TWO WEEKS - Episode 13

Vicky finished her shift early at the CD store that day, and used her week’s allowance to purchase all the things that she needed for the food business. When she remained with a couple of dollars, she bought a new Bible. She intended to give it to Wayne.
He on the other hand, arrived his apartment and dropped Vicky’s Bible on his work desk. He pulled a seat to sit behind the desk and just when he thought of reading the Bible, his phone rang inside his trouser pocket.
He smiled to glance at the name of his girlfriend.
“Greg told me that you are coming.” She greeted.
He laughed and replied. “Yeah. So, how are you doing?”
“I’m better," she replied “I just miss you.”
“Oh I miss you too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why not?”
“Well because, it has been a while, Astrophe, and no calls or messages. I got worried that you already grew tired of me.”
“No, no. Don’t think that. I just had tight issues at school.”
“Greg told me that, you injured your leg.”
“It was just a small problem. I am fine now.”
“Oh and do you still have nightmares?”
He scratched his head but, remained silent.
“You do ah?” She concluded.
He sighed. “It hasn’t been easy.”
“Astrophe. I am so sorry.”
“C’mon it’s nothing.”
“It isn’t. Have you been to a therapist?”
“Only my psychology professor.”
“That isn’t enough.”
“I don’t want people to think that I’m a psycho.”
“It’s okay to have problems.” She said and coughed.
His heart stabbed him with each cough. He got depressed.
“Sorry.” She said afterward.
“No. I am sorry. What did the doctor say about your health?”
“I’ll be fine.” She replied instead.
“No, seriously, tell me?”
She sighed first and told him, “Okay but, not over the phone.”
“You want me to come over now?”
“No. The nurse has just arrived. I’ll go through the next examination and maybe they will put me to sleep afterward.”
“I will see you later then.”
“Take photos and leave them in my room so that I'll know you came.”
“Yap.” He agreed somberly.
“Good bye.” She bid and hang up.
He drew a deep sigh afterward, lowering the phone.
Sasha and Wayne’s first and only long-term girlfriend was suffering from Leukemia. After getting sick and the doctors confirming the disease that she had, Sasha had to discontinue her medical studies, dropping off from her final year, just before she could graduate and become the first, young female doctor in the state.
That and his mother’s illness, added to the tragedies in Wayne’s life.
He disconnected himself from home and from Sasha and seldom talked to them. 
Staring at the Bible in front of himself, Wayne wondered if there could be a light in his life or at least, the lives of those who he cared for.
Two weeks. He thought inwardly, trying to get past his confused state.
He opened the pages randomly and ended up staring at highlighted words below a big 53 in the book of Isaiah.
“But, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.” He read aloud and furrowed his eyebrows. “Who’s this? God or something?” he wondered aloud.
He searched the contents for the book of John and when he got to it, he traced his finger on the lines, quoting them aloud. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” He paused, trying to digest the word. It seemed difficult until he went on reading the following verses. “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for a testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But, to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God.”
Wayne leaned back on his seat after that. “So, there’s this other person who is not God. John spoke about him. This John must be another apostle. So, like me, all who receives… he must be Jesus. This light. We become God’s children.” He wondered and reread silently the last sentence.
He leaned back on his seat and thought, “these people like Vicky and other fellowship members were born because God wanted them to know his son.” He shrugged. “If God is really there, can he even know I exist?”
He glanced at the page again and read the 14th verse of John chapter 1. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory as of the son from the Father. John bore witness to him and cried, this was he of whom I said ‘he who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.’ And from his fullness have we received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” He read and snapped. “I knew it! This other person is Jesus Christ. And he is God’s son.” He concluded and scanned the verses again to understand them fully. “So, Jesus was with God, he is also God but, he became flesh or something and begun to live with us. Isn’t that all Christmas thing?” he asked himself and nodded. “It has to be. He became a baby and later grew up. Maybe the Good Friday is also about that word in big 53.” He said to himself and turned the pages of the Bible, looking for Isaiah 53. “Where is that 53?” he wondered, shuffling the Bible pages. “Gotcha!” he exclaimed, coming to Psalm 53.
This is not it. He thought, when he found the ‘53’ packed between more numbers. But, he begun to read the short chapter. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none that does good. God looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there are any that are wise, that seek after God.” He read and paused. There was a different feeling when he read the words. Something close to peace.
“So, there is a God.” He reckoned. “And we are also made his children through believing in Jesus Christ. Wow. This spiritual thing is kinda interesting.” He thought and shuffled the pages again to pause on the first book of the whole Bible.
“Genesis.” He read the bolded letters atop the chapters, aloud. He lowered his eyes to a big 1 and then read the adjacent verse. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” He raised his eyebrows. “Wow. Magnificent.”

For a while, Wayne read the chapters of Genesis in the Old Testament. He became acquainted with God’s creation: sin of Cain against Abel: Enoch, who was taken up to heaven: Methuselah who lived so long and, ended at the beginning of the construction of Noah’s ark. 
The words of the Bible were very sweet. He felt the feeling that he had never experienced reading anything else before. Not even novels or movies seemed that interesting.
He leaned back on his seat afterward, sighing with exhaustion. Then, he just felt like praying to this God who seemed to have done a lot of wonders.
Sincere prayers are just what you are feeling to tell God at that moment, in all occasions, we ask God for forgiveness for all that we may have done before we begin to ask him. He recalled Vicky’s statement.
He shut his eyes and bowed his head, joining his hands together. “God?” He begun in a low voice. “Please forgive my sins. I read about you in Genesis and John and this other book and I have seen that you do wonders. I believe that you exist. And like what John one says, when we accept and believe in Jesus Christ into our lives, we are made to be your Children. I hope that I am already your child. As I read here in this other book, you are more great and powerful than how any man is. Please reveal yourself in my life because, I have heard that, God works many things only when we allow him in. I would like to see you today. I don’t know how but, that is just how I feel to tell you at this moment.” He spoke and sighed deeply when the thoughts of his problems came to his mind.
A lump of tears stuck in his throat and without knowing, he found himself wrinkling his face and shedding tears. “I think that… I think that, my mother is dead.” He said and exhaled, crying so hard. “I don’t know God and I am so… so scared.” He added in agony. “If you know Sasha, she has Leukemia… she had the hugest of dreams in her medical career; we had dreams.” He swallowed. “Please show yourself in my life. Please?” he begged.
There was silence but, for once, Wayne was able to let out all that burdened his heart to this Mysterious God.
He continued crying and pouring out his heart in prayers until when he felt some divine comfort. There was the feeling of peace that he could not explain, warming his heart.
Soon he said Amen, and wiped his tears, opening his eyes.
He glanced at his phone and read the screen to find the time to be 6 ‘O’ clock.
He was amazed that he had been crying for more than an hour. Nevertheless, he rose from the seat and carried the Bible to his bedroom where he left it with his unfolded bed sheets. Looking at it there, he felt ashamed and made his bed, took out the dirty sheets into a bin and changed into a towel to shower and get ready for his lesson with Vicky.

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