The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell: a Novel by Kelly Flanagan

Author:Kelly Flanagan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literary fiction;Christian fiction;spiritual fiction;spiritual crisis;spirituality in fiction;Elijah Campbell;marriage manifesto;save my marriage;God;Jesus;faith;spiritual growth
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2022-07-08T08:01:09+00:00

27

BENJAMIN ARRIVED AT BOOKS ON MAIN before I did. When the bell over the door alerted him to my entry, he turned on his heels and announced my arrival. “Elijah Campbell!” It had been a long time since he’d used my full name with a smile on his face.

He approached me with open arms and wrapped me in a warm hug, smacking my back several times, all affection, none of the aggression of just a few weeks ago. For the last ninety minutes, the reason for Benjamin’s visit had seemed both obvious and impossible. I was on a pendulum again, daring to hope and then forbidding myself to do so. I played it safe and focused on the facts.

“Wow, you made great time, B.”

His smiled reached all the way to his eyes. “Yeah, I broke every speed limit.” With a dramatic flourish, he pulled a white envelope from a pocket inside his sport coat, holding it out to me. “I figured if I got a ticket, you could pay for it.”

The pendulum swung all the way toward hope. It made my knees wobbly.

I took the envelope from him and looked up. Over his shoulder, Gus was looking at me expectantly, the way a parent might look at a child who is about to open the biggest present under the Christmas tree. The bell over the door tinkled again. This time, I was the one who swiveled on my heels. Father Lou walked through the door with a celebratory grin on his face.

My friends had orchestrated a surprise party.

“Well? Go ahead, open it,” urged Benjamin. “I didn’t risk my driver’s license so you could stand here with that goofy look on your face!”

I opened the envelope. It held a check. The big kind that businesses use. The publisher’s name in the top left corner. My name on the payee line. Today’s date. The amount of it equal to the second half of my advance for The Voice in the Void.

“This is,” I started, then trailed off. My jaw had dropped in cartoonish fashion.

“Unprecedented?” completed Benjamin. “Yeah, it is. I forwarded your manuscript to Jill yesterday, as soon as I received it. Apparently, she spent most of the night reading it, tried to hate it, but fell in love with it. In fact, she loved it so much I was able to convince her to cut you a check this morning. She says there will be a little cleaning up to do after she reads it through a second time, but it’s your best work yet.”

He turned to Gus. “And she says if you ever get tired of selling books and slinging coffee, they’re always looking for good copyeditors.”

Gus was shaking his head. “I only edit for geniuses, Benji!”

Father Lou spoke over my shoulder. “Elijah, I couldn’t be prouder of you, son.”

I turned around to face him. “I wrote it from the bottom of my heart, Father Lou.”

A look of comprehension passed over his face. “I loved that graduation speech, son, and I know I’m going to love this book too.

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