"When Pigs Fly"

Nathan and Gabe sat in the dining hall together. The room was cavernous and seemed to have a bit of an echo. Rows and rows of tables and chairs filled the room. There was nothing special about the space, but the food was always hardy and actually quite good. Tonight's meal was roasted chicken, potatoes and squash, and there was a nice assortment of pies for dessert.

Nathan and Gabe had just sat down, when Gabe's curiosity got the best of him. "So, Nathan, are you going to tell me what happened with Hargraves?"

"Yeah." Nathan spoke softly so no one could overhear their conversation. "Hargraves told me that his wife noticed he hadn't been the same since he returned from Hope Valley after my hearing."

"I'm surprised he would say something that personal to you."

"I was surprised too. He said he was at church, and the pastor's sermon was about forgiveness. He realized then that he had been seeing me as a younger version of himself. Apparently he had lofty ambitions, but they just didn't seem to work out. Because of that, he found fault with me for what he believed were his own shortcomings. He promised God and his wife that he would ask for my forgiveness, which he did after telling me all this. He told me he didn't deserve my forgiveness, but he was asking for it anyway."

Gabe couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him I forgave him. We shook hands. Gabe, it was not at all what I was expecting. I figured that if I could forgive my father for everything he did to my mother, sister and I, then I could certainly forgive Hargraves."

"You're a better man than I am, Nathan."

"Don't sell yourself short. You would do the same thing under the same circumstances. Hargraves told me that no matter the outcome of the land scheme, I could have my choice of assignments. I told him I wanted to stay in Hope Valley."

"That's great. You must be happy about that. I bet two other people will be happy about that as well."

Nathan blushed, but he knew who Gabe was referring to—Allie and Laura. The two friends enjoyed their dinner, and Gabe told Nathan about the recruit training.

"Hargraves told me that when I wasn't needed at the trial, I could help with the recruit training. So, it sounds like we'll be working together. The crown prosecutor also said you may be called to testify during the trial."

"I really didn't do much."

"But you did. Anyway, that's for another day. Don't forget that we're going to church in the morning. I told Hargraves I'd be there. Apparently his wife wants to meet me."

Sunday morning was pretty much the same both in Hope Valley and Regina. In Hope Valley, families wore their Sunday best and went to church. In Regina, the Mounties wore their uniforms with their boots, leather gear and brass shined up. It was a matter of pride. They always wore their uniform with great respect to their fellow Mounties and to those who served before them. Sundays were special, and they took extra care with their uniforms.

Nathan and Gabe walked together to the chapel at Headquarters. They arrived the same time as Superintendent and Mrs. Hargraves.

"Constable Grant, Constable Kinslow, I'd like to introduce you to my wife, Emily. Emily, this is Constable Nathan Grant and Constable Gabriel Kinslow," said Hargraves.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm glad you could come to our service today. You'll like our pastor. His sermons are always very relevant to our daily lives, don't you think so, dear?"

Hargraves cleared his throat and agreed. "Gentlemen, thank you for coming this morning. We usually have a collation after the service. You're both welcome to attend if you like."

"Thank you, sir. We'd enjoy that," answered Gabe.

"It will give you a chance to meet some of the other Mounties, who are assigned here. My wife and some of the other ladies make the refreshments."

"I'll look forward to that. Thank you, sir. It was nice to meet you, ma'am," said Nathan.

The Weis family, Allie and Laura took the wagon to church. There was a bit of snow on the ground, but nothing the wagon couldn't handle. All the way to church they talked about what a nice time they had at the Café the previous evening. Mrs. Weis thanked Laura again for such a special treat.

Joseph was at the entrance to the church and greeted everyone as they entered. Cooper rang the bell, and Angela was playing soft hymns on the piano while people found their seats.

Joseph's sermon was about patience as a virtue. He began as he always did—with a reading from the scripture: "Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick tempered displays folly." Proverbs 14:29.

No sooner had Joseph begun his sermon when he heard the door push open to the church and a rush of cold air came in. This was nothing unusual. Occasionally, parishioners could be late if their farm animals didn't cooperate during morning chores. Sometimes it could be a new baby, who parents realize that a last-minute diaper change was definitely needed. Some churches frowned on anyone arriving late, but not in Hope Valley. People understood that if someone was able to be at church on time, they certainly would be. This time the door didn't close, and the entire congregation seemed to turn around at once. Bill stood up, and not seeing anyone, went to close the door. As he was walking back to his seat he was confronted by the offender, who was not man, but beast.

"What is the world?" Bill asked as he jumped to the side. He was confronted by a rather large pig, who was definitely not in a good mood. The pig immediately began to chase Bill. Everyone sat frozen in their seats until Lee stood.

"Bill, run this way. We'll corner him up here. I'll help you." Bill did as Lee said, but their attempts to corner the pig were unsuccessful, and the pig fairly pushed them both out of the way and continued trotting down the center aisle.

"Whose pig is this anyway?" asked Bill.

"I think that animal is mocking us, Bill," said Lee.

"Mocking us? Really Lee? It's a pig," said Bill.

A couple of the farmers got up from their seats and tried to block the pig as it headed toward the front door, but they were as unsuccessful as Bill and Lee.

"Lee Coulter, sit down. You don't know the first thing about farm animals. Look at your suit. You're a mess. Bill Avery, you're not any better," announced Rosemary.

Joseph burst out in laughter, and he was joined by the rest of the congregation. A couple more of the local farmers pitched in as did all the children. Farmers and children were running around and around the church followed by parents trying to catch their children. No one succeeded until half the group turned around and went in the opposite direction, which left Bill and Lee at the front of the line with the pig running toward them. There was no place for the pig to go, so he finally stopped. One of the men went out to his wagon and grabbed a rope. Bill tied the rope around the pig's neck and with a little help, the men were finally able to get the pig back outside. Mr. Wolff had some boards and was able to fashion a ramp to get the pig into his wagon.

"I think I know whose pig this is. I'll drop it off on my way home," said Mr. Wolff.

Robert and Allie looked at each other and just started laughing, which rippled through the church until everyone was laughing. Bill and Lee looked at each other, looked at the condition of their suits and shrugged their shoulders. Rosemary looked at Lee and gave him a 'tsk, tsk' sound and shook her head.

"Lee, you could have injured your back. What were you thinking? You smell dreadful too," said Rosemary.

At that, everyone started laughing again. It was at least 20 minutes before the congregation settled down and Joseph could resume his sermon.

"Well, that was certainly interesting. I have to tell you that's the first time I was ever glad for someone to leave my church service. Maybe I should re-read our scripture for today. Better still, I think I can summarize it: Patience is definitely a virtue—especially where pigs are concerned. Now, I'm going to try to get through my sermon and not think about what just happened, because if I do, I'll burst out laughing again."

Unfortunately, that made the congregation start laughing all over. Bill stood up and asked everyone to please be respectful and try to pay attention to Joseph's sermon. When everyone looked at Bill and saw the mud all over the front of his suit, they couldn't help themselves and burst out into another round of laughter.

"Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention for just a minute," asked Joseph. "Why don't we take a little break and have our refreshments now, and we'll resume our service in about 20 minutes."

Everyone agreed, but they weren't convinced that they'd be any more settled in 20 minutes than they were now, but they agreed to try. Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to pigs and most other things.