Hope Returns

by Dorey Whittaker

  Marla leaned her whole weight against the steering wheel, forcing the tires to squeal as she tried to keep her car from going off the cliff as they made the next turn. Looking ahead, Hope recognized where they were and said, “Marla, the next curve is Pelican Point. It is a sharp curve with an unobstructed cliff. If we don’t stop this car, that man will have lots of room to force us off the cliff. See that stone pillar to the left of the road, just before the curve begins? Marla, head for that pillar. It is the only thing that will stop this car.”

  Marla forced the wheel of her car as far left as she could manage, crying, “Help me, Hope! Grab hold of the wheel and help me turn it.”

  Both women used all their strength to force the LaBaron into the oncoming lane and then, just as they felt the left tire leave the pavement, both women turned toward each other as far as their seat belts would allow, covered their faces and braced for impact.

  Confused and in lots of pain, Hope struggled to get free of her seat belt but her body had slammed forward on impact, jamming the belt buckle, which now would not release. Panic quickly set in as Hope saw someone coming toward them. What if it was that guy again? Unable to move her leg without excruciating pain, Hope wondered, “What did we do to make this guy so angry? Why does he want to kill us?”

  Hope looked over at Marla, still unconscious and obviously quite hurt. She tried shaking her awake but then saw that her head had hit the steering wheel and she was bleeding from a huge gash on her face. Looking beyond Marla, in the dimming light of a winter sunset, panic quickly set in as Hope saw a flashlight coming toward them. Hope struggled to see beyond the glare of the flashlight, hoping not to see that same sinister face that had glared back at her just moments before. Overwhelmed with pain and fear, Hope cried out, “God, I prayed that prayer Ruth said you would always hear and accept. If this is the end for me—God, I trust You.”

  Someone was screaming something at her but she could not understand what he was saying because the sirens were so loud. Sirens? That means help is here. Hope strained to hear what the voice behind the light was saying to her, “Cover your face! We need to bust out this shattered windshield so we can put a safety blanket over you while we use the jaws-of-life. We are going to break the bracing on this convertible so we can lift you two up and out. Protect your face.”

  That was the last thing Hope remembered before letting the blackness of unconsciousness take over.

  Chapter 26

  Hope was wheeled back into her hospital room after having her leg set and cast. The impact of the accident had driven her knees into the dashboard, snapping her right thigh bone. Heavily medicated, Hope struggled to answer the questions the officer was asking. “Hope, can you identify the other car?”

  Hope closed her eyes and envisioned herself turning around in Marla’s car, “It was a two-toned, gray on gray Buick Park Avenue, with black leather seats. There was a parking sticker in the lower right corner of the windshield. It had a sea gull or a pelican standing on a rock. The license plate number was xxl-555.”

  “That is wonderful, Hope, although I suspect we will find this is a stolen car,” the officer responded. “Did you get a good look of the driver?”

  “I got a very good look at him; so did Marla.”

  The officer ignored Hope’s reference to Marla, suggesting, “I think we need to get a police sketch artist over here right away while it is still clear in your head. In the meantime, I’m going to put a BOLO out for this car. I’m certain we will find it was stolen and that it has been dumped somewhere, but maybe we can get prints or other evidence off it.”

  As soon as the officer left her room another man entered and introduced himself, “Hello, Hope, I am your attorney, Samuel Parker. I have been retained to represent you, so I do not want you talking to anyone from now on without me being present.”

  Hope started to respond when the officer came walking back into the room and asked, “And who are you and how did you get past the desk?”

  Parker gave his most practiced ‘I have every right to be here’ kind of look but before the officer could even respond, Hope asked, “So, Mr. Parker, just who is paying you?”

  Smiling a smile that only a greasy, conceited, player can produce, Parker patted Hope’s hand and said, “Hope, now don’t you worry about a thing. It is all taken care of.”

