The Space Between You and I

Chapter 1

Using his teeth to pull down on the coffee tube, Henry Hart filled his coffee cup at Mama P’s Coffee Shop with their house coffee and then proceeded over to join his father, Jasper, at a table. The smell of fresh coffee lingered in the air that early February morning. Sounds of hushed conversations filled his ears as he journeyed toward the only father he had ever known, even if he wasn’t blood-related. He was almost to the table when a woman in line at the counter dropped her keys a few feet from him. Stopping, he turned and saw her with a baby on her hip. Moving closer, he bent down and retrieved the keys for her.

     

Henry rose to his feet and handed her the keys.

“Thank you, sir. It’s sure been one of those mornings!” Adjusting the baby on her left hip, she flashed a friendly smile and took the keys.

 

“Have a nice day, ma’am.”

 

Continuing to his father’s table, Henry was greeted with a warm smile. Pulling out a chair, he hung his coat on the back and sat down. A smile grew on his lips and in his heart as his father folded the newspaper he was reading formerly to his arrival. He loved seeing his dad, an occurrence that didn’t happen as often as he had hoped since he moved out of his parents’ house six years ago.

   

“Hey, boy. It’s good to see you. That weather is a bit bad this morning.” Jasper took a deep drink of his coffee.

 

“Yeah, I think I heard thirteen degrees on the radio on my drive over.”

 

“Yep. Hey . . .” His father leaned in slightly across the table with raised eyebrows.

“Your mother and I don’t see much of you unless it’s Christmas. What’s going on with that?”

  Taking a drink of his coffee, Henry set his cup down on the table and rubbed the rim lightly with the side of his thumb. He nodded lightly. “Work has been busy, Dad. You know all those new renting houses regulations I told you about a few months back?” His father nodded. “They finally rolled out to the production server and it’s a mess. One of the new testers on our team marked a ton of things as useful when they weren’t. We had to roll the entire update back and slowly release bits and pieces at a time. Lots of cleanup, and that means long hours of work and work.”

     

Raising a hand, Jasper shook his head. “I don’t know what most of that means, but I believe you, Son. Just give your mom a call occasionally and let her know you care. Would you?”

   

Henry nodded in agreement. “I can do that.”

 

Silence fell across their conversation for a few moments. Then his father changed the topic elsewhere.

 

“Any word on scholarships to get into Bible college?”

 

He shook his head. “I’m going to have to let that dream go, Dad. If I focus hard at my current job and dedicate it all to the Lord, He will bless that. God will just have to use me where I am.”

  “That’s the right mindset to have about it. If it’s God’s will for you to attend Bible school, you will.

 “I know.”

   

“How’s Noelle?”

   

Henry stifled in his seat. He knew the basic reason of his father’s question. Noelle wasn’t just any girl in Henry’s life but the girl, according to everyone but him. Henry and Noelle had gone to high school together and had been best friends for six years. A year ago, she had started attending the same church as he did, First Baptist. This last year, he had seen her more and more because of it. Their friendship had deepened and tilted back and forth on the fence toward a relationship, according to everyone around them. But Henry didn’t want more than friendship when it came to Noelle. He feared a relationship would only mess up their friendship, and he couldn’t put something so lovely at risk.

 

Clearing his throat, Henry nodded as uneasiness rose within him.

   

“She’s good, Dad. You know she and I aren’t ever going to happen. You and Rachel and Mom should all just give it up.”

“Is it because she’s black and Nigerian, son?”Jasper took another sip of his coffee.

“Geez Dad, I’m not racist.” Henry chuckled

“Then what exactly is the problem, son?” Jasper leaned to hear his son’s next words.

“Dad……uhm how do I start….”

     

“Son, listen.” Jasper interrupted his son, his voice lowered, and grew more serious. “Women like her don’t come around very often. She’s God-fearing, never been married, sweetest girl in the works and she’s single. You’ve been her friend for years, and that’s a very good start, but only a start.”

 Henry  smiled politely at his father’s words. “I know . . .”

 

A moment passed, then Jasper glanced away for a moment. His gaze came back to Henry. “What else is going on?”

 

Taking a sip of his coffee, Henry remembered his upcoming schedule ahead of him. His eyebrows furrowed. “We have a business meeting tonight at the church.”

