CHAPTER 8 GIRLS AND MORE
JohnB turned toward me in the dark and whispered into my ear.
"JG, I want to go see those girls from school who live over in Sandwich Hollow. I’m planning to go over the ridge to the gas well trail and then on down. It is your duty to go with me because I am the oldest, and I say so."
"What are you going to tell Mom and Dad? You'll get me in trouble for sure, JohnB. I don't want to get lost over on that side. Count me out. We've already had enough trouble."
I rolled over and put my fingers in my ears. I could hear him try the same approach on Scopi. They were still whispering when I finally fell asleep.
The next afternoon, when Dad called a halt to the work, they asked if they could go out exploring. Dad said Yes, and I knew it would be smart for me to keep my mouth shut. I sure was glad to be left at home. Those male hormones must be powerful when they hit; but as for me, I didn't even need deodorant back then.
We missed them at supper, and the rest of us had to do their chores. Mom kept up a good front by busying herself with this and that. Dad always whistled anyhow, but I thought his tunes were kind of monotonous.
It was late and dark when we really began to worry. I finally had to tell them about JohnB’ s plans Dad had a faraway look in his eye, maybe remembering some of his own boyhood adventures.
We went to bed not knowing anything else to do.
Mom called to me out on the porch, "JG, did they take the flashlight?"
"No, ma'am. The flashlight is right here by my pillow."
"Oh. Goodnight again, JG."
"Goodnight, Mom."
I don't know if the others slept, but, for once, I fell asleep just like a person with a halo. I sure was glad to get out of that jam. As for JohnB, Mom and Dad had never realized how bad he actually was!
It was about nine in the morning when they staggered in, looking just like drunks and bursting out laughing every few minutes. I thought they should have been ashamed of causing us so much worry. Their legs were loose. I don't know how they ever got over the mountain.
Mom wondered if they had been poisoned by the way they sat and laughed, then stretched out on the ground and said all sorts of gibberish. Finally, they leaned over on each other and went to sleep.
Much later Scopi woke up and asked very humbly, "Mom, I’m real hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"Me too, please," whispered JohnB. Dad took a seat and looked them right in the eye. "Boys, you have a lot of explaining to do. I see that you are in no mood to realize the anxiety that you put us through last night. JohnB, you see if you can explain yourself, and we will try to understand."
"Oh, Dad. I’m so happy. I don't know if I can talk. Can you, Scopi?"
No. He suddenly threw his hands in the air and talked like someone right out of the jungle. Then he laughed again and walked around in circles with his eyes shut, forgetting all about his being hungry.
"Dad, we went over the top of the mountain and down the other side to see some girls that we knew at school. We stayed too long and thought it was too dark to come back the same way. Oh, please excuse me. (More laughter.) We decided to come around on the road even if it was a lot longer. As we passed that little church out there, we could hear lots of singing and -- laughing. We peeked in and got hooked. Before we knew it, we were down at the front of the church, laid out flat, laughing and talking to the angels. We're sorry to worry you, Mom. Sorry, Dad."
Dad got up and brought his Bible back from the cabin, and looked very sober. He said, "This will take some serious checking out."
They told how the meeting went on all night and nobody realized it until they saw the sun coming up. They said the pastor got them headed toward home, but with these words:
"Our Heavenly Father has done this in the past as a strengthening of joy -- - before the storm. Serve Him well, boys."
As they were telling this, Rooster got very interested and hung onto every word, and, beginning with a little chuckle, something came out that turned into a river of laughter. Soon he was lying on the ground in a trance, saying all sorts of foreign words. I grabbed Sol and headed out to the spring. I didn‘t know if it was safe to go back.
Was this God? I didn‘t know that He would do things like that. I hoped this incident would pass and that we could go on with our regular lives. But about a week later, JohnB came out of the outhouse and beckoned for me with his finger.
"I have a message for you," he said.
"For me?" I asked. He looked sort of spacey. "Where did you get this message?"
"From God."
Oh, yeah, I thought. I wished he wouldn't always try to outrank me just because he's the oldest.
"God, our Father which is in Heaven, says for you to talk to Him more and to listen to Him more, both with your spirit and with reading His book, because you are destined to judge angels."
"Oh, wow," I said, partly skeptical of this too-well-known prophet, and partly overcome with the thought that there really might be Someone out there Who knew me and loved me.
Later in the day I slipped off into the woods, taking our tiny Bible, which was nearly ruined with rain, mud, and constant use. I opened it cautiously. It seemed almost dangerous as if it were hot with radiation. I opened at random and started reading at I Corinthians 6, verse 3. The words jumped off the page. "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" I shut the living thing.
No, I did not know that.