Sunshine Days - Chapter 38
Taken from The Redding Journal, June 18 2005
Local Pastor Arrested for Drunken, Disorderly Conduct
A well-loved and respected pastor faces public intoxication and possible cub endangerment charges after they were arrested Thursday evening at an Angel Lake-based summer retreat.
Elijah Durham, 54, is the pastor of Redding's First Baptist and the founder of the popular religious summer camp and activity center Sunshine Days. It was at the camp site where Durham was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and appearing inebriated while performing his duties.
The Redding Police Department have confirmed that the pastor had a blood alcohol content of nearly 0.07 at the time of his arrest, though they have not addressed the assault as of 8:30pm Friday evening. Witnesses said that Durham 'took a swing' at Sheriff Lowery while others claim that he'd shoved the officer back, leading to the arrest. The testimonies were given by several cubs who were witnesses to the scene but police and executive officials of Redding's First Baptist have declined to comment on the incident.
"This has come as a shock to the whole fellowship," said deacon Bartholomew Mitchell. "His behavior and actions at Sunshine Days were deplorable but we will not allow it to undo the community he helped to build. He has been a positive influence on a lot of lives and has helped shape the church on foundations of forgiveness and redemption. We will continue to pray for our pastor and his family..."
Durham is currently placed on administrative leave and could not be reached for a statement. *
~ ~ ~
Jonathan woke up the next morning, a little disoriented after the previous night. The first thing he noticed after the still-sleeping David next to him was how startlingly bright the inside of the cabin was. When he checked the time on his watch, he found that they had slept in all the way to noon. Some were up and milling around the cabin while others still slept off the Shindig. He can't remember how late they had stayed up, though it must have been into the early hours of morning given how late they'd slept in. He wondered curiously why they'd been allowed to sleep in. Perhaps after Durham was taken from the camp, the rules had slacked a bit. Maybe Lars, Beth, or Eddie were preoccupied with the fallout from the night before. He was sure that he wasn't the only one wondering what would happen now. They were only a day away from leaving camp...
Jonathan felt a little lump form in his throat. His heart sank at the thought that this would all be over soon. The closer it got to Saturday, the more he was realizing how much he was going to miss David. And how much he was dreading going home to his fighting parents.
David stirred. He yawned massively, whining lightly as his jaw stretched all the way open. He rolled over towards Jonathan, smiling sleepily and smacking his lips a little. "Mornin' Johnny."
"Morning." He purred back, smiling and laying back down next to him.
David asked what time it was. When Jonathan told him, David gave him a quizzical look. He seemed to wonder the same thing he did. Where were the Leaders? Where was the management?
The two eventually got up from cuddling after their stomachs began protesting in unison, urging them to go get some lunch in the Main Lodge. After a brief shower (following a quickie outside of their cabin) they both went to get some lunch. Jonathan was very relieved to see that at least the canteen was operating at its usual status, unchanged by the previous evening's events. He washed the taste of dog cock out of his mouth with a soda, a Salisbury steak sandwich, and a fruit cup while David chatted with him.
"I haven't heard nothin' yet but mom said that she was supposed to come sometime after I get back from camp!" He was referring to his baby sister, whose arrival he was greatly anticipating.
Jonathan smiled. "Have they got a name for her yet?"
David shook his head. "They were discussing names, thinking about naming her after my Nana, probably. They didn't like the name I gave though." He giggled.
"Which was...?" Jonathan asked.
"I wanted to name her Xena." He grinned a cheesy grin. "Cuz she's gonna be a warrior princess one day!"
Jonathan couldn't help laughing at that. He grinned back and said, "I'm sure she will be."
The rest of the day continued normally. The younger cubs came back from their camping trip and the older ones filled them in on what had happened the night before. Jonathan overheard a lot of different accounts, varying from what he thought to be true, to outlandish accounts of Durham having to be subdued with a taser as if he'd gone rabid. Embellishments aside, the unchanging fact was that Durham was gone and the remaining Leaders were trying to keep the camp under control.
They ran into Vince sometime after 2 in the afternoon. After an enthusiastic greeting, he informed them about the Farewell Fire. It too was unchanged, taking place at 7 pm that evening. He seemed quite excited about it, leading Jonathan to wonder what was going to take place there.
"It's not another..." He wondered out loud.
"No! Of course not!" Vince said quickly. "Everyone's gonna be there tonight. And clothed." He added, looking at David. "It's just a little barbecue and bonfire they do at the end of camp. There'll be games and music and stuff."
Jonathan nodded. He was actually kind of looking forward to it, given how laid-back and relaxing it sounded. At least compared to the Shindig.
They passed the time by continuing to sneak off to get some action with one another, wanting to get a little more in before the Farewell Fire. By the time 6:30 rolled around, both teens needed another shower to wash the smell of sex off each other before going to join the rest of their peers in the Commons.
