An Adventure - Part 3

 

 

 An Adventure
Part 3

    John laughed. “I like the sound of that, Randee!” He looked up ahead. “Except they are watching us at the moment. Come on, guys, let’s get going.”
    At last we were at the top. The view was great, but Tom and I were more interested in eating than in the view. Thankfully it didn’t take long to get the food out, and soon we were all eating. I don’t know why, but I’m always twice as hungry when we eat outside. But Mom and Aunt Angie must have remembered that for there was plenty of food. We didn’t even eat it all.
    Mom and Aunt Angie, with help from Lisa, packed up the coolers, and then Aunt Angie wanted to take pictures of us.
    “It’s the perfect time of day and year!” she begged. “And Jay will want to see them, you know he will, Shannon.”
    Mom gave in. Dad would want to see pictures of us, but it would have been even better if he had been there.
    Aunt Angie took a few individual shots, then some of all us kids, and then she began taking some of us with Mom. “Hmm, let’s change spots,” she said, after looking at her camera screen. “The lighting is just perfect from this angle.” Soon she had us positioned with our backs toward the path we came up. After arranging us just right, she snapped a couple pictures, then got down on her knees with her camera at a different angle. “All of you look at each other. Come on, I thought you liked each other!”
    This made us laugh.
    “Here,” Aunt Angie said, standing up, “what do you think of this one? I think it’s the best.”
    We all leaned in to look. It did look good. We were all laughing and–
    Suddenly Mom gave a gasp, almost shoved Lisa away, and sprang up.
    That’s when I noticed. There was another person in the picture. A man in army fatigues stood behind us, a huge smile on his face.
    “Dad!”
    I was a little late, for Mom was already in Dad’s arms.
    In a moment he was surrounded by all of us kids, and hugs, tears, laughter, and talk followed. Dad gave me a bear hug, and I fought back my tears. He was home!
    “Angie, did you know about this?” Mom demanded, clinging to Dad’s arm after the commotion had died down.
    “Yeah.” Aunt Angie didn’t look the least bit sorry. “It made some great photos. I was just afraid he wouldn’t arrive before the light was gone.” She came over and hugged dad. “Welcome home, brother.”
    “Thanks for setting it up, sis.” Dad winked at me. “I won’t have any more chances to surprise them.”
    “What do you mean?” I asked.
    Mom stared at Dad.
    “I’ve retired from the army.”
    “What?”
    “I’m home for good.”
    “Really?” Mom’s voice wasn’t quite steady.
    “Yep.” Dad kissed her.
    We gathered the coolers and blankets and headed down the path to the part of the park where the swings and climbing things were and spent half an hour running off steam. Bob, Joe, David, Tom, and I played freeze tag while Lisa sometimes joined us, and sometimes ran back to sit in Dad’s lap for a few minutes.
    “Bob, Joe, David!” Dad’s voice rang out across the park. “Tom, Randee! Load ‘em up!”
    There was a race to the car which Tom won. Bob, Joe, David, and Lisa scrambled into their seats while Tom and I helped make sure we had all the jackets, water bottles, coolers, and that Aunt Angie had her blankets back. Then we also climbed in. I didn’t ride shot gun. That’s where Mom rode, and Dad was behind the wheel.
    “Bob, Joe, David, you three buckled?” Dad asked.
    “Yes, sir.”
    The engine started, and Dad pulled out of the park onto the road. We were going home as a complete family. For good. I smiled in the darkness. It was good to have Dad home again. And I was actually looking forward to seeing the pictures Aunt Angie took of us on our best adventure.

An Adventure - Part 2

 Hey!

Glad you came back! I'm really busy with lots of filing and voting people. Not much time for anything else. Oh, and I'm grading papers and preparing to teach writing class again today. But I don't have to work on Monday, so a 3 day weekend will be wonderful! I already have a list of things I need to get done.

Anyway, enjoy this next part. 

 

An Adventure
Part 2

    Our shoes thudded on the wooden stairs. “What do you need, Mom?”
    Looking up from redoing one of Lisa’s pigtails, Mom glanced at us. It only takes Mom two seconds to know if we’ve cleaned up or not. “Those shirts look good on you boys. Carry out the two coolers to the suburban, please. Then make sure everyone has jackets. Oh, and Randee, will you check and see if the blankets got put back in?”
    “Sure, Mom.” I wanted to ask where we were going, but Mom never said until we were all in the vehicle and on our way. Maybe that was a ploy to keep anyone from trying to get out of whatever we were doing. I picked up the larger cooler and shoved the screen door open with my hip.
    Tom followed with the smaller one.
    “Hmm,” I said softly, “two coolers, jackets, and making sure the blankets are in the car. Think we’re going to be star gazing?”
    “Maybe. It might be rather fun.”
    “Well, it’s a clear night for it,” I said.
    Opening the back of the suburban, I checked for the two emergency blankets we always kept in the vehicle. Yep, they were there, rolled up and ready. Our last trip had ended with a sudden downpour, and we’d spread the blankets over the seats to ride home requiring us to hang them out to dry in the sun the next day.
    After loading the coolers, Tom and I found jackets for everyone and put them in the suburban too. Returning to the house, we waited in the kitchen with Lisa. She didn’t know where we were going either.
    Soon Mom and the boys joined us.
    “The dogs put up?” Mom asked. “Chickens taken care of?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Then let’s get going. Everyone grab your water bottles.” She pointed to the counter where they all stood neatly in a row.
    There was a rush, a clatter of boots and water bottles, and a few calls for “shot gun!”
    “Randee is riding shot gun,” Mom called over her shoulder as she pulled the kitchen door shut and made sure it was locked. “I might need him. You boys get in the back. Tom and Lisa in the middle.”
    It was where we usually rode, but now and then Mom would let someone else ride in the front with her.
    Seatbelts clicked into place and the engine started. The suburban wheels crunched on the gravel until we reached the road and turned onto the blacktop. Then it was time to ask.
    “Where are we going, Mom?” I asked.
    “Aunt Angie invited us to join her and John at a park they discovered. The directions are on the yellow paper, Randee. You’ll have to navigate for me once we get out on the highway.”
    I picked up the paper. Mom’s navigating skills weren’t the best, and after trying to use that fake person on her phone telling her where to go and getting her completely lost, she always goes to a map and plots out her route. Then Tom and I take turns being the navigator. Unless we’re just having an adventure, and then Tom and I have to figure out how to get us home again, which is kind of fun because we aren’t always sure.
    Of course, when Dad’s home no one needs a navigator of any kind. Dad just seems to know where things are. Even if he’s never been there before. He might look at a map for a couple minutes and then he’s never lost. And sometimes he doesn’t even need a map.
    The drive wasn’t short, and the younger ones played the alphabet game and the “I’m going to Argentina and I’m taking apples for my lunch” game. It got quite hilarious because of what they said they were bringing for their lunch. I gave Mom the right directions at the right time, and we found the hidden park right where Aunt Angie said it would be.
    We found Aunt Angie too. She had brought her fiancé, John, with her.
    “Hey, guys!” Aunt Angie greeted us, giving hugs freely and talking as she hugged. “We’ll have to take our food on a little hike. There’s a perfectly lovely spot up on the hill with a view of the river and the trees. And the trees are almost at their peak and look so pretty! You all did bring jackets, though, right? Good. There’s a picnic table up there. John, can you, Randee, and Tom get the food? Bob, Joe, David, get the blankets from my car. Yep, those are the ones. Shannon, we might have to help carry water bottles.”
    “Why’d you bring your camera?” Lisa asked.
    “I always bring my camera,” Aunt Angie replied. “I like taking pictures.”
    “The boys don’t like having their pictures taken,” Lisa reported.
    “Well, maybe they won’t mind if I take them.”
    Tom and I had lugged our coolers out of the suburban. I hadn’t known we’d have to carry them anywhere. Oh, well. We could manage.
    It turned out to be quite a climb to get to the picnic table Aunt Angie had in mind. Bob, Joe, and David didn’t have much trouble since all they carried were a few blankets. But Tom and I had to stop a few times. John did too.
    “We should have brought along a mule,” John said with a grin. “Or eaten supper at the cars and then hiked up here.”
    “We’ll be plenty hungry when we get there,” I replied. “Hey, maybe we should just lighten the load and eat something now.”
    John laughed. “I like the sound of that, Randee!” He looked up ahead. “Except they are watching us at the moment. Come on, guys, let’s get going.” 

Have you ever had a picnic at a new park?

