Hope Returns

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Hope Returns Page 9

by Dorey Whittaker


  Astonished at this man’s audacity, but careful with her words, Lisa asked, “Christmas Eve? But, Hope, you will be here on Christmas Eve.”

  “That is what I told him, but he flew into a tirade right there in the coffee shop. He said he just assumed that since we were getting along so well, I would not think of abandoning him during his Christmas. Then, when I reminded him that I had already purchased my tickets and the family was expecting me, he exploded, saying, ‘After everything I have done for you this past week, you dare to do this to me? I do not deserve to be treated like this, and I will not tolerate this kind of disrespect from my future wife. You will cancel your trip, and you will accompany me to this party. Do you understand me?’ ”

  Dying inside, pleading silently for the right answer, Lisa asked, “So, Hope, what are you going to do?”

  “I’ve just decided. I am coming. If he thinks that a few days of pouring on the charm is all it takes to blind me to his faults, he is sadly mistaken. I have one week before I board that plane. One week of listening to my mother’s badgering, his threats, and Mrs. Gundersol’s relentless posturing about all of her son’s wonderful qualities, but I am coming.”

  “Good, Hope, I am so happy you made that decision.” Feeling the need to offer just one warning, Lisa added, “I sure wish this coming week were already over. But, Hope, if Michael is this upset with you, maybe you should make sure you are not alone with him this week.”

  “Oh, Mom, he would never hurt me. He is just spoiled and wants his own way.”

  Lisa thought, enough said, don’t make her defend him. “Hope, I guess I’ll see you in one week. Take care, sweetheart. I love you.” Then as she hung up the phone, Lisa repeated, “Then we must leave it in God’s hands.”

  For the next several evenings, Lisa and Ben went Christmas shopping together, meeting Benny for dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant, and then shooing him home to get his homework done while they continued shopping. Lisa tried to stay in the moment, enjoying her time with her two guys. Benny was always trying to get his dad laughing, which did not take much effort. On the last Friday night before Christmas week, Benny made a request of Lisa that proved the worst was now over for Benny. Dinner was finished, and they were just sitting there chatting when Benny asked, “Lisa, Sunday, after church, we are all heading up to Atlanta for the holidays, but before we leave town,” Benny hesitated for a second, “before we leave town, can we stop by the cemetery and wish my mom a Merry Christmas, together, as a family?”

  Soft-hearted Ben’s eyes immediately filled with thankful tears as Lisa reached over and took Benny’s hand. “I think that would be a wonderful start to Christmas, Benny. I wish I could have known Beverly. She must have been a wonderful mom, Benny.”

  “She would have loved you, Lisa.” Benny hesitated, and then added, “I know it because I love you.”

  Two days later, while Gladys sat in the car guarding all the presents packed for Atlanta, Ben, Lisa, and Benny took a walk into the cemetery with a bouquet of flowers. They were gone only for a few minutes, but those were very important minutes. As they returned to the car, Gladys noticed that Ben was on one side of Lisa and Benny was on the other. Both men had their arms around Lisa, and all three of them were smiling.

  Chapter 11

  Ben pulled into Bill and Caroline Thomas’ driveway right at five o’clock. The house was ablaze with Christmas lights and before he had time to turn off the engine, everyone inside of the house began pouring out to greet them. Scott Thomas, Lisa’s brother-in-law, opened the back door to help his aunt Gladys out of the car. Little Matthew, his youngest child, pushed his way past his daddy in order to get the first kiss from Auntie Gladys. Lisa Anne, much too grown up for pushing past her younger brother, stood quietly waiting for her Auntie Lisa to acknowledge her. “Auntie Lisa, may I help you with those packages?”

  Lisa smiled at her namesake, lifted the packages off her lap, setting them down on the now empty driver’s seat and pulled Lisa Anne onto her lap. “Merry Christmas, sweetie pie. Do you know how much I have missed you?” Hugging her niece closely, Lisa whispered in her ear, “And, just in case you think I had forgotten, I did bring my bag of knitting supplies and you and I are going to make something very special for your mommy. I’ve been working on it for days, but I left the most important part for you, sweetie. We have three days to finish it and get it under the tree.”

