Ava's Crucible- The Complete series Box Set

by Mark Goodwin

  “Yeah, I can kinda tell he won’t bite. The ad said security dog. I was hoping for something more—intimidating.” She stepped just over the threshold, letting the door close behind her.

  Stuart rolled closer to the door. “If he had any inkling that you was trying to hurt me, he’d be on you like stink on fish guts.”

  Ava crinkled her nose at the crude simile. However, the figure of speech did remind her to give old Buckley a good sniff test while she was nearby. He didn’t smell bad at all.

  “Buckley, watch her!” the man said firmly.

  Suddenly, the dog began growling at Ava with his teeth showing.

  Ava stepped back quickly as her heart began racing and the hairs on her arm stood up. “Easy boy.”

  “Good boy. Come here.” Stuart handed the dog a treat and the animal’s even temperament soon returned, his tail wagging as evidence.

  “Okay. Maybe I was too quick to judge. Does he have all his shots? Is he in good health?”

  “Yep, but let’s talk about you. Who else lives with you? Any roommates? If so, I’d need to meet them, too.”

  “No. Just me.”

  “Buckley needs to get out to do his business. He can’t be cooped up for more than eight hours at a time. Can you leave work for lunch to walk him?”

  “I get an hour for lunch. I could probably do that.”

  “No probablies. I need to know. Either you can or you can’t.”

  Ava considered the commitment. She abhorred people who made promises they couldn’t keep, so she herself was slow to issue such a vow. “Yes. Barring any unforeseen emergency, I will come home every day at lunch and walk Buckley.”

  “That’s better. And if for any reason you become unable to care for him, do you pledge to find him a good home and swear that you’ll never turn him over to the pound, even if he’s sick?”

  “Yes.”

  “Raise your right hand and say I do.”

  Ava felt oddly like she was getting married to the dog, but she complied. “I do.”

  “You can stop by Sunday morning and pick him up. He likes a certain kind of food. He can eat people food from time to time, but don’t spoil him.”

  “Sunday? What time?”

  “Early afternoon would be best. My son gets here that evening. I’d like to have my goodbyes said that morning. I don’t want anyone else around when we say farewell. Things might get a little mushy.”

  Ava felt sad for the old man; even in the shadow of her own loss, or perhaps especially in the shadow of her own loss. “Mr. Smith, I’ll love Buckley and give him the best care I can. If I give you my word, you can trust that I’ll do it. It’s not something I take lightly.”

  “I know that. I can see it in your eyes. You’re a fine young lady. And I do believe you will love him. Thank you.”

  “If you give me your address, I’ll send you pictures from time to time.”

  “That’d be very kind.”

  Ava bent down and hugged Buckley and gave him a good pat. “We’re going to be looking out for one another Buckley. It’s not going to be easy, but I know exactly how it feels to say goodbye to someone you love. So, we’ll be in it together.”

  Buckley wagged his tail.

  Ava stood up and looked at Mr. Smith. “I’m sorry you can’t take your dog. I can’t imagine how tough that is.”

  “Well, it’ll be easier knowing he’s in good hands.”

  “I’ll see you Sunday. Bye.”

  “See you then. Take care.” Stuart Smith waved as Ava let herself out.

  CHAPTER 4

  Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

  Colossians 2:8 NKJV

  Ava met Charity and Raquel for lunch on Wednesday at the girls’ favorite diner near the office. The three of them took a booth adjacent to the counter where other patrons sat on metallic swivel stools with red vinyl seat cushions. Above the counter was a series of televisions, all playing the same news station. Ava and Charity sat on one side of the booth, Raquel took the other side and put her feet up in the extra space.

  Ava always got the Cobb salad, but she still looked at the menu every time she came. “Does the office have me booked for cleanings tomorrow?”

  Charity studied the available options from the lunch selections. “Yes. You’re booked.”

  “A regular workload?” Ava looked over the top of her menu at Charity.

  “Light, but if everything is going okay, we can always pick up some last-minute customers.” Charity smiled at the waitress when she arrived. “I guess I’ll have the chicken Caesar, dressing on the side.”

  Raquel sipped her soda and put the glass on the table. “I thought you were getting the French dip.”

  “I said the French dip looked good. If I was as thin as you, I’d get it.” Charity squeezed a lemon wedge into her water.

  “Since I’m so skinny, I guess I’ll have the French dip.” Raquel smirked at the waitress as she passed her the menu.

  The waitress jotted down some notes on a small paper tablet and glanced up at Ava. “Cobb salad?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Ava passed her the card.

  “Oh my gosh!” Raquel turned to the televisions. “These are the highlights from the morning show! Shane Lawrence was on today and I missed it. I love him! I need to be independently wealthy so I don’t have to go to work.”

  “I thought you wanted everyone to be on a level playing field. Independently wealthy implies inequality.” Charity’s challenge was issued with a polite tone.

  “It’s just a figure of speech. Don’t make me out to be some greedy capitalist. Besides, Shane Lawrence is a super-rich movie star, but he’d give it all up if it would make things fair. If I were rich, I’d be like that.”

