Courageous: A Novel

  “That’s okay, Dad. Let’s run together. There’ll be other 5Ks.”

  “You sure? I appreciate that, buddy. I really do.”

  He turned to the twelve-year-old boy with black hair and almond eyes. “Tyler, we’re really glad you could join us.”

  “Yeah, man.” Dylan slapped hands with Tyler. “This’ll be fun.”

  After they took off and the runners spread out, Dylan stayed by Tyler and Adam, but just a few steps ahead to set the pace and squeeze the best performance out of them. Both Adam and Dylan were impressed with Tyler’s ability to keep up.

  There was something magical about running with all these men and being cheered on by grandmas, wives, daughters, and sisters.

  Dylan said to his dad as they ran, “I feel like rooting for everyone around me, like we’re all on the same team.”

  Familiar faces surrounded them: Riley Cooper with his dad, Caleb Holt with a high school boy Dylan knew from Young Life.

  The more Tyler ran, the more he hit his stride, eyes on Dylan, determined to stay with him.

  At about the 4K mark, they spotted Victoria and Mia waving and holding out drinks. “Adam!” Victoria called. As he veered over, she handed him something he didn’t expect.

  He smiled, turned, and waved. Victoria and Mia both laughed.

  “What is that, Dad?”

  “Well . . . it’s a raspberry cruller from Krispy Kreme.”

  “How do you know it’s from Krispy Kreme?”

  “Trust me, Son. I know.”

  He ripped off a third and handed it to Dylan and gave another third to Tyler. No cruller had ever been more quickly consumed.

  The more Adam and Dylan encouraged Tyler, the faster he ran. Though the run was short, Adam was so sore from the Denson Road incident, he had to push himself. They finished in the first quarter of the pack, much faster than Adam or Dylan had anticipated.

  When they crossed the finish line, Adam and Dylan both slapped hands with Tyler.

  “Tyler, good job!” Dylan said. “You should definitely go out for track!”

  Wave after wave of men and boys crossed the finish line. As they regained their breath, they laughed and talked like old friends. It was a spontaneous fraternity meeting on the streets of Albany. City streets sometimes plagued by the consequences of fatherlessness had been reclaimed to celebrate fatherhood.

  Adam had never experienced anything like it. He thumped Dylan on the back. “Aren’t you glad I talked you into running this 5K?”

  They met Victoria and Mia and went to the Cookie Shop on North Jackson. By the time lunch was over, Dylan and Tyler agreed to meet twice a week at Westover High’s track.

  Dylan said to Adam as they were leaving, “I’m just warning you, Dad—our next race is a 10K.”

  Adam stretched out in his recliner that night—given recent events, he figured he’d earned it. Over popcorn and sweet tea, he and Dylan and Victoria talked and laughed for an hour about the 5K and the raspberry cruller and anything else that came to mind.

  When Adam got a call from Sergeant Murphy, he braced himself to leave for work; rare to be called out on a Saturday night, but not unprecedented.

  “Adam? I have good news for you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The paperwork’s done, and as of Monday morning, you’ve got a new partner.”

  “Anybody I know?”

  “Fresh out of the academy. Nice kid. I think you’ll like him.”

  On Monday, Adam, still feeling stiff from the race and the Denson Road episode, entered the sheriff’s department and headed to the muster room. He saw the familiar face of a big young man seated on a bench.

  “Brock Kelley?”

  “Hey, Corporal Mitchell.” Brock stood, and they shook hands.

  “Call me Adam. I see you’re wearing the proud uniform of the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Department.”

  “I’m reporting for duty.”

  “That’s great news,” Adam said. “Have they told you who your partner is?”

  “No, sir. I’m in the dark.”

  “Get used to that.” Adam grinned. “But stop calling me sir. It’s Adam.”

  “Okay. Adam.”

  “Coming in for roll call?”

  “Sergeant Murphy told me to stay out here until he sends for me.”

  “See you inside.”

  As Adam walked to the muster room, he couldn’t help but smile.

  Thanks, Lord, for answering my prayer. I’ll be able to help Brock as a cop and as a Christ follower. And he’ll be great for me. Dylan will like him, too. And he’ll be impressed that his dad’s new partner is the local football legend!

  Adam sat behind David, drinking coffee and waiting for roll call.

  “How’d your dinner go with Amanda and Olivia?”

  “Great! Awesome!”

  Adam grinned. “Sounds like you had a good time, David!”

  “I just keep feeling . . . closer to Amanda, closer than I could have imagined. And Olivia’s like . . . I can’t describe it.” David swallowed hard. “I met a family at church, in that home Bible study group I go to. They rent out a nice little apartment.”

  “Yeah?”

  “So I checked it out. The rent’s the same as what Amanda’s paying now, and it’s a better setup. And . . . it’s three minutes from my place.”

  Nathan entered and sat just before Sergeant Murphy stepped to the front. After a few announcements, the sergeant said, “We have a new rookie. Let’s give a warm welcome to Brock Kelley.”

  “State championship,” Adam heard someone whisper.

  Lord, use me in this young man’s life.

  “And Deputy Kelley will have the distinction of being the partner of . . .”

