Chapter 2: Joan and Her Boys Worry About Peter
“Bruno, you have been staring at your breakfast for the last ten minutes. Is something wrong with it?” Joan, Peter’s wife, asked her son. “Mom is right,” Bruno’s older brother, Evans, remarked, “I noticed but felt reluctant to point that out.” Bruno sighed and replied, “Does anyone feel like Dad has been staying out lately?” “Well, you do know he is a pastor. As a pastor, he is involved in many activities such as community outreach, counseling, visitations, and so on. So, we have to be very understanding with him,” said Joan.
Bruno wasn’t remotely convinced by his mom’s answer, so he said, “I just don’t think he has to do those activities the whole night. Can’t he tell the people he works with that he has a family to care for?” “Bro, he already takes care of us. He pays for our electricity, water and college fees. What more could you want from him?” Evans said. “Those are bare minimum actions. After all, he is our father. He is supposed to do all these things. I miss the days when he would spend time with us at home,” Bruno said.
Evans became rather irritated and replied, “I don’t know, aren’t you being a little needy? Lately, you have been whining about Dad. Frankly, I am sick of hearing it.” Bruno was offended at his brother’s remark and slowly turned to him, “Needy? Whining? Really, bro? I am disappointed these are words you can use to describe me. Sorry for being concerned about my dad’s whereabouts. It seems you don’t care much for Dad.” “I resent your assumption, Bruno. Incidentally, you always twist my words to make me out to be the villain,” Evans heated up.
“Boys could you all be quiet and eat your breakfast? All this negativity is only causing divisions among us,” Joan intervened. Evans didn’t seem determined to stop the conversation and asked his mother, “Mom, I need your honest opinion about something. Wouldn’t you say that Bruno complains a lot about Dad? He is 20 years old, yet you would think he is 10 years old. Only 10-year-olds are allowed to complain about their dads not being at home yet.” Joan wasn’t pleased with Evans’ question and was about to respond when Bruno interrupted, “So you think I am childish for worrying about my dad? I didn’t know there was an age limit for asking about a relative’s whereabouts.”
Joan sensed there would be a back-and-forth and responded, “Boys! I have something to say. Evans, it’s unfair to insinuate that your brother is a 10-year-old for asking about their dad. After all, how would you feel if your brother stopped caring about your whereabouts at his age? Honestly, it’s nice to know that an adult can worry about where their parents are. In most cases, adults live their lives as if they don’t have any parents.” Evans responded, “Okay, I may have been a little insensitive when I claimed he is childish. I just got irritated at how he kept on asking about Dad almost daily. Dad is an adult who can look after himself. Furthermore, he is a busy man and we should understand his situation.” Joan then said, “Yeah, he is busy supporting his family. However, you can admit that he has been very busy lately. It doesn’t hurt to have him around.”
Bruno smiled and couldn’t wait for the opportunity to interject, “Ha! Mom also agrees with me. Dad has been away too long. I would understand if he was working as a soldier or a pilot, but he is none of these things. He is a pastor. There’s no reason why he should be away for extended periods.” Evans then responded, “Ha, you wish! Didn’t you hear Mom say earlier that he has to support his family? The fact that he is out means he is doing exactly that.” Joan then said, “I actually agreed with both your concerns. I respect how hardworking your father is. At the same time, he needs to relax with us from time to time.”
Suddenly, Bruno had an idea and said, “Since Dad has been out lately, why can’t we call him? We just need to know that he is safe. Heck, we don’t even know where he slept last night.” “Doesn’t that seem unnecessary? If Dad needed to speak to us, he would. Why are we treating Dad like he is a toddler? He can take care of himself. He probably slept in a hotel,” said Evans. Bruno shook his head in disappointment and remarked, “Why would he even need to sleep in a hotel when he has a home? Sleeping in a hotel would only make sense if he traveled outside the city. We know he has to be within the city.” “Oh, really? How sure are you he is within the city, Bruno? Pastors travel to various cities all the time,” said Evans.
Joan chimed in, “I think Bruno is right. If he wasn’t in the city, he would have informed us. Instead of guessing where your father is, why not call him? Evans, could you pass me my phone? It’s on the red stool behind you.” Evans passed the phone to her but was still convinced that calling his dad was unnecessary.
Joan dialed his number and waited for his response. Unfortunately, he didn’t pick up. “I guess your dad must be very busy. I will have to call him later,” she remarked. “Try again. We have to ensure he picks up,” Bruno said. “Bruno that is being desperate. We shouldn’t blow up someone’s phone. I am sure he will call whenever he can. He is probably taking a shower,” Evans said. “You sure like to make excuses for Dad, don’t you? How can he be too busy for us? I don’t care if we have to call him a million times. He shouldn’t keep us this worried,” Bruno said.
“Okay, let’s call him one more time. If he doesn’t pick up, I will call him later,” Joan said as she dialed his number once more. He still didn’t pick up. “He is probably having a prayer session with guests or something. Now that is something you can’t interrupt,” she said. “This doesn’t sit well with me,” Bruno spoke his mind, “How can you prioritize work so much that he forgets his family? Does he know how much he is hurting us?” Evans rolled his eyes and said, “Stop being melodramatic. I don’t think Dad is prioritizing work over us. It’s only because he is so busy. If he had a choice, he would work less hours.” “Funny you should say that because Dad can determine his work schedule. He can work four hours a day if he wants to,” Bruno suggested. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Bruno, you crack me up sometimes. How would his church grow if he only worked those hours per day? There are a lot of activities he would give up. What if he has a huge group of congregants that he must counsel? I don’t think a four-hour session would even be enough. Don’t forget he has to manage church operations such as budgeting and staffing. All these activities require more hours,” Evans corrected his brother.
“I think we have spent so much time arguing over Dad. Now let us finish our breakfast. Don’t forget you have to both leave for college?” Joan spoke to her sons. “Well, I have a lesson at 2.00 pm. So, I still have several hours left,” Evans remarked. “There are a lot of things you could do in college as you wait for your class. You could catch up with friends or go to the library to research about the units you are studying,” Bruno suggested. “Yeah… there’s no way I am going to waste my time in college doing all that when I can just watch some TV,” Evans responded. “Evans, your brother is right,” Joan joined in, “College isn’t just for going to class. You could catch up with friends or make new ones.” “I appreciate both your suggestions but I get to decide whether or not I want to catch up with friends or go to the library,” Evans answered. Joan and Bruno shrugged their shoulders and opted to respect Evans’ decision. They continued munching their breakfast.
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