I hope people won't mind if I post a little story about faith I wrote some time ago:

Brain started the van at the first key switch.

“Trust me on this, Swallow. If we take the interstate we’ll arrive at the stadium before the match starts.”

“I definitely hope so,” said Swallow fastening his belt in one of the back seats.

The van picked up speed in no time passing car after car in the light traffic.

“You didn’t get rid of that old car sickness, did you?” Brain asked.

Swallow shook his head no, his chin in the chest. The sharp sunset light blinded Brain’s eyes whenever he looked in the rearview mirror.

“What are you doing, Swallow? Praying?”

“Actually I am, Brain. I pray before every important match. You should do it too, you know.”

“Like this is going to do any good,” Brain snickered. I didn’t know you were such a fundie.”

“You know what, Brain? For one thing, I think you’re too cynical for a true baseball fan. And second, the Lord has always protected his people in times of trouble.”

“Ha, like when?” Brain’s shoulders shook in mute laughter. “Like in the Nazi concentration camps? Or when they were enslaved in Babylon?”

“I’m not going to argue with you, Brain. You’re always twisting things and you know it.”

“We’re just rambling, man. But if you don’t want to talk about that, fine with me.”

Brain searched for another radio station. For a couple of minutes an erotic woman’s voice went on reiterating how she was going to trust her sweetheart's love for ever. It was getting dark and the city lights were shimmering ahead in clusters. In the rearview mirror, Swallow had sunk in his chair with his eyes closed.

“Look man, I’m sorry,” said Brain. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I know you didn’t, Brain.” Swallow spoke without opening his eyes. “Forget about it.”

“I’ll tell you what. Give me a clear example about how God helped his people and I swear I’ll pray with you tonight.”

Swallow kept silence, his eyes closed.

“Okay,” he said at last. “I’ll tell you a story about how the Lord helped Abraham win against four kings.”

“I’m all ears,” Brain’s eyes bulged.

“Well, there goes,” Swallow sounded fairly lively. “The four kings were Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim.”

“Wow,” Brain’s eyes bulged even more. “How you people manage to remember all this stuff is beyond me. Who were these guys?”

“Basically they were Mesopotamian kings. The first one is Hammurabi.”

“Hammurabi as in_?” Brain arched his eyebrows.

“Exactly,” Swallow nodded his head vigorously. “Hammurabi himself. I won’t go into details. Basically they attacked Canaan, and defeated the five kings of the Plains.”

“You mean the Jews. The Israelites.”

“Yup,” Swallow confirmed. “Destroyed the land, took a rich booty and captured Lot and his family.”

“I get the picture,” Brain said. “But how did God help the poor fellows in all this?”

“Keep your faith, man.” Swallow forced a grin. “Now comes the best part. The four kings are returning home happy and glorious when bang! They are attacked by Abraham. With no more than 318 men, Abraham manages to recapture the booty and rescue Lot and his family.”

The traffic was much heavier now. They had entered the city and the street lights looked as bright as daylight.

“Ah-um,” Brain nodded thoughtfully. “But I still don’t see how…”

Swallow had suddenly drowned in his chair, his face as white as a ghost. Brain pulled the car over.

“No, no,” whispered Swallow pulling a pill bottle out of his jacket pocket. “Keep driving. We’ll be late for the match.”

The stadium was only a few minutes away now. Swallow seemed much better after taking the drug.

“Okay,” he said getting ready to get off once Brain had parked the van.

“No, wait,” Brain held Swallow’s hand. “I promised we’d pray together.”

They kept a moment’s silence before heading for the baseball court. As they reached their seats Swallow put his cap on and rubbed his hands contentedly.

“I bet it’s going to be a great match tonight.” he said. “What was it that you wanted to ask back in the car?”

“A, nothing. Interesting story,” Brain smiled and turned to the field, where the first players were just showing up. But in the corner of his eye remained Swallow’s pocket bulging out with the bottle of heart medication.