The Sacrifice (19 page)

“Why have you come to this place?” one asked.

“I am here to tell you about Jesus Christ, God's Son,” the man said. “It tells about him in a book I received in Bangkok. It's called the Holy Bible.”

“Jesus Christ. We have heard that name from the American soldiers,” one of the men answered. “They used it as a curse. I do not want any more American curses falling on my head.” Several men nodded in agreement and stood up to leave.

“Wait,” the newcomer said. “The soldiers were wrong to use the name as a curse. Jesus came to remove all curses from us.”

“How could he do that? Does he know our names or where we live?” another man asked.

“He took the curses upon himself and died for us.”

“A dead man can't help me,” the first speaker said.

“But he didn't stay dead. He came back to life. The curses couldn't hold on to him.”

“Did an American tell you this?” one asked.

“No, it was a Vietnamese man—”

“Hah!” one of the men exclaimed. “We want no part of an American god served by a Vietnamese who hates and kills our people.”

All the men walked away. All except Tao.

“Have you seen him alive?” Tao asked quietly. “This Jesus Christ.”

“Not with my eyes, but I have met him in here.” The man pointed to his chest. “The Bible calls it being born again.”

“How can a man be born a second time when he's fully grown?”

“That is a good question. A holy man asked Jesus the same thing.”

The stranger told Tao the story of Nicodemus. He concluded by reading from his Bible. “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.'”

As he listened, Tao felt nervous, yet excited.

“Is this Holy Spirit, the one who blows like the wind, a brother to Jesus?” Tao asked.

“Closer than that, I think. They are different, yet one. Who can understand all things about God? But I know that Jesus has broken the power of evil spirits in my life and made me a new man. I'm free from the darkness that threatened to destroy me.”

“I know this darkness,” Tao nodded. “I hear the voices of hate in my head.”

The man bowed his head for a second then looked up. “Would you like to be free?”

Tao rarely made face-to-face contact with anyone except his family and closest friends. Hmong culture did not encourage casual eye contact, and Tao had much to hide in the darkness of his soul. But there was a light and life in the stranger's eyes that Tao had never seen in another person. He invited him to stay with him, and on the third day Tao entered the kingdom of God. He became truly
Hmong,
truly “free.”

Lunch was served at Catawba High from 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. One day a week, members of the Tuesday group occupied a small round table in the back corner of the cafeteria. Each student was given thirty min- utes to eat, so the identities of the students sitting at the table shifted during the two-hour period.

The prayer group had started years before. The original members had graduated, and the current participants were second, third, and fourth generation, but the simplicity of the founders' mission had been maintained without significant change. When they sat down at the table, the students knew what to expect. They prayed simply, personally, and from the heart. They didn't try to act spiritual; they
were
spiritual.

Janie Collins had been part of the Tuesday group since she was in the ninth grade. Alisha Mason participated on a regular basis. Kenny Bost, shy in class or social situations, felt comfortable and safe in the group. The bond created during their times in the cafeteria spilled over into their contacts throughout the school day. When members passed each other in the hall, they greeted one another with an unqualified acceptance rare in high school.

When someone was praying, the others would listen and agree. Sometimes, a student would write a request on a card and put it in the middle of the table so the topic or person would receive prayer throughout the whole time period. There was one rule about written requests— they had to be suitable to broadcast over the school intercom without causing embarrassment to another person. No gossip prayers allowed. Most members prayed with their eyes open.

And that is what attracted the attention of Tao.

The janitor's first assignment was to stem the tide of trash and fallen food from covering the floor during lunch period. Larry Sellers took his newest employee into the cafeteria, handed him a broom and a dustpan, and pointed at a napkin and piece of bread on the floor. Tao got the message. He began at one end of the room and went from table to table cleaning up behind the messy American teenagers. It was easy labor, and he diligently worked his way to the back of the room.

When he reached the area near the round table where the students were praying, Tao leaned over to pick up a paper cup. He glanced up and saw Janie Collins's face. Her lips were moving; her eyes were open. To a casual observer, she appeared to be carrying on a conversation with the other students around the table. But Tao saw something different. Radiating from her eyes was the same light that shone from the eyes of the evangelist who came to the refugee camp many years before. He stood up and quickly looked at the other students. The same light was in the eyes of the other four teenagers seated around the table. Tao knew the reason. The only explanation for eternal life in the eyes was the presence of Jesus in the heart.

Tao smiled as he continued picking up bits of garbage. He'd found family in the midst of strangers.

15

My true and honorable wife.

J
ULIUS
C
AESAR
, A
CT 2
, S
CENE 1

S
cott left work a few minutes early so he could lift weights before going to the high school. He moved from position to position on the Nautilus machines, then switched to free weights. He was sitting on a bench panting when Perry came over.

“This is early for you, isn't it?” the owner of the gym asked.

“Yeah. It's mock trial night at the high school. I have to be there by seven o'clock.”

Perry helped guide the heavy bar from its resting place, and Scott lowered it to his chest and pushed upward. After ten repetitions, Perry asked, “Trying to get pumped up before you see Kay tonight? You've already got great definition on your pecs. They're about to pop off your chest.”

