At the Drive-In, page 16
Because of his young age, Vera Lou hated to rely on Chris, but truthfully even if he were available, Tom was hardly the best person to provide spiritual counseling. Not really a people person, he was fine with the choir, and his love of music made him effective in leading worship, but he was, in his own words, “more a musician and less a minister.” Chris, on the other hand, had surrendered to the call in his early teens and already considered himself a minister first, and the youth guy second. He secretly dreamed of one day being the pastor of a church just like First Baptist.
Vera Lou popped her head into his office. “Got a minute, Chris?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
She tentatively posed the question about possibly filling in for the pastor and doing a bit of counseling. “Just until he gets back, you understand.”
He was quick to agree. “Oh, that’s fine. I’ll talk to her and see what I can do. And I’ll let her know that the pastor will be back in a few days and she can wait and talk with him if she doesn’t want to see me.”
Vera Lou went to get her. Chris was thrilled to be able to do some real ministry work, not that he didn’t believe his work with the youth had value, but more that he was eager to prove himself to the church as a long term staff member. He had heard the stories about the previous youth minister and he had no desire to be let go so soon.
He looked up to see Cora standing in his doorway. Vera Lou gave her a slight nudge from behind and then disappeared back to the front desk. Chris was nervous, but he thought the young woman before him was downright terrified. He got her seated and sat himself. She glanced back at the still open door, but he knew better than to meet alone with her behind closed doors.
“Don’t worry, Vera Lou’s the only one else here and she can’t hear us from her spot up front.”
She smiled, but it lasted only seconds before being replaced by the scared and worried look she had been wearing. She looked at the floor and stayed silent.
“My name is Chris Manning and I’m the Youth Minister here at the church. I guess Vera Lou told you the pastor is ill this morning.”
She nodded, still silent.
“So, if you would rather wait until he gets back, I would certainly understand. I know I’m probably not what you were expecting.”
He smiled, hoping to make her feel more comfortable, but she remained quiet and he noticed her grip on the purse in her lap was so tight that her hands were shaking. Just when he had decided that she was never going to speak, she did, but it was so low that he could barely make out the words.
“I know you. I’ve seen you on Sunday mornings.”
“Well, it’s really nice to meet you ...” He glanced down at the index card Vera Lou had supplied. “Mrs. Peters.”
“Cora.”
He would have preferred to keep things more formal, but he also wanted to make her feel more at ease.
“Cora, then. So how can we help you today?” She still looked uncertain and he thought she would probably choose to come back another time when Pastor Summers was there. She looked back at the door, studied the carpet under her feet, and finally met his gaze for just a moment. Her eyes closed and then a single tear rolled down her cheek and she started to tell her story.
When the dam burst and the tears began to flow in abundance, he moved to pass her the box of tissues he had dug from his desk and sat beside her, rather than going back behind his desk. He touched her lightly on the sleeve, an innocent touch to show he was there and still listening. She jumped at the contact and he quickly withdrew, leaning away from her in the chair. She continued to sob quietly and he waited, not wishing to push her or hurry her story.
Tom Gates appeared in the doorway and knocked softly. “Everything okay, Chris?”
He looked relieved when Chris thanked him and told him they were fine. He moved away, heading for his own office at the far end of the church near the choir room. Cora wiped her eyes and began speaking again. She found that the words came easily once she had made the difficult decision to tell someone else all the things she had been holding inside for so long. It felt good to let it out and she was glad to see that the kind young man was content to listen without interruption, nor judgment. She didn’t ask for advice and he didn’t give any. He offered to pray for her and he asked if she was okay with him discussing the matter with Pastor Summers. He was surprised to hear her object.
“I just thought that he would be better equipped to help you. He has a lot more experience with these kind of matters than I do.”
“I don’t want anyone else to know. It was hard enough to admit to you.”
“You know that none of this is your fault, right? There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Just please don’t say anything. Not to the pastor. Not to anybody.”
“If that’s what you want.”
“And if I need to talk some more, I can come back and see you again?”
“If that’s what you want.”
He walked her out and was surprised to see Vera Lou enter a short while later with a fresh cup of coffee. “You did real good, Chris.”
She smiled and placed the coffee on the corner of his desk and went back to the front. He felt very grown up for some reason and he treated himself to a burger from Sully’s on the way home that afternoon.
***
Cora walked home in a much improved mood herself. She could not believe how much the simple act of vocalizing her feelings had helped. She thought about the young minister often over the next few days. He was handsome she had decided, in a boyish manner. He had been so overtly polite as to almost be humorous. She thought he was at least her age, if not younger, but he had called her ma’am more times than she could recall ever hearing in one sitting. Despite his attempts to remain formal and detached, she could still feel the warm glow that had caused her heart to flutter when he looked at her with his piercing blue eyes.
