The Kingdom Land (14 page)

The cook interrupted. “I don't care about your two's
family reunion. I'm closing the grill in five minutes and the doors
in fifteen, so if you want anything you better get it now,”

“
Give me a hamburger with hash
browns and a cup of coffee” Erik replied. He looked to see if Laura
needed anything, but she already had a plate of fries.

“
That'll take too long. I'll give
you scrambled eggs and put some sausage gravy over toast. Take it
or leave it. I still have to clean the grill before I can get outta
here.”

“
I'll take it, but make sure the
gravy's hot.”

Erik watched Laura pick up her plate and walked to
sit directly across from him at the U shaped counter. She only came
closer to get a better look at his cuts.

Erik said, “I'm sorry you lost your job, and I'm
sorry I played a part in it.”

A small smile formed on Laura's face “Better take
some lessons on ducking if you want to fight again. But I told you;
it was going to happen anyway. The guy that was my boss is a jerk.
Every time I turned around he was staring at me. It was creepy.
Besides, he smelled like he'd never taken a shower in his life. It
was hard to even walk past him.” She hesitated a moment, the smile
flickering from her face. Hesitantly she added, “You gotta know I
was only calling you a loser because I panicked. I never thought
you were a loser. I'm sure you're probably a great guy, but I had
to do something cause I saw the look in my boss's eyes when he was
pulling you out,” she added.

Erik's shoulders relaxed as he found himself smiling.
“Forget it. Serves me right for being an idiot.” Simultaneously, he
became acutely aware that after working in the field and then his
hike up the mountain, his clothes probably smelled as bad as her
boss had. He was glad she hadn't come any closer. “So what are you
going to do now?”

The cook placed a plate of eggs, toast and sausage
gravy in front of Erik. He took a bite, noted that the gravy was
far from warm. He looked over to complain, but concluded it was a
waste of time. Instead, he returned his attention to Laura as she
answered his question.

“
I'm not staying in Sweet Grass,
that's for sure,” she said. “I have a few boxes to pack and I'm out
of there for good. I did some exploring around Fairfield today.
WinRight needs a checker. That'll pay more than I made at the Mint,
and the Highline Apartments are half empty, so it'll be cheap
housing. If the WinRight job comes through you may have actually
done me a favor.”

“
First you told me it wasn't my
fault, and then you tell me I did you a favor. I guess I come out
okay in the deal?” Erik had a slight lisp trying to talk with a
mouth full of toast and gravy that he'd put in his mouth before
Laura sat down again. He felt disgusted at himself. What am I
doing? Show some class, he thought. I'm not having lunch on the
tractor. I'm sitting next to the prettiest girl I've ever
seen.

“
Yeah,” she said, looking at him.
“You came out alright. Except your face…” she shook her head with
a little laugh. “They did a number on you, didn't they? Where'd you
go after that?”

“
I've been home.” Erik washed down
the remainder of his food with a quick drink of cold coffee. “I've
been home and just about everywhere else since then… I've had a
lot to think about. Right now, all I want to do is clean myself up
and sort out some things and I guess let my wounds heal,” Erik
commented as he put his hand on his still swollen and scabbed jaw.
“After I first left the Mint I just drove for a while and ended up
sleeping in my pickup.”

“
Sounds like you had a great
Saturday night, just like me.” Laura said as she leaned over the
counter to get a closer look at Erik's wound.

“
In a strange way it was a great
evening. I'll never forget it.” To Erik's surprise, he kept
talking, “I felt so messed up. I prayed to God. I'd never really
prayed that way before, and this time it seemed like God was right
there with me. I don't even know how to explain it, but He touched
me and He was right there with me.” Erik's words flowed easier the
more he talked. When Laura had just been a dream, he hadn't been
able to think of anything to say to her. Now, when she was a
reality, he was saying things he couldn't have fathomed saying to
anyone before.

Laura was quiet for an uncomfortable minute. She
hadn't expected nor wanted to get into a conversation about her
past and Jesus. Finally, she said, “Sounds to me like you gave you
life to the Lord.”

Erik placed his fork down on the now empty plate.
“So, you know the Lord, too?” he asked.

 

 

***

 

It had been along time since Laura
had talked to anyone about Christ. Either it was the undertone of
excitement she heard in Erik's question or it was the desperation
she had felt over the past two days with losing her job and knowing
she had to find another and move. Maybe it was a combination of it
all, but his question had reminded her of how she had been in the
past. She was suddenly acutely aware of where she was, what time it
was, the diner, the cook, and Erik. It was the acuteness one feels
when they are suddenly totally in the present. When all thoughts in
a person's head stop and they are faced with one pressing question;
the question Erik had asked.
So, you know
the Lord, too?

She answered slowly. “Yes, I have been a Christian. I
met Him about six years ago, although it seems longer than six
years. When I met Him, it was the best time of my life, but things
change.” And so did her voice

“
What do you mean by that?” Erik
asked.

“
Stuff happens.” She
sighed.

“
I don't know what you mean about
‘stuff'. What stuff?”

“
You don't want to know. It's not
important, and it's probably just me. Enjoy your food and your new
life with Christ, and forget I said anything. It's just me
rambling.”

“
No, you need to tell me what you're
talking about. I'm new at this and I don't know what to expect. I
just got done talking to a guy who has been saved for years, and he
seems more excited about the Lord than I am. He said to keep it
simple, and not let things confuse me.”

