Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Excerpt from Is Love Wrong?: Chapter 37: Dr. Kreider

“Hey Don,” Brit smiled as he stepped into Buli’s. He sat down next to Don and had a big smile on his face.

Don, tilted his head and looked at Brit, “What’s the **** eating grin for?” he asked.

“How would you feel about going to a theology class with me?” Brit asked.

“I would love it. But you know I have to be at the store by 11am,” Don said.

“The class ends at 9am so you would be good,” Brit answered.

“I think that is what I need,” Don said, his eyes searching for a target.

“I think it’s what DTS needs, Don.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, they need to see the people they have historically ostracized.”

“Well, I want to learn, not make a statement.”

“Don, you will make a statement by learning.”

Brit and Don carried on the conversation for an hour before Brit had to get back to his Thesis. Don enjoyed Brit and could never understand why this young brilliant, talented, good looking man would ever want to spend so much time with him. There was sort of a high to all this. There was an excitement that came with this spirituality that there was something more and this acceptance that Don felt was so intoxicating.

Don called Type A with an extra amount of enthusiasm. “Chris, am I calling at a bad time?”

“Nope, you’re good, what’s up?” Chris responded.

“I’m going to class with Brit.”

“Which class?”

“Theology with Dr. Kreider,” Don said.

“You will love him. I showed your video to him—the one that you and I made on YouTube—for the class angelology, anthropology, and harmitialogy that I had over winter break.”

“Hello?”

“Can you hear me? I think my reception is okay,” I said looking at the bars on my cell.

“Oh I wasn’t sure you were talking to me when you started with a bunch of ologies.”

“Hey when do you go?” Chris asked.

“Tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

Don got off the phone and readied himself for class at seminary. He got his journal and Bible ready and sat for a moment contemplating what he was doing. This is surreal.



The next morning, Brit met Don at the coffee shop. Don ordered Brit a venti white chocolate mocha and got himself a regular black coffee.

“Hey Don, I only have ones, is that okay?” Emily, the barista Don had come to enjoy, asked.

“Well, I hadn’t planned on hitting the strip club today, but now I might rethink it,” Don teased.

“Twelve dollars and forty three cents is your change,” Emily said as she counted out the ones.

Don stuffed the coins and bills into his pants pocket and followed Brit to the Todd academic building.

“Perfect shirt,” Brit said as he tapped Don’s chest. Don wore his favorite T-shirt, “Put your Ass on Some Class” Harley Davidson T-Shirt as well as his leather jacket and ripped jeans.

“I still don’t understand why everyone makes such a big deal about this shirt, it is just a t-shirt,” Don said basking in Brit’s approval.

Don followed Brit into the classroom. Students eyeballed Don for a moment and then opened up their computer to prepare for class. Don loved that no one knew what to make of him. It was like someone in full William Shakespeare garb walked into class. A look or two would be given, but then each person figured that was for some media class. Brit walked to the front of the class and introduced Don to Dr. Kreider. The professor smiled when he met Don.

“Great to finally meet you, Don. Please call me, Glenn.” Dr. Kreider said.

“Glad to meet you, too. This is truly a wonderful opportunity for me. I have learned so much from Brit and Chris and so many others here at the seminary.”

Dr. Kreider smiled. Don and Brit went and sat down a couple rows back off to Dr. Kreider’s left. Dr. Kreider opened the class with a cell phone reminder. “Everyone please turn off your cell phones or the ringers so that we don’t have any interruptions.”

Don took his cell phone and turned it off and put it in his front pants pocket.

Dr. Kreider opened the class with a song that Don actually knew. It was U2 and Bono was crooning, “I want to run, I want to hide. I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside. I want to reach out and touch the flame where the streets have no name.” That was from the Joshua Tree Album. Don wondered for a moment if he had that album. This was different.

After the song played Dr. Kreider surveyed the students and said nothing which made Don shift in his chair. “The song’s lyrics resound with a hope unique to the Christian experience.” He paused again and looked at the students. “One day, when Christ restores all things, life won’t hurt anymore.”

Just then someone’s cell phone went off. Don was annoyed and looked around to see the culprit who clearly had hearing problems. As he turned around he felt an elbow coming from Brit. When he turned to face Brit, he realized it was his cell phone that was going off and that the whole class was looking in his direction.

“****!” Don exclaimed putting his hand to his mouth. “Oh, no, ****! Sorry!” Don put his hand over his mouth and scrambled to get the cell phone out of his pocket. One dollar bills shot out as if on a spring. Don frantically grabbed the ones and then tried to make his cell phone stop ringing. It wouldn’t. As a last resort, he pulled the battery out of the back of the phone finally silencing it.

By now the entire class had its eyes on the 50 year old swearing man who wore a “put your ass on some class” t-shirt. Brit buried his face in his hands and laughed hard.

“I’m so sorry,” Don said.

“Quite all right,” Dr. Kreider responded and smiled. Don’s face was so red that he looked like he was back on the booze.

“****, I’m so sorry, Brit,” Don whispered.

“You’re fine.”

1 comment:

  1. It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
    GP

    ReplyDelete