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Chapter Fourteen
Trial by Fire
(Friday night continued...)
"I being in the way, the LORD led me."
~ Genesis 24:27 ~
"Though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
~ 1 Corinthians 13:3 ~
 riday
was a busy day for Adam and Mike. Cary Jerrod stuffed his kitchen sink with table
scraps, thinking he had a food disposer; Mrs. Bailey forgot that Kotex isn't flushable,
backing up her toilet; and then Max Henderson, who, having a day off, decided he
could fix the shower himself, flooded his bathroom in two inches of water, (to name
only three).
With these disasters behind him, Adam visited Ruth at the nursing home Friday evening,
and made sure she was comfortable. Adam, who didn't feel like playing chess with
Jerome that night, excused himself from the game, for Charlton had been sitting nearby,
reiterating his feelings on the unfairness of God and the uselessness of life. Charlton's
diatribe against God grieved Adam's soul deeply. With a heavy heart, he left the
nursing home and stepped into the night, little knowing that this walk home would
forever change his life and the life of one who's danger of hellfire was foremost
in his thoughts.
Adam's home was a few blocks away from the nursing home. It was not a long walk,
but Adam, who suffered from insomnia, discovered that if he did a lot of walking
before going to bed, it improved his chances of getting to sleep. It never worked
100%, but then, nothing did. It was for this reason, that Adam took the long way
home, cutting over a large vacant field and then using a little known dirt road to
return into town. Adam zipped up his jacket, for there was a coolness to the breeze
that made a shiver go up his spine. Though this walk was routine to Adam, he couldn't
help shaking a feeling that God was going to expect something of him tonight. When
he crossed the field and reached the dirt road, Adam began to pray for Charlton.
Just then, Adam paused. A car was coming down the road. He could tell by the tires
hitting the rocks in the dirt that the vehicle was covering a lot of ground quickly.
Not wanting to be hit by a speeding car, Adam stepped off the road, and watched expectantly
for the car to pass him before he continued home. He may not have been able to see
the fast approaching car, but he could hear it.
As the car drew closer, Adam began to feel uneasy. It was traveling too fast to make
some of the tight turns that were coming up ahead. Suddenly, a pair of bright headlights
cut through the darkness. Adam waved his arms and shouted to the driver that there
were two tight turns ahead in the road, and to slow down. The car sped along, achieving
the first turn successfully. But, as it tried to make the second turn, the driver
lost control of the car. It slid down an embankment, slamming into a tree sideways.
Almost immediately, it caught fire. Adam ran ahead, and looked down the embankment.
The driver was screaming frantically for help. With no thought of his own safety
or that the car might explode at any moment, Adam jumped down the embankment and
worked his way to the car. The nearer he came, the more intensely he could feel the
heat from the ever-increasing flames. Shielding his face with his left arm, Adam
approached the driver's side. The driver, a teenage girl, was slamming her fists
on the window, screaming for help. Adam tried the door handle. It wouldn't open.
He looked down, noticing a rock was wedged just under the lip of the door, making
it impossible to open. Adam kicked at the rock with his heel, slowly loosening it
from under the door.
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