A Treasure of Their Own
The Treasure Series
Published by Henry Givens
Copyright 2012 by Henry Givens
Revised 2014
Cover Art by Henry Givens
A Treasure of Their Own is a work of fiction. Though some actual towns, cities, and locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any similarities of characters or names used within to any person past, present, or future is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six: Arthur
Chapter Seven: Arthur
Chapter Eight: Marci
Chapter Nine: Marci
Chapter Ten: Marci
Chapter Eleven: Marci
Chapter Twelve: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Thirteen: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Fourteen: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Fifteen: Arthur
Chapter Sixteen: Arthur
Chapter Seventeen: Marci
Chapter Eighteen: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Nineteen: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Twenty: Arthur
Chapter Twenty One: Arthur
Chapter Twenty Two: Marci
Chapter Twenty Three: Marci
Chapter Twenty Four: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Twenty Five: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Twenty Six: Taylor and Ramon
Chapter Twenty Seven: Marci and Arthur
Chapter Twenty Eight: Marci and Arthur
Chapter Twenty Nine: Marci and Arthur
Chapter Thirty: Marci and Arthur
Chapter One
It was a beautiful Saturday morning. For the fifth day of June, it wasn't too hot. A nice breeze was blowing. There was just a little bit of cloud cover. Not one drop of rain was in the forecast. All in all, it seemed like a great day to be out of doors in Elmhurst, Georgia. The park should have been full. The boat ramp at the river should have been clogged with boats and fishermen. The ball parks should have been alive with people shouting and pitching and batting and running. But it was pretty quiet for a Saturday.
However, things were really buzzing at Elmhurst Christian Church. It wasn't Sunday and it wasn't even 10 o'clock in the morning but already the parking lot was full. Tents had been set up on the church's baseball field. Marco had gathered every available speaker, every speaker stand and several miles of speaker cable. There were amplifiers pushing amplifiers and he personally monitored every one of them to make sure that the sound was......what? Did he say that his job was to make the sound.......loud enough?
That was the command from the pastor himself. Wasn't there an ordinance in the town, though? Yep! And you had better believe that the mayor AND the city council AND the Elmhurst Police Department AND the county Sheriff's Department were very well aware of it.
They had to be. They were all planning on being there. Were their guns drawn? Nope, but most of them had their hankies at the ready.
Ian, Aaron and Jake, the worship team on the stage inside the church, were banging some hot licks on their drums, lead guitar and bass guitar, respectively. Those that called themselves Christians weren't sure if it was 'There's Power in the Blood,' or 'When We All Get to Heaven.’ Those that had not made a habit of going to church were torn between 'Whiskey River' and 'Me and Bobby McGee.'
Oh, coincidentally, they finished at 9:58. Ain't that funny? They finished at the same time that the choir began to hurriedly fill the stage. The normal 25 member choir had doubled to 50 with the addition of 25 hand-picked choir members from the Assembly of God church on Bentley Avenue. Five of them brought their tambourines. Elmhurst Christian Church would probably never be the same.
At precisely 10:00 a.m., Ian raised his drum sticks and gave four clicks. The worship team thumped out an intro to 'Oh, Happy Day,' the Edwin Hawkins Singers version. Those tambourine players were a WELCOME addition to the music of the hour. Without being asked, the entire congregation rose in celebration. Staunch and laid-backed Christians shook out their starch and began clapping their hands in time with the music. Oh, yeah. Some of them began to sweat, too.
Near the end of the song, Aaron turned to the choir and raised his hand in the customary signal to stop at the end of the chorus. On the last measure, he swung around toward Ian and Jake and pumped his fist in time with the rhythm. As the choir stopped, Ian and Jake continued thumping. Aaron broke into something that sounded like a wild Jimmy Hendrix solo.
The teens and the young adults went wild and began clapping their hands in time with the music. Alas, the old fogies just looked around. The realization began to set in that they had lost control. However, for today, I don't think a whole lot of them minded.
Aaron reached a stopping point in the solo but motioned for Jake and Ian to keep thumping. He took a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead with his index finger. That little 'I've got something up my sleeve,' look on his face made some of them break out into an applause.
He smiled as he scanned the front row seats until he caught site of where Arthur, Marci, Ramon and Taylor were sitting. As they made eye contact, Aaron pointed at them and winked as he broke into a swinging version of ‘Power in the Blood.’
Did I say swinging? Oh, I should have said bluesy-swinging. Well, it bordered more on the blues than swing and then at times drifting into a little jazzy-bluesy-thingy. Ok....it was the band's own style.
But that's what the mentor of the youth group had ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS taught them to do. Go with the gift God gave you. Obviously, He gave it to you for a reason. Folks, that mentor was what this bodacious service was all about.
