The Preacher's Son - Juliette Duncan Page 0,10
be the same again.
But I couldn’t ignore the fact that this trip seemed God ordained. Once Penny told me the story about the woman in the cemetery, we both knew we had to go.
My father, of course, had been thrilled. No matter how much I tried to tell him it was only for three weeks, he seemed to think it was the start of ‘something’. As always, certainty that I’d disappointed him filled me, but I’d learned to brush those feelings aside and attempted to follow what God had put in my heart, not my father’s. I loved him, but we often misunderstood each other.
The phone rang as Penny was checking the contents of our suitcases for the tenth time that morning. It was my father, and the warmth in his tone made me smile. “So, you must be excited. It’s a great opportunity to explore your calling, Hayden.”
I chuckled. “It’s just a trip, Dad.”
“Maybe, but who knows where it might lead. I’m sure God will use you and Penny for great things.”
“We’ll see,” I said quietly. I was still amazed that Penny was so enthusiastic about going, although after she told me about the woman in the cemetery, I understood what had prompted the change. I’d held back telling Dad that story since I knew he’d latch onto it, and also, I wanted it to be mine and Penny’s thing, just for a while, until we truly understood exactly what it signified.
I listened as Dad went into a reverie about his own first mission trip many years ago, the one that inspired him to become a preacher. Then Mum came on the phone with a checklist of things to remember and items to pack. We’d had the same conversation with Penny’s mother just a few hours earlier. Finally, I said goodbye and thanked them for their best wishes.
“We’ll be praying for you, son,” my father said gruffly before I thanked him and put the phone down. I’d heard the hope in his voice and prayed he wouldn’t be too disappointed if the trip proved to be just that—a trip, and life went on much the same as before after we got home. I was sure Penny was hoping for that, but me? I didn’t quite know.
The next goodbye was much harder as we dropped Rosie and Elijah at Penny’s mother’s home in the bayside suburb of Manly. They were excited to be staying with her and didn’t seem to mind us going without them, but I felt a pang of loss as I hugged and kissed them goodbye. The same emotion reflected in Penny’s face as she brushed the tears from her cheeks. We’d never been apart from the children for longer than the odd weekend before.
Penny’s mother pulled me into an embrace, giving me a mock finger wag as I pulled away. “Don’t you be staying there now, making her into some kind of preacher’s wife, or I’ll be thinking my own mother was right after all.”
I laughed. It was an old joke and one that never seemed to get old for her—we heard it at least every few months. That morning, though, it somehow seemed less of a joke and more of a warning.
“It’s only three weeks, Mum.” Penny laughed as she hugged her in turn, but as she caught my gaze over her mother’s shoulder, I couldn’t help wondering if her words were for her Mum's benefit or mine.
Finally, we were on our way to the airport. It was a long flight—nearly twenty hours. I loved flying. There was nothing like looking down at the clouds below to be mindful of the beauty of Creation, but twenty hours was a long time.
Once we’d boarded and were seated, Penny settled back with a book while I kept my face glued to the window, watching with awe as the plane soared over the shimmering blue of the ocean and then gathered height where nothing was below us except for a long blanket of cloud. The sun was dazzlingly bright and I allowed myself to drink in the beauty of the vista, feeling completely at peace and certain we were on the right path.
Penny's hand entwined with mine and I turned to face her. She was smiling at me over the top of her book, looking so radiant, a rush of love flowed through me. Regardless of anything else, I’d never regretted my decision to leave Bible College and return to her. Whatever else life had in store for