Page 12 of His Elder

"One meeting. But I'm bringing my own questions, and I expect real answers. Not missionary speak."

"Deal."

Elder Price looked like I'd just volunteered us to jump off a cliff. But he pulled out his planner. "How about Saturday? Three o'clock? We could meet here, or—"

"There's a café near campus. Granja M. Viader. Do you know it?"

"We'll find it."

"Saturday, then." Maria shouldered her bag. "It was nice meeting you both. Especially you, Elder Eli. Keep drawing."

She walked away across the park, her cardigan catching the golden light.

Elder Price rounded on me the second she was out of earshot.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"You contradicted me. In front of an investigator. You told her she was right to reject—"

"She was right. She asked a direct question and you gave her the runaround."

"I was trying to keep the door open for the Spirit to—"

"You were trying to avoid admitting that yeah, the church does exclude people. Lots of people. And she saw right through it."

Elder Price's jaw worked. "We're supposed to teach with love and clarity, not—"

"Not honesty?"

"That's not what I—" He stopped. Took a breath. "You got her to agree to meet with us."

"Yeah."

"Using your art. Your... worldly talent."

The way he saidworldlymade it sound like a disease.

"Is that a problem?"

"No. I mean—" Elder Price looked back toward where Maria had disappeared. "President Dalton says we should use our talents to build the kingdom. That we should... I just didn't expect..."

"Didn't expect it would actually work?"

"Didn't expect you to try."

We stood there as the light shifted from gold to amber. Families were packing up their picnics. The fountain's water caught the last of the sun.

"I wasn't trying," I said finally. "I was just drawing. She came to me."

"But you engaged. You made a connection. You used that connection to create an opportunity to teach."

"I used it to have an actual conversation instead of reciting a script."

"It's still a teaching opportunity."

"If you say so."