Page 51 of Between Two Shores

“Yes.” He laughed. “He needed the money.”

“How much did you give him?”

“Two hundred dollars.”

“Nick, he might spend that on alcohol and drugs. You should’ve bought him food or gave him a voucher.”

His face scowled. “I felt that I needed to give him the money.”

“Sure. But in our charities and food programs, we help pay bills for those struggling, but we never give cash.” She shook her head. “It’s too much of a temptation for them to get high.”

Nick thumped his mug to the table. “Not everyone ends up on the streets because of an addiction.”

“I’m aware of that.” She crossed her arms. “But how do you know if they tell you the truth? Druggies lie and cheat to get a fix.”

He waved his hand in dismissal. “You sound like Pastor Jeremiah. Rules. Procedures. No considering each individual’s situation.”

She blinked owlishly.

“You’re a hypocrite like them.” He raised his voice. Nick flicked back his chair and dumped his coffee in the sink. “I’m going for that jog.” He stomped to the door and slammed it behind him.

Beth remained frozen. What in the world?

Her mind whirled for several minutes as she tried to understand. She needed to talk to someone. Cassie.

In the bedroom, she sat with a red pillow on her lap and waited for Cassie to answer the messenger call.

“Hello, Beth! How’s life in the U.S.?”

Emotion clogged her voice.

“Beth?” Cassie paused. “Can you hear me? You there?”

“Yes.” She managed to squawk out.

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Oh, honey. What’s the matter?”

Beth squeaked a high-pitched whisper. “Sorry. I’m emotional from the jet lag, and I’m missing home.”

“Oh. That’s okay. Take your time. Breathe. I’ll go somewhere quiet. Chris is watching T.V.” The sound of swishing came through the speaker.

Beth wiped her cheek and exhaled a shaky breath.

“Is everything going okay with Nick?” Cassie asked.

“He’s very . . . spiritual. Sometimes, I’m not sure if he’s on planet Earth. Do you know what I mean?”

“Can you give me an example?”

“There are lots of those.” She went on to explain what just happened.

“Mmm.” Cassie waited for a moment. “What’s his friends and family like?”

“He’s not that connected with any of them. We met a pastor to see if they’d do the wedding ceremony, but Nick didn’t want to do the pre-marriage counseling. And he’s angry with them for not wanting to donate to his project in Israel. The pastor said they only go through an over-sight agency.”

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