"Tim LaHaye & Jerry Jenkins - Left Behind Series 1 - Left Behind" - читать интересную книгу автора (LaHaye Tim)

before. Irene had stayed home, uncomfortably past her ninth month carrying their
surprise tagalong son, Ray Jr.
Though under the influence, Rayford had known enough to leave the party early. It
was clear Irene noticed he was slightly drunk, but she couldn't have suspected
anything else, not from her straight-arrow captain. He was the pilot who had once
consumed two martinis during a snowy shutdown at O'Hare and then voluntarily
grounded himself when the weather cleared. He offered to pay for bringing in a
relief pilot, but Pan-Continental was so impressed that instead they made an
example of his self-discipline and wisdom.
In a couple of hours Rayford would be the first to see hints of the sun, a teasing
palette of pastels that would signal the reluctant dawn over the continent. Until then,
the blackness through the window seemed miles thick. His groggy or sleeping
passengers had window shades down, pillows and blankets in place. For now the
plane was a dark, humming sleep chamber for all but a few wanderers, the
attendants, and one or two responders to nature's call.
The question of the darkest hour before dawn, then, was whether Rayford Steele
should risk a new, exciting relationship with Hattie Durham. He suppressed a smile.
Was he kidding himself? Would someone with his reputation ever do anything but
dream about a beautiful woman fifteen years his junior? He wasn't so sure anymore.
If only Irene hadn't gone off on this new kick.
Would it fade, her preoccupation with the end of the world, with the love of Jesus,
with the salvation of souls? Lately she had been reading everything she could get
her hands on about the Rapture of the church. тАЬCan you imagine, Rafe,тАЭ she
exulted, тАЬJesus coming back to get us before we die?тАЭ
тАЬYeah, boy,тАЭ he said, peeking over the top of his newspaper, тАЬthat would kill me.тАЭ
She was not amused. тАЬIf I didn't know what would happen to me,тАЭ she said, тАЬI
wouldn't be glib about it.тАЭ
тАЬI do know what would happen to me,тАЭ he insisted. тАЬI'd be dead, gone, finis. But
you, of course, would fly right up to heaven.тАЭ
He hadn't meant to offend her. He was just having fun. When she turned away he
rose and pursued her. He spun her around and tried to kiss her, but she was cold.
тАЬCome on, Irene,тАЭ he said. тАЬTell me thousands wouldn't just keel over if they saw
Jesus coming back for all the good people.тАЭ
She had pulled away in tears. тАЬI've told you and told you. Saved people aren't good
peopleтАЭ, тАЬthey're just forgiven, yeah, I know,тАЭ he said, feeling rejected and
vulnerable in his own living room. He returned to his chair and his paper. тАЬIf it
makes you feel any better, I'm happy for you that you can be so cocksure.тАЭ
тАЬI only believe what the Bible says,тАЭ Irene said.
Rayford shrugged. He wanted to say, тАЬGood for you,тАЭ but he didn't want to make a
bad situation worse. In a way he had envied her confidence, but in truth he wrote it
off to her being a more emotional, more feelings-oriented person. He didn't want to
articulate it, but the fact was, he was brighterтАФyes, more intelligent. He believed in
rules, systems, laws, patterns, things you could see and feel and hear and touch.
If God was part of all that, OK. A higher power, a loving being, a force behind the
laws of nature, fine. Let's sing about it, pray about it, feel good about our ability to
be kind to others, and go about our business. Rayford's greatest fear was that this
religious fixation would not fade like Irene's Amway days, her Tupperware phase,
and her aerobics spell. He could just see her ringing doorbells and asking if she
could read people a verse or two. Surely she knew better than to dream of his
tagging along.