Cj's Peace: The Prodigal's Progress

By Monica Cane

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 25, 2006
• ISBN: 9781469113395

Monica Cane

Monica Cane is a freelance faith writer from Northern California whose articles have appeared in numerous national print and online publications. She is the author of A Breath of Inspiration, Fresh Inspiration, The Lost Coin and A Journey to Healing: Life after SIDS, and is a contributing author to the Cup of Comfort series from Adams Media.Married for over 22-years, Monica enjoys spending time with her husband, two grown daughters and their families, along with her teenage son who says he prefers his hormones “sunny-side up, not scrambled.”

Book preview

CJ’s Peace

The Prodigal’s Progress

Monica Cane

Copyright © 2006 by Monica Cane.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Note From the Author

This book is dedicated:

To my brothers Ñar & Ñrick

Of all the brothers a girl could have, I’m glad God gave me the two of you.

Love you always, Ñin

Prologue

An abundant flow of money, striking good looks, the ideal car, an expensive home, a high-powered job, and the most beautiful women. Cart Jensen had it all! He possessed all that represents success for a man in today’s society. When he walked into a room, his tall, muscular physique, jet-black hair, strong jaw line and penetrating eyes spoke of power. It would be accurate to say that he had everything most people spend their entire lives dreaming about. His reputation as a successful businessman preceded him. He displayed an air of mystery that intrigued both colleagues and strangers alike. His business acquaintances secretly hoped, even prayed, that they would get just a moment of his time to uncover his secret to success.

CJ had an uncanny way of being both magnetic and distant at the same time, which only added to the intrigue. He drew people in with his charm, working up their emotions toward him, while keeping his emotions at a distance. CJ never let anyone close enough to know who he really was. His independent disposition was the envy of all. In brief, he possessed all that others around him longed to be.

He had built a wall of control and power around himself by following what he called his golden rule. He had created this rule at a young age: Never let anyone in and never allow yourself to step out. It was a rule of control that he followed well. However, as with any rule, there was an exception. There was indeed one soft spot in his life, his Grandma Doe.

This woman could melt his heart with one word, causing him to feel as if he were a child again. She had a way of getting to him like no other. With her, he could step into a simpler time and enjoy the love she freely offered. CJ could spend hours with her as she spoke of the wonders of God and how one should live their lives with the higher purpose of serving the Almighty. Although he didn’t buy into her way of thinking, she always managed to capture his attention by her zeal when telling a story. Although surrounded by the love of his mother and his seven older sisters, it was Grandma Doe who held a special place in his heart.

He made great effort to keep his two worlds separate: His world with walls of protection from colleagues, friends, women, and even God—and his world that consisted of a small door in his heart left open for Grandma Doe.

From time to time, he would step through that small open door and allow himself the freedom to soak up the unconditional love she had. Mere moments with her led him to believe he had no other need. In spite of her teaching to the contrary, he held to his belief that her love and her prayers were enough. He could enjoy his moments with her and then continue on his self-absorbed, self-reliant world.

Tonight his two worlds would collide. Tonight, his world would be changed forever.

Chapter 1

Cart Jensen, better known as CJ, was raised in a time-worn, charming Victorian-style home on the outskirts of Daly City, California. He lived with his mother, grandmother, and seven older sisters. Being the youngest, and the only boy in such a large family, CJ had grown accustomed to believing the world revolved around him. The women in the household felt the need to over-compensate for the fact that his father, Gerald Jensen, had deserted them before his birth. The added attention, pampering, and spoiling only confirmed in his mind that, indeed, the world did revolve around him.

His father, Gerald Jensen, was a quiet man. He had worked long and hard every day for fifteen years stocking shelves at the local supermarket. When money was tight, as it often was, he would pick up a side job delivering papers, collecting cans for recycling, doing whatever it took to make ends meet. On the outside, he seemed content with his life, never expressing any wants, dreams, or desires other than paying bills and being with his family. He loved his family with all his heart; however, the larger his family grew, the heavier his burden as the provider became. Unbeknownst to anyone, Gerald did have dreams: dreams of success, of making a name for himself, dreams of owning his own supermarket, not merely stocking the shelves of one. By the time his seventh child was born, Gerald’s dreams had all but evaporated. With six girls, all two years apart, and a wife to provide for, all he could think about was, How will we ever manage? instead of rejoicing as he held the seventh, and newest, addition to the family in his arms.

