A Bullet For God

A Bullet For GOD

by

Eben Le Roux

Soon this world will produce

The Ultimate Fool

Copyright © 2015 Eben Le Roux. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or, transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Disclaimer

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. All names, characters, scenes, and events are purely from the imagination of the author and have no bearing on any real person or true event whatsoever.

Scriptures from the New King James Bible.

Book cover designed by Peter Guess - South Africa

First published by Eben Le Roux: 16/02/2015

Prologue

Peter Johnson had only one wish; he wished to be a teacher again. There was one problem though, he was a beggar and nobody was going to ever employ him again. On the other side of town, the wealthy Atkinson family had a problem of their own; a problem no money could solve.

Both Peter and the Atkinsons saw their redemption in a miracle event that was coming to town. Their paths crossed when a heavy thunderstorm interrupted people’s efforts to get tickets for this event. When the beggar offered to queue for them in exchange for a ticket, Kathy Atkinson eagerly accepted his offer. As fate would have it, the Pastor who was to preside over the event was seriously injured in a car accident on his way there. As thousands of people started to leave in disappointment, the beggar became saddened at the commitment of their faith. Still dressed in his pitiable cloths, he decided to take matters in his own hands.

You are so concerned in your own personal healing that you would not care if this whole world rots around you. he shouted at them. Being the professional teacher he once was, he delivered a most powerful speech from the podium. Kathy Atkinson instinctively knew that there was a reason why her path had to cross with that of the beggar. She was not going to stop until she had found the reason for that.

Bruce Ashton, a highly acclaimed television producer who was to cover the event, became enthralled by the intellect of the beggar. So impressed was he with the man’s wisdom, that he planned to continue the events with him as a speaker. However, he was told by his bosses; ‘God does not sell, violence and sex is what’s bringing in the money.

However, Bruce Ashton saw his dream in the beggar. Risking his future as a producer while counting only on the wisdom of the beggar, he persuaded Peter Johnson to take up role in a TV program.

Peter, who considered himself as a victim of our corrupt society, was a man bothered in watching little children adulterated into a world of immorality by ever changing politically proposed guidelines; laws that had no significance besides protecting sin. Knowing this could be his last and only chance to be a teacher again, he cautiously accepted the offer. Together they started what was to become a very controversial crusade. The hobo’s life was never going to be the same again; nor the lives of those who would get involved with his. A Bullet for God is fast-paced, inspiring, motivating, and thought provoking.

Table of content

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

A Bullet for God

Eben Le Roux

Chapter 1

The rain was really coming down in buckets. People had to dash for cover, and every possible hiding place had hurriedly been occupied. Those in the queue at the ticket sales office were soaking wet, yet most refused to leave. Their determination to attend this event made them too scared to start all over again. Some had forced smiles and started conversations with the strangers around them to help boost their bravery against the rain.

A vendor saw this as an opportunity and was doing well selling umbrellas. It did not take long for a second one to joined the trade, as everyone was too desperate to keep their space in the queue.

Everywhere in the city, posters were visible advertising the next day’s miracle service. They were attached to anything possible on the freeways, in the suburbs, townships, and even shopping malls. The miracles that they promised seemed to be what everyone was after.

In the chaos that the sudden storm has caused, a man was holding onto one of these posters to cover his head. Being the only shelter he had to protect him from the rain, it at least had the advantage of keeping him mobile thus keeping his mission continual. It was evident that he was a beggar as he stood out like an icon from all the rest. He came for a reason beyond handouts and food; he was chasing the dream behind the words on the poster. Though still trying to keep a good image of himself, his clothes showed the ravages of time and were partly wet. Yet, with all the odds against him, he still managed to keep a genuine smile as he went from person to person to beg. By noon, he had collected only a couple of coins, and time was running out on him.

