Brad's Epiphany

It had been a tough week, he contemplated the unthinkable, until he met an old friend

Brad’s Epiphany

         Brad was driving down a deserted stretch of I-90, heading for home. Not the home he lived in currently, the city he’d grown up in, Billings Montana. It had been a long week for Brad. Nothing had gone his way, Monday he was involved in a fender-bender that hardly damaged his car. Tuesday, he was fired from the best job he’d ever had. ‘Poor performance’ they said. Wednesday the woman he thought he would be with forever had told him they were through. Now it was Friday night, he was driving to his hometown, Billings Montana. While he had never considered suicide, he wondered if that was now an option. ‘Face it’, he said to himself, ‘you’re not the suicide type. Just figure out what your next step is and go for it.’

         His silent reply scared him and shocked him. ‘Does it really matter any more? Sharon’s gone, I’m unemployed, who will miss me? If I’m to do this, I might as well do it now, and at home. I have no family there, and a few friends who don’t even know I still exist.’

         It was late though; he was tired from the stressful week. He was approaching Sundance Wyoming and figured he’d grab a decent dinner at a local restaurant after finding a place to spend the night. He thought for a moment that he would visit Devil’s Tower National Monument. It was a site that really intrigued him. Then again, if he were to commit suicide, why should he go? He decided it wasn’t that important.

         He stopped at the first hotel he saw, The Serena Inn & Suites. While checking in he asked the young girl behind the counter, “I have a question for you uh… Judy. You’re here for one night, Where are you going to eat?”

         Judy didn’t hesitate to reply, “Longhorn Saloon & Grill.”

         “Why there?” he asked.

         “I hate to tell you, but it’s about the only decent restaurant in town. They really do a good job in grilling a well-seasoned steak too.”

         “Well, it sounds like I’ll be going there then, once I settle in the room. If you were a little older, and not working… “ Brad let that line trail off as he walked to the elevators.

         Entering his room, Brad knew he had chosen a decent hotel. It was a clean room, pretty spacious for its size. There was only one thing that bothered him. Lying on the nightstand was a King James Bible. Religion had never been something he leaned towards, and he figured with what might happen in the next few days, why start now? Still, he picked up the Bible and thumbed through it for a couple of seconds. He decided that he wouldn’t look at it anymore and tossed it aside on the bed. To his surprise, when the Bible landed, it opened to one of the books in the Old Testament. Even being someone who had never read the Bible much, he could tell that much simply from the amount of pages on each side. His curiosity got the best of him, and he picked the Bible up.

         He looked at it, and realized he was right in thinking it landed on an Old Testament Book. His eyes caught a passage that made him stop what he was doing. The book was Deuteronomy, the passage that caught his eye was Deuteronomy 31:6. He read the passage slowly, then re-read it again. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

         He didn’t realize he was crying as he fell to the bed, he knew there was no way he could commit suicide. This passage seemed meant for him. He read the passage again, over and over. His mental strength grew exponentially as he read the passage, he felt energized, really energized, and knew he would get his life turned around.

         He wiped his face to rid it of all signs that he had been crying and left his room. Passing through the lobby, Judy saw him and said, “Mr. Nelson, I wish I was off too. My manager can’t let me go though, I’m the only one available to work the night shift tonight.”

         As she said this, a woman about Brad’s age walked out of the office. Seeing Brad, she stopped dead in her tracks. Both of them saw her pause, and Brad did a double-take. “Is that really you Louise?”

         “Brad? Oh my goodness, how long has it been?”

         Louise and Brad had been steady companions in school, neither of them thought they’d ever part. Life has mysterious ways though, Brad enlisted in the Navy, and Louise had settled in Sundance after a messy divorce. Brad tried to locate her after he left the service, but that was almost impossible in this time ‘before Google’.
“I’m only in town for one night Louise, I’m on my way to dinner. Do you have enough faith in Judy to join me?”

         Louise looked at Judy and said, “Would you mind if your manager took an hour off to get some dinner?”

         Judy smiled at the two of them and said, “There’s no way I would stand in the way of you two reconnecting.”

         Their dinner lasted far longer than either of them intended. Initially, they talked of their past, then the present. Brad told Judy about reading the verse in Deuteronomy, and how it strengthened him with its words. Judy talked about her divorce, and how it caused her to settle in Sundance. Both of them realized Serendipity was probably at work.

         Brad never made it to Billings. He remained in Sundance, working odd jobs before settling down. What did his future hold? He had no idea. But he knew that Louise would be in it.

Jim Dorrell
11/9/23