Will Carol

March 18, 2015

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That was the name and date stamped on his visa—a six-month one, all he’d been able to get, but the mission agency said he’d likely be able to extend it if all went well. He prayed it would.

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Will shifted his backpack to his other shoulder and stepped aside into a waiting area, lined with rows of black-cushioned seats. A man sat in the corner hunched over a leather bag, wearing headphones underneath his head scarf. Another man, younger and dressed in business attire, leaned against a seat with his eyes closed.

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This was what he’d come to—where he’d felt called. Yet all the training he’d gone through with the agency, meeting with mentors, even just talking with Zachary and Ruby—none of it had prepared him for the sense of familiarity that washed over him in the airport. The headscarves, hijabs, sectioned-off areas for women—then the rolling hills of the desert they’d flown over before landing. He wasn’t even back in Qatar yet, just in the UAE to stay at the mission base there for a little while, but the memories still swarmed back.

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He'd grown up here, years ago, before his father's business fraud had driven them to the States, then eventually into a court case that had changed all their lives. Being adopted by your lawyer could do that to you.

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“Will Carol?” A voice with a heavy Arabic accent spoke from behind him. He turned and smiled, then took the man’s extended hand and shook it gently. “I’m Will. Salaamu aleikum.”

 

“Wa aleikum a-salaam. I am Nasir.” The man, no more than forty by the looks of it, and dressed in a loose-fitting tunic and the traditional male head scarf, smiled. “I see you have studied our greetings.”

 

“I know of a bit of Arabic.” Will pulled up the handle of his suitcase. “Are you with the mission agency?”

 

“I am. We are happy you are here. If you are not too tired, several of the ones back at the base have been preparing a dinner to welcome you.”

 

“Thank you. Dinner sounds wonderful—much better than airplane food.” Will followed Nasir through the airport terminal. The sun had sunk far below the buildings visible through the large glass windows, letting in only flickering orange rays that melted into the overhead fluorescent lights.

 

Nasir laughed. “I can promise it will be much better than that. Maryam is doing most of the cooking, I believe.” 

 

The automatic doors whooshed open as they approached, and a crisp breeze whisked dust and sand around Will. He coughed, then took a deep breath. Even the dust brought back memories.

 

After loading his suitcase into the trunk of Nasir’s small car—a silver Toyota Corolla, something he hadn’t quite expected to see here—Will climbed into the passenger seat. Nasir started the car a moment later, and the car’s wheels grated over the asphalt of the parking lot. 

 

“How many of you are at the base?” Will shifted his leather backpack on his lap and looked out the windshield. The airport was on the outskirts of the city, so the skyscrapers faded into the distance along the right side of the road, and more mud-brick buildings rose ahead of them. 

 

“Nine. Now ten, including you.” Nasir glanced over at him with a grin. “You are planning to stay long?”

 

“For now. Till I settle back into the culture and routine. The agency thought it’d be best for me to be with a group for now, to have the support and accountability and learn the teamwork aspect of it all.”

 

Nasir nodded. “And is there somewhere else you would like to go?”

 

“To Qatar, actually. I grew up there.”

 

“Ah.” Nasir turned off the main road onto a dirt one where the car wheels bumped along. He opened his mouth like he would say more, then shook his head. “Well, you will have an opportunity to share your testimony with us soon. I will wait so everyone else can hear the story of your calling.”

 

The story of your calling. That was a great way to phrase it. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the seat.

