Mrs. Lepley and Sarah walked into the mall from the covered parking garage. There weren’t many people out for a Saturday, and Sarah assumed it had something to do with the weather forecast. She glanced at her cell phone and saw the time was eleven fifteen. They had plenty of time to shop without rushing.
She laughed at herself, then continued her train of thought as they entered the store. “Hank’s brother can always tell where you’ve purchased something, and if it’s inferior quality. So, I will be purchasing something nice but not too nice. I do have a budget.”
Sarah just nodded, and wondered what kind of person would care where a gift was purchased. It should mean a lot that people remembered his birthday at all, rather than how much they spent on it. Sarah would never understand some people.
As she strolled through the store, Sarah noticed many clothes for young women were very immodest. There were so many halter tops, low rise jeans, and tight fitting shirts, that she would have been hard pressed to find something for her date if necessary. Didn’t those girls know that men liked the look of those kind of clothes, but cared nothing about the person inside?
She shook her head and followed Joyce. They ended up in men’s wear. Joyce was rummaging through shirt and tie sets, and muttering under her breath. Finally she threw her hands up in the air and said “Well, I don’t know what to get him. Doesn’t seem like a thing in here fits who Jim is.”
Sarah shrugged a shoulder and twisted her mouth to one side in agreement. Not that she knew the man. “Joyce, does Hank’s brother know Christ?”
“Yes he does. He’s been a Christian for almost forty years. Why do you ask?”
Sarah wasn’t sure she should suggest what she was thinking, but what could it hurt? “Well, I was thinking that if he was a committed Christian, then he might like a donation made to a ministry in his name. You know, a worthy cause like a children’s home or a battered woman’s shelter. Don’t you think that would be a better use of money than giving him something he may ultimately turn up his nose at when you’re not around?”
Joyce thought for a moment before breaking out in a genuine grin. Even her eyes lit up as the idea took root. “You know what? We make much too big a deal of birthdays, don’t we? I think your suggestion is just what I’m looking for. I’ll buy him an expensive card, and write a note with a tax receipt inside, proving the donation to him.” Joyce laughed.
“I can’t wait to see his face!” She covered her mouth with her hands in mock surprise of what she had just let slip out of her mouth. “I mean, I can’t wait to help out a ministry. What a blessing it will be.” Then she cleared her throat in a teasing way, and lead them out of the department store and over to the stationery store.
There were many cards for all occasions, and they finally found the section reserved for birthdays. After narrowing it down to the ‘brother’ category, they began the search for the perfect card.
Many of them were too lame, or too serious to give. Some were corny with a mismatched rhyme scheme. Others had cartoon drawings which weren’t what Joyce wanted at all. Several had made them both laugh out loud, and a couple made them blush. Those were replaced quickly while looking over their shoulders to make sure no one had seen them read them.
Finally Sarah picked up a card with a picture of a sunset over the mountains on the front and words that said ‘For you dear Brother, on your birthday’ in a nice script. On the inside was a Bible verse and a sentiment that fit what Joyce wanted exactly.
“Perfect! Thank you, Sarah. Now we can go get some lunch. My treat.”
Sarah didn’t understand why Joyce was always treating her, but she wouldn’t turn down the offer. Her stomach grumbled, and they made their way toward the food court.
********************
Tyler was in the middle of waxing the car when his dad came outside to join him. “Hey, Son. You’re doing a great job there. You know you could’ve just taken it down to Clean and Shine and had them do this.”
Tyler put down his rag for a minute and wiped his brow. “Yeah, I know. But then what would I do? It’s exactly” he looked at his watch “four hours and ten minutes before I need to be there. Three hours and forty minutes before I need to leave the house. What am I supposed to do with all that time?” He grinned at his Dad and went back to working the wax into the car.
“Is there anything you want to talk about Ty? You know, I’ve been where you are before. This is your first time to be with Sarah in a social environment. I know you want to have a good time, and I think you will. But make sure you don’t set the bar too high. Remember our policy on dating. It’s not just going out with a series of girls to pass the time while you wait for the one God has planned for you. You will take this time to get to know Sarah.
“We’ll get to know her too. She just came to the Lord, and she has a lot of emotional baggage that won’t be easy to deal with. Right now what she needs most is a friend who will pray with her and for her. Don’t let any romantic ideas cloud things. Pray and let the Lord guide this friendship.”
He walked over to place a hand on Tyler’s shoulder. “You know your mother and I love you very much and are proud of you, right?” Tyler nodded. “And we want God’s very best for your life. So many young men your age are fixated on sex and the female body that they never get to know the person inside the body. Get my drift?"
Tyler looked up at him, squinting against the sun. He finally raised a hand to shade his eyes. “Yeah Dad, I know. I’m not trying to make this out to be any big deal. It’s just that I feel like God wants me to be there for her. We’ll be at the same college, and I guess I want her to feel like she can count on me if she needs something. That’s all. She’s had such a hard life, and yet she’s so sweet.” He dropped his hand and lowered his head. “I don’t know. I think she’d like to see what a real family is like, don’t you?”
Tyler’s dad was filled with pride at his son’s words. He knew Tyler was a young man following God, but it was good to hear his thoughts confirm it. “Yeah Son, I do. Thanks for talking with me. Want some help? This could cut into clothes- picking time you know.” He laughed then, and Tyler lightly whipped him with his rag.
“Yeah, I guess if your old back can take all the bending, I could use your help. But I don’t want to hear about it tomorrow when you can’t get out of bed.” Tyler’s dad grimaced and made like he was an old geezer, bending over with one hand on his back, and shaking the other when he reached toward the rag Tyler offered him.
He spoke in a strained whisper with his lips curled as if he had no teeth. “Say Sonny, do you think you could hand me that rag there? I’m afraid if I try to reach it meself that I’ll fall right over. Hips ain’t what they used to be ya know.”
Tyler threw the rag playfully at his dad’s face. His dad caught it in midair with his left hand. “Hey, you catch pretty good for an old geezer. You’re not even left-handed. Maybe you’ll be alright.” Tyler said. They shared a good chuckle then got to work.
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