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Her reaction was more than worth the wait. She folded her hands and drew them
to her mouth, her eyes filling. Then she took his hand in both of hers. Oh,
Buck, she whispered. Oh, Buck.
It's nice to see you, too, he said.
Chloe quickly let go of his hand as if catching herself. I don't mean to act
like a schoolgirl, she said, but have you ever received a direct answer to
prayer?
Buck shot her a double take. I thought your dad was the praying member of
your family.
He is, she said. But I just tried out my first one in years, and God
answered it.
You prayed I would sit next to you?
Oh, no, I never would have dreamed of anything that impossible. How did you
do it, Buck?
He told her. It wasn't hard once I knew your flight time, and I said I was
traveling with you to get next to you.
But why? Where are you going?
You don't know where this plane's going? San Jose, I hope.
She laughed.
But come on now, Chloe. Finish your story. I've never been an answer to
prayer before.
It's kind of a long story.
I think we've got time.
She took his hand again. Buck, this is too special. This is the nicest thing
anyone's
done for me in a long time.
You said you were going to miss me, but I didn't do it only for you. I've got
business in Chicago.
She giggled and let go again. I wasn't talking about you, Buck, though this
is sweet. I was talking about God doing the nice thing for me.
Buck couldn't hide his embarrassment. I knew that, he said.
And she told him her story. You might have noticed I was pretty upset last
night. I
was so moved by my dad's story. I mean, I had heard it before. But all of a
sudden he seemed so loving, so interested in people. Could you tell how
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important it was to him and how serious he was about it?
Who couldn't?
If I didn't know better, Buck, I would have thought he was trying to convince
you personally rather than just answering your questions.
I'm not so sure he wasn't.
Did it offend you?
Not at all, Chloe. To tell you the truth, he was getting to me.
Chloe fell silent and shook her head. When she finally spoke she was nearly
whispering, and Buck had to lean toward her to hear. He loved the sound of her
voice. Buck, she said, he was getting to me, too, and I don't mean my dad.
Too bizarre, he said. I was up half the night thinking about this.
It won't be long for either of us, will it? she said. Buck didn't respond,
but he knew what she meant.
When do I get to be the answer to prayer? he prodded.
Oh, right. I was sitting there at dinner with my dad pouring his guts out to
you, and
I suddenly realized why he wanted me to be there when he said the same things
to
Hattie. I gave him such a hard time at first that he backed off on me, and now
that he had the knowledge and the real need to convince me, he was afraid to
come right at me. He wanted me to get it indirectly. And I did. I didn't hear
how he started because Hattie and I were in the ladies' room, but I had
probably heard that before.
When I got back, I was transfixed.
It wasn't that I was hearing anything new. It was new to me when I heard it
from
Bruce Barnes and saw that videotape, but my dad showed such urgency and
confidence. Buck, there's no other explanation for those two guys in
Jerusalem, is there, except that they have to be the two witnesses talked
about in the Bible?
Buck nodded.
So, Dad and God were getting to me, but I wasn't ready yet. I was crying
because I
love him so much and because it's true. It's all true, Buck, do you know
that?
I think I do, Chloe.
But still I couldn't talk to my dad about it. I didn't know what was in my
way. I've always been so blasted independent. I knew he was frustrated with
me, maybe disappointed, and all I could do was cry. I had to think, to try to
pray, to sort it out.
Hattie was no help. She doesn't get it and maybe never will. All she cared
about was trivial stuff, like trying to match make you and me.
Buck smiled and tried to look insulted. That's trivial?
Well, compared to what we're talking about right now, I'd have to say so.
Gotta give you that one, Buck said.
She laughed. So I knew something was wrong with Dad because I talked to you
for only, what, three minutes or so before I went up?
Less than that, probably.
By the time I got to our suite, he was already in bed. So I told him good
night, just to make sure he was still talking to me. He was. And then I tossed
and turned, not ready to take the last step, crying about my dad's worrying so
much about me and loving me so much.
That's while I was up, probably, Buck said.
But, Chloe said, this is so out of character for me. Even though I'm there,
I mean, I'm right there. You follow me?
Buck nodded. I've been going through the same thing.
I've been convinced, she said, but I'm still fighting. I'm supposed to be
an intellectual. I have critical friends to answer to. Who's going to believe
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this? Who's going to think I haven't lost my mind?
Believe me, I understand, Buck said, amazed at the similarities between
their journeys.
So, I was stuck, she said. I wasn't getting anywhere. I tried to encourage
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