The Controller - Installment #7 -- a bite to eat

After church Allen invites Melanie out for a bite to eat. They decide to walk to a little place around the corner.

On the way, Melanie asks Allen what he thought of the service.

“Not really my style, sister. I think your pastor is a bit of a showboat, as mom would say.”

“He’s really caring and I like him. He listens to what God tells him and speaks it out…Hey, look there’s that old yellow dog the pastor mentioned.”

After they order lunch Melanie surprises Allen with a question, “What should we do about the old place?”

“I live there!”

“Well, mom left it to us, both of us, and  I moved, so shouldn’t you be buying me out or something?”

“I thought you might be moving back, after you got this out of your system.”

“I don’t think so, bro. No offense but I can’t see myself living with you for the rest of my life. And, you’ll be wanting to get married sometime.”

“Who, me? There is no one like that in my life.”

“Right now, maybe not, but there could be.”

Allen decides to bring the topic back to a comfortable place, “You are saying you want me to buy you out?”

“Or, we could sell the place and divide everything. That would be fair.”

“Let me think about it.”

“Sure.”

 If I’m not mistaken—and I rarely am—this is a God set-up. Allen would like some money to invest with Nick. Selling the house would get him that. These are big decisions. Is he going to pray about them? More critically, is he going to listen to what God tells him? Or, is he going to need his guardian angel to rescue him as some future point?

After lunch, Allen pays the tab, “My treat.”

They walk back to the church parking lot together. “Do you want a ride anywhere?” Allen asks when Melanie stops to say good-bye.
“A few of us are practising for a play.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
“Really?”
“It's a fundraiser. We are putting on as a fundraiser. Do you want to come to it?”
“If you're in it...maybe. What's it for?”
“I told you to raise funds.”
“For?”
“The church of course.”