A Place Called Destiny

by Emma Easter

  Overwhelming dread descended on her as it occurred to her that she would not be allowed to keep her baby when she was sent off to “renew her mind.” Babies were not allowed to stay there. She pressed her lips together to keep from crying out and shook her head slowly. “No, Lord, I cannot leave my baby.” She suddenly felt consumed by panic. She looked up thoughtfully. There had to be a way to escape.

  But she knew there was none.

  The elders had decided to place members of the security team around the house continuously because of her attempt to escape. Plus, Mike watched her every single day like a hawk.

  She could not contain her anguish anymore and silently cried out, “Lord, please help me. I cannot leave my baby here. Even if I am sent away to the repentant house, please let me be able to take my baby with me.”

  She sighed with sorrow, knowing that would never happen unless the Lord worked a miracle for her. She began to pray even more fervently. She could bear Mike’s presence if only she was allowed to take her baby with her once she was sent off to the Restoration House.

  Someone suddenly pushed the door wide open and she stumbled back. Mike came into the living room and stared at her. “I see you have been eavesdropping.”

  She shrunk away from him, not sure what he would do to her. He had never hit her, but he had done other things that were just as despicable, if not more. When he sat down on the couch and told her in a gentle voice to sit beside him, she blinked in surprise. What is he up to now?

  She sat on the edge of the couch.

  “Come closer,” Mike whispered, and then looked around as though there was a stranger in the house he was afraid of. She narrowed her eyes and then reluctantly shifted closer, but not close enough for their bodies to touch.

  He looked into her eyes and said in a hushed tone, “There’s something important I have to tell you.”

  Her heart sank to her feet. Surely he knew that she’d heard everything he and the elders had discussed. He was going to tell her that she would be sent away to renew her mind once she gave birth to her baby; that she would have to leave without her child.

  She would not go easily. She would fight it, though she knew there would be no use. She said to him, “I know what you want to tell me. Once I give birth, I will have to…” but she could not go on. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn’t speak. She finally forced herself to talk. “The elders want me to go to the Restoration House after I give birth to my baby.” She pleaded with him. “Please, Mike, don’t let them send me away without my baby.” She knew he didn’t have the power to go against what the elders ordered. Still, she pleaded with him.

  He put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Keep quiet, Rachel. Let me speak.”

  She bit her lip and stopped speaking. She would have to try to escape again before she gave birth to her child. She would not willingly allow anyone to separate her from her baby. The chance that she would succeed when there were so many security guards around the house were slim, if not nonexistent, but she would try. She had to, for her child’s sake. She frowned as Mike stared at her without saying anything.

  He finally spoke. “Listen, Rachel,” he whispered. “We need to leave this community as soon as possible. That Restoration House is not somewhere I want you to go. You are very delicate. I am not sure you will survive the house and I want you by my side always.” He looked up with a thoughtful expression. “Nobody is going to take my wife away from me.”

  She stared at him in astonishment. Did he just tell her that he wanted them to leave the community? That could not be. He was dedicated to everything in Fallow Creek. She said to him, “I’m sorry, did I hear you wrong or did you really say you want us to leave this community?”

  “Sshh… lower your voice, Rachel,” he ordered.

  Rachel raised her brows. Olivia was upstairs in her room and her kids were still at school. There was no one around to hear what they were saying, so why was he being so secretive? Unless he really meant what he said about them leaving the community. Her eyes grew wide.

  “You heard right,” Mike said. “We have to leave before you have the baby. I need to put some things together before we go, but we will leave before the end of this week.”

  Rachel’s heart began to race with anxiety and excitement. Did he really mean it? Would they really leave this awful place? Maybe if they succeeded in leaving, she would be able to eventually leave Mike as well. However, the chances of them packing up all their things and successfully leaving the community was unlikely. She shared her concerns with Mike.

  “I know it’s going to be extremely difficult to leave,” he said. “But I think I have a plan that might succeed.”

  “Do you?” she asked. “And what is your plan?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “This is what I want you to do: Start packing your things, but very discreetly. Tell no one about what I told you, though since you are not allowed to leave this house, I doubt you could anyway. I will let Olivia know that she is to do the same for herself and the children.”

  Rachel could not believe it. Michael Cadwell was actually serious about leaving Fallow Creek. She did not know whether to jump for joy or to cry out in fear. Because if they were caught trying to leave, especially her since she had tried before, being sent off to the Restoration House would be the least of her problems. And yet, in spite of the risks, she could not hold down her excitement.

  Mike clapped his hands and said, “Now go and start packing, Rachel. You will also pack my clothes.”

  She nodded and got up from the couch. Slowly, she made her way up the stairs, cradling her belly. Her excitement increased with each step she took. She was finally going to leave this community that had taken so much from her. And then, soon, she would leave Mike.