  “Nothing’s stopping him from giving it all up now,” Ava added.

  “Oh, are you ready to talk politics?” Raquel’s expression soured.

  “We never talk politics,” Charity said. “You rant, and we’re not allowed to challenge your opinions.”

  “It’s because the two of you are living in the past. No one our age believes what you two believe. The few people still clinging to that system will be gone in a decade from now. You guys are arguing for buggy whips over automobiles. It’s time to evolve past greed, inequality, and racism.”

  Charity snapped back. “I’m not greedy nor a racist. And I believe everyone has an equal opportunity to make the most out of their life. But, I don’t like the government being generous with my money on the programs they deem to be qualified to receive it; all the while helping themselves to a generous portion of it.”

  “Really?” Raquel crossed her arms and leaned back in the booth. “I guess you’d rather give your money to Faith Chapel. And you think that makes you generous. Give me a break. Your so-called tithe is more like voluntary dues paid to a country club. Look at that place! It looks like Six Flags over Jesus. And the CEO, oh, I’m sorry, I mean Pastor Rob, he takes like half a million for his salary. The local news did a piece on him last year. Nobody in Government makes that much. Do what you want, but don’t try to pass yourselves off as being on some kind of moral high ground.”

  Ava held up both hands. “We’re never going to see eye-to-eye on politics, so why don’t we all just drop it.”

  “Fine with me,” Raquel turned back toward the television. “All I wanted to do was watch the highlights from this morning’s interview with Shane Lawrence anyway.”

  Raquel got the attention of the girl serving at the counter. “Excuse me, can you turn this up a little?”

  “Sure,” the counter girl replied.

  The Morning Show host Daisy King quizzed Shane Lawrence. “But isn’t it true that Antifa has been labeled as a terrorist organization?”

  “By who, Daisy?” Lawrence looked at the host of the show. “By this administration? By President Higgins? Isn’t that the man who labeled you
r network as fake news? I know you don’t take anything he says seriously.

  “The good folks over at the Social Justice Law Center, or SJLC, act as a watchdog to monitor domestic terrorist groups. You can go to their website and read the list of groups who are truly enemies of America. I’ll give you a hint. Antifa isn’t on that list. In fact, we’ve received letters of support from SJLC.

  “On the contrary, many of the groups the SJLC has labeled as hate groups or domestic terrorists are some of the same organizations that have supported President Higgins in the last two elections.”

  She smiled and offered a conceding nod. “I’m familiar with the work that SJLC does and I visit their site regularly when researching news items. You make a very good point.

  “But do you condone the violence that’s been attributed to your organization. After all, if you are putting yourself out there as the public spokesperson for Antifa, on some level you’re accepting responsibility for their actions.”

  Laurence shook his head. “Antifa is a decentralized movement. We don’t have any formal membership and unfortunately, the occasional bad apple slips into the batch sometimes. But you also have to realize that the people in Antifa causing problems are probably enemy agents planted by this administration in an effort to smear the organization’s good name.”

  “That is a total lie!” Charity whispered in Ava’s ear.

  Ava whispered back, “I know. This looks like a propaganda piece orchestrated to legitimize Antifa.”

  “And slap President Higgins in the face.” Charity nodded.

  Shane Lawrence continued his diatribe. “And I’m not condoning violence of any kind, Daisy. Because, as you know, that’s the tactic of the administration; to intimidate and subjugate. But, at some point, people do have to stand up for themselves. Look at what happened to Antifa’s predecessors who tried to make their voices heard while adhering to a non-violent strategy. When Ninety-nine-percenters wanted to voice their outrage at criminal bankers being allowed to break the law with impunity, the police sprayed them down with Mace during the Occupy Wall Street movement. So I can see why some people might see the need to defend themselves.”

  Raquel whipped around to Charity. “Do you think that was right? The bankers going free or the protestors getting Maced? Because that’s capitalism for you.”

  Ava answered for her. “That’s crony capitalism; very different. And the Democrats are just as much to blame for it as the Republicans. In fact, the Clintons are probably the poster children for crony capitalism. And the protestors getting Maced at Occupy, that happened under the Obama administration. Don’t blame President Higgins for that one.”

  “Seriously? All those Wall Street bankers are Higgins’ best friends!” Raquel protested.

  “Except, unlike Clinton or Obama, Higgins was elected without asking any of them for a single dollar for his campaign fund.” Charity turned to the waitress who was bringing the food. “Thanks.” She took her plate as did the other two girls.

  “I think that should be the end of our debate club for the day. What do you two say about avoiding politics for the rest of the meal?” Ava was still recovering from the loss of her mother, and all this negativity wasn’t helping.

  “Whatever, you guys started it. I was trying to listen to the TV.” Raquel popped a chip in her mouth.

  “Sure,” Charity agreed. “Can we pray before we eat?”

  “You’re not bothering me.” Raquel ate another chip and turned her attention to the television. Ava and Charity bowed their heads for a quick prayer, then began eating.

  Daisy King redirected her interview. “How confident are you about the upcoming election? We’re only two months out from what people are calling the most important election in America’s history.”