Well aware that the office would close in two hours, the beggar’s desperation was beginning to take control of him. As the desperation grew, he thought it be better not to ask for money, but to look for somebody who could buy him a ticket instead. With people refusing to leave their space in the queue and others still waiting in hiding places, it would definitely be sold out by the afternoon. Knowing he could be in a hopeless situation, giving up was not one of his options; as impossible as it might look, he was going to be there until the last minute. He silently started encouraging himself, bringing forward the hope that he had lived on all these years. The sense to be in that stadium was too strong inside him.

There are far too many people here, he thought. There must be at least one person who would make contact with this passion inside me.

It had been six long hours since he arrived there. Most people looked at him in very disgusting ways, some even sneered, and, many times, he was pushed out of the way. Still, he refused to let go, as there was a strange force inside this man. He had no idea what was driving him, but his belief that a miracle was about to happen to him was like a prophetic message conveyed to him.

Peter Johnson was a beggar only in body, but his mind refused to accept it as the final destination of his life.

He had been away from home for more than five years, of which every day he had hoped for a rescue out of a life that he refused to get used to. Besides being a man of principle, he was blessed with a sea full of wisdom. This wisdom had been the core of his hopes. For him, this wisdom could still play a role in someone’s life. Carrying strong willpower, he promised himself not to let his hopes be thrashed by somebody else’s refusal to help. He got more courage from Nelson Mandela’s twenty-seven years in prison and then becoming the President of his country. This confirmed that there was hope for him, too. It did not matter how little his reward would be, as long as he could get away from this dreadful life. He had no wish to die on the streets as an unknown person and he knew that in a world of selfish people, it was mainly up to him to seek his rescue. Faith is what he had plenty of, and that was his driving force. Getting away from there was not an option for him; it was going to be his reward. He just knew it and believed in it day and night.

That day when he saw that poster on the lamp pole, something inside him happened, as if something was switched on. It felt like a door opened to free him out of that terrible life.

That first time he saw the poster, he stared at it for a full five minutes after which the message could never leave his mind.

Paul Simmons, the Gospel Preacher, at the Olympic Stadium. Come with all your troubles. Miracles Will Happen.

rom that moment, nothing was more important for the beggar then to be inside that stadium.

However, the price at the bottom of the poster was his obstacle. For most people, it was not much, but he could not afford it. The fifty-Rand advertising price was like a monthly salary for him. Whatever he made on a good beggar’s day was just enough for something to eat, and still he had to keep a portion to pay for the place where he slept at night. Hope had finally thrown him a target, and he was going to chase it with every portion of his faith.

Searching the area for the right people to approach, he saw a car parked on the opposite side of the road. The couple inside looked like wealthy people who, with their daughter, were waiting for the rain to stop. He saw this as an opportunity; he would ask to queue for them in exchange for a ticket.

Saying a short prayer, he slowly walked over to the car, and they saw him coming. The husband, in a hurry to get rid of him, took out some coins, opened the window, and offered them to him.

‘No, sir . . . honestly, I can do with some money, but that is not what I want. I want someone to buy me a ticket sir.’ He said it very cautiously not to offend the man. ‘If I can queue for you, sir, would that be enough for you to buy me one as well?’

There was so much pleading and desperation in his voice, it stirred the woman sitting in the passenger seat. See even leant forward to look at the pleading face.

‘Please, sir, I have never felt like this ever in my life. Something is about to happen to me, sir. I don’t know what it is, sir . . . I know I have to be inside that stadium, and I know you can help me, please, please, sir.’

The man got angry when the beggar rejected his money. ‘You have the nerve to reject what I have to give you?’

The man suddenly stopped his talking when he heard the passenger door open and his wife got out of the car. ‘Kathy, what are you doing? Get back in here.’ The man’s shouting did not help much as the woman had already closed the door behind her.

Suddenly, the rain came down harder and the woman had to quickly rush back into the car. Looking through the rain covered window, she could see the disappointment on the beggar’s face and immediately felt disheartened. He could not hear them, but he could see that they were having an argument. This went on for about a minute, and the door open again. The woman stepped out into the heavy rain, this time not afraid of it, and walked straight to him.