 

~~~

 

“Will?  Zachary said you wanted to talk to us about something.” Ruby pulled out a chair for him at their kitchen table, then walked over to the fridge and slid out a plate of brownies. Just the rich aroma drifting from under the plastic wrap made him sit up straighter in his chair.

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A year ago, he'd never have guessed that the man who'd prosecuted his father in court would have changed his life this way... bringing Will back to the Lord, and eventually going through the official adoption process to make Will a part of their family. A little unconventional, maybe, but his life wouldn't be the same without it.

 

Ruby laughed, probably at how he'd straightened at the scent of the brownies, and set the plate on the table. Then her forehead wrinkled again, and she glanced between him and the stairs that led up to the second floor, where his bedroom and Zachary’s office were. “He said he’d be coming down.”

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“I think he had a few witness phone calls this afternoon.” Will took a bite of a brownie, then rubbed the crumbs off his face with a napkin. “Knowing how hard I made those, I’m not surprised if he’s worn out.”

 

“Really?” Ruby tidied up a few things on the kitchen counters, then came over to the table and sat across from him. “He never told me details about that.”

 

“Well… it was a complicated case.” Will glanced out the window. “He did good with it, though.”

 

Ruby watched him and nodded, her lips pressed together.

 

A thump came from the stairs, then footsteps across the hardwood floor. Zachary’s off-beat gait—he’d been wearing the leg brace more lately since his leg had been giving him more trouble. Still, he limped into the kitchen, walked over and kissed Ruby, then gave Will a tired smile. “Ruby knows how to help get you talking.” He gestured at the brownies. “I should start bringing those to my office for client meetings.”

 

“Good idea.” Will covered his mouth with one hand and swallowed his bite of brownie. “They’d help lighten the mood.”

 

Zachary smiled again, then sat on the cushion of the kitchen chair, letting out his breath and resting his arms on the table. Ruby slipped into her seat, and Will shifted in his, breathing a quick prayer.

 

“So what’s going on?” Zachary asked. His deep brown eyes stared into Will’s, much like they had when he’d first met him at the law office. What had that been now? A year ago? It felt so much longer.

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Will straightened and glanced between Zachary and Ruby, then back at Zachary. “I’ve been praying the last few weeks since that conference.”

 

“The missions one?” Ruby tilted her head.

 

He nodded. A lump rose in his throat, but he swallowed past it. He’d prayed. He was sure. At least he hoped he was. “Yeah, the missions one. It just felt like God was stirring a lot in me during that time, and… it’s still been that way lately.”

 

He felt Zachary’s gaze on him and the unspoken question in his eyes, but Zachary didn’t speak. He knew when to ask questions and when to listen, and these were the times especially Will was thankful for that.

 

He took another brownie from the plate and set it down on his napkin. “I think God may be calling me into missions.”

 

Ruby tensed in her chair. Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw her clasp her hands together, then fold them in her lap. He swallowed, then looked to Zachary.

 

“Why do you feel God is calling you into that?” Zachary’s voice was steady, and so was his expression. Will’s shoulders relaxed a little.

 

“I took notes at the conference.” He slid his leather journal onto the table. “I wrote down a lot of the Scriptures and references and I’ve been reading over them again. Jesus’ call to go seems so clear, and I—I don’t feel like I can ignore it.”

 

“Some of us are called to serve the Lord here.” Ruby spoke, and when he glanced over at her, she smiled, but he could see the worry lines etched in her forehead. Much like what he’d expect when he broke the news to Rosie.

 

“I know. And you and Zachary… you’ve genuinely shown me what that looks like. I’m thankful for that. You’re—” he swallowed. “So many things. You’ve really loved me and I don’t want to seem like I’m throwing that all away. But… all I can say is I feel like He’s calling me.”

 

Zachary nodded slowly. “You aren’t throwing our love away, Will. And ultimately… you owe that love to Him, first.”

 

“Maybe we could even come visit.” Ruby shifted in her chair. “And we can of course pray.”

 

The whir of the ceiling fan above the table filled the room. Will closed his eyes for a few seconds, then let out his breath and reached for the brownie on his napkin.

 

“Is there a specific place you feel directed to?” Zachary asked.

 

Will broke the brownie into little pieces, careful to keep all the crumbs on the napkin. He arranged them in a little semi-circle absentmindedly. “Maybe Qatar. I’m not sure. I just feel drawn back there.”

 

“Where you grew up?” Ruby asked.

 

Will nodded. “I have so many memories. Especially of the people. The social classes are distinct, but… I think maybe I could help bridge that.”

 

“You are a bridge.” Zachary’s voice was soft. 

 

Zachary and Ruby exchanged looks across the table, then Zachary reached under the table and squeezed her hand. Will picked up a bite of his brownie, but it felt dry in his mouth now. 

 

Zachary let go of Ruby’s hand and turned in his chair. Will swallowed as best he could.

 

“You’ve been our son, Will, and Ruby and I will both feel the difference with you no longer here. But you belong to God more than to us.”

 

Will managed a smile and nodded. “I don’t take you guys for granted.”

 

“We don’t take you for granted either.” Ruby reached over and patted his shoulder.

 

Zachary cleared his throat. “Can we pray with you?”

 

“I was hoping you would.”

 

“Did you expect less of me?” Zachary raised an eyebrow, and Will laughed, then rested his arms on the table. “No. Of course not.”

 

The warmth that filled the room as they prayed wasn’t just from their voices… it was something more. Jesus had come to meet them in the room, in the middle of this decision.

 

He’d be enough.

 

The tightness in Will’s chest relaxed as he looked up. He still held Zachary and Ruby’s hands on the table. Like the parents he’d needed—a lump rose in his throat. He sat there, feeling the warmth of their hands for another moment, then let go and sat up, facing Zachary. “There was one more thing I was wondering about.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I… you know I didn’t read every word of those adoption papers.”

 

“They were ten thousand words. I didn’t expect you to.” Zachary took a brownie from the plate on the table.

 

Will smiled. “But I remember there was something about legally changing my last name. That I could have the option to do that since it’s a legal adoption.”

 

Ruby straightened in her seat.

 

“What specifically are you asking?” The corners of Zachary’s mouth tugged upwards.

 

“If you’re all right with it—would you walk me through the legal process for that?”

 

Zachary stared at him for several seconds, then nodded slowly. “I’d be honored, Will.”

 

Ruby’s chair scraped against the kitchen floor as she stood, picking up the plate of brownies. “Well, it looks like you two Carol men polished off these brownies well enough. Will you have any appetite in the morning for breakfast?”

 

“For your cooking? Always.” Will pushed himself to his feet, and Zachary did the same. They faced each other, holding gazes for a long moment, then Will extended his hand.

 

Zachary shook his hand firmly, then stepped forward. Strong arms clasped Will, and a moment later, he felt Ruby’s gentle touch on his back. Something warm and wet started in his eyes, and he swallowed hard.

 

Two prayers filled his mind that night. Thank You, and, please be enough.