  The risk they were going to take in trying to escape and the consequences they would suffer if they were caught occupied her mind once again, but she pressed it away. Mike had said he had a plan. Knowing Mike, if he said he had a plan, it would be a good one. He had enough money to make whatever he wanted come true. He was a fastidious and detailed person. He would not rest until he had fine-tuned his plan and it was perfect. The only thing she could do now, apart from pack her things and Mike’s, was pray fervently that Mike’s plan would succeed.

  She went to the bedroom that she shared with Mike and immediately brought out the large suitcase that had been unused in Mike’s walk-in closet for years. She brought out another bag to pack her things separately from Mike’s, in case she would be able to escape him immediately after they left Fallow Creek. But she soon changed her mind. Mike would be angry if he found out that she had packed her things separately and then he would be suspicious. Also, the chances of escaping Mike immediately after they left follow Creek were slim. She would have to wait and bide her time until the perfect moment when she could leave.

  She began to pull her clothes out of the closet and fold them into the suitcase. After that, she sat down on the bed, exhausted, and looked at Mike’s clothes in the open closet. Neither of them owned a lot of clothes, but for some reason, just packing only her stuff had completely worn her out. She did not know how she would find the strength to pack Mike’s things.

  Feeling a little light-headed, she sucked in huge gulps of air and forced herself to stand up. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach and cried out. Once again she cradled her stomach and shut her eyes as waves of pain coursed through her body.

  What is wrong with me? She blinked. Something wet was running down her legs. She looked down and her mouth dropped open. Her water had just broken. She was in labor! But how could that be? She was due next month. At least that was what the midwife had told her.

  She sat down slowly as waves of pain hit her. And then she felt excited at the fact that she was soon going to welcome her baby, the life that had been growing in her for months. She opened her mouth to call for Mike and tell him that she was in labor when she suddenly remembered the elders’ discussion with Mike an
d what he had promised them.

  “No, no, no, Lord. Please, I can’t have my baby now!” she cried out. They were supposed to leave this town before the baby came. She put her hand on her stomach and began to slowly rub it as though that could stop her baby from coming out. She shut her eyes as contractions hit her. When she felt a strong urge to push, she knew there would be no delay. Her baby was determined to come into the world now.

  Tears fell down her cheeks; not tears from the pain of labor, but from desperation and despair. If she gave birth now, there was no escaping Fallow Creek. The elders would come and take her away before she knew it and she would be separated from her baby. “Oh, Lord, please!” she begged, but all she felt was more pain and a stronger urge to push the baby out. At last, she screamed Mike’s name, gritting her teeth in pain.

  He burst into the bedroom a moment later. “What is it?” he asked, looking at her.

  She wiped away the sweat on her brow and said, “I think the baby’s coming.”

  His eyes grew round and he shook his head. “Rachel, the baby cannot come now! Is there no way to delay the birth?”

  She screamed at him. “There’s no way, Mike! You have to take me to the clinic right now!”

  Mike began to run around the room like a headless chicken. “Let me go and tell Olivia to prepare so we can all go to the clinic together. I will call her mother to come watch the children.” He left the room quickly and came back almost immediately. He picked up the bag that she had packed some time ago in preparation of her childbirth and came to put his arm around her. He slowly lifted her up from the bed and led her out of the room.

  Getting down the stairs was excruciating and tiring for Rachel, but she made it at last with Mike’s help. Olivia was already waiting near the black SUV when Rachel and Mike stepped out of the house. They all got in and Mike began to drive to the clinic while Rachel sat in the back of the car, breathing fast. This was not how she wanted her baby to come into the world. She wanted her baby to come into a world where both parents would celebrate her arrival. But her baby was coming now, at a time when Rachel and Mike did not want her to come.

  Mike finally reached the clinic and parked at the side of the one-story building on a large tract of land. He opened the door and helped her out of the car.

  When Rachel finally had a break from the painful contractions, she pulled away from Mike. She reached out for Olivia and when the older woman came to her, she put her arm around Olivia and leaned her weight on her. Mike mumbled something, but she ignored him. She wanted as little physical contact with him as possible. And since he couldn’t force her to do anything at this time, she didn’t have to lean on him.

  Her legs felt heavy as she walked into the clinic with Olivia. Just as she sat down on the padded bench in the reception area, another wave of pain hit her and she pressed her lips tightly together so she would not scream. The midwife and a younger nurse called Nancy hurried over to Rachel and carried her away to the birthing room. Olivia followed, but Mike stayed where he was, as men weren’t usually in the room during childbirth.

  The childbirth was excruciating but thankfully quick. Her child slipped out from her within an hour and after she was cleaned, the midwife handed Rachel her daughter.

  Rachel held her baby and wept.

  The midwife smiled. “Tears of joy. I know how it feels, especially as this is your first child.”

  Rachel did not answer. Her emotions roiled as she felt a mixture of joy and deep sadness. Who knew how long she had with her baby before she was taken away?

