Chapter Five - part five

     James and Aadila had both finished breakfast. James had taken the full two hours and then some to finish his. They brought them both a good lunch and a good supper too. James was feeling much better after getting some food inside him. He was still very sore, but he was getting stronger. He and Aadila hadn't talked much during the day. He figured she was doing much the same thing he was doing. That was to think about what had happened and what was going to be happening in the morning. Normally the move from being a Doolie to a new location in a squadron was something that happened as a group. All of the new Doolies would move into their new squadrons together on the same day. But they would be making their move separately from the group though. The groups were already in place and settling into the new routines that would be their lives for the remainder of this year at the Academy.

    He knew that Mighty Mach One was considered a premiere squadron by many new cadets. He also knew that they weren't being placed there for their benefit at all. This wasn't a reward or even luck of the draw. James wasn't exactly sure why they had been placed in Mach One, but he knew there was a special reason hidden somewhere. Hidden motives and agendas, he had been warned about those. It seemed that he was about to be put right in the middle of them. That wasn't too big a deal to him. It was a big deal though, when those hidden agendas pulled somebody else in along with him. Aadila was being pulled into this one. That was what bothered James the most about it. This wasn't her fight. It wasn't fair that she should be in the middle of all of this, but he saw no way to avoid or change it. It wasn't even about her religion, but in truth even that changed nothing for either of them.

    He had known things were changing in the world even before he came to the Academy. It had been awareness of that fact which had been one of the major factors in his consideration of the Academy. He knew that things were definitely going to continue changing too. The thing that neither he nor anybody else knew was exactly what kind of changes were going to take place. Those thoughts took up only a small part of his time though. It was Lt. General McBride and what he had in mind that filled his thoughts for the greatest part of the day. James went over that meeting again and again in his mind. He knew something had happened to change the course of his future during that meeting. Try as he might though he couldn't seem to put his finger on what that something was or even when it had happened.

    James was relatively certain that it had happened right in the room. He couldn't have said why he felt that way, he just did. James had felt the change more than seen it. Something about the whole attitude of Lt. General McBride had made a major shift during the time he spent with them. Aadila had also changed during the discussion with the general. James had seen the fire in her eyes. He had seen that fire in her eyes before, but never quite like that. Had that been when everything had changed? Somehow James didn't think that was it, at least not that alone. What had changed the mind of the general? James was certain that he was being fitted for a casket when he first looked into the man's eyes. He had seen nothing there except cold, hard, calculations when he had looked up at that knock on the door. James had been certain that he would be dismissed from the Academy at best and possibly dishonorably discharged too. That was why he had kept his eyes focused on the general. James had been determined that if his career was going to die he was going to face it head on. He wouldn't run or hide from it. He had seen something change in Lt. General McBride's eyes during the time he had been in the room though. But it wasn't just a change in his eyes. There had been a change in his manner and in his tone of voice too.

    James spent a lot of time trying to decide when the change had occurred, so that he could figure out what had made the change happen. He never did find a single item or moment when things had changed. It had been a gradual sort of change, a slow softening in the attitude and tone of the meeting. The one thing that seemed to have had the biggest single effect to James was when Lt. General McBride had brought in the Bible. That had definitely changed things for James. Maybe that was what had changed things for the general too, but he wasn't certain of that. The general had already changed in some ways when he went to get that Bible. That was one of the key moments though. James still remembered the change he personally had felt when he saw his Bible in the hands of Lt. General McBride. He had been wondering where his things were and in particular where his Bible was. He had been afraid that it would be gone. Seeing it in the hands of Lt. General McBride had made his heart skip a beat. He had wanted to reach out for it, but something had kept him calm enough to resist that urge. He still remembered the way the general had held it as he spoke to him. At first he had been almost casual about it, but that had also changed. The general had raised it up as he spoke and held it out almost like the club that he later compared it to, but when he finally handed it over it had been with great care and almost reverence.

    The thing that James remembered the most about all of it was the words they had exchanged about his Bible. The general had been curious and questioning when he spoke, but there had been more than that in his eyes. James had seen a glimmer of hope in those eyes, but only a glimmer. What he had seen most clearly and felt even more strongly had been fear. James was still trying to get his mind around that. Why would anyone get hope from something that they feared? More importantly to James, why would a Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force be afraid of a Bible? He tried very hard to figure that out, but nothing made sense about what he had seen and felt. He was sure that Lt. General McBride had been afraid of that Bible, but why? He had also had that glimmer of hope too. That glimmer of hope was more disturbing to James than his fear had been. The truth was that a lot of people feared the Bible, though few would ever admit that. James believed they feared it because it was the truth, and because it would, if they seriously looked inside it, convict them of their sins. But what had Lt. General McBride been hoping for when he held that Bible out to him?

    It was possible that the general was hoping that James would indeed lay his Bible down and walk away from it, but somehow James didn't believe that. It was going to remain a question in the back of his mind for a long time. What was the general hoping for?  James still remembered something else even more clearly though. He remembered the short prayer he had said when he lowered his head after receiving his Bible from the general. Only a few short words, actually more of a simple thought than words, but it had changed something inside him. Just a simple thought shared with his Lord had done far more than all the words they had spoken had done. It really had been a very simple thought. "Lord, give me strength and help me speak." Nothing more than that, just his most desperate of pleas made to his Lord. That had been his only thought. Did he have the strength to refuse a three star general and could he find the right words? James knew in his heart, the moment he had that thought, his prayer had been heard. When he looked up at the general the words had simply flowed out and there had been no doubt and no fear in him as he spoke them.

    James had known in that instant that God was indeed in control of all of this and had been from the moment he had prayed with Pastor David in his office. God had indeed given him the strength and the words he had needed. Maybe James didn't always feel the Lord standing with him and directing his life, but the Lord was always there. God had been in complete charge of all of these events. Maybe James didn't know what was going on or why it was going on, but he did know one thing with absolute certainty. God was in charge. And most important of all, God was going to remain in charge of things around James.

   James had spent his quiet time silently reading from his Bible. He had read from just after supper to late into the night. He had been reading in 1st Kings before all of this had happened. Today he read about Elijah. That seemed fitting to James. He was certainly no Elijah, but he sure seemed to have a lot of similar issues in his life at the moment. Elijah had been sent out all alone after he had been called to speak for his God. James felt like he had been called to attend the Academy. He wondered if he was going to be called to speak for his God too. He even wondered if he was going to be sent out alone, he had already come here alone. He wondered if he would have the courage to speak and if he would have the courage to stand alone, if he indeed was called to do that for God. As he drifted off to sleep he thought of Elijah fleeing from Jezebel after having the courage to stand against hundreds who opposed his God. Would he flee in fear one day? Would he want to die like Elijah had? As he drifted off he was reminded by a small voice in his head that Elijah hadn't been allowed to run away, not for very long. Elijah had also not been allowed to die when he had wanted to die either. Elijah had in fact been sent back by God, sent back to finish the work God still had for him to do.