Sunshine Days - Chapter 25
The next day, Jonathan awoke more tired than when he'd crawled into bed the night before. He and David had returned to the cabin sometime around 1 in the morning with the knowledge that they'd have to be awake in less than six hours. He wasn't sure how much longer he could go on making these late-night excursions, though he had to admit the lack of sleep was actually helping him fall asleep better. As much as he enjoyed going out and getting dirty with David, he'd still like to take a night off and get a full eight hours. He vowed that the moment he got home the following week, he'd sleep in every day until late August. Or at least that's what he hoped.
He awoke to Leader Eddie's loud voice booming through the cabin. "Rise and shine, campers! Up and at 'em!" The lights flicked on.
He rolled over and closed his eyes again. David's gentle nudging came a few minutes later. Jonathan made a low, grumbling noise and wrapped the blanket over his head. He could hear the pup giggle and nudge him again, saying, "Wake up, Jonathan. Let's go get some breakfast."
Jonathan sighed and pried open his eyes. His lids were heavy and crusted with sleep that they were a pain to keep open. So he closed them again and tried to go back to sleep, hoping that David would let him be. He felt he could skip breakfast and go for lunch.
The blanket whipped back so suddenly that Jonathan made a loud, angry noise of protest. He glared up at the canine who was grinning over him and holding up the blanket.
"Wakey wakey!" David said playfully, ignoring the feline's disgruntled attitude.
Jonathan gave a conceding sigh when David wouldn't let up. He pushed himself up a little and tried to blink the slumber out of his eyes while cubs, all well rested, got ready for the day and rushed out to have breakfast. He wondered how on earth David managed to be so bright and energetic on such little sleep.
"Sleep well?" David asked kindly.
Jonathan nodded and squinted down at his watch. David handed him his glasses which he gratefully accepted.
"Hey." David said as Jonathan watched the boys slamming the cabin door behind them as they went to grab a shower. Jonathan turned to ask David 'What?' when David met him with a kiss on the lips. The pup had waited until the last of the other cubs were gone before giving him his good morning smooch.
"Blech," Jonathan said, wiping his muzzle, "You got morning breath..."
David grinned and whipped his tail side to side, "So do you." He teased. "Not that I care or nothin'..."
Jonathan gave him a tired grin and leaned down to give him another kiss, a little deeper and with minor consideration for each other's foul breath.
"Mmmm..." David said, gazing up at him, "Let's go get something to eat."
~~~
As usual, they shared a pew to themselves in the back of the auditorium while Pastor Durham gave the daily sermon.
"Welcome back, campers. I'm glad to see you all made it back here safely and in one piece," He started, addressing the cubs from Cabins B and D. "I'd like to start first by asking those from Cabins A and C who plan on going on the camping trip this Wednesday to please stay behind after the sermon. Lars will give you a brief lecture on camping safety and what to do if you get lost."
Jonathan saw the elderly fox give a narrow glance in their direction. He ducked his head a little.
"Continuing on with our theme this year, can anyone tell me another story in the Bible that has to do with water?"
A few paws went up; some guessing it was the one where Jesus turned water into wine, or the one where he walked across the water to meet his disciples in a boat. Eventually, someone got the correct answer.
"That's right! Today, we will be learning about Jonah and the Big Fish!"
The projector screen showed an old oil painting depiction of a terrified Jonah looking down the gaping maw of a large whale-like creature that Jonathan knew for a fact didn't exist. It looked like what someone who had never seen a whale, or a fish, would draw if they were given a very loose description of one.
"As I'm sure you're all familiar with the story," Durham continued, "Jonah was a prophet sent by God to the city of Nineveh to warn them that their entire city would be destroyed because of their wicked ways. Well, as you know, Jonah disobeyed God's orders and fled on a boat to Tarshish, which was in the exact opposite direction of Nineveh. So the Lord sent a storm to punish Jonah for his disobedience. The sailors on the boat became afraid, praying to their own gods and throwing things overboard, hoping that they'd be shown mercy.
"Well...Jonah was fast asleep in the bottom of the boat the whole time. Imagine trying to sleep through a storm like that! Though I think some of you could probably sleep through a nuclear explosion."
He saw that his little joke passed over each of their little heads, cleared his throat, and moved on.
"So! The sailors found him sleeping down in the bottom of the boat and woke him, asking why he wasn't asking his god to quell the storm. They found that Jonah was the one to blame for the storm and he told them that if they throw him over, the storm would cease. So after a little hesitation on their part, they threw Jonah overboard and..."
He snapped his fingers.
"Just like that, the storm went away! God calmed the storm and spared the sailors on the boat. But did Jonah perish there in the sea? No sir, he didn't! God still had a plan for Jonah so he sent a large fish to swallow Jonah whole. He stayed there in the safety of the fish's belly for three days and three nights, where he prayed for God's mercy and forgiveness until God ordered the fish to throw him up near land.
"So what did Jonah do right after? Well, he went right down to Nineveh to deliver the Lord's word, just as he promised he'd do inside the great fish. He travelled to Nineveh where he foretold that, 'In forty days, Nineveh shall be overthrown!' Does anyone know what happened next?"