The choir joined Aaron on the chorus. The choir and the congregation sang the rest of the song with him. Yes.....jazz, blues and all. If you ask me, more people enjoyed it than would admit it. Starchy Christians are like that.
When the song finally came to an end, Pastor Jim Wallace came up from the congregation and took center stage. "Folks, all of us know why we're here today. We are here to celebrate......the.....uh...home going....of...” He already had his handkerchief in his hand and began to wipe a tear from his eye as he looked over at Arthur and the group. "I knew I couldn't do it," he said as he tried to chuckle. He looked up at the sound booth and said in a broken voice, "Show it, Charlie."
On the video screens that were on either side of the podium, there appeared one of the last photos of the town's most beloved hero, Tom Dandridge. Underneath his picture were the dates, 'July 28, 1923-May 29, 2010.’ Underneath that was one of his statements that were supposed to rule the day. "I ain't crying right now and I don't want you to either. I am probably singing and shouting the victory. If you want to do something in my memory, join me. Let's all sing and shout for a while."
Pastor Jim leaned into the microphone and spoke softly with as much decorum as he could muster. "I'm going to try to get through this," he said with a faint smile. "Tom didn't want anybody getting up to say anything about him. And so," he said as he took a deep breath, "this worship team and this mixed choir have their orders from the man himself.”
Then as he chuckled and looked down into his handkerchief, "He knew......that.., uh.... we would all get each other to crying. All except those Assembly of God folks.” There was a ripple of laughter and some applause. "Remember when he went over there to gi
ve his testimony. Whoo-boy! They got to shoutin'. Tom got to shoutin'.” There was a short pause before he continued, "I got to shoutin' but I'm not worried about my job here.”
He waited for a few chuckles and cat-calls to die down. Then, he leaned into the microphone and said with a grin, "I also know a couple of the elders who were there. And, they got to shoutin', too. So, I'm safe. At least, I admit it.” Then, he stepped off the stage and motioned to the worship team.
As he took his seat, several men and women stood up, clapped and whistled. Yep, you guessed it. They were from the Assembly of God. However, before the applause died down, Arthur and his group stood up, hooted and gave their pastor a "thumbs up" approval.
The worship team brought everything back into perspective as they led the congregation in stirring versions of some of Tom's favorites. 'All Hail the Power of Jesus Name', 'O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing', 'It Is Well With My Soul', 'The Solid Rock' and 'Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone' were done in their standard style.
Then, in accordance to the order of service that Tom had requested, they went into some contemporary worship. 'Revival', from the album Belfast Revival was first, followed by 'Ancient of Days'.
For the better part of an hour, the worship team and choir went from one worship song to another without a break. The congregation freely rose to their feet and sat down as they chose to. There were tears of joy and tears of sadness. Some knelt at their seats for as long as they wished. Nobody frowned on anybody's expression of worship.
When they finally stopped, Aaron pulled out a handwritten piece of paper from among all the sheet music on his music stand. He turned it around so everybody could see. He said, "Only a few of you might recognize this. But, this is a copy of the original song list that Grandpa ...uh, Tom Dandrige, left with Pastor Jim.” He held it up high enough to make his point, and continued, "Now, if you will notice, this is JUST a list of songs. Nowhere on this piece of paper or any of the other copies does it say HOW they are supposed to be sung......or played. As some of y’all might have noticed by that screaming hot intro I did to 'Power in the Blood."
O-o-o-o-ps, he got interrupted by a round of applause and a few hoots from Arthur's direction. "Thank you, I am sure I deserve that and more," he quipped. More laughter ensued. All that knew Aaron knew that he had more tease in him than ego. "Those of us who have sat under this great mentor always remember that he told us to go with the talents that God has given us and go just as hard as we could go. I would do disgrace to his memory if I did not recognize the God-given singing ability of three of our choir members. I am going to ask Shelly, Susan and Henry to come around and sing a couple from this list..........accapella. How 'bout it?” He lifted his hands in the air and led the congregation in applause as he turned to watch the three of them make their way to center stage.
Aaron strummed a G chord for them as they picked up their microphones. Delicately and in perfect three-part harmony, the trio sang 'Amazing Love' and then went into 'How Great Thou Art'. As they poured out their souls in song, the presence of the Lord dealt with the crowd, both inside and out. Hearts were melted.
As the final chord died down, Aaron came back to center stage and said, "We have one last worship song to do. After that, you can make your way out or just fellowship as long as you want. If this song gets to you as it gets to me.....well, a lot of us...then just find an altar where ever you are. It's too crowded up around the stage to suggest that you come forward. But...." His voice softened as he looked over to Arthur as he continued, "if there ever was a chorus that Tom used to challenge us all with......this was it."
Aaron started the introductory riff and Arthur knew immediately what it was. Marci did, too. She slipped her arm into his and leaned her head on his shoulder. Ramon and Taylor placed their arms around each other also, as they recognized the melody of 'God of This City'.
