said. “Now eat. You’re making me feel like a pig here.”
Shawn laughed at his skinny companion and took a bite of his pizza. Leave it to Seth to make a disastrous morning feel like a learning experience.
“Let’s go meet Jenny’s parents,” Seth said when the service was finished. The church was large, with at least five hundred people in attendance. Although Seth lived in a small apartment near campus, his family lived here in town, and he and Shawn sat with them for the worship time. Shawn always saw some familiar faces from group, but the number of faces he didn’t know overwhelmed him.
“Where are they?” Shawn asked.
“Front and center. Always. Her dad’s an elder.”
“Maybe another time,” Shawn said, looking forward and watching the large blond man beside Jenny laughing and shaking hands with other important-looking people. A tiny dark woman stood with them, clearly Jenny’s mom.
“Don’t be shy,” Seth said with a grin, gripping Shawn’s arm and pulling him forward. He boldly entered the group and shook Mr. Clearwater’s hand.
“Mr. Clearwater, I’d like to introduce Shawn Carpenter. He’s new to our college group.”
“Welcome, Shawn,” the man answered in a deep baritone. He was larger in person, well over six feet tall and put together like a stately pro football player. He spoke formally, a man used to commanding great respect. “You’re the young man who gets excited about volleyball?”
“Daddy,” Jenny scolded, moving ahead of her father and shaking Shawn’s hand. “It’s good to see you today, Shawn. Seems like it’s been a long time.”
“Thanks. I feel the same way.”
“Do you attend South?” Mr. Clearwater asked.
“Yes, sir. Computer Science. One year to go.”
“Computer Science.” His eyebrows went up, and he smiled. “Can you build files or databases or whatever it is that organizes my business files on my home machine?”
Shawn grinned. “Yes, sir.”
“He met Seth by fixing a computer in the school lab after Seth wrecked it,” Jenny said.
“Hey,” Seth said. “I think I’m going to start telling people we just sat together in a math class.”
“It’s okay,” Mrs. Clearwater said with an affectionate grin, putting her arm around Seth’s shoulders. “Mr. Clearwater and I still think of a mouse as a furry rodent you set traps for. We’re not computer geniuses, either.”
“Shawn, would you look at my system for me? I need to figure out how to bring some of my databases home and tie in some of Jenny’s work, too.”
“And I can make you dinner. You and Seth both,” Mrs. Clearwater said.
“You’ll bake cookies?” Seth asked.
“I will.”
“Deal,” Seth said. At Shawn’s look he shrugged. “Once you taste her cookies, you’ll understand.”
“This is finals week,” Shawn said. “I’d be happy to help you next week.”
“Very good,” Mr. Clearwater said. “Yes, Jenny’s been hiding in her room studying these past days as well. I must say I don’t miss college.”
The group broke up in a minute, and Shawn scowled at S
eth as they went to his car.
“How do I let you get me involved in these things?”
“It’s my charm,” Seth said, smiling. “I’ve seen the way you look at Miss Clearwater, my friend. If you plan to have any type of relationship with her, you have to go through her father. This is a great way to impress him with your skills. It’s harmless. They’re very friendly.”
“I’m sure they are,” Shawn said, shaking his head.
“Don’t worry. Hey, would you like to stay for lunch? Vinnie left yesterday for the summer—Hancock U. had finals last week. It takes a while to get used to the quiet. You know, you could come stay all summer if you want.”
“Mom needs me at home. Tony, too. It’s tempting, but I can’t go yet.”
“Shawn, you’re twenty-two years old. What happens when you do have to move on?”
The question seemed out of place, and Shawn looked at Seth a moment, realizing he seriously wanted to know more about this.
“I don’t know. Dad died suddenly, six years ago. We’ve been struggling together a long time to make sure Tony has everything, a good life. I have to stay as long as I can.”
“I’m sorry,” Seth said quietly. “ You just said he was gone. I never realized—“
“It’s okay,” Shawn said, smiling a bit. “Six years is time enough to get over it, more or less. Anyway, as you like to tell me, God will work things out when the time comes. It just hasn’t come yet.”
“Yes, I suppose I would say that. I was just hoping for company this summer.”
“Well, I’m sure I’ll be around. For that matter, you have a standing invitation to come my way, too. It’s not far from the phone company.”
“True,” Seth said, smiling again. He worked in customer service, dealing with Spanish-speaking customers, and he enjoyed his job. “Wait until you taste Mrs. Clearwater’s cooking. And her cookies are…there are no words.”
Shawn rolled his eyes, wondering what he’d done before Seth. And yet, now he was trapped, with no choice but to perform for Mr. Clearwater. And it felt like a performance, too. He’d not been able to get the courtship article out of his head, and he knew the first step to spending time with Jenny lay with her dad. It scared him to think so much was riding on his ability to help the man with his computer. At the same time, though, he knew he wasn’t really going to court and marry Jenny Clearwater, so he just needed to relax, enjoy her family, and partake of her mom’s cooking. And, apparently, her cookies. This was a visit, something regular people did all the time. Shawn paused, thinking it rather amusing that he didn’t really consider himself a regular person.