Storm Runners

“Large raindrops began to splatter the backyard. Chase’s father leaned closer to the window. ‘Are those tools lying outside?’ What his father was really asking was, ‘Why in the BLANK did you leave those tools outside?’ Tools were like religious artifacts in the Masters house. After each use, they were to be cleaned, oiled if necessary, and put away in their proper place—and each tool had only one proper place. ‘Sorry.’ Chase jumped up from the table. ‘Relax. I’ll get ’em. Finish your pancakes.’”

Chase breaks a prime rule and might expect a severe scolding or punishment, but his father doesn’t treat him that way. The result is that Chase loves his father, respects his wishes, and complies with his rules the best that he can. Under his father’s wise instruction, Chase quickly learns many skills that will later save his life.

“There was an unspoken rule in the Masters household: The deaths of his mother and sister were not to be talked about, because the subject opened sores that hurt for days.”

John and Chase are all that remain of the Masters family. While this brings them closer together, it also is so painful that they try to avoid thinking about the ones they’ve lost. Now that they’re the only two, they do their best to take care of each other.

“When Chase told him how terrible he felt about leaving the tools outside, his father laughed and said, ‘That bolt of lightning was waiting for me my whole life, Chase. If it hadn’t nailed me in the backyard, it would have gotten me in the front yard, walking to my truck, or later at the jobsite. You can’t hide from your fate.’”

Chase’s father doesn’t blame his son’s negligence for the lightning bolt that struck and nearly killed him. He believes that people’s outcomes are more about their own decisions than those of others—that our lives follow paths meant for us and no one else—and he doesn’t want his son to shy away from his own life projects for fear they might entangle others.