Wednesday morning, Evalyn met Carolyn at a local coffee shop, and Ev tried to describe the previous evening's get-together. "It's hard to express it in so many words."
"Oh no, Evalyn. It sounds wonderful: people singing together without the organ for accompaniment, talking so freely like that, and asking questions. But it does make me want to be there!"
"I know. I'm sorry." Evalyn impulsively reached across the table and grabbed Carolyn's hand.
Carolyn shrugged. "We gotta do what we gotta do. Still, if Herb wasn't so... Well, I may find a way to come, yet."
* * *
Wednesday evening, Charley and Bob Deveaux were in Greg's dorm room, filling him in on the "Tuesday Club," as Charley called it. "Actually, we're a group with no name," she said. "But I like the sound of 'Tuesday Club’."
"It sounds great," said Greg, but without enthusiasm. "Just like Sunday school, with choruses and scripture verses."
"You're right," agreed Bob. "It was something like that, and that's part of the reason I liked it. But it was friendly and informal, and you could ask questions. And, even though we don't know each other very well, people weren't worried about being embarrassed or looking stupid."
"Yeah, some were even stupid on purpose," Charley recalled. "Mr. Allen is a nut!"
"But an awful smart nut," Bob clarified.
"Oh, I agree," rejoined Charley. "But not like a professor; he makes everybody feel really comfortable."
Greg was trying not to appear too interested. "So, what did you study?"
"We mostly talked about depending on the Holy Spirit,” Bob explained, "Pastor Josh and some of the others think that's how you really answer the question about what Jesus would do. The Bible has stories and examples, but it doesn't talk about 'Star Wars' and computers and AIDS and the things we have to think about. Pastor says that the Holy Spirit is there to give us the today-type answers."
"How?" asked Greg.
Bob hesitated. "I guess I still don't get that. It has to do with praying, and expecting."
"Well, we just got started," explained Charley, a little defensively.
"Very interesting," said Greg, but without as much skepticism as before.
* * *
About the same time as the dorm discussion, people were gathering at the church for Wednesday night prayer meeting. Several folks welcomed Josh back, and inquired about his absence. He made some noncommittal comments about personal business, and the casual interest seemed to be satisfied.
"But, Reverend, we did have an awful time last Wednesday night," chastised Mrs. Hoddy. "No one came to lead us, and it was very upsetting."
"Yes, I'm sorry about that. Something came up that night, and my substitute couldn't get here." Josh sneaked a smirk at Pete, who was standing behind them. "What happened? Did folks just go home?"
"Oh, no," chimed in Emily Johansen, the church organist. “We really had a great time! We just decided that we had come to pray, and that we could do that no matter who showed up."
Josh smiled broadly. "Good for you. And you're right, that's the way it should be. So, how did you handle it?"
"Well," said Emily, "I was about the most ‘official’ person here, so I just asked everybody to give their prayer requests. I prayed, and then Howard Ducher took over. We did okay."
Mrs. Hoddy sniffed, a very mild protest against the lack of proper protocol. Pete grinned in the background.
***
Later that night in a warm bed, Josh shared the prayer meeting events with Evalyn. "Poor Mrs. Hoddy," she remarked, with even a little feeling of real sympathy. "It's so hard on her, and yet it's so terrific that a church meeting can go on like that without you or Pete or anybody ‘official’ in command."
"Uh huh. I'm proud of Emily taking charge, and I'm really proud of Howard. I would have thought that he and Hazel would have been lined up right alongside Esther Hoddy."
"Oh, I don't know, Josh. They're certainly 'old guard,’ but he's a dear. I bet he's not as cut and dried as you might think."
"Maybe not, but they certainly can be old... old saints, on occasion!"
They snuggled down in bed together, and neither spoke for several minutes.
"It's really okay now, isn't it?" she asked, finally.
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "Yes, I believe it really is okay now. That's not saying we might not have some more problems - we probably will - but I feel like we're definitely off and running.”
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