  Adam smiled.

  “Sergeant Brad Bronson.”

  What?

  Bronson groaned audibly and glared at Brock like he was an IRS auditor with leprosy.

  Snickers mixed with looks of surprise and pity.

  Murphy smiled wryly. “All we can say, Deputy Kelley, is ‘Good luck’ and don’t expect Bronson to be impressed with your police academy credentials. Or your football accomplishments.”

  “Or pretty much anything else,” Riley Cooper added.

  “So welcome your new partner, Sergeant Bronson,” Murphy said, obviously enjoying himself. Brock followed Murphy’s pointing finger, walked over to Bronson, and extended his hand. Brad grunted and nodded at the chair next to him.

  Adam was stunned. It never occurred to him they might sacrifice the newbie to Bronson.

  Brock, seated between Adam and Bronson, whispered to Adam, “I remember Bronson from the academy. I take it he has issues?”

  “No,” Adam whispered back. “He has the whole subscription.”

  “Now,” Murphy said, “we have a second vacancy to fill. I want to introduce Adam Mitchell’s new partner, also a rookie, just graduated from the police academy. Welcome Bobby Shaw.”

  Adam froze when he saw the skinny kid walk in, the one the trainer said would have flunked out if there’d been more candidates.

  Adam’s heart sank. If they faced a crisis, this was the person he would entrust his life to? That’s what Adam thought. What he did was shake Bobby’s hand, then lead him to the seat to Adam’s left.

  Adam Mitchell, sitting between two rookies, looked at Bronson’s scowling face and determined that for Bobby Shaw’s sake, he was not going to let his face know how the rest of him felt.

  That evening Adam and Victoria sipped decaf in the living room.

  “After Sergeant Murphy calls and tells me I’m getting a new partner, I show up, and Brock’s there waiting. What else was I supposed to think? I could have been his cop coach. Like Grant Taylor was his football coach.”

  “Maybe God wanted to teach you about disappointment and trust.”

  “A guy can still whine a little bit, can’t he?”

  “Yeah, as long as he doesn’t abuse the privilege,” Victoria said. “You’ve been praying fo
r Bronson, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Well, if Brock is a solid Christian, doesn’t that make him a good choice to influence Bronson?”

  “No one’s a good choice for Bronson.”

  “Sounds like you’ve given up on him.”

  “No. I’m just sayin’—”

  “And I’m just sayin’ maybe God thought it was better to answer your prayer about influencing Bronson for Christ than about you influencing Brock. And doesn’t Bobby Shaw need a partner who can show him the ropes and be a spiritual role model?”

  “I guess, but I’d sure rather put my life in Brock’s hands than Bobby’s.”

  “Who’s more ready to meet God, you or Bronson?”

  “Well, I am, but—”

  “Then maybe that’s another reason Bronson should have Brock and you should have Bobby.”

  Adam sat up in his recliner. “Cop wives are not supposed to say things like that!”

  “You know I’m concerned for your safety. I just believe you’ve been put with Bobby Shaw for his good and for yours. Romans 8:28, remember? You told me the trainer at the academy said Bobby grew up without a dad. Maybe you’re the father figure he’s always needed.”

  “After one day with him, I can tell you he’s not much of a cop.”

  “Neither was David. But when he’s spent a year with you, I’ll bet Bobby Shaw will be as solid as David has become.”

  Adam smiled. “When I griped to David about my new partner, you know what he said?”

  “What?”

  “He said, ‘Maybe you’d better man up!’”

  “I love that young man.”

  “Me too. But I’m not telling the sheriff.”

  “Adam, you’ve become a mentor to your own son. What you do with Dylan will help you with Bobby. And what you do with Bobby will help you with Dylan. And Tyler too.”

  “Thanks for your honesty. And your encouragement.”

  “I love you, Adam Mitchell.” She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. “And now there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

  He looked at her suspiciously as she stood there beside his recliner.

  “What I’d like to say may seem a little crazy, but I’d like us to pray about it.”

  “What?”

  “You know that evening we spent at the Holts? When they told us Catherine is pregnant?”

  “You’re pregnant?”

  She laughed. “No. But I’d like to consider adopting.”

  Adam jerked to the front of his chair. “A child?”

  “No. An orangutan.” She shook her head. “Of course a child. I know another child won’t be Emily. But what would you think of adopting a little girl?”

  Victoria sat down, and Adam came up with a dozen reasons why it was impractical. He was forty. Kids were a challenge. They took a lot of energy and money. But when he ran out of practical objections, he thought about what it would mean to have a daughter. He could hold her, wipe her tears, and dance with her in the park.

  “I agree there’s only one Emily,” Adam said. “But another girl would be special too. And maybe I’d have a second chance to be a better dad to my daughter.”

  Victoria stood again and walked toward him. “We’d need to talk with Dylan. This child could require more work—we’d have to take it on together. There’d be sacrifices.”

  She put her hands on her hips, her face filled with adventure. “But I think I want to do this. Will you pray about it with me?”

  Adam gazed into her eyes and saw inside her. “Yes, I will.”

  The church parking lot filled up quickly the last ten minutes before the service.

