“When we heard she died, it was so weird. Unreal. Kids our age didn’t just die, you know. It was so bizarre. And sad. I’m so sorry, Miss Julia.”
“Thank you, Michael. Your mom and dad were so good to Marley and me during his illness and all that stuff with Noelle. Don’t know what we’d have done without our church family. And the town. Everybody was so kind.”
“How did she die exactly?”
“Did you know about her heart condition?” JuJu asked.
“Sort of. I knew she had to be careful about stuff, couldn’t play sports, or anything rough.”
“She had a heart murmur, inherited from her dad, and I just went crazy with worry, became overprotective. That’s what I meant when I said I ruined her. I stole her childhood, Michael. My irrational fear stole her childhood. My lack of trust in the Lord stole all our lives. Took things from us we never got back.”
Stopping to gather her thoughts, JuJu absentmindedly reached down to scratch Rocky’s head.
“It was a difficult pregnancy and labor. She was small, you might remember, and whatever she’d done had worn out her heart. Noelle died when Katie was born. That was September of ‘92.”
JuJu sighed. “Beauty from ashes. That’s what she’s been. We raised our granddaughter, and she was absolutely the best thing that ever happened to us. That little girl gave new life to Marley. I don’t think he would have lasted as long as he did without her. He was determined to at least see her graduate high school, and he did. Made us so proud. He died peacefully that summer, right here on this porch. In that chair you’re sitting in, as a matter of fact.”
JuJu chuckled at the momentary flash of discomfort on Michael’s face.
“I saw that,” she cackled.
Michael flushed and laughed. “Oh, Miss Julia, you just caught me off guard for a minute.”
“Not long after breakfast. Just closed his eyes and woke up in the presence of the Lord. I hope I go like that.”
“Don’t we all?” Michael responded. “What happened after that?”
“Well, Katie told me she wasn’t going off to school, wanted to stay here and take care of me. I put a stop to that talk right away. She had a full ride to Georgia, and there was no way she was turning her back on that. I promised to hire help, which I did, and off she went. Met Travis there, they got married the day after graduation and moved near Savannah where he’s from. After a year down there, they came for a visit, and said they wanted to move here, start some new thing with farming. Organic farming. I guess you know all about that. It’s the rage apparently.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’ve heard about it. All natural and healthy, they say.”
“So, here they are. They’ll spend the fall and winter cleaning up everything, preparing the soil, and be ready to plant in the spring. Marley’s attempts at raising animals didn’t go too well after he gave up growing crops. He just couldn’t do the work anymore, so he bought a few head of cattle, got bored with that, bought some sheep, which was a huge mistake. You have any idea how much trouble sheep are? There’s a reason we humans are referred to as sheep in the Bible. It’s because we are dumb and helpless. Thank goodness, the chickens turned out all right. Provided eggs and a good dinner on more than one occasion.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what are they doing in the meantime for income? Forgive me if I’m being nosy, but I know there will be lots of jobs once the big mall is finished if they’re looking.”
“No, actually, they both will be teaching at the high school starting in January. Katie minored in education, Travis in history, so in addition to their agricultural studies, they also got something useful to fall back on. I’m not sure about this organic stuff myself. I’ve lived on a farm most of my life, and the way we did things always seemed fine, but I’m an old woman, what do I know?”
“You’re not old, Miss Julia. You’re seasoned.”
JuJu laughed out loud. “Seasoned? I like that. Yes, I do, indeed.”
At that moment, the door opened, and Katie stepped out, followed by her husband, Travis.
“What’s so funny? We heard y’all laughing out here.”
“Oh, nothing much, sugar. Just sharing some stories is all. You two got all your stuff situated upstairs?”
“Yes, JuJu. Are you sure you’re okay downstairs? We still feel bad about taking your room.”
“Hush, child. That is settled. I’m tired of going up and down those stairs all the time, plus I’ll be closer to the kitchen when I want some pie and ice cream.”
Everyone laughed.
“Why does she call you JuJu?” Michael asked after Katie and Travis went back inside.
