Tribulation House: Reloaded

Chapter 10

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- 10 -

Hank Barton’s best friend, Sven Surtees—now, apparently, Hank’s campaign manager—leaned across the coffee-shop table toward Hank. “A man who can make a difference, must make a difference.”

Hank sat back in his chair. Stared at the logo on the coffee cup, just trying to let the idea sink in. He mumbled, to himself more than Sven, “Make a difference.”

It had been a few days since that evening at Sven’s house when Hank had started spouting off about the importance of participating in the culture. Storm the gates of hell, as it were. While they were standing there, the announcement had come over the TV that a member of the city council had died, and now there would be a special election to fill that open seat.

The men at the Bible study had decided it was not a coincidence. They said it was a sign.

Hank was not as sure. But he certainly couldn’t rule it out.

From that night on, Hank found himself debating whether to run for that open seat. It was on his mind constantly—days at the repair shop, evenings at home.

As the local news followed the story, all manner of citizens had thrown their hats into the ring. Hank wondered how he could compete with all those people. Some of them seemed to be pretty sharp. Some were rich, some were famous, some were proven leaders.

“I just own a small repair shop,” Hank pointed out. “Lawn mowers in the spring and summer, small appliances to fill out the rest of the year.”

“You own your own business, Hank,” Sven replied. “It shows you are responsible. You can be trusted. ”

“I don’t know…”

“You know how to fill out paperwork.”

“Yeah, but—”

“You have to keep track of licenses and things, right?”

“Sure, but—”

“Then you are qualified.”

Hank rubbed the side of the empty cup with his thumb. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Sven leaned across the table again and tapped Hank on the forearm. “You are one of the best people I know. Hard-working, honest, loyal—I think you should do it. Besides, the hallmark of a good leader is that he surrounds himself with great people.” He winked. “And you got your friends right behind you.”

“Uh-huh. Looking for free parking spaces or something?”

“We’ll work out the perks later. The important thing is that you have a vision, Hank. You shared it with us the other night.”

“I was just talking.”

“No, you were passionate. You had us convinced. We were ready to vote for you right then and there. And you weren’t even running for office yet.” Sven sipped from his coffee and set it back down. “These other people, what have they done?”

“Some of them seem pretty smart. Some of them are pretty rich…”

“They're are out of touch. The people need someone who knows them. Who understands them. Who will represent them.”

“You do know this is just for city council, right?”

“Look, if the people vote for you—when the people vote for you—they are sending a message to the rest of that council. About what they believe in. About what they want our community to be like. ”

Hank was still rubbing the empty coffee cup with his thumb. He also found himself nodding. “Yeah.” He looked up at Sven. “Okay, you’re right. I need to do this. If I fail, I fail. But I have to do what I can to make a difference.”

“That’s the spirit, mister.”

“What was that thing you said before?”

“What thing?”

“About the ‘difference’ and the ‘making a difference’?”

“Oh—‘A man who can make a difference must make a difference.’ ”

“Right.” Hank reached over and gripped Sven’s hand firmly. “Let’s make a difference.”

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There are 70 chapters for Tribulation House. You can purchase the whole eBook from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and more!

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