Twist of Faith

by Kelly A. Purcell

23

  Revelation

  When James emerged, he had a stern looking police man at his side. Reuben got up and went to him, the same desperate expression on his face. His parents looked on, equally worried. James forced a smile, to reassure them.

  “What happened?” Reuben asked.

  They’d put James in a holding cell since the incident, as it turns out, him being around gang related activities weren’t being taken lightly by the police. It had taken them almost two days to clear up the matter.

  James shrugged as he pocketed his cell phone and wallet, “it’s alright, I told them what happened, about the guys involved and all that, so they’re looking into it before they launch an official investigation.”

  Reuben smiled, “well that’s great then.”

  His mother came up from behind him and embraced James, “oh am just so happy you boys are alright, you could have been killed.”

  “That’s right,” Mr. Clark interrupted; his jaw set tightly, “I don’t know what kind of crazy stunt you were trying to pull, dragging our son into this. You may know how to handle this, but he doesn’t!”

  James pursed his lips, “I know sir, and I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to get this crazy, Reuben wasn’t supposed to get involved,” he looked over at Reuben.

  Reuben frowned, “nonsense, it was my decision. I’m grown enough,” he turned to his father.

  “Dad you were the one who pointed out the dangers of standing up for what is right, yet you trained me to stand up for what is right, regardless of the risk. I’m tired of being too afraid to.”

  Mr. Clark frowned thoughtfully, “hmm,” he said finally, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t protect you, let’s go home,” he looked at James, “and you need to leave this alone James, you hear me? Some battles aren’t for us to fight.”

  James shook his head, holding Mr. Clark’s stormy gaze, “I’m sorry sir, but I don’t think this one is one of them.”

  As they exited the police station, Reuben fell into step with James behind his parents, “sorry about my parents,” he said.

  “That’s alright, you should be happy to have them,” he said his expression unreadable.

  Reuben shrugged, “and you were so scared of the police, look how well things turned out,” he said, “I mean, other than the lock up and all.”

  James shook his head, “I don’t know about that. Now they know that am here and the fact that I was found near gang activity is going to make them keep closer tabs on me and the chances are more gangs are going to know am here too, and that I’ve been stirring up trouble,” he sighed, “you should listen to your parents, stay away from me.”

  Reuben frowned, “what are you saying? Who are you James? I think it’s time you tell me what I’ve gotten myself mixed up in.”

  James stopped, and planted his hands on his hips, “Reuben.... I’m an ex-con, I’ve been wanted in so many islands for drugs, assault, possession, I was all in, ” he paused and looked at Reuben, who was staring at him in disbelief.

  “You still want to have anything to do with me?”

  Reuben looked at him and took a step toward him, “but you’ve changed. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away, all things have become new.”

  James nodded, “that’s right, not only have I served my time but I’m not the same person I was. Got saved while in prison, myself and this other guy named Chris, we got out together and.... you sure you want to hear this?

  Reuben nodded, “it’s about time don’t you think. Be right back.”

  James watched as Reuben went to his parents and he somehow convinced them to go ahead, and he came back.

  “Let’s go to my car,” he said.

 

  James leaned back against the car seat and took a deep breath, “I met this young man in prison, we had nothing in common except for the fact that we were in the same line of work and we were forced to share a jail cell, but he inspired me. We sat down together week after week as a minister came in and spoke to us on forgiveness and change and God loving us despite everything, his sacrifice, showing us how far man has come because of God and how much we hurt him with our choices. He taught us about salvation and how Jesus was willing to take us back no matter how dreadful our sin.

  My… friend, Chris, he got saved before I did, and he helped me to understand and then I made the decision too. We just hadn’t experienced any kind of love before. Because of Jesus Christ when we came out we were new men. Chris and I decided to stick together, it wasn’t easy to just quit the life, there would always be jobs pending, opportunities waiting, dangerous men approaching you in the street, knocking on your door, hunting you down. We slipped once, got an offer so good, we couldn’t imagine turning it down, it would have provided us with the finance we needed to get out once and for all and get back here. Chris especially, he had family here, I didn’t, never had family. Chris was the closest to family I ever had.”

  He paused and the sadness in his eyes sobered Reuben, as he realized what James had been through and how much it took out of him to share it.

  “Any way we went to the job, but somewhere along the way our conscience got to us and we realised that doing the wrong thing for the right reason wasn’t good enough. But we

  were too far in to just turn back, so we sabotaged the job. We called the police, let out the time, the place, the crew involved, we figured we were gonna do a good. It would take a bunch of crew members off the street and give them the opportunity we got, to find salvation. And it would prevent the innocent deaths that would’ve inevitably occurred. But things got out of control, the police came down on us hard, and we couldn’t get out in time, we got caught in the cross fire, us and two innocent bystanders. Chris tried to save them, brought them out of the danger zone safely, but he didn’t, he got shot.”

  The tremor in his voice unnerved Reuben, “I stayed with him, right there on the sidewalk hidden behind a car until he died then I got out of there. He gave me this…” he took out his wallet and removed a folded envelope, “this is for Sherry, his mom, and I have another one for his brother, Michael.”

