As the days fly past, the boys continue to work at Pop’s Pool Hall.
But today the focus shifts. The four of them meet as always, but the mood in the booth is different. John notices it first. He pushes his pile of parchment away from him, leans back, and laces his fingers behind his head.
“You know,” he reflects, “we might have finished what we set out to do.” The other three look up at him. “I mean, obviously we haven’t finished the books yet, but I think we’ve all got our outlines. I’m noticing we’re spending more time writing and less time swapping stories. At some point, meeting together is less helpful than just staying home and working.”
The others look thoughtful.
Matthew swirls his glass and takes a swig. “But I’m not sure I want this to end.”
Grunts of agreement go around the booth.
This crazy project of Mary’s has connected us somehow,” Matthew continues. “It almost feels like we’re, I dunno…” He pauses to belch, then continues, “like we’re a church or something.”
“Hear, hear,” interjects Mark, “a church with booze and nachos.”
“Anyway,” Matthew finishes, “I really appreciate your friendship, all of you.”
He looks across the room and sees Pops behind the bar. He shouts, “Even you, Pops!”
Pops looks up, surprised. He can’t hear what the boys are saying, but he sees them clinking glasses with Matthew. John puts a hand on Mark’s shoulder. Luke is shaking his head like he can’t quite believe something.
Pops waves his hands to get their attention, and when he does, he holds up an empty glass and makes a questioning face. When he gets four thumbs up from the booth, he starts pouring another round of their regular orders: Matthew’s “what’s the special today,” Mark’s IPA, Luke’s cabernet sauvignon, and John’s old fashioned.
Arriving with the drinks a few minutes later, Pops does a double-take. “Have you guys been crying?”
“No!” all four snap at once.
“Even Jesus wept,” Pops responds wisely, passing out the fresh drinks and taking a seat at the booth. “So, from the looks of things, I’m guessing you decided something big. What’s up?”
“We were saying goodbye to each other,” Luke says.
“Because we realized we’re ready to go finish our books,” Mark finishes.
Pops looks around the booth and gets four determined stares in return. “Hell yeah,” he grins, “that’s the best news I’ve heard since Matthew agreed to pay his tab.”
The boys reward his bad joke with groans.
“But listen, Mary tells me there are three stages to any book. Planning, writing, and publishing. I can see you’re committed to the writing, and I know you’ll keep each other accountable. But once you ink your final page, how will you get your books to readers?”
There’s a long silence until finally John offers an eloquent, “Uh, yeah … good question.”
Pops has been figuring things would shake out like this. “Creatives!” he coughs into his hand, pretending to clear his throat. “Okay, here’s the deal. You worry about finishing your books. And believe me, I will sic Mary on you if I need to. But after you finish your books, I’ve got a plan.”
“Any plan is better than my plan,” admits John. “Whaddaya got for us?”
“Well, Mark has heard this already, but my old man ran an olive oil trading business I used to work at. Which means I’ve still got a ton of contacts around the world. We’re talking Thracia, Galatia … hell, all the way to Hispania and back. The point is, once I get a copy of your book, I’ll get ten copies made and send them out with my contacts … and I bet people will copy those copies. The Roman trade routes will spread the story of Jesus far and wide.”
The rest of the guys look at Mark, who says, “I love the idea. It’s a way better plan than any of my publishers has ever had.”
“Well,” offers Matthew, “I was kinda hoping for a multi-book deal, but yeah, that’s a really good idea.”
John and Luke scribble the phrase ‘multiple books’ in their notes.
“It’s settled then,” agrees Pops. “Oh, and don’t you dare leave tonight without saying goodbye to Mary. Mostly because she’ll kill me.”
“Where is Mary, anyway?” asks Luke.
Pops gestures with a thumb. “Out back at the monthly axe throwing competition. No doubt she’s made a few enemies and a few hundred bucks.”
Until tomorrow, when Pops and Mary say goodbye.
Image created by ChatGPT.