   

“Oh, yeah?” His dad took a drink of his coffee. “You don’t seem too excited about that.”

 

be proposing more money going to that homeless camp

   

We have to take

 

Henry shrugged. “I know, and we do. First Baptist already does so much for the poor. Believe me. Even that particular homeless camp, we’ve done a lot for it as it is right now. I just don’t feel we need to keep pouring money into

 

and you know

 

what else is good? Using your own personal finances to do it, not the church’s money. You know what Terry did last week? He bought a BMW. Then tonight he’s

  Jasper didn’t reply at all this time. He only held a look of disappointment in his expression.

 

I shouldn’t have said that about Terry The guy just bugs me, and I don’t

 

seriousness of tone, Jasper asked, “Is your heart in

“Of course. I stand with God and wanting to be a good

why did you apologize

 

rude and it upset

 

stand with God and your heart is right . . .”

 

get what you’re saying, Dad.”

 

the side and scooted closer to the table. Folding his hands on the table, he peered

 

“Don’t look away from me, Son. Look at me. Don’t turn away from your

   

looked with difficulty into his father’s eyes even though it was

 

said about him, but that doesn’t change the heart issue going on inside you. Out of the lips

 

been Henry’s spiritual leader. Through his father’s instruction, he had been taught what it meant to be

 

and Priscilla weren’t his biological parents. Jasper had found him in a manger when he was but three years old on Christmas Eve. Swaddled in a blanket and incoherently unconscious, possibly from his mother drugging him,

to be his

 

think and pray about my heart in

 

their battles from their knees, not from their mouths. Don’t forget

     

 

   

 

       

     

*

   

back and set his Bible and coat down on the long bench. He joined in the singing of the last chorus and then took his seat in unison with the rest of the congregation. Terry

Under Armor clothing, buy a BMW, and walk around like you’re some spiritual guru, but when it comes to supporting the homeless, that’s all

   

everyone doing tonight?” Terry surveyed the audience with a smile on his lips. “Lord’s good,

 

‘Amen’ lifted from the

he smiled as his gaze fell on a gray-haired woman. “This is Mary. She’s our guest of honor tonight. She comes from the camp across the street, and I want to tell you a little bit about her.”

 

the ceiling for a few minutes, then glanced around the sanctuary at other people to pass time as Terry went on and on about the woman. After he was finally done talking, he read the church announcements. Henry listened to the announcements, and

   

we give back a portion of what you’ve been so gracious to give us. It’s only through Your grace , mercy and goodness that we have anything at all. Let us worship

 

the way he felt toward Terry but didn’t feel as if he had any power over it. He felt the man was actively working his own worklist in the church and using God’s people

 

person in the world and the only woman besides his mother and sister whom he had ever loved. Everyone wanted him to date Noelle

the ushers finished collecting the offering, Pastor Jacob took

the Word of

   

come here often?” Noelle's question came as her brown eyes caught his gaze. The very next moment, she smiled that smile that lit up Henry's face and made everything else seem not important.

 

jokingly, “It’s my

 

embraced in a

 

Bips after this right?” Henry inquired, verifying their

 

hope you know it’s all just for you. By the way . . . normal people eat at five or six o’clock, not nine.”

 

a smile. “What fun is normal? Plus, I barely left the

 

face and in her voice. “If you didn’t take naps at work, you would be able to

 

both

the elders in the church, Paul. After shaking hands, Henry returned to his seat near the back. His eyes still on her, he watched as she talked and laughed with Mary, the woman Terry had introduced earlier. He loved Noelle's personality and the fact that every person who knew her loved

you all playing and talking, but we’d better get started if you want to make

 

prayed over the sermon and then asked everyone to

me passed out in an alley behind a bar that my life changed forever. That man was a Christian. I’m not talking about a ‘went to church on Sunday’ Christian, or a fire insurance Christian, but a real Christian. A Christ follower. He helped me get home that night, then he called me daily after that and even met with me weekly for the next six months. He taught me all about God, all about Jesus, and all about a thing called the Bible. He didn’t teach me religion. He taught me relationship. He sat and listened as I told him about my struggles, and that

 

didn’t know had done a similar thing for him, which led him to Jesus too. I’m a pastor now, but my start was in an alley behind The Spark. You see, brothers and sisters, God can use us no matter where we

 

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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