“I thought this would take us straight up to Tulsa,” she announced as we meandered down a country road. “Guess I was wrong.”
Laura didn't even look up from her schoolwork, but Elise winked at me.
“Maybe you should call Willy and ask him for some directions,” I said from my spot at the table.
“Yeah, guess I do that. Don't recall ever being lost before.”
I could hear her talking on the phone but sounding more confused than ever, finally she said, “I think I just stop in the next town and ask for directions.”
“Mitchell,” I said as we drove within the city limits.
“Huh?” Laura looked up.
“The town,” I told her. “It's called Mitchell.”
She just nodded as if she could care less.
“Population 154,” I said as Rosy slowed down.
“I'm gonna stop at this cafe and ask for directions,” she called back to us. “You guys want anything?”
Elise took Davie by the hand. “Yeah, I think I'll get Davie something.”
“I want a soda,” I said. “You coming, Laura?”
She just shook her head.
Now we had expected this might happen. So we got out and went in without her. We figured we could make sure everything was all ready.
Willy and Allie had the little cafe completely decorated with balloons and crepe paper and flowers. The cake and the gifts were on a table, and the owner of the restaurant looked pleased to have our business. Allie later told me that they had to pay him extra.
Then I went back to the bus to get Laura. I already knew what I would say. Laura has this funky old collection of salt and pepper shakers that her great-grandma left to her. She has them on shelves in her bedroom. And we all know that she has a weakness for buying a new set when she discovers something unique.
“You gotta come in here and see their salt and pepper shakers,” I told her. “They must have a hundred of them.”
“Really?” Her dark eyes lit up and she set aside her laptop.
Now I felt a little bad, except that I knew my gift contained several sets I know she's been wanting for her collection.
“Yeah, come on.”
Well, to say she was surprised would be a complete understatement. She was so shocked that she began to shake and cry. A little un-Laura-like but sweet. Then we all hugged her, and it took her three attempts to blow out all seventeen candles.
It was a fun little break in our otherwise mundane day. Several locals were looking on with curiosity, and when they discovered (from the owner) that we were a real band, they came over and asked for our autographs. I'm sure they'd never heard of us before, but we signed for them just the same. And Willy even gave the cafe owner a CD.
All in all, it was a good party, and I think Laura really appreciated it. It felt good to make her feel special, ibr some reason this tour has seemed harder on her than any of us expected. So Allie and I made a pact to go out of our way to make Laura happier.
OUR TIKES
happy days and holidays
all days belong to You
the Alpha and Omega
the One who sees us through
time can be so fleeting
it's hard to understand
hours, seconds, minutes
all resting in Your hand
present, past, and future
we can't control the flow
of months and years and decades
but here's one thing we know
God can measure out our lives
to live in certainty
when we put all tiust in Him
we've all eternity
cm
Twelve
Thursday, October 28
(OK IN OKLAHOMA)
It's hard to believe that we've been opening for Iron Cross for more than a month now. Kan, how the time flies. I just looked at our concert schedule and discovered that we only have ten concerts left on this leg of our tour. Then we go home for Christmas break. Elise has really been riding us hard on our schoolwork. I think this has more to do with Allie than Laura and me, but I suppose we've all gotten a little lazy, or “unmotivated,” as Elise so kindly puts it.
“You girls have to keep your grades up,” she said this morning as we were heading toward Oklahoma City. “0r else they might replace me as your chaperone.”
“Oh, Mom. They won't do that.”
“Oh, yes, they will.” Elisq helped Davie open up the tin that holds his crayons. “You girls know I don't have any teaching credentials. Good grief, I only completed two years of college before I quit to get married.” She shook her head. “Now, if that wasn't one of the stupidest moves of my life.”
“You colila go back to college,” said Allie. “We could probably afford it now.”
Elise laughed. “Hey, maybe you and I could go to college together.”
Allie shook her head, “ifo way. I don't even want to go to college.”
“Allie!”. Laura scowled at her from across the table where she was writing a paper for her economics class. “You've got to go to college.”
“Why?.”
“To further your education, stupid.”
Allie stuck her chin out. “Who you calling stupid?”
Laura looked down. “Sorry, that wasn't too cool. But get real, Allie. We all have to go to college. Right, Elise?”
“That'd be my vote. I've always been sorry that I quit.”
“But what about our music?” I asked. “How do we keep Redemption alive and go to college at the same time?”
Laura shrugged. “Who knows what will happen by then, Ghloe. All I know is that I made a promise to my parents that I would go to college, and I intend to keep it.”
Allie winked at me. “I guess we'll have to start looking around for another bass player.”
“Whad'ya mean?” Laura looked up with a hurt expression.
“Well, if you're going to bail on us—”
“I never said—”
“All right, all right,” Elise interrupted. “Whether or when you girls go to college does not have to be determined today. The fact is, none of you will get accepted into college if you don't do your schoolwork. So I am now imposing silence on the bus until we get to Oklahoma City. Understand?”
“Amen!” called Rosy from her drivers seat. “You girls” fighting is wearing thin on my nerves.”