“
Yeah, he's right. Listen to him,
not to me. It's been a long night. I just got fired, and I'm tired.
Don't pay any attention to me. I'm just a girl who doesn't know
what she's talking about. Everyone knows girls just talk and it
doesn't mean anything.” Laura didn't want to get into a long
conversation about Christ with a guy she didn't even know, and she
swiveled her chair towards the outside windows. She thought how
nice it was for Erik to be excited about Christ, but she had been
there before. She had hoped for so much, but the reality around her
didn't carry much hope. She was at a small greasy diner with a cook
who had been trying to hit on her, and a stranger with a beat-up
face and smelly clothes. This was no longer the good old
days.

The cook returned from cleaning up the grill. “Hey,
the party is over. I'm locking the doors.” He reached under the
counter, pulled out a set of keys and moved to the door and
impatiently waited for them to follow him.

“
We need to talk, we really need to
talk” Erik said to her as Laura was forced to turn towards him as
she left. “Do you mind talking in my pickup?” Erik asked as he rose
to follow her from the diner.

Laura's past meant she would never again be alone in
a pickup with a guy. But… She looked at Erik. There was something
about him and the way he spoke to her about the Lord. She surprised
herself by replying, “Okay, but I need to get home, so it has to be
short. I've got an interview tomorrow.”

 

 

 

Chapter Eleven

 

 

T
he earlier
heat of the day on the northern Great Plains had yielded to the
cool night of a cloudless sky. Laura felt the evening breeze on her
face and couldn't help but feel relieved to be out of the diner,
but her feet still moved slowly. Erik was at the pickup door before
her slow steps had left the edge of the Point. Her eyes watched his
every movement searching for any hint of danger but she found none,
only the comical movements of Erik trying to quickly straighten up
the passenger side of the pickup truck which held an array of tools
and farming apparatuses.

Erik worked at clearing a spot in the open door of
the pickup and wondered if she was even going to get in. His mind
raced. He was about to be alone with Laura. It would be great to
talk about Christ, but what else would he say? He had never talked
to any girl about anything important, and this wasn't any girl.

“
Sorry about the mess. I wasn't
expecting visitors.” It was all Erik could think of to say as she
at last arrived by his side and waited patiently as he pushed the
junk and tools off the seat, and shoved the big pipe and tire
wrench behind the seat.

Laura's concern wasn't the mess. She climbed into the
truck but left the passenger door open as he went around and got
into the driver side of the pickup. The open door was more symbolic
as they would still be very much alone. She felt better leaving one
hand on the door handle. Then she waited for Erik to say
something.

The silence made Erik's first words even more
awkward.

“
What should I know about?” he asked
after clearing his throat once. He had been fine in the diner, but
now it was just the two of them, and he was mortified to find that
he was as awkward and nervous as he had been when in her presence
at the bar. But he wanted to know, so he forced himself to
continue. “Is what I'm feeling now about Christ going to
change?”

Laura unclenched her hands as she realized Erik
really did want to talk about Christ. Without thinking she closed
the door but her hand remained on the handle. ”No, no. Don't think
that. Erik, don't let me give you the wrong impression about what I
said. You tell me about the other night. That's more important than
my problems.”

Erik didn't know what to say or how to start. This
was all new to him. Once again the awkward silence filled the cab
as Erik stared straight forward until he realized that her question
was easy to answer.

“
Okay.” Erik turned to look at her.
“When I left the fight I didn't know where I was going, but I guess
He did. I've known God existed. Maybe I should say I hoped He did,
just in case I needed Him, but Saturday night was the first time I
asked Him to be my Lord”

Erik fumbled with his words. “I can't exactly tell
you what happened. I don't know what happened, but I prayed to God.
I know that, and I know He answered me. I can't even tell you how I
know, but I know. Before this, God was just something out there
that, if He existed, was too far away to make a difference. But
after I prayed, He wasn't out there. He was in my pickup with me,
somehow, someway. He was there. I needed His touch and it seemed
like He held me in His arms. Nothing exactly happened, but I knew
He was with me and had heard my prayers.” Erik looked at Laura for
acknowledgement that he wasn't just dreaming. “Is that strange, or
did the same thing happen to you?”

The lights of the Point went dark and soon after the
cook came out and left in an old car. It became almost completely
dark, and only the outlines of their faces could be seen. The
silence drew out until Erik repeated himself.

“
Is that strange or did the same
thing happen to you?”

And Laura was forced to reply. “No it's not strange.
Hold on to that: knowing how close He is, and don't let it go.” She
straightened herself in the seat, no longer leaning hard on the
door. “I've almost forgotten it, how sweet it is to be close to
Him. Don't let that happen to you. I remember the first time I
recognized His touch; different circumstances, but same result as
what you said.” Laura's voice was so soft Erik leaned towards her
to hear and then back when he saw her flinch. Again, he had to
restart the conversation

“
How could you almost forget
something like meeting the Lord? What happened?” His question was
almost plaintive, as though the thought of it was a
tragedy.

“
What happened?” Laura replied. “So
much has happened. I don't want to give some ‘poor me' story.
Besides, it's too long, and it doesn't make a
difference.”

“
Of course it makes a difference. It
happened to you and it might happen to me.”

“
Let me just tell you the good
parts, the part where I met the Lord, like you,” Laura
said.

“
I had just gotten out of high
school and things weren't good. I was having a hard time with my
parents, and I had no idea what I was going to do with my life and
no one to give me answers. On October 6
^th
, I'll never forget that date.
I decided to go for a little picnic. There's a big wooded park in
Billings and the leaves of the maples had just been touched with
the first frost. They were ready to fall, but the bright orange and
brown colors seemed to hold them for one more day.

“
I didn't have anything else to do
so I packed a lunch and went alone to my favorite spot. My parents
always mocked Christians. So maybe out of spite, I started going to
church. It bored me, but yet I knew the people were talking about
something that was real, and I didn't have it. A couple of weeks
before this in that church I simply prayed that I wanted what they
had. That certainty. That faith.