Beyond C – Part 5

 Hello, Faithful Friday Fiction Fans,

How was your week? Did you get any reading or writing done? I did some reading, and some writing. I also went up to visit my grandparents for a day which was really nice. Since they moved to an apartment they no longer have room for us to spend the night, but they moved 20 minutes closer, so we just drive up and back in the same day now.

Writing Camp officially ended Wednesday night, but the camp doesn't shut down until tomorrow, so there are still sprints going on, and chatting being done.

One thing I've been working on is preparing for our church's Widows' Valentine Luncheon next month. I've been in charge of the windows' ministry for four going on five years now. It's been a blessing. I love planning the Valentine luncheons because that's the day the widows find out who their secret sisters are, and I get to decorate.

I've also been working on helping Sarah Holman promote her upcoming book, Fanny's Hope Chest. It has such a good message about giving up your dreams to God and letting Him do what is best for you.

And yes, I am still writing Lawrence & Lenexa. I'm about to hand 8k over to my editor. But I have no idea how many thousand words are left of this story.

 Now here's the final part of Beyond Comfort. I have no idea what I'll post next.

 

Beyond Comfort

Part 5

    With a tip of her head, Cherish studied the face of the one who held her. Then, when the song was done, she looked around and reached out for Jessica again.
    “She doesn’t like my singing,” Melody remarked, handing the child over.
    Jessica laughed and rubbed noses with Cherish. “Sure she does. She just has to decide that, don’t you silly girl?”
    There was no answering smile on the girl’s face, but Jessica didn’t expect any.

    To Jessica, the days flew by faster than any days in her life. Cherish became her almost constant attachment either to her hip or her arms. It was Jessica who helped Cherish take her first steps. A few smiles were finally coaxed from the tiny girl by Jessica’s persistent efforts, and under Jessica’s care the child began to gain some weight.
    “Jess,” Eric asked one evening as he walked beside his sister and Jessica back to the guest house, “what is going to happen when we have to go back to the States?”
    Tears welled up in Jessica’s eyes, and for a moment she couldn’t answer. “I . . . I’m trying to get Cherish used to others, but it’s hard. She clings to me so tightly and–” she broke off unable to finish.
    “You’d take her home with you, wouldn’t you?” Melody asked, slipping an arm through Jessica’s.
    “In a heartbeat.”

    The day for goodbye came sooner than Jessica wanted. She clung to Cherish and tears raced down her cheeks. “I love you, Baby,” she whispered. “Jyeh Jyeh will always, always love you.” She used the Chinese name for big sister unconsciously for all the children had started using it for her. “I’ll come back as soon as I can. Be a good little girl, Cherish, and always know that Jesus loves you even more than I do.”
    Reluctantly, she handed the child to Miss Pendleton and with a final kiss on the baby’s cheek, she ran from the door and down the path, joining the rest of her team just as they boarded the bus for the next city and the airport. Tears blurred her sight, and she was thankful Melody didn’t ask her any direct questions.

*

    Months passed. Jessica video-called with her friends at the orphanage as often as she could and got to see Cherish, but it wasn’t the same, and after every call she would fling herself onto her bed and cry. She knew she couldn’t adopt the small girl, and she knew her parents couldn’t do it either, but still her heart longed to hold little Cherish in her arms again. “I have to go back to China again,” she told herself.
    But the first opportunity for a trip overseas was at a time when Jessica was unable to go. She e-mailed Melody, with whom she had remained in contact, and begged her for new pictures of “her girl.”

    Then one Sunday before church had started, Jessica turned from a few words with one of the older ladies and froze. A small child with black hair and a round face was looking around from the arms of some visitors. It looked just like Cherish. But it couldn’t be, could it?
    “Cherish?” Jessica gasped, walking closer as though in a daze. “Cherish.”
    The small head turned, dark eyes fastened on her, and the child almost pitched out of the arms which held her while a baby cry of “Jyeh Jyeh!” turned many heads.
    But Jessica didn’t notice. Her arms had reached out, and the next moment she was hugging the little girl who had stolen her heart and crying tears of joy. Cherish, delighted to be with Jessica again, laughed, patted her face, hugged and kissed her, and laughed some more.
    “Aren’t you going to say hello to us too?” A merry voice asked.
    Jessica used a free hand to brush back her tears. “Melody?” She hugged her friend with one arm. “Eric? What are you– How–” She shook her head, laughed through her tears, and hugged Cherish again.
    “In a few words, the whole family is here. We’ve adopted Cherish, and we’ve just moved to your town,” Melody answered with a laugh.
    Jessica stared speechless.
    The sound of the piano caught her attention, and she looked toward where the rest of her family were gathering. There were enough chairs for their visitors, she hoped. “We should sit down.”
    “Before you fall down from shock,” Melody whispered.
    Still holding Cherish, Jessica walked in a daze to her seat. Her two sisters leaned over to touch the small girl and smile at her. Vaguely she noticed Melody, Eric, and their family sitting down in the same row. She couldn’t believe they were there. They had moved, and adopted Cherish. “That means I can watch her grow up,” Jessica thought, giving the little one another hug.
    Suddenly, she leaned over to Melody and whispered, “I didn’t even ask if it was all right if I held Cherish during church!”
    Eric leaned across his sister and answered, “It’s okay. We already knew you’d probably need to hold her.”
    Satisfied, Jessica tried to pay attention to the songs and announcements, but the warm little body of the child who had stolen her heart completely was somewhat distracting, and she had to keep fighting back her happy tears. When the sermon started, Cherish nestled her head under Jessica’s chin and fell asleep.

*

    I was jerked from my memories by my husband’s kiss.
    “Are we going to eat or just smell the food?” he teased.
    I laughed. “Let’s eat. If you’ll carry the spaghetti sauce, Eric, I’ll put Jillian’s bib on her.”
    Eric agreed quickly, and soon we were seated at the table celebrating our oldest daughter’s birthday. We didn’t know if it was her real birthday, but it was the day we had chosen for her when we adopted her from China five years earlier. Now she was six.
    “Mama,” Jinan said, picking up her fork and preparing to dig into her favorite meal, “Is Aunt Cherry coming over after supper?”
    “Yes.” I thought about my husband’s adopted little sister. Cherish had been the flower girl in our wedding, and was the children’s favorite playmate. I looked over at Eric. “All this because I said yes to going beyond the borders of my comfort, my country, and my known world.”
    “Have you ever regretted it?”
    I shook my head. “Never.”

 Have you ever looked back at hard things and seen blessing?

Are you interested in reading Lawrence & Lenexa?

Have you read any good books lately?