I laughed again and it made her jump. “Sorry, but it sure does sound like that? I never thought of it that way… No, what I’m talking about does not wear off.”
“Sorry, Oliver, but there is no way I’m going to go off the deep end like your crazy Francis and Clare. I like my possessions.”
I chuckled. “That won’t be necessary. A life of self-imposed poverty is not for everyone.”
She looked at me and for a split moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of hope in her eye. “What then? What are you telling me to do?”
“It’s simple, Clare, just two things. It’s almost too simple but I promise you things will get better if you do them.”
“I’m listening.”
“Here, give me your hand.”
Reluctantly, she placed her hand on mine. “Be thankful for what you do have and be open, allow God into your life. That’s all.”
She said nothing for a few moments. I could see tears pooling in her eyes. “I’ve done a lot of crazy shit. If there is a God, He might not be interested in the likes of me.”
“Oh, He’s interested all right. I can promise you that. You and I meeting was no accident.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll have to tell you about it some time. Were you ever baptized as a child?”
She shook her head. “No, my family was not religious.”
“It’s pretty simple and it’s a sacrament that claims you for Christ. It’s an important step in accepting God into your life. When you are ready, I would be happy to do it.”
“Yeah, that sounds great.” She looked at her watch, got up from her stool and walked over to the cashier. Before heading out she came back and said, “Do it now.”
“Do what now?” I asked.
“Baptize me. You said it was simple. Go ahead and do it now.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to her request. “Well, typically I would do this at church.”
“I don’t want to wait that long. Do it now.”
“But, I have to…”
“Look, if you don’t do it now. I’ll probably never get around to asking you to do it.”
I sat for a moment then asked her to sit down.
She took her seat again. “Will this hurt?”
