Read Online When the Fairytale Ends by Dwan Abrams - Free Book Online Page B

bag, gas up the car, and decide where they wanted to go. The two of them had taken mini vacations, as they liked to call them. The trips ranged from weekend getaways to five-day excursions. So far they had gone to Destin Beach and Disney World in Florida, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Savannah, Georgia. There was never a dull moment. With Shania, he had fun—not to say that having children would dampen that fun, but it would definitely make things different. And right now, he liked things as they were.
    â€œThanks for the advice, Mother,” he said with sincerity, and touched her elbow as he glanced at her trembling chin and misty eyes. “Are you okay?”
    She clamped her lips together and nodded. He knew she wasn’t okay, but he didn’t press the issue. Once Mother Washington pressed her lips together, that was a done deal. He couldn’t squeeze a word out of her anymore than he could squeeze the very last drop out of a tube of toothpaste.
    Greg walked her to her self-assigned seat at the front of the church, leaned forward and kissed her rogue cheek, then told her he’d see her in a little bit.
    Still wondering what had made Mother’s mood change so quickly, Greg tried to momentarily push those thoughts away as he hurried downstairs. As soon as he opened the doors to the youth department, he could hear music blaring through the halls. One of the associate youth pastors had already started getting the kids hyped up. Greg felt like dancing and found himself bobbing his head when he heard Kirk Franklin say, “Put ya hands up.”
    As soon as Greg entered the room filled with teenagers, he was met with laughter. He could tell that the kids were having a good time by the way they were singing along and dancing. He looked around and wished that he could freeze that moment in time. The boys had on jeans that fit, not sagging down to their ankles and showing their underwear, and the girls looked like little girls. They weren’t wearing makeup and many had childlike hairstyles. Such a refreshing change from what he normally saw on the street.
    Greg walked to the front of the room and high-fived the other youth pastor. The guy turned down the music, and Greg welcomed the kids.
    â€œHow’s everybody doing today?” he asked, and the room filled with chatter as the kids began to shout their responses at him. “Okay, okay,” he said, waving his hands for them to simmer down. “Who remembers what I said the topic for today would be?”
    The freckle-faced kid raised his hand and Greg pointed at him. “Depression?”
    â€œThat’s right,” Greg told the class. “Depression.” He took a seat at the edge of his desk. “By a show of hands,” he clarified, “can someone tell me who they think was the most depressed person in the Bible?”
    â€œJesus,” one of the younger kids in the classroom yelled out, and the class started laughing. The little boy shrugged down into his seat with a look of embarrassment.
    â€œDon’t laugh at him,” Greg said, hitting a ruler against his desk to quiet the class. “I understand why he would think Jesus. Look at what all Jesus went through, all he had to suffer for our sake. For the average man, that could be a bit depressing, and even for Jesus, I’m sure it got difficult at times. But not once did he ever sin, and since we want to become more Christ-like, we need to learn how to go through our hard, depressing times sin-free. Easier said than done, this I know. But you have to start somewhere.”
    Greg held his ruler high and circled it in the air. “Somebody give me another name from the Bible who you think suffered from depression.”
    One of the older young ladies in the group held her hand up and Greg pointed at her. “Job,” she said softly.
    â€œJob,” Greg repeated loudly. “That’s the first one