Scott gritted his teeth. “Don't talk to me.”

Perry waited until Scott pushed the bar up ten more times, then let it fall into the brackets on the weight stand. Scott lay on the bench and let out his pent-up laughter.

“You know better than to say something like that while I'm under a bunch of weight,” he said. “I could have hurt myself.”

“I was here all the time. Besides, you're my lawyer. If you get hurt, you'll have to defend me against yourself.”

Scott sat up. “That would be an easy case. I'd roll over on you and give me what I wanted.”

Perry tossed Scott a towel. “So, what's happening with Kay?”

“Nothing. Why are you so interested?”

“It's not me; it's Linda. I told her what you were doing at the high school, and when I mentioned Kay Laramie, she started cross-examining me. She remembered all about you and Kay dating when we were seniors. Remember, we ate together with a big group at a fancy restaurant in Charlotte.”

“Yeah, that's right.”

“She also says you made a big mistake dumping Kay when you went into the army.”

“I didn't dump her. I tried to call her when I was home on leave. Her father told me that she was going out with Bill Corbin, so I let it die a natural death. A long-range relationship between a guy in boot camp and a junior in high school wasn't in the cards.”

“That's not what Linda says.”

Scott wiped his forehead. “Really? What else does Linda say?”

“She said you were a ‘cute couple.' Kay was good-looking, but as far as I can see, there has never been anything cute about you.”

“That's reassuring from your perspective,” Scott said wryly. “But remind Linda that Kay is still married and going through a breakup with her husband. I'm not sure she's in the market for another car so soon after wrecking the one she had.”

“When is her divorce final?”

“She mentioned a hearing in a few weeks. I could check the file at the courthouse and find out.”

Perry nodded thoughtfully. “I'm sure Linda thinks that's what you should do.”

Scott twisted the towel and snapped it toward Perry's leg. “Tell Linda to mind her own business. Taking care of you is a full-time job.”

That evening the mock trial session progressed better than Scott had anticipated. Young minds grasp facts quickly, and Kay had recruited motivated students. However, the prohibition against asking leading questions on direct examination was constantly violated, and the more aggressive students and witnesses were too quick to let the questioning degenerate into an argument.

“Didn't you know Ralph Risky had been drinking when you got in the car to leave Sarah Rich's house?” one student asked the girl playing Betty Moonbeam.

“No, I didn't.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn't.”

“You're lying under oath.”

Scott jumped in. “Time-out. What's happening here? Any objections? What can the lawyer do?”

Frank Jesup raised his hand. “Two things. The defense lawyer is being argumentative, and the question has been asked and answered. Either objection would be proper. If Betty won't directly admit that she knew Ralph was drinking, it would be better to ask questions showing she had the opportunity to know the punch had been spiked and that Ralph was around the punch bowl with his buddies with a glass in his hand.”

Impressed, Scott said, “That's right.”

Another problem came up because the students knew the facts too well and neglected important background information. The temptation to bypass the basics and go directly to the controversial parts of the case proved to be a pitfall.

“Testimony is telling a story,” Scott said. “Even though the time allotted for each witness in the competition is short, you need to ask questions that create visual images so the judge or jury can see the events happening in their minds as they listen. Don't try to jump too quickly to the end of the story. The judges in the competition know something important is coming, and if you create a sense of anticipation, it will increase the impact of the information you bring out.

“By telling a story, you can also help a favorable witness get into character and increase their credibility. If Betty Moonbeam is your client, make sure everyone in the courtroom can feel her pain and suffering and the devastating effects of the accident on her life. If you're cross-examining Pete Pigpickin, don't let him avoid the embarrassing details about the night he spent in jail after driving a quarter-mile the wrong way down a one-way road. You want to convince the judges that Pete couldn't be trusted to ride a bicycle in public, much less drive a truckload of barbeque.”

While Scott talked, Kay sat at her desk and reviewed the preference sheets turned in by the students. She made a list of her recommendations, and when Scott gave the students a five-minute break, she motioned for him to come over. She slid her notes over to him.

“What do you think?” she asked in a low voice.

Scott pulled a chair up beside the desk and read the paper. “I agree that Janie should be encouraged to step out of her comfort zone and take one of the lawyer roles even though she didn't ask for it, but I don't think she and Alisha should be co-counsel. Alisha plays the best Betty.”

“I have Dustin and Frank together as lawyers. Who would be with Janie? Yvette?”

“Mix it up a little bit,” Scott suggested. “Dustin and Yvette would complement one another. She's more aggressive; he's more laid back. He can give the opening statement and she can do the closing argument.”

“That puts Frank and Janie together. I guess they would complement one another in the same way.”

Scott hesitated. “I don't know about Frank. He may be hard to control.”

“I'm not a lawyer, but it's obvious that he has the quickest legal mind in the room, and Frank needs something to sink his teeth into right now. I found out yesterday that his parents are separated. Maybe this program can give him something positive to focus on.”

“But he'll run over Janie.”

“Not if we do our job, and she's stronger than you think. I think she'll be a good influence on him, too.”