  “Senator Markovich has a double-digit lead, at least if you’re talking about the polls from reputable news agencies such as yours, Daisy. The Democratic party took back the House and the Senate in the mid-terms, two years ago. I think that’s indicative of the way the country is feeling.

  “And you’re right about the consequences of this election. I don’t see the left losing the House or the Senate in November. So, either America will vote to move forward and join the rest of the world in social progress, or they’ll choose to spend another two years wallowing in the mire of political gridlock like we’ve seen over the past two years.”

  Daisy King put the tip of her index finger to her chin. “You said join the world in social progress. What did you mean by that?”

  “Well, Daisy, we’re supposed to be a leader in the international community, but we’re one of the last developed nations without a single-payer health system. We’re the only country still dragging our knuckles through the stone ages on gun control. And despite the fact that capitalism has failed America over and over and over, we cling to it like a bad relationship. Don’t they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different result?”

  “I can’t argue with you there.” King laughed. “But what about Vice President Michael Ross? You don’t think the populist revolution that put Higgins in office eight years ago will carry over for Ross?”

  Lawrence shook his head dismissively. “There’s a new populism, Daisy. It’s the populism of the people. People who think for themselves.

  “You’re familiar with George Szabo, aren’t you?”

  Daisy rolled her eyes. “I’d have to be living under a rock not to be. You’re talking about the billionaire investor who founded the Just Society Foundation.”

  “That’s right. George is a close personal friend. And let me tell you, he’s done more than you can imagine in educating this new generation who will be voting for the first time in November’s election. The Just Society Foundation has given generous grants to federal and state departments of education to help ensure the curriculum in our public schools is teaching the right history, the right civics, and fostering the right worldview for the citizens of tomorrow.

  “We pried religion out of our school systems more than fifty years ago, but the residue of oppression remained for decades in the classroom over issues like sexuality, absolute morality, gender identity, even our language was tainted by a religion that people believed in back when we still thought the earth was flat. It’s not conducive to an academic environment.”

  “Okay, he’s attacking Christianity now!” Charity remarked.

  With her feet in the booth as she finished her sandwich, Raquel said, “If the shoe fits . . .”

  “Just let it go.” Ava pleaded with Charity as she took the last bite of her Cobb salad.

  Charity grunted. “I just hate it! All the news networks are so slanted.”

  Raquel kept her eyes glued to the television. “If the right had a viable position, I’m sure they’d have at least one channel.” She feigned a look of delight. “Wait! What about Fox?”

  Charity pressed her lips together and glared at Raquel, but said nothing.

  Raquel smirked as if she’d just stolen Charity’s boyfriend. “What was I thinking? Fox isn’t really on the right either, are they?”

  Ava waved to the waitress to bring the check. “Well, as much as I appreciate you guys taking me out to cheer me up, I need to get going. I have to get my apartment dog-ready by Sunday. Evidently, Buckley can only eat a certain kind of food, is accustomed to a specific brand of treats, and has his preferences about chew toys and pillows. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but he seems to be something of an aristocrat.” She glanced quickly at Raquel. “I doubt he’ll be voting Democrat this fall.”

  Ava pulled out a twenty and put it on the table.

  “No. This is my treat.” Charity picked up the money and handed it back to Ava. “Yours too, Raquel. I’ve got it.”

  “Thanks.” Ava took the money and hugged her friend before getting up.

  “Are you going to church tonight?” Charity asked.

  “I guess, if you’re going.” Ava dug out her ke
ys and zipped up her purse.

  “Yeah, do you want me to pick you up?”

  “Okay.” Ava nodded.

  “What about me? I don’t get an invitation?” Raquel acted like she was insulted.

  “I’ve been asking for over a year,” Charity replied. “You always say no. I told you, the door is open whenever you want to come.”

  “Just kidding.” Raquel popped out of her seat. “Thanks for lunch. See you back at the office, Charity. See you tomorrow, Ava.”

  After Raquel was gone, Charity apologized to Ava. “Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have invited her.”

  “It’s okay. The bantering was a little depressing, but it did get my mind off of missing my mom and let me forget about the robbery for a while.”

  “How’s that going? I mean how are you dealing with the robbery?” Charity paid the check and left a generous tip.

  Ava walked with her toward the door. “I sleep with one eye open. I hope it will be better once I get the dog moved in.”

  “Yeah. He’ll keep the place from feeling so lonely as well. I’ll pick you up tonight at six.”

  “See you then.” Ava walked to her Jeep.

  CHAPTER 5

  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

  Psalm 2:1-3

  Ava and Charity sat about ten rows from the front at church Wednesday night. Since the sanctuary at Faith Chapel sat nearly four thousand people, that was still relatively close.

  Ava rarely let herself cry in public, but as the worship team sang, she could feel the presence of God comforting her in her grief and helping her through her fear. She didn’t sob, but the tears ran down her face as she worshiped with her hands lifted high toward Heaven. The experience was cathartic, as the Holy Spirit cleansed her heart and breathed in peace and joy like she had not experienced in a long time. Although her present circumstances did not warrant it, she felt hope and love, as if they were springing up from an underground well.