The previous snippet post from Chapter Ten of The Prodigal Band features singer Erik’s wife Ger admitting to accepting Christ as Savior. The novel does not state that the other women converted, but it can be implied that they have considered it, what with them trying to get their men to fully accept Christ to do their ‘missions of God.’ The snippet post below, also from Chapter Ten, begins with the ending of the previous post, with Ger telling Erik she has accepted Christ. This is after he and the rest of the band return from a trip to now-Christian Bobby, a former band roadie and occultic cult member, who had composed a song for the band to help them begin their missions, called “He is the Way.” He being Christ.
The snippet, ©2018 Deborah Lagarde, is below:
A short time later, Erik walked into the atrium on the way to the bedroom.
When Ger, still sitting on the couch, saw him, she asked, “Hi. How’d it go?”
“Fine.” He sat next to her. “We got the song.”
“Great.” She kissed him. “Are you a Christian yet?” Broad smile as she looked at him, waiting for his reply.
He gazed at her, smirking. “No.” Continued to smirk at her. You’re joking, right?
“Well,” she said with sudden assurance, “that’s too bad, ‘cos I think I am.”
She immediately sprang off the couch and went to bed.
Erik rolled his eyes as he smirked a scoff in her direction. Right, real church lady, eh? Too bad a TV show’s already done that one!
At the roof veranda of the Mullock residence, near midnight
“So what happened, Keith?” Jarris grabbed her husband’s arm as he lay next to her on a lounge chair.
“We got the song, eh?” Sipped his wine. “No big deal.”
“The song’s about Jesus, right?”
“Yeh, sorta.” Put the wine back on the patio table. “Why?” He looked squarely at her.
She looked at him. “Well, don’t you think if you do that song you should convert?”
Keith drew back. “Convert? To what? Christianity?”
“Like it’s not as if you have to go to church every night.”
Sighed with a sneer. “Not anytime soon, no.” Snort.
Unruffled, Jarris shot back, “So then it’s ‘do as I say, not as I do.’ I’ve never known you to be that kind of hypocrite.”
Brusquely she left the couch and briskly she headed for the bedroom.
Knowing she was right, Keith grabbed the half-full wineglass and hurled it over the edge of the veranda. “Bloody shit!”
On the veranda at Jack’s Altuna Beach house
Laurie knew all about how Jack’s father had beat him over the head with Bibles, yet she sensed the inevitable showdown between herself and Jack and their heretofore irreligiousness.
They lay on separate lounges separated by a beach table. She wanted to confront the issue but instead keep saying in her head there’s no way you can do this song, telling listeners to follow Jesus Christ, and not do it yourself. You have to get over your hatred of the Bible. That’s all there is to it. So she kept looking at him until he acknowledged her.
Yet he wouldn’t, though he knew she was staring at him, and why. Yeh, Lau, I know what you thinking. ‘Get over your trashing the Bible. Get over your hating religion. And if you can’t, don’t do the song.’ I know what you thinking, girl. And you gonna keep on me until I decide one way or the other.
He looked sharply at her as she was about to open her mouth. “Don’t say it, eh Lau?”
He got up and stood before her, exasperated. “You know I can’t just suddenly wake up one day and say, ‘yeh, I want to invite Jesus into my heart,’ and then He comes into it. It doesn’t work like that. I got issues, eh? How can I possibly convert to Christianity if for the last twelve years I’ve had my father committed, just because I have the money and prestige to throw my weight around and keep him there for no other reason than I want to hurt the son of a bitch? Not exactly a Christian act, eh? You know, ‘forgive your enemies, turn the other cheek’, that sorta stuff.”
She shot right back as he sat back down, “So what are you saying? That you can’t do the mission because of your foolish pride?”
Bounced in his chair to a kneeling position. “No, no, no!” Pounded the chair cushion. “I’m doing the mission! But before I can ‘put on the armor or God,’ before I can feel right about doing this, I need to—to—” He could barely bring himself to say it. “Forgive the SOB.” Fell back onto the cushion. “And then get him out of that loony bin.”
“Then what?”
“That’s for him to decide, but I will provide him with money.”
While it is not absolutely for sure Keith’s wife Jarris and Jack’s wife Laurie are true believers in Christ, it certainly seems as if they are trying to convince Keith and Jack to make that conversion.
The next snippet post features more ‘you need to convert to Christianity’ conversations, from Bry’s wife Mo and a discussion between drummer Tom and guitarist-producer Mick. This will be posted at the end of March, for ‘spring break’ visits are coming soon.
Use the menu above to read snippet posts of the novels, download the FREE PDF The Prodigal Band as well as the FREE PDF The Murder Rule, and more. Cheers!
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