Nephi's Courage

by Rory McFarlan

  “I don’t know that there are many things` more fun than redneckin’ it,” said Alex as he placed the Alabama cassette tape in the stereo. “Yee Haw!”

  Nephi chuckled, “We should redneck it more often.”

  He tried to drive forward but the wheels just spun so he got out and placed some pine boughs both in front of the tires and behind them. He had trouble moving forward, and shifted into 4LO, and then into reverse where he had better luck. The truck backed out of the campsite onto the dirt road, now covered in more than a foot of snow.

  Nephi stayed in 4LO and slowly crawled the road until they reached the highway. Shifting into 4WD, he steered the truck back toward Francis, doing his best to avoid sliding off the slushy road.

  Chapter 16

  Bradley gave Nephi a big bear hug, squeezing him so tight he thought it might crack a rib. It evicted all the air from Nephi’s lungs. Taking a deep breath to gain some needed space, Nephi patted him gently on the back. Bradley released his grip and gave Nephi a kiss on the cheek before he turned and headed out the door for the elk hunt.

  With Nephi gone, Bradley found himself alone in the apartment. Living away from his family was a big change, and he was nervous at the thought of spending the night alone. He took a nice, long shower and made himself pancakes and eggs for breakfast and prepared for his shift at the ice cream shop. With about twenty minutes until the beginning of his shift, he locked up the apartment and walked to the shop.

  Gene was glad to see him. Bradley proved to be an exemplary employee, and the customers loved him.

  “I need some help to move the ice cream from the back into the display freezer,” said Gene.

  “No problem, I’m on it,” replied Bradley.

  Bradley brought two fresh ice cream pans at a time from the back of the shop to the display case in the front until all twenty slots were full.

  At noon, he unlocked the shop and flipped the sign in the window from ‘Closed’ to ‘Open’. All ready to serve customers, he took his place behind the counter in anticipation of the day’s first guest. Thirty slow minutes passed before the first customer walked through the door, a regular named Tabatha.

  “The usual?” asked Bradley.

  “I think I might change it up today with Thanksgiving coming up. Why don’t you give me a two scoop cup of pumpkin with white chocolate chips and whipped cream on top?”

  “Excellent choice, Madame,” he said as he scooped the ice cream into a cup and added her toppings. She sat at the table in the corner and happily enjoyed her treat before heading back to work.

  More customers filed in and Bradley handled the lunch rush by himself while Gene did paperwork in his office in the back. It had been quite some time since Gene had an employee he could trust to run the store without close supervision.

  Customers came and went until 3:00 when Jodie arrived. She would close the store today. Their shifts overlapped by a few hours so they could both support the dinner rush, the busiest time of the day.

  Jodie was a sophomore at UVU. She had short red hair and brown eyes and was outgoing. She enjoyed working with Bradley. They were both personable, which made them good with customers.

  Jodie had been encouraging Bradley to apply for admission to UVU and find something he was passionate about to study. He wanted to attend school but didn’t know where to start and worried that his home school education wasn’t sufficient to prepare him for university. Jodie assured him he would do just fine.

  Bradley worked hard to clean the restaurant before the dinner rush while Jodie covered the cash register. With all the tables and the floor spotless, he returned to the counter in time for the rush of customers that hit around 6:00.

  About twenty minutes into the dinner rush with a lobby full of customers, Bradley turned to help the next customer and shuddered at the site of his parents with all of his siblings in tow.

  “Um, what can I get for you?” he stuttered, surprised to see his parents, who never spent money on things like this.

  “Ouch,” said his father while staring at the menu. “How does this place even stay in business with prices this high?”

  Jodie chimed in, “Can I help you?”

  “Yes, please. I would like to see your manager,” said Brother Hanson.

  Gene overheard him as he emerged from the back. “Hello sir, I’m Gene. I own the place.”

  “Hi Gene, I am Bradley’s father.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you. Your son is one of my best employees. How can I help you?”