‘Listen, mister, what is your name?’ Her eyes showed sadness and he deemed it came from the argument.

‘Peter, ma’am... My name is Peter Johnson, ma’am.’ He stepped closer to cover her with the poster.

This gesture really touched her and made her look at him in appreciation before she said, ‘Well, Peter, seeing that this rain does not seem to want to stop, would you really queue for us?’

‘You mean buying the tickets for you? Sure, I will, sure I . . . ’

‘Then buy yourself one as well,’ she interrupted him and reached into her handbag. Instantly, his face brightened up followed by a smile. At that very same moment, pure joy overtook him.

She could see the honesty and the relief in his eyes when he said, ‘Thank you, God’. He looked up at the sky, and while rain smash full in his face, he held his right hand on his chest.

‘You would not run away with our money, would you?’ She regretted her words almost immediately as she could see the honest appreciation in his eyes. The woman became uncomfortable as she could sense something strange yet special about this man in front of her.

‘No, of course not, ma’am you can be sure that I want that ticket more desperately than you do. You can bet on your soul that you will find me back here.’

She studied his eyes, trying to find in them the answer to this strange interest she felt in the man. While still looking at his face, she said, ‘I don’t know why, but I trust you, so do not disappoint me.’ Without any further hesitation, she handed him the money.

Overcome by relief and appreciation, Peter Johnson turned to the woman and said, ‘Ma’am, your blessing will be a thousand times greater than mine.’

If Peter Johnson did not know the spiritual sensation his words had activated inside Kathy Atkinson, he was soon to find out.

Chapter 2

The arguments at 41 Windy Ridge Road were becoming more regular. What was twelve years ago one of the happiest couples in the world, was now a marriage heading towards the rocks.

‘You know, Kim, we cannot even have a normal conversation any more. Everything turns into an argument. I think you really need to take some time off from work. In fact, I think you should give up working for a while.’ He said it with emotion for her to understand that she needs to spend more time with them. Instead, his words only seemed to fire her up.

‘For heaven’s sake, Ray, must it always be my fault? You are always the perfect one, and I should jump when you speak. Is that what you want? No, thank you Mr Johnson; in case you did not know, women have rights too, or didn’t you know that?’ Even though her shouting made him sad, he tried hard not to show it.

‘My dear wife, if this is about rights, you can have all of it from inside this house. I think it is about the visions you have for yourself at work. You are never available for us. This house needs you, your son needs you, and me too. Seems whenever you are at home, we should consider it a bonus.’

This statement triggered more anger in Kim. ‘Are you listening to yourself, Ray? You are beginning to sound just like your father.’

‘Oh, I do? At least I am doing something right. I only wish he could hear you saying that. He would have been so proud of me.’

‘You are just another loser, Ray, just like him . . . maybe you feel insecure without him. Why don’t you go look for him? I did not tell him to run away from his family. Maybe you can join him wherever he is.’

‘Kim, do not bring my father into this . . . I am warning you, I will not allow any person to speak like that about him, not even you.’

‘Just get out of here,’ she interrupted. ‘Get the hell out and never come back.’

‘What about my son? You think I will ever leave without him?’

‘What about him? He will stay here with his mother, and I will decide for you to see him.’

‘Yes, he is your son, darling. He is only waiting for you to become a real mother. When is that going to happen?’

Neither of them saw him standing in the hallway. He heard every word they said. With big eyes, he stared at his parents, and sadness crept into his whole being. Nine years old, and most of these years he saw and heard his parents argue. Somehow, it made him strong with hope that circumstances would improve. Only this time, he could sense his father was starting to give up hope. He could feel that it was not a threat anymore; his father was going to leave. The more he thought about that, the sadder he became. Suddenly, the tears started coming, and he ran to his room. They both heard the room door close, and they looked at one another. There was silence, and all they could do was to stare in the direction of the door. Ray was throbbing, and he wanted to shout at his wife. He loves that boy beyond anything else in this world. Sensing the sorrow that his son must be feeling, his body started to tremble as his own thoughts started to trouble him. He moved quickly towards his son’s room, opened the door, and looked down at his sobbing face.