Do you like knowing where you are going?

Or do you like being surprised?

An Adventure - Part 1

 Hello!

 Life is busy! I got called into work at the County Clerk's Office a week before I was scheduled to come in. Which means . . . I'm working the entire month of October! I thought I'd have this week to write, but so far I only wrote on Monday (started work Tuesday). I'm trying to get into a pattern for work, grading papers and preparing for the writing class I'm teaching, keeping up with emails, posting on Instagram, and other home things. So far I haven't gotten any pattern figured out yet. I've been doing lots and lots of filing so my shoulders, neck, and back are sore. 

Anyway, today's story is the first part of a 3 part story. I took the names, every one of them, from the ballot in August. I worked after the election helping certify the ballots which meant hand counting several hundred ballots and the boys names were all names that were in a row. We said them so many times we decided they must be a family. And that's how the story started.

 

An Adventure
Part 1

    “Bob, Joe, David!” Mom’s voice rang out from the house and across the large yard and into the trees beyond. “You boys get inside and clean up your room!”
    I looked at my younger brothers. “You seriously didn’t clean your room this morning, guys?”
    “We were going to–” Joe began.
    “Going to isn’t the same as getting it done,” I cut in. “Better go do it.”
    With groans and sighs, Bob, Joe, and David, ages ten, nine, and eight pushed out from our fort and trudged toward the house.
    “Tom, Randee!” Mom’s voice came again. “Better start on the chores and get the dogs put up.”
    “Coming, Mom!” I shouted back. “Let’s go, Tom. Come on, Lisa.” Tom was thirteen and I was fourteen. Lisa, our little tag-along sister, was almost six.
    It was Friday afternoon. We didn’t usually start chores this early, but maybe Mom thought it would take Tom and I longer since the three boys had to clean their room. Had it been some other job than our usual evening chores of taking care of the two horses, the chickens, and the dogs, I might have grumbled, but I like the animals.
    Leaving the shade of the trees, Tom and I jogged across the yard toward the barn with Lisa following like a shadow. As the only girl, and a rather cute one with brown pigtails, big brown eyes, and a few freckles over her nose, she was spoiled and teased and loved and bossed around by all of us boys. She stood it all pretty well and could give as well as she got most of the time. At least as well as someone her size and age could give. There were times when she’d pull the trump card and threaten to tell Mom if one of us wasn’t being nice, but she almost never did.
    “Lisa, I need you in the house!” Mom called again.
    I glanced over at Tom and gave a slight grin. If Lisa wasn’t around, we would get the chores done faster.
    “I’ve got the chickens,” Tom said, knowing that while I liked animals, putting the feathered fowls to bed was my least favorite job.
    “Thanks.” I jogged to the pasture and whistled for the horses. Since the weather was getting colder in the evenings, we’d started putting them in the barn for the night.
    It wasn’t until I was latching the gate of the dog’s kennel that it dawned on me just how early it was and how odd that we were doing chores already. And it wasn’t just the chores. We only put up the dogs if it was time for bed, company was coming over, or we were leaving.
    “Hey, Tom,” I called, striding over to my brother who had just finished taking care of the chickens. “Do you remember Mom saying anything about anyone coming over or us going somewhere?”
    Tom secured the door and shook his head. “Don’t remember anything. Why?”
    “It’s not even five-thirty, why did she tell us to put the dogs up?”
    He shrugged. Tom wasn’t much for talking if it wasn’t necessary.
    “Race you to the house.”
    Tom and I were even until the last few yard, then Tom pulled ahead. I can beat him in wrestling or anything to do with heavy lifting, but he always beats when it comes to speed.
    Inside the old farmhouse kitchen, we found Mom and Lisa bustling around packing a cooler.
    “Are we going somewhere, Mom?” I asked, eyeing the food already packed.
    “Yes.” She lifted her head and looked us both up and down. “Change your shirts and wash up. And check in on the boys, will you?”
    “Sure.” We left the kitchen and took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. Tom headed right to our room to change while I made a stop at the boy’s room. Funny to think that we all called Bob, Joe, and David “the boys” even though Tom and I are boys too. That’s just the way it was though.
    “Bob, Joe, David,” I scolded, finding them messing around instead of cleaning up. “Get this room cleaned up. Mom said we’re going somewhere tonight.”
    “Where, Randee?” David asked.
    “I don’t know. Mom didn’t say. Now get to work.” I waited a moment until I was sure they were actually working and then went to the room Tom and I shared. Tom was already buttoning a clean flannel shirt, and I grabbed one from the closet.
    “Where do you think we’re going?” Tom asked.
    “No telling. You know Mom.”
    Mom was always coming up with random things for us to do or places to go. Sometimes we’d take a picnic into the woods on our land, or drive to a local park. We’ve picked up trash in Grandma and Grandpa’s neighborhood before, and another time we drove two hours and went hiking at a state park and ate our supper in the parking lot. I used to think it was to take our minds off Dad being away on deployment, but we do random things when he’s home too. Maybe Mom just likes spontaneity.
    “Bob, Joe, David, your room had better be cleaned up in two minutes because I’m going to come check it,” Mom called up the stairs.
    I shared a grin with Tom. It was almost never just Bob, or Joe, or David. They were usually called together. It was almost as though they shared a joint name: Bob Joe David. Sometimes our last name of Manning was tagged onto the end if they were in trouble or about to be in trouble.
    Mom’s voice interrupted my thoughts as I tucked in my shirt. “Tom, Randee, I could use you down here.”
    Our shoes thudded on the wooden stairs. “What do you need, Mom?” 

 

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Bless Her Heart

 Good morning!

Happy March! Today I have a story that NONE of you have read. This story was just something I sat down and wrote. I had the first line in my head and then sort of knew the ending, but I wasn't sure what happened. It's not a long story. And no, I didn't ask any of my Southern friends for help with the accents, so if I didn't get them write, blame me. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little piece.

 

Bless Her Heart

    “Ya’ll gottta do somethin’ with him, honey. He ain’t like other boys.”
    Mrs. Thornton smiled at Mrs. Holland’s well meaning words as she looked over at Jared. She was right. Jared wasn’t like other boys his age. He was hurt, angry, afraid.
    “My husband says,” Mrs. Angelina added, her southern accent just as strong as Mrs. Holland’s, “what that boy needs is a strong hand and a good lickin’. Of course, we ain’t blamin’ ya’ll, honey.  Why bless yer heart! We know you ain’t got the strength ta do it, you bein’ such a little thing yerself, and your husband bein’ out a town. Someone’s got ta take that boy in hand though. My husband said he don’t like mixin’ in other folks business, but under the circumstances, ya’ll understand, he’d come over any time and tend to the boy. Ya’ll jest give him a call, honey.”
    Mrs. Thornton opened her mouth but was given no chance to reply.
    “Now don’t you go an’ thank me,” Mrs. Angelina went on. “It’s the least we can do after ya’ll took in that poor orphan. Why bless your heart!”
    “And,” Mrs. Holland added, “if her Robert ain’t around when ya’ll need him, honey, my Albin won’t mind bein’ called. He knows all about boys. We had two of ‘em. Big, strong, strappin’ fellows they are too. Albin may be retired, ya’ll know, but I reckon he could still handle a boy like that one, bless his heart.” Mrs. Holland nodded in Jared’s direction.
    It was all Mrs. Thornton could do to keep her face and voice calm. “Thank you both, but I won’t be calling on your husbands for such service. Now if you’ll excuse me please, I think it’s time Jared and I headed home.”
    Both ladies murmured polite good-byes, but Mrs. Thornton heard one of them say to the other as she walked away, “Bless her heart, she doesn’t know how to deal with a boy like him.”
    “I know. Bless her heart.”
    “Lord, I didn’t know I’d need so much patience just for a visit to the park.” Mrs. Thornton gave an inward sigh and walked over to where Jared was standing sullenly by the swing set staring at the ground. Gently she brushed his shoulder with her hand. “Let’s walk home along the path by the stream, shall we?”
    Without a word, the boy turned and shuffled off beside her, his head down and his hands shoved in his pockets.
    Jared hadn’t always been like this, Marissa Thornton remembered. No, her nephew used to be a happy baby and a bright toddler. Then he lost his mother, and his father turned to drink to ease his pain, instead of to the Lord. This had wrecked the happy home the boy had lived in, and he faced hunger, cold, and his father’s quick temper. As Jared’s only living relatives, the Thorntons had opened their home to the boy when his own father had ended up dead. They were determined to show him a home filled with Christ’s love.
    It wasn’t easy. Jared often lashed out in anger when he didn’t understand or felt threatened, but never once had his new family lifted a hand against him or raised a voice in anger. Noah and Mariah prayed and loved and prayed some more. No one else seemed to understand what the boy had been through. They offered well meaning advice, but Mariah knew the scars that Jared bore were not just on his body, but on his heart as well.
    Walking along the path, Mariah was silent. Her heart was angered over the women’s comments and aching for some sign of love from the boy she now called her son.
    “Jared, look!” she whispered, leaning closer to him and pointing.
    Down by the creek a mother deer stood with her fawn. Neither acted afraid or even nervous at being watched by the silent humans on the path near them. They drank from the trickling water and then picked their way back into the woods and disappeared.
    “They weren’t afraid of us,” Mariah breathed.
    Jared looked up. “You wouldn’t hurt them.” The words were a statement, casual and calm. Then Jared did something he’d never done since he had come to live with his aunt and uncle. He slipped his hand into Mariah’s.
    Tears blurred Mariah’s vision as she gave the hand a gentle squeeze.
    Neither one said a word the rest of the way home.

