Every Storm

by Lori Wick

  "I'll grab a quick shower and be right down."

  Max scooped the kitten off of her mother's sheets and inspected the area for hair. Their mother was not fond of pets in her bedroom.

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  "I think it's all right," Lorri said after looking around as well.

  Max laughed a little and Lorri smiled. Two things they knew: Their grandfather liked male pets, and their mother was patient with the pets until they passed the threshold of her room.

  "It's good to have you back, Admiral," Pastor Higgins said. "We've missed you."

  "Thank you, Pastor. I have to leave again this week, but I won't be gone long."

  "Is there something we can do for Ruth and the girls?"

  "I can't think of anything just now, but before I forget, I need to mention something to you. Not until I saw the bereavement announcement in the bulletin for the Murphy family did I realize we haven't even talked about a service for Josie. I need to mention that to Ruth before I leave, so she might be calling you about that."

  ,"Certainly. Anything we can do. I assume you would want to have it once you return?"

  "Yes, that's what I was thinking."

  The conversation between the men closed soon after that, and it wasn't long before Ruth and Dean were back in the car. Not wanting to bring it up at home just yet, Dean broached the subject of Josie's service the moment they pulled onto the street.

  "I was'just thinking of that," Ruth admitted.

  "And what were you thinking?"

  "That we need to do something. I just don't know what."

  "I haven't come up with any ideas either, but I will tell you that I want all four of us to agree. And I want it to wait until I get back so Lorri has more time to get on her feet."

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  fI"Oh, yes, thank you, Dean. You're certainly right. The girls and

  ilI can discuss it while you're gone, and then we'll all put our heads

  ill l'together as soon as you arrive hack."

  The car stopped at a red light, and Dean turned to look at his daughter-in-law.

  "Are you going to be all right?" "You mean while you're gone?" "Yes."

  II"I don't plan to be overly busy, and I think that's best. Max

  goes to school in just a few weeks, and we'll just enjoy each other I'llfor the time being."

  "That's a good plan. I wish I didn't have to go this soon, but it couldn't be helped."

  "We understand, Dean. You know that." Dean nodded. They did understand. It was a way of life for all of them. He had not been required to move all over the countryside, but being away from home was too often the norm. He was up for retirement next year, and although there were aspects of military life he would miss, he was more than looking forward to it.

  Wednesday arrived before anyone was ready. Dean had to be at the base at eight o'clock, and the family was up to see him off. Ruth didn't cry, but Lorri and Max grew very emotional when Dean bent to pet Buddy and stroke his ears.

  "It'll go by fast," he told them, hugging each for a last time. "I'll be home and under foot before you know it."

  He didn't linger, but mercifully, with one last wave, slipped into the car that had been sent and was whisked down the street.

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  The women stood on the front lawn for a while, no one speaking. They didn't dare look at Buddy, whose soft brown eyes had followed his master and still looked down the street. Ruth was the p first to go inside, and eventually her daughters followed.

  Lorri had been home for little more than a week when she decided to visit Josie's room. Down the hall from her own, Josie's room was shut off from view by the door Max had dosed.

  The room was stuffy and still when she opened the door, and for long moments she stood on the threshold and told herself to ; breathe*

  Every inch of the room shouted Josie. Her favorite color, light peach, was everywhere. There were touches of green and tan, but peach was the predominant shade. Lorri walked in tentatively, her heart beating painfully against her ribs* and stood looking around.

  The bulletin board over Josie's small desk still had things from high school The only change in the room was her mother's sewing machine. It was set up under the window, and no dust marked it. Surprised at the thought of her mother sewing in here recently, Lorri wondered if maybe she'd just come in to dust.

  "I'm glad I found you in here," Ruth said from the doorway, her voice betraying no particular emotion. "Why don't you go to your closer and pick out a dress for church on Sunday. I'll alter it for you."

  Lorri couldn't help but look down at her figure. She was still underweight, her clothes baggy and hanging on her.f?|%

  "I think it will be embarrassing on Sunday."

  "Why is that?"

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  "I don't know. I just feel like I'll be something of a spectacle."

  "I guess in a way you might be, but it won't last long. And I don't think anyone will press you about details, so don't worry on that."

  "Mother?" Lorri had a sudden thought.

  "Yes?"

  "Why haven't you pressed me for details? Don't you want to know everything?"

  "Of course I do, but I see no point in making you do something you don't want to do. When you're ready to talk, you will."

  Lorri only nodded. There wasn't much she could say to that. She wasn't as ready to talk about Josie's death as she'd originally thought, and it was a relief to know that her mother was not waiting impatiently.

  "Go get your dress," Ruth ordered gently, thinking they both needed? a change of subject.

  Lorri did what she was told, grabbing the first dress she saw, her mind still very much on the conversation with her mother. She went back to the room and slipped into it, standing still while her mother tucked and pinned.

  "Have you been doing much sewing?"

  "Mostly repairs," she answered around the pin in her mouth. "Max wants some new skirts for school, but you know I won't start those until the night before she goes back."

