The Long Way Home by Phillip Overton
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Simon made his way from one of the rooms at the back of the Church when his Sunday school class had finished. The interior of the big red brick building that was the Church Of Christ at Wyoming was all too familiar to him by now. He knew most of the people there and most of the people knew him, or his Poppy. Simon followed the other kids happily down the corridor that eventually led to the main hall area of the Church to where his Poppy would be talking to some of the other elderly folk. Uncle Barry too would be hanging around somewhere with Teresa and her friends.
Simon felt proud that he had been asked to stand up in the main Church service before the children moved out to Sunday school and read aloud a memory verse from the Bible. No doubt Poppy and his friends would be waiting inside to congratulate him. Being a short verse made it all the more easier to remember, taking away some of the fear when he stood up to recite in a loud voice, ‘Psalm 16 verse 1; ‘Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.’’
Suddenly, Simon realised he had left his Bible behind in the Sunday school room. He had been helping the Sunday school teacher to stack the chairs in the corner of the room and had left it sitting on top of one of the stacks. He turned around to race back inside and get it.
“Oh Simon! Where are you going in such a hurry?” His Sunday school teacher asked him, stunned, as he turned and ran straight into her.
“I’m sorry, I’ve left my Bible and study chart back in the room. I was just going back to get it.”
“Okay, just be careful you don’t knock anyone else over in the process.” She smiled. “I don’t think there’s anyone left back there, so close the door again after you when you’re finished.”
Simon walked quickly towards the classroom as the teacher disappeared around the corner of the corridor behind him, feet clomping along the polished timber floors. The door was closed just as his teacher had said, he turned the handle and stepped inside, expecting to be alone.
“Forget something?” A voice made him jump. He turned and saw a man standing about five metres away with his back to Simon, he was busy sweeping the floor, and a small pile of dust sweepings sat on the floor beside him.
“Umm, I’m just, looking for my Bible.” Simon stammered. “I think I left it here.”
“I thought I saw it on top of the stack of chairs in the corner Simon.” The man continued sweeping the floor as he spoke.
“Thanks.” Simon spoke quietly, confused now as to how the man knew who he was, particularly as Simon couldn’t recall ever seeing a cleaner at Church and the fact that he still had his back to him. “You know, I haven’t seen you here before. So how did you know my name?”
“Oh I’d say I’ve been around long enough to know most of the folks names around here Simon.” It was a very vague answer, even for a 10 year old boy.
The man wore a white cleaners jacket that draped down almost to his knees, completely covering the fact that he was wearing green work shorts underneath. Simon noticed them only when he stopped sweeping and turned around to point in the direction of the stack of chairs in the corner. Underneath the white cleaners jacket the man wore an old, green button front shirt that looked as though it may have once belonged in his wardrobe before the collar had become tattered and torn. He leant against his broom as he watched Simon walk cautiously towards the stack of chairs. He had short black hair and a pair of heavy black eyebrows that extended across his face, a face that was a radiant olive complexion, dusted with dark, unshaven stubble from ear to ear.
“Hang on, I have seen you before.” Simon exclaimed after he’d grabbed his Bible from the top of the stack of chairs and turned to face the man again. “You were at my house one night when my Mum had some friends over. I was supposed to be in bed but I ended up teaching you the actions to the Father Abraham song.”
“That’s right, I do believe you did.” The man continued smiling softly as he stood leaning against the broom. “You know Simon, I can’t help but notice how everyone here thinks very highly of you. You’ve made a big difference in other people’s lives.”
“I have?” Simon asked puzzled.
“Of course you have.” The man corrected him. “Take your Poppy and your Uncle Barry for example, it’s been through you that God has been able to reach their lives, and through you there are others still to be brought to The Lord.”
“Like my Mum and my Dad?” Simon asked waiting for the man to answer yes. Instead there was no immediate reply and Simon found himself for some reason recalling the dream that had seemed so real to him the time he had been in hospital in a coma. He recalled how when standing on the rocks he had seen all of his family on the beach below, then the horrible realisation hit him again as it had done before, he couldn’t see his mother.