  Beaming with excitement, Lisa Anne gave her favorite aunt a kiss, then leaned down to get a good look at the huge man who had climbed out of Auntie Gladys’s car. Giggling, as only a young girl can, Lisa Anne whispered, “Auntie Lisa, my mommy told me you have a boyfriend.”

  “Yes, I do, sweetie,” Lisa confessed, “and that is his son, Benjamin, but he likes to be called Benny.”

  Scott made his way around the car, spun Ben around and gave him a huge bear hug. “Welcome, Ben. It sure is nice to see you out of uniform, finally.” Then checking to see if Lisa was listening, Scott leaned forward, ever so slightly and said, “Everything is set for tomorrow.”

  Ben gave him a wink, then changed the subject quickly. “Wow, what a beautiful home. Hey, Benny, this is how the other half lives.”

  Benny just smiled as he hurried to get all the luggage out of the trunk. Bill Thomas, Gladys’s younger brother, stepped up and suggested, “Benny, just take out Gladys and Lisa’s luggage. You and your dad are going to bunk at Scott and Susan’s place, while Gladys, Lisa, and Hope will be staying here.”

  “Yes sir, Mr. Thomas,” Benny agreed. “My dad told me we are staying at your son’s home, but I have to get all of this luggage out of the trunk in order to get the presents that are way in the back.”

  “Well, let me help you with those. My wife has supper ready to serve, and believe me, no one in this family wants to be late for one of my wife’s holiday suppers,” Bill said with a wink.

  Placing the last present under the Christmas tree, Benny hesitantly followed his dad into the dining room. “Benny,” Mrs. Thomas suggested, “you take that seat next to your dad. Lisa you take the seat on the other side of Ben.” Benny was thrilled to see that he had not been relegated to the children’s table in the kitchen. Even though carrying on a conversation with adults made him feel awkward, having to entertain a bunch of little kids was beyond his comfort zone.

  Benny watched with pride how his father seemed to easily join into the adult conversation. He could tell that Scott really liked his dad, which made him more relaxed and able to enjoy the meal. As seconds were going around the table, Benny turned to his dad with a smile and said, “This is our first really fancy holiday supper since Mom died. I guess not everyone has frozen casseroles for Christmas. A boy could get used to this.”

  Ben reached around his son and slapped him on the back, “Boy, men were not created to live alone. Without women, we’d all be living on casseroles, hot dogs, and Chinese take-out. At least these two boys would.”

  Mrs. Thomas gave Benny a huge smile as she handed him her famous corn pudding casserole and said, “Benny, this has never been frozen. You can eat to your heart’s content. I know seventeen-year-old boys have a bottomless pit.”

  As the conversation drifted into planning the next two days, Scott asked Lisa, “What time does Hope’s plane arrive?”

  “Scott, she is supposed to arrive at four-forty tomorrow afternoon. I just hope she gets on that plane.”

  “She will be here, Lisa,” Scott offered with all the gentleness he could muster. “You and Susan are meeting Hope at the airport, right?”

  “That is the plan. We should have her back here by six o’clock at the latest—‘if’ her plane is on time.” Everyone at the table understood that her ‘if’ was intended for more than the plane’s arrival.

  To lighten the mood, Scott suggested, “Since Ben and Benny will be staying at our house, I thought we’d give you girls some free shopping time tomorrow. I offered to show the guys around Atlanta, but we will make sure we are back here by six o’clock to m
eet Hope.”

  Mrs. Thomas chimed in, “Carol Anne and Harry should be back in town late tomorrow afternoon. His mother isn’t doing well and cannot handle the grandkids in her house for more than a few days. At least they were able to make this one last trip while she is still able to enjoy the children. I’m glad they made the effort, and I know Carol Anne wants to be here when Hope arrives.”

  Benny turned to Lisa and asked, “Now, who are Carol Anne and Harry?”