  “Well, since I am not guilty of anything except being naive and gullible, I doubt that I will have any need of your services, Mr. Parker. I suspect Estelle Gundersol is picking up your tab so you just go back to her and tell her to stay out of my business. I do not need you filtering my words for me.”

  Parker picked up his briefcase and quickly excused himself.

  Hope turned to the officer and said, “I guess I hit that nail on the head. Officer, a minute ago you said you suspected the car was stolen, why?”

  “Almost two hours before your accident, Hope, the LAPD got a tip that Marla’s car was going to be involved in a fatal accident.”

  “A tip, you mean that man really did intend to kill me?” Hope could not quite believe all of this.

  “Not you, Hope—Marla. We had a BOLO out for her car but could not find it.”

  Puzzled by this news, Hope asked, “But who would want to have Marla killed?” Even as the words came out of her mouth, Hope already knew the answer.

  “Michael Gundersol called in the tip himself. He was in a panic, having spent the past three days searching the greater LA area for Marla Brown. I don’t know all of the details; however, I do know that he overheard his own mother telling his father that the plan was set and their guy had found Marla and it would be done tonight. I guess Michael stormed into their room and confronted them and demanded to know what the ‘plan’ was. Once he realized his mother had hired a hit on Marla, Michael immediately called the police and told them everything. Once the accident was reported, Mr. and Mrs. Gundersol were taken into custody for questioning. We need to find the driver and get him to flip on Mrs. Gundersol. With all their money, we will need a rock-solid case before we go after her.”

  Amazed at what she was hearing, Hope said, “So Michael called the police on his mother? I can hardly believe he had the nerve. Maybe there is hope for him after all. That also explains why Estelle sent her lawyer. Obviously, she wanted to keep me quiet. The person she really better be fearful of is Marla.” Then with real concern, Hope asked, “Officer, is Marla going to be okay?”

  “I’m not sure, Hope. She is still in surgery. Her injuries were much worse than yours because it was her side of the car that took the direct impact.”

  Twenty minutes later Michael came into Hope’s room, broken and bewildered. “Hope, I am so sorry about everything. You were not supposed to be in that car with Marla.”

  “Well then, that makes everything okay, doesn’t it, Michael? The officer just told me that you did try to stop it and that does count for something. I know all about Marla. She told me everything before that man tried to run us off the cliff.”

  Collapsing into the chair beside her bed, he buried his face in his hands and said, “I’m glad it is over. I never wanted to hurt you, Hope; I just didn’t know how to get out of it.”

  “Is Marla hurt badly? You do realize that, no matter how sick and twisted your relationship is with her, she does love you.”

  Michael let out a huge sigh. “They just rolled her out of surgery but they won’t tell me anything; they won’t even let me see her.” He lifted his head and admitted, “I’ve really made a mess of things. I was willing to ruin your life just so I could get what I wanted. I had no idea my mother would go this far. I really didn’t.”

  “Michael, you are young. You can still build a life for yourself and Marla if you want to. You’ve never needed your parents’ help, you just didn’t want to work for the life you really wanted.”

  He stared off into space for a moment, and then admitted, “My mother will never forgive me for betraying her. All my life I did what she wanted, everything except giving up
Marla. I just couldn’t do that. But betraying her by calling the police—that she will never forgive.” Turning back to Hope, he concluded, “Hope, I can never have the life I want now. I need my mother’s money and my father’s name and support. I’ve lost both today. I’ve lost everything.”

  Without another word Michael walked out of Hope’s room and her life for good. As she watched him walk down the hallway, Hope realized that although he seemed truly sorry for what had happened, he was still more concerned with what all this meant to him and his future. Hope thought about everything Michael had said and done today, and concluded that as much as Michael could love anyone, he did love Marla. At least he did do the right thing by calling the police. But now, as the full weight of his heroic decision comes to light, Michael is beginning to waffle, something at which he is very accomplished.

