Seated next to Bucky, Lisa stirred. “Hey, I wish I were in on this,” she said suddenly.
He looked at her. “I don’t know why I didn’t include you from the start,” he confessed. “I’m so dumb sometimes. We should have all studied together.”
“Everything you guys said tonight sounded right to me,” she said with conviction. “Why couldn’t I just do like Sam here and go for it? Be baptized, too?”
“I . . .”
“I mean, if this means this much to you, that’s good enough for me.”
Underneath her words something troubled Bucky but he wasn’t quite sure what. Surprisingly, it was Sam who spoke up first. “Wait a minute,” he said gently. “You haven’t studied God’s Word at all yet.”
“I know, but . . .”
His face grew serious. “There’s more to Christianity than just choosing it because someone you like is into it. This whole business of joining a faith community is a lot more complicated than I ever realized when I started. There’s a lot you don’t know – and you need to know it before you jump in.”
“Sam’s right,” Bucky nodded reluctantly. “It was a nice idea, but you really need to understand all the tenets of the faith first.”
Lisa wasn’t going to give up that easily. “If I already know I’m going to accept it all, why can’t I do my studying afterward?” she demanded.
This time Bucky answered. “‘Cause God wants people to make an informed decision about him. That’s why Paul praised the people in Berea so much. They checked out everything he said to them. They didn’t just say, ‘Well, Paul’s a nice guy, let’s do it.’”
She slowly nodded. “You’re right,” she admitted at last. “I wish I weren’t moving away next week!”
“Well, I guess we can all agree on that,” Bucky sighed. Sam nodded. For a moment the three of them sat there without saying anything.
“When should we aim for a baptism, Sammy?” Bucky broke the silence.
The Vietnamese boy’s eyes brightened. “I guess the pastor ought to have a vote,” he laughed.
Bucky nodded. “I imagine he’ll want to just run over all this real quick with you once more. Just to make sure I didn’t feed you any heresy,” he chuckled. He punched the date button on his phone. “What do you think? Two or three weekends from now?”
“Hey, no way!” Lisa protested. “This one. I totally want to be there, you know.”
Bucky gulped. “I . . . I guess we could ask Pastor Jensen.”
“Why don’t you call him?” Sam sat up eagerly.
Giving them a what - have - you - gotten - me - into look, Bucky went over to the phone. He dialed the number and waited for several rings. A moment later he frowned and raised his eyebrows. “Answering machine,” he mouthed to the others. At last he said, “Pastor, this is Bucky Stone, here at home with Sam. I think I have a baptismal candidate for you! Could you please give me a call when you get in? Thanks.”
“Well, that’s that,” Sam commented. “Let me know what you find out.” Rising to his feet, he announced, “Guess I better roll.” He gave the couple a mischievous look. “You youngsters probably want to be alone.”
“Oh, stop that!” Lisa scolded. “I can cuddle up with Bucky here in front of you. See?” She leaned over and squeezed him.
“Yeah, stay awhile, dude,” Bucky offered.
“OK.” Sam sat back down, kicked off his shoes, and looked over at Lisa. “Sure sorry to hear about you moving away.”
She nodded. “Thanks. I’m gonna miss you guys.”
They talked comfortably for half an hour. It was nice, Bucky decided, to enjoy some fellowship with both friends at the same time. Somehow it drove the impending separation from his mind.
The ring of the phone interrupted the reverie. “I’ll get it,” Dad called from upstairs. A moment later: “Bucky? For you.”
“Must be Pastor Jensen,” Bucky said, scooting himself over to the phone. “Hello?”
“Yes, Brother Stone!” The pastor’s cheerful voice filled the line. “What’s this about a new member for the church? I don’t think we have any room for anyone else.”
Bucky laughed. “Right. Well, you’re just going to have to squeeze this one in somewhere, ‘cause he’s special.”
“Sam?”
“Uh huh.”
“Well, Bucky, that’s just unbelievably good news! Wow! You fellows finished your studies? Everything went OK? Sam is comfortable with it?”
