The rugged man laughed and said, “It’s a shame he’s only now becoming a man at his age!”
The entire table exploded with laughter again. Tom seemed to be enjoying all this thoroughly. These were his kind of men and this was his kind of place.
David smiled involuntarily, brought on by all the laughing around him. He took another drink and swallowed it down with a little less effort. Maybe this entire mishap would end without a tragic event and perhaps even with a fond memory? Hopefully Tom wouldn’t get drunk again and transport himself to the Triassic Period. Of course, David thought, there Tom couldn’t do any real damage; here the next two thousand years were at stake.
SEVEN
Standing
28 A.D.
Bethany, Israel
When Tom and David met that morning, their conversation was brief and to the point. Tom still wasn’t leaving and David still demanded that they leave right away, only this time Tom noticed the argument didn’t last as long. After David cooled down, Tom convinced him that they should go for a walk with their new friend, the rugged man, and see their homeland the way it used to be. They would just be tagging along, doing nothing of consequence, Tom explained. After demanding that they remain distant observers-he didn’t even want to know their names-David conceded and the two headed out with the rugged man and his friends.
Twenty minutes later, Tom wished he had never convinced David to go. The new clothing David brought from the future was uncomfortable, itchy and too hot for the weather. More than that, it was identical to David’s outfit. David explained they were going for authenticity, not fashion sense. He had never planned to stay this long and if they looked funny wearing the same clothes, so be it. But Tom knew it was only a matter of time before their witty new friends poked fun at them, and time just ran out.
The rugged man approached Tom and David from behind and slapped his heavy hands on each of their shoulders. “Beautiful day for traveling, eh?” the man asked.
“Uh-Yes, yes it is,” David said, still wary of who he thought was a strangely over friendly man, in any time period.
“I was wondering…” continued the man.
Here it comes, thought Tom.
“It’s nice, during these times, to see two men like you being true friends. As though you are brothers,” the man said.
Tom wondered if their clothing had been overlooked.
“Brothers who wear the same clothes!” The man burst out with laughter.
The other men walking with them, some from the night before, others new, laughed heartily. The rugged man shook Tom and David playfully and said, “I’m sorry my friends, but it could not be helped. You brought it upon yourselves.”
“No kidding,” Tom said under his breath.
After a moment of silence, the rugged man spoke again, though his voice had become sincere and quiet. “Tell me, why have you two traveled so far? What is it you have come to find?”
Before David had time to shoot a glance at Tom, Tom had answered the question. “Jesus,” Tom said. “We came to find Jesus.”
“Ignore him please. He doesn’t want to find Jesus,” David said forcefully.
“That’s too bad,” said the rugged man.
David couldn’t resist. “Why?”
“Because we’re on our way to see him now.”
David’s face fell flat.
The rugged man pointed to a tall hill in the distance and said, “That’s the Mount of Olives. Jesus will be there soon.”
David looked like he had just been slapped in the face. “The…the Mount of…oh my…”
“What?” Tom asked, not understanding why this Mount of Olives held any significance with David.
“The Mount of Olives is where-” David broke off his sentence, realizing the rugged man was still listening. He grabbed Tom and pulled him out of earshot of the rugged man.
David whispered, “The Mount of Olives is where Jesus calls the twelve-”
“C’mon David, it won’t hurt just to get a look at the guy,” interrupted Tom.
“I know what you’re trying to do, stringing me along from one event to the next until you’ve proved your all important point. We’re not going any further and that’s final!”
“We won’t talk to him. We’ll catch a peek and leave. I promise. Besides, we’ve already covered the fact that you physically can’t stop me. Unless you plan on resorting to violence, that is.”
Before Tom could finish laughing at his own joke, David had wound up. David flung his fist square into Tom’s jaw. Whack! Tom was barely fazed by the blow. He rubbed his chin lightly.
Tom chuckled. “Well, that was a noble try.”
David was huffing and puffing, ready for a retaliation that never came.
“I didn’t know they gave boxing lessons in the geriatric ward,” Tom said.
A small smile crept onto David’s face, half from the joke and half from relief that he didn’t have to fight a battle he knew he’d lose. “I had to try.”
Tom put his arm around David and the two walked back to the rugged man, who was clearly amused about what he had just witnessed. “You are the strangest friends I have yet to encounter,” he said to both of them and then said to Tom, “I told you that drink made him a man…though he still hits like a boy!”
David laughed out loud for the first time since coming back in time. This stranger, who had made them his friends, was a lot like Tom-even his sense of humor was like Tom’s, and David found that refreshing. “You said we’re going to the Mount of Olives, to see Jesus?”
The rugged man nodded in agreement.
“Do you know him? Have you seen him?” David asked.
“Every day,” the rugged man replied with a smile. “David and Didymus, come, follow me.” The rugged man turned and headed toward the tall hill in the distance.
Tom turned to David and asked, “Didymus? Is that supposed to be a nickname?”
David replied with a grin, “I think so.”
“What does it mean?”
“The twin.”
Tom smiled.
As Tom, David and the rugged man drew closer to the Mount of Olives, David found his heart beating quicker and his feet treading more swiftly. While what they were doing violated his better judgment, he could not deny that the idea of seeing the man-who he believed to be the savior of the world-was irresistible. When they arrived at the base of the Mount, they found a large crowd had gathered, eagerly awaiting Jesus.
Making their way through the crowd seemed easier than David expected. He imagined that people of the ancient world would be far from polite, but these people quickly opened a path for Tom, David and the rugged man as they proceeded up the incline toward the front of the crowd.
When they had arrived at the highest point, above the crowd, David could no longer control his excitement. He climbed onto a boulder for an even higher vantage point and peered out over the crowd. He imagined that spotting Jesus, even among all of these people, would be a simple task. The mere aura of the man must be tangible, David thought. He was focused on his task. The breathtaking view of the green countryside no longer held his interest. The mixture of languages and cultures gathered before David had become inconsequential. He was determined to see Jesus, and then silently escape back to the future. That was his plan, anyway.
Tom, on the other hand, was content to wait patiently. “See anything?” he asked David, while leaning against an olive tree.
David quickly shook his head. “No.”
Tom redirected his attention to the rugged man. “So when’s Jesus supposed to show up?”
The rugged man smiled and said, “He’s already here.”
Tom grew incredulous as he looked out over the crowd. “Where?” Tom asked. “I don’t see anyone who could possibly-”
“That’s because you don’t have eyes with which to see. You are blind,” the rugged man interjected.