comfortable.
As David began to slip from consciousness he heard a noise-a crunching of soil on the road next to him. He looked up and saw a man, a woman and a donkey standing above him. The last thing David heard was the man say, “Not another one.”
When David woke up, he had insisted that the kind people who had brought him to town not help him any further. He quickly shooed them on their way and left to attend the important business of locating Tom.
David became engrossed by the new world around him. The smells of flowers and foreign foods cooking enticed his nose. And the sight and sounds of these ancient people, animals and buildings was almost enough to completely distract David from his mission. He caught sight of a pair of Roman soldiers patrolling the street and was reminded of Captain Roberts, the man with a gun in the future. David knew that if he didn’t find Tom soon, he might alter the future. At the very least, he and Tom might be on the receiving end of a bullet, eight hundred years before gunpowder was invented.
As the sun began to fall, David frantically searched the streets of Bethany. The watch was great for generalizing Tom’s location, but David found it impossible to pin down his exact whereabouts. He grew desperate as the hours wore on and decided that simply asking people if they had seen Tom wouldn’t make any changes to the future and would aid in the finding of Tom, thus preventing a larger disaster. David asked twenty people about Tom, describing his dress, his poor verbal skills, and his physical characteristics. It was a half hour before David got a bite.
“The buffoon knocked me over and tried to steal my food!” the old woman shouted.
David couldn’t believe his ears. Tom was only here for a few hours and had already left a lasting impression, at least on this woman. How much more damage had he already done?
“This man, what is he to you?” the woman asked, growing suspicious of David.
“He’s my friend,” David replied. “He’s out of his mind and I am trying to find him before he causes any permanent damage.”
“I saw him enter a tavern with a man who had pity on the fool.”
“Which way?”
The women stabbed her crooked finger toward the east.
“Thank you for your kindness,” David said, as he moved past the women in the direction she pointed.
“Kindness has nothing to do with it,” the woman explained. “Personally, I hope the Romans have run him through already, but if they haven’t at least maybe you can get him off the streets.”
David picked up his pace.
How many taverns can there be in one town, thought David. He had searched three already and had seen no sign of Tom. The sun was almost completely extinguished and David had no light source to search at night. He loathed the thought, but he knew he had to find lodging for the night. He prayed he didn’t take the room where an important traveler was supposed to stay or where one of his ancestors was supposed to be conceived. The possibilities for tragedy were incalculable.
David decided on a tavern that also rented rooms. He could make one last search for Tom and get a room at the same time. He changed his mind about the money, realizing that without it he would have been sleeping under the stars and most likely been pilfered in his sleep.
Drinking patrons filled the tavern and greeted David with their eyes as he entered. As he walked through the tavern, he scanned people’s faces, taking care not to linger too long and offend. David approached a man he assumed was the tavern’s owner and shouted a question that couldn’t be made out because the noise from the next room was ear-splitting. Before David could repeat his question at a higher volume, he heard a familiar laugh mixed in with the shouts from the adjoining room.
He made a break for the side room. As he entered, David clumsily tripped over a jug and fell to the floor in a confused heap. The entire room fell as silent as death and then, all at once, burst into laughter. David found a thick hand thrust into his face, offering to pick him up. He took hold and was pulled quickly to his feet by a strong arm. David looked at the rugged man and said, “Thank you.”
“You’re all right?” asked the man.
David nodded.
“You’re the second man I’ve pulled off the ground today. It’s becoming something of a habit,” the man said with a smile. “Why don’t you join our table, have a drink? I must warn you, our conversations are being held in Hebrew as our other new friend cannot speak Aramaic, if you can believe that.”
“I-Thank you, but no, I…” Other new friend? David whipped his eyes toward the table and saw Tom, sitting with a group of men, laughing at a joke! He was more than interacting! He was forming relationships!
Tom glanced at David and didn’t recognize him in this setting, with David dressed as he was, but then he took another look and the smile vanished from his face.
“David?”
“You two know each other?” the rugged man asked.
“Tom, we need to talk,” David said in Hebrew with as much authority as he could muster.
“How did you find me so quickly?” Tom asked.
“Not now,” David said while making a face with his eyes that screamed, “not in front of the locals!”
The rugged man looked slightly confused by this exchange but was unwilling to let the disturbance ruin the night’s fun. “This is a friend of yours?” he asked of Tom.
“Yes,” Tom replied.
David grabbed Tom and pulled him away from the table and the rugged man with a sudden burst of energy. David’s whispers were loud enough to hurt Tom’s ear. “You’re interacting with them! Do you have any idea what the consequences could be?”
“Nothing that will alter the future,” Tom said. “These men would be here with or without me and the conversation hasn’t gone beyond dirty pigs, Samaritans and the Ten Commandments, of all things.”
“I’m taking you back… Now,” David demanded.
“How?” Tom asked. “You wouldn’t dare do it in front of this many people. And we both know you can’t physically drag me far enough out of town.”
David’s rage was close to meltdown proportions. “Tom, this is stupid! Even for you!”
The rugged man interrupted with a smile, “Come friends, sit and drink!”
Under normal circumstances David loathed being rude, but knew the magnitude of what was at stake justified his next words, “Not now! Stay quiet and let us talk!”
“David, cool down.” Tom implored. “An angry outburst is more likely to have negative effects on time then a few friendly drinks.”
David took a breath and collected himself. “You mean like the little old lady you tried to rob?”
“You met her?” Tom asked, his forehead creased with concern.
“Yes, but that’s beside the point. Any effect on time is a negative effect. We need to go back, and go back now.”
“But I didn’t try to rob her, I just-”
“I don’t care what happened. We’re leaving.”
“No.”
“What?”
“No.”
“This isn’t funny. You were drunk and I can forgive it, but now you’re being ridiculous.”
“I am serious. I’m not leaving,” Tom said. “I’m going to do what I came here to do, prove that Jesus is a fraud.”
“Have you even stopped to consider the consequences? The next two thousand years of global, human history is shaped by the events of Jesus’s life.”
“I’m not a moron,” Tom said. “I have no intention of sharing what I discover with anyone other than you. Don’t you see, I care about you enough to risk my life to save yours from a meaningless existence spent believing in a lie.”