“Oh my. That goes way back. When I was a baby, just starting to talk, I couldn’t pronounce Julia, so it came out JuJu. My Grandma Jean thought it was adorable, so it stuck and became what everyone called me.” JuJu sighed at the memories. “After I left for college, I wanted to forget this place and everything associated with it, especially my nickname. Unfortunately, that also included my precious grandmother. I was a selfish young woman, Michael. Damaged, yes, but I made the wrong choices all on my own and caused a lot of hurt along the way. My grandmother gave me good advice, but instead of listening to her, I allowed bitterness to grow in my heart. It nearly destroyed me, but I kept right on ignoring the Lord’s voice, and He left me to my foolish ways.” JuJu shook her head.
“But everything worked out. Well, except for Noelle, of course.”
“Sometimes we can’t fix things. We surely can’t fix other people. Yes, I made mistakes where Noelle was concerned, but just like me, she made the wrong choices, chose the path of destruction. Thankfully, she came home in time, and we were able to find some measure of healing. I know she’s with the Lord and Marley, and I will see them again, probably sooner rather than later. Anyway, the plan after Katie came along was that I would be Granny. Well, I guess she heard Marley calling me Julia so much that when she started talking, that’s what she called me. Except it came out JuJu, just like when I was a baby. So, I guess you could say JuJu was resurrected.”
“I would say so. But I hope you won’t be leaving anytime soon, Miss Julia. We like having you around.” Michael smiled as he spoke.
JuJu returned the smile as she reached out a wrinkled hand to pat Michael’s.
“Thank you, Michael. You’re a fine young man, and I’m glad you’re here, but let’s face it. My time is winding down, and things are changing. But it’s all good. I’m at peace.”
Yes, everything would be different now. Different schedule, different perspective. All she’d ever wanted was to be good soil, to be able to take in the seed, to grow, and to share. To provide. And now she was doing just that. It was a long time coming, and the plowing was painful, but the harvest was standing right in front of her with dark, wavy hair and sea-green eyes.
Epilogue
Four Years Later
JuJu waited with anticipation. She was too weak to go to the hospital, and the chemo treatments made her susceptible to germs, so she was forced to stay home and wait. Something she still hated.
Lord, after all these years, why am I still impatient? You could take that away, You know? That would be a good thing, I think. Yes, I know You aren’t going to answer that, but I’m still asking.
JuJu chuckled to herself and shifted in her hospital bed. She hated the thing, but it made things easier for Katie, so she accepted it. Breast cancer was not for sissies, and caregiving wasn’t for sissies, either. Katie quit her teaching job a year ago to look after her grandmother, in spite of JuJu’s resistance.
JuJu had found the letter from her birth mother in Grandma Jean’s Bible a few months after Marley passed. It took some time to figure things out because there was no one left to answer her questions. After numerous phone calls, she located the lawyer who’d handled her birth mother’s affairs and learned there was a box in his office with her name on it. It was addressed to Cindy, of course, because Janet Roberts Shealy didn’t know any other nam
e. Old records were misplaced or lost, and she’d have been none the wiser if not for finding Janet’s letter. The lawyer told her he’d thought about discarding the box many times because he didn’t know what else to do with it, but something held him back. She made the four-hour trip to pick up the box, deciding to open it after returning home.
Inside, she discovered eighteen age-appropriate birthday presents, from small stuffed animals to games, to jewelry, and even a diary. That one gift undid JuJu, and she let the tears flow freely for what might have been. JuJu had been overwhelmed, crying off and on for days, fear and guilt trying to dig its claws into her again. But she was having none of that this time. She would allow nothing more to be stolen from her.
So, when the cancer diagnosis came, she was not surprised.
Now, life had come full circle, and she was the taker rather than the giver, and that was okay.
Travis still taught school, and the farm was doing way better than expected, so it wasn’t a financial burden for them, and Katie wanted to be there for her grandmother.
Hearing a car in the drive, JuJu picked up the remote and muted the television. She held her hands together and looked towards the door.
Travis and Katie entered together, Katie carrying a pink-wrapped bundle which she laid in JuJu’s arms.
Smiling broadly, she said, “JuJu, I’d like you to meet Joy.”
The End
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 13:23
A Seed Planted Page 21