  “I heard talk of my son working here and had to come see it for myself. I just thought you should know that your employee entertains wicked perversions. Did you know that he is gay?”

  “Well, I suspected, but didn’t really know but that makes no difference to me. He comes here every day and does his job well. I value him as an employee and I don’t appreciate what you are doing here. I have to ask you to leave.”

  “You would deny business to a family of nine and take the side of this pervert?” asked Brother Hanson in an accusatory tone.

  “Sir, your son is a fantastic employee and a wonderful person and I can say with confidence that I don’t want business from someone like you no matter how much ice cream you buy.”

  “Well, I never…” exclaimed Sister Hanson.

  Little Brook pulled on Sister Hanson’s dress. “Mama, can I have some ice cream?” she asked.

  “Absolutely not, we will never support a business like this.”

  She stormed out of the ice cream parlor in a huff while the shop full of customers stared in astonishment.

  “Come on kids, let’s go,” demanded Brother Hanson as he followed his wife out the door with a line of children following.

  Bradley ran to the back of the store in tears while Gene addressed the customers.

  “Sorry about all the commotion, folks. I have a wonderful, hardworking employee who just so happens to be gay. If any of you have a problem with that, you can follow the bigot parade right out the door. Otherwise, Jodie here, will be happy to get you whatever you want at a ten percent discount.”

  He then went to the back of the store where he found Bradley crying in the mop closet.

  “I’m so sorry,” said Bradley. “I can’t believe my family made a scene like that in your store.”

  “Son, after meeting your father, I’m honestly not sure how you turned out as well as you did. You’re so kind and compassionate, everything that he’s not. I want you to know that I’m not concerned one bit about horrible people making a scene in my shop. I’m glad you’re here. I value you as an employee and as a friend.”

  “Thanks,” Bradley managed to say through the tears.

  “Now you go home and get some rest. Your shift is almost over, anyway. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Gene patted him on the shoulder and went back to the front of the store. Happy customers filled every table. Not one customer had followed the Hanson family out the door. Jodie went into the back to check on Bradley.

  “That was crazy, man. I’m so sorry that your dad is such an asshole. I thought my dad was bad, but that is another level.”

  Bradley laughed through the tears, causing tears and snot to splatter all over the font of his apron. He wiped himself with a tissue.

  “I guess I’ll head home,” he said.

  “I think that’s best,” said Jodie. “Try to ignore the awful things your dad said. You’re awesome and we appreciate you here. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Bradley left the store and walked back to the apartment. He didn’t feel like eating and just laid on the bed thinking about the events of the evening and crying. He felt lost, angry, and alone. The actions of his mother and father completely embarrassed him. He wished Nephi was home. He might know what to do. Eventually, he fell asleep but spent a restless night tossing and turning in bed.

  Sometimes sleep is all it takes to clear one’s head and set the world right. This was not one of those times. Bradley woke up in the morn
ing hopping mad about his family’s stunt at the ice cream shop. He knew he should eat but felt sick to his stomach and couldn’t bring himself to force anything down.

  Thinking exercise might help, he went to the fitness room and ran on the treadmill until he couldn’t run anymore. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, he returned to the apartment and took a shower. He didn’t know where to turn and considered calling Darla Willard, but thought this problem was probably more than she bargained for and decided against it. He went to the apartment complex laundromat and washed his work clothes. By the time the dryer cycle finished, it was almost time for work.

  He changed into his work clothes and walked to the ice cream parlor where Gene greeted him with a smile. Glad to be at work, Bradley got to cleaning and stocking right away.

  “I’m glad to see you back to yourself,” said Gene.

  Bradley wasn’t feeling “back to himself” just yet, but he smiled. “I’m glad to be here.”

  With everything prepared, Bradley unlocked the door and flipped the sign while he awaited today’s customers.