*

    “Mama.”
    The quiet voice roused Mariah Thornton from her dreams. Opening her eyes, she smiled at the tall manly form sitting beside her bed. “Jared. What are you doing here?”
    His gentle fingers rested on her wrist a moment. “How are you feeling, Mama? Dad said you weren’t well.”
    “I’m all right, son. I didn’t sleep well last night. I think I ate too many of my granddaughter’s cookies.” Her eyes held mirth. “And then I got to remembering and fell asleep.”
    Jared’s hand held her old, wrinkled one. “Remembering what?”
    “Many years ago. It must have been a few months after you came to us. We had gone to the park. Dad was out of town. We saw the deer when we walked home.”
    “I remember that day.”
    “You do?” Mariah turned surprised eyes to the man sitting near her.
    “Yes. I overheard what those ladies were telling you.”
    “Oh, Jared!”
    “And,” he went on, his thumb gently rubbing her hand, “I heard what you told them. It was the first time that I felt sure I was safe. Thank you, Mama.”
    “For what?”
    “For taking me in. For seeing behind my anger to the hurt little boy that I was, and loving me. You and Dad never gave up on me. You prayed and hoped and believed, and most of all, you showed me Christ. For that I can never thank you enough.”
    Mrs. Thornton raised a hand to her son’s face. “Oh, Jared, I thank God every day for you and for your sweet and lovely wife, and for the grandchildren who brighten my days.” She started to sit up. “Now, it’s time I got up out of this bed.”
    “Not yet, Mama,” Jared said, a smile on his lips but a firm look in his eyes as he eased her back. “Dad was talking about taking you to the hospital, but he agreed to let me look at you first. You have him worried.”
    Mrs. Thornton smiled. “Dad’s always worrying over me, son.” Her eyes began to twinkle. “Or maybe he just uses it as an excuse for you to put in practice all those things you learned in medical school. Well, you needn’t bother. I’m just fine now. Just the sight of your face and the feel of your hand slipping into mine like it did so many years ago makes me feel better.”
    Jared smiled, kissed her cheek, and said, “Nevertheless . . .”

Did you enjoy this story?

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Provider - Part 5

 Good morning!

Writing camp is busy. Tomorrow is the official first day of camp. Lots of words will start to get written then. Some are being written now, but they don't count for July's goals.

It's been HOT here the last few days. Yesterday was 105º. Ugh. We stayed inside. 

This is the final part of this story. I hope you enjoy it. I don't have any other story to share next, so you might have to wait a bit. Thanks for reading!

 

 Provider

Part 5

    It was Cherry’s voice.
    “Yeah.” Heidi wasn’t sure if she had actually answered outloud until she heard what sounded like sighs of relief.
    “Just relax.”
    That was not one of the four girls. It had to be a man. Forcing her eyes open, Heidi fought against the whirling sensation and blinked until things came into focus. She was lying on the floor, and several people were standing around.
    “How do you feel?” It was the young man’s voice, and she slowly moved her eyes to his face.
    “I’m okay. I must have leaned down or tried to get back up too quickly.” She started to sit up, but the young man and Cherry both ordered her to stay still.
    “Your face is still really pale, Heidi. Better do as Neil says. Oh, he’s my brother. He was studying at a table on the other side of the room.”
    Heidi closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.
    “Did you eat lunch?” Neil asked.
    “Yeah. A little.”
    “And breakfast?”
    “Uh huh.”
    “What did you eat?”
    Heidi hesitated. She didn’t want to admit that she’d fallen asleep before she could get the check cashed and buy groceries, or the girls might feel bad. “I’m okay. Really. I just need a drink.”
    Cherry got her water bottle and along with her brother helped her sit up slowly so she could drink.
    “Sorry about the interruption. I really am okay.”
    “Do you have any food allergies?” Neil asked.
    Heidi shook her head and regretted it the next second as her head began to throb. “No, but I’m okay. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to tutoring.”
    “Heidi–” Cherry began but stopped short.
    “Why don’t we all go back to your place, you can rest and eat if you need to, and if we need help, we can ask,” Ems suggested.
    Heidi wanted to refuse. But she did need to eat, and her head pounded. If she didn’t agree to it, then she’d have to give part of that check away.
    The girls had their stuff gathered in record time, and Thia grabbed Heidi’s bag. “I’ll carry this.”
    “Here. Eat this on the way.” Neil pushed a protein bar into Heidi’s hand. “See that she does, Sis,” he remarked in lower tones to Cherry. “And Dad doesn’t go to work until six.”
    Heidi didn’t have the energy to give more than a passing thought of wonder as to why Neil was telling his sister when their dad went to work. Her hands shook as she tried to open the package of the protein bar, but Lyds noticed and did it for her.
    “Thanks.”
    “Of course.”
    Thia had gone to bring her car up front, and the girls all climbed in. Wearily Heidi leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She would take another bite in a minute and then tell the girls where she lived. Where she lived? She cringed. It was so small and bare and dreary. They wouldn’t want to go there!
    “The sun is out,” she remarked. “We could finish at a park.”
    “Nope.” Thia drove like she knew where she was going. “Listen, Heidi, it doesn’t matter to us where you live. We want to make sure you are all right since we feel kind of responsible for what happened today.”
    “Oh, but you shouldn’t–”
    “Eat,” Cherry reminded her gently.
    Heidi took another bite.
    Thia pulled into a parking space at the apartment building, and everyone climbed out. Heidi was still feeling shaky and was grateful for Cherry and Thia’s support.
    They got her inside and helped her to her room to lie down. Then Ems came to the bedroom door.
    “Heidi, did something happen to the check Thia gave you yesterday?”
    “No. I was going to cash it. But I made the mistake of coming home first and I fell asleep.” She moved a hand to rub her aching head. “The check’s in the zipper pocket of my backpack.”
    She heard murmured voices in the next room but lay still because any time she moved the room began moving too. The front door shut, and then someone came back to the bedside. Opening her eyes, she saw Cherry. “Where are the others? We need to study.”
    “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
    “No.”
    “Then we can all study then. You can tutor Thia, Ems, and Lyds, and I’ll tutor you. But tonight you aren’t doing any more studying. You’re going to rest, and when the girls get back from grocery shopping, you are going to eat a proper supper. After that, we’ll see if you are well enough to stay here alone or if we kidnap you and take you somewhere else for the night.” She smiled as she spoke.
    “But–” Heidi wasn’t sure what to say. “You all don’t know me.”
    “Not very well yet,” Cherry admitted. “But Mrs. Almstead does, and we are all sisters in Christ.”
    Tears filled Heidi’s eyes. “Thank you.” It felt inadequate, but she couldn’t say more.

*

    One week later.
    Heidi smiled as she pulled out her journal before settling into bed for the night. She wrote the date and then wrote:
    “The Lord is my Provider. I have tested it, tried it, and proved it true. He provided friends, food, and” –she smiled, thinking over Cherry’s remarks that Friday afternoon– “family. Sisters in Christ. And He provided a tutor when I needed one, and girls who need me to tutor them.”
    Closing the journal, she turned out her little lamp and settled down on her pillow. “Mrs. Almstead was right. The Bible is true.”
 

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Provider - Part 4

 Good morning!

It's still been nice enough before 7 to go walk, but it warms up very quickly. 