‘Son . . . I’m sorry. I am sorry because I did nothing to save you from this. I am sorry . . . I really did not want for . . .’

‘Dad,’ he interrupted, ‘I know everything, and you don’t have to explain.’

He could see the fear on the boy’s face and he started to tremble inside. ‘God please, help me with this. Please God’ he said silently.

‘Dad, are you really leaving us? I love you, Dad, and I know you love me too. You do not love my mom any more, do you?’

‘Son . . .?’

If ever there were words that could sting Ray Johnson deep into his heart, they were the words just spoken by his son.

‘Dad, I know. I heard you saying that to her. I heard most of your arguments. I know everything . . . Please don’t leave us, Daddy . . . please!’ He stepped forward, wrapped his arms around his father, and started to cry uncontrollably.

Seeing his son cry because of his parents’ conduct broke Ray Johnson to the core of his soul. Being trapped in a situation like this did not form part of the plans he had for his family. Gently he pushed his son forward to look into his eyes. What he saw brought tears to his own eyes.

‘Son, sometimes grown-ups will say stuff that they don’t really mean. We allow our anger to take control, and we become ugly. I know it is wrong, and I am so sorry that you had to hear it. So, I’m saying sorry for making you cry.’

‘Are you saying you are not leaving us, Daddy?’

The door opened with force, and they both looked towards it.

‘Ray, you’re upsetting my son. I want you to leave now!’ Kim was shouting whilst swinging her arms wildly and that only added fuel to the fire inside Ray. ‘This is what I am talking about. You are more worried about me leaving this house than you are about your son’s emotions, but do not worry. Go to your well-beloved work, and I will see that he is fine. You will never separate this boy from his father, woman, never!’

His anger got the better of him, and he threw up his arms and stormed out the door. He turned back suddenly, looked at his son, managed a smile, and said;

‘Son, Daddy’s got to go now, but I’ll see you later. Come here. Give your dad a hug.’

Through his tears, a smile formed on Jason’s face. Ray spoke to him with honesty making sure his wife could hear.

‘When I said I was leaving . . . I meant I was not going away, as in leaving, forever. Maybe I should try to find my father . . . your grandpa . . . Yes, I think I will take next week off and start looking for him.’

His words switched on some joy inside the boy.

‘I will help you find him, Dad,’ he said joyfully through his tears.

You will?

Of course Dad, when are we going to start looking?

Ray Johnson knew the problem of his son. He was missing his Grandpa and he was lonely. This depressed him even more. On that moment, he made a silent vow to find his father. He will do it for his son, whatever the odds.

Chapter 3

Ross Carter was becoming more and more desperate by the day. He had been thinking long and hard, trying to shake certain ideas off his mind. Whatever choices he took from here, he realised that his fate was now in his own hands. Driving home from another failed job interview, he had made up his mind; he was going to do it. As much as he did not want to go that route, there seemed to be no other way. As he took the freeway off-ramp, he started dialling the number of a friend who he knew was as desperate as he was. Sweat was forming on his face, and he could not understand why life has to be so cruel to him. Never ever had he imagined committing a crime, but this time he made the decision. He had to do it.

Ross Carter had enough problems of his own and his life history was proof of that. Born into a family with an alcohol problem, he was doomed to be a failure just like his two elder brothers. One of them was shot in a brawl at a local drinking spot, and the other was still doing jail time for robbery.

His father was an alcoholic, and would always come home from work in a drunken state. The problem was so bad that when he lost his job, he was never sober enough again to look for another. His mother was a factory worker, and on weekends, she would happily join in with his father’s drinking sessions. Fortunately, for Ross, he attracted the attention of the neighbours.

