One eyebrow arched over a questioning look.“You were rather quiet on Sunday during teatime.”
Fred shrugged.“It happens.”
She placed a hand on each side of his face and tipped his head to look down at her.“Not as often for you as for Eddie or Brandon, but more often than for Henry.”She smiled.“You may be all grown up, Freddie dear, but you’re still my boy, and I know when things are not right.”She pulled him down further and kissed his forehead.“But I’ll let you discuss whatever it was that you were thinking about with your dad.”
“How did you know…” He began to ask as she let him stand up again.
She shook her head.“You tap your finger on whatever surface is near you when you’re thinking.You always have.”
“I tap all the time.”At least, he did when it was not possible to hum whatever tune was in his head.
“Nope.I’m not buying that,” she said.“You were tapping the ‘I’ve got a problem to sort out’ tune.It has its own rhythm.”
“Seriously?”His mom kept track of things like that?
“Yes, now, I hope that you have a good day at work after you’re done here.But remember, I have two ears that work just as well as your dad’s do, and my viewpoint might be helpful since I’m not a pastor or a boy.”Her eyebrows flicked up a couple times as she smiled.
“I know, Mom.Remember, I’m the one who talks to you the most of all us brothers.”
“I know, but you’re all grown up and… well… things change.”
Fred wrapped her in a hug.“Nah, you’ll always be my Mommy.”
She laughed.“And you’ll never get married if you keep calling me that.”
Yeah, that’s not what was going to keep him from getting married, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to share what was keeping him single with his mom just yet.Maybe some day.
“I hear,” he said instead, “that cool bachelor uncles are all the rage.”
She swatted playfully at his arm.“You would need a niece or nephew to be an uncle, and I don’t believe for one minute that God intends for you to be single.”
“You don’t believe any of us are going to be single,” he countered.
She shrugged.“Maybe Brandon.”
Fred was certain his eyes couldn’t open any wider.Had his mother just admitted that one of her children might not get married?That was a first.
“He’s always been good on his own.The rest of you need someone.”She gathered her coat from the chair in front of his dad’s desk.“That doesn’t mean I’m not still praying he will find a wife.Just like I am for the rest of you.”She went behind the desk and gave his dad a hug and kiss.“See you at the diner at six.”
“Date night?”Fred asked.
“Yep,” his dad replied.“You can never give those up once you find the right girl.”
It was not the first time Fred had heard his dad say something along those lines.
“So, what can I help you with, son?”He busied himself shuffling the papers on his desk.
Fred blew out a breath and rubbed his hands on his knees.He didn’t want to say this, but it had to be said.It truly did.“I think…” He swallowed.“I think I’d like to step down from the worship team for a while.”
His dad’s hands stopped as he gave Fred his full attention.“You want to step down from the worship team?”he asked as if he hadn’t heard correctly.
Fred nodded.“For a while.I don’t think it’s forever.”He hoped it wasn’t.He loved playing, singing, and hearing the congregation praising God with him.But right now, he had to step back.
“Um.”His dad pulled out a pen and notepad.“Is there a reason for this desire?”The fact that Fred’s request baffled him was written plainly across his face.“You have wanted to lead worship since you started guitar lessons when you were seven.”
Actually, that waswhyhe had chosen to take guitar lessons.“Yeah, I know, but I…” He shrugged.“On Sunday, it felt like God was saying to take a step back from some stuff.”
Esther to be specific.
