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“Papa, I couldn’t very well buy it,” she began. “And James and the others ... well, they kind of encouraged me to sneak over and take it.”

Papa rolled his gaze toward the ceiling. “James. Somehow that figures. I’ll thrash that boy when I get ahold of him. He knows better than to put his little sister up to such a task.”

Emma gave her most contrite expression and nodded.

From the side, however, she could see that her mother was unconvinced.

Mama always knew whether Emma was innocent or guilty.

She had a special gift that way. She called it discernment, but Emma called it very inconvenient.

It seemed impossible to fool her mother.

“Emma has a mind of her own, Rich. She’s fully capable of saying no when it pleases her to do so.” Mama gave her a look that dared Emma to deny it. She knew better, however, and remained silent.

“What do we need to do to make this right, Edward?”

“Hank Gibbons doesn’t want to press charges. He just wanted to make sure you knew what she’d done. He was more upset that she’d gotten a hand on his good stuff.” Mr. Vogel smiled, and her father actually laughed.

“Emma’s always had expensive taste.”

“Yeah, well, she’s all yours to deal with. We’ve got no hold on her.”

“Then let’s just go home,” Mama declared. “I’m in no mood to continue with a celebration.”

Emma started to protest. She wanted to see the fireworks that had been promised.

She wanted to have freshly churned ice cream and maybe get a chance to dance at her first grown-up party.

But she knew the consequences of her actions had not yet been dealt, and to argue with her mother would only add to the punishment.

So, in silence, she followed her parents outside and down the boardwalk.

The sun was hot, as it was most July days, and for once there didn’t seem to be much of a breeze. It was like the world was holding its breath ... watching, waiting, for Emma’s punishment.

Mama didn’t say another word to her until nearly five hours later.

Emma was washed and dressed for bed before her mother came to speak with her.

What was most startling was that Emma could see from her reddened eyes that Mama had spent a good part of the time crying.

And those tears were Emma’s fault. It made her feel a little sick, like the time she’d been walking on the top rail of the fence and lost her footing.

She’d hit her stomach hard on the rail, knocking the wind out of her and leaving her wanting to retch.

“Emma, I don’t know why you have to do the things you do.

I can understand wanting to have fun, even wanting to run a little wild.

But for sure, stealing is beyond the pale.

” Her mother’s Irish roots were showing, as they often did when she became emotional.

“It oversteps the bounds of wanting to have fun and takes you into breaking not only man’s law but God’s. ”

Emma knew that this was more egregious to her mother than anything else she’d ever done.

“You know how your father and I feel about obeying God’s laws. I know you can recite the Ten Commandments by heart. I’ve heard you do it.”

“Yes, ma’am. I can recite them again, if you like.”

“What I’d like is if you’d live by them. You call yourself a Christian, Emma, but you don’t live as one.”

Emma had given this some long and serious consider ation.

“I don’t think I want to be a Christian anymore.

Not if it means never having any fun, and Christians don’t have fun.

” Emma’s words spilled out, not considering her mother’s feelings.

“Seems to me that Christians just worry about all the ‘don’ts’ in life.

Don’t do this, and don’t do that. They hardly ever smile. I don’t want to be like that.”

“Oh, Emma.” Mama’s eyes filled with tears. “Being a Christian has so much more to do with love than rules. As people, we’re given easily to sin. Doing the wrong thing comes far more naturally. But sin only leads to sorrow, and it forever separates us from God.”

“But if heaven is like church, then I don’t wanna go.

” She was surprised by her own declaration.

But now that it was said, she could hardly take it back.

It was the truth of how she felt. What good was an eternity of sitting around singing mournful hymns that spoke of how terrible she was for her sins?

Mama shook her head, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

“Emma, I wish you could understand the goodness of God. The love He has for each of us. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die in our place. Our sins are worthy of death, but Jesus took the debt and paid it with His life. He’s giving you a free gift—a chance to be forgiven—and all you have to do is accept Him as Lord. ”

“And stop having fun, right?” Emma shrugged. “Doesn’t sound like much of a gift to me.”

Emma regretted her words. She saw the pain she’d caused her mother and almost took them back. Almost.

She really had tried her best to understand and believe the things her folks believed, but it was just too hard. God wanted too much from her.