There was already a large pile of sticks, branches, and logs sitting in a ring of bricks, just waiting to be set alight for the evening. Even though they weren't on fire, cubs were being told to stay back from the fire pit. Lars was busy giving a large group of cubs a lecture on proper fire safety.
The sun was making its retreat behind the barrier of mountains. The sky was that color of purple and orange that Jonathan loved, though it kind of made him feel sad then.
Lars finally set the heap aflame, lighting up the surrounding faces and setting off a resounding cheer from all those who were gathered around. He called for their attention and gave them the opening speech, welcoming them all to the Farewell Fire, telling them what a wonderful time it had been this year, that he was sorry that Pastor Durham couldn't be there that evening, but that they would have a grand time nonetheless. After a short prayer, they went to gather food and weenies to roast over the bonfire.
Jonathan gazed into the crackling flames, feeling oddly at peace with everything. After all was said and done, he felt like he could finally relax a bit. He jumped a little when he felt a paw close down on top of his own. He looked up to see David grinning that goofy grin back at him.
They chatted and consumed hot dogs until they brought out the bags of marshmallows for s'mores. Jonathan noticed curiously that someone had rolled out a large drum, a conga or a djembe of some kind. While Andre was holding it between his thighs and testing it out, Vince came up holding an acoustic guitar. He sat down on the log seat next to Jonathan and David.
"You're going to play some music?" Jonathan asked, only half surprised. He knew that Vince had played the guitar from a young age and was pretty decent at it the last time he heard.
The older feline smirked and nodded, plucking a few strings and tuning them. "Yup! You didn't think there wasn't gonna be any music at the Farewell Fire, did you?"
"Honestly, I don't know what to expect anymore," Jonathan replied.
Vince grinned, "Don't worry. I promise I'm not terrible."
He strummed a few chords until people quieted down. A couple cubs were shouting out requests but Vince didn't pay any real attention to them. Someone said, "Smells like Teen Spirit!" Vince responded with the first few chords, slapped his paw on the strings to snuff out the sound, and said, "Nope!" Everyone laughed.
Vince chuckled, "You all ready?"
A few scattered "Yeahs!" and cheers.
Vince looked over at Andre, who nodded and started to pound the drum with his palms. At first, Jonathan thought it sounded like the beginning of that Queen song they often played at home games or pep rallies. The booming of the bass was followed by short clapping from Lars and Beth. Others began to join in, some more in sync than others.
Vince burst in so suddenly with the guitar that Jonathan was surprised at how loud it was next to him. His older cousin seemed to be giving it his all, strumming passionately and perfectly. He was surprised again when he heard his cousin sing, his jaw dropping open slightly. He had never heard him do it before and he was dumbfounded by what he heard.
The song was one that he was definitely familiar with as it was a Jars of Clay song. Though this version sounded much more upbeat and Vince sang it with so much soul that Jonathan would still be in shock by the end.
And by the end of the second verse, everyone, including Jonathan himself, was singing along to the chorus. "I want to fall in love with you." Over and over again.
As the fire carried their voices up with the smoke to the twinkling stars, Jonathan looked over at David. For a moment, he felt like he was singing it to him. "I want to fall in love with you."
Vince sang, "My heart beats for you..." Carrying out the last syllable and letting the final strum fade with it.
While everyone clapped, Vince looked over at Jonathan's shocked expression and gave him a wink.
After a couple of familiar songs from the sermons, including the dreaded "Pharaoh Pharaoh", Vince broke the pattern with some more popular ones from the Newsboys.
Vince played a rather lively acoustic version of "Shine", before announcing the next one. "Now I know you all know this one. I had to fight tooth and nail to sing this one cuz its got a bad word in it. So I want you to really give it your all! I wanna hear you sing like you mean it!"
With a broad grin, he broke out into "Breakfast". Almost everyone knew the words and sang along with Vince.
"When the toast is burned, and all the milk has turned, and Captain Crunch is waving Farewell! When the big one finds you, may this song remind you, that they don't serve breakfast in HELL!"
Some of the cubs sang the last word with such gusto that Jonathan could see Lars flinching a little. Of course, it was likely the only time a cub could get away with using that word in front of an adult and they were going to take full advantage of that.
He followed it up with "Entertaining Angels" and "Lord (I Don't Know)" before leading into a few more traditional hymns. Jonathan could sense that things were winding down, not just by the tone of the songs. Everyone seemed calmer, the fire seemed to be dying down. The acrid smell of smoke was soaked into the tabby's fur that he was sure he'd be reeking of it when he went home the next day. He almost didn't want the night to end. At least not yet.
Vince took a little break while everyone talked and ate up the last of the s'mores. Jonathan noticed that David didn't seem as energized as he did earlier. He had a curious expression on his muzzle that Jonathan had a hard time reading. It was almost sad but not quite. Contemplative and distant it seemed. He looked off in the direction David was looking. He could see Avery from across the bonfire. He didn't look even remotely cheerful. He was looking moodily down at his feet, not paying attention to any of his friends around him.