  Lorri laughed a little. When it came to sewing, her mother had always procrastinated. The things she repaired and made from scratch were beautiful, but she didn't enjoy it much and put it off for ages.,

  "There," Ruth stepped back. "Look in the mirror and see what you think."

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  Lorri stepped to close the door and examine herself in the dress. A genuine smile came to her lips, and she turned back to her parent.

  "I think you're a magician."

  Ruth only smiled and helped Lorri ease the dress off without dislodging the pins or poking herself. Just minutes later she was seated, the machine flying at top speed.

  "Have you been in here much?" Lorri asked from the bed.

  "Define'much.'"

  "I don't know. It feels empty, but it also feels like you've been sewing in here."

  "Not sewing," Ruth answered, her eyes on the machine. "But after I got your grandfather's telegram, I slept in here a few nights."

  The color drained from Lorri's face. For some reason this never occurred to her, and the thought was surprisingly painful.

  "Don't think about it," Ruth said, having thrown a swift glance at her. "In fact, you'd probably better check on Muffin."

  "All right. Did you want me to come back and try on the dress again?"

  "I'll hang it in your room. Let me know if it needs anything else."

  Lorri put her arms around her mother, suddenly desperate to touch her.

  "I love you," Ruth whispered into her daughter's hair.

  Lorri whispered it right back and slipped from the room.

  Early the next morning, the house still quiet, Lorri sat in the H living room and dangled a piece of yarn in front of Muffin,

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  waiting for her to notice. It didn't take long. Instantly on the attack, Muffin jumped after the yarn, tiny claws splayed, ready to take o
n the world. She rolled herself around the offending piece of string, dearly in charge, and wrestled it to the carpet. Lorri sat contentedly and watched her subdue it and then drag it around a bit.

  When the kitten settled back against Lorri once again, she went back to thinking about the verses she'd just read in Deuteronomy, the ones where Moses asked the children of Israel to think about their God. She reread the verses she'd marked in her Bible one more time.

  O Lord God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand. For what God is there in heaven or in earth, who can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?... For what nation is there so great, who hath God as near to them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

  Lord's heart became quiet within her. She was not of the nation of Israel, but she knew God had chosen to be near her as well. Not for a moment did she doubt this, but the days ahead were sure to be a test. For this reason, Lorri tried to memorize the last verse, knowing she would need to be reminded in the very near future.

  "A picnic?" Ruth questioned her youngest daughter during breakfast on Saturday, no excitement in her face. "Today?" "Yes, at the beach! It's so hot, and you know we'll have fun." "Along with the 10,000 other people who will be there." Ruth's voice was dry.

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  "We can go to Sand Hill Beach. It's never as crowded." Ruth was more than a little skeptical, but Max's face never lost

  hope. Ruth looked at her older daughter, who only smiled, her

  brows raised in amusement. "Did you put her up to this?"

  ; "No"

  ; ""You're sure?"

  Lorri only laughed. She loved the coast, and everyone knew it. What they didn't know is how swiftly her mind went back to a couple of small scraps of beach in the middle of the Pacific. First the one where the plane crashed, and then the island where she was confronted by rude sailors. The memory of that time was all at once surreal and frightening.

  "Are you all right, Raine?" Max was the one to notice.

  "Yes," Lorri tried to smile. "Just thinking of something."

  The room grew quiet, uncomfortably so. Max wanted so much to be sensitive, but she also wanted to know if she'd done something to upset her sister.

  "Did I do something?"

  "You didn't do anything, Max," Lorri felt relieved to say, and also admitted, "I was thinking about the islands."

  "What was it like, Raine? Did you swim?"

  "I went to the beach very little. I was afraid of being spotted by an enemy ship, so I stayed in the trees. A few times I was so cold I went and sat in the sun and sand, but mostly I kept to the trees"

  "You said two islands," Ruth mentioned.

  "The PT boat needed repairs, and we stopped before getting to the base in Australia."

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  "Did something happen?" Ruth asked without thinking, her daughter's face was so vulnerable just then.

  "A little run-in with sailors from another boat. It just scared me."

  Ruth couldn't stop the tears that flooded her eyes. Lorri had been through so much, and then to be frightened by men from their own military. Her daughter looked distressed over the tears, and Ruth knew it was time to lay it out on the table.

  "You see how it is, Lorri. I do want to know what happened, but it's going to be upsetting, and then you're not going to want to tell me." Ruth gestured helplessly with her hands. "I don't feel like I can win."

  Lorri didn't know what to say, but Max was not at a loss for words.

  "You just have to do it, Raine," she told her. "When you're ready, you have to tell us. We mightxcry and be in pain, but it can't be as bad as hot knowing."

  Lorri nodded, all of them crying now.

  "I think a picnic to the coast is just what we need," Ruth said at last. "I'll start on some lunch. You girls gather everything else."

  They were not the happiest crew, but everyone went into motion. Muffin was made comfortable in the garage, but Buddy was to join them. Picnic basket packed and ready, they left at midmorning, the beach less than a 30-minute drive away.

  They were certain to all come home tired and sunburned, but Ruth had been right: Right now an outing was the best medicine.