I've been staying busy with camp prep, blog post planning, and writing. Along with other life things. I'm going to keep this very short since I'm sure you didn't get on here to read me rambling. You came to read the next part of this story. There's one more part after this. Enjoy!

 

 Provider

Part 4

    Breakfast wasn’t anything spectacular, but it wasn’t the worst thing she could have eaten either. She made her lunch, wishing she had just a little something else to put in with the ramen.
    “It’s what I have and I’ll be thankful,” she said aloud.
    Shouldering her backpack, she left her apartment, locked the door, and started for school. The sky was a little brighter, but the wind blew. Heidi shivered and squinted up at the sky, hoping the winds would blow the clouds away and let the sun shine again.
    Her first class went well, but the second one was difficult. She had hoped the tutoring she had gotten would help her understand things, but she just wasn’t getting it. Class ended, and slowly she began closing her notebook, wondering if she should find a different tutor or if–
    “Miss Sandler.”
    Startled, Heidi looked up to find the professor, a gray haired man, standing near her. “Yes, sir?”
    “I have been noticing that you always take notes by hand on paper instead of on a laptop. To a man of my age, that’s refreshing. But you seem to be having difficulty with the course. Do I talk too quickly for you?”
    “No, sir. I learned speed writing when I was young.”
    “Speed writing? May I see your notes?”
    Puzzled, Heidi flipped open her notebook and handed it to the professor.
    “Amazing! And who taught you this?”
    “I learned it on my own, sir. I found an old book of it once and decided to try it. I discovered I enjoyed it and have done it ever since.”
    “Well.” He handed the book back to her. “We’ve discovered your problem isn’t my speed of talking. Are you having trouble with the subject?”
    Heidi nodded. “I’m just not understanding some things, and that means I’m not getting the later things.”
    “Have you tried a tutor?”
    She nodded.
    “Who?”
    She gave the name.
    “No. She may understand this class, but she’s no tutor. She understands it with her brain but not her head. In other words, she can’t teach what she only knows as surface knowledge. I think you need someone who can help you get to the root of it all and who actually knows it with a knowledge that will last longer than her final exam. Now let me see, who would be good?” He pondered a moment as Heidi waited. “I have it. You really need Agape Millsap.”
    “Who?”
    “Agape Millsap. She’s in her second year here, attends my second course. Someone could probably get you in touch with her. I’ll have to get ready for my next class, but Miss Sandler, if I may be so bold, get some rest this weekend. You look exhausted.”
    “I will, sir. Thank you.” Heidi put away her notebook and rose. Everyone had left the room including the professor, and Heidi gave a short laugh. “No one has ever been amazed by my speed writing before.”

    By the time three o’clock rolled around, Heidi felt miserable. She’d discovered that cold, soggy ramen was a poor substitute for even a peanut butter sandwich, and she’d barely been able to stomach half of the small portion she’d eaten. On top of that, one of the students who was supposed to be doing the group project with her had found her and informed her that the rest of them wanted to change the project. And it was due on Monday. Thankfully, one of the instructors had been passing in the hall, and Heidi, feeling desperate, had asked about changing. She wasn’t sure if this instructor had had experience with just that sort of “group project” or not, but she informed Heidi that if she wanted to complete the project they had started instead of starting something new, she had permission as long as she only used her own work. Then she had turned to the other student and said, “Just make sure your new project is completed and turned in on time. And Miss Sandler is not included.”
    That had been a good feeling at the time, but now Heidi was worried that she wouldn’t be able to do as good of a job or would get a lower grade because she didn’t have anyone to work with.
    “Something wrong?” Cherry’s concerned voice brought Heidi out of her thoughts.
    “Just this group project that’s now just my project.”
    “Oh, yeah. Those are hard. When’s it due?”
    “Monday.”
    “Oh. I’ll be praying for you.”
    “Thanks.” Heidi turned away to look for something in her backpack that she didn’t need, so she could hide the tears that filled her eyes. She wasn’t used to hearing people say they’d pray for her.
    “We’re here!” Thia’s voice made Heidi look up.
    “And only three minutes late,” Cherry said, looking up from her phone.
    “I think your phone is off, Cherry Millsap,” Thia flashed back with a grin.
    “I love it when you slap our nicknames together with our last names, Thia,” Ems laughed.
    Heidi turned at stared at Cherry. “Do you take Mr. Gregory’s second year course?”
    “Yes.”
    “Can you tutor me? He said you could. I tried someone else, and she just sat around and stared at her phone while I studied, and if I asked questions she rattled off things I didn’t understand.”
    “Sure. I’m free this evening if you want to start then.”
    This evening? Heidi didn’t know if she should agree or not.
    “Or we can do it another time.” Cherry must have sensed her hesitation.
    “I don’t know.”
    “Why don’t we talk more about it after you finish here. I’m sure Thia, Lyds and Ems are longing to dive into English Lit.” Her tone was exaggerated and teasing, and her friends laughed.
    Part way through the tutoring session, Heidi bent down to pick up her pencil that had dropped, and everything started spinning. She wasn’t sure if she was falling or if it was just another strange sensation. Voices, worried and concerned, were around her, but she couldn’t seem to concentrate on their words or open her eyes.
    Something cool was placed on her head, and hands touched her wrist.
    “Heidi, can you hear me? Don’t try to open your eyes if it makes you dizzy. I just need to know.”
 

What have you been busy with?

Have you been walking this week?

Do you have any plans for next week?

Provider - Part 3

 Good morning and happy Friday!

I'm not sure how it can be the middle of June already, but that's what the calendar says. I haven't gotten as much writing done this week as I had hoped, but I did have to stop and do some research a few times. I haven't been working on my secret project this week. Sorry. Monday's Mystery said it was time I work on it. So I am.

Anyway, enjoy this next part.

 

 Provider

Part 3

    Laughing voices announced the arrival of the other girls.
    “You’re late,” Cherry said, shaking her finger at her friends.
    “I know, and I’m so sorry, Heidi!” Thia slid into a chair. “One of the other students had a question about our group project that I had to answer.”
    “It’s okay. Let’s get started.”
    Heidi quickly found out that tutoring these three friends was fun but exhausting. If it wasn’t for Cherry’s reminder to her friends to “quiet down and get to work,” a few time, Heidi wasn’t sure how she would have lived through the session. As it was, when they had finished she gave an inward sigh of relief.
    “Can we have a session tomorrow?” Ems asked. “I promise I’ll come without Thia if I have to, but there’s a test next week, and I need all the help I can get right now.”
    Lyds and Thia instantly added their pleas for a session tomorrow.
    After checking schedules, they agreed to meet at the same time and place.
    “And don’t be late tomorrow,” Cherry said.
    “Promise!” Thia pulled out a blank check from her pocket. “Do you mind a check. I will pay for today and tomorrow at the same time, and next week I’ll make sure I have cash.”
    “That’s fine.”
    “Wait. Would you rather have us vinmo it to you?” Heidi must have given her a blank look, for Thia said, “Never mind. Let’s stick with a check.” She looked at her two friends. “Did you two bring cash, or do you want to vinmo me the money and I’ll just write one check.”
    “Oh, that would be good. I don’t carry cash,” Ems confessed. “It never occurred to me that I couldn’t vinmo the payment. Sorry, Heidi.”
    “It’s fine. I’m just not up on all that technology stuff.”
    “Put mine on the check too, Thia,” Lyds said. “Then she won’t have to cash two checks.”
    This was quickly done.
    “Thanks so much, Heidi! We’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Bye. Thanks.”
    Heidi gave a wave and a smile and put her things away.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” Cherry hadn’t left with the others.
    “Yeah. I’ll go home and eat something.”
    “And maybe take a nap too. That often helps my headaches. I’ll be praying for you.”
    “Thanks.”
    The walk home through the misty rain, was almost disheartening to Heidi. If she wasn’t feeling so light headed and dizzy, and if her head didn’t pound so hard, and if the bank and grocery store hadn’t been on the other side of her apartment, she would have gone to the bank, cashed the check, and then stopped at the grocery story for some food. “After I eat something,” she murmured to herself. “Then I’ll go to the bank and the store.”
    Never had the bare and almost dreary rooms of her tiny apartment looked so good to her. It was quiet. She could act as miserable as she felt, and no one would notice and question her.
    She started her last can of soup heating up then took off her shoes and put on her slippers, hung up her coat, and pulled a worn sweatshirt over her sweater. Maybe it wasn’t the most stylish thing to do, but it was warmer, and her apartment wasn’t known for being warm. Except in late spring when it felt more like summer outside.
    Once her soup was heated, Heidi ate it, enjoying the warmth. She closed her eyes for just a minute when the pan was empty. “I should have kept my shoes on,” she thought, resting her head on her arms. “Now I have to put them on again. What should I buy at the store? Bread. Eggs. Waffles. Soup. Something to put on the bread. What do I put on . . .”
    A crash of thunder startled her.
    She lifted her head and rotated her stiff shoulders. Her eyes fell on her watch and she gave a cry of dismay. The bank was closed. She’d fallen asleep, and now there was no way to get the check cashed until tomorrow!
    Rain began pattering against the window as though the clouds were crying with her.
    “What am I going to do, Lord?” she prayed in a whisper. “I have a little bit of beans and rice, and two packs of ramen, and that’s it. I’m trying to trust You to provide, but it’s really hard right now.” Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she gave a shiver as another crash of thunder seemed to shake the apartment.
    A part of verse she had memorized a few weeks ago came to her mind, and she repeated it out loud. “He prepareth a table before me.”
    Slowly, with a feeling of uncertainty, she rose and carried the empty and now cold pan to the sink. Then she looked into her cupboards once more.
    They were still the same. The fridge was still empty except for some salad dressing, a half filled bottle of catsup, and a little bit of maple syrup.
    Giving a sigh, she stood and leaned against the counter. “I can cook the rice for supper tonight. it’s not much, but I did just eat some soup. Then tomorrow I can cook a package of ramen noodles and eat them with syrup. I wonder how they will taste. But lunch . . .” She frowned. “Maybe I could cook the other ramen and eat it cold. People do make pasta salad and that gets eaten cold. It would be better than nothing. Then, no matter the weather, no matter how much my head aches, I’ll go to the bank first.”
    With this plan in place, Heidi got through her evening of studying, eating her small bit of supper, and working on her group project. She went to bed early in hopes that extra sleep would help her head.

