smiled and answered as God would, “You’re welcome, son. I love you. And remember, together, we can do anything.”
When I went back to the living room, I found Mary Lynn sitting on the couch sipping her coffee. She always had a cup in the morning to get her day started, but coffee at night meant she had been working on a project. Her half-smile was trying desperately to conceal a joy that was bubbling out of her heart.
“What?” I asked, knowing her all too well.
“What do you mean?” She wasn’t going to give it up, yet.
“You know what I mean. What’s going on?” I replied and sat down next to her.
“Oh, nothing.” She smiled at me over the top of the ceramic cup.
“Don’t give me that! I know something’s up!”
I began to tickle her. She could not defend herself very well, as she held her coffee at a distance while trying to keep it from spilling on the couch.
“Okay, okay!” she said between laughs. “Here, I found this for you.”
With that statement, she pulled a piece of paper out from behind her back. It was a copy of an advertisement on eBay. I examined it carefully and exclaimed, “You are kidding me? Is this real?”
I could feel the excitement in her reply, “Of course! I called him, and they will be here Thursday.”
“Thursday? Really? That’s awesome!”
I stared back at the paper in my hand. I was looking at a full set of Penske shock absorbers for less than half price. The caption read, “Trans-Am team changing to Ohlin shocks due to sponsorship program. Excellent Penske’s for sale. Call after 9:00 a.m.”
Mary Lynn smiled and looked at me with her explanation, “You said if I found a set for that price to buy them immediately. I have been searching the Internet today and made the deal right after dinner. The shocks are in California, and, since they are two hours behind us, it was only four o’clock there when I called. They will ship them out in the morning.”
“Money?” was my one-word question.
“We’re good. I was looking at the checkbook while you were with the boys. You told me when you talked with Jim the other night that he said he could go half on the cost, so we will be fine. I will call him tomorrow and let him know the final bill.” She had it all under control.
“You are the greatest!” I said with my best impersonation of that famous Mohammad Ali proclamation. Then I jumped on her and began messing up her hair until she begged for mercy. We ended with a hug and a kiss. Finally, I looked in her eyes saying, “You really are the greatest, Babe.”
CHAPTER 8
In Uniform
Wednesday night was a repeat of Tuesday. Hans did not come with us to the batting cages because he went to a friend’s house after school. He would eat dinner with them before being picked up by Mary Lynn. Although some other boys were using machines, Nigel and I elected to repeat our hand-toss drill to solidify his swing. All went well. Once again, we took a break after the sixtieth ball. This interruption would become our unannounced time to bond and enjoy one another. After the 100th swing, we loaded into the car and started a new tradition. We stopped to get gas and went into the Quick Mart for a snack. Nigel picked out a natural fruit blend smoothie and handed one to me.
“It’s good for you, Dad, just drink it,” he said with a smile. He knew I much preferred a Dr. Pepper but was determined to train me how to be healthy.
Thursday brought the excitement of new shock absorbers and Nigel’s ball practice. The entire crew was in the shop when I handed the cardboard box to Richard, who unpacked it with elated expectation. We all said silly, “Ooohs and Aaahs,” with each shock he revealed. Mickey immediately began taking measurements and went to the car, sizing it up for attachment locations. He gave me one to take home and use for calculations stating, “I need you here on Saturday.”
“Okay, Mick, I’ll call Joshua tonight and let him know that I can’t work on the engine this week. It’s not a problem, I’ll see you Saturday.” I left the race shop which was filled with the anticipation of future possibilities.
Nigel’s baseball practice began with fielding drills for all the players, then pitching practice for some, and base running for others. When the starting team took the field, Nigel joined the group on the bench. I could see his feet fidgeting with the thought of not being on the field. When it was his time to bat, he took a few good swings initially, but with first contact of the ball he fell back into his bad habit. One hit on fifteen pitches. He looked over at me and walked to the dugout in defeat.
He was quiet on our drive home. We stopped for a bottled fruit smoothie as was our custom. When he handed me my drink, I said, “Listen man, we just have more work to do. We will get there. I promise… You can do this.”
He nodded his head trying to believe what his father was telling him. I recognized the feeling because I felt the very same way about some of Joshua’s teachings. Especially those regarding overcoming my beliefs concerning sin.
The next morning, Mary Lynn reminded me of our evening reservations for the Wounded Warrior Project charity dinner. This was the annual fund-raising event for soldiers who had been disabled while fighting for our country. When I finished work at my office, we met our friends at the door of the banquet hall and found seats at the reserved table. After the usual greetings, it was time to join the buffet line for our meal.
Mary Lynn went ahead of me while I finished a conversation with an event coordinator. Once in line, I could see my wife speaking to one of the cooks dressed in white, who was standing behind the stainless-steel tray placed on the table in front of him. As I approached, I recognized the joyful servant, but this should not have surprised me. It was Joshua dressed in complete chef uniform, big hat and all. That familiar smile expressed his pleasure at knowing he had provided me with the unexpected.
“Good evening, Sir. Would you prefer the roast beef or chicken?” He was going to take his performance as far as possible.
I wasn’t about to acknowledge his success and responded with, “Tell me, kind man, did you cook the chicken or the beef?”
“Why… the chicken, Monsieur. Chef Pearson cooked the beef,” he explained and pointed to the uniformed server to his right.
I actually wanted the chicken for dinner, but I needed to try and keep up with his game, so I said, “Then, I will have the beef, please!” I did my best not to laugh with my answer.
He nodded in acceptance, smiled, and put the chicken on my plate anyway. He had won again! He politely stated, “Enjoy your evening, Sir. Later, there will be cookies for dessert.”
“I will be looking forward to them,” I replied and went to join our friends at the table.
My wife and I enjoyed the evening which raised considerable money for a marvelous cause. At the end of the night, Mary Lynn caught a ride back home with one of the other wives. Many husbands stayed late to help with clean up and stack the rented tables and chairs for morning pick up. When the work was completed, Joshua met me on the outside patio overlooking an adjacent lake. It was a brightly