  Lorri sat quietly in the pew next to her mother for the evening service and thought about how painless it had been that morning.

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  |; Many people had hugged her and welcomed her back, but she caught very few pitying glances and no one questioned her about I her appearance or Josie. And she had needed to hear the sermon I about God's faithfulness and patience.

  Being back this evening at the more casual service felt wonderful and normal, as if she were reclaiming her life. Josie was missing, but Lorri didn't let her mind dwell on that. Amidst these thoughts she spotted her younger sister.

  "Well, Max might have sworn off boys, Mother, but they haven't sworn off her."

  Ruth looked up from that morning's sermon notes and glanced around the church pews. She spotted her youngest daughter sitting I with Arlene Andrews. Not far from the two young women were three boys. They were talking among themselves, but their eyes strayed continually to the two girls, who seemed oblivious to them. Ruth smiled and even laughed a little. "And it certainly doesn't help that she got a little more color yesterday," Lorri went on. "She's more beautiful than ever." "She is beautiful, isn't she?" "Have you just realized that?"

  "No, but I don't dwell on it. It's her sweetness and sense of |jhumor that you really notice."

  The women looked over just then to see Max expressing herself with a funny face. They both laughed, and this was the way CoraAndrews found them. She had a hug for Lorri and then for Ruth. "How are you?" she asked them both sincerely. "We went to the beach yesterday" Ruth told her, realizing they |liiadn't spoken that morning. "I can see the burned noses."

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  "We were just commenting that Max looks better than ever with pink on her cheeks and nose."

  "As if Max needed any help," Cora said with a comical roll of her eyes.

  Pastor Higgins was moving toward the pulpit just then, and all over the church, folks got settled in their seats. Max came over in a hurry and sat close to her sister.

  "It's great to have so many of you joining us tonight for communion" Pastor Higgins began. "I want to open things up for testimonies, but before I do that, I have some thoughts I want to share, some reminders from our last communion.

  "Communion is not a period at the end of the sentence. It might seem that way since Jesus is nearing the end of His ministry on earth, but in truth, this was a starting point for the disciples. We can't come to the table lightly. Our hearts have to be right before God, and in that, many think that this latest time period in their life has come to a close, but that's not the case.

  "Communion is the start of a new time. Until we meet again around the bread and cup, we need to remember our actions this night. We need to keep this event in our minds when temptations crowd in. Tonight is the beginning, not the end. Reflect, certainly. Make sure your heart is clean and confessed before God, but don't stop there. Determine to partake tonight and to stay holy until we partake again."

  Lorri needed these words so much. It had been a long time since she'd partaken in the Lord's Supper, and never had she looked at it in light of a new time.

  Help me, Father,she prayed.I want to go from here to be mindful of You and more obedient than I ever have been before.

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  Lorri looked up to see that her sister and mother were praying too. She bowed her head again and asked God for the same thing for them.

  Lorri's and Josie's trunks arrived from Australia on Wednesday. Lorri was not prepared for this. She had missed some of her things but was in no way wanting. A truck pulled up, and a delivery man came to the door. Ruth signed for the trunks and stood back while they were placed in the living room.

 
Emotions surged through her as she remembered packing those trunks with the girls so many years before. A letter from Ian Colins, addressed to Lorri, accompanied the keys, and she sat |. down to read it. She read out loud.

  "Dear Lorraine, I don't know where to start. Our sorrow for you and for ourselves is difficult to describe. The children miss [. you both so dreadfully. I hope you can write to them when you feel up to it.

  "We comfort ourselves with the fact that if you are reading

  this, you are home with your family as you need to be. I hope time

  jl 1 will heal all wounds and that you will find great happiness in the

  near future. If ever you should wish to return to us, you would

  be most welcome.

  "Out hearts are with you, both today and in the future. I'Sincerely, Ian Colins.

  "P.S. Clarence Fuller's family requested your address. I hope it was all right to give it to them."

  ' Lorri looked up into her mother's eyes and found that Max:had joined them.

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  "Clarence Fuller was the pilot?" Max confirmed.

  "Yes. I've been thinking about how I would get a letter to them, so I hope they write."

  The three women looked at the boxes. No one looked overly eager to dig in.

  "What shall we do?" Ruth finally asked.

  "I'm in no hurry to open Josie's, but I don't have to be around if you want to."

  "I don't," Ruth said. "What about you, Max?"

  "No, I'll wait."

  "Let's try to get it up to her room then. What about yours, Lorri?"

  "Can we just put it in the corner in here for now?"

  "Of course. Here," Ruth said, getting right to work, "we'll put it here behind the chair."

  With a good deal of pulling and panting, the trunks were moved. Lorri's fit well behind the chair-not invisible, but certainly out of the way. It was no easy task to get Josie's up the stairs, but once there, the three of them breathed a little sigh of relief. They shut the door. For the moment, Josie's trunk did not have to be dealt with.

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  Thursday evening found the three Archer women dining with ||he Andrews family. Ruth and Cora had been dose for years, and fpiax and Arlene's friendship went back Jo first grade.