So we quietly did our schoolwork, and the next thing I knew we were driving through Oklahoma City and parking in front of our hotel. As we were unloading I felt a tap on ray shoulder. A guy not much older than me, I'd guess, stood beside me, smiling in a hopeful way. I could tell right away that this guy lived on the streets. His hands were grimy and his clothes were tattered and shabby.
“Hey, can you spare me a buck or two? I haven't eaten in days.”
I fished in my pocket for a wadded-up five dollar bill and held it out to him. “Here you go,” I said, relieved that I could finally help out a homeless person.
His eyes grew wide and his smile broadened to reveal a set of uneven and yellowed teeth. “Wow, thanks. Thanks a lot!”
I felt really good as he walked away. It would be so cool if someone did something like this for my brother Caleb.
“Hey, Chloe,” Willy said as he loaded an amp onto the luggage cart.
“Yeah?” I went over to give him a hand.
“Did you just give that guy some money?”
“He looked as if he really needed it.”
“Uh-huh.” Willy nodded as he set another bag onto the nearly full cart. Then he stood up and looked at me. “What do you think he's going to do with that money?”
“Hopefully get himself something to eat.”
Willy frowned. “Chances are that's not what it'll go for.”
“Whad'ya mean?”
“I know you gave him the money out of the kindness of your heart, Chloe, but most of the time when people are sp'anging—”
“What's that?” I ran the strange w
ord that rhymes with “changing” through my head.
“'Sp ‘ange’ is slang for 'panhandling,” short for 'spare change.' You know, got any spare change?”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, most of the folks that are sp'anging on the streets are doing drugs, Chloe. And when you give them money, it's as good as buying them dope.”
“But he said he was hungry.”
“Yeah, he probably was. But most of these guys would rather buy dope than food.”
I frowned. “Do you really think he's going to buy drugs with that money?”
Willy shrugged. “It's a fair guess. Of course, he'll have to sp'ange “around until he gets enough to buy a hit of whatever his substance of abuse is. But I'll bet that's where your money goes.” He set another bag on the cart. “I remember how much money I wasted on my LSD habit, back in the old days.”
“That's right,” I said as I remembered how Willy used to be an acid freak before he became a Jesus freak (his own words).
“I used to wish for that money back, but now I'm just thankful I escaped that crud altogether. What a hopeless life. And believe me, I feel sorry for the guys on the street. Just the same, I wouldn't be handing out money to them, Chloe.
I sighed. “Well, now I feel totally stupid. I only wanted to. help him get something to eat.”
“I know, Chloe. Don't beat yourself up over it. And like all things, you can always pray and ask God to help you know what to do in situations like this. I just thought you should understand how it really is out here on the streets.”
We had everything unloaded by then, and we helped wheel the carts into the hotel. I wanted to tell Willy about Caleb and how worried I get for him, but it didn't really seem like good timing. Still, I think I will sometime. I know he'll understand. I had tried to bring up the subject with Josh before they flew out last Sunday, but it seemed as though he didn't really want to talk about it.
“I don't know what to tell you, Chloe,” he said. “Caleb is living his own life on his own terms. Until he surrenders himself to God, I don't see how anything is going to change. Still, we need to keep praying.”
“I know. And I do pray. I just wish we could do something more.”
Josh just shrugged. “I don't know what it would be. Honestly, I don't even know where Caleb is these days.”
But after “helping” that guy on the street, I'm questioning myself. What I thought was helping might not be helpful at all. I may have just enabled someone to continue in their dead-end lifestyle. Still, I'm' praying for the guy with the bad teeth, asking God to redeem my mistake. I just wish life didn't have to be so confusing.
HOW DOES IT GO? you think
you're doing good
until you find it's bad you feel all warm and happy
and then you get all sad
you wanna help your neighbor
and give him something good
instead you give him drugs
when what he needs is food
tell me how You do it, God
how does this whole thing go?
how're you s'posed to lend a hand?
how are you s'posed to know?
God, there must be ways to help
ways so that we can share
God, there must be things to do
things to show we care
cm
Tuesday, November 2
(REACHING OUT IN LITTLE ROCK)
You've got questions; God's got answers. And when I asked Him to help me come up with a way to help homeless people, He gave me an idea. Okay, it's just a very small idea, a tiny gesture, but I think it's pretty cool.
After my talk with Willy about the perils of giving money to sp'angers, I decided to head over to McDonald's for lunch. Naturally, Allie (queen of the junk food junkies) wanted to come along. Laura said she wasn't hungry. Anyway, after I ordered a Big Mac and a soda, I also bought fifty bucks” worth of gift certificates.
“What's up with that?” asked Allie. “You doing your Christmas shopping early?”
I smiled. “Sort of.”
“Ito, seriously,” she said as she fingered the stack of packets. “What are you gonna do with all those?”
“Well, a guy sp'anged me—”
Allied eyes grew wide with alarm. “What? Did you get hurt?”
I laughed. “‘Sp'ange’ is slang for 'spare change.
“Huh?”
