She had no idea what might have caused this crazy episode in him. He’d done a lot of wild things in their time together, most of them when he was trashed, but almost all of them brought out either his aggressive side or his lustful one. Nothing like this. What was he doing talking about God and Jesus and salvation? She was seriously wondering if he had either taken one trip too many or was having one massive late onset mid-life crisis. Whatever it was she was worried.
“I wouldn’t bother about it Shaylon. Eventually he’ll sober up and be right back to that lovable bad boy you married... twice.”
“That’s the thing Evelyn he is sober. I haven’t seen him take anything in weeks; he hasn’t even drank a beer!”
“Okay that is strange. He just quit cold turkey? How’d he manage that?”
“He says God delivered him this time, that sometimes He delivers you and sometimes He guides you through. I’d like to know where his holiness was when Bane quit smoking a few years back that’s for sure.”
“You think he’s had some sort of psychotic break or something?”
“I don’t know. I hope not, but this thing he’s going through is still there. I mean I thought like you that after a few days maybe a week or so he’d snap out of it and come back to his normal self. It’s happened before, something would trigger a reaction and he’d go off writing about oh I don’t know stuffed animals are coming to life to suck the souls out of people, but after a while he’d come out of it. Not like this, it’s different; he’s different.”
“Are you scared, I mean that he’s dangerous? What about the kids are they alright? He wouldn’t hurt them would he?”
“No, no it’s not like that; he’s not dangerous he’s... it’s hard to explain. The kids are fine. In fact Mitchell loves this new version of his father. Bane spends more time with him, reading the Bible to him, playing games with him, helping him with his school work. The others are a bit perplexed. I don’t think they’ve ever seen him sober this long and actually interested in their lives, staying with them in the living room watching stuff with them, listening to music with them and asking them about their interests. Delilah doesn’t know whether to hug him or cuss at him.”
“Why?”
“Well he’s started taking an interest in what she’s wearing to school and stuff and he’s made her go back to her room and change more than once.”
“I’d hate it too if my old man did that.”
“Yeah, but it’s the way he does it. Like, he’ll tell her that she’s too beautiful and too smart to dress like that and that she has so much more to offer the world to let them get caught up in her clothes or lack thereof. So it’s like he’s taking away her style, but telling her how wonderful she is at the same time so she doesn’t know what to do. I mean how can you be mad at someone who tells you how special and wonderful you are right?”
“Okay, I get that. What about the others?”
“Oh I don’t know. Dane just smiles and hides away in his studio working on his album and Mason stays quiet most of the time like he’s trying to decide if Bane’s for real. Parker’s a bit upset that he cancelled the adult channels, but he’s got his computer for that. Course I’m not too happy about that myself. I mean he just cancelled them and locked down the account without even asking me if I wanted them.”
“Ouch.”
“Tell me about it. It’s not like I sit there all day with the remote and ogle the TV, but it’s nice to have something to watch and unwind to, but he’s on this kick where he doesn’t even want to look at another woman. He just smiles and wants to sit in the room with us and read his Bible and stuff.”
“Whoa, wait a minute am I understanding you?”
“What are talking about Evelyn?”
“I’m talking about the fact that you’re telling me your husband is taking an interest in you and the children, staying completely sober, and only has eyes for you and you’re complaining?”
“It’s not that Evelyn it’s the fact that he says God did it, that Jesus saved him from himself.”
“I don’t know about you, but it would take an act of God to change my ex-husband like that.” and she laughed.
Shaylon joined in knowing Evelyn’s ex, but secretly the remark buried itself deep in her mind resurfacing on the drive home. “... it would take an act of God...”. It was crazy wasn’t it? He was different and it wasn’t just a knee jerk reaction like after one of his dalliances when he’d get all serious. She thought about the look in his eyes, the way he carried himself, that peace that he seemed to have even when he had no idea what he would do about the kids or his career. He had something she realized, something that was growing from the inside out and for the first time she discovered that she wanted it too. She wanted to be that sure that everything was going to work out. She wanted to be able to lay her head down on the pillow at night and drift off without the anxiety of something gnawing at the back of her mind. She wanted what he had and if that was God then...”God if you’re real than I’m ready to listen.” Bane was due to have a meeting with their lawyer about the concert breach and album release. She knew they had a clause about him blowing a tour, it wouldn’t be the first time, but she also knew that he was trying to pull the album before it was released. He should be home by now. Maybe it was time to talk to him about this whole salvation thing. So that night, alone in their bedroom, when Bane wrapped his arms around her and asked if she’d be willing to go to a new church that he’d looked into she agreed without hesitation.