How has June been for you?

Have you ever tutored?

Does rainy weather ever give you a headache?

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.”
 

Provider - Part 1

 Good morning and happy June!

I have another story for you. This one was written back in March during KDWC, but I didn't get it edited until just a few weeks ago. A few names might be recognized if you are also a KDWCer. :)

Life has been busy here. April and May just flew by! I can't believe it's June already! Time to get ready for another month of writing camp soon. I'm trying to get back into a regular habit of writing. With so much going on, and publishing Kate & Kylie, and another novella (read my post this coming Tuesday on Read Another Page), and yard work, and music practice, and updating my website, and getting two of my books in the process of becoming audios, and reading, and . . . well, you get the picture, I've had a hard time really focusing on writing. But I have started working on a secret project and it's fun. But if you want to know what that is, you'll have to subscribe to my Read Another Page newsletter because I'll only be announcing it there.

Anyway, enjoy this first part!

 

 Provider

Part 1

    It was a dreary day. The clouds had hung low  all day and allowed no sunshine to peek into the dull room of the small apartment. It was a very small apartment. The living room, with two worn out chairs, a small bookshelf, and an old TV tray used as a table between the chairs, ran into the dining room and kitchen. No steps were needed when taking a pan of the stove and putting it in the sink across the room, for they were within reach off each other.
    A small, slightly wobbly card table sat in the corner of the dining room under a window on which the rain pattered and spit. It was here that Heidi sat trying to study in the light of a single bulb. It wasn’t exactly raining, but tiny droplets had been flung intermittently against the window for the past two hours. Even though the temperatures were hovering in the sixties, the girl at the table shivered and pulled her thin sweater closer.
    “If you ate more, maybe you wouldn’t be so cold.” The chiding voice of her brother echoed in her ears.
    Heidi frowned. Even though Joseph had only visited her for two days last week, his words still taunted her. She looked toward the cupboards as her stomach rumbled. “Maybe I should eat.”
    Reluctantly, she rose and looked in the cupboard that she called her pantry. It was almost bare. Some packs of ramen, an almost empty bag of beans and an almost equally empty bag of risc, a can of tuna, and two cans of chicken noodle soup were all that sat on the shelves. Her fridge was equally forlorn in its offerings.
    “Yeah, if I had more money to eat, I’d eat more, Joseph. Trouble is, I don’t have it.”
    Settling on a can of soup because she could study as it heated up, Heidi wearily got her meager supper ready.
    Study was not going well that evening. Nothing she read seemed to stay in her mind. Her supper was hot and helped warm her up, but it didn’t help her headache any.
    “Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow.” She rubbed her aching head and wondered if she should just go to bed and try studying in the morning.   
    “I think I will. Nothing is sticking tonight.”
    Just as Heidi, having gotten ready more slowly than usual, was about to climb into bed, she let out a moan. “The group project! How could I have forgotten that?”
    Wearily she pulled her backpack over, dug through the notebooks and folders until she found the right one, then settled on her bed for another hour or two of work.

    The weather the next morning was just as dreary, if not worse, for instead of just low clouds and intermittent sprinkles, it was drizzling, and the temperatures had dropped.
    Heidi ate her last egg and toasted the last dry piece of bread. She had one energy bar left. It would have to do for her lunch today.
    Before she left her tiny, dingy apartment, she bowed her head. “Dear Father, I need help. You know I don’t have money since I lost that temporary job and had that extra expense of needing to hire a tutor to get through that one class. I’ve tried to find work, but there isn’t anything in this tiny town. Not even at the fast food restaurants. Would you please help me? I read this morning that You are the Provider. You know I don’t know very much about being a Christian, Lord, but I’m trying to learn. Mrs. Almstead said every word in the Bible is true, so I guess that means You are a Provider. I just hope that means for me too. Well, I have to get to class, so please help me learn well. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
    Pulling her hood up, she stepped outside, locked the door behind her, and headed toward campus, her head bent against the damp and dreary drizzle.
    She reached her first class in time and settled down for the lecture. It was one of her favorites, and the material was easy for her to learn.

    By the time noon rolled around, Heidi was feeling light headed and more miserable than she had the evening before. The group project was quickly turning into a “Heidi do it all and everyone else will just argue and do nothing” project, and she wasn’t sure if she should talk to someone about it or not.
    Sitting down at a table in the dining hall, Heidi dug in her backpack and pulled out her energy bar and her water bottle. After bowing her head quickly and thanking the Lord for helping her get through the first part of the day and for something to eat, she took a long drink before opening the package of her energy bar.
    “Hey, are you Heidi Lincoln?” The bright voice belonged to a short girl with a blonde braid and friendly brown eyes.
    “Yes.”
    “Is this seat taken?” The girl sat down almost before Heidi had finished shaking her head. “Mrs. Almstead told me about you. Oh, I’m sorry, I’m Cynthia Grant, but most folks call me Thia.” The girl paused and bowed her head just a moment and then began eating her own lunch as she kept talking. “Aren’t you in Professor Nimms class? I thought I recognized you. Say, are you any good at English Lit? You are? You wouldn’t be willing to tutor me, would you? I’m going to flunk that class if I don’t get help.”
    “Uh, sure.”
    “Great!”
    “Thia!”
    Heidi looked up as three more girls approached the table.
    “Hey! Come join us!” Thia motioned to the empty chairs. “Girls, this is Heidi Lincoln. Heidi, meet Lyds, Cherry, and Ems. Well, those are their nicknames. They are really Lydia, Agape, and Hannah.”
    Heidi smiled and nodded to each one then turned to Thia. “How did–”
    “How did Agape become Cherry and Hannah become Ems? It’s easy really.”
    “So says the girl who comes up with nicknames for almost every person she meets,” Lyds laughed.
    “I can’t help it!” And Thia shrugged. “My mom is always calling people nicknames, and I learned it from her. But Agape is one of the Greek words for love, you know, and Charity is another, and thus she became Cherry.”
    Heidi smiled politely though she was still confused.
 

How have you been?

Recognize any names?

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Want to guess what my secret project is about?

Love's Embrace - Part 4

 Good morning!

    It's really foggy here this morning! Five of my nieces and nephews are going to be here all morning. We'll probably read books, build lego, and who knows what else.

Here is the final part of this story. Hard to believe it's the end of April! Well, I hope you enjoy it!

