Point of No Return by Paul McCusker Page A

them turned to look.
    George gently took Jimmy’s arm and led him into the hall. “Look, son,” he said when they were away from the sanctuary, “I need you to be calm, okay? Pray that God will help you be calm.”
    Jimmy was worried. “Be calm? But what did you mean—”
    â€œThey’re gone, Jimmy. Dave and Jacob left the church.”
    Jimmy’s mouth fell open.
    George continued, “Do you remember Jan? Dave’s wife?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œShe wasn’t happy. Do you understand? She didn’t like being a minister’s wife. So she left them right after we went to see Grandma. Rather than put the church through a difficult time, Dave and Jacob went back to Dave’s family in California.” George kept his grip on Jimmy’s arm, as if he thought Jimmy might pass out.
    â€œAll the way to California?” Jimmy asked weakly.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œBut…they didn’t say good-bye. I didn’t get to say anything to them.”
    â€œI know.” George knelt down next to his son. “They wanted it to happen fast and quietly to stop any gossip. Now do you see why I wanted you to pray?”
    Jimmy understood. And he did pray. He asked God, “Why are You doing this to me?”

CHAPTER NINETEEN
    Sunday Afternoon
    â€œI KNOW HOW TOUGH this week has been for you,” Jimmy’s dad said to him after their Sunday dinner, as Jimmy lay on his bed. “You’ve been through a lot.”
    Jimmy didn’t say anything. He had hardly said a word since he found out about Dave and Jacob. All he wanted to do was mope.
    George rested his hand on Jimmy’s arm. “We’ve had our share of losses. But…that’s part of life. We gain family and friends, and we lose them.”
    Not all in one week , Jimmy thought.
    â€œYour mom and I talked about it, and we’re going to give you a break this afternoon,” Dad said. “Consider it a short reprieve from your restriction—an escape. Go take a walk or something. Try to…I don’t know…use the time to pray. Maybe that’ll help.” He stood up and headed for the door.
    â€œThanks, Dad,” Jimmy said and rolled off his bed. A walk might be good , he thought. A chance to get out of the house. He tugged on his shoes and grabbed his jacket. But where would he walk? Would he go to Tony’s house?
    No. He wasn’t ready for Tony.
    So he was allowed to leave the house, but he didn’t have anywhere to go. He felt even more depressed as he walked out the front door into the cloudy October afternoon.
    He thought about the past week as he walked: all the trouble he’d been in with his family and his best friend. Then he lost his grandmother and two people he had hoped would be his friends.
    He felt completely alone.
    Is this what saying yes to Jesus means—walking alone on a Sunday afternoon, with no one to talk to and nowhere to go? he wondered.
    He thought about Tony again. He hadn’t lost Tony. Not yet. But could he stay friends with Tony and still be a Christian? Or maybe the real question was this: Did he really want to be a Christian if he couldn’t stay friends with Tony?
    It’d be easy enough to forget it, right? Just tell everybody it was a dumb idea—being a Christian caused too many problems—and give it up. Yeah, his family would be disappointed, but they’d get over it. Things could go back to the way they were.
    Jimmy looked around and realized he was walking in McAlister Park. He felt a twinge of guilt as he remembered the incident at the gazebo. He hadn’t talked to Tony since it happened. He wondered what Tony was thinking. Did word get around the school about Jimmy’s grandmother? Did Tony know?
    Again, Jimmy felt alone. And restless. He wanted to do something. He wanted to be normal again and run around with his friends and quit having so many things go wrong. Could he quit being a