The News

A week before Thanksgiving, there was a knock on the door.  I opened the door.  There was an officer standing at the door. "May I please speak with Mrs. Abigela Hopkins," the officer stated.  I turned my head towards the living room and yelled, "Mom!" Mom walked to the door.  When she saw the officer she said, "Come in.  How may I help you?'

The officer responded, "Mame, I don't know how to tell you this, but your husband was shot and he is dead." Mom replied, "What do you mean he's dead?" The officer helped Mom sit in the chair in the hallway.  The officer continued with his story, "All I know is that the store where Mr. Hopkins worked was robbed. Mr. Hopkins apparently tried to trip the burglar alarm, then the burglar shot him." "I just can't believe it.  I just can't believe it," Mom responded.

Terri came in the room and tried to find out what was wrong with her mother. "Mama, why are you crying?"  Mom looked at her and said, "I have to tell you and Kevin something. Kevin come in here." I came in the room joking as I usually did, "What's up? What ever it is I didn't do it." Mom yelled my name.  I knew this was serious. I squatted down beside my mother in the hallway.

Mom retold the story that the officer had told her.  Terri broke down and went to screaming and crying. I just looked at my mother and told her to quit joking. After a few minutes, Mom convinced me that she was not joking. I looked at my mother and screamed, "Man, it ain't right!" I ran out of the house.  Mom screamed my name as the officer was walking out of the house.

I was outside looking up at the sky, "Why God! Why! Dad was coming to church.  He had just gotten saved. It ain't fair.  Why couldn't you take someone else?"  Terri walked outside. I looked at Terri and frowned. Terri was always butting in where she didn't belong.  She stared at me and said, "Why did you run out?  You scared Mom."  I looked at Terri and roared, "You know, God's not fair.  He's just not fair." Terri tried to explain to me that God was fair, but without much success.  "God probably took Dad home because it was his time. Do you remember when Eld. Hayes said that if after someone has just gotten saved, they die, it is probably because God knows that they cannot live saved like other saints, so God calls them while they are saved." I wasn't really buying it. I was tired of hearing Terri, so I said that I understood, hugged her, and went back in the house.

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