 

 Love's Embrace

Part 4

    “I’m sorry, Daddy,” seven-year-old Hope piped up.
    “Me too, Daddy,” echoed little Faith.
    “I’m glad you are sorry, girls.”
    There was silence in the room, and Lindsey wondered what was going on. She almost moved her arm but was afraid of what she might see if she did.
    Elliot spoke. “I’m sorry.”
    “And me.” It was five-year-old Nate.
    “Yeah. I’m sorry too, Dad. I guess I wasn’t thinking.” Hudson sighed.
    “I’m glad you are all sorry. But actions have consequences. I want you all to go up to your rooms right now. Faith and Nate, you two lie down for a rest. Hope, you can read if you want. Elliot and Hudson, I want you two to think about what you did and what you think would be a good consequence for your actions.”
    On the couch, Lindsey almost held her breath as the kids left the room. Would it be her turn?
    “Where was Mrs. Judd?” Aunt Joy asked.
    “Apparently,” Uncle Isaiah said, “she ate lunch and then forgot about the kids and went shopping. She got back just before we did and was confused by the police asking where she was. I don’t think she’s remembering very well now.”
    “Poor Mrs. Judd. I wonder if her children know.”
    A silence settled over the living room, and Lindsey braced herself for a harsh tongue lashing if not a punishment of some kind.
    “Linds,” Uncle Isaiah’s voice was soft and gentle, yet Lindsey cringed and kept her arm over her face as though to ward off any blows that might come. “I’m sorry.”
    Sorry? That wasn’t what she was expecting to hear. She moved her arm just a little and peeked out. Her uncle was standing near the edge of the couch, and his face was almost sad.
    He spoke again. “I’m sorry we didn’t ask someone to come in and stay with you all. It might have made Hudson and Elliot think before acting. I’m sorry we laid the responsibility on you.”
    Did he really mean that?
    “What happened was not your fault. We do not blame you at all. Okay?”
    “But–” She swallowed and then blurted out, “But I was in charge!” Then the tears came.
    “Oh, sweetie!” Aunt Joy pulled her into a hug and let her cry, talking softly to her.
    Lindsey had never cried before her aunt and uncle before. Only her pillow upstairs in her own room knew of the tears of fear and pain, of loneliness and the longing to let love embrace her. Now she sobbed in the comforting arms of someone who loved her. She felt another hand stroking her hair and somehow knew it was her uncle. He wasn’t angry at her. He wasn’t going to hurt her. Somehow that knowledge brought more tears until she could hardly breathe.
    “Shh, Lindsey. Breathe, honey, breathe. It’s okay. You’re safe. We aren’t mad at you. No one is going to hurt you. Isaiah, I think she’s having a panic attack!”
    Strong but gentle hands pulled her into a sitting posture and held her there. “Take a breath, Lindsey. Come on. You can do it. One breath at a time.”
    The voice was a lot like the fireman’s, and his words came back to her.
    Smell the roses. Inhale.
    Blow out the candle. Exhale.
    “That’s it, Linds. Do it again.”
    Roses.
    Candle.
    She could breathe. She just had to keep thinking about it. In. Out. Roses, Candle. It grew easier. She relaxed and then sniffed.
    Aunt Joy handed her a tissue, and she blew her nose.
    “Are you okay now?” Uncle Isaiah asked.
    She nodded, and he eased her back onto some pillows Aunt Joy tucked behind her. They cared. Maybe Mrs. Quivira was right.
    “Do you feel like telling us what happened today after we left?” Aunt Joy asked.
    “Can I have a drink first?”
    “Of course, sweetie! Isaiah, her water-bottle is on the floor by that chair. Thanks.”
    Lindsey took a drink. Her head hurt, but if she closed her eyes it wasn’t as bad. It would be better to tell everything now and be done with it. “The kids played until it was lunch time. We had sandwiches like you said.”
    “Did you make the sandwiches?”
    “Uh huh. They were really talkative at lunch, and I got a headache, so I let them all go play while I cleaned up.”
    “You are supposed to stay off that leg, honey,” Aunt Joy chided gently.
    “I sat on the stool to wash the dishes. Then I checked on the kids, and they were wound up. I didn’t see any phone then. I guess I should have just stayed in there instead of coming in here to read. I’m sorry.”
    “Lindsey,” Uncle Isaiah’s voice was firm. “Look at me.”
    Wincing, she obeyed.
    “You did nothing wrong.”
    “And if you had a headache,” Aunt Joy put in, “being in the same room with those five when they are wound up would not have helped. Even I wouldn’t have done it. Did your headache go away?”
    Lindsey closed her eyes again and murmured. “No.”
    “I’m going to get you some Tylenol, and you are going to rest.” Aunt Joy rose and slipped away.
    A moment later Lindsey felt a hand on her head and heard her uncle’s voice.
    “Lord, I ask that You would bring healing to Lindsey’s headache, and her knee. Help her know that You love her and that we love her too. Heal her heart from the hurt caused by fifteen years of anger and abuse. Let her find Your salvation. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.” He kissed her forehead and whispered, “I love you, Lindsey.” Then he rose and left the room.
    Aunt Joy arrived next, and after Lindsey had swallowed the pills and was settled on a pillow with a light blanket over her, she was left alone.
    The house was quiet except for the air conditioning. Her head throbbed, and for a time all she could do was try not to think of how it pounded. Gradually the pain eased, and Lindsey drifted into sleep thinking about her uncle’s prayer, and her aunt’s arms around her. Perhaps there was a chance for love to embrace her. Perhaps there were people who loved no matter what.

Did you enjoy this story?

Do you feel like April has flown by?

If I get another short story ready, do you want to read it?

Love's Embrace - Part 3

 Good morning!

I'm not sure how many of you are reading this story, but here's the next part. I hope you enjoy it.

Life continues to be busy for me. My birthday is tomorrow, but we're not doing much then. I was supposed to get together with some friends, but some were sick, so we postponed it. My best friend is still with her sister in Canada, so we'll do something after she gets home. Anyway, I won't keep you. Happy reading!

 

 Love's Embrace

Part 3

     “I’ll go check it out and talk to Beauford. You staying here?”
    “Yes.”
    Lindsey watched the man go without really seeing him. The other policeman had called her aunt and uncle? They would probably be mad at having their lunch interrupted. “He didn’t have to call them,” she whispered.
    “They’ll want to know, Lindsey. It will be okay. I promise. Now, I’m going to go find out what the other kids are doing. Are they supposed to do anything?”
    Leaning her head in her hand, Lindsey answered, “Aunt Joy said I could send them to take naps and have quiet time if they weren’t back by one-thirty.”
    “Well, it’s almost that, but . . . I’ll be back.”
    Left alone, Lindsey leaned her head back and closed her eyes, fighting the desire to cry. This was all a nightmare, right? Would she wake up soon and find she had only dreamed the sirens, the firemen and policemen? She had liked living here. It was so much nicer than with her dad and his many girlfriends.
    A car door shut. Her eyes flew open, and she looked out the window but didn’t see her uncle’s familiar blue car. Where they coming home? Why hadn’t she just gone into the play room even though she had a headache? Who got the phone? Surely it hadn’t been Hudson. He was eleven and knew better. They all did actually.
    A familiar blue car turned into the driveway. They were home. A feeling of panic rose up in her. She felt the card in her hand and with shaking fingers tucked it into her pocket, hoping that no one would notice it. She saw her uncle cross the yard and stop to talk to one of the police officers, and Lindsey felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her aunt was coming up onto the porch. She had to breathe! What was it the fireman had told her?
    Roses. Candles.
    She took a breath and blew it out.
    Aunt Joy stepped inside. “Lindsey! Are you okay? Where are the kids?”
    She didn’t sound mad.
    Lindsey was saved the trouble of answering, for Mrs. Quivira entered the living room and started talking.
    “They’re cleaning up in the back room. Everyone is fine. Lindsey is still a little shaken up from it all. She had a bit of a panic attack when the firetrucks and police arrived because she didn’t know they had called. She has the regular phone with her.”
    “They went into the office and got that phone?”
    Roses. Breathe in.
    Candles. Blow out.
    Lindsey tried not to think about the surprise and sternness of her aunt’s voice. She just had to breathe.
    “Sergeant Mulligan talked to them, but I’m sure he’s talking to Isaiah now. I don’t know where Mrs. Judd is.”
    “Thanks, Jessie. I’m thankful you weren’t working today and could come over.”
    “Me too. I’m going to head home now. Call if you need anything. I’m off until Friday.” Mrs. Quivira stepped over to Lindsey. “It’s going to be all right, I promise,” she said softly, patting the girl’s hand.
    Smell the roses.
    Blow out the candle.
    Lindsey focused on breathing as their neighbor left the house. She saw her stop in the yard and speak with Uncle Isaiah and the two policemen. Then she walked away.
    “I’ll be right back, Linds,” Aunt Joy said gently.
    Lindsey darted a glance after her before returning her gaze to the window. When would Uncle Isaiah come in? Would he be mad? She knew her dad would have blown a gasket had she called 9-1-1 for any reason. “But Uncle Isaiah is not like him,” she reminded herself.
    “Sweetheart, are you okay?” Aunt Joy had returned.
    Lindsey nodded.
    “You don’t look very okay. Your face is pale. Let me help you to the couch, and you can lie down. How is your knee?”
    “It hurts,” Lindsey admitted.
    Carefully, Aunt Joy helped her up and steadied her slow way to the couch, then helped her lie down, put a pillow under her knee and gently pushed her hair back from her face. “I’m sorry you had to deal with all this. Have you put any ice on your knee since we left?”
    “No.”
    “I’m going to get some ice for it.” There was no scolding.
    Flinging her arm over her face, Lindsey tried to block out the pain in her head and the worry in her heart. She heard the footsteps of the kids coming, but she didn’t move.
    The front screen door creaked open and then the storm door shut.
    Lindsey cringed.
    “All right, what happened?” Uncle’s voice was calm but firm. “Hudson?”
    “I didn’t mean to call, Dad.”
    “But you had the phone.”
    “It was on the shelf outside the office. I didn’t go in,” the boy protested.
    “So you just decided to play with it?”
    “Yeah.” Hudson sounded embarrassed. “We needed a phone and couldn’t find the one we usually have.”
    “It was lost, Daddy,” Elliot, who was nine, put in. “We looked for it.”
    “Does that give you permission to play with something you aren’t supposed to play with?”
    Aunt Joy settled a towel and an ice pack on Lindsey’s knee without a word.
    “Does it?” Uncle Isaiah’s voice was growing stern.
    “No, sir.” Hudson’s voice was low.
    “Because you decided to break the rules and play with the phone, you called 9-1-1 and then hung up on them, so they had to assume things were really bad and came racing here to help. They came out here and found nothing wrong. And by them coming, you frightened Lindsey, and the police had to call us home from a lunch with some people who are going to be gone for a long time.”

