Billionaire Flawed 1(171)

“I’m not sure, I think I used to be. I grew up that way.” John thought about the question more.

“I am,” said the cab driver. “And it doesn’t seem strange to me that you want to return. Have you not heard the parable of the prodigal son?”

John just nodded his head. The comparison struck too close to home. He had left his family when they needed him, when he had become a man to help around the house and on the farm. But he left them. He thought that when he returned they would welcome him with open arms. But that would make the pain even worse. How does one put back the pieces back together of a broken life? Or mend the pain of searing loss? John was now thirty, and finally ready to face his life for the first time.

It was just ahead, and John could see the familiar sites from his youth. He recognized the one room school house he went to as a child and the church where he went to every Lord’s day. He saw familiar hills and trees and even the night sky seemed friendlier. “Over there,” he said to the cabbie, pointing to where his old house was.

The cab driver dropped him off. He would have to walk the rest of the way, as the roads in town were made for buggies, not for cars. But he didn’t mind. He welcomed the opportunity to be outside and to feel the night air that was so familiar to him. There was something different about it here. It felt cleaner, more pure and crisp. It almost felt innocent on his skin, as if the lack of pollution made the air more vivacious and alive.

The night was teeming with the sounds of life. he heard the crickets chirping and frogs croaking. As he walked, fireflies took flight and illuminated the path in front of him. John had left the city so that he could find all of the action and excitement that the world had to offer, and yet before his eyes was something far better, more real. With each step the memories of the past felt palpable, so thick he wanted to brush them away. He hoped to see his little brother playing in the front yard. Maybe he would be so excited to see him that he would run to greet him. His little sister would probably trip and fall when she tried to run, because she was so clumsy. But she would at least be there, because she was always dependable. Something he was not.

Tears welled up in John’s eyes as he thought about all of the memories that he had blocked for so long. Why had he left? So that he could try to make more money than the next guy? It sickened him. He had been gone for nine years, and wondered if his family could ever forgive him. Could God ever forgive him? John hadn’t thought about God in a long time. But he knew that it was God who had been tugging at his heart to return, to become the man he was meant to be. The type of man that would face his problem and overcome them. John knew he wanted to support his family the best he could now. He wanted to contribute, and not just look out for his own pleasures.

This is it, he thought, as he walked up to the front door of his old home. He was disappointed that nobody was out front playing. But they would have been all grown up by now anyway. He knocked on the door, and waited for longer than he expected it. It was late, and he knew everyone should be home, and his family was usually eager to welcome a visitor.







“Mama, look, I see Samuel,” said Mary. She was pointing out the window in the kitchen. Samuel was above average in height and appearance. There was nothing extraordinary about him though. But because Mary had known him since she was a little girl, to her he was the prince, the knight in shining armor. She adored him.

“You really are smitten, aren’t you my child,” said her mother. Mama loved Samuel, and knew that he loved her daughter very much. The only thing she worried about was Samuel taking her away from the family and the farm.

“Oh mama, you know I get embarrassed easily,” laughed Mary. The two women hurried up in the kitchen. They wanted supper ready for when Samuel got there.

“Welcome Samuel,” said mama.

“Deborah, always a delight,” responded Samuel. He was always proper and courteous and kind. “Mary, you look wonderful this evening.”

Mary’s heart leaped. Though she saw him often, each time seemed better than the last. “Why thank you,” she said, smiling. Samuel had always known her to be fun loving, because she was always smiling and looked delighted while she was around him. She hoped that he didn’t just love her for that.

“And how are you, Ruth. You know I come here just to see you,” said Samuel.

Ruth smiled, but was too shy to respond.

“Supper smells delightful as usual,” said Samuel as he took a seat at the dinner table. “You know how much I love your cooking, Deborah. It feels like home cooking to me, after all of these years.”