forgiven?”
“Pam—”
“You forgive to a point, but if it’s too big of a sin or too personal, forget it?”
“He’s dangerous! Okay? My job is to protect you—and the girls.”
“We’ve been through this. God’s big enough, Jack. He’s big enough to protect us. He showed us that. He’s big enough to make something of Granger, if that’s what He wants to do. But who are we to make that call?”
Jack knew she was right, but he had not been able to forgive, period. As far as he was concerned, it wasn’t even a topic for discussion. He had agreed to drop charges only to appease Pam.
“Look, I just don’t want any part of the guy, and, no, I don’t like knowing he’s free and living near us. That’s ludicrous. I don’t want to know anything about him. Can’t you understand that ?”
“It’s not like we’re going to have him over for dinner. I was just sharing something uplifting. Wendy said they’re making progress. Evan is really helping him.”
“Evan’s wife wasn’t kidnapped by that freak!”
“Jack, he is not a freak . He’s a person who was mentally abused by his parents his entire life. Can’t you put yourself in his shoes?”
“No. I can’t! I can’t understand anyone who could steal a mother from her children. I don’t think I ever will.”
“Does it matter to you at all that Evan has talked to Granger about God?”
But all Jack could think about was what might have happened if Pam hadn’t escaped. Rape? Murder? Another unthinkable headline in the news?
“Answer me, Jack. Does it matter to you that Granger is considering God?”
“No,” he said flatly. “It doesn’t. It just doesn’t.”
Pam sniffed, and there was a long pause.
“I know I’m not perfect,” she said. “But you need to examine yourself on this. You need to forgive—just as much as you’ve been forgiven. I’ve gotta go.”
He sighed, not wanting it to end like this, trying to think of something to say.
“Bye.” Pam hung up.
He looked at the phone. His face flushed. He debated whether to call her back. But all he’d do was confirm what she had said about his temper.
“What up, dude?” Derrick Whittaker slung his leather satchel into the chair in Jack’s cubicle and peeled off his enormous green coat. Running a flat hand along the right side of his buzz-cut Afro, as if giving the side of a car one last polish, he said, “Dig the new ’do?”
“Nice.”
“What’s with you?” Derrick was big into weight lifting and was built like a brick house—not huge but lean, with zero body fat.
“What do you mean?”
“Dude, you’re usually in, like, this incredible mood. Something must be up.”
“Had it out with the wife.” Jack put his phone back in its cradle.
Derrick jumped back two feet, looking as if he’d smelled a skunk. “For real? You guys fight?”
Jack raised his eyebrows and tried to get back to what he was doing.
“What about?” Derrick made himself at home, resting an arm along the top of Jack’s cubicle.
“Granger Meade.” Jack leaned way back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
“What about him?”
“She insists on keeping tabs on him. Evan McDaniel helped him find a job. Big deal.”
“Hmm. Where?”
“Crafts Galore. Mount Camden.”
Derrick blew out through lips that formed an O, as if he was about to whistle. “I can see the rub. At least when you guys argue, it’s about something. Zenia and I argue about nothing, all the time.”
“Well, I got news. It doesn’t get any better when you walk down the aisle. Over time, all the little stuff gets magnified.”
Jack had met Zenia at the Public Safety Director’s office at City Hall, where she worked, and had introduced her to Derrick at a Christmas party several years ago. The two formed an immediate bond. When they were on, they sizzled. But when they were off, they were like bickering siblings.
“Dude, you’re killin’ me. What are you trying to do, scare me out of
“Pam—”
“You forgive to a point, but if it’s too big of a sin or too personal, forget it?”
“He’s dangerous! Okay? My job is to protect you—and the girls.”
“We’ve been through this. God’s big enough, Jack. He’s big enough to protect us. He showed us that. He’s big enough to make something of Granger, if that’s what He wants to do. But who are we to make that call?”
Jack knew she was right, but he had not been able to forgive, period. As far as he was concerned, it wasn’t even a topic for discussion. He had agreed to drop charges only to appease Pam.
“Look, I just don’t want any part of the guy, and, no, I don’t like knowing he’s free and living near us. That’s ludicrous. I don’t want to know anything about him. Can’t you understand that ?”
“It’s not like we’re going to have him over for dinner. I was just sharing something uplifting. Wendy said they’re making progress. Evan is really helping him.”
“Evan’s wife wasn’t kidnapped by that freak!”
“Jack, he is not a freak . He’s a person who was mentally abused by his parents his entire life. Can’t you put yourself in his shoes?”
“No. I can’t! I can’t understand anyone who could steal a mother from her children. I don’t think I ever will.”
“Does it matter to you at all that Evan has talked to Granger about God?”
But all Jack could think about was what might have happened if Pam hadn’t escaped. Rape? Murder? Another unthinkable headline in the news?
“Answer me, Jack. Does it matter to you that Granger is considering God?”
“No,” he said flatly. “It doesn’t. It just doesn’t.”
Pam sniffed, and there was a long pause.
“I know I’m not perfect,” she said. “But you need to examine yourself on this. You need to forgive—just as much as you’ve been forgiven. I’ve gotta go.”
He sighed, not wanting it to end like this, trying to think of something to say.
“Bye.” Pam hung up.
He looked at the phone. His face flushed. He debated whether to call her back. But all he’d do was confirm what she had said about his temper.
“What up, dude?” Derrick Whittaker slung his leather satchel into the chair in Jack’s cubicle and peeled off his enormous green coat. Running a flat hand along the right side of his buzz-cut Afro, as if giving the side of a car one last polish, he said, “Dig the new ’do?”
“Nice.”
“What’s with you?” Derrick was big into weight lifting and was built like a brick house—not huge but lean, with zero body fat.
“What do you mean?”
“Dude, you’re usually in, like, this incredible mood. Something must be up.”
“Had it out with the wife.” Jack put his phone back in its cradle.
Derrick jumped back two feet, looking as if he’d smelled a skunk. “For real? You guys fight?”
Jack raised his eyebrows and tried to get back to what he was doing.
“What about?” Derrick made himself at home, resting an arm along the top of Jack’s cubicle.
“Granger Meade.” Jack leaned way back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.
“What about him?”
“She insists on keeping tabs on him. Evan McDaniel helped him find a job. Big deal.”
“Hmm. Where?”
“Crafts Galore. Mount Camden.”
Derrick blew out through lips that formed an O, as if he was about to whistle. “I can see the rub. At least when you guys argue, it’s about something. Zenia and I argue about nothing, all the time.”
“Well, I got news. It doesn’t get any better when you walk down the aisle. Over time, all the little stuff gets magnified.”
Jack had met Zenia at the Public Safety Director’s office at City Hall, where she worked, and had introduced her to Derrick at a Christmas party several years ago. The two formed an immediate bond. When they were on, they sizzled. But when they were off, they were like bickering siblings.
“Dude, you’re killin’ me. What are you trying to do, scare me out of
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