Page 26 of Look for Me

that though the wrong

seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

* * *

Martin closed his eyes, listening along with the five-in-one ensemble. They didn’t let Corinne sing solo but Martin could pick out her occasional soprano.

She used to sing in his shower—back in his unsaved days. And here she was, singing in church.

God can change anyone.

The hymn stuck in Martin’s head all the way through the sermon, the benediction, and the dispersal of the church.

Don’t let me forget, God, that You are still in charge.

“Well, it’s good to meet you, Martin.” Pete extended his hand.

Martin took one look at his hand and knew. “You work on cars?”

“Can you tell?” Pete wiped his hand on his cargo shorts. “I thought I got all that oil off.”

“They’re under your nails, in between the rough cracks in your hand.”

Pete looked at both his hands, palm and back. “My wife—she’s in heaven now—used to tell me to wear gloves.”

“What kind of cars do you work on?” Martin asked.

“Old cars. Old trucks. I’ve been spending a lot of time on a 1959 Volkswagen bus.”

“Wow. Did you restore it?”

“It’s unfinished. My shop is in my backyard, and it’s going to take a while. I have to scrounge around for tools.”

He sounded like how Dad started out restoring classic cars. Car parts all over his car porch.

“What are you going to do with the bus when you get it restored?” Martin asked.

“I don’t know. But my cardiologist said I needed to pick up a hobby that’s not stressful.”

“Restoring old vehicles is fun.”

“Indeed. Other than the bus, I try to work on my Chevelle.”

“A Chevy. What year?” Martin asked as they navigated through the small crowd of people standing around, just chatting.

Martin wanted to go get lunch before his stomach rumbled.

“Some of it was built in 1967, the rest 1969. I’ve been looking for parts. It’s not cheap, this Malibu.” Pete’s eyes brightened. “You know anything about old cars?”

“A little bit.” Not as much as Dad.

“When my friend died, his wife said I could have it if I could restore it the way her husband would have.” Pete laughed. “The catch was she didn’t send along some money to get it done.”

“You got the car though.”

“I got the car,” Pete said. “And my friend’s memories. We used to go deep-sea fishing together until his heart gave out and he didn’t want to be too far away from land.”

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