Jedidiah had no idea where the community pool was, but the image of the beautiful drowning mermaid was forefront in his mind. He took Jefferson street west for three blocks and then turned north for another two. If Jed had arrived five minutes earlier he would have been directly behind a skipping Asian girl, but then he would have been too early.
Mai Lin danced into the gate of the community pool and eagerly counted out $1.75 to the scrawny blond haired teenager at the window. Mai Lin's grin was contagious and the scrawny teenager smiled back. Mai Lin was totally oblivious to him and continued skipping onward to the poolside. Troy and his bumbling buddies were already in the pool area standing by the life guard booth. Mai Lin took off her street clothes to reveal a beautifully embroidered pink bikini and a equally stunning yellow sarong upon her waist.
Robby Larson, Troy's handsome older cousin, was also undressing. He took off his shirt to reveal his muscles and began to flirt with the life guard on duty.
"Hello Chink!" Yelled Troy's gangly red-headed accomplice, Walter Cunningham.
"Yes, May Lin How are you?" Troy cut in. Mai didn't even realize that Troy mispronounced her name, nor did she realize the condescending tone to his voice.
Troy was also grinning ear to ear, but not because he was happy to see Mai, but because of the fun he was about to have with her.
"So Mai, are you a good swimmer?" Troy moved closer to Mai as he walked forcing her to walk further along the edge of the pool away from the safe shallow end.
"Um not really," Mai shyly returned.
"That's too bad. We are excellent swimmers." Troy snidely responded. This time Mai could sense danger. She also could hear her mother's voice in her head, first in hurried Mandarin and then in choppy English. "Those boys are trouble. You need to to get away." Mai turned to run but Walter forced her to turn towards the pool instead with a sharp blow to her side.
"Let's see if Chinagirl can swim." Troy exclaimed as he pushed Mai forward. Mai lost footing and plunged face first into the freezing pool. After her apparent belly flop, she began thrashing her arms frantically, bobbing and coughing in between each thrash.
Jennifer Jones, the cute 17 year old life guard, was still flirting with Robby Larson and did not notice the drowning girl.
At the very moment that Mai had stopped flailing her arms, Jedidiah was digging in his backpack for $1.75. He found exact change in a small forgotten pocket, and quickly paid the young attendant. Three laughing boys nearly toppled over Jedidiah as he rounded the corner to the pool. The red-headed one elbowed Jedidiah as he rudely passed by.
Jedidiah had never been to the community pool so the initial shock to his nasal cavity was enough to make him nearly gag. Then he saw her. The mermaid from his dream was floating in the pool. Jedidiah wasted no time. He jumped into the freezing water head first and pulled on the dangling body. It was as if God had given him fins and gills as Jedidiah glided effortlessly through the water.
Mai Lin hacked and wheezed, spitting water all over the concrete floor. "Th- ank you" , she gasped.
Jedidiah found her towel and placed it on her delicate shoulders as she wheezed and hacked some more.
Then all of a sudden she rose. Jed followed.
"It is my family's custom to thank someone properly. How can I find you to return this favor?"
Jedidiah reached into his back pack and found a pencil and a piece of paper. "Funny thing", Jedidiah thought, "I didn't put those in there." The paper was an overdue phone bill complete with his address and mother's account information on it, not something you would usually hand a stranger.
Jedidiah turned over the bill and began to write his initials vertically down the left side of the paper.
J
C
S
It was almost artistic as if he were going to write an acrostic poem. Then he began to write his name, but he stopped on the e, and continued to write Jesus. On his other initials he wrote Christ Saves and then he handed the paper to Mai.
Go to the address on the back and yell these words. That is the only gift I need. Jedidiah turned to leave so he didn't see the shocked expression on Mai Lin's face. "What an odd thing." She thought.
"Jesus Christ Saves" Mai Lin knew her Buddist parent's would hate that. The rebel in Mai Lin smiled. "Yes he does!"
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Jedidiah 6 "Decisions"
One would think that after having a beer bottle hurled toward your head, you would want to get as far away as possible, but not Adela Stitch. Adela was as stubborn as the lid on a brand new spaghetti jar, and she was going to get her money from James Stitch. She pushed Jason gently aside and brushed the dirt from her blue jeans. This time she marched to the door. James was still there propped in the door frame, wiping frantically at his bloody nose with his blue paisley handkerchief that he got at a garage sale. Jimmy's blow had caused the bleeding to drip all the way down James' white tank top and onto his yellow nylon shorts.
"So James. How much are ya gonna give me?"
"I told you lady, I ain't got nothing"
"Well that be the case I will just take your keys to the Harley."
Adela walked over to the beautiful red 1957 Panhead chopper that was parked in his covered spot #204, which James paid an extra rental fee each month, to help keep the Harley in near mint condition. James Stitch had hardly anything of any value, but he had this. He didn't ride it and never did. He washed it, waxed it and stared at it from his plastic .99 cent Walmart chair from his tiny apartment porch.
"Not the Harley." James squealed like a little girl. "I may have some money in the sock drawer."
The "sock drawer" was James'private alcohol stash that he surreptitiously hid from his current wife Melody. It was a small black metal cash box that he kept under his bed among his yearbooks and boring motorcycle magazines. James offered the prized box to Adela. Once opened, it revealed only $250 in small bills. Adela laughed. "Seriously James? That Harley is worth at least $20,000 and you want me to settle for this, not even enough for one month's rent, never mind the four months I owe, nor the ten years of child support you owe me."
