| General Fiction posted May 6, 2024 | Chapters: |
...18 19 -20- 21... 
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Following God's perfect will
A chapter in the book Right in the Eye
Right in the Eye, ch 20
by Wayne Fowler
In the last part Ben and Sylvia went to Cerrillos after the sheriff informed them that they couldn’t be protected. They were then harassed and threatened on their drive by two thugs claiming to own the Creede pimp.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It was after five before they finally got to the Turquoise Trail, the road to Cerrillos.
“What do you think?” Ben asked Sylvia, meaning in general terms.
“What do I think? I think we should get married our first opportunity.”
Ben thought a moment. “Wait a minute! What did you say?”
“The way I see it, we’ve slept together for a week, eight days. We’re a good match. You know I can shoot. And I’ve already seen you naked.”
“You what?”
“You think a girl isn’t going to peek?” Sylvia looked at Ben, grinning.
Ben’s lower jaw flapped a few times, his eyes blinking. “I, I didn’t…”
“Of course, you didn’t. It just happens. Now, we have people that would like to see us dead. One: If we’re only injured, being married, we can visit and sign, and so forth at a hospital. And two: I have no one to leave anything to. Do you? And three: If I let you go, Grandma Livvy’s ghost would torment me all my days.”
“Sylvia, I’m …”
“Thirteen years my senior who can get into a hotel third floor and rescue a fifteen-year-old, brave enough to charge outside into who-knows-what, survive King Kong on top of him, and can still get up and go on. ‘Bout cover it?”
“Sylvia, I’ve never …”
“By the way, people that love me call me Sylvie.”
Ben looked over at her as she muscled her ’65 Impala around a bend. “Thank you, Sylvie.”
They both grinned, Sylvia with both eyes on the road.
+++
Ben and Sylvia rolled up to Slim and Mary’s in Cerrillos. After bringing them up to date, Slim said, “Well now, we’ve both had a little experience with the rougher side a’ life,” Slim said to Ben and Sylvia as he glanced to Mary.
Mary nodded.
“Well, we aren’t planning any shootout at the OK Corral,” Ben said.
“I remember that one like it was yesterd’y,” Slim said. “Wasn’t there, a’ course. But rumor was Earp cheated, had a gun in his hand hid behind his back with his Buntline Special still in his holster. An’ he just started shootin’.”
Everyone nodded.
Ben thought about his father, who was a lawman during part of that time.
“Ah! Speaking of shooting.” Ben looked to Sylvia. “We completely forgot to check in with Sheriff Tate!”
They did then, giving him Mary’s number, neglecting to tell him that they would be out-of-pocket for as long as it took to go to a Justice of the Peace in Durango.
Ben and Sylvia opted to pay for a motel room rather than impose on Mary and Slim. They would gladly spend the daytime with them, though. Neither Ben, nor Sylvia gave a single thought to renting two rooms.
Retiring to the room a couple hours before sunset, Ben looked to Sylvia. “I need to pray. There’s a cemetery over there I saw. I’ll walk over. Done a lot of praying as I walked. Keep the shotgun handy. And don’t open the door unless you hear one knock, followed by two more, even if you hear my voice.”
Sylvia studied Ben’s face, understanding the seriousness of their situation.
+++
Just after sundown Ben knocked once, and then twice more, announcing himself as he waited for Sylvia to open the door. She looked to him expectantly. Seeing that she was waiting for him to speak, Ben motioned her to go ahead and take the room’s only seat.
“First, God loves you and approves of our marriage.”
Sylvia gasped, her eyes widening.
Ben waited for her.
“I, I was never really sure,” she said, dabbing at her eyes. “About God loving me. How can a person know?”
Ben let that go for the moment, making a mental note to return to the subject on another occasion.
“Then he said that we should sit back and watch him work.”
“But…”
Ben raised both hands, palms out as if surrendering. “Argue with him, not me.”
“We do nothing?” Sylvia asked.
“Oh, no. Not at all. We watch God. We pay attention. We behave with boldness and courage. A bear is charging us. We don’t pick up sticks and try to defend ourselves, but neither do we run. We stand and watch God.”