 

Has April been a busy month for you?

Do you want the next and final part of this story next week?

What do you like doing for your birthday?

Love's Embrace - Part 2

Busy this morning. Nieces and nephews are here. Enjoy this next part!

 

 Love's Embrace

Part 2

          “That’s better. No one was hurt. It wasn’t your fault. Okay?”
    Somehow, when she looked at him, Lindsey believed him. It wasn’t her fault. She nodded.
    “Good.” He stood up. “Do you need help going back inside?”
    She shook her head.
    “All right then. You take things easy.” He smiled at her and turned to speak to the police officer as Mrs. Quivira turned back to her.
    “Are you okay, Lindsey?”
    “I’m not hurt,” she whispered. She didn’t add, “yet,” but she thought it.
    “Then let’s get you back inside.” Mrs. Quivira handed Lindsey her crutches and helped her get balanced. “What did you do?” she asked, looking at the brace on her knee.
    “Fell at the park and sprained my knee.”
    “That doesn’t sound pleasant.”
    Carefully, Lindsey made her way back inside where the air was cool and easier to breathe. Sinking down into her chair, she lifted her leg and rested her foot on the stool, her eyes darting to the window as the last firetruck pulled away. She could hear a deep voice in the back room. The second police officer was still on the porch. Lindsey could see him talking on his phone.
    “Here, Lindsey,” Mrs. Quivira appeared at her side with a glass of water. “Take a drink; you still look rather pale.”
    Lindsey did as she was told.
    “Do you want to tell me what happened?” The off duty police officer pulled up a chair and sat down. “Where are your aunt and uncle?”
    “Out to lunch with some friends who were passing through. Mrs. Judd is next door and said she’d come over if I needed her. We ate lunch, and I had a headache, so I stayed in here while the kids went to the play room. I didn’t know they were going to call 9-1-1! I have the phone right there!” She pointed to the handset sitting innocently on a table within reach of the chair. Lindsey’s voice quivered. “It’s my fault.”
    “No it’s not, Lindsey. I’m sure your uncle and aunt will see that.” Something in the girl’s face must have expressed her worry and fear, for Mrs. Quivira laid a gentle hand on her arm and asked, “Are you afraid you’ll get blamed?”
    She nodded, her eyes on the floor.
    “Are you afraid they’ll hurt you?”
    Lindsey hesitated. In the six months she had lived with her aunt and uncle, they had never once laid a hand on her, nor had she ever heard them raise their voices in anger toward her or any of the kids. And yet, the fear of a sudden slap or of a beating for something that wasn’t really her fault lingered. She knew her uncle wasn’t anything like her dad, but it was hard to get past the many years of physical and emotional abuse. Silently she nodded.
    Mrs. Quivira gently rubbed her hand on Lindsey’s arm. “Have they ever hurt you before?”
    She shook her head and winced as the ache in her temples increased.
    “I have known Joy and Isaiah Hunt since before they got married, and I can tell you they aren’t the kind of people who would place the blame for this on you, but I know that’s not really the issue here. You have a fear that they will change like your dad did, aren't you?”
    Lindsey felt her chin quivering, and it was all she could do not to burst into tears as she gave a faint nod.
    “I thought so.” Mrs. Quivira reached into her pocket and pulled out a small case. From it she extracted a card. “I’m going to give you this card. It has my personal cell number on it. Do you have a phone of your own?”
    “Yes.” Her aunt and uncle had given her a phone shortly after she’d come to live with them. It could only call or text, but they had told her they wanted her to feel safe no matter where she was. She had their numbers programed into it, as well as the social worker who handled her case.
    “Then if something happens, and you are physically hurt by them, or feel like you are going to be, call me. Or text me if you don’t feel it is safe to talk. I promise I’ll come get you.”
    Taking the card, Lindsey looked at the numbers and nodded. She was still frightened, but it helped to know there was someone else she could call.
    “Quivira?”
    Mrs. Quivira turned her head. “Sgt. Mulligan. Did you read those kids the riot act?”
    The sergeant smiled slightly. “Not quite.”
    “Beauford is on the porch. He was calling the parents.”
    “Thanks.” He came over to the chair and looked down at Lindsey. “Are you all right?”
    Giving a timid nod, Lindsey clutched the card with Mrs. Quivira’s number in her hand.
    “Don’t worry. This wasn’t your fault. Kids have called 9-1-1 for years. I got sent to a house where a kid called 9-1-1 because she couldn’t tie her shoes and her mom was taking a nap.” He chuckled. “The mom had taught her daughter to call 9-1-1 if she ever needed help. She just forgot to say what kind of help to call about.” The police sergeant looked at Mrs. Quivira. “Did you find out where the parents are?”
    “Out to lunch with friends. Lady next door said she’d be home if the kids needed anything.” She frowned. “I wonder why she hasn’t come over.”
    “Which house?”
    “218.”
    “I’ll go check it out and talk to Beauford. You staying here?”
    “Yes.”

 

Did you enjoy this part?

How was your week?

Love's Embrace - Part 1

 Good morning!

Last month during KDWC I wrote a few short stories, my NEO ate a few of them, but this one wasn't eaten, and I thought I'd share it with you all this month since it is my birthday month. So, if anyone even looks at this anymore, enjoy!

