Rock of Ages

Mondays are usually a drag but this one is different. It doesn't help that Matthew was up at 04:00am to get ready. It's presentation day and he and the team have been preparing for it the past 6 months. He's confident they'll nail it but his excitement robbed him of about three hours of sleep.

He's out of the shower in ten minutes and ready to have his breakfast at 04:50am. He looks in the mirror that hangs on the kitchen wall and adjusts his soft green tie, laughing at the memory of his art teacher correcting his method of labeling colors. 'There's no such color, it's a hue of green', she'd say.

Matthew spends a few minutes before the mirror trying to think of what he's forgetting. He walks to the stool with his bag on it and checks for his flash drive and hard copies of the presentation. All there. He looks around the kitchen, hoping one of the appliances or utensils will trigger his memory. Nothing. He decides it's just nerves and moves on to prepare his breakfast. Muesli with granadilla flavored yoghurt does the trick on mornings like this. He makes the signature breakfast and settles on the stool beside the one with his bag.

A sudden sadness hits him when he looks at the stool beside him...someone should be sitting there, holding his hand or rubbing his shoulder as encouragement. Charlotte.

She left him after he proposed marriage to her about two months ago, and he hasn't seen nor heard from her since. He's still hoping she'll come around like they usually do in romantic movies, but she hasn't. He swallows the lump that's evidence of his grief and finishes his breakfast.

He drops the bowl and spoon in his sink and vows that he'll wash it when he gets home tonight. It's 05:30am when he leaves for the office. He checks his bag one more time but still can't shake the feeling that he's forgetting something.

When he drives out of the driveway into the road, he fastens his seat belt and decides to take a different route to work. He chooses to drive through Bethel Street which holds sacred memories from his childhood; his high school friendships that flourished at St. Russell High and Charlotte...his first and only love whom he'd met under the big mango tree down the road.

It's only 06:20am and the presentation is due to start at ten o'clock, so Matthew has ample time to kill. He parks opposite his old school's gate and watches the sunrise as an attempt to stay calm. A few minutes into it, he notices about ten people; young men and women walking toward the school. They stop a few meters away from his car and seem to break out in conversation, but they're all talking at the same time.

Matthew's curiosity gets the better of him and without thinking about it he steps out of the grey BMW X5 and walks to the crowd.

As he approaches, two guys look his way and smile as if to encourage him to join them. Matthew slows himself and tries to listen to what's being said.

"Father, we honor you..."

"Your righteousness is our portion and desire..."

"We surrender this Monday to you, Lord..."

Matthew gestures an 'oh' to the guys who haven't stopped smoking at him and they almost pull him into the prayer circle. Everyone notices the new face and they start to hold hands as they continue praying. Matthew contemplates excusing himself and remembers how nervous he'll be if he goes to the office to wait.

He settles himself and bows his head.

One of the guys who was smiling at him, now holding his hand, begins to pray for Matthew.

"Lord, we thank you for this soul", he squeezes Matthew's hand at that.

"We thank you because You know why he's here today. We ask that you may make yourself known to him that he may know himself in You. Father may you bless his coming in and going out, and let all his works be fruitful. And righteous. And pleasing to You, our King. We ask all of this in Your mighty and precious name, Lord. Amen."

Matthew didn't hear the last word and still has his eyes closed with tears rolling down his cheeks. He doesn't know what he'll say to the smiling man but he's immensely grateful. He opens his eyes slowly and finds them all waiting on him - warm smiles on each face. Matthew looks to the man who just interceded and nods in gratitude.

"Hi Mr., sorry I don't know your name but I know your face. You live up in the apartments on Greenhill Street right?"

The lady asking is the matriarch of this gathering, and her voice is motherly too. Matthew blinks away the tears in his eyes and prepares to introduce himself.

"Yes, that's me. Hi everyone. I'm sorry to bombard your meeting. I thought you were all here in crisis or to strike", Matthew chuckles at his own admission.

"No apology needed. This gathering is for all people in our neighborhood. We pray here like this all week because we first had a breakthrough right in this spot. It was just two of us then, and God answered a prayer within hours of us saying it. So we honor this altar by gathering daily and praying over each other. It also helps us stay close to God during the week so you're welcome anytime."

Matthew smiles at that and looks at his watch. It's 07:05am. Still early but Matthew can take the remaining time before the meeting to get a coffee and run over his notes with the team. He thanks everyone and heads to his car.

The drive to the office isn't long but he's considered and decided to join that prayer gathering by the time he gets to the parking lot of his office building.

What a beautiful detour that was, he ponders and turns off the engine.