I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins

cell.
    â€œLuke!” he heard as Paul sat up, chain rattling.
    Luke lit his lamp. “I’ve brought a surprise. Your cloak.”
    â€œDon’t sport with me, Luke.”
    The doctor joined Paul on the stone bench and pointed up at the hole. The old man squinted, then started as—
Plop!
—down came a large bag, then dangling feet.
    â€œMy friends have come?” Paul rasped.
    â€œOne has,” Luke said, as Timothy dropped into sight.

    Paul stood and tried to approach the younger man, but the chain quickly reached its limit, and Luke leapt to keep Paul from falling.
    â€œTimothy, my son! Come to me!”
    They embraced and Paul pressed his face, tears streaming, into the taller man’s chest. “I knew you would come! I knew it! And Mark?”
    â€œMaybe in another week,” Timothy said, his voice thick. “Wonderful! And you brought my things?”
    â€œOnly your cloak, Paul. Mark is hoping to bring everything else.”
    Paul pulled back and looked both Timothy and Luke in the eyes. “The parchments—.”
    â€œWe know,” Timothy said, digging out the cloak and wrapping it around the old man. Paul hummed with pleasure as he found his way back to the bench. Luke was stunned anew at how much weight Paul had lost.
    â€œTimothy, son,” Paul said, “come sit with me. Tell me everything of the brethren.”

9
Sofia

TEXAS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 7:00 P.M.

    Augie found himself nervous calling his beloved. Though they were engaged, the diamond was on layaway. He hoped to give it to her in Athens late in the summer at the most romantic place he could find. Neither wanted a long engagement. He hoped they could be married during his fall break, then he would bring her to live with him in Texas.
    She answered immediately, her fluent English beautifully laden with the consonant-rich Greek accent.
    â€œOh, Augie,” she said, “I wish you were here. I’m so worried.”
    â€œI’d ask you to meet me in Rome, but I don’t know what I’m getting into.”
    â€œDon’t tempt me.”
    â€œI won’t leave Europe without seeing you.”

    â€œYou’d better not.”
    He loved the longing in her voice. But he had to bring her up to date on his father. She asked about how he and his mother were doing.
    â€œFine, just worried about leaving now, but there’s nothing I can do here.”
    â€œI need to get your new number to Roger, and your ETA.”
    He recited it and told her he should arrive in Rome by eight Saturday morning.
    â€œI don’t like living apart, Sof.”
    â€œI don’t either. And I’d love to talk with you all night. But let me get back to Roger and let’s talk tomorrow. Give Marie my love.”
    Augie felt light-headed as he made his way back down the hall. He’d never known anyone like Sofia, never loved anyone this way. After so many years of texting each other, the day had finally come when she joined another of his tours. She had tried to make that a surprise. But after replacing his father as the tour leader, Augie made it a practice to know the name of everyone in the group.
    He was taking just over sixty tourists into Egypt and Jordan, ending at the famed red-rock city of Petra. He had seen her name and those of her parents on the manifest and found himself strangely excited about seeing her again after six years. He was thirty-six and she twenty-eight.
    The tour group met in Cairo, and after a few days in Egypt flew to Amman. Her parents had greeted him with appropriate enthusiasm, her mother adding, “And you remember our daughter.”
    Augie reached to shake her hand. “Yes, your name again?”
    Sofia had punched him. “Helen of Troy,” she said. “How are you, cyber pen pal?”
    â€œYou failed your assignment, Dr. Knox,” Mr. Trikoupis said, smiling.

    â€œYou were to get Sofia to see the light and join my business. But