  Hope leaned back against her pillow, realizing just how lucky she was to finally be rid of all three of the Gundersols. Looking up at the ceiling, Hope said, “God, I am so thankful. I am lying here in a hospital bed with a broken leg, having just escaped a near-death experience, I just sent the man I was supposed to marry out of my life for good and I can truly say I am thankful.”

  With a realization that made her shudder, Hope added, “I could have been married to that man. I could have had children with him. Estelle could have been my mother-in-law and without knowing it, I could have been forced to share my husband with Marla. But God, none of that is true now and I know it is not because I was too smart for them. It is because I promised Lisa I would pray Jeremiah 29:11 as a prayer to you until I understood what it meant. God, I do understand it. People make plans. Sometimes their plans walk all over people and abuse and misuse them for their own purposes. God, I want to know and to start following your plans for my life. I want to follow your plans for the rest of my life and I want to stop being gullible and foolish.”

  A few minutes later a very sheepish Jean Winslow entered her daughter’s room. “Hope, your dad and brother are in San Diego fishing. I just talked to Dad on the phone and he wanted me to tell you they are driving back tonight and he will be here at the hospital first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s good, Mother; I’m glad. For a few minutes today I was afraid I’d never see my family ever again,” Hope confessed.

  Mortified at learning everything that happened, Jean began to cry as she confessed, “I wasn’t sure you would want to see me after all of this. I had no idea Estelle could go this far to get her way. I was so full of pride and blinded by Estelle’s wealth and connections, I let her manipulated me into pressuring you to stay in that relationship. I knew you were miserable but I kept telling myself it would get better once you two were married. Somewhere deep inside, I knew I was lying to myself and to you, but I let the promise of such a vast fortune coming to you cloud my judgment. Estelle had me hook, line and sinker, and I let her reel me in. That woman gets whatever she wants.”

  “Well, Mother, that might not be true any longer. Estelle’s dream of another generation of political power, privilege and prestige is shattered. Michael, her tool to achieve all of these lofty dreams, has finally turned on her and betrayed her. The cherished name of Gundersol, the name that would always open every door for her, is now tarnished beyond repair. And finally, Mother, all of Estelle’s treasured family money will probably not keep her out of prison. That is quite a fall for someone who always believed she was untouchable.”

  Jean sat there quietly thinking about everything her daughter had just said. Almost too afraid to ask it, but knowing she needed to know the answer, Jean finally asked, “So, you have not yet said what is going to happen to us. Are we too broken? Did I betray you to the point that you cannot forgive me?”

  Hope smiled at her mother for a moment before saying, “I have a long recovery ahead of me. I will be here in the hospital for at least three more days, then the doctor wants me off my feet for at least a month before he will release me back to work. You and I have a lot to talk about. I have a wonderful family in Atlanta and Jefferson, but I realize it is not a competition. I do not have to choose one over the other. I am blessed to have both. I want you to get to know this part of my family the way I have come to know them and I want them to get to know you. Mother, this family is all about forgiveness. I want you to meet all of them and maybe, someday, you and I can talk about how I became a follower of Jesus. He is the One who teaches us that to live a full life you must start with asking for forgiveness—first from Him, and then He wants us to walk a forgiving life. I know you don’t understand what I am talking about right now, but you will because I can truly say that I do forgive you, Mother, with all my heart.”

  As an act of true repentance, Jean suggested, “Hope, we need to call your mom, Lisa, and tell her what has happened to you. Do you have her phone number?”

  “It is in my purse and that was left back in my car at the gas station when Marla kidnapped me. Besides, I think Lisa has already moved into Ben’s house and I don’t have that number yet.”

  Jean considered her options. “Hope, I could call your Aunt Gladys. She should know how to get hold of Lisa. I would think Gladys’s home number would be easy to find.”

  Smiling at hearing her mother refer to Gladys as “your Aunt Gladys,” thrilled her heart. Seeing her mother so anxious to include her “other” family, Hope quickly agreed, “Mom, you can call information and ask for Gladys Carter’s phone number. She lives on Hayter Street in Jefferson, Georgia.” Then remembering the nurse telling her that no long distance phone calls could be made from the hospital room, Hope suggested, “I guess you will have to go down to the lobby and use one of the public phones.”

