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Chapter 4, it is midnight when Jane answers the phone.

 

Chapter 4.                                                                                                   

Jane

 

‘He appears mad indeed, but to a few because the majority is infected with the same disease’

Graham Dryden

 

They are nearly always bad news, midnight phone calls. The urgent ringing forcing harsh propulsion from peaceful slumber, into a state of alert readiness. I jump up to grab the receiver, a clenching dread in the pit of my stomach. But it’s just a bit odd really, Dan’s call, the things he describes, a random, ‘out of the blue’ sort of thing.

‘Dan, it’s you! It’s quite late. Are you Ok?’

Graham’s eyes are closed, but I know that he’s listening to every word.

‘I needed to talk to someone. I’ve been laughing and crying at the same time. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I think God’s doing something really major.’

He is gabbling away breathless with excitement.

‘What? Slow down. What’s happened?  What do you mean?’

‘It is as though God is controlling all my muscles. I’ve had to kneel down on the floor and raise my arms up in the air. Maybe I should just surrender!’

‘Oh… that sounds quite… intense. Are you sure you are not just over-tired? You have been working quite hard, under a lot of pressure lately. Where is Carl tonight?’

‘He’s in bed. I just think I have been fighting off these promptings for a while now Mum. I think maybe this is God’s way of getting through to me. It feels like he’s…. he’s taking me over.’

In the past, we’d been active members of various Church communities (mainly through my influence, I think, my need to cultivate good, Christian values in my children!), but Dan and his siblings had lost interest in it all quite a while ago.

‘I’m relieved it’s nothing serious, Dan. You made me worried, ringing at midnight. I thought something bad might have happened to you again.’

The last thing I want to do is dismiss what he’s telling me as unimportant when it seems major to him. I need to listen, however late at night.  I want him to feel he can get in touch and share anything with us.

‘Try and get some rest and we’ll talk about this again tomorrow.’

Perhaps it really is God’s call. I can’t tell from what he is describing.

‘You know you can always phone us at any time, day or night, though, don’t you?’

Graham is muttering away next to me, irritated now. He is worried that this will create a distraction and take Dan’s focus away from the interviews with the agents and the practical things he needs to organise, such as his travel arrangements. The following day, I phone again to remind him of this. But Dan repeats to me almost word for word the description of the strange event from the night before and assures me that I don’t need to worry.

Maybe it is a genuine conversion! How much influence can we expect to have over such things in our children’s lives, once they’ve left home? There is a big world out there that is going to influence them and might at times, unbalance, or threaten to take them over completely. Right now, I am thinking to myself that there are potentially many worse things than a person’s discovery of God.

Dan tells me,

‘I have spoken to Mark, the Christian friend in my year group, and he’s really happy to have another believer around. He’s invited me to his church this Sunday and wants to introduce me to his pastor.’

‘That’s nice of him. Does anyone else know what’s happened?’ I ask.

‘Some of the students saw me getting a bit emotional yesterday, while I was sitting with Mark.  They said, “What’s the matter with you mate? Have you found God or something?” I wasn’t sure what to say, “Yeah, I think so.” I’ve been telling Mark that I’m not completely sure about giving my life to God quite yet. I’d rather stay selfish for a bit longer. But he said it sounds more like God has chosen me.  He’s invited Carl and me to his twenty-first this weekend, at his parents’ place.’

I am relieved that Dan is getting away from drama school again, for another mini-break, a bit of a change, a brief chance to relax.

To be continued…