Indelibly emblazoned in their memories were the words of the song that Tom would pray over and over, “God, do greater things in our lives so we can do greater things in this city for you.”
Marci swung her arm through Ramon’s and the four of them wept and swayed back and forth as they tried to sing the song. The compelling passion with which Tom sang those words echoed through their hearts.
Arthur felt like he needed to be at an altar somewhere but every available space was taken up with chairs. Through his tears he noticed a figure moving on his left. It was Pastor Jim. With nowhere else to kneel, the only place left was the stage. He was followed quickly by his wife and then his eleven-year-old son.
Arthur thought about pulling away from Marci to join Pastor Jim on the stage. However, the other three had the same idea and together they made their way around the maze of mike stands and speakers until each one had their own altar space. That day, God settled His calling in their hearts. At the end of one era, God was beginning several others.
The church was almost empty when the four of them got off their knees. They locked themselves in each other’s arms for a couple of more moments before any of them could speak. Taylor spoke first, "I don't about you guys, but I sense that something's going on. I don't know how to describe what I felt today. All I know definitely is God's stirring something deep inside me."
"Me, too," Ramon agreed. "I got the idea that changes are coming for me and that I need to be ready. It's kinda like I'm fixing to start a new job or adventure or something. Know what I mean?"
Eddy spotted them from the back of the church and began to make his way to the platform. Eddy graduated with Marci, Taylor and Ramon. His father had built a bakery many years ago. After he graduated, his father turned the business over to him. During the past year, Eddy had gradually been adding a list of hamburgers, fries and chili until he changed the name of the business from Ed's Bakery to Eddy's Hamburger Emporium. If you think the name sounds outrageous, wait until you see the list of burgers on the menu.
As they came off the platform, Eddy gave Arthur a big hug and said with a smile, "I guess I need to say 'Congratulations' instead of 'I'm sorry,' huh?"
Arthur replied with an equally big smile, "Yeah, I reckon. 'Cause you know if Grandpa WAS listening from up there, he'd be right back down here in a heartbeat to correct you."
Eddy held up two fingers as he replied emphatically, "I wouldn't want him to do that for two reasons. Number one, I don't want him to come away from where he is. And the BIG number two is I don't want to be corrected by Tom Dandridge, ever again. Four times in the past six years is enough for me. I would much rather take a lickin' from my pa than to have him stand there and talk to me.” His voice toned down about three notches as he added, "I'm sure gonna miss him."
Marci agreed with him, "All of us will. I don't know about the others but this service seemed to....I don't know, inflame the desire I had to serve Jesus. It's like I got a green light to go, but I....don't really know where." She laughed at the seeming nonsense of her statement.
Taylor piped up, "Hey, that's EXACTLY what I felt like as I prayed." She reached over to backhand Ramon in the chest and continued, "Yeah, it's like I got that green light but I don't know where I'm supposed to go."
They all laughed as Ramon had to admit, "I don't know how much better it could be said, but that's about the same way I felt.” Then as the laughter died down and they all looked at each other, he continued, "Hey, guys. God's starting something. I know it."
Eddy took a deep breath and exhaled loudly as he said, "Wow!! That makes what I have to say to you guys easier than what I thought.”
The foursome glanced at each other and then back to Eddy as he began by saying, "Guys, now don't laugh at me, 'cause I can remember Tom saying to us one time, that God speaks to everybody different according to how they can understand stuff. I specifically remember him saying that God might speak to one guy in King James and somebody else in slang. Well, I thought He spoke to me in slang when He told me to invite you guys to the Emporium and treat you to a last supper. You know, like the disciples and Jesus befo
re the crucifixion only nobody is gonna die or nothing. Y'all just might not see each other for a while, that's all. Whatcha' say? My treat? Huh?"
A rather stunned foursome stood looking at each other with smiles that soon turned to laughter until Arthur finally said, "Guys, I'm not sure what God wants me to do in the next few years, or months even. I don't think any of us do. However, I do believe I know what He wants us to do right this minute."
Ramon butted in as he slapped his hands together and quipped, "Yeah, pig-out at the Emporium.” As everybody started laughing, he held up his hand toward Eddy and said, "I was just joking, man. It was too good of a line to pass up."
As Eddy tried to go from laughing to his 'angry' face he pointed his finger at Ramon, "If you DON'T pig-out, I'm going to do the most dastardly thing I could think of to you.” A bona fide giggle broke his 'angry' face look.
Ramon smiled one of his one-sided grins and asked, "OK, what's that?"
Eddy answered, "I'm gonna tell Wendy Hollis that you're the meanest thing in the whole wide world and she shouldn't marry somebody like you."
Ramon grabbed his chest like he was having a heart attack and faked his shock, "Oh, no. Not the darling of my life. You wouldn't dare. How can I go on........?"