Evan had looked at her like that when he was pursuing her long ago. Now he seldom made eye contact with her at all outside of the bedroom. Even then, she felt as if he wasn’t really seeing her. And the young minister had listened to her. To her. As if her thoughts and feelings actually mattered. As if she were a real person, not just some object to be punched and kicked to work off your anger and frustration.
She lost all track of time and when she heard the car pull up in the driveway, she panicked, knowing that his supper was not sitting on the kitchen table, hot and ready. She prayed and calmed herself thinking of the nice young man who had made her feel like a person. And then she did her best to tell a believable lie. She told Evan that she was sick. She had been throwing up all afternoon and she had fallen asleep in front of the TV watching that new soap Days of Our Lives. She had only just woken up and she would have his dinner ready as quickly as she could.
He looked at her suspiciously, but perhaps thinking about the injuries he had so recently inflicted upon her, chose to take her tale at face value. “Go on to bed, then. I’ll grab a burger at Sully’s.”
She smiled weakly and thanked him for understanding, but a part of her wished she could have a burger from the drive-in. There never seemed to be enough money in the budget for her to eat out. She ate a bologna sandwich and cried herself to sleep.
***
Chris could not seem to get Cora Peters out of his head. Pastor Summers had returned to work the next day, still sick and probably highly contagious as well, but back at his post where he felt most at home. Chris had sat down with him to visit about the situation with Cora, holding back the details as she had insisted. He reported honestly that he had mostly just listened and then prayed with her and for her. Pastor Summers was pleased that the boy had done well in his absence and fully expected that when the woman came back she would ask for her pastor and he would be willing and able to take over the role of spiritual advisor. He knew the woman and he had an inkling of what had brought her to the church. Unfortunately, he had seen the signs before.
Chris went back to his own office and sat for a while thinking of her. She was not a natural beauty, but he had experienced a strong attraction to the woman, he suspected due to her obvious vulnerability. He had always had a sort of compulsion to save those in need. A good quality, he thought, for someone who had dedicated his life to ministry. He pictured the soft brunette curls with a hint of auburn. Her brown eyes had held him steadfastly once she had finished her tale and managed to stop staring at the carpet. She had looked at him with hope, trusting that he would be there for her in some small way to get her through whatever lay ahead.
He had a strong desire to wrap her in his arms, not in the embrace of a lover, but in the protective manner of a parent, for most of all, she had come to him in a childlike manner seeking a friend to quash her fear and make her feel safe. From the Bogeyman she had married.
The thought of her husband and the mistreatment she had suffered at his hands, stirred up an uncharacteristic anger in Chris. He had mentioned to Pastor Summers that the woman had “problems at home” and “issues with her marriage” and although he had wanted to share more, he had promised Cora that he would not, so he left it at that. He thought that she would go to Pastor Summers when she came back. He fully expected that she would return. Her kind of problems rarely went away on their own. He was young, but he knew that much for certain.
On Wednesday, he went to the high school for lunch. He liked to visit with the boys and girls from his youth group away from the church, in their natural habitat, he joked. It was true that they were different at school, but he often thought the same was true of the adults who attended First Baptist. On Sundays, people always wore their best, but even beyond the clothing, the attitudes and manners and general conduct all reflected an effort to put their best foot forward, so to speak. He often thought the world would be a better place if people behaved the same Monday through Saturday, as they did on Sundays.
He had not admitted to himself his other reason for going to the high school this particular week, but while there, he made sure to locate and set eyes upon Coach Peters. As soon as he saw him, he was sure without bothering to ask that the large man at the teacher’s table was the man he had heard so much about just a few days earlier. He was chatting amiably with an attractive young teacher whom Chris had met the previous month. As he watched, the coach placed his large hands playfully on hers. She blushed and he laughed and Chris thought the whole thing looked highly inappropriate.
Something about his overall manner irked the young minister. He appeared friendly enough on the surface, but the way he had pawed the young female teacher and the way he kept glancing at her breasts whenever she looked away made Chris uncomfortable to say the least. Another female teacher stood to leave the table and as she walked away, the coach leered at her backside oblivious to the attention he was drawing to himself. He leaned over to share a remark with another male teacher who blushed at the comment. He laughed at his colleague’s discomfort and turned back to his original target. She slapped at his hand when he once again attempted to make contact and then left the table herself. She backed away mockingly maintaining eye contact with him until she had distanced herself sufficiently to turn around.
Chris left the cafeteria thinking that the charming routine he had just witnessed was a far cry from the behavior Cora had described, but he could easily imagine the large man with the crew cut and broad shoulders intimidating and physically dominating the slight, short woman he had met on Monday. He went back to the church, read his Bible, and prayed for forgiveness for the angry, hateful judgments he had passed a few hours before. He thought that men like Evan Peters made it hard to love your neighbor sometimes.
