“You know, gluttony is one of the seven deadlies,” I said after a few minutes. “And you’re okay with my fat behind showing up at church.”
“That ‘seven deadly’ thing is not actually from the Bible,” Les said. “That’s from some monk back about 1500 years ago. And it’s not a matter of me being okay with it. We’re not talking about my approval here, remember? We’re talking about Kingdom living. Would you say you’re experiencing Kingdom living in that area of your life?”
I thought about my yoga pants search the other day, and having to plaster on a smile while inside I seethed with jealousy over Trisha’s weight loss. “Not even a little bit.”
He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. “You’re just not there yet, sweetie. You will be.” He leaned on the fence. “And I never, ever said I wasn’t okay with anyone showing up at church. You know that.”
“I know.” I looked at him for a long moment, then sighed. “Oh my gosh, Les. Are we going to have to agree to disagree on this one?”
“I certainly hope so.” He got a grin on his face as if this was exactly the outcome he was looking for.
“You hope so? Why?”
He was silent for a long time. Finally, he stretched with a groan. “Because. Because you can’t keep thinking of me as your one pathway to God. I’m not. You can’t keep thinking of me as perfect.”
“I don’t think of you as perfect,” I said. “In fact, you’re unbelievably obnoxious sometimes.”
“Well, that’s good,” he said, and he actually looked fairly pleased with himself.
“But you’re as close to perfect as anyone ever has been, at least that I’ve known. You’re patient and kind, you’re completely selfless, you have no personal agenda and truly, truly want the very best for everyone. You spend more time in prayer than anyone I know, and I would bet my life that your only ambition in life is to love people and be obedient to God.”
He tilted his head philosophically and shrugged. “That about sums it up. Not very exciting, but...”
The thought of Tony popped into my mind then. “Actually,” I said, “Obedience is kind of hot.”
At the look on his face, I laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not coming on to you. I’m just...thinking.”
We grew silent and watched as the prairie dogs sat on their fat rumps and lifted their front paws into the air. I almost had to look away. It was like watching someone in the private throes of holy, solemn worship.
But I didn’t look away, and neither did Les. We stood together, feeling the holiness of the moment. It was as if a clear filament stretched now between us, in place of what had been bars – first his iron grip on me as he brought me through my first months of sobriety and Christianity, then my stranglehold on him as I clung to him for support, guidance and encouragement.
It was a little scary, but I looked at him and I was pretty sure it would be okay. It still made tears come to my eyes.
“It’s okay, Salem,” he said softly. “We can disagree on things, you know. It’s not the end of the world.”
“I know. I just want...” I wasn’t sure, though, what I wanted. Until I looked out at the prairie dogs. Every single one, frozen in their holy ritual. “I want that,” I said. “Do you think we’ll ever have that? In this world, I mean? Not in heaven, but here, now?” I thought about Marky and CJ, Desiree, Matt Macon, Sheila Newcomb and that poor Dwayne Door who clearly had some pretty serious issues. Of Dale and the sisters who weren’t speaking to him. Of those same situations, heartbreaks and hurts, played out over and over, bigger and smaller, ceaselessly writhing around the planet. It seemed hopeless.
“Sure we will,” Les said, putting his arm around my shoulders and hugging me to him. “At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
“Until that day?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Until that day, we love each other and do the best we can.”
I couldn’t decide if that was enough, though. I wanted what the prairie dogs had, and felt myself, unreasonably, feeling a little mournful at the realization that it wouldn’t happen. Not now. Not until it was all over.
The sun dipped lower and glowed pink, and I could just barely make out their silhouettes. Slowly, one by one and then in groups of two, three, or five, they dropped to the ground and waddled off to their burrows.
I sighed deeply.
“Tired?” Les asked.
“Exhausted. I need a nap.”
He hugged me again and we headed to our cars. Halfway there, I remembered something he’d said. “Wait a minute. Under the earth? In heaven and earth and under the earth?” I looked back at the now empty prairie dog town, with its silent row after row of mounds.
“See?” Les said with a grin as he opened his car door. “You’ve already seen part of that prophecy coming true. Now go home, Salem.”
I thought for a moment, one hand on the door handle, then shook my head. “No, I think I’m going to go over to my obedient husband’s house and see if he’s interested in kissing me for real.”
But Wait, There’s More!
Thank you so much for reading Unsightly Bulges – Trailer Park Princess Book 2.
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Unsightly Bulges Page 29