beginning,” Al added, still sensing Lester’s hesitation.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Lester read aloud.
“That’s true, He did,” said Al, “but that’s a little too far back. Let me ask you this, Les. How old do you think I am, roughly?”
“Heck if I know, Al. I mean you’ve hardly changed in thirty years. You look the same as the day I met you. Are you going to finally tell me?” Lester asked before taking a drink from his beer.
“I am nearly six thousand years old,” Al said.
Lester snorted, nearly choking on his tongue and spitting out a mouthful of beer. “Six thousand years…?” he gasped, reaching for a napkin. “You don’t expect me to buy that, do you? I mean how could that even be possible? Gimme a break, man.” Lester kept on muttering and wiping while Al patiently waited.
“Look at me, Les. Look into my eyes the way you did that day at the car wash thirty years ago. Look at me, and try to remember what you saw way back then.”
“I don’t have to, Al. I see the same thing every time I look at you. I see a man who is unlike any other man I’ve ever met; a man whose eyes are ageless and tell no stories; a man whose body is youthful but carved like a canyon by the steady dripping of time. I see a soul that has seen things never seen before by another human being. You are an enigma, Al, a mystery wrapped in a riddle. Maybe I know you better than anyone else that is alive right now in this world, but I sense there have been others who have known you much better than I do and still never scratched the surface. Am I close?”
“You are,” Al whispered.
“Okay then, if you say you’re six thousand years old…I just need some time to wrap my mind around it.”
Al smiled at him. He always knew, when this day came, it would not be easy for the one chosen to hear the story. He was glad it was Lester.
“Okay, so why the Bible?” asked Lester. “You’re not about to tell me your real name is Adam or something, are you?”
Al raised an eyebrow. “No, he’s dead, long ago. He died shortly after my mother did.”
“Oh, and who’s your mother?” asked Lester with a bit of apprehension showing in his green eyes.
“Eve,” said Al.
“Right. So, let me get this straight. I know a little bit about the Bible. If Adam and Eve are your real parents, your birth parents…right?”
“Right.”
“Then you must be Cain or something, maybe Seth. Not Abel though, because he’s dead? Right? And the Bible can’t lie?” Lester stopped talking. He could sense a tidal wave of melancholy emanating from his friend and saw the deep sadness that his words had stirred up in Al’s blue eyes. They were moist and shiny with tears.
“Al, I’m sorry, What did I say? I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay, Les,” said Al, waving off his apology. “I still, even after so long… No, it’s okay. I’m okay.” Al cleared his throat.
“Please read Genesis chapter two and verse seven,” Al asked.
Lester turned and found the right passage. He cleared his throat and read, “And the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
“Good,” said Al, “now read verse twenty-two of the same chapter.”
“Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.”
“And verse twenty-four.”
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Lester looked up from his reading and waited expectantly for Al to explain.
“What you have just read, Lester, is how my parents came to be. Your ancestors; something like great, great, great grandparents, except a lot more greats. They were my dad and mom. Dad was made out of dust. Mom was made from a bone. It went a long way toward explaining their personalities. But the fact is they were never kids, never
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Lester read aloud.
“That’s true, He did,” said Al, “but that’s a little too far back. Let me ask you this, Les. How old do you think I am, roughly?”
“Heck if I know, Al. I mean you’ve hardly changed in thirty years. You look the same as the day I met you. Are you going to finally tell me?” Lester asked before taking a drink from his beer.
“I am nearly six thousand years old,” Al said.
Lester snorted, nearly choking on his tongue and spitting out a mouthful of beer. “Six thousand years…?” he gasped, reaching for a napkin. “You don’t expect me to buy that, do you? I mean how could that even be possible? Gimme a break, man.” Lester kept on muttering and wiping while Al patiently waited.
“Look at me, Les. Look into my eyes the way you did that day at the car wash thirty years ago. Look at me, and try to remember what you saw way back then.”
“I don’t have to, Al. I see the same thing every time I look at you. I see a man who is unlike any other man I’ve ever met; a man whose eyes are ageless and tell no stories; a man whose body is youthful but carved like a canyon by the steady dripping of time. I see a soul that has seen things never seen before by another human being. You are an enigma, Al, a mystery wrapped in a riddle. Maybe I know you better than anyone else that is alive right now in this world, but I sense there have been others who have known you much better than I do and still never scratched the surface. Am I close?”
“You are,” Al whispered.
“Okay then, if you say you’re six thousand years old…I just need some time to wrap my mind around it.”
Al smiled at him. He always knew, when this day came, it would not be easy for the one chosen to hear the story. He was glad it was Lester.
“Okay, so why the Bible?” asked Lester. “You’re not about to tell me your real name is Adam or something, are you?”
Al raised an eyebrow. “No, he’s dead, long ago. He died shortly after my mother did.”
“Oh, and who’s your mother?” asked Lester with a bit of apprehension showing in his green eyes.
“Eve,” said Al.
“Right. So, let me get this straight. I know a little bit about the Bible. If Adam and Eve are your real parents, your birth parents…right?”
“Right.”
“Then you must be Cain or something, maybe Seth. Not Abel though, because he’s dead? Right? And the Bible can’t lie?” Lester stopped talking. He could sense a tidal wave of melancholy emanating from his friend and saw the deep sadness that his words had stirred up in Al’s blue eyes. They were moist and shiny with tears.
“Al, I’m sorry, What did I say? I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay, Les,” said Al, waving off his apology. “I still, even after so long… No, it’s okay. I’m okay.” Al cleared his throat.
“Please read Genesis chapter two and verse seven,” Al asked.
Lester turned and found the right passage. He cleared his throat and read, “And the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
“Good,” said Al, “now read verse twenty-two of the same chapter.”
“Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.”
“And verse twenty-four.”
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Lester looked up from his reading and waited expectantly for Al to explain.
“What you have just read, Lester, is how my parents came to be. Your ancestors; something like great, great, great grandparents, except a lot more greats. They were my dad and mom. Dad was made out of dust. Mom was made from a bone. It went a long way toward explaining their personalities. But the fact is they were never kids, never
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