Page 230 of Share with Me

Pastor Gonzalez told Ned to memorize the verse. Ned told Brinley to memorize the verse. Brinley wrote it on a bookmark for Ivan.

What is God saying to me?

Ivan brushed off the thought. “I never thought you’re the kind of person to go around quoting scripture, Ned.”

“It’s pointless to know scripture if you don’t apply it. But there’s more. The seventh verse in the same chapter says something remarkable.”

“What?” Ivan finished his cod, all the sides that came with it, and every breadcrumb. He had thought he’d lose his appetite, but the opposite happened.

“‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil,’” Ned read aloud. “Pastor Gonzalez says we have to learn to differentiate man’s wisdom from God’s.”

“I guess we both need to trust God and seek His wisdom.” A lesson Ivan had been trying to learn the last four months.

Poorly.

* * *

“What areyou going to do when your wrist heals?” Ned asked. “We’re discussing your future with my daughter, Ivan. I want to know where you’re going with her.”

I knew it. He has doubts about me. Frankly, I have doubts about myself too.

“Give me a minute to get the words.”

Ned nodded.

Well, he’s going to be my future father-in-law. Eventually I’m going to have to face him.

Here goes nothing.

“I used to think, fresh out of college, that I’d tour the world doing classical and crossover concerts. I did that for two years straight. In my early twenties I had plenty of energy and zero care. Now that I’m thirty I’m thinking more of staying in one place and raising a family. I don’t think Brin would want to live in a touring bus all year long or in hotel rooms.” And with kids that could be hard—

Ivan cleared his throat.

Wow. Kids with Brinley.

Ivan couldn’t wrap his mind around that. He’d have to pinch himself later to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

“You know Brin is not into traveling all that much.”

“Yeah. She said that.”

“You’d do best to remember that before you drag her all over the world.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Ivan let the server take his plate. He held off on desserts. “I’m praying about where to go from here. Clearly, I can’t be working in a thrift shop the rest of my life—no offense to those who do, you know, like Matt—and obviously this is only a temporary situation for me. I think I would like to reopen my music studio.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“You’re a businessman,” Ivan said. “Any advice for me? I mean, free advice. I can’t pay you.”

Ned laughed. “A steak dinner suffices.”

“That, I can do.”But I can’t afford Kobe steak. He’d have to settle for rib eye or something.

“You can easily reboot your music studio. For example, you can rent a cheap house, live upstairs and teach music downstairs.”

Ivan wondered how much Ned knew about his renting Grandma Yun’s old house from Brinley.

“Or you could try to find a job managing someone else’s music studio until your wrist heals.”

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