“That sounds like it takes more guts than fighting.”
Ben smiled.
+++
“I do,” Ben replied to the JP, as did Sylvia a moment later.
They kissed, the second of their relationship, their first wet one.
+++
“Hello, Sheriff Tate?” Sylvia called him from Slim and Mary’s place in Cerrillos. “How goes the investigation?” She expected that her house had not been burned down, since he hadn’t called her.
Sylvia listened a moment. Interrupting him, she told him that they would be returning home the next day, intending to arrive in the afternoon. They intended to shop in Pagosa Springs, an hour away, for lunch and groceries, buying a cooler for any perishables. That next day, at the edge of the grocery parking lot near the street sat two kids with a large box between them, a big Free sign on the box.
“Shall we?” Ben asked.
Sylvia knew what was in the box. “I’ve never owned a dog before.”
“My last one died eight or nine years ago,” Ben said.
“Tell you what,” Sylvia said. “Let’s shop, and buy puppy food. And if they still have one left when we’re ready to go …”
“Sounds like as good a plan as any; so long as we buy puppy food that we’d like to eat in case they gave away the last one before we get there.”
Sylvia paused a moment. “We’ll hurry.”
Inside the store, Sylvia asked Ben. “You don’t suppose God would tell us that we should have, you know, that his will was for us to pick a puppy while we thought of it, and waiting until they were all gone was out of his will, do you? That we missed God’s will?”
Ben thought a minute. “No.”
“That’s all? No?” Sylvia stopped walking and turned to face Ben.
“It’ll make for good conversation the rest of the way home,” Ben said satisfying Sylvia for the moment.
There were no puppies left. Both Ben and Sylvia were disappointed.
+++
“I won’t minimize it, Sylvie. It’s not always easy to sense the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, living in the middle of his will. I don’t know how my father did it, going from one situation to another nearly blind, simply trusting God and looking for his opportunity to minister.
“Once, when I needed a car, I just about went crazy. There was one on the street corner with a sign on it. The price was within my budget. I thought, There! God’s will. I need one, and God put one right in my path. But I was going to be late for an appointment if I stopped just then. Okay, if it’s still there when I come back, then that’s a sign that it’s the one God intends for me. Of course, it wasn’t. There! That’s a sign that it was not the car for me! Or did I miss God’s will and whatever I ended up with would be a bucket of trouble? Then, the very next day, the car was back on the same corner. Now, was the devil tempting me to buy what looked good, but wasn’t, or was God giving me another chance?”
Giving Ben more than enough time to end the suspense, Sylvia demanded “Well?”
“It was gone the next day. Then I realized that I actually needed a pick-up truck, and was then able to be a blessing to dozens of parishioners over the next several years. It was quite helpful for church work, as well.”
Oroville was at the house when they arrived. “Heard you were returning. No… Ben, Sylvia? Do I see a blush? And new rings on third fingers?” Oroville was like a schoolgirl, all excitement for the two. “Well, I guess what I have qualifies for a wedding present, then. We went out on a courtesy call. Someone in California hadn’t heard from their relative in too long and asked the sheriff’s office to check on ‘em. We had to call an ambulance to take them to a hospital and from there, they’ll be going to a rest home. And well, you go on in and I’ll bring your groceries.”
Inside was a beautiful, four-year-old Border Collie, in obvious need of a bath, but otherwise very happy to meet Ben and Sylvia.
When Oroville came in, before even setting bags down, Sylvia hugged him as tightly as possible, covering his neck with kisses.
In the last part Ben and Sylvia went to Cerrillos after the sheriff informed them that they couldn’t be protected. They were then harassed and threatened on their drive by two thugs claiming to own the Creede pimp.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It was after five before they finally got to the Turquoise Trail, the road to Cerrillos.
“What do you think?” Ben asked Sylvia, meaning in general terms.
“What do I think? I think we should get married our first opportunity.”
Ben thought a moment. “Wait a minute! What did you say?”