  Reuben looked up at him with wide eyes, “Chris? That’s... that’s Alex’s long lost brother.”

  James nodded, “That’s right. Chris died that day in my arms but I promised him I was going to go back and I promised him I was going to take care of his family, and that I was going to ensure they heard the good news that had changed our lives.”

  He swallowed hard and shook his head, his chest tight with emotion, “all I had to go on when I came here was this,” he took out an old picture of a young girl of about six, Reuben took it and looked at it closely.

  “The face has changed a lot,” Reuben said, “but I would know those eyes anywhere,” he looked over at James, “so that’s why you were so interested in Alex.”

  James nodded, “She was the only link I had to the family, and once I met her I just couldn’t leave it at that. Just drop two letters and tell them the tragic news that their brother was dead, I had to do more and that is why I came to you.”

  Reuben sighed, “Wow Jay, this is big, this is real big. You don’t expect me to want to back out now.”

  James frowned, “Aren’t you afraid of me, I’m not sure how many of these guys know I’m back here, that Giant guy knows for sure. That’s why I don’t trust Michael with them, he’s not safe; they’re gonna make him pay for his brother’s betrayal.”

  Reuben extended his hand, and James took it after a while, “I’m with you on this, one hundred percent.”

  James smiled, “I still have to protect you, for your parents’ sake and Alex, she’d never forgive me if she knew I got you hurt.”

  Reuben grinned, “You really think she likes me that much?”

  James chuckled, “boy that girl is crazy over you.”

  The incessant knocking on the front door awoke Michael from his late afternoon nap, and as he jumped to his
feet with a chorus of obscenities, bits and pieces of his research fell to the floor.

  “So what they waking up man so for,” he grumbled as he made his way to the door, “ah coming, wait nuh!” he called after another sharp knock.

  He yanked open the door and found himself looking at the object of his paranoia over the past couple days.

  “What do you want?” he asked gruffly.

  James spread his arms and shrugged, “I want to talk to you Mike, that’s all.”

  “Yeah whatever,” Michael grumbled and started to close the door.

  James put out his hand to stop him, “Mike just hear me out, I know you’re mad at me for pulling you out the other day. But you for yourself have to admit that I kept you out of that trouble, with the deal going bad and everything. You could have been hurt.”

  “But I wasn’t, and no one else in my crew either,” Michael replied.

  “Your crew? Mike you don’t have a claim these guys, these guys don’t care about you.”

  Michael scowled at him, “man hell. Get off my property. You don’t know me and I don’t know you...”

  “I knew you well enough to know you didn’t want to be a part of that, you were glad that I pulled you out.”

  Michael looked over James shoulder and noticed Reuben’s bright red car parked on the other side of the road, these guys didn’t believe in being subtle did they.

  “Yeah whatever man, I don’t need to listen to this,” this time he shut the door in James face.

  “I have a message from Chris!” James blurted.

  Michael opened the door and looked at him with a frown, “Chris?”

  “Yes,” James looked at him with pleading eyes, “We served time together,” he said.

  Michael was suddenly pale; his lips drawn into a thin line, “why didn’t he bring it himself?” he asked “Is he still locked up?”

  James took a deep breath, “can I come inside?” James asked, “it’ll be weird saying everything here.”

  Michael hesitated, he cast a wary eye over at Reuben’s car then he opened the door wider, “come in,” he mumbled.

  “Nicole!” Mike called as he followed James into the living room.

  “What!” came the annoyed response from the bedroom.

  “Come out here!”

  He gestured to the couch and James sat down, tapping his fingers on his knees nervously. Michael sat adjacent to him on the single sitter, his arms folded over his chest, his jaw set tight, in an attempt to hide his anxiety.

  Nicole came out and after the introductions were made she sat down on the arm of Michael’s chair, looking equally nervous.

  James reached into his side bag and took out two envelopes, “Chris gave me this to give to you,” he said, he took one out and gave it to Michael, “this one’s for your mom, I have to give her myself.”

  Michael looked down at the letter in his hand, and fought the sudden urge to cry, he knew what this meant the moment James mentioned Chris; there was just a part of him that just kept hoping he was wrong. That somehow, Chris had been delayed but he would be here by this time next year.

  “Look this is the hardest thing I think I’ve ever had to do. Chris was my best friend, more like my brother and I know that this would be harder on you than it was on me. I’m gonna start where he would’ve wanted me to start, although I’m sure he would’ve found a way to tell you in there,” he motioned to the envelope in Michael’s hand.

  “Chris and I got saved together in prison. We walked in there, cold hearted killers, with no hope for the future, nothing to look forward to but violence, death and prison sentences. But we walked out changed men, having realized our worth as sons of God, we had a future now, even though, our life here had been wasted for over twenty something years we had a future in eternity with God...”

  He went on to tell them the story of their last job, the job they’d sabotaged where Chris had lost his life. They listened intently, Nicole with tears welling up in her eyes and Mike’s jaw tightening by the minute.