  Saddened at the idea of not being the one to tell them she was all right, Hope decided to just focus on the fact that her mother was now willing to make this call for her. Jean grabbed her purse and headed for the door when Hope cautioned, “Mother, just please make sure they know that I am all right, especially Gladys. I don’t want her sitting in that house all alone worrying about me.”

  Several minutes later Jean returned to Hope’s room full of smiles and excited. “I was able to get through to Gladys Carter for you, Hope; what a sweet lady.”

  Frustrated at such little information, Hope prodded, “So, what did you tell her? You didn’t get her upset, did you? You did just ask for Lisa’s phone number, right? Did you call my mom and tell her what happened to me?”

  Jean pulled the chair closer to Hope’s bedside and lifted the hospital phone onto the bed, saying, “Hope, you won’t believe it. When I called Gladys’s house, Lisa answered the phone. It just so happens that your whole family is at Gladys’s house tonight. It’s a long story for another day, but they are calling here in just a few minutes because they all want to talk to you.”

  Beaming with excitement, Hope grabbed the receiver on its first ring and said, “Hi, Mom, first off, I am fine. I don’t want you to worry about me.”

  Jean’s eyes welled up with tears as she watched her daughter’s face light up. As she listened to this one-sided conversation, she thought about how foolish she had been; jealous of Hope’s new family ties, blinded by Estelle’s pride-centered friendship, and knowing how much of this had been her own fault. Jean looked at Hope and thought, “I doubt that I would have been so generous to forgive someone who had betrayed me.”

  Hope interrupted the questions being fired at her, “Mom, I really am okay. So everyone is at Gladys’s house tonight? Can you put me on speaker phone so I can tell all of you what’s happened to me? No, Mom, not about the accident, something even more important. I’ll wait until you get it on speaker so everyone can hear it together.”

  Jean smiled at her daughter, assuming the important news was going to be that Hope had finally broken off the engagement, but she was soon to realize that Hope’s news was much more important.

  Two clicks and several background voices could be heard suggesting putting the telephone in the center of the room, then Hope could hear
Scott in the background saying, “Wait, we need to go wake up Ruth. She would want to be here for this. Tell Hope to wait just a moment while I bring Ruth into the living room.”

  Lots of excited chatter could be heard while everyone got seated and then, “Go ahead, Hope, we are all ears,” announced Lisa.

  Hope took hold of her mother’s hand, leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then started. “Hi, everyone, I need to tell you I am all right. I have a broken leg and am pretty banged up, but I will be fine in a couple of months.”

  Several people tried to shout comments but Hope quickly took control of the conversation saying, “Everyone, I know you want to know all the details about the accident but can we set all that aside for right now? I promise I will tell you every horrid detail in a day or two, but right now I want to tell you all something so much more important. Something I know you all want to hear.

  “First of all, I need you to know that my mother, Jean, is sitting here beside me and she has not heard what I am about to tell you, but since you are all my family, I want to tell you all at the same time… so here goes. Ruth, are you there?”

  “Yes, I’m here, Hope,” Ruth called out.

  “Ruth, remember last Saturday morning when you and I talked in the den?”

  “Yes, Hope, I remember our conversation,” Ruth called out.

  “Well, everyone, Ruth explained to me the difference between just being a religious person and being a person of faith. She told me exactly what that means and then she gave me one of Tobias’s study-guides to read.

  “During your wedding, Mom, I was struggling with lots of things. I was trying to decide if I was going through with my own wedding plans, knowing I could never really be happy with Michael. I was also struggling over my decision to become a person of faith. I knew I needed to pray the prayer that Ruth and the pastor said God would always listen to, so right during your wedding ceremony, Mom, I did pray that prayer and God did hear it; I absolutely know He did.”