  “Carol Anne is Scott’s younger sister, Bill and Caroline’s daughter. She is my sister’s very best friend.” Giving Benny a big smile, she added, “You are going to like Carol Anne, Benny, but you are going to love Harry. He coaches the wrestling team at his school, as well as track and field. You were on the wrestling team last year, weren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Benny said with an embarrassed shrug, “but I wasn’t very good. I don’t have my dad’s size, and the coach said I didn’t have a killer instinct.”

  “I wouldn’t say that, Benny,” Lisa teased. “I’ve seen you run guys down and tackle them, guys much bigger than you. You never let your size stop you on the football field.”

  Benny just sat back and smiled.

  After Scott and Susan took their houseguests home, Mrs. Thomas, Gladys, and Lisa headed upstairs to get settled in. Pulling out extra pillows, Mrs. Thomas said, “I’m putting you two in Scott’s old room because it has twin beds. I’m saving Carol Anne’s old room for Hope. I think she will be more comfortable in a room by herself. Besides, that room has its own bathroom. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “That is perfect, Caroline. Hope is going to be overwhelmed after meeting so many family members for the first time; she will need a quiet place of retreat after one of our holiday gatherings,” Lisa joked. “And, by the way, I want to thank you for also extending an invitation to Hope’s parents. That was really sweet of you. I’m sorry they turned down your invitation, but maybe after things settle down and they get used to me being in Hope’s life, they might join us one of these years.”

  As Gladys took the pillows from Caroline, she offered, “I’m kind of glad they turned it down this year. This is Hope’s first holiday with the family, and will be the first time she meets her other grandmother. I think having her parents here might have been too much for her.”

  “You are right, Gladys,” agreed Caroline. “But I felt I needed to at least extend the invitation to them. I didn’t want them to think we were shutting them out. Mrs. Winslow was very gracious and said Hope was really looking forward to her time here.”

  Lisa decided to keep her own counsel and not mention the pressure Mrs. Winslow had been putting on Hope since before Thanksgiving. She just said, “I’m sure this has been hard on all of them. I can’t imagine how Mrs. Winslow must have felt sitting in that courtroom hearing her girl testify about taking a man’s life and seeing Hope so upset.”

  Climbing into bed, Gladys looked over at Lisa, who was checking the time on her watch again, “Lisa, Hope will get on that airplane tomorrow. We have prayed for her safety all week long. You have to trust that she has taken your advice. She promised she would make sure she would never be alone with Michael this week. We know she doesn’t agree that he could become physical with her, but she did promise to be careful. That is all you can do right now.”

  Reaching up to turn off the light, Lisa simply smiled and repeated, “then we must leave it in God’s hands, right? Good night, Gladys.”

  ***

  After breakfast, Scott gathered up the kids and had them all in the van before Susan was even out the door. “Mom and Gladys will watch the kids while you and Lisa have a day of shopping together. You are going out to the new mall on the west end, right?”

  “Yes.” Susan studied Scott’s face, wondering why he cared where they were going today. “I want to take Lisa to that new tearoom on the highway. The West End Mall is right there, why?”

  “No reason,” Scott said teasingly, “except Ben and Benny want to buy Lisa her Christmas present today and I’m sure they don’t want to run into her without it wrapped, that’s all. So you girls go to the West End and I will take the guys to the Downtown Mall.” Closing the car door behind Susan, Scott blew the kids a kiss and waved goodbye as they drove off.

  Running back into the house, Scott bellowed, “All right, boys, project get-a-ring has commenced.”

  Only half joking, Ben patted his pants pocket, “Wallet, checkbook, and credit cards, I am ready.” Patting his son’s back, he added, “Okay, Benny, let’s get our lady a beautiful ring today,” and off they went.

  All day long Susan did her best to keep Lisa busy so she didn’t just think of Hope. They bought all kinds of last minute items, had a wonderful lunch at the tearoom, and then Susan surprised her sister with a trip to her favorite salon for a pedicure. They were served scones with orange glaze and their pick of specialty drinks. Susan laughed as Lisa struggled to keep still while they scrubbed the bottom of her feet. She was so ticklish it was almost more painful than enjoyable.