Heaving a deep sigh, he did his best to hold on to the small thread of hope that one day things would change.

Late in the evenings, while everyone lay asleep, Gerald would walk over to the living room window and draw the drapes back. He would search the dark sky for the brightest star and although it seemed foolish, he would find himself wishing upon the star as if he were a child.

Star light star bright,

First star I see tonight.

I wish I may I wish I might

Have the wish I wish tonight.

He wouldn’t dare utter the childish rhyme out loud; only in his private thoughts would he consider those words as he stared at the stars and made a wish. He wished that one day he would have a better job, that he would have his supermarket. He wished that one day he would have more money, and be a better provider for his family. He’d watch the heavens while clouds would roll in and cover the stars. Then, Gerald would close the drapes, drag his tired, worn-out body back to bed, and fight the depressing thought that one day might never come.

Pressing his face into his pillow, he’d mutter, "If only I could do something! But what?" Night after night, he mulled these thoughts over in his mind before drifting off to sleep.

The faint glimmer of hope for one day completely faded for Gerald the night his wife Corina pulled him aside and gave him the unexpected news that she was pregnant again—with their eighth child.

Gerald thought about Corina, who had been a beauty in her youth. Her delicate features, her long, silky black hair, her slender frame and pleasant disposition—mixed with a dash of stubbornness—made her irresistible to Gerald. Now, seventeen years later, after giving birth to seven children, she displayed a different type of beauty. Streaks of gray peppered her shoulder-length hair. Her frame had filled out a bit, and her stubborn traits had softened until now her disposition was full of grace—a grace that only a mother of seven could appreciate. Indeed, she was just as beautiful, if not more so, than the first day they met.

Gerald sighed inwardly at the news of her pregnancy, then forced a smile, being careful to give his wife the look of approval that he knew she needed. It was at that exact moment when something on the inside of Gerald changed; a change that would cost everyone dearly, particularly the unborn child in Corina’s womb.

Gerald lay awake that night, haunted by a great sense of failure looming over his head like a dark cloud. He felt he was a failure as a father, as a husband, as a provider, and as a man. Slipping out of bed, Gerald padded into the living room, and stared at the closed drapes, realizing that he was unable to bring himself to open them.

There’s just no point in looking at the stars and making wishes anymore, he told himself. I need to do something, anything, to help relieve the additional burden of this family—and now, with another child on the way, I just can’t handle this!

His chest became heavy, and he found himself short of breath as he pictured the now-familiar scene of another child being brought into his home: a child he could not provide for any better than he had for the others. At last, he wandered back to bed, slipped between the sheets, and pulled the covers close to his chest.

As he closed his eyes, tormenting thoughts raced through his mind. He would never fulfill his dreams; he would never get ahead for himself or his family. His life would never change. Such overwhelming thoughts flooded out reason, and he convinced himself that his family would be better off without him. There’s only one solution to this problem, he told himself, only one thing left for me to do.

The following morning Gerald woke up and poured himself his usual steaming cup of coffee. He followed his morning ritual by greeting all of his children as they gathered around the kitchen table for their usual breakfast of oatmeal. He gave his wife the usual peck on the cheek as he finished the meal, thanking her for providing nourishing food. Finishing the last swallow of coffee, Gerald bid them all his daily farewell.

Okay, I’m off to work. You all be as good as you should. I’ll see you tonight.

He gently patted each daughter on the top of her head and gave his wife a second peck on the cheek.

Every thing he did that morning was exactly the way he’d been doing it every morning for the past seventeen years. The only difference was that, instead of driving five miles through town to get to the supermarket and begin his work day, he drove to the nearest freeway exit, considered whether to head north or south, and then without so much as a phone call, Gerald drove away and was never heard from again.

Chapter 2

That night when Gerald didn’t return home, Corina was concerned. She tried to keep the children from worry about their Daddy, but as hour followed hour, she began to panic. Where could he be? Has he had an accident? At last, after the children were in bed that night, she called the police to see if there had been any word concerning Gerald. When she found there had been no report of an accident, she waited, heart pounding, fear beginning to overcome her. All night she waited, pacing the floor, unable to sleep. When morning came at last a gray, overcast sky greeted her weary eyes. Gerald had not come home.

At that point Corina called the police and asked for help.

A search was begun for Gerald Jensen, but after many weeks it