  “He died in my arms and his last words to me were...” James bowed his head, going back to that tragic day.

  He had held Chris shaking body in his arms, tears streaming down his cheeks, as he clung to his cold hand.

  “We knew it was going to end like this,” Chris sputtered, a wry smile on his face.

  “No we didn’t, you going home man, home with God... and I’ll be right behind you,” James had said, trying to give his best reassuring smile through his tears, “We didn’t know that part nuh man?”

  Chris had smiled, even in his last moments his good natured humour still won out.

  “Do me a favour Jay, my family back home,” he took a folded package from his denim jacket and handed it to him, now soiled with his blood, he was getting weaker then, his speech becoming slurred and his movements slow.

  “My ma, sisters and my brother, the pastor said we’re God’s children now and that mean changing and touching lives, just like how we own was changed...” he paused and took a deep wheezy breath, “I wanna see em again man,” he pointed weakly to the package, “it have a picture in here, that’s Alex, she the baby… find her and you find the rest, take care of her for me and...” he turned and groaned.

  “I wanna.... see... my family.... again…” and with a gasp he was gone, gone cold and limp in his friend’s arms.

  He looked up at Nicole and Mike now, Nicole was collapsed on her brother, sobbing uncontrollably and Mike just stared into space, his eyes blood shot, his lips quivering.

  “He’s dead?” he said huskily, “Chris...” he leaned forward and gripped his hair in anguish, and to think that all this time he’d thought Chris had abandoned them when he never had the chance to come back.

  James leaned forward and placed a hand on Mike’s arm, “but there’s hope Mike, Chris last wish was that he see you guys again. He wants you guys to find what we found, something so spectacular it had changed our lives forever, he wants you to have that gift too.”

  Michael looked up at him, “What are you talking about?”

  James smiled, “Salvation Mike, giving your life over to God, no reservations, giving him all control, laying down all our selfish desires so that his purpose for us can be fulfilled in our lives. Don’t you get it? God loves you.”

  Mike shot to his feet taking them both off guard and he glared down at James, “No I don’t get it!” he cried, “I don’t understand nothing you just said. My brother’s dead, nothing ain’t gonna bring him back, and I don’t need your Holy Bible talk, that’s a bunch of crap and you know it, God should’ve saved Chris from death. Talking ‘bout salvation, where was Chris salvation?”

  “Mike, there’s more to life than what we see in front of us, there’s more to life than death, that’s what Chris wanted you to understand. Trust us we know, the gang life, the drug deals, the scars it’s worth nothing. Chris wants you to stop living to die, to not do as he did, as we did. Look at me, when I’m finished here I have nothing, no one to go to, no family, no friends, all the friends I had before want me dead now, just like Chris friends want to destroy his twin brother.”

  Mike was shaking his head, “I don’t need to hear this,” he muttered.

  “You think Giant cares about you, he was there, he lost millions because of me and your brother. You think he cares about you, he’s just looking for an opportunity to make Chris pay, and what better way than to destroy his twin brother. He knows how much Chris loved you, now come on man, think.”

  “That’s a waste of time and you know it, am out a here, I got somewhere to be,” and he headed out the door.

  James hurried out after him. There was a tinted black car parked outside waiting for Mike, he marched out ahead of him, Michael hurried out behind him, “James stay out of this!” he yelled. But James was already banging on the glass of the car.

  “Let me see yuh face,” he commanded.

  Slowly t
he window slid down and a stone faced man looked up at James, a smug look on his scarred face.

  “You don’t have no business here” he said and he reached through the open window and grabbed the driver’s collar, his chest heaving with rage.

  Michael winced at the clicking sound of safeties unlocking and took a panicked step toward him, but James didn’t even flinch at the numerous barrels being pointed at him.

  “Yuh could block a bullet bad man?” one of them teased.

  Reluctantly James let go of the man and turned to Michael, “Yuh know what, you’re right. You old enough to make your own choice,” he said with scorn, “just remember the end result.”

  Michael glared at him, “Whatever man, get a life.”

  The men in the car started laughing, “Let’s go man, before you mommy get another fit.”

  James watched as the car drove away, his chest tight with anger, how could Michael be so stupid. He was so tense he almost didn’t feel the tentative hand touching his shoulder. He turned around to a teary eyed Nicole.

  “I’ve had enough of this, please help me,” she looked away as a fresh onslaught of tears flowed.

  James smiled and embraced her, “I know, I know you’ve had enough.”

  She buried her face in the front of his shirt and cried, “I just don’t know how to fix it, I don’t know anything,” she cried.

  James nodded, “don’t worry Nicole, it’s a start.”

  Just then his phone rang and even though he wanted to ignore it and focus his attention on the girl clinging to him, he still excused himself and answered it. It was Reuben; he looked over at him in the car, ready to give him the eye, but he stopped short when he heard what Reuben had to say. He hung up and turned to Nicole.

  “Nicole?”

  She looked up at him quizzically, “What?”

  He took a deep breath, “Alex is missing.”