  They talked about Ben and all the special things he did to show how much he loved her. Lisa filled her sister in on what Benny had done the day before and what that really meant to all of them. “Susan, sometimes I think none of this is real. In my wildest imagination I could never have dreamed of someone like Ben loving me.” Lisa knew the girl working on her feet was listening to every word she said. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to say what was on her mind anyway. “I said that to Gladys about a week ago and she said that is exactly how it is when we realize just how much God loves us. We are not worthy of His love, but oh how wonderful it is to see all the ways He shows us just how much He loves us.”

  Lisa gave Susan a little wink when the girl quickly excused herself, saying she needed more towels. “I’m so happy, Susan. Who would have thought that those two little girls in that bedroom back on Elm Street would someday be sitting here talking about having two such wonderful men in their lives?”

  “And, Lisa,” Susan responded, “the same will be true for Hope one day. If God could bring you and me this far, you know there is hope for Hope, too, right?”

  Lisa reached over and squeezed her sister’s hand. She dared not speak for fear of falling into tears of thankfulness. She knew God was protecting her little girl because Hope was in God’s hands.

  ***

  On the other side of town, Ben and Benny were on a mission to find the perfect ring for Lisa. Ben had known Lisa back in the day when her life was a real mess. She had been in and out of his jail for years. He seldom spoke to her back then because her responses were always full of foul insults and filthy offers. The less time he spent around her jail cell the better.

  As he and Benny examined the trays of rings before them, Ben thought about how profoundly Lisa had changed into the woman he was now willing to ask to join him in marriage. For years, Lisa had been a regular guest at the jail, then all of a sudden she disappeared and he forgot about her and had gone about his business.

  Eleven years had gone by without any contact or thought of where she was or what she was doing; after all, she was just one of those lost souls bent on self-destruction. Then Ben looked over at Scott Thomas and smiled, remembering the morning he and Susan came into the jail demanding to see Lisa. Studying Scott today, with his arm around Benny, laughing as they held up pretty rings, Ben remembered that morning, just nine months earlier, when Lisa was back in his jail, accused of murder, but definitely a different Lisa than he had known before.

  The change had been so extreme it intrigued him. This could not be the same woman. Ben remembered how curious he had been, watching this woman interact with the sweet old lady, who turned out to be Gladys, as she visited Lisa in jail. He began making a point of stopping by her jail cell with any excuse he could muster, just to chat with her because he had felt desperate to know what could have caused this change in her.

  Ben smiled as he remembered all the late afternoon chats with Lisa and how much he had
looked forward to them. She and Gladys would allow him to join in their visits whenever he could arrange to be on duty in her area. He loved to listen to them talk about trusting God in this terrible situation. It was during these chats that he learned how Gladys had taken Lisa in and had nursed her back to health after one of Lisa’s many drug overdoses. He learned how Gladys had shared the love of God with a soul so desperate to know that she still had worth, both to God and to Gladys.

  By the time Lisa’s trial had begun, Ben was convinced of her innocence, fearful of her future, but assured of her salvation and he knew he had strong feelings for her. Her past was her past. Having known her back then, and seeing what she had become, made his sentiment even stronger. What courage it must have taken to fight so hard to come back from where she was. He knew only a loving God could have done this, but Lisa had accepted that help, and was now someone he truly admired.

  After her acquittal, he stopped by often just to see how Lisa was doing; at least that is what he had told himself. But very soon both he and Lisa knew they were in love. Within a month he was talking marriage but Lisa feared the effect this would have on his son, so they waited. Benny’s feelings needed to be taken into account and Ben loved her even more for that.

  It had now been two weeks since he and Benny had made the decision to ask Lisa to join their family. Ben was certain that Lisa would say yes because they had talked about a future together, but only after Benny was okay with it. As soon as that last hurdle had been removed, he had gone to Gladys for advice about when to ask Lisa to marry him. She suggested, “Ben, I think when everyone who loves Lisa is present would be a good time. If you can hold on for a few weeks we will all be together for Christmas, then the whole family can celebrate with the two of you.”

  Tucking the ring they selected into his pocket, Ben said, “Benny, even though I want to ask Lisa to marry me right now, I need to be patient, not because I fear her response, but because I want to be sensitive to all the emotional upheaval in her life right now.”

 

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