the Broken Road

Chapter 18

Lev shifted, adjusting the rolled up blanket he used as a pillow.  The motion bobbled Tay’s head where it rested on his stomach and she lifted it to look up at him.

“Sorry.  Needed to rearrange.”

She smiled and laid her head back down, returning her attention to whatever scrolled across her phone.

He tucked his hands under his head again and relaxed, focusing his attention on the music spilling from the ear buds.  He’d commandeered Tay’s mp3 player, wanting to listen to the Christian bands she had told him about a week or two earlier.  He’d been impressed to find that she had good taste.  None of it reminded him of the droning church hymns he remembered from childhood.

He’d asked her so many questions over the past three days that he was surprised she still wanted to spend time with him.  But once he made the decision to make her faith his own, he’d jumped all in.  He wanted to catch up, to grasp the basics, to be on the same page as Tay.  Though a bit exasperated at points, she always took the time to answer his questions and explain stuff he didn’t understand.

Listening to her music spawned most of the questions and the first few times he’d gone through her playlist he’d stopped at almost every song to ask her what they were talking about.  She’d laughed at him after the third or fourth song, telling him he should just write his questions down so she could go accomplish something.  Even then, she hadn’t been mad and assured him she liked the fact that he was eager to learn as much as he could.

So much had changed since he’d met Tay, even more so since he’d become a Christian.  His views about himself, about Tay, about love, and about the world in general were changing with every new thing he learned.  The only thing that hadn’t changed was the rift between him and Stu.  Lev knew he couldn’t avoid his father forever, that at some point they would need to discuss the mess of the past twelve years.  But he still held so much anger over the way he’d been treated that it was hard to feel anything else. 

The more he learned about his faith, the more he knew it had to be done.  Even if they could never be a true father and son again, they both needed to reach an understanding and let it go.  Not just for their own sakes, but for Tay’s as well.  She was the common denominator, the one thing they shared and would continue to share for a long time.

He opened his eyes to look down at her, studying her profile in the late afternoon sunshine.  If this had been God’s plan from the beginning, if He’d been working to bring them to this spot, He must’ve had a good laugh the moment their eyes met in the Chambers’ driveway.

Thankfully Tay lived by His leading, even when Lev didn’t have a clue.  She’d not only gotten in the truck, but she’d allowed herself to love him, covering him in prayer every step of the way.  He’d been thankful before to have her in his life, but even more so now knowing he needed a woman strong in faith to lead him until he could take over.

She sat up suddenly, something on the phone catching her attention.  He saw a smile push up her cheeks and crinkle her eyes and wondered if she was going to tell him what she was looking at.  Before he had a chance to ask, a shadow fell over them, causing both of them to look up.

Stu stood behind them, bare feet buried in the sand and his hands shoved into his pockets. Lev resisted the urge to groan, doing his best to remain polite.  He turned the music off but didn’t remove the ear buds.  Tay turned to face Stu, using a hand to block the sun from her eyes.

“Hey Stu, what’s up?”

“Just wanted to let you guys know we’re headed out to the picnic.  You sure you don’t want to go?”