  Bradley saw customers approaching the door and put on his best smile before he noticed that they weren’t customers, but his family. They were marching in a circle in front of the door pumping signs up and down in the air. He moved closer to get a better look at what was going on. Sister Hanson carried a sign that read, “Repent or Perish”. Todd’s sign said, “Shop elsewhere. Don’t support Satan.” Bradley couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  He read each sign as it passed the window. “Choose Jesus”, “God Hates Gays”, “Repent of Perversion”, “Only Straight Families are Forever.” Even little Brook carried a sign that said, “Repent and Choose the Right.” It was a blow to Bradley. They started chanting in unison, “Repent or Perish”. Tears again came to his face, and he called for Gene who came running to the front of the store to see what the commotion was all about.

  “Go in the back while I call the police,” he said.

  Bradley had seen enough, and didn’t follow Gene’s instructions. Instead, he walked out the front door and confronted his father.

  “What is wrong with you?” he yelled. “I’m not hurting you. I’m not hurting anyone. Just leave and let me go on with my life. Focus on your other children and leave me alone.”

  “I can’t leave it alone,” replied Brother Hanson. “You are ruining our eternal family. If you don’t repent of your perversion and return to God’s ways, our family can’t be together forever, and that is all because of you.”

  “Get it out of your head. I’m not coming back. I will never go on a mission, and nothing you can say or do will change the fact that I’m gay.”

  “You wicked child, you destroyed our eternal family. It would be better if you died as a child instead of growing up to be gay. Your mother and I don’t deserve this. I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to humble yourself and repent.”

  The words cut to Bradley’s core like a knife, taking his breath and his will to fight. Everything in him wanted to scream at his father to leave, but the words wouldn’t come out. He collapsed to the ground. As his father barked in his ear, calling him to repentance, a police car arrived and two policemen approached the protesting family.

  “What’s going on here, folks?” asked an officer.

  “Just a peaceful protest,” replied Sister Hanson. “We’re exercising our rights of free speech.”

  “This is private property,” replied the officer. “If you are not welcome, you are trespassing. And if this were public land, you would need a protest permit. Do you have one of those?”

  “Don’t worry, officer, we were just leaving,” said Brother Hanson as he motioned the others to follow him to their van.

  They got in the van and drove away, leaving Bradley there on the ground. Gene ran out of the store and helped him to his feet.

  “Are you okay, son?” asked the officer.

  “I think so,” squeaked Bradley.

  Though he was fine physically, he felt as if his soul had been gutted. He didn’t know what to do or how to make sense of it. The family who raised him would rather see him dead than acknowledge who he really was. The thought destroyed him.

  “I saw how aggressive he was with you. Do you want to press charges against him?”

  “No,” replied Bradley, head down, eyes focused on the sidewalk.

  “And would you like to press trespassing charges?” the officer asked Gene.

  “Bradley?” asked Gene.

  “No, no charges,” came the reply.

  “I guess not, officer. Thank you for coming out.”

  “If you need anything else, just give us a call.”

  “Will do,” said Gene before the officers returned to their car and Gene gave Bradley a hug. They returned to the store and went about the work day. The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful. Jodie was furious to hear what happened.

  She gave Bradley a long hug. Since she was there to cover the counter, Gene told Bradley to go home and rest and to forget about all the trouble with his family.

  Bradley left the store in a daze, his head spinning while his father’s words echoed in his mind. He hadn’t slept well and hadn’t eaten in almost two days and he felt depleted. He needed to recharge and forget about his horrible family for a while. He wanted it all to go away and needed some good sleep.

  He went inside the drugstore he passed every day on the way home and bought a bottle of pills to help him sleep and then returned to the apartment. With his father’s words haunting his mind and not wanting to deal with his emotions, he took a double dose of the sleeping pills and crashed on the bed.

