He looked at his phone. “We’re free for the rest of the day. Want to get together in a few hours?”
“Tonight?” Ava hadn’t stopped staring at him. He patted his shoulders and then the top of his head. “What are you doing?”
“I’m checking to see if I grew a second head.” Oh, he liked teasing her. “The way you’re staring at me…”
“Sorry.” She bent her head to either side, almost to her shoulders.
“Now what areyoudoing?”
“Checking to see if I have whiplash. This conversation took such a sharp turn.” She laughed and stood. “Okay, if we’re really doing this date thing, I’d better go freshen up.”
He wanted to tell her that she was fine just the way she was, but he needed a moment too. More than that, he needed someone to debrief with.
After Ava walked away, Zach pulled out his phone. “Uncle Bryan, can we talk?”
“Hey, Zach!” His uncle’s voice sounded warm and strong. “I’ve got some time. What’s up?” For as long as he could remember, his dad’s brother had been a mentor to him. If anyone could help him work through the problem of Ava, Uncle Bryan could.
“Can you meet me at the gazebo at the Grand? I need to hash some things out.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen.”
When his uncle arrived, he wrapped Zach in a hug, his thick forearms and working man’s body a solid mass. He’d recently moved back to Jonathon Island with his wife Mary to run the family’s pumpkin farm. “Good to see you.” Uncle Bryan slapped Zach on the back and then pulled away. Zach motioned to the benches lining the walls of the wooden structure and they sat.
“Thanks for coming over.” Zach led him through the story of how he and Ava met, their subsequent lives, and now hisgrowing attraction to her. “Except, every time I think I’m ready to move past what happened, something brings it all up again.”
A crowd of people approached, walking in the direction of the food festival. Among them were his mom and dad. Strangely, his dad had his hand on the small of his mom’s back, guiding her over a dip in the lawn.
A chill wind swept over the trees, bringing a hint of lake water. Zach rolled his shoulders, then began pacing inside the gazebo.
“Hmm. That is a tough one.” Uncle Bryan cocked his head to the side, the way he always did when thinking through a difficult situation. “Forgiveness can be hard, but we’re called to do it anyway. Let’s walk.” They headed out across the lawn, passing outside the festival grounds and into the magnificent gardens someone had restored for the Grand.
“Yeah, Pastor Arnie was talking about that the other night. I’m not sure I can forgive like Jesus did. He was perfect. I’m so not.” He shrugged. The fact he couldn’t let this go was a perfect example of that.
A laugh rumbled out of Uncle Bryan. “I can attest to that. None of us are. The good news is that we don’t have to be.”
“I just don’t think I can forgive and forget. I mean, I know Ava’s review wasn’t intentional now, but the consequences of it are all tangled up in what happened afterward. I essentially lost my restaurant because of her.” Their strides took them off the hotel property and out along the water on the west side of the island. Waves crashed against the shore, carrying leaves and bits of sticks with them. Overhead, a seagull cried its discordant call.
“One bad review was all it took? Maybe you need to take a closer look at your memories from back then.” Uncle Bryan cleared his throat. “But either way, we know God is sovereign. He takes our bad situations and works them for the good of those who love Him. He is more concerned with our hearts thanour comfort. He allowed that article to be published, and while that might be a tough bite to chew on, He has a purpose in it. We have to trust Him.” He clapped Zach on the shoulder. “Plus, I have good news for you. Forgiveand forgetisn’t in the Bible.”
Zach halted, shoulder to shoulder with Uncle Bryan, at the edge of Lake Huron. The lake stretched to the horizon. Sunlight glittered across its surface. “I’m pretty sure it’s in there.” Hadn’t he heard that in Sunday school or something?
“Sure, the Bible tells us God will forgive us and not remember our sins. That means that any sin that He washes away He won’t hold against us. And it says we shouldn’t keep a record of the ways people have wronged us.” Uncle Bryan cleared his throat. “But that just means we don’t hold on to our hurts, counting them over and over. We release them to the Great Healer and trust Him to work in our hearts. The concept of forgive and forget has been warped into something God never intended.”
A wave rippled over the sand, taking some of the debris with it. “Huh. Okay. So I don’t have to forget, but how do I forgive?”
“Fake it ’til you make it.”
“What?”
Uncle Bryan laughed. “I just mean you keep acting in forgiving ways, not bringing up old hurts, not using those things as weapons. Sometimes it helps me to say the words ‘I forgive you’ out loud, even if it’s in the privacy of my own space.”
Zach suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. Just say “I forgive you” and it would all be over? Not in this lifetime.
“So, I what, just keep pretending she didn’t do anything wrong?” They began walking back toward the hotel.
“Nah, you don’t ignore the wrongdoing, but once you’ve decided to forgive, you act as though your heart is following suit. I know it sounds a little nutty, but it’s always worked for me.” Uncle Bryan paused as a squirrel ran across their path. “Of course, this isn’t an excuse for someone to walk all over you, butmaybe that’s a conversation for another day. It sounds like this Ava is sincere in her apology. Take her at her word and start acting like you forgive her. The rest should fall into place.”
“I guess I can give it a try.” Couldn’t hurt. At least it was more than what he was already doing. And hadn’t he just decided that he needed a different trajectory in his life?
