Provider - Part 2

 Hello,

 I don't know if anyone is reading this story, but here's the next part.

 

 Provider

Part 2

    “And Ems, well, we already knew so many Hannahs, and I have a sister named Hannah, and it was just awkward trying to always have to use a middle name or last name, but her birthday is in May, and I thought of using that, but then I had a niece who was named May, so that was out.”
    How quickly Thia talked!
    “But May starts with the letter M and that sounds like Em, so she became Ems because apparently I like to end some names with an S.”
    “I see.” Heidi wasn’t sure she really saw, but another explanation was likely to just confuse her even more, so she smiled like it made complete sense and ate the last of her energy bar. She had hoped to study a little before her next class, but she didn’t want to appear rude.
    “Heidi said she’d tutor me in English Lit.” Thia was talking to the other girls, but instantly Lyds and Ems turned to Heidi.
    “Will you tutor me too?
    “And me? I had a tutor,” Ems said, “but she didn’t really do any tutoring. She mostly just sat there on her phone and expected me to learn everything on my own. Not fun.”
    Thia looked at Heidi. “Maybe you could tutor us all together. We will promise to work hard.”
    Heidi looked at the girls. She had just prayed that morning for the Lord to provide, and here was a chance to tutor not one but three girls. And in her favorite subject! “I can try it with all three at once,” she began. “But I don’t know if you’ll all need the same kind of help or not.”
    “Well, I’m not in English Lit,” Cherry began, “but can I come and hang out too when you do it? If I’m not busy. I like having company around when I study.”
    Heidi shrugged. “I don’t mind. When shall we start?”
    “Hmm, good question. When’s your last class tomorrow?” Thia pulled out her phone and the other girls did too.
    Feeling somewhat embarrassed because she only had an old fashioned flip phone, Heidi reached into her backpack and pulled out a small notebook that held her schedule and other info she might need. “My last class is at two, so I should be done by around three.”
    “That works for me.”
    “Yep.”
    “I can do that too,” Lyds said. “Where do you want to do it?”
    “Too hard to do it at the library with three of us,” Thia said. “I’d offer my house, but tomorrow we have painters coming, and the place will no doubt smell awful.”
    “Why not right here?” Ems suggested.
    The other agreed, and Heidi nodded, trying not to frown at her headache. “We should probably exchange numbers in case something needs to change.” She opened her notebook to a new sheet of lined paper and slid it across to Thia along with a pen.
    Each girl wrote her name and phone number down, including Cherry.
    The four girls chatted to each other and Heidi a few more minutes before they all scattered to get to their next class.
    Somehow those few minutes had brightened Heidi’s day. Yes, her head still ached, and she didn’t have more food, but soon she would. And she had made not one, but four new friends. Mrs. Almstead had sent Thia to find her, but God must have prompted Mrs. Almstead. Even the dreary drizzle didn’t seem so forlorn to her when after her final class she pulled her hood up and started for home.

    The next morning she toasted her last waffle and drank the last of her milk. Lunch was a problem. She didn’t have money to buy lunch on campus, nor did she have time to go to a grocery store and pick up a loaf of bread.
    “What do I do, Father?” she prayed. “I can’t exactly take uncooked beans or rice, and I can’t make ramen for lunch. If I didn’t have tutoring, I’d just come home and eat early. Do I have anything I can eat to tide me over until I get home?”
    Her search of the cabinets revealed nothing. “I don’t even have an apple or a carrot!”
    She thought of her brother and his wealth. He was making plenty of money but would never dream of sharing it with his sister.
    “He did pay for our supper when he was here,” she argued with herself. “And it was a large supper, and I had enough for lunch the next two days. I’m sure he just didn’t know.”
    Suddenly a faint memory of putting a granola bar into her purse some time ago came to her mind. Running into her room, she grabbed her purse and started digging. Sure enough, there it was. Rather beat up but unopened.
    “Thank you, Father! You do provide!”
    With a grateful heart, Heidi tucked the small bar into her backpack and set off for school. The rain had ceased to fall, and although it was still chilly, the sun was trying to peek through the lingering clouds.

    Heidi didn’t see Thia or any of her friends that day at lunch, so she ate her small granola bar and studied.
    At three, she found the table they had eaten at before and sat down. Her head ached, and if she hadn’t needed the money to buy groceries, she would have texted the girls and cancelled, even if it took her forever to text on her cheap flip-phone.
    “Hi! Where are the others?”
    Heidi looked up to find Cherry standing beside the table. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen them yet. Maybe their class ran late.”
    “Or Thia got stuck talking. She does. And Lyds is often late for one reason or another, but I thought Ems would be here by now.” Cherry sat down. “I’ll text ‘em and see where they are.” Without waiting for Heidi to reply, she whipped out her phone.
    Heidi took the moment to massage her forehead a little.
    “Are you okay? You look like you’re not feeling well.”
    Dropping her hand, Heidi forced herself to smile. “Just a headache. I sometimes get one with weather like this.”
    “Yeah, the weather is enough to give anyone a headache. Do you need something? Water? Food? Tylenol? Do you want to cancel the tutoring today?”
    How Heidi wanted to say “I need a paycheck so I can get some food and eat again,” but she shook her head. “I’ll be okay.”