***
On Sunday, Cora sat with her husband near the back of the church on the side nearest the outside door. Although Evan insisted on going and spoke to as many people as he could prior to the beginning of the service, when it ended, he was out the door and into his car as quickly as he could manage. Cora hustled out as fast as she could as well, knowing that if she dawdled, he would be angry and she didn’t want to risk that. Her ribs were still sore from the last time he had gotten upset with her. She spotted Chris sitting down near the front on the left side of the sanctuary surrounded by the teens who made up his youth group. She was still picturing the blue eyes and the look of sincere concern that made him so attractive. She wondered how long she should wait before going back for more counseling.
Evan caught her staring and elbowed her in the ribs, the sore ones. “Who’re you lookin’ at? You checkin’ out the high school boys?”
She reddened, partly from embarrassment, partly from the pain. “Don’t be silly, Evan. You know me. Just starin’ off into space like a loon.”
“Well, stop it. You look like an idiot.”
“Sorry.”
“God, you think I want people thinkin’ I’m married to some kind of moron.” He jabbed her with the elbow again and she did her best not to let the discomfort show on her face. She was glad to hear the music begin and prayed he would not find anything else with which to find fault with her. He sang along with his booming baritone, happy to be in the Lord’s house on this fine Sunday morning, or so he would say if anyone asked.
Chris had made a concerted effort to locate Cora before the service got going. He would have loved to have found some pretense for speaking with her, but with her husband stuck to her side, he thought it best to steer clear. He sat with his students and kept his focus on the front of the auditorium even though his thoughts were continually floating toward the back where he knew she was sitting. After the final prayer, he caught a fleeting glimpse of her hurriedly following the coach as they made a beeline for the exit. He had a full afternoon and a youth party after the evening service, so he cleared his mind of Cora Peters and the awful man she had married.
The next morning, he found Vera Lou waiting for him when he arrived. “Pastor needs to see you.”
He wondered if that were a good thing or a bad thing, as he climbed the stairs to the Pastor’s Study. The door was open and he knocked casually as he entered, motioned in by the old minister’s impatient gesture. He plopped down in the nearest chair surprised to see Cora sitting in the opposite corner of the small room.
“Chris, I’m sure you remember Mrs. Peters. You met with her last week while I was out sick.”
She extended her hand and he shook it politely. “Mrs. Peters, good to see you again.”
“You, as well.” She smiled shyly and they broke their brief contact to return their attention to the pastor.
“Chris, I’ve been explaining to Mrs. Peters that your job is primarily with the youth and that counseling and spiritual guidance is more a part of my job here at the church.”
“I understand.”
“And she does as well, but it seems that having already confided a great deal in you, she would really like to continue to meet with you while she works through some of the issues you discussed last week. I have further explained that although you lack the experience, you are well grounded in the Scriptures and have had plenty of training in the area of Biblical counseling. If you’re comfortable with the arrangement, I will permit you to continue meeting with Mrs. Peters, so long as you keep me updated, in general terms only, and don’t hesitate to come to me at any time if you feel you’re in over your head.”
They walked downstairs and for the next forty-five minutes, Cora gave Chris the short version of her life story. He wondered if he were providing counseling or merely giving the young woman a listening ear, but either way, he supposed it was therapeutic for her and he was happy to help. He was developing a genuine interest in her and he earnestly cared about her safety. He didn’t know if talking about it would solve any of her problems, but if it made her feel better, he would certainly give it his best. He was determined to prove his worth to the church and accepting this added responsibility from the pastor would surely impress the deacons.
He walked back upstairs when she left to give Pastor Summers the update. He was surprised to find the pastor’s attitude and tone completely changed now that Cora was not in the room with them.
“Chris, I have to say, I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“I don’t understand. I thought you were fine with it.”
“Now, don’t get me wrong. I know you mean well and I know that you are entirely capable of handling some basic counseling duties, but this is different.”
“How so?”
“She’s a married woman, Chris. How are you, as a single man, supposed to offer marital counseling? You don’t see the problem?”
“I do. And you’re right. I have no business discussing her marital issues, but like today, that’s not at all what she wanted to talk about. Believe me, I have no interest in giving her or anyone else advice on their marriage.”
“So, what does she need help with? In general terms?”
“Well, last week, it was about her marriage, but this time, she really just talked about herself. As a matter of fact, she didn’t mention her husband at all today. Pastor, I would be more than happy to hand it over to you and walk away, but honestly, I think she’s just lonely and needs someone to talk to.”
“That’s not really our job, though, is it?”
“I don’t know, Pastor. We are supposed to comfort the people who come to us for help, aren’t we?”
“Just be careful, Chris. Don’t get pulled into any personal issues that might come back to bite us in the butt.”
“I’ll try.”
***
Evan Peters had begun hanging out at Sully’s every Friday and Saturday until closing. Even though he was only twenty-five, he still seemed very out of place surrounded by the teenagers who frequented the drive-in during their late weekend hours listening to the Beatles and sneaking kisses. He had become friends with Sully, although acquaintances would probably be more accurate. Sully had come out and introduced himself, prompted by his wife Ellie who was concerned by the attention he was giving to a particular carhop.