 

 Love's Embrace

Part 1

     Sirens cut through the hot afternoon air. Lindsey looked up from her book to the nearby window. She couldn’t see the main street just two blocks away, but somehow she could never stop herself from looking anyway.
    The screaming sirens came closer and grew louder. They covered the sound of the air conditioner, the fans, and the kids playing in the other room.
    Lindsey leaned closer to the window, and her eyes grew wide. A firetruck, two police cars, and then another firetruck rolled down her street. What was going on? Where were they going? Gasping, she let her book fall unheeded to the floor and reached for her crutches as the emergency vehicles stopped in front of the house.
    The sudden silence was almost deafening as she carefully stood up and crutched her way to the door. Yes. They were coming to the house! What was going on? She could still hear the kids in the other room, and no one was screaming like they were hurt or in danger.
    Balancing carefully, she opened the door as a police officer stepped up to it with several firemen right behind him.
    “Did you call 9-1-1?” he asked.
    Wordlessly, Lindsey shook her head. “What happened?”
    “Someone called. It sounded like a child, and they were saying something about a fire. Are your parents home?”
    Lindsey felt her heart begin to pound. “But . . . but I had the phone.”
    “May we come in? We want to make sure no one is hurt and there really isn’t a fire.” At her nod, the police officer and several firemen came through the door.
    “The kids are back there.” She tried to point and almost lost her balance.
    “Whoa, careful there,” one of the firemen caught her shoulders and steadied her. “You okay?”
    She nodded, but her heart was pounding in her throat and making it hard to breathe. This was all a bad dream, right? The kids hadn’t called 9-1-1. She had the phone. Unless– She must have gasped, because the fireman and a second police officer turned to her at once.
    “What is it?” The officer looked at her keenly.
    “I think you should sit down.” And the fireman motioned to the chairs out on the porch. “It would be better if you were outside in case there is a fire.”
    Lindsey felt herself being helped to the porch and sank into the chair, her injured leg stretched out. It seemed harder to breathe out in the muggy air, and she struggled to get air into her lungs.
    A new voice broke in. “Lindsey? What is going on?”
    The officer looked up. “Quivira! What are you–”
    “I live two houses down and across the street.” The newcomer came over and placed a gentle hand on Lindsey’s shoulder. “I had my scanner off and just noticed the sirens. What’s going on?”
    “Someone called 9-1-1. Mentioned a fire and then hung up. Dispatch said they heard lots of commotion and kids voices.”
    “But I had the phone,” Lindsey gasped. “Unless–”
    “Unless what?” Mrs. Quivira, an off duty police officer, asked gently.
    “Unless they went into Uncle Isaiah’s office and got that phone. But we aren’t allowed in there without permission unless it is an emergency.” Panic was settling in, and Lindsey gripped the arms of the chair, her body beginning to shake.
    “Lindsey, I need you to take a breath for me.”
    Lindsey tried to do as the fireman said, but she couldn’t seem to. Her brain didn’t want to function, and she could only gasp at the air her lungs so desperately needed.
    “Come on, Lindsey. Take a breath like you are smelling the roses. That’s it. Now blow out the candle. Yes, just like that. Smell the roses and blow out the candle.” The fireman’s voice was calm and steady. “Smell the roses. Blow out the candle. That’s the way. Now again. Smell the roses. Blow out the candle.”
    Somehow, Lindsey managed to do as he said, and with each breath it became a little easier. Her heart ceased to pound quite so hard, and her brain began to function. Finally, she sagged back in the chair, her eyes closing for a moment.
    Heavy steps made her eyes fly open, and she sucked in a quick breath.
    “Steady,” Mrs. Quivira murmured, gently squeezing her shoulder. “It’s okay.”
    “False alarm,” one of the firemen reported. “Seems like the kids got ahold of another phone and while pretending there was a fire, accidentally called 9-1-1 and then hung up. I think they got scared. Sgt. Mulligan is giving them a lecture, but fire isn’t needed.” He paused and glanced toward the fireman who was still crouched before Lindsey’s chair.
    The man only said, “Let me make sure medical isn’t.”
    Feeling like everything was in slow motion, Lindsay watched Mrs. Quivira move a few feet away and stand talking in low tones to the officer. Strong but gentle fingers took hold of her wrist, and she slowly moved her eyes to the fireman crouched before her.
    “Feeling a little better?” he asked.
    Drawing a deep breath that only quivered a little, Lindsey nodded.
    “Are there any adults home?”
    Wordlessly, she shook her head and noticed that her headache had gotten worse. It was all her fault. If she had been in the room with the kids, perhaps she could have prevented it all from happening. What were Uncle Isaiah and Aunt Joy going to say? Her chin quivered, and her breathing felt tight.
    “Hey, everything is going to be all right.” The fireman’s voice was calm. “Don’t start to panic again. Smell the roses and then blow out the candle.”
    Lindsey did.
    “That’s better. No one was hurt. It wasn’t your fault. Okay?”

Have you ever had firetrucks or police show up at your house?

Did you ever accidentally call 9-1-1?

How have you been doing?

No Title, Short Story

 Good morning!

    Happy almost New Year! Can you believe 2023 is almost here? I can't. Life just doesn't seem to slow down. My grandpa came down for a visit on Wednesday and will be going home later today. That's why this is late. It's been nice having him here. The weather has been lovely! Well, very windy the last two days, but warm enough that we could open the windows in the house.

I don't know about you, but I've been trying to plan and get ready for next year. I'm not ready by any means, but I've at least gotten started on things. I might start putting some of our decorations away today. I have plans for this next Read Another Page Reading Challenge, so be sure you check out the Read Another Page blog next week for details.

Anyway, I'm going to keep this short. I wrote this story last summer from a picture prompt at Camp. I don't have a title for it, but I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

    Shouting and hollering, the four younger children tumbled out of the house like a bunch of eager puppies into the cold white world. Cathy, remembering Mom’s injunction to include Aurora in everything, waited for the quiet girl to finish zipping her coat up.
    “Ready?” Cathy reached for the doorknob.
    Silently Aurora nodded.
    “Chelsea, you coming?” Cathy shouted back toward the hall.
    Chelsea appeared and shook her head. “Not this time. Have fun.”
    With Aurora following like a shadow, Cathy opened the door and plunged into the cold, glittering snow. A barrage of poorly aimed snowballs flew at the two girls from either side, and Cathy laughed. She loved the snow and had been longing to get out in it since last evening.
    “Come on, let’s build a fort.”
    The younger children hurried to join and Cathy was soon busy trying to keep Connor from knocking it over before it was built while directing the efforts of the others.
    She didn’t know when Aurora disappeared, but when Mom pulled into the driveway, Cathy looked up. The four younger ones were still there but the new foster girl was not to be seen.
    “Where’s Aurora?” She asked her younger siblings. “Did she go inside?”
    Connor nodded, Donny shook his head, Cody didn’t know, and Dana agreed to everything.
    “Great,” Cathy sighed. “I was supposed to include her, and I was trying, but it’s hard to build a fort and get someone as quiet as Aurora to join.”
    There had been many foster kids in and out of the family for several years. Some had been sibling groups, others had been younger or older, but somehow they had all managed to fit in or at least make their presence known to some extent. But Aurora was different. She hardly talked, did what she was told without question or emotion, and in the two weeks she’d been there had never gotten upset over anything. She hadn’t even seemed excited about Christmas coming.
    “Cathy!” Mom called, “come help bring the groceries to the door please.”
    Trying to leave her worries behind, Cathy trudged through the snow to the van. Maybe Aurora had just gotten cold and gone inside.
    Chelsea met her at the front door to take the grocery bags and Cathy whispered, “Did Aurora come inside?”
    “I don’t think so.” Chelsea’s voice was hesitant. “But I’ve been busy in the other room and may not have heard her.”
    Giving a sigh, Cathy turned back to the van to get the last of the grocery bags. If Aurora wasn’t inside, where was she? Balancing a box of oranges on her arm, she managed to shut the door. She didn’t think Mom would be too happy if Aurora disappeared.
    One look at Chelsea’s face told her that the new foster girl wasn’t inside.
    “I guess I’ll take the kids and we’ll go exploring. At least it snowed and there will be tracks.” Turning, Cathy went back to the pile of snow that was once the start of a fort. “Come on kids,” she said, taking Dana’s hand. “Let’s pretend we are a search and rescue party looking for someone lost in a blizzard!”
    Connor, Cody and Donny were eager to begin and they began running around the front yard like frisky colts. Cathy let them run and after some searching on her own, found a set of tracks leading to the back yard.
    Silent and still, Aurora sat on the stone wall and watched the birds at the feeders. Cathy was about to call her, but stopped as a chickadee landed on the girl’s gloved finger and picked up a seed from her hand. Cathy stared. She had tried and tried to get a bird to eat from her hand, but none ever had.
    Turning, Cathy led her little sister back to the door. Silently, she went inside, helped Dana off with her things, took her own coat, boots and things off, and then walked back to the kitchen.
    “Mom,” she said quietly, “Aurora can do something I can’t do. Look.”
    Mom stepped to the window and looked out. “Perhaps we should let her find her own way of enjoying life at times. I’ve never seen her smile until now.” Mom put an arm around Cathy. “Perhaps we were too noisy for her. Still invite her to join your plays, honey, but don’t smother her with attention.”
    Cathy nodded. She wasn’t quite sure what Mom meant, but she thought she could figure it out.

How was your Christmas?

Is your weather warmer or colder?

Are you ready for 2023?