“A homeless guy asked me for some money at the hotel, and I gave him a f ive—”
“That's cool.” Allie dipped a fry in ketchup. “Isn't it great that we have enough money to help people out?” She slowly shook her head. “Kan, I can remember hard times when I was so broke that I was ready to go sp'anging myself.” She smiled with satisfaction. I'm not sure if it was over using her new word or the idea that she didn't have to beg for money anymore.
“Yeah, well, Willy said that by giving that guy money, I was in essence buying him dope.”
“No way.” Allie frowned. “You wouldn't do that, Chloe.”
“Not intentionally. But Willy made a good point.”
She eyed my stack of certificates. “Aha. I think I gotcha. Are you going to give those away?”
I smiled. “Yep.”
“Hey, I wanna get some too. This could be fun.”
So after we finished eating, Allie went up and got several booklets of her own.
Then sure enough, we were barely on the street when a girl with a sad expression approached us. I suspected by the look in her eye that she wanted to ask for money. Her hair looked ratty beneath her black stocking cap, and her nylon parka was crusty with dirt.
“Can you spare some change for a cup of coffee?” she asked in a timid voice.
“We can do better than that,” offered Allie. Then she turned and looked at me, worried I'm sure that she was stealing the show.
I nodded. “Go ahead.”
Allie pulled out a pack of certificates, tore out several dollars” worth, and handed them to the girl. “Here.”
The girl looked kind of surprised. It was hard to tell if she was happy or disappointed.
“Look,” said Allie. “You probably need a meal. Go over to McDonald^ and get yourself something to eat, okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
“And God bless you.” I said.
“Yeah,” said Allie with a smile. “God bless you. And remember Jesus is the way. Gall on Him and He'll answer.”
The girl studied us as she slowly backed away. I'm not sure if she thought we were nuts or religious fanatics or what, but hopefully God used us.
We were about a block from the hotel when Allie spotted a guy coming our direction. “Hey, Chloe,” she said in undertones, “that guy looks like he might be homeless too. Ya think he's going to sp'ange us?”
I had to smile. “Maybe.”
“Well, you go ahead and do it this time.”
I laughed. “Yeah, sure, whatever.”
And sure enough, by the time he reached us, he had his hand out. “Can you help me out?” His eyes looked flat and slightly glazed, his cheeks hollowed from hunger. “Got any spare change?”
So I whipped out my McDonald's coupons, and instead of tearing out some pages I handed him a whole booklet. “Here you go,” I told him as I peered into his eyes. “And God bless you.”
Again, we got the curious look. I'm still not sure if he was disappointed or just surprised, but he did say thank you.
“And don't forget,” called Allie as he was walking away. “Jesus is the only One who can set you free.”
“And when He sets you free, you'll be free indeed,” I called out after her.
“You're sure generous,” Allie told me as we headed into the hotel.
“Guess I better really stock up on these.”
So that's our plan. And when Laura found out, she decided to do the same. I told them that we should keep what we're doing quiet like the way Jesus says to do your good works in secret so your Heavenly father can reward you.
We don't need the whole world to know that Redemption and McDonald's are working in cahoots to feed the homeless. But at the same time, I'm thinking this is just the beginning. There must be other ways to help out too. And I'm going to ask God to show me. In the meantime, I'm handing out Mickey D-bucks to every sp'anger I meet. And it's pretty fun!
A SMALL THING
Mickey D-bucks and coffee cups
doesn't take so very much
to reach out, lend a hand
let them know we understand
Jesus fed the hungry crowd
broke the bread, prayed aloud
loaves and fishes, multiplied
hungry hearts were satisfied
cm
Thirteen
Sunday, November 7
(WALKING IN MEMPHIS)
It's a quiet day. We went to church in Memphis this morning, after performing last night, and then hit the road again. I must admit to feeling a little road weary. I think we're all tired and looking forward to Thanksgiving “break in a couple of weeks. We get to go home for four days of a blissful break.
One of the toughest things about this concert tour is constantly being with people. While we're on the bus there is no getting away from the others. At the hotels there are always people around. But the concerts are the worst. Sometimes I feel almost claustrophobic from being surrounded by people. Tve even imagined myself totally flipping out and screaming, “Leave me alone!” as the fans clamor around, asking for autographs. I know it's totally ungracious on my part, but it's how I feel.
I guess I never realized how much I enjoy being alone at times. But it's hard to get quiet times like that on the road. Oh sure, we all have our quiet times in the morning, but we do it within the confines of the bus. And of course, I can take a little walk when we stop for gas or a break, but I'ra always on a short leash. When I go home for Thanksgiving, I think I'll spend a whole day in the cemetery, just enjoying the silence up there. I'm sure that sounds weird to some people, but it sounds like a welcome relief to me.
I got an interesting e-mail from Cesar today. We still write each other, but not as much as before. He seems okay with the “just being friends” thing now. Very okay. At first I'd thought he was hurt, but it seems he's moved right along with his life. I'm impressed with how much he's growing spiritually. He's involved in a guys Bible study and working with a ministry that reaches out to middle school kids. He's even gotten his little sister Abril involved. But here's what really blew me away.
Road Trip Page 7