Lew Reveals a Secret.

by papa55mike

Background
Lewis Bradley is a man with a unique gift. He can read the minds of the people he passes. This gift forced him into hiding from the thought of others.

The walk to Tony's this morning is unusual without my immense coat. My shoulder brace won't work with it. So, I have on this light jacket. The morning warmth is refreshing. We have had a cold spring along with frost and a hard freeze on April Fifteenth. Two days later, we are in the sixties for lows.

I open the door to Tony's, and he says, "I'll be right with you."

"Hi, Tony."

He turns around and smiles. "Well, good morning, Lew. I haven't seen you in a while. What's with the brace?"

"Oh, I got shot in the shoulder by the police. I've been in the hospital, so I couldn't get by to see you."

"What were you doing, robbing a bank?"

"Not exactly, I was keeping a family from destroying itself."

"The things you do for people, Lew."

"I'm spreading the love of Jesus, Tony."

"I hope it doesn't get you killed!"

"We all have to die sometime. According to what the doctors found, my time maybe sooner than I thought."

"What did they find, Lew?" Tony walks over to the counter and sits down beside me. I feel the concern in his mind.

"The cause of my gift. It seems that I have two brain tumors in the middle of my head."

"Those tumors gave you the power to read minds."

"Well, I believe Satan tried to destroy me with those tumors, but God took them and gave me the power to help people."

"Can they operate?"

"No, I'm afraid that's out of the question. I'll have to deal with it."

"I bet that was a shock?"

"Not really, Tony. When Kathy told me, I laughed. I always knew there was a reason, and it was a relief to find the answer."

"Did the doctors tell anything else?"

"Like how long I have to live? Yeah, a couple of years. Some other things could happen, like a stroke, or possibly a heart attack - where the tumors are is a critical part of controlling my body." I feel a sadness in Tony. "Don't feel sad, my friend. I've lived a full life, and I'm a long way from finished."

"Well, if there is anything I can do to help, let me know."

"I'd say a tenderloin biscuit and a large coffee would do for starters."

"It's on the house, Lew!"

"That's what I'm talking about."

~

The rising sun is warming the day rather nicely on my walk back home. When I walk into the parking lot, I see Kebon sitting on the bench behind the bus stop with his head down. I usually don't push people into talking, but this might be the right time for Kebon.

Slowly, I walk over and sit down on the bench beside him. Kebon doesn't see me. "I think it's going to be a beautiful day, Kebon."

He turns to me with a smile. "I never thought about the day before. It was always the night that called to me."

"Are you waiting for the bus?"

"No...Sitting and thinking."

"Let me tell you a story that only a few people know. There was a boy who had just turned nine right after his mother married a man with two much older sons. His stepbrothers paid very little attention to him until late one night. They came into his room, molested him in his bed, and made him swear not to tell, or the brothers would kill his mother. It happened every night that summer until his mother walked into the room in mid-act. For some reason, the boy felt guilty for being caught. The mother and her son moved out the next day. They never talked about it, and the son always thought he was responsible for them leaving. The son carried that guilt for several years, and it began to swallow him. One day, the son stumbled across a verse in Isaiah 61; it talked about giving me beauty for my ashes. What that means is giving God all of your pain and guilt, and He will give you back something beautiful in return."

Kebon's eyes find mine. "That happened to you."

"Yes. I gave all of that shame and guilt to God. It freed my soul and opened my heart so I could love again."

"What happened to the boys who abused you?"

"I never heard anything else about them, but I forgave them for what they did. I even asked God to forgive them."

"Do you think about what happened?"

"It used to be a record that played continually in my mind. But once I gave it to the Lord, it slowly began to play less and less. Today is the first time I've thought about it in many years."

"I still see the drunken anger in my father's face when he pulled the trigger. The blood was pouring from my mother while I held her head, and her saying how much she loved me for the last time. It's like it happened yesterday."