“Seems to be.” Bucky looked at Sam. “The pastor wants to know if you’re really ready for all this.”
His friend nodded enthusiastically. “Ask him about this weekend,” he whispered.
Bucky took a deep breath. “I got a big favor to ask,” he said into the mouthpiece.
“Shoot.”
“We’ve got our fingers crossed for a baptism this weekend.”
After a short silence, the pastor said, “Well . . . there must be a reason you boys are in a hurry.”
“Yeah, kinda.” Quickly Bucky explained about Lisa moving away.
“Oh, dear, that’s a shame.” The pastor’s voice revealed genuine surprise and sympathy. “You two are pretty close, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” Bucky was grateful for the darkened living room. Somehow the shadows masked his emotions. Lowering his voice, he added, “She’s . . . pretty special to me.”
“I know she is, Buck.” The pastor’s tone was reassuring. “That’s tough news to hear.” He paused. “But God will work things out. You’ll see.”
“I know.” Bucky looked over at his girlfriend. “About this weekend?”
“Well, in that case, I don’t see why we can’t try for it.” In the background, Bucky could hear the pastor leafing through some kind of notebook. “We can always make room in our service for a baptism, right? I’ll just tell the band to trim back on one of the praise songs. And . . . can Sam drop by for a quick pastoral visit? Or should I come by his house?”
“Oh, I imagine he’ll want to come see you,” Bucky interjected quickly. He covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “You want to go see Pastor Jensen, Sam, rather than have him stop by your place?”
Sam nodded his head vehemently. “Right!”
“He’ll come see you,” Bucky explained to the pastor.
“Why don’t you let me talk to him?”
“OK.” Bucky motioned his friend to the phone. “Here, he wants to talk to you.”
As Sam spoke briefly with the pastor, Bucky sat back down next to Lisa. “Boy, this makes me feel a lot better,” he commented. “After last night . . .”
“I know.” She took his hand. “Life goes on.”
Chapter Six: Painful Goodbye
It was with mixed feelings that Bucky got dressed for church that weekend. On the one hand, Sam’s baptism – a moment he had prayed and worked for – had finally arrived. He couldn’t help but feel a tingle of excitement about that.
Yet the cloud of Lisa’s departure, now just hours away, overshadowed his thoughts. “Our last time at church together,” he muttered to himself as he tugged at the too-short sleeves of his dress shirt.
Because it was the end of the church calendar’s summer quarter, the children’s divisions were making presentations in the adult Bible study program. “No story today, Bucky,” Mrs. Crawford told him. “I guess you get a day off from being sheriff in the kindergarten department.” Gratefully he accepted the extra time to sit with Lisa and Sam in the main sanctuary.
“Hey, you guys,” he whispered, sliding into the pew next to Lisa. She forced a smile and slipped her hand into his.
He looked over at Sam. “All set?”
The older boy nodded. Down at his feet rested a small duffel bag with a change of clothes for after the baptism. His eyes sparkled expectantly despite the fact that he would be baptized without his parents or any other family members present. Only Bucky and Lisa.
“You tricked the pastor into thinking you know it all,” Bucky teased in a low whisper. Sam nodded again without a
trace of a smile.
All during the church program Bucky’s mind drifted back to times with Lisa. Their first date at a frosty cold Saturday night school party/dance. Rides home together after Panther victories. Their recent trip to Lake Berryessa. Lazy summer evenings sitting in his backyard.
He felt the warmth of her arm against his, the soft skin of her small hand nestled comfortably in his own.
A ripple of laughter interrupted his thoughts. The kindergarten division, dressed up in shepherds’ robes, was singing. A little boy standing uncomfortably close to a microphone was steadily three notes higher than the others. Apparently Mrs. Crawford’s instructions – “Sing nice and loud, children!” – had made an indelible impression on at least one child’s mind.
