The Impressionist Read Free Page A

and Josh?” he asked following me, oblivious to my not so subtle hints. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you guys at church.”
    “We’ve been going to the early service.” I lied again.
    “Well that’s the one we go to,” he said with a puzzled look. “I should have seen you.”
    “How’s Carolyn?” I asked to change the subject. That was a mistake.
    “You know me,” he said with a big grin plastered across his face. “I married way out of my league. We’re soul mates! The longer I’m married to her, the better it gets.” He pulled up a picture of him and Carolyn on his iPhone. “Check it out,” he said, shoving it in my face. The two of them were standing on a picturesque beach in Hawaii. She was in a skimpy swimsuit with her arms around him. “Am I the most blessed man alive or what?”
    He was lucky all right, though I never could figure what she saw in him.
He’s just a total punk,
I thought.
    “God’s doing so much in our lives,” he continued. “And I have to brag on Garrett too. He just got back from his mission trip to Haiti. They provided shoes for over three hundred homeless children. When he got home, he received The Most Dedicated Disciple Award in youth group.”
    “There’s an actual award for that?”
    “Yeah man. I’m so proud of him! I mean, with so many kids making poor choices these days. Did you hear about Allie’s scholarship?”
    “No,” I said, but I was quite sure he was going to tell me.
    “She got a full ride,” he smiled so big the glare from his white teeth made me squint. “She’s thinking pre-med.”
    “That’s really great, Eric,” I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. Allie and Josh had dated a couple times. He was smitten and she told him she just wanted to be friends. It killed him.
    “God is faithful, brother!” said Eric.
    I figured maybe they should give Eric The Most Humble Christian Award. He’d hang it on his fireplace mantle so everyone could see it! “Look, Eric,” I said agitatedly, “I’d love to chat more, but I really need to take off. Family needs me. You know how it is?”
    “Sure do, man! Shortage of fathers these days. I’ll look for you guys tomorrow.”
    “Yeah.”
    At the counter, Yolanda rang me up—$1.97. I reached into my pocket to pull out my wallet and realized I’d left it at home along with my iPhone. “Crap!” I said. “Left my wallet at the house.”
    Yolanda smiled back at me compassionately. With that weathered look, I could tell life had not been particularly kind to her. She needed some dental work and crow’s feet formed in the corner of her eyes. I could relate. “That’s okay baby,” she said with a wink. “You just drop back by later and pay. I know how it is.”
    “Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate it.”
    Behind me, Eric spoke up. “Don’t worry about it, brother. I got it!”
    “You’re the best, Eric,” I said wanting to slap that ridiculous grin off his face. I know. I know. I have issues.
    While Yolanda took Eric’s money, I dashed out the door, through the store parking lot, and hurried across the boulevard to the park before Eric had time to check out and follow me. I supposed he was on his way to the park as well. The last thing I wanted was to talk to him or anyone else for that matter. I just wanted to be left alone.

3
    Walking briskly along the trail constantly glancing over my shoulder hoping to evade Eric, my mind reeled with all the things in my life I was disappointed with—my marriage, my son, job, but mostly myself. I was my own worst enemy.
“Just look at you, Adam,”
a voice hissed in my ear.
“You’re a pathetic loser. You can’t even please your wife. Paige was right. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. You surely thought things would be different by now, didn’t you? Remember all those big dreams? The great things you were going to do? So, how’ d you become…this? Everything’s such a struggle isn’t it? You’re a failure as a father