“Oh, hey. What’s up man? How are you?”
“I’m good, Steve, I’m real good. Thanks for asking. Do you mind if I ask you a question, Steve?”
I knew I had him confused and anxious as he replied, “Uh…sure thing man. Ask away.”
“Do you believe in God, Steve?”
“Yes sir, I do.”
“That’s great, Steve, that’s just what I wanted to hear. I’m a nice guy, so I’m gonna do you a favor, Steve.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. You see, if you ever make Sarah cry, even once, and I don’t care if it’s for something as simple as accidentally stepping on her toe, I’m going to let you meet God up close and personal.”
There was a slight pause as my words sank in, then he replied, his voice sounding strained, “Is that a threat?”
“Oh, absolutely. But please don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s an idle threat, Steve, that would be a mistake.”
I heard several voices shout “JOSH!” simultaneously, and I had to try very hard to keep from breaking down into fits of laughter.
Tiffany left the next day while I was at work. She was going to drive hack to Arizona with her dad, and then take her own car back to California from there. I didn’t get to tell her goodbye, but this time I made sure to keep in touch, and we talked on the phone almost every day for the two years that we were apart.