"Kebon, that's the pain keeping in you in bondage. If you ask God to come into your heart, He will begin the healing process. It won't happen overnight, and there's nothing easy about it. A simple prayer begins this long journey to healing."

"Is that what I've heard people say, getting saved."

"Yes. In Isaiah 53, it says Jesus died on the cross carrying our grief and pain, and by the stripes from the cat o' nine tails on His back, we are healed."

"But I've done so many wrong things."

"Once you have given it all to God, not one of those things matter anymore. God takes them and remembers them nevermore. He removes your sins as far as the east is from the west."

"What do I have to do?"

"Repeat after me, with all of your heart. Dear Father, I come before You as a sinner asking for forgiveness and repenting of my sins."

Kebon repeats. "Dear Father, I come before You as a sinner asking for forgiveness and repenting of my sins."

"Please cleanse me with the blood of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I will follow Him for the rest of my days. In Jesus' name. Amen."

And again he says, "Please cleanse me with the blood of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I will follow Him for the rest of my days. In Jesus' name. Amen. That's all I have to do?"

"No, that's just the first step on a long journey. I have something for you if you want to come in."

"How about this afternoon. I want to think about what just happened."

"Kebon, please remember one thing above all else. God loves you with all of his heart. If you can truly accept that love, it will change your life."

"Thank you, Mr. Bradley."

"It was my pleasure. Call me, Lew, everybody else does."

Kebon smiles and slowly walks away.

~

The talk around the supper table this evening is delightful. Terrel and Caleb both made full-time at Home Depot on days. They start Monday. What a wonderful blessing. I guess it's time for me to share my news.

"Let me see if I can add another blessing to this joyful occasion. First, I need to explain why I don't like newspapers." I stand up and start walking like I'm preaching. "Several years ago, I started playing the stock market using my gift. I would find the days market on the internet then look in the newspaper to see what was going to soar that day then buy-in. I also knew when a stock was going to fall, and I'd sell before it happened. During this time, I amassed a small fortune."

"Just how much?" Kathy asks.

"Let me tell you why I stopped first. One day, I bought a paper at Tony's as usual and brought it home. But when I opened the newspaper, a headline flashed across the front page. The Mayor of Memphis would die at noon that day. A Memphis drug cartel was going to shoot him and several advisors. I didn't believe it would happen, so I did nothing about it. The only problem was, it happened just like the paper said it would. I thought God was punishing me for using my gift for financial gain. So, I repented for my sin and never looked at a newspaper again."

"Here's the funny thing, Lew," Caleb adds. "We can't figure out how that paper got in here. None of us brought it in."

"That's easy." I smile. "An angel brought it here so I would save the Gray family. He also brought Riley, the cab driver, into my life. What a character."

"I remember him," Kathy says. "He came by the hospital a couple of times to see you, but you were still in a coma. You still haven't answered my question, dad."

"Let me tell one more thing. I have a dream for this building; it involves buying it and turning it into a homeless shelter for all of our friends. I'm so tired of seeing good people on the streets while this enormous building is empty. To do this, I need to hire an assistant: someone who has terrific computer skills, a driver's license, and somebody I can trust. The job pays a thousand dollars a week. Are you interested, Kathy?"

She spits her mouthful of water all over the table. "Are you kidding me?"

"No, sweetie. I need your help to do this."

Tears begin to rim her big brown eyes. "Absolutely! Will you answer my question now?"

"All the accounts I have in Memphis banks total a little over three million dollars."

Earl walks over to Terrel and asks, "Daddy, is Uncle Lew rich?"

"It looks like it, son."

Write A Review

The verses I used were Isaiah 53: 5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes, we are healed."

Isaiah 61: 3 To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

I hope to release chapter 13 very soon.

Many thanks for stopping by to read!
Have a great day, and God bless.
mike

Pays one point and 2 member cents.

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.

1,640 words. A day of dreams and Kebon finds the Lord.

A chapter in the book A Shadow On The Street

Lew Reveals a Secret.

by papa55mike

The FanStory Store For Writers

Your Poem On A Mug