In spite of himself, Bucky grinned. He leaned over and whispered in Lisa’s ear. “Make a note: we must never let Rachel Marie marry that boy.”
For the first time the familiar sparkle returned to her eyes. She squeezed his hand. “But what if they really love each other?”
“Yeah, I can relate to that.”
She pinched his arm. “You cannot. I mean, I know you love me, but I happen to sing like an angel.”
At last the moment arrived. Pastor Jensen, dressed in his baptismal robe, gingerly stepped down into the baptistry.
“As Sam is baptized,” he began, “I want to invite another young man to come forward. Bucky, would you come on up here?”
Startled, Bucky slipped past Lisa and Mom on his way to the platform.
“For the past year, Bucky has been attending our high school here in town,” Pastor Jensen explained. “Now, some of us have wished things might be different . . . but that’s how it is at the moment.
“But Bucky, here, decided to make the best of it. In fact, he told me once, ‘I’m going to use this as an opportunity to find some young person for the Lord.’”
His voice softened. “Folks, that day has come. Sam Trung Minh is here this morning because Bucky had the courage to share his faith in that high school. In fact, Bucky was the one who gave Sam his Bible studies. I just stood on the sidelines and cheered. If he keeps this up, I may be out of a job here!”
Blushing, Bucky looked up to see a trace of a smile on Sam’s face.
“I told Bucky once, ‘There’s no greater thrill in life than to bring a friend to Christ,’” the pastor continued. “As I look at his face this morning, I can see he’s made that discovery as well. Haven’t you, Bucky?”
The boy nodded.
The pastor turned to the Vietnamese boy. “Sam, you have a good friend in Buck here.” He placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “But you have an even greater friend in Jesus. And this church family – your church family – rejoices in your decision to serve him.”
He raised a hand in the familiar gesture. “And so, Sam, because you have decided to give your life to Jesus in front of all your friends here, it’s my great joy and reward to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Gently he dipped the tall boy beneath the water.
For a moment Bucky glanced out into the congregation. Lisa, sitting next to Mom, was quietly watching. He couldn’t tell for sure: did she dab at her eyes?
After the service, the congregation gathered around to congratulate the new member and ply him with gift CDs and books. Pastor Jensen beamed as the two boys accepted warm greetings from young and old alike.
“Isn’t this tremendous?” he said, putting an arm around Bucky. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have you share your faith this way.”
The pastor’s face grew more serious as he shook hands with Lisa for the final time. “I understand this is the last time you’ll be here for a while,” he said softly.
She glanced over at Bucky and then back to the pastor. “I’ve enjoyed visiting here.”
“Well, we will certainly miss you.”
The girl nodded without speaking.
“Have you made any plans regarding a church to attend where you’ll be living?” the pastor asked in a gentle voice.
“I . . . I just don’t know what I’ll be doing,” she confessed. “I don’t even know our new address yet.”
He nodded his head in understanding. “Well, when you do, I’d be happy to send along an address of one of our sister churches near your home. We’d love to, you know, keep you as part of our extended family.”
She hesitated. “I guess . . . I’ll have to see how it goes.”
“I understand. Well, there’s one young man I’m sure will want to stay in touch with you. Just let him know, and I’ll do anything I can to help.” He gave her a kindly wink.
Together the three friends made their way out to the parking lot. Sam, with his duffel bag in one hand and the pastor’s certificate and a new gift Bible in the other, led the way.
“You’re sure you want us all for dinner?” he asked.
“Absolutely.” Bucky slipped an arm around Lisa. “Last chance.”
• • • • •
The next morning he pedaled over to Lisa’s house with a deepening sense of loneliness. All during the past week he hadn’t been able to avoid counting down the days. Five more days . . . four more . . .
And at last the moment of parting had come. Several times during the brief bicycle ride he reminded himself of God’s promise to work everything out for good.
As he wheeled to a stop at her home, he saw the family’s large auto already loaded to overflowing. Lisa stood on the steps of the house.
“Hey,” she greeted him with just a hint of tightness in her voice.
