Christian Camp

Phone Calls

- Gavin -

Everyone was getting prepared for the prayer service in ten minutes, yet Gavin couldn't force his muscles to move from the bed he was happily laid on. He felt severely exhausted after the mock wrestling match he and his five new roommates had had earlier while they were supposed to be unpacking their belongings - but it was too late for any regrets now. His roommates were hastily stuffing their shirts and socks into drawers and removing any signs of a scuffle from the room before it was time for prayer service, cracking jokes and laughing amongst themselves, and Gavin could only smile as he listened to their harmless parries. Already, he could tell this group of boys was different to the people he usually hung around with on set. They didn't make crude jokes for one thing, and for another they respected and feared God, which Gavin still found strange despite the fact he was at Christian Camp. The phone in his jeans pocket buzzed for the third time in the afternoon against his thigh. His smile dropped a little. All day his agency had been attempting to get in contact with him, despite the fact that he had made it starkly clear that he would be unavailable for the next three weeks. The saving grace was they hadn't attempted to phone him yet, and he hoped they would take the hint and leave him to at least a day of peace. A ball of socks suddenly hit him straight in the face as Matthew called out from across the room. "Snap out of it, man. We're all going down to the service - come on!"

Gavin laughed and threw the ball back at him with impeccable aim, perfected by all the years spent with cast members on set. "Alright, I'm coming, man!" He grinned, springing up from the bed. He pulled on a jacket over his sleeveless shirt and quickly grabbed his beloved and well-worn copy of the ESV Bible from the top of his set of drawers, watching as the boys wrestled each other out of the door. "Let's go praise the Lord." He murmured to himself before chasing after them.

The church was held in a respectful silence as the pastor ended his sermon for the evening. Gavin held his Bible close to his knee as he listened to the final words, his eyes completing a swoop around the church. Everybody seemed to be doing the same as him, waiting in silence, thanking God for his mercy. A few rows across from him, he spotted Ginny from the bus smiling up at the large reconstruction of the cross that was hung up on the wall-

His heart leapt to his throat as a blast of noise from his jeans pocket shattered the pleasant silence. Everybody gasped or shrieked and whirled around to where it was coming from. Gavin hastily fumbled to bring his phone from his pocket and muffled the sound with his hand. "I'm sorry - I'll have to..." He said apologetically to the pastor, who looked reproachful.

"I'll let you take it this once, but let this be a reminder to everybody that phones should be turned off while during church service." He said sternly. Gavin knew fully well that his was mostly directed at him, yet he could do nothing but quickly rush from the room to answer the call. To no surprise, he found it was his agent who had called him. "Hey, can we make this quick? Sorry, but I've got a service to finish." He told them immediately, pushing the phone to his ear.

"Hi, Gavin. Sorry about that, but I've been trying to contact you all day and I haven't been getting through to you. Has your phone been turned off?"

"I'm at Christian camp for three weeks."

"Ah. That's actually what I need to talk to you about. You're not going to be able to complete the three weeks, I'm afraid."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Shootings for the film are in two weeks' time and they can't reschedule. They say you come or they won't be able to do it. You've got no other choice, Gavin."

"But - wait! I planned this - I'm clear for the next three weeks." Gavin protested.

"Well, I'm sorry, Gav, but that's just how it is. You're an actor and you've got to sacrifice things for your career."

Gavin swallowed heavily, stung. All those meticulous hours of routine changing and planning - just to lose an entire week of peace and worship! He plunged his hand into his jeans pocket and busied himself with a fray, trying to distract himself from the bitter disappointment that was threatening to overwhelm him. He remembered Matthew 6:34 - 'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself', and took a deep breath, attempting to calm his mind. "Don't worry about it, Max. I'll be there."

"Thanks, Gav. See you in two weeks."

"Yeah, see you."

He pushed his phone back into his pocket and, with a sigh, made his way back into the church.