Jedidiah and the Mermaid

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!"