“The way I see it, we’ve slept together for a week, eight days. We’re a good match. You know I can shoot. And I’ve already seen you naked.”
“You what?”
“You think a girl isn’t going to peek?” Sylvia looked at Ben, grinning.
Ben’s lower jaw flapped a few times, his eyes blinking. “I, I didn’t…”
“Of course, you didn’t. It just happens. Now, we have people that would like to see us dead. One: If we’re only injured, being married, we can visit and sign, and so forth at a hospital. And two: I have no one to leave anything to. Do you? And three: If I let you go, Grandma Livvy’s ghost would torment me all my days.”
“Sylvia, I’m …”
“Thirteen years my senior who can get into a hotel third floor and rescue a fifteen-year-old, brave enough to charge outside into who-knows-what, survive King Kong on top of him, and can still get up and go on. ‘Bout cover it?”
“Sylvia, I’ve never …”
“By the way, people that love me call me Sylvie.”
Ben looked over at her as she muscled her ’65 Impala around a bend. “Thank you, Sylvie.”
They both grinned, Sylvia with both eyes on the road.
+++
Ben and Sylvia rolled up to Slim and Mary’s in Cerrillos. After bringing them up to date, Slim said, “Well now, we’ve both had a little experience with the rougher side a’ life,” Slim said to Ben and Sylvia as he glanced to Mary.
Mary nodded.
“Well, we aren’t planning any shootout at the OK Corral,” Ben said.
“I remember that one like it was yesterd’y,” Slim said. “Wasn’t there, a’ course. But rumor was Earp cheated, had a gun in his hand hid behind his back with his Buntline Special still in his holster. An’ he just started shootin’.”
Everyone nodded.
Ben thought about his father, who was a lawman during part of that time.
“Ah! Speaking of shooting.” Ben looked to Sylvia. “We completely forgot to check in with Sheriff Tate!”
They did then, giving him Mary’s number, neglecting to tell him that they would be out-of-pocket for as long as it took to go to a Justice of the Peace in Durango.
Ben and Sylvia opted to pay for a motel room rather than impose on Mary and Slim. They would gladly spend the daytime with them, though. Neither Ben, nor Sylvia gave a single thought to renting two rooms.
Retiring to the room a couple hours before sunset, Ben looked to Sylvia. “I need to pray. There’s a cemetery over there I saw. I’ll walk over. Done a lot of praying as I walked. Keep the shotgun handy. And don’t open the door unless you hear one knock, followed by two more, even if you hear my voice.”
Sylvia studied Ben’s face, understanding the seriousness of their situation.
+++
Just after sundown Ben knocked once, and then twice more, announcing himself as he waited for Sylvia to open the door. She looked to him expectantly. Seeing that she was waiting for him to speak, Ben motioned her to go ahead and take the room’s only seat.
“First, God loves you and approves of our marriage.”
Sylvia gasped, her eyes widening.
Ben waited for her.
“I, I was never really sure,” she said, dabbing at her eyes. “About God loving me. How can a person know?”
Ben let that go for the moment, making a mental note to return to the subject on another occasion.
“Then he said that we should sit back and watch him work.”
“But…”
Ben raised both hands, palms out as if surrendering. “Argue with him, not me.”
“We do nothing?” Sylvia asked.
“Oh, no. Not at all. We watch God. We pay attention. We behave with boldness and courage. A bear is charging us. We don’t pick up sticks and try to defend ourselves, but neither do we run. We stand and watch God.”
“That sounds like it takes more guts than fighting.”
Ben smiled.
+++
“I do,” Ben replied to the JP, as did Sylvia a moment later.
They kissed, the second of their relationship, their first wet one.
+++
“Hello, Sheriff Tate?” Sylvia called him from Slim and Mary’s place in Cerrillos. “How goes the investigation?” She expected that her house had not been burned down, since he hadn’t called her.
Sylvia listened a moment. Interrupting him, she told him that they would be returning home the next day, intending to arrive in the afternoon. They intended to shop in Pagosa Springs, an hour away, for lunch and groceries, buying a cooler for any perishables. That next day, at the edge of the grocery parking lot near the street sat two kids with a large box between them, a big Free sign on the box.