  Olivia lifted her daughter out of Rachel’s arms, and Rachel relaxed on the bed. She shut her eyes as despair wrapped itself tightly around her. This baby, as much as Rachel already loved her with all her heart, was one more thing that bound her to this community. To Mike. If only she had given birth to her baby outside Fallow Creek. If only she had succeeded in escaping the first time.

  She couldn’t stop weeping as she lay on the bed with her back turned to Olivia and the midwife. After a long moment of crying silently, she finally drifted off to a fitful sleep, but not before a consuming sense of hopelessness settled over her. This might as well be the end of her life, because she knew with deep certainty that she would spend the rest of her life in this wretched town, with a callous polygamist whom she loathed.

  Chapter 4

  The uncompleted church building and the acres of land surrounding it were totally deserted. Usually during Keith’s daily inspections, the place teemed with construction workers, but for the past week, there had been no one around. All work had stopped. He did not blame the workers as there was no more money for their remuneration. Keith had tried to do what he could to continue the work, but as he was not an architect or builder, there was little he could do.

  He walked around the unfinished building feeling slightly depressed. If only a part of the church building had been fully completed — even just the main auditorium — there would at least be space for everyone to congregate this Sunday. He had told the builders he wanted the main church, children’s church, offices, including his, and other parts of the church completed at the same time. Now he knew that had not been a good idea.

  He glanced at his wristwatch. Talking about church service, it was nearly time for the evening Bible study. If he didn’t head to church now, he would not be able to finish preparing his sermon for the evening. He sighed sadly as he walked away from the building. How would he be able to raise the money to complete it now? And was it really God who’d told him to build a bigger church, or had he started it to boost his own ego? As he had done so many times since Mary had called to tell him he had no money left in his account, he asked the Lord to make a way and bring him a miracle.

  He got into his old Honda and drove the short distance to the old church. Getting out of his car, he gazed at the tiny building. Mary was right. It was beginning to crumble, but that wasn’t why they needed a new church.

  He had been the assistant pastor for some years before becoming the senior pastor two years ago. The church had been here for as long as he could remember. There had been another one in Destiny when he was growing up. A larger church, which most of the people here had attended. This small house of worship had had only two dozen members then. As a child, he remembered his parents saying that it was a “church for holy rollers.” What would they think now that he was the pastor of that church?

  Membership had swelled after he’d taken over from Pastor Raymond and was steadily rising. There was barely enough space to hold all the people who attended the Sunday services. Some people even had to stand at the back during the service. This building had served the town well, but it was time to move on.

  Once again, he prayed for provision and then walked into the church. He immediately made his way to his tiny office behind the pulpit, sat behind his desk, opened his Bible, and began to study for his sermon.

  About half an hour later, he raised his head when a knock sounded on his door. The door opened and Jenny Sadler, his dutiful secretary, walked into his office with a huge smile on her face. She was one of the few single women in the church and the only one in her twenties. The other single women who attended were either way older or younger than him.

  She stood gazing at him without speaking and he cleared his throat. “Yes, Jenny, can I help you?” He always had the feeling that she had a small crush on him, though she had never said anything about it.

  In her high-pitched voice, Jenny said, “Pastor Keith, most people have arrived and are waiting.”

  Keith looked up at the clock on the wall and raised his brows in surprise. The time had gone by so fast. He said to Jenny, who was still smiling at him, “Where are the worship leaders? Let them start the praise and worship session.”

  Jenny arched a brow and said, “They’re not around today. Susan is out of town and I think Allen is sick or something.”

  Keith nearly groaned. That meant he would have to lead the worship session today, which he didn’t part
icularly like to do. It wasn’t that he didn’t like worshiping, because he loved to, but he wasn’t a great singer and wasn’t comfortable standing in front of the entire congregation and showing just how bad his singing voice sounded. He wanted to tell Jenny to ask one of the other singers to lead the worship session, but he knew that would waste more time. Soon the congregation would become restless and begin to wonder if the service was going to happen this evening. He sighed and, without meaning to, said out loud, “I wish I didn’t have to stand in front of the whole church and show just how awful a singer I am.”

  Jenny looked surprised. “You are a good singer, Pastor Keith. What are you talking about?”

  He smiled at her. “Thanks, Jenny. Please give me a minute.”

  She gave him a sunny smile once again and then left the office.

  Keith said a brief prayer, asking the Lord to give him the right words to say when he started his sermon, and then he asked for grace to lead the praise and worship session effectively.

  He left his office feeling slightly nervous and stood in the pulpit. He picked up the microphone from the lectern and looked over at the congregation packed tightly together. The church pews, which ordinarily would be occupied by six people, had about nine people sitting on each of them. People stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder at the back of the church, blocking the entrance. Once again, threads of worry ran through him as he thought about what this would mean for the church. He’d been so confident about building a new house of worship, believing that it would be finished in a few months. Now that there was no money left to complete the building, more and more people would probably be turned away as there was no more space for them. He had to find a way to raise money; a way that did not include asking the people to give more than they had already given. He stared self-consciously at the congregation and then raised the first worship song that came to his mind.