As an unsupervised toddler, he used to wander in the streets unattended. The neighbours had noticed the danger he was in and had reprimanded his parents numerous times over their negligence. Their warnings seemed to have been ignored as he was back on the street only the next day. In the end, they decided it was safer to have him play with their children. What they saw on that first day, having Ross with them, had hurt the Johnson family a great deal. The child was so hungry that he had eaten an apple without even leaving the seeds behind. When they had given him a sandwich after that, he hardly chewed, trying to swallow as fast as possible. Peter then instructed his wife, Irene, to bring Ross to their house every day and to care for him. However, that was not necessary as Ross was at their gate every morning after that. On weekends, if he had arrived too late, their son, Ray, used to walk next door to fetch him. The two boys became the best of friends. In fact, they later became more like brothers, for Ross had copied Ray in addressing his parents as Mom and Dad.

As time went by and Ross grew older, he considered the Johnson house as his home. Peter took a real liking to him as he noticed that this boy was doing most of the work around the house. Most people who knew Ross and Ray thought of them as brothers. Since Ray was a year older than Ross was, he had finished school a year before him. The next year he had to leave home to study marketing. The sad part was that Ross had to stay in a boarding school as the college was in another town. They saw less of one another, but the bond between them had stayed the same. As far as they were concerned, they were brothers, and they were going to keep it that way. Circumstances, however, did not turn out as well for the rest of the Johnson family. Collin and Sandra, Ray’s younger brother and sister, were from a completely different generation. They were always fighting with their parents about wanting the latest fashions and gadgets on the market. Peter had them controlled, but his wife mostly gave in to their demands. It became harder for Peter to discipline his children because their mother was constantly siding with them. Ross overheard them having an argument one day and he heard Peter telling his wife, ‘If you want those two to turn out like Ross and Ray, you better stop following their orders. Seems to me they are in charge of you. You give, give, and give whatever they want. What if one day we cannot afford that stuff any longer? They will start to look for their supplies outside this house. Do you know the dangers that follow this? I am telling you now that this is not what I want for my children.’

Irene did not stop, and Peter was forced to deny her access to his accounts. He instructed her to send the children to him whenever they needed anything. This did not sit well with her, and she got herself a job at a nearby supermarket. It was sad as Peter could then only watch how she carried on spoiling the two. Since then, it was as if the rest of the family had lost contact with Peter and lived around him in the house. One day, Ross brought this up with Ray, and both of them spoke to Sandra and Collin. That seemed it was already too late as Sandra was pregnant. Peter took it very hard, and worse, the two parents started blaming one another. That same year, the police came to question Collin about one of his friends’ involvement in a robbery. Though Collin was not charged or arrested, Peter would never recover from that blow.

What Ross had noticed was too sad for him to handle. Peter was now reduced to an unattended member of his own family. Ross remembers how proud this man used to be. As a school principal, he was highly regarded by his teachers. In his community, he was the kind of person whom people would look up to, and he was well respected. Then, one day, life dealt Peter the worst blow he could ever imagine. As a principal, he strived for high standards in his school, something he maintained year after year, until he met with any teacher’s nightmare.

He had a boy in his school that had shown complete disregard for discipline. Other children were intimidated into handing over monies and valuables to him. On some Mondays, this boy would reek strongly of alcohol and sometimes slept in the classrooms. Peter had realised that his problem was beyond what any school could handle, as the regulations were not really on the school’s side. He confronted the boy on numerous occasions, even threatening to expel him from the school, which he finally did. However, the boy’s family objected, and the school body voted against the school’s ruling. A month later, the boy was allowed back into the school and this time, the situation worsened. The boy now had no respect for discipline, as he felt untouchable. What made it worse was that he had followers who respected him as their leader. Sometimes, he would even taunt teachers just to show off his power over them. On one ill-fated day, the boy came to school drunk and caused havoc in the classroom. Peter was called to deal with the situation, as the teachers were by then too scared to confront him. That day, a big argument broke out between school principle and student. So heated was the quarrel, that the boy had tried to attack him. In that moment of anger, Peter smacked him hard across the face. So hard was the blow that he started bleeding through both his nose and mouth. Out of anger and having had enough of the boy, Peter walked him through the gates and locked him out. His parents and the police found him there, still with the blood on his face. The boy’s bloodied face was on the front page of five newspapers the following day. For this, Peter was suspended and subsequently dismissed from the school.

