(8)-Final Warning.

One Year Later...

Los Angeles, California-(1995)

Clare and Tommy were staying in L.A. inside a cabin in a forest that was owned by Clare herself. She had en-rolled him in a public school, as well as forged papers stating that she was his legal gaurdien. She had thought about home-schooling him and keeping him at the cabin all the time, but she knew that would not be healthy isolating him from other people. They had arrived in California three weeks ago. It had taken them 7 hours and 30 minutes to get from Nevada to California last year. Clare and Tommy had stopped at a truck-stop restaurant/gas station, had burgers, fries and cokes.

Clare then filled the station wagon up with gas and she and Tommy got inside the leave. But when Clare tried to start the car, it wouldn't start. Clare then popped the hood and she and Tommy got out and she inspected the ingen of the car, discovering that it was all tired out.

A male trucker came across Clare and Tommy and asked them what the problem was.

Clare explained that the ingen of her car wasn't working, introduced herself and Tommy to the trucker, who then introduced himself as Paul.

Paul had blond hair and brown eyes.

Paul had a look under the hood and explained to Clare that the ingen had stopped working because it was exhausted from lack of rest.

Clare explained that she and Tommy were on a road trip and had driven from Chicago to here in California.

Paul then offered to give Clare and Tommy a lift in his big red truck that didn't have a trailer hooked to it in the back.

Tommy was excited, but Clare was hessitent, as she didn't know who this guy was and didn't know if he was safe to ride with. But then she thought about the CPS system in Chicago. Surely they had reported both her disappearance to the authorities and had told them what kind of car she drove. Maybe ditching the station wagon and riding with this man in his truck the rest of the way to L.A. would be a wise decision. Clare agreed to ride with Deaken, who promised her he would have one of his trucker friends fix her car and drive to her destination.

When Paul asked Clare where she and Tommy were headed, she stated Los Angeles and that they were going to be staying in a cabin near a forest. He had one of his trucker friends named Nathan take a look at Clare's car and see if he could fix it and then bring it up to L.A.

Nathan had brown hair and brown eyes.

Clare and Tommy got their duffle bags out of the car and they got inside Paul's big red truck with him and he drove off.

Some time later, Paul, Clare and Tommy arrived in L.A., and Clare directed him towards her cabin near a forest.

Clare and Tommy got their bags and got out of the truck and thanked Paul for the lift.

Paul got out of the truck, got his cellphone out of his right pants pocket, and called up Nathan and asked him if Clare's car was fixed. Nathan stated it was, and Paul ordered him to drive it up here to L.A. and that he, Clare and Tommy were at some kind of cabin near the forest. Paul asked Clare if he could stay with her and Tommy until Nathan arrived with her station wagon, and she said yes.

Clare and Tommy went inside the cabin with Paul and got settled.

Nathan later arrived at the cabin with the station wagon, and Clare thanked both him and Paul for their assistence with helping her and Tommy get here.

Paul and Nathan got inside Paul's truck and drove off.

A year had passed since that night. And now Paul was back and in the backyard this paticuler night, sitting around a campfire in a camping-chair with Tommy, who was now 10 and was also sitting in a camping-chair next to an empty third one, which was reserved for Clare.

Tommy wore his white short sleeve t-shirt, blue plaid shorts that went down to his knees, and he wore black flip-flops.

"And i pray that Christ will be with-"

"Would you two like some tacos from Taco Bell?" Clare asked, cutting Paul off as she came into the backyard, carrying a trey of tacos on a trey-stand, and sat a trey and stand down in front of Tommy and Paul. Her once short black hair was now dark brown and went down to her neck.

"Thank you." Said Paul.

Clare then got a taco and sat down in the third empty chair next to Tommy.

"What do you think about all this, Miss Clare?" Tommy asked as he took a taco off the trey and then began eating it.

"It's all beyond me. I've gone to church every Sunday, i'm a CPS worker, i've placed homeless, abused and orphan kids in good homes, and i try to help people in general whenever they need it. What else is there? I'm mean, i'm good. I don't lie, i don't cheat. I'm as good as the next person. Maybe better." Said Clare.

"God made us for himself...that he might enjoy us...and that we might enjoy him...and also that we might enjoy each other. But we-well, actually, you-broke that relationship when you didn't choose Christ." Said Paul.

"I never made that choice." Said Clare.

"Have you ever chosen for him?" Paul asked.

"Well...maybe not, but my pastor says we don't have to get all hung up on that fairy-tale kids stuff. After all, God is love and he's not gonna destroy us because we can't help doing wrong...is he?" Said Clare.

"It's true that God is love...and that God is merciful...but God will also punish sin." Said Paul.

Tommy had stopped eating his taco to listen to what Paul was saying. "I think i understand. But where does love fit in? How could a God who loved me cause me to go through what i did?"

"He has a point." Said Clare before she started eating her taco.

"Well, Tommy, you have to understand that there are times when God uses bad situations in our lives to bring us into a closer relationship with himself. Look at it this way: What chance did you have of making it after your accident?" Paul said.

"Well, not too much." Said Tommy.

"None at all. There was no way that your body could produce the anti-bodies that were needed to reduce the swelling on your brain." Said Paul.

"But there was a doctor who worked at the hospital who had done brain operations before. He knew how to fix me." Said Tommy.

"Exactly. He knew how to fix you. And all you had to do was recieve his help. When you recieved his help, that saved your life."

Tommy thought about what Paul was saying. "That's interesting. I never thought of it that way before."

"Tommy, the Lord Jesus Christ loves you. He died on the cross for you. He shed his precious blood for you that you might be saved. All you have to do is accept, just like you did in the emergencyroom in the hospital. When that doctor came in and operated on you, you had to recieve his help. If you hadn't recieved it, you would be dead this very moment. Think about that. The Lord is offering you eternal life. An abundant life with him. You have everything to gain. And absolutely nothing to lose." Said Paul.

"But i've already asked. I asked God into my life days ago." Said Tommy.

"Did you ever ask Jesus into your heart?" Paul asked.

"...No." Tommy answered.

"Would you like to?" Paul asked.

"In his life, in his heart, what's the difference?" Clare asked.

"The difference is that one of them is okay...and the other one is right." Answered Paul.

"...Man...things sure have been happening fast for me lately. But if this is the way God works...it sure is powerful. The way he uses a crisis to bring out something good...i believe it. I believe it. I'm ready to ask Jesus into my heart." Said Tommy.

Clare just remained silent, clearly not interested in what Paul and Tommy were talking about.
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