Page 72 of Where the River Meets the Skye

Skye

Skye climbed out of his car and shut the door. He took a deep breath, stuck his hands in his coat pockets, and headed up the sidewalk to the church.

River was desperate. He was desperate. And he needed someone to talk to.

CHAPTER 32

Skye

Skye couldn’t help but feel nervous as he sat in the pastor’s office, waiting for him to enter. His leg was bouncing up and down and he found himself biting at the inside of his cheek. God, he must really love River to be doing this. He hadn’t been at a church since River’s Aunt Jodi’s funeral and that hadn’t really been the same type of experience. Sitting in a pastor’s office, waiting to talk about personal stuff… but he did love River. And he would do anything for him. Even this. Even if it made him squirm and fidget and maybe even want to puke in his mouth a little. He knew he shouldn’t be this nervous. This was River’s church after all, and if he felt safe here, so should Skye, right? But Skye had never stepped foot in this building before. And River hadn’t been back in ages.

Still, River had told him about the voicemail from his pastor, and he felt like he owed the pastor a visit. He could tell how much it meant to River, to have his church family still beside him through everything, even when he wasn’t attending anymore. They hadn’t taken the pastor up on his offer of meals yet. He didn’t know why. Probably his pride. But Skye was losing every ounce of that as the days went on, and he knew he needed to humble himself, for his sake and his husband’s.

“Hello,” he heard, and turned to see a middle aged man entering, wearing a button down shirt and slacks. He seemed very casual and that eased the anxiety in Skye’s mind just a little. “I’m Pastor Phillips,” he said, reaching out to shake Skye’s hand.

“Skye,” Skye replied.

“Nice to meet you, Skye,” Pastor Phillips replied, taking a seat in his large black desk chair. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you seem a little agitated. Is everything okay?”

Skye flushed. “I’m not really used to being in churches,” he admitted. “Not really a religious person.”

“I see,” Pastor Phillips said, smiling softly. “What brings you by today then?”

Skye rubbed his neck with the back of his hand. He could do this. For River. And let’s face it, for himself, too. They both needed some guidance. Some help. Anything.

“You talked with my husband a few days ago,” he started. “He’s been sick the last few years, and we’re both struggling, not knowing what to do. He lost his job a while back, and we had to move, and things have just been really hard for us financially and emotionally, and for him, spiritually, I think.”

Skye saw the moment where it dawned on him, and the older man’s eyes brightened. “You’re River Dawson’s husband. Is it still Dawson?”

Skye gave a soft smile. “We hyphenated our last names, but yes, that’s him.”

“It’s nice to officially meet you,” Pastor Phillips said, and Skye could sense how genuine he was. “We’ve been missing River. I’m so sorry to hear that you guys are struggling. I didn’t realize he had lost his job on top of everything else. I can’t imagine how difficult that must be.”

“Thank you,” Skye said, his throat closing up. He took a deep breath.

“What can I help you with today, Skye? I don’t know if River told you but we would like to set up a meal train for you guys if that would help.”

Skye nodded. “He did. I uh, I think that would be very helpful.”

Pastor Phillips nodded and smiled. “Of course. We can get that going as early as tomorrow.”

“Thank you.” It really would be nice not to have to worry about cooking after he got home from a full day's work. Anna’s meals were helpful but that was only a couple of times a month. He was always so exhausted, and maybe it would give him more time to spend with River. Even if it was just twenty minutes. He’d take what he could get.

“One other thing I’d like to offer is free counseling for both you and River. Only if you want to, of course, but it sounds like you could both use someone to talk to on a more regular basis. It can be both of you together or separately, however you want to do it. And it won’t be with me. We have professional counselors on staff who can help you process everything you are both going through right now.”

“I’ll talk with River about it,” Skye said with a nod.

“I sense there’s something else,” the other man prodded gently when Skye didn’t move to leave or speak. “What else can we do for you, Skye?”

Skye ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I need some advice, I guess. I’m not really into all the Jesus and God stuff, but River is, and he’s been having a hard time lately.”

Pastor Phillips nodded. “I think it’s normal for someone in River’s position to struggle with their faith, but that doesn’t make it easier.”

“Yeah,” Skye said. “I uh…I guess I just wanted to talk to someone who shared his faith, since I don’t, and try to figure out ways to help him. I hate seeing him struggling so much. I uh…I just want to know how to encourage him. His faith is really important to him, and I don’t want him to lose it, you know?”

“That’s very honorable of you, Skye. Trying to strengthen your husband’s faith even when you don’t share it. That’s an admirable quality. I can see how much you love him.”

“I do,” Skye said.

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