Meanwhile Jedidiah was tossing and turning on the couch. Usually after saving lives and souls, he had no problem sleeping midday. God had different plans for Jedidiah today, however. Jed slept for approximately 20 minutes, just enough time to dream. This time, he saw a girl. She was not much older than he with long black hair and a beautiful delicate face. Her hair was flowing as if she was a mermaid. Though her delicate face soon turned an awfuil shade of pale blue. She was not swimming nor struggling to do so, she was simply floating.
Jedidiah had never learned to swim, never even went to a public pool, lake or beach. This was odd for a child who grew up on the California coast, but Jedidiah was an odd child. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that he needed to dive in and save this drowning girl.
Jed got off the couch and looked in his backpack. He didn't think he would need the remaining items, but God had a funny way of surprising him so he left the contents alone. He found a pair of shorts that would have to serve as a bathing suit and put them on and then found a small worn towel to add to the backpack. Then he kneeled to pray.
Mai Lin is actually 2 months shy of 13. Her family moved to San Francisco 3 years ago from Nanjin, a large city in Eastern China. Mai's family owned a business and was very hard working, but Mai had a rebellious streak in her.
Mai did not know how to swim, but Troy Winters did. Troy was her parent's worst nightmare and part of the reason why Mai was so attracted to him. He was in the 8th grade and on the basketball team and most importantly, he was white. Mai was in the 7th grade and absolutely forbidden to date and especially not allowed to fraternize with white boys. Mai thought Troy was inviting her on a date to the community pool. Troy had other plans. Troy pretended to like Mai, but he secretly loathed her and all the chinks. He overhead Mai telling her friend Gloria that she couldn't swim and he created a plan.
Mai glided gracefully past the Budda statues that glared from each room. She silently slithered to the front door. Her mama was out on the porch tending to their tiny herb garden. Her baba was at the family's dry cleaning business so neither parent heard her leave.
Mai skipped the 4 blocks to the community pool towel swinging wildly in hand. Troy, however, was hiding behind the stairwell just inside the door. He was equally excited.
"So James. How much are ya gonna give me?"
"I told you lady, I ain't got nothing"
"Well that be the case I will just take your keys to the Harley."
Adela walked over to the beautiful red 1957 Panhead chopper that was parked in his covered spot #204, which James paid an extra rental fee each month, to help keep the Harley in near mint condition. James Stitch had hardly anything of any value, but he had this. He didn't ride it and never did. He washed it, waxed it and stared at it from his plastic .99 cent Walmart chair from his tiny apartment porch.
"Not the Harley." James squealed like a little girl. "I may have some money in the sock drawer."
The "sock drawer" was James'private alcohol stash that he surreptitiously hid from his current wife Melody. It was a small black metal cash box that he kept under his bed among his yearbooks and boring motorcycle magazines. James offered the prized box to Adela. Once opened, it revealed only $250 in small bills. Adela laughed. "Seriously James? That Harley is worth at least $20,000 and you want me to settle for this, not even enough for one month's rent, never mind the four months I owe, nor the ten years of child support you owe me."
Meanwhile Jedidiah was tossing and turning on the couch. Usually after saving lives and souls, he had no problem sleeping midday. God had different plans for Jedidiah today, however. Jed slept for approximately 20 minutes, just enough time to dream. This time, he saw a girl. She was not much older than he with long black hair and a beautiful delicate face. Her hair was flowing as if she was a mermaid. Though her delicate face soon turned an awfuil shade of pale blue. She was not swimming nor struggling to do so, she was simply floating.
Jedidiah had never learned to swim, never even went to a public pool, lake or beach. This was odd for a child who grew up on the California coast, but Jedidiah was an odd child. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that he needed to dive in and save this drowning girl.
Jed got off the couch and looked in his backpack. He didn't think he would need the remaining items, but God had a funny way of surprising him so he left the contents alone. He found a pair of shorts that would have to serve as a bathing suit and put them on and then found a small worn towel to add to the backpack. Then he kneeled to pray.
Mai Lin is actually 2 months shy of 13. Her family moved to San Francisco 3 years ago from Nanjin, a large city in Eastern China. Mai's family owned a business and was very hard working, but Mai had a rebellious streak in her.
Mai did not know how to swim, but Troy Winters did. Troy was her parent's worst nightmare and part of the reason why Mai was so attracted to him. He was in the 8th grade and on the basketball team and most importantly, he was white. Mai was in the 7th grade and absolutely forbidden to date and especially not allowed to fraternize with white boys. Mai thought Troy was inviting her on a date to the community pool. Troy had other plans. Troy pretended to like Mai, but he secretly loathed her and all the chinks. He overhead Mai telling her friend Gloria that she couldn't swim and he created a plan.
Mai glided gracefully past the Budda statues that glared from each room. She silently slithered to the front door. Her mama was out on the porch tending to their tiny herb garden. Her baba was at the family's dry cleaning business so neither parent heard her leave.
Mai skipped the 4 blocks to the community pool towel swinging wildly in hand. Troy, however, was hiding behind the stairwell just inside the door. He was equally excited.
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