Page 75 of Sing with Me

At the bagel breakfast, Ivan told Diehl that the Seaside Chapel Men’s Bible Study Group had been recently renamed to the Monday Morning Men’s Bible Study Group after having moved from Friday to Monday. That way, they could wear a T-shirt that said, “Monday Morning Men,” whatever that meant.

At the side table, Diehl slathered more strawberry cream cheese on his raisin bagel. More guys started to trickle into the Garnett Antique Shop. Each face seemed to say that meeting at six o’clock on a Monday morning wasn’t a terribly good idea. Matt, who owned the shop, handed out hot coffee to everyone as each found his place in a circle of chairs.

Diehl didn’t need coffee to stay awake this morning. Interestingly, after the church service the evening before, he had gone home with happy thoughts of Skye sitting beside him in the service and holding his hand when they prayed. He fell asleep with a smile on his face and slept for eight hours straight.

By now, it was apparent to Skye’s friends at church that something had happened between the two of them. It would take time to see what would come next. Looming at the back of Diehl’s mind was the grim reminder that he had to go back to Atlanta in August.

Both of them were established where they were: Skye on St. Simon’s Island and Diehl in Atlanta. Neither of them could leave their workplace, although if he were to guess, he’d say that Skye was more flexible. Couldn’t she run her personal chef business from Atlanta?

Perhaps that would be too much to ask of her.

Ivan gathered everyone together in a circle near the kitchen. Some people sat on old kitchen chairs and some sat on refurbished barstools.

“We have a couple of visitors today,” Ivan said. “Adam Garnett is Matt’s brother, who is helping him manage the thrift shop next door. And we have my brother-in-law, Diehl Brooks, who is in town for the summer.”

“You can’t tell Diehl from Adam,” Matt added.

Half the group laughed, and the other half tried to stay awake.

Diehl had only seen Matt in Sunday School. This was the first time he had seen Matt outside of church. He seemed like a nice guy, maybe in his late thirties. Certainly younger than Diehl and closer to Skye’s age.

Skye?

Why did I bring her up with thoughts of Matt?

“For the sake of our visitors, who might not know the rest of us, let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves, shall we?” Ivan asked. “I’ll start. I’m Ivan McMillan. I teach violin at the Yun McMillan Music Studio—which we named in memory of my grandma—and I play in the Seaside Chapel Sanctuary Orchestra. I used to play in the Sea Islands Symphony Orchestra, but after I injured my wrist a couple of years ago, I retired.”

“He retired into his music studio, that is,” Matt said. “Since I’m sitting next to Ivan, I’ll go next. Matt Garnett here. I’m an antique collector. I go around the southeast and elsewhere—sometimes the country and on occasion, Europe—to find antiques I can sell in this shop. My thrift shop next door does a lot of charity work, and that’s why I asked my brother to come help me get organized with how we can use the thrift shop to glorify God.”

A chorus ofamenwent around the room.

Adam lifted his cup of coffee in one hand. His other hand held a half-eaten bagel. “Adam Garnett here. Matt and I might be biologically half-brothers, but we’re spiritually full brothers. I worked at various jobs after I left the Army, and now I’m here for the foreseeable future. I didn’t want to just drop in on a church just because my brother attends there, but I think I’m staying at Seaside Chapel for a while.”

Matt patted his shoulder. “You’re welcome to attend our Sunday School class next week.”

“I might do that if I can get up early enough to make it to class.” Adam laughed. “I like to sleep in on weekends. However, I made it to the eleven o’clock service.”

“You did. Thank you, Brother.” Matt turned his attention to the next person.

“Tristan Rao. I just got a haircut and I hate it, so don’t anybody ask me why my hair is so short today,” Tristan said.

“Buzz cut. You should go to my hairdresser,” Ivan said.

“Seriously, does anybody care if you had a haircut?” someone on the other side of the circle said.

“No one would care,” Matt said. “Except that Tristan has a date this Friday night and there’s no way his hair is going to grow back in four days.”

“Now that you mentioned it, we’re all looking at your bald head,” someone else said.

“It’s not bald.” Tristan touched the top of his head. “Do they let you wear a hat to church?”

“I don’t think they care what you wear on your head as long as you have clothes on your body,” Matt replied. “Besides, on Wednesday night, it’s dark outside when the Fire Pit Service gets going.”

“True.” Tristan went to get another cup of coffee.

“Seriously,” Matt continued. “Tristan is our local physician, and he’s been around forever. I think Tristan was barely a baby when the Rao family moved here, and his dad opened the practice—which he has now taken over.”

Tristan nodded. “If you can, please pray for my dad. He’s not doing too well with chemo. He wants to forget it, go home, and die.”

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