He was answered with a sea of blank faces, some furrowed in thought and others bored out of their skulls.
"The people of Nineveh _believed_his prophesies! They ordered a fasting and the king himself took off his fancy robes and adorned a sack cloth. He then left his throne and sat in ashes, proclaiming that the city of Nineveh would repent and pray to God for forgiveness. God saw their repentance and spared the city from a fiery fate. Now...Sounds like a happy ending, doesn't it?"
A few nods from the audience.
"It was certainly a happy ending for everyone... Everyone that is, except for Jonah. Jonah was angry! He was angry that God would grant these people mercy after he delivered his message that God would wipe them clean off the map. So Jonah left the city and made a shelter nearby, just to see if God would follow through on his promise to destroy Nineveh. God sent him a large vine to give him shade while he watched the city. Then, he sent a worm to destroy the plant the next day which Jonah grieved over.
"God asked Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?'
"To which he replied, 'Yes! It is right for me to be angry, even to death!'
"God replied, 'You had pity on this plant, this plant which you did not labor on, which you did not grow, which came and went in only a day. Should I not pity Nineveh? The great city in which a hundred and twenty thousand souls could not discern their right hand from their left?'"
Durham looked up at the crowd of attentive cubs and smiled.
"God expects us to forgive others as he forgives those who come to him with repentance. The Lord gave the city of Nineveh a second chance, just as he gave Jonah a second chance when he turned to flee from His instruction."
Jonathan turned to look at David and saw that he was looking right back. He wondered to himself if it was somehow intentional that this sermon would come up the day after he and David had their argument. He'd forgiven David for his indiscretion just as he'd been forgiven for his own overreaction. Part of him was still a little sore with jealousy about David and Vince's history together but after what they did last night, he felt much closer to the both of them as well.
Jonathan slid his paw across the wooden pew and touched David's, his fingers slipping over his paw. Their eyes met again and they smiled to one another. Jonathan's fingers locked with David's, hidden out of sight from everyone else except for themselves. He felt so tempted to lean over and kiss him, or maybe rest his head on his shoulder like a couple of lovers, but he restrained himself. There was something about being around David that made Jonathan happy. He wished that those small, intimate moments would last forever.
Pastor Durham asked them all to bow their heads as he led them into prayer. Jonathan let go of David's paw because he didn't want anyone to come by and see them holding paws while their eyes were closed. But there was still a little part of him that felt like doing something so...homosexual during a time of prayer and worship would be sacrilegious, blasphemous. It just felt wrong to do.
He clasped his own paws together and closed his eyes, waiting out the prayer like he did every Sunday when he attended services with his parents.
~~~
David and Jonathan were the first to leave the Auditorium after the services ended, stepping outside into the warm sunshine and cool breeze. It was one of those days where the weather was absolutely perfect. The sun wasn't too hot, the wind wasn't too cold or strong, the humidity was just fine, and the skies were bright blue and crisp. There wasn't a single cloud that day.
Jonathan took a deep breath of the fresh air, loving how it tasted, loving how it felt in his lungs. Everything seemed perfect and in its right place. He still felt tempted to hold David's paw, wanting to share the joy he felt with him in a physical expression. He looked over at David and saw the smile in his eyes. He had no doubt that David shared the same feelings he did, wondering how he could have been swayed by yesterday's revelations.
"What do you wanna do now?" He asked, walking alongside his friend across the Commons area towards their cabin.
David gave a little shrug. "I'unno. You wanna go swimming after lunch?"
"Maybe..." Jonathan said with a little smile. It would give them an excuse to go to the locker room and change together. Maybe sneak a little more than just a peek when they went to shower after their swim.
But before they could make any solid decisions, Leader Eddie came striding up the pathway to meet them. Jonathan couldn't help but feel a little alarmed at his presence, but he put on a brave face and promised himself that whatever he needed to tell them wouldn't sully his already perfect day.
"Hello, boys." The bear greeted them friendly enough. "David, may I have a word with you?"
David glanced over at Jonathan with a mildly surprised look. Jonathan could tell that he was also just a little worried that he might be in trouble for something that he didn't quite remember, maybe something he forgot to do. He looked up at Eddie and said, "Yeah, sure..."
Eddie turned to Jonathan and said, "I'll try not to keep him too long. I know you probably want to go do other things." He flashed them a smile.
"Okay..." David said, a little uncertainly. He turned to Jonathan and said, "Catch up with you later?"
Jonathan smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'll be out behind the cabin."
They both exchanged a subtly suggestive smile before heading in separate directions, David off to the Main Lodge and Jonathan back to the cabin.
Inside, he went to his duffel bag and pulled out his mp3 player. He looked at it for a second, then decided that a day like that called for something a little more upbeat. He was sure David wouldn't mind if he borrowed his walkman to listen to Five Iron Frenzy while he waited.
He strolled around the side of the cabin, humming happily to himself. Somehow, even the shade along the side of the building seemed perfect. He had his mind on swimming with David later that day. He felt like nothing could bring him down. Little did he know there was someone already waiting for him behind the cabin.