  Bradley awoke the next morning in a fog and realized he had slept fourteen straight hours. Fourteen straight blissful hours with no emotions tugging at his insides, tearing him apart. His head was cloudy, and he wasn’t thinking straight. Bradley wanted to feel numb. Feeling nothing at all was so much nicer than feeling the constant pain of a broken heart and a tormented soul.

  Seeking relief from his emotions, Bradley opened the pill bottle and emptied it into his mouth before washing it down with a bottle of water. He laid back on the bed and drifted peacefully off to sleep with a smile on his face.

  Chapter 17

  Loaded with hunting gear and two men, the white truck thundered slowly down snow-packed Highway 35 while the best country music the 80s had to offer blasted on the stereo. As they approached the town of Francis, Nephi spelled out his plan for the day.

  “I’ll drop you off in Salt Lake and then head to my parents’ house to unload the gear and dry out the tent.”

  Now that they were out of the snow, Alex unbuckled his seatbelt and slid over into the middle seat and fastened the middle belt around his waist. He placed Nephi’s hand in his.

  “I’m in no rush. I wasn’t planning to be back until tomorrow night. Let’s just head to Pleasant Grove. I can help you unpack and clean everything up. Besides, I’m not ready to leave your side just yet.”

  Nephi smiled and squeezed Alex’s hand tighter. Rather than turning right toward Kamas, he continued straight through Francis and made a left toward Heber. They drove through Heber, making a right on Highway 189 which took them around Deer Creek and into Provo Canyon.

  Descending the canyon, they passed Bridal Veil Falls, which provided a spectacular view backed by the colorful fall foliage. They continued past the outdoor shooting range that reminded Alex of the terribly loud rifle with the muzzle break.

  Holding hands the entire time, they drove through Provo and Orem where they connected to I-15 and navigated north to Pleasant Grove. There, they exited the freeway and made their way into town.

  “Let’s hit my parents’ house first,” said Nephi. “We can unload all of this gear, lock up the gun in the safe, and set the tent out to dry in the garage.”

  “Listen, honey,” replied Alex. “We’ve been in the woods for two days. I’m cold and stinky and filthy. Before I do anything else, I need a shower.”
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  “Fine, we’ll head to my apartment for a shower and a change of clothes first and then we’ll unload.”

  “Much better plan, darling,” replied Alex.

  Nephi continued home and pulled into the apartment complex parking lot.

  “Bradley should be at work by now so we should have the place to ourselves,” he said.

  “Good, I can’t wait to get you alone behind closed doors,” responded Alex as he slapped Nephi on the butt.

  They locked the truck and ran up the stairs to the apartment. Nephi opened the door and walked in. Thirsty from the long drive, Alex went to the sink to get some water while Nephi removed his coat.

  “Oh, shit!” exclaimed Alex in a panicked voice.

  “Language, mister!”

  “Nephi, there’s an empty bottle of sleeping pills on the counter. Is Bradley here?”

  The small one bedroom apartment was mostly one big, open room. The bedroom was separated from the rest of the apartment only by a short hallway that passed the bathroom. Nephi darted into the bathroom first. Finding it empty, he proceeded to the bedroom where he found Bradley lying on the bed.

  Nephi rushed to him as Alex joined them in the room. His body was warm but he couldn’t feel a pulse.

  “Call 911,” yelled Nephi.

  His eagle scout training kicked in and he began chest compressions while Alex dialed 911. An ambulance arrived within minutes and the paramedics took over the life saving efforts while Nephi began to cry.

  “I have a pulse,” declared the paramedic, “but it’s weak.”

  They moved Bradley to a stretcher and carried him out of the apartment and loaded him in the back of the ambulance.

  “Where are you taking him?” asked Nephi.

  “We’re taking him to American Fork Hospital.”

  “We’ll follow you over,” said Nephi.

  “Hold on, Son. You won’t be able to see him until he is stable and you might want to clean up a bit first,” said the paramedic, pointing toward Nephi’s muddy boots and orange vest.