“Yeah, I heard about them.”
“They’re like the whales,” Johnny said. “They’re trying to rescue the world from what is about to come.”
“Johnny, mate, it’s all science fiction. Or maybe not,” Daniel said
“Come on, Daniel. You know the Lord said that if he didn’t come back, mankind will obliterate itself. Man can do that now—the technology has advanced so much I would hate to think what nuclear weapons are out there.”
“Maybe not science fiction. But we’re safe, mate.” Daniel pointed to the sky. “He’s watching over us.”
Daniel must be a mate from church.
The boys talked of the current movies on show, but both preferred older movies, especially the older science fiction movies. No wonder they talked about such things. Erica and Jack talked about some of their favourite old movies. The food arrived. There was mostly silence as they all got stuck into their food. Nervous energy could make you hungry.
“I think it’s time you came home, Dad.”
That caught Jack off guard and Erica had a similar reaction.
Erica recovered first. “Maybe he’s right, love.”
Johnny’s eyes told Jack a lot. There was a pleading there.
“You know, Dad. The Bible says that Elijah is going to turn the hearts of fathers to their children.”
Jack sensed he needed to acknowledge something in his heart. It was heavy, and Johnny’s words did something. “How would he do that?”
“Not sure. Something supernatural. I know you think staying away is the best thing, but it’s not.” He was getting upset.
“We’ll chat about it, Johnny. I’m sure your dad is ready to return. Just let the supernatural things happen.”
“Yeah, that’s cool.” Daniel adjusted his black cap. There was a logo on it, a wheel, which Jack guessed was related to Star Trek. He was thankful that Johnny’s mate broke the icy atmosphere.
Jack pointed to the cap, “Is that a Star Trek thing also?”
“Nope, a Christian thing. A secret symbol used by early Christians. You can fit some Greek letters into it to indicate you’re a believer. Pretty cool, hey?”
“You can show me that one day.”
“Eat up. We’ll need to head back to South Bank soon.” Erica looked at Jack. “You going to join us on a little stroll?”
“Love to.”
They were near the Botanical Gardens before Jack had an opportunity to talk. The boys got frustrated with the pace of the oldies, so they told the slow ones they wanted to get to the exhibition. Erica gave them permission, and they shot off, Johnny’s longing for his dad overtaken by his desire to see the exhibits. Jack and Erica sat on a nearby bench.
“Sorry about that. Johnny does miss you, and the message from church is that it’s time for families to reconcile. Fathers to sons, sons to fathers, mothers to daughters, daughters to mothers etc. etc.” Erica looked out over the river. “There is something happening. A spiritual thing. Many have told me their relationships are being mended. Not only in our church but city wide, statewide, even worldwide.”
A jet ski was shooting up the river. “I hear what you’re saying.” He found it hard to talk about spiritual things, but knew he needed to. “Something is going on inside me. Something is going on in society as well. Maybe this spirit of Elijah is at work.” His throat felt dry.
Erica placed her arm around Jack and they hugged.
“I’ve been talking to Cath about spiritual things, but I just don’t get it. She speaks about spiritual discernment and says something has to happen to my heart. I felt something this morning, when Johnny spoke about fathers and sons. That’s how I felt—I had a real yearning for my son.” Erica placed her hand on his.
Another jet ski flew past. A canoeist on the other side of the river wearing a red safety vest caught his attention.
“Did you know you can purchase glasses online that allow you to look at a person’s aura?”
She gave him a blank look. “I wouldn’t be surprised. People are always searching for meaning, trying to work their lives out all the time.”
“Yeah, we got some crazy people out there. Strange though—the main guy we were after gave himself up. The guy you’d come across. And here’s another strange thing—there haven’t been any serious crime events this week. There is definitely a good spirit at work at the moment.”
A jogger came past, an older man. He looked fit and had a crucifix tattooed on his bicep.
“Searching for meaning is an interesting thing,” Jack said. “My thoughts—or, should I say, my belief system—is being challenged at the moment.” He straightened his back up. He needed to adjust to the aluminium seat.
“Yes, we all have that longing for meaning. Most people ignore it or replace it with something else. Communities play a big role in giving meaning to people. What I’ve come to learn is that church is also a community. For some people, it’s only community. They don’t connect with God.”
“Interesting observation.”
“Yes. Our connection needs to be to God. We’re designed that way.”
“See, that’s where I get lost. My belief—and I think many others have the same view—is that we can do whatever we want, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
“I’ve heard that before. It sounds simple but has many flaws. It’s camouflaged self-centeredness. It’s all about ourselves.” Erica touched Jack to indicate no malice. “The Lord tells us to think of others before ourselves. Put others before ourselves.”
Some scooter riders came past, not wearing helmets. He’d heard many excuses for people not wearing helmets. He’d even heard his own philosophy: they weren’t hurting anyone. He remembered telling people they needed to think of the effect it would have on others if they came off the scooter and had brain damage.
“You going to book them?” She laughed.
“Love to, but it won’t stop them from doing it again. Funny, they remind me of my philosophy and show how shallow it really is. I’ve told others to think of the impact their action should have on others.” He pointed to the scooter riders. “If they come off and hit their head on the concrete, someone may be looking after them for the rest of their life.”