The man reached into the front pocket of his white cleaners’ jacket and proceeded to pull out a long white envelope that he held out for Simon.
“Here, I want you to have this.” He offered warmly, the white envelope seemingly dangling for an eternity before Simon stepped forward to take it from him.
“Thanks.” Simon accepted. “What is it?”
“Train tickets.” The man smiled reassuringly. “Two return tickets for later in the year, Gosford to Newcastle onboard the Newcastle Flyer. It’s going to be a steam train special hauled by 3801.”
“Wow, thanks a lot!” Simon exclaimed excitedly.
“Your Poppy promised he’d take you for a train trip when you were five, so he’s going to take you if it’s the last thing he does.” The man stepped forward and gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder as Simon carefully peered inside the envelope at the two tickets. “I wanted to give you them today Simon as I won’t see you here anymore.”
Simon looked up at the man. Although he’d hardly had much to do with the guy, he was just starting to feel at ease with him, and now he was breaking the news that he was leaving. It all started to feel strange.
“You’re leaving?” Simon asked.
“I didn’t say that.” The man spoke softly as he looked down at the confusion on the boy’s face. “It’s just that I won’t see you here anymore.”
“I don’t understand.”
“There will be a time for understanding later Simon, just always know that from this point on God will always be with you regardless of what happens. When things don’t make sense, remember God is your map, follow him and you won’t get lost.”
“Will I ever see you again?” Simon asked, not knowing what to make of all of this. “It’s just that I’ve hardly ever seen you, and I still don’t even know your name.”
“My name is Peter.” The man stretched out his arm to shake the boy’s hand. “Someday, somewhere, I promise we’ll meet again. In the meantime, make sure you keep those tickets in a safe place, hey.”
The two stood in the quiet of the Sunday school room, shaking hands. Simon let go of the grip on Peter’s hand when he heard the sound of his Poppy’s voice calling to him from outside in the corridor.
“Simon, are you back here?”
“In here Poppy.”
Simon’s Poppy stuck his head around the doorway of the Sunday school classroom before stepping inside. His slicked back white hair had blown out of place, thin wisps danced across his forehead. It was obvious he had been outside in the wind, probably looking for him.
“Where have you been all this time?” He gently roused at him, trying to keep it together when it was all too apparent that he was already worked up into a fluster. “Your Uncle Barry is still outside looking for you, what are you doing hiding back here?”
“I was talking to Peter,” Simon replied all too merrily. “Look he gave us train tickets to go to Newcastle like you always promised.”
“You were talking to who?” His Poppy asked as his eyes scanned the room.
“Peter the cleaner….” Simon stopped short as he turned around to face an empty room. There was no sign of anyone, no white coat, no broom, no neat pile of dust on the floor. It was as if he had vanis
“Come on Simon, we have to get going.” His Poppy tried to hurry him along. “Church finished nearly half an hour ago and we have to get you dropped back home to your mother.”
“But he was right here.” Simon protested as his eyes furiously scanned the room. The windows were all closed, there were no other doors leading out of the room and no cupboards that he could have been hiding inside.
“Simon we haven’t got time for games.” His Poppy grabbed him by the arm and gently led him out of the room. “We’re surely the last ones here, everyone must have left by now.”
“But I’m not making it up Poppy. Look, he gave us tickets on a steam train to Newcastle.” Simon waved the envelope under his nose. “See!”
Poppy took a quick look at the tickets before they continued up the corridor towards the main church hall.
“Hold on to them for now Simon.” He finally said. “Bring them with you next week and we’ll ask the Pastor if anyone has lost them.”
“But Peter gave them to us Poppy!” Simon protested.
“Not now Simon, we haven’t got the time. If no one has lost them when we come next week, well, then you can keep them. But I’m telling you there was nobody back there which means that somebody is bound to be looking for them.”
“But Poppy….”
“No buts Simon, we’re late.”
Simon carefully placed the envelope inside his Bible and followed his Poppy out of church to where his Uncle Barry was waiting beside the car.