Page 102 of Not So Very Sensible

He eyed her steadily. “I want you to hear this. You and I, and yes, Rob, we are never going to measure up to Dad’s expectations.”

“What? But I married Wayne just like he wanted me to, and—”

“And I know that has not always been easy, but I think it’s time for us to be honest about things. And the truth is our father is a narcissist. He’s corrupt. He’s not interested in the welfare of others but only in how things benefit himself.”

Her eyes were huge. “I can’t believe you’re saying this. What happened to honouring your father and mother?”

He bit his lip. “Maybe that does sound a little harsh. But there will come a time when Dad is no longer here, but the things he makes us do will continue to have ramifications. Like you and Wayne. And like what he wanted for me and Lucinda.” He shook his head. “That was wrong. And you know it.”

She drew in a deep breath and tried to pull her hands away, but he gripped them more firmly.

She sighed. “I only wanted Lucinda for you because I thought she’d fit in the family.”

“Do you seriously think that fitting into the family is so important? Don’t you trust me to choose someone who will make me happy?”

“You don’t fit in the family, Ethan. So no. I don’t.”

He released her hands at that. “Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re different. You don’t seem to care anymore about what other people think. It’s like you think you’re better than us.”

Wow. “I don’t think that at all.”

“But you’re not the same.”

Whoa. Was this a moment to talk to his sister about why he was different? Lord? He sensed a yes. Drew in a breath. “So okay. Yes, I’m different. You know that I’m a Christian.”

“A do-gooder.”

He scoffed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. What’s wrong with wanting to do good?”

She shrugged.

“So that makes me different?”

She bit her lip. “I mean you just don’t seem to care about the same sort of things as the rest of us. Like you don’t care about how much money you have, or what kind of car you drive, or even what clothes you wear.” She gestured to his T-shirt and jeans. “I don’t understand it at all.”

“It’s because I’m trying to follow God and do things His way. And those things you mentioned don’t actually matter, do they?”

“Of course they matter,” she bristled.

“No. They don’t. They’re temporary things. You can’t take them with you when you die. Most of that stuff is actually about comparing ourselves to other people, to feel better about ourselves. But people’s opinions change, and what society values as being important changes. God doesn’t change, and what He offers is so much more valuable than any of these other things.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “Like what? What does He offer?”

“Things like peace. Peace for each day here and now, and also peace about when you die.”

“I don’t want to talk about death.”

“Too bad. You wanted to know what’s changed, so I’m telling you. Do you remember when Mum was given the terminal diagnosis by the doctor? She had peace. She wasn’t afraid. And that’s because she knew she was going to heaven. She had talked with the hospital chaplains and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour, and knew beyond a doubt that when she died, she would go to heaven.”

Francine’s eyes glimmered, her lips tightly compressed. Just as he suspected, his sister wasn’t going to breathe a bad word about their mother. Even if she did not understand Mum’s faith.

“Call me crazy, but I actually like not having to worry about what people in the world think about me,” Ethan continued. “That sets me free from worrying about what Dad or you or even my boss thinks about me. And it’s not easy, but I remind myself that my life is not my own. It’s about living for Jesus and doing things His way. Which isn’t easy for a lot of people to understand, but hey, I guess that’s what makes me different.”

She looked at him like he was spouting Korean.

“Lucinda and I could never be suited for each other because she doesn’t think the same way as I do. But Ellie does. Which is why I want to find her and see if she could ever forgive me, so that we could discover if we could be compatible and one day have a future together.”