“How’s it going?” He motioned toward the loaded car.
“Daddy says we won’t be going for about forty-five minutes.”
“Where’s all the rest of your stuff?”
She glanced over her shoulder at the empty house. “Moving van went yesterday.” A forced smile. “We slept on the floor last night.”
He thrust his hands into his pockets. “One last walk around the block? Think your folks will mind?”
“No, it’s OK.” Together they headed down the front walkway and up the street. Without speaking, she reached out and held onto his sleeve.
“What do you think will happen with us?” he asked at last.
She looked at him. “I don’t know.”
“Just play it by ear, I guess,” he said slowly.
“Yeah.” She moved closer to him. “I love you, Mr. Stone.”
It was a memory he would always carry with him. “I love you too,” he whispered.
They arrived back at the house just as Lisa’s parents were ready to leave. “All set, honey?” Mr. Nichols said as he made one final inspection of the overflowing trunk.
“Uh huh.” She clutched at Bucky’s arm once more. “I’ll call you when I get up there.”
“OK.” He rested one hand on her shoulder. Mrs. Nichols, already sitting in the front seat with the window rolled up, peered out at them. Bucky leaned over and gave Lisa a last kiss. “‘Bye.”
She returned a hug which lingered for only a second, then slipped from his grasp. “Goodbye.” Opening the door herself, she squeezed into the tiny space reserved for her in the back seat. Even through the reflection on the window, she had never looked so beautiful.
Gravel under the tires crunched noisily as the heavily loaded car slowly made its way out to the street. Bucky caught one last glance of her face as the Nichols and their belongings headed toward Interstate 5.
• • • • •
The next evening Bucky and his father sat wrapped in a huge blanket at the ballpark. “Come on, Buck, just you and me,” Dad had urged. “Like in the old days before all the women got their claws into you.”
It was a typical Bay Area evening at the stadium – cold! “At least these are great seats,” Dad observed as the pair watched the pre-game ceremonies down on the field.
Bucky tried to be cheerful. “Yeah, funny how all sorts of good seats are available on StubHub when you’re in last place.”
“And now, your National League champion Saaaaaan Francisco Giants,” the announcer boomed. It brought a trickle of sardonic applause.
“Guess we won’t be hearing that intro much longer,” Bucky mused. “Giants may be mathematically eliminated by September 1 the way they’re going.”
At least this one night things went well. The Giants, apparently sensing that a particular fan needed cheering up, pounded the Phillies mercilessly. Seven runs in the first, three more in the second. A grand slam homer in the fifth brought the tiny crowd to its feet.
“14 to 1!” Bucky grinned, the ache dimming a little bit.
“Feeling better?” Dad asked.
His son nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
Dad took a handful of popcorn. “Well, Lisa won’t be the last girl to come along,” he commented. “She was a good one, though. Your mom and I really liked her.”
Another inning went by. “You still thinking about playing basketball this fall?”
Bucky shivered as he pulled the blanket closer. “I don’t know. Dan keeps telling me we’ve both got a right to try out at least.”
“Well, he’s right. Coach may keep you guys off the team if he’s bound and determined to be stubborn, but you certainly have a right to show up opening day.”
“We’ll see.” Just at that moment the Giants’ left fielder made a spectacular diving grab just inches from the foul line.
“Pretty good catch!” Mr. Stone draped an arm around his son. “That keeps the margin at fifteen runs.”
“Who knows? The Giants just might win this game,” Bucky replied with a grin.
Two weeks later Bucky’s sophomore year began at Hampton Beach High School. Buoyed up by two long e-mails from Lisa and a forty-five-minute phone call the night before, he pushed through the crowded halls the first day with more ease than the previous year.
The first few weeks of the new school term fell into place uneventfully as Bucky adjusted to the tough tenth-grade schedule. With Lisa gone and with a lingering cloud of resentment still marking him as damaged goods, he found himself with a suddenly meager social life.
October came and went.
• • • • •
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 26