He was stopped abruptly by Taylor's usual back-slap in the gut.
Yep. Ramon would get out of hand and Taylor would have to bring him back the same way every time. She had a pretty good back hand, too.
But, Ramon loved it. Most of the time when he saw that he might have the opportunity to go into one of his 'goofy and embarrassing' scenes, he would make sure that he was standing within striking distance of Taylor. Well, you just had to watch the two of them for a while before you could realize what I mean.
While everybody laughed, Eddy gave some last requests, "Guys, just do me a favor. Take your time getting to the Emporium. I wanna get a table cleared for you in the back by the picture window. And, I'll get the guys started cooking some extra burgers. But, then, you never know. We might be busier than ever right now.” Then, as he began to exit the church he reminded them, "Remember. Take it slow getting there."
Arthur just shook his head as the four of them watched him make his way out of the church. Then in as calm and as normal a voice as he could muster he said, "You know. I'm just gonna hate this, every delicious minute of it. Just hate, hate, hate, hate."
"I just bet you will," Marci declared. Now, Marci didn't back slap. She elbowed. And, she knew Arthur's tender spot. But, when she drew back to elbow him, he covered his side with both hands, turned his head and flinched. Marci seized the opportunity and pinched an inch of fat just under his rib cage and twisted.
Well, Mr. Five-summers-in-the-Philippines-studying-martial-arts let out a squeal. Not a yell, mind you, a squeal that got the attention of everyone that was still standing around and talking in the church. Everyone knew that these two had been best of friends ever since Marci's great-grandmother Maybelle died. As a matter of fact, they had been pretty much inseparable through the past six years. So-o-o-o, hearing a squeal, looking around to see an embarrassed Arthur and Marci with her arms folded and smiling-----they put two and two together. Then, they chuckled and went back to talking. Nothing strange going on here.
Ramon grabbed Arthur by the arm and pulled him toward the rear exit and said, "I think we had better leave while we are still in one piece my compadre."
As he stepped towards the door with Ramon, Arthur answered, "Sounds like a mighty good idea to me. Let's go."
Half way to the exit, Arthur heard Marci call, "Arthur?"
He stopped and turned to look at her. The smile was gone and an almost forgotten look was on her face. It was somewhere between uncertainty and fear. It was the kind of look she used to get just before she would start crying. Arthur had seen it all too often the first year and a half after her great-grandmother died. Back then, he had learned that the best thing to do was to act like that look wasn't there.
"Yeah, Sweets, what's up?" was the best he could think of on the spur of the moment.
She turned toward the street entrance of the church, held her hand out to him and asked, "Walk me through the park on the way to Eddy's, will you? I want to talk to you for a few minutes."
"Sure thing, girl. Anything you ask," he replied as he took her hand and began walking with her.
Ramon turned around but at the sound in Marci's voice, he chose not to look at her. He looked straight at Taylor with his eyes raised as if to ask, "Do you have any idea what's going on?” However, the look on Taylor's face showed she was equally puzzled.
To keep an "awkward silence" thing from happening, Taylor quickly caught up with Ramon, spun him around, put her arm in his and began leading him briskly toward the rear exit as she quipped, "C'mon, Ramon, can't you see?” Then in a fake, sultry actress voice she continued, "They want to be alone, Dah-h-ling."
"Oh, really?" Ramon caught on. "I thought it was more of a you-can-eat-my-hamburger-if-I'm-not-there-when-they-come-to-the-table thing."
Just as they were going through the rear door, Taylor could be heard to say, "You know, what? You're almost brilliant for a goober-head. You know it? You're still ugly, but a brilliant goober-head."
That did it. The last comment was such a Taylorism that Marci just had to giggle at it. And just in time, too. They were just passing a group of folks that were standing at the door trying to say 'Good-bye' to each other. One of the gentlemen opened the door for them and everyone spoke. Most offered a word of condolence at their loss, but one in the crowd remarked, "What an adorable couple."
Marci just raised her eyebrows, looked at them out of the corner of her eyes and said in a terse, lilting voice, "Thank you.” And, that was not really her answer of "Thanks.” It was her way of giving her, "Just because we're holding hands, it does not mean that we're a 'couple', thank you" answer.
AND, everyone in that particular group knew it. Most of them had watched both Marci and Arthur grow up in the church. There had always been a deep-seated love for them. Then, Tom Dandridge came along and began to take them, and several other teenagers, under his wing. It was like watching an artist forming a work of art out of a lump of clay. One of the things that Tom pounded into his teens was that young men and young ladies never had to be embarrassed about being seen together. He taught them to develop deep friendships regardless of who He brought into their lives. One of his favorite lines was, "God is plenty God enough to tell you Himself who your spouse is when His time gets here. So, relax, have fun, and make plenty of friends.” And, many of the teens began to live that way.