The Cracked Acorn: At The Door

Once upon a time, there were two young ladies just out of the Marine Corps; they happened to be in Arlington, Virginia, and had found employment at the National Bank of Washington and Trailways. They were fortunate to get an apartment together on Lee Highway, west of the Potomac River. Throughout the week, Gloria was off to the Bank, and Shirley was off to duel with fuel bills at the Bus Depot.

Times were difficult, rent was easy enough, and if you saved and saved, you got by until the next month. Gloria often remarked about the bus ride to work, which always packed and left you in the aisle.  When it was raining, passengers got sopping wet, and you just managed to get to work before you were also drenched; men never had to worry about their hair.

When Shirley returned home one day, she had news that someone could share the apartment and the rent.  They had to ensure management never saw the third person –  frowned on such.

Time went on, and they lived happily together.  When there was a knock on the door, (Pat) would hide in the closet…It worked. How this happened was never revealed to me; Shirley told Gloria she had learned that (Pat) had a pistol.  Somehow, this came out, and (Pat) told the two that she had an ex-male friend who was stalking her.  At the moment she was sure he did not know where she lived, but would definitely find her; and obvious this had gone on long enough to warp her personality..became the reason to have a pistol (maybe it was his!).

The ‘secret’ made the two jittery…come home from work and the mystery became: was (Pat) there? If so, she might be in the closet…if she was in the closet, did she have the pistol, and was it loaded… their minds raced with all the 911 possibilities.  It was tight lips; if management found out, they all got the boot! The deposit was gone.

Somewhere out of the blue, their third told them she would leave, maybe back to Pennsylvania to live with her parents for a while.

I was told all this by Gloria, my late wife (Shirley has passed away, too).  They never knew or wanted to know whether whoever knocked on the door was friendly.

Does the Bible mention “door” and  “knock”…YES!, many times here are just a few:

Matthew 7:7-11 – “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Acts 12:16 – “Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.”

Matthew 7:8  – “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”