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Hunter sighed. “I … I guess, I just can’t figure out, if God really does exist, why he would have left me alive and taken my brother.” The words were out and Hunter wasn’t even sure he was happy he’d admitted it to the pastor.
Pastor Henry’s smile turned sober. He sighed. “You know that Tim’s mother was my sister don’t you?”
Hunter had to think about that. Tim was older than Hunter and, as long as Hunter could remember, Tim had always lived with the Pastor and Lily. “Yeah.”
The pastor put a light hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “When my sister and her husband passed away in that car wreck, it felt so … tragic. So horrible.” He blinked. “I had pain in my chest that I thought I would never be able to get over. And, when I was asked to be the guardian of Tim, I was even more dismayed, thinking that my sister had passed away and she wouldn’t get the chance to raise her son.” A tear leaked down his cheek.
Hunter hadn’t really thought about what the pastor had gone through.
The pastor wiped his cheek. “But I have to tell you that it’s been my priviledge to raise that man. It has been …” his voice cracked, “such a blessing to myself and Lily because we couldn’t have children of our own.”
Hunter felt compassion for them.
He sniffed. “So while, God might not give us a choice if we’re the ones who live or die, all I can tell you is he does give us a choice in how we live our lives. And, when that tender mercy of being a parent to Tim was granted to me … all I knew was that I would not fail Tim and I would not fail God. So…”
Hunter’s heart raced.
“My question for you, son, is … what do you think Trent would want you to do with your life?”
The blatant question sort of ticked Hunter off. “Heck if I know.”
Again, Pastor Henry frowned. “I’m sorry if that question upsets you.”
Hunter wanted to yell at the man, but all he could do was turn toward the shop. “I have to go.”
“That’s fine. I have to run, too, but think about being a pastor. I might need a replacement. When you’re ready, we can chat.”
That was totally random and stupid, Hunter told himself as he watched the pastor leave. Yet the words of forgiveness kept creeping into his mind for the rest of the day while he listened to classic rock and worked in the shop.
The offer to become a pastor, ridiculous as it was, stuck with him.
Plus, he didn’t want to think about Trent and the fact he’d left Hunter to deal with his life by himself.
No, he didn’t want to think about that at all. In fact, he didn’t even want Trent to talk to him anymore.
“Do you hear that, bro?” he called out to no one. “Get your voice out of my head!”
Various thoughts seized him. His siblings were probably getting together and talking about him. His sister was probably gossiping with her little beach friends, including Cheryse, about what a loser he was.
Marshall’s words about her pregnancy came back to him. He would have to check in on her one night when she wasn’t with the gossiping hens in town. Hunter grunted; most of the hens were his family.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He was down the rabbit hole. Of course he was.
At five o’clock, he put the tools away and went to the bar. It had become his permanent dinner place. He didn’t really eat; he just drank. It wasn’t a great habit. He was in a bad mental state already, and he couldn’t help but think about the night before, when he had overheard Cheryse and Roger talking about their future. There was no way he could forget the stricken look on her face when he’d confronted her. He’d had a hard time falling asleep last night, only to dream about her when he finally did.
He clenched a fist as he downed his first beer and half-watched a rerun of a basketball game. Dang her. Dang that prissy Roger. The guy had seriously asked for money for some charity in Trent’s name.
Trent would have thrown so many insults at those two. Now they came to Hunter’s mind, and he couldn’t help but laugh. Many times over the course of the past year, he had found his team guys staring at him as he had conversations with an imaginary Trent.
He lifted his hand and signaled to the waitress that he wanted another beer.
What in the crap did Cheryse see in that guy?
After five beers, he was gone pretty good. A couple tourists walked in and sat next to him. One guy playfully asked about his eye patch.
Hunter knew the quip Trent would have made. “You should see the other guy.”
The guys laughed, and Hunter found himself joking around with them. It was nice to have some normalcy. The doctor had said Hunter could have a normal life and look normal, but that wasn’t in the cards for him.
