“And we’re going there now? To your brother’s house?”
“Correct. There’s honestly no place on earth like it. It’s stunning and just so free. It doesn’t feel crowded, despite the number of families we house. I can’t imagine growing up anywhere else. Your neighbors are your family in Christ, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters. It’s just like living in Heaven. All of us together, all living the same values, all seeking the same fulfillment to know God and to carry out his teachings.”
Okay, so, like a Christian utopia. Doesn’t sound that bad to be honest.
“Wow, that sounds like a dream. I can’t even picture what that must look like. I’m excited to see.”
Theo removed his eyes from the road to flash me with a smile, his eyes bright like a promise I was about to be amazed.
“I hope you’re hungry. When I told my family you were coming, they might have overprepared a feast. I think they’re trying to impress you.”
“Oh gosh,” I sighed. “I hope they didn’t go through too much trouble. I really don’t need any special treatment.”
He hummed, giving me a pleased smile. I swallowed the disgust at his praise and prayed he would let us sit in silence for the alleged hour drive we had.
Unfortunately, God didn’t answer my prayers.
“Does it hurt? Your eyes?”
“Usually only when I cry. It irritates the scar tissue.”
“Gosh, that’s awful. And does that impact your eyesight at all?”
“A little, but it’s not a handicap or anything,” I explained, keeping my gaze on the highway, the last signs of the city slowly fading as we crept farther out of its limits.
“I’m happy to hear that. Praise God for sparing you your sight as well as your life.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Your father, he’s the head of the church, right?
“Yes. But he’s moving into politics.”
I nodded. “Why is he interested in politics? I wouldn’t want to leave that little slice of heaven you were raised on.”
“Well, the Bible calls us to be the deliverers of His Word, and we can’t do that if we stay secluded to ourselves. He believes that the Holy Spirit is leading him to run for senator to try and make changes, a revival of sorts in our value system as a society. We’ve strayed so far from God, and my father, our church and our community, aim to be a guiding light.”
We sat in silence as I digested his words. Nothing about it seemed inherently evil. They were just devout Christians.
“And what was it like growing up with such a man as your role model?”
“Hmm. It was hard. Knowing the shoes I would be expected to fill was stressful, but God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. I know this is what I was called to do.”
“You mean, you’ll take your father’s place one day?”
“Eventually. I need to get married first, prove my ability as a leader to my father. And that starts with leading my wife.”
I internally cringed at the picture he painted. It sounded strange to hear someone speak about women like that when culture today was so feminist.
“Well, I think you’ll make a great leader. I mean, I’ve only known you for a day and I can already tell.”
He smiled to himself, adjusting his hands on the steering wheel.
The rest of the ride was spent talking about the hosts, Henry and Beth, and a handful of other people that might be attending tonight. I was grateful I got to save my energy for the meeting because I knew they were going to be curious and asking questions.
I didn’t know what I expected when we passed through a set of high security gates, but it certainly wasn’t a massive expanse of modern tract homes and tree-lined streets. There were playgrounds, a school, a general store, and other essentials like a clinic, a pharmacy and a post office. It was literally an entire city surrounded by acres of rolling hills and fields. Children played in front yards; people sat on their porches enjoying the cool fall evening. It was so…normal.
Theodore’s chuckling brought me out of stupor.