  Pastor Jonathan Rogers stood in his office with Javier and David. Adam walked in with Nathan.

  “Adam,” Pastor Rogers said, “every father should be encouraged to fulfill these Resolution points. That’s why I wanted you to present them to the church today.”

  “If it helps men understand how to step up, then we’re glad to do it, right, guys?”

  “As long as I don’t have to open my mouth,” David said.

  “Sí.” Javy smiled and nodded.

  “Fortunately we’ve got Adam to do that,” Nathan joked.

  None of these guys could dread being up front as much as I do, and here I am, the spokesman. How did this happen?

  Jonathan led them into the auditorium and stepped to the pulpit. Adam, Nathan, David, and Javier stood behind him and to his left.

  “For the last six weeks, I’ve preached on God’s design for fathers. To be teachers, protectors, and providers. I read to you a Resolution for fathers that was written and signed by the men who stand behind me. The principles of this Resolution come from God’s Word. But instead of talking about these men, I want Adam Mitchell to come and speak to us.”

  Adam walked to the pulpit. Besides informal classes at the police academy, Adam had never spoken in public. He hoped he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. He gazed out at the packed auditorium, a sea of faces. His stomach hosted a swarm of butterflies. He tried to take a deep breath but barely managed a few shallow ones. He hoped he wouldn’t pass out.

  Adam looked down to his right and saw Victoria.

  She gave him a warm smile, pretending she wasn’t nervous about what he might say. Next to her sat Dylan, who looked curious. On Dylan’s left was Tom Lyman in his wheelchair, signaling a thumbs-up.

  Adam’s hands trembled slightly as he opened his notes, looked at them a moment, then gazed at the congregation.

  Okay, Lord, it’s up to You.

  “As a law enforcement officer, I’ve seen firsthand the deep hurt and devastation that fatherlessness brings on a child’s life. Our prisons are full of men and women who have lived recklessly after being abandoned by their fathers, wounded by the men who should have loved them the most. Many of these children now follow the same pattern of irresponsibility that their fathers did. While so many mothers have sacrificed to help their children survive, they were never intended to carry the weight alone.

  “We thank God for these women,” Adam continued, “but research is proving that a child also desperately needs a daddy. There’s no way around this fact.”

  Behind him, Nathan prayed for his brother, that God would use him to speak especially to the men.

  “As you know, earlier this year my family endured the tragic loss of our nine-year-old daughter, Emily.” Adam’s emotions threatened to incapacitate him, but he pressed on.

  “Her death forced me to realize that not only had I not taken advantage of the priceless time I had with her, but that I did not truly understand how crucial my role was as a father to her and our son, Dylan.”

  He glanced at Dylan, his enormous love for his son prevailing over his nerves.

  “Since her passing, I’ve asked God to show me through His Word how to be the father that I need to be. I now believe that God desires for every father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children. But more than just being there or providing for them, he is to walk with them through their young lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their Father in heaven. A father should love his children and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them, and teach them about God.”

  As Javier listened to Adam’s impassioned speech, he silently thanked God for his father, who had done those very things in his life. All the while, Javy’s eyes never left Carmen, Isabel, and Marcos. He didn’t want to look anywhere else.

  “He should model how to walk with integrity,” Adam said, “and treat others with respect and should call out his children to become responsible men and women who live their lives for what matters in eternity.”

  Adam’s voice took on an almost-otherworldly strength. It surprised him and all who knew him. “Some men will hear this and mock it or ignore it, but I tell you that as a father, you are accountable to God for the position of influence He has given you.”

  D
avid scanned the room until he found the pretty young woman near the back, with their four-year-old daughter on her lap. Seeing David’s eyes move to them at last, the woman whispered in her daughter’s ear, and the little girl suddenly smiled and waved. David smiled back and moved his hand.

  “You can’t fall asleep at the wheel only to wake up one day and realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value, but the souls of your children do. Some men will hear this and agree with it but have no resolve to live it out. Instead they will live for themselves and waste the opportunity to leave a godly legacy for the next generation.”

  Adam thought of Shane in his cell and all the regret his former partner was feeling. He could have been standing here with them today. Adam paused a moment, his heart crying out to God to restore Shane and fix his brokenness.

  “But there are some men who, regardless of the mistakes we’ve made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did not do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are and to teaching our children to do the same. And whenever possible, to love and mentor others who have no father in their lives but who desperately need help and direction.

  “We are inviting any man whose heart is willing and courageous to join us in this Resolution.”

  Adam’s surge of intensity commanded attention.

  “In my home, the decision has already been made. You don’t have to ask who will guide my family because by God’s grace, I will. You don’t have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ because I will.

  “Who will accept the responsibility of providing for and protecting my family? I will. Who will ask God to break the chain of destructive patterns in my family’s history? I will.

  “Who will pray for and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their father; I will.

  “I accept this responsibility, and it is my privilege to embrace it. I want the favor of God and His blessing on my home. Any good man does. So where are you, men of courage? Where are you, fathers who fear the Lord? It’s time to rise up and answer the call that God has given to you and to say, I will! I will! I will!”

  Electricity jumped across the auditorium.