“Shall we?” Ben asked.
Sylvia knew what was in the box. “I’ve never owned a dog before.”
“My last one died eight or nine years ago,” Ben said.
“Tell you what,” Sylvia said. “Let’s shop, and buy puppy food. And if they still have one left when we’re ready to go …”
“Sounds like as good a plan as any; so long as we buy puppy food that we’d like to eat in case they gave away the last one before we get there.”
Sylvia paused a moment. “We’ll hurry.”
Inside the store, Sylvia asked Ben. “You don’t suppose God would tell us that we should have, you know, that his will was for us to pick a puppy while we thought of it, and waiting until they were all gone was out of his will, do you? That we missed God’s will?”
Ben thought a minute. “No.”
“That’s all? No?” Sylvia stopped walking and turned to face Ben.
“It’ll make for good conversation the rest of the way home,” Ben said satisfying Sylvia for the moment.
There were no puppies left. Both Ben and Sylvia were disappointed.
+++
“I won’t minimize it, Sylvie. It’s not always easy to sense the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, living in the middle of his will. I don’t know how my father did it, going from one situation to another nearly blind, simply trusting God and looking for his opportunity to minister.
“Once, when I needed a car, I just about went crazy. There was one on the street corner with a sign on it. The price was within my budget. I thought, There! God’s will. I need one, and God put one right in my path. But I was going to be late for an appointment if I stopped just then. Okay, if it’s still there when I come back, then that’s a sign that it’s the one God intends for me. Of course, it wasn’t. There! That’s a sign that it was not the car for me! Or did I miss God’s will and whatever I ended up with would be a bucket of trouble? Then, the very next day, the car was back on the same corner. Now, was the devil tempting me to buy what looked good, but wasn’t, or was God giving me another chance?”
Giving Ben more than enough time to end the suspense, Sylvia demanded “Well?”
“It was gone the next day. Then I realized that I actually needed a pick-up truck, and was then able to be a blessing to dozens of parishioners over the next several years. It was quite helpful for church work, as well.”
Oroville was at the house when they arrived. “Heard you were returning. No… Ben, Sylvia? Do I see a blush? And new rings on third fingers?” Oroville was like a schoolgirl, all excitement for the two. “Well, I guess what I have qualifies for a wedding present, then. We went out on a courtesy call. Someone in California hadn’t heard from their relative in too long and asked the sheriff’s office to check on ‘em. We had to call an ambulance to take them to a hospital and from there, they’ll be going to a rest home. And well, you go on in and I’ll bring your groceries.”
Inside was a beautiful, four-year-old Border Collie, in obvious need of a bath, but otherwise very happy to meet Ben and Sylvia.
When Oroville came in, before even setting bags down, Sylvia hugged him as tightly as possible, covering his neck with kisses.
Ben P. Persons: 81-year-old son of Ben Persons
Sylvia Adams: grand-daughter of Livvy and William Ferlonson
Arville Johnston: stagecoach shotgun who became Ben's friend and business partner, helped save Ben when he was shot
Oroville Johnston: Arville's Creede resident grandson
Slim Goldman (Herschell Diddleknopper): miner who Ben (senior) rescued in 1886
Mary Diddleknopper: Slim's wife, great granddaughter of LouAnne (Slim's girlfriend from the1870s)
Benji was the name of the dog owned by a man who helped Ben Senior after the San Quentin prison break.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Sylvia Adams: grand-daughter of Livvy and William Ferlonson
Arville Johnston: stagecoach shotgun who became Ben's friend and business partner, helped save Ben when he was shot
Oroville Johnston: Arville's Creede resident grandson
Slim Goldman (Herschell Diddleknopper): miner who Ben (senior) rescued in 1886
Mary Diddleknopper: Slim's wife, great granddaughter of LouAnne (Slim's girlfriend from the1870s)
Benji was the name of the dog owned by a man who helped Ben Senior after the San Quentin prison break.
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