Ray knew that his father’s spirit was crushed on that day as Peter Johnson had a love for teaching that was only second to his love for his family. In a very short space of time, he had lost both. Ray thought of giving up his studies to bring support to his father but instead, Peter put enough money in his account to make sure he finished his studies. That day, Peter said something to Ray that made Ross a very proud man. ‘Don’t worry, son. Ross is still around to keep me going.’ It was then that Ross made a promise to Ray to honour those words.

Sandra had moved out of the house to stay with her then latest boyfriend, and Collin had slowly become a problem child. His parents had a hard time keeping him in school and sometimes, Ross was called upon to give him some tough talk. By then, Ross was working at a steel engineering company, a job he had lost more than eight months ago. Since then, he had tried in vain to find other work. He knew very well that the money he had saved was not going to last long if something did not come up very soon. As he was sitting with a glass of ice-cold juice, he wondered if Peter Johnson could still be alive. It was during times like these that he needed the wisdom and parental guidance from the man he had called Dad since he could remember, and today, he really missed that support.

The sound of the doorbell shook him out of his thoughts. Suddenly, he was not so sure if he still wanted to do this. He opened the door and let the men in. Much to his surprise, one of them was Collin. As the men walked through the door, Ross stood for a number of seconds just staring at them. He slowly closed the door behind him, paused for a moment, and then called on Casey to follow him to the other room.

‘What the hell is this?’ he asked him, not hiding his disappointment.

Casey looked at him in surprise. ‘What seems to be the matter, Ross? You don’t even greet us properly.’

‘Casey, I am not going to work with these guys. Are you telling me you cannot find better than this?’

‘Hey, come on Ross. What is it you wanted . . . hardened criminals? You told me not to come with gangsters and killers. You want me to question everybody in the streets about their criminal records. What are you looking for, people who could pass an army test?’

‘This is no joke, Casey. I am putting our freedom on the line here. We have to do this right from the beginning.’

‘So what seems to be the problem?’

‘You want me to pull a job with Collin and Max . . . ?’ Ross spoke in complete dissatisfaction of his choice of men.

‘Ross, I think you underestimate these guys . . .’ Casey did not get to finish as Ross angrily interrupted him.

‘Don’t you understand that it is not that simple Casey? I was brought up and looked after by Collin’s family and now you want me to pay them back by dragging their son into crime? That one is a definite no.’

‘Ross, Collin is as streetwise as I am. That boy has been hanging out with Twist and his company since I know him. I bet you he has the most knowledge about this kind of stuff than any of us here.’

Ross did not like Casey defending for Colin and it started to anger him even more. ‘You leave Collin out of this...and Max, he is no good for society. I have been trying for years to get Collin out of his company. Suddenly, you want me to endorse the guy to him?’

‘Ross, there is nothing wrong with Max. He is only a loudmouth and just needs to be kept in place. If you want somebody that will never split on you, then he is the right man. You said you want to get into a house unnoticed, I know nobody better than him. Trust me, he will not even tell his best friends how he makes his money.’

‘I don’t know, Casey. I wonder if I should not just drop this idea.’

‘You mind telling me what this is about?’

‘If I tell you that I know where we can knock off a Rolex, what would you say?’

‘Hell . . . Ross a Rolex! You think we can pull it off?’

‘Well, if we can get the right guys, yes.’ Ross said with uncertainty.

Casey looked at him in surprise while he asked; ‘When were you planning on doing it?’

‘As soon as possible Casey, that house is going on auction very soon.’

‘I think we should discuss it now. We need some planning. Does not matter how little, but we have to.’ Casey sounded scared, but excited.

‘Listen, Casey. I still do not want Collin involved. I need to speak to him alone . . . and