As Jonathan was feeling sorry for him, Avery got up and walked off in the direction of the cabins, not giving anyone a second glance.
Vince spoke up again, getting everyone's attention again.
"The time has come to say goodbye," He began, looking all around at them. "To the friends that we made and remember the memories that we shared together. Over the rest of the summer, let's try to remember the things that we learned here and call upon God to apply them to our lives. Forgiveness, love, redemption, and friendship." He paused. Only the fire spoke in little hisses and snaps. "So let us gather 'round the Farewell Fire and sing one last song for tonight."
There was a long moment that passed before Vince began to play. Jonathan didn't recognize the song but it sounded very pretty. He felt a strong shiver go up his spine when Vince began to sing the first line.
Jonathan felt like he'd had the wind knocked out of him. It was one of the few times he'd ever heard something reverberate so deeply into his soul that the lyrics spoke for him rather than to him. Tears burned behind his eyes. He would try to play it off as the smoke from the campfire but a paw on his leg told him that David understood.
"Remember the good times that we had? I let them slip away from us when things got bad. How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun. Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one..."
"I will remember you. Will you remember me? Don't let your life pass you by...Weep not for the memories..."
David's paw found Jonathan's. He stood up as David pulled him up, following him off into the dark away from the campfire. They didn't head back in the direction of the cabin, but rather in the direction of the lake. He swallowed the painful lump that seemed trapped in his throat as the voices from the fire gradually faded into the night.
"I will remember you. Will you remember me? Don't let your life pass you by..."
Paw in paw, they walked along the edge of the lake until they were far enough away from the campfire that they could talk in private. The flames flickered in the distance, the smoke drifted up into the night sky.
"You alright?" David asked.
Jonathan nodded. "Yeah..."
David was quiet for a second. "I can't believe it's almost over..."
Jonathan gave a small smile and said, "I know...It feels like we've been here for three years."
David looked over at him. "But it feels like we only just got here a couple days ago."
Jonathan nodded. Time certainly did have a way of passing him by. He wished he hadn't wasted so much of his time at Sunshine Days worrying about every little thing. Or his whole life so far. It was a bizarre thought that 24 hours from that moment, he would be back in his own bed again, in the comfort of his house, being lulled to sleep by the ticking of his alarm clock and the scraping of branches outside his bedroom wall.
They sat down on a soft patch of grass and looked out over the lake. The ghostly reflection of the moon rippled over the surface of the lake. The campfire winked out of existence as someone dumped sand or water over it, extinguishing it for the night.
They talked for a long time after that. David talked about how excited he was to finally be a big brother and how he was planning to try out for wrestling next year at school. Jonathan didn't say much about his post-summer vacation plans. Every time he thought about it, his mind went back to his parent's fighting and the future seemed to grow more and more uncertain.
"I mean...I was thinking about joining the chess team," He said, laying back and looking up at the stars. "I dunno though...I don't even really like chess. I just feel like it something I'm supposed to do."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...I think because I'm smart and nerdy, I'm supposed to go for those academic and extracurricular activities. If I'm in middle school, I'm supposed to be in some kind of club."
"Well...What do you wanna do?" David asked curiously.
"Nothing," Jonathan replied, rather bluntly. "I don't want to do anything at school. Is it so wrong to just want to be left alone?"
David's ears flicked back.
"Not you..." Jonathan added. "I meant...At school." He sighed and sat up, hugging his legs. "I hate school so much."
David nodded understandingly. He put his arm around the feline and said, "I'm with you there, man..."
They were quiet for a long time again, savoring the quiet stillness of the night as campers and leaders returned to their cabins and went to bed. Jonathan tried not to think of the rest of his summer, which would likely be spent mostly at the library, trying to escape his parent's bickering and bury his loneliness in friends that only came to him in paperback or hardback.
Jonathan stood to his feet and brushed some dirt off his legs and butt. He looked down and saw that David was still sitting on the ground, looking up at him with an expression of dismay.
"Where are you going?" The pup asked, a hint of a whine in his voice.
"I thought we should go to bed..." Jonathan replied.
David shook his head so hard that his large, pointed ears flapped. "No!" He scrambled to his feet and stood up close to Jonathan. "We should stay up together...Just stay here."
"Why?" Jonathan asked, more confused than concerned.
There was an extraordinary look of sadness on David's face. He held Jonathan's paws and said, "I don't wanna go to sleep...We only got a little bit of time left here an' I wanna spend it with you..."
Those words finally sent Jonathan over. Tears leaked from behind his glasses and down his cheeks. He nodded, swallowing and said in a croaky whisper. "Okay..."
David leaned in, held Jonathan close to him, and kissed him tenderly on the lips. Jonathan put his arms around the back of David's neck and held on to his friend for as long as he could.