My Forever by Jolene Perry Read Free Book Online Page A

sounds crazy right?” I say.
     
    They’re completely unbothered. “The fourteen-year-old boy part or seeing deity?” Elder Simmons asks with a smirk (thank goodness for nametags) .
     
    “Both!” The whole idea… no wonder Dad thinks they’re nuts.
     
    “What about the fact that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate personages?” Elder Night asks.
     
    “No, I actually follow you there .” But h ow can they focus on that when the rest is so clearly ridiculous?
     
    They laugh. “Well, there’s a start.”
     
    “It doesn’t bother you that I don’t buy the rest of it?” My father is more argumentative. He has to make sure that you not only understand his point of view, but agree with it as well.
     
    “Not at all
,
” Elder Night shakes his head.
     
    “I have some scriptures for you to read, if you want, then spend some time praying about it,” Elder Simmons adds.
     
    “That’s it?” They’re really not bothered. How is this possible?
     
    “Yep.” They exchange glances.
     
    Michael and Tracy smile as well.
     
    “And then I’ll suddenly believe your story?”
     
    “Well, technically it’s not our story . B ut yeah, that’s the idea.”
     
    “And this tends to work for you?” I want to laugh.
     
    One of them shrugs and looks at me. “We haven’t been out in the mission field all that long, so I guess we’ll find out.”
     
    It’s funny, with the suits and nametags I hadn’t really thought about where they were from.
     
    “How old are you guys?”
     
    “I’m nineteen,” Elder Simmons says
.
“And Elder Night is
twenty
.”
     
    “Wait.” This is crazy. “I’m learning about your church from people only a couple of years older than me?” Don’t they have professionals for this kind of thing?
     
    “Most boys in our church go on a mission from 19 to 21,” Tracy says.
     
    “Are you going?” I look back at Michael. My chest feels hollow at the thought, which I know is crazy because we’re barely even friends. But he feels a part of this somehow.
     
    “Yeah, soon actually. I turn nineteen in September. I’ve been a year behind in school since my parents divorced.”
     
    Michael will be gone before I have this baby. I’m suddenly not sure what I’m going to do without his support. I sit and stare at him for a moment. My chest is heavy , and I have to focus to breathe.
     
    “What brought you here, Dani?” Elder Simmons asks.
     
    My head snaps back to him. “It’s a long story. I just wanted to know more.” What did bring me here?
     
    I glance back. Michael. Michael and his adoption. Okay, so I have to admit, even to myself, that spending time around him is a perk, but it also makes me pathetic. I think about studying on my own and listening to that quiet voice in my heart Michael told me to , and I know that brought me here, too. It’s hard to accept that I have a reason to be sitting where I am right now. Just one thing more to add to a list of reasons my dad might want to kill me soon.
     
    “Why?” h e persists.
     
    “Because I feel like it, ” I snap. I don’t mean to be rude, I’ve just been taken completely by surprise
with
the whole Michael-leaving-on-his-mission thing , and I don’t like it. I decide right now that I don’t like surprises . They start with things like— Surprise! You get to sleep with someone you’ve been crushing on for years ! But then they turn bad like— Surpr ise! You’re pregnant! And now— Surprise! Michael will be gone before you have this baby!
     
    Elder Simmons grins
.
“Well keep listening to that voice. I think with your knowledge, you’ll be better served studying on your own.” He hands me a small pamphlet. “Check the scriptures here and spend some time praying.”
     
    I reach out and take it. One more thing to hide from my parents.
     
    “ And you can take this as well.” He hands me a
B
ook of Mormon.
     
    “Well, that I definitely can’t hide.” I hand it back to him.