Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Mud Pile--Installment 4 Jedidiah Stitch
When lying in a mud puddle at the edge of a drunk man’s feet, you only have a few options. One, stand up and hope that the drunk man forgets that he was trying to kill you. Two, roll away and start running, and three, lay there until the stench becomes unbearable. Jedidiah lied there long enough to pray and realized that yes, the mud was not all that comfortable and the stench was unbearable.
He stood up, facing the man and to his delight the man had lowered the gun. The old man teetered back and forth and still appeared to be contemplating a jump. The jump would have caused him to tumble into a rather nasty ditch, with steep sides that would break his back if it didn’t kill him.
“May I pray for you?” Jed asked while trying to straighten out his mud encrusted pajamas.
“Little boy, I have never seen anyone so brave as you, “the old man stretched out his hand to shake Jed’s. “My name is Monty and yes, you may pray for me. I can’t believe that you, a stranger, would try to stop me from jumping. It’s amazing!” Monty smiled his toothless grin.
Jedidiah and the man sat at the edge of the bridge with their feet dangling in the wind. Jedidiah prayed for Monty as if he were an old friend. In fact, as Jedidiah prayed, knowledge about the man flew from his lips. He prayed about the man’s failed marriage, his drinking problem, his estranged children and most importantly his salvation.
Before leaving the man, Jedidiah gave him the tattered Bible. Now he must go home to change out of the muddy clothes and to recharge himself as well. It was probably only noon, but Jedidiah had already worked a full day.
The walk back home was slow. The mud on his pants was drying in the noonday sun and his mud caked arms itched. Jedidiah didn’t realize how hungry he was until he devoured the apple from his backpack while sitting on the same bench that he did earlier that morning. He continued east towards the dirt lot where he found three more bottle caps, to add to his collection, and a broken wrist watch.
When Jedidiah reached his house, he contemplated whether he should go right through the front door or climb back up the tree. It wouldn’t be a first for Jed’s mom to see her son come home so disheveled. Nor would it be the first time, that Jed climbed the tree to sneak directly into his room. Jed’s mom used to worry when she found her son missing. She used to call the neighbors to see if they knew where her son was. Many of them did not know Jed well and they never knew where he was. She even called the police one time to see if they could track him down, but he was home within that hour.
Jedidiah decided upon his front door, for he was far too exhausted to climb the tree. He opened it cautiously, expecting either his mother or one of his brothers to be staring at his filthy appearance, but no one did. His mom could have walked down to the corner store. Their car has been broken for over a year and sits rusting away in the driveway. Jared, the oldest promised to fix it, but never did, and now that he is incarcerated probably never will. Jimmy, who is 16, may decide that he wants the freedom a car can provide so he may fix it soon.
“Mom!” Jedidiah’s call echoed in the empty hallway. Her purse was still on the floor by her door where it always is when she is home. She never goes anywhere without it. In fact, with three of his four brothers living at home, it is rarely this quiet. Where could everyone be?
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