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looks down at her mug. She tapered off her words as quick as she spoke them, cheeks flushed
    Mordecai doesn’t reply at first. He sips his coffee and replaces his mug on the table between his cupped hands. “I knew your mother, didn’t I?”
    “Yes sir, I think so.” Melissa nods.
    “Sweet woman,” Mordecai says before pausing again.
    I blend into the background; neither acknowledges that I’m still standing here. I’m ready to grab a chair and break the silence when Mordecai directs another question at Melissa.
    “You’re the oldest, aren’t you?”
    “Yes…two younger brothers and a baby sister. Well, she’s not a baby anymore, but you know what I mean.”
    “You probably looked after them quite a bit, the years your mother was sick.” Mordecai shifts forward on his elbows, sliding his mug forward to make room.
    Melissa nods, biting her lip. “Practically raised them on my own.”
    “Do you still keep after them?”
    “It’s hard to. Jack pretty much does his own thing now that he’s eighteen. Jeremy I worry about—he got his girlfriend pregnant and neither one of them has a job because they’re both still in school. She’s due in March and I don’t know how they’ll manage. They’ve got no money.”
    “And the youngest?” Mordecai takes another swig.
    “Darcy is a free spirit. Her head is in the clouds most of the time. She’s so trusting… I try to keep her aware of her surroundings so she’s not taken advantage of, but she’s got her own way about her.”
    Mordecai doesn’t let up. His questions are simple but searching as he maintains focus on Melissa. “What about you? Do you keep after yourself?”
    It’s clear Melissa treats this as a loaded question. Her lips seal shut and her face trembles the slightest bit. Once again she peers into her mug. “I…I do my best.”
    “But you think you can do better?”
    “Everything’s really overwhelming, you know? The bills are high enough as it is and I’m afraid I’ll have to get a second job if Jeremy’s going to have a baby in the house. It’s up to me to keep food on the table and make sure everyone’s homework is done. For the longest time I couldn’t stay awake and so I started taking uppers.” Melissa winces as if she’s afraid he’ll come down hard on her. “Now I don’t know if I can function without them.”
    “Do you have any supportive relationships?” Mordecai leans back, as if to lessen the pressure of his presence.
    “I’m trying to get out of an abusive one. I’ve been seeing this guy for a year and a half and…” Melissa trails off, shoulders slack. “Maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places.”
    I tense up at that, partly because I’m shocked she’s pouring herself out like this and partly because the thought of someone smacking her around flips the rage switch in my brain. Hitting a woman is something you just don’t do. That’s the way I was raised and I’ll gladly pound my opinion into anyone who needs to hear it.
    Melissa doesn’t notice my shift in posture as she shakes her head. “On top of that, no one can leave their house anymore without worrying they’ll be attacked. Not with those awful kids roaming around.”
    Mordecai nods in agreement. “Yes, there’s something terrible in what they do. I suspect it will get worse before it gets better.” His answer lies between us like a mess no one wants to clean up.
    “Are we strong enough? I mean, as people, are we… Is this all we get? It just seems like it’s always a downward slope.” Melissa’s eyes turn up in a questioning plea.
    Mordecai rubs a calloused hand across his heel of a chin. “The Lord calls us to persevere. Sometimes that’s all we’ve got; sometimes that’s the only thing that makes sense.”
    “Persevere?” I say. Mordecai’s words ring a bit hollow to me.
    Turning in my direction, he takes my challenge in stride, his reply calm but firm. “The Word is full of examples how small groups of people hold