Before getting in the shower, she pulled out a small calendar that she kept in one of the bathroom cabinet drawers. Since she and Joel had run into fertility issues, she kept a careful watch on her cycle, but with the rush of activity this past week, she’d mentally lost track. Today marked the third day she was late. She counted and recounted, backwards and forwards, tapping the calendar a little harder with each pass. She’d never been three days late . . . except when she was pregnant with Ryan.
“No way,” she said, trying to suppress a smile, coaching herself not to get too excited. With her hands trembling, she dug through the cabinet under the sink, finally locating a home pregnancy test kit far in the back. Before opening the package, she debated whether or not she should wake Joel. If this was it, he would want to be in on it. But if it wasn’t, she would rather he didn’t know anything at all than to tell him once again, “not this month.”
She fumbled with the package, tearing it open, destroying the box in the process. Then, unfolding the instruction sheet, she read it carefully three or four times before following the steps to the letter. Simple, straightforward. Too nervous to shower now, she paced as she watched the clock on the wall tick off the seconds. The first line appeared in the test window, which only heightened Abby’s anticipation.
She sat down on the edge of the tub, almost dizzy. “I can’t watch this.” Another minute passed. “One more minute, just to be sure.” At last, she grasped the edge of the bathroom sink, and pulling herself up, she picked up the test stick. “JOEL!”
* * *
Shannon stood on the porch of Esther Parker’s home, promptly at noon. Esther’s house blended in with the other cracker box houses packed closely on the street. Only the paint color on the porch, front door and shutters distinguished the houses from one another. There were no yards to speak of, and the houses were barely as wide as the cars parked in front of them. Last Christmas, Shannon wouldn’t have been caught dead in a neighborhood like Esther’s.
Before she could even raise her hand to knock, Esther opened the door. “Come in, baby. Come in!” She was dressed in her Sunday best, with every hair in place, bright lipstick and a string of pearls.
“You didn’t tell me this was a dress-up dinner,” Shannon said, suddenly self-conscious in her jeans.
“Look, you do Christmas your way. I’ll do it my way and neither one of us has to feel bad about that, all right?”
“Your mom’s not here,” Shannon said, glancing around the living room.
“No, and I gotta confession. She’s at Uncle Mont’s and I promised I would be there by three.”
“You should go then.”
“It ain’t three yet. We got plenty of time. Come on.”
“Everything smells great,” Shannon said, breathing in deeply.
“It’ll taste good, too. Just wait.”
“Can I help you with anything?”
“Don’t you know how to be a guest at somebody’s house?” Shannon smiled and nodded. “Then have a seat at my table.” As soon as Shannon slid into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, Esther began setting bowls and platters in front of her. Ham, sweet potatoes, greens, corn, cranberry salad and a basket of warm rolls. Shannon, suddenly overwhelmed by the meal, real food cooked by someone who cared about her, began to cry and then sob.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Esther asked gently, as she knelt and wrapped her arms around Shannon. “It’ll be all right.” She patted the teenager’s back, rocking ever so slightly, all the while whispering, “Shhh, it’s all right, baby.”
With her tears exhausted, Shannon pushed away from Esther. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened,” she said, wiping her eyes.
“You’re missing your mama,” Esther said, reaching for a box of tissues.
“I guess,” Shannon admitted softly.
“Call her.”
“What?”
“Call your mama, right now.”
“I can’t do that,” Shannon protested. “They have caller ID. They’ll find me.”
“First of all, I got a blocker on my number. Second, even jailbirds call their mamas on Christmas. Just tell her you love her.” Esther pulled the receiver down from the wall phone and handed it to Shannon. She held the phone carefully, almost reverently. “You remember your phone number, don’t you?”
“Yes. I just . . . I don’t know what she’ll say.”
“Baby, there is nothing on this earth your mama wants any more than to hear from you.”
Shannon swallowed hard and dialed, then lifting the receiver to her ear, she listened to it ring . . . and ring . . . and ring, then the answering machine picked up. Shannon clicked off the phone and held it out for Esther. “She wasn’t home.”
Esther crossed her arms across her chest, refusing to take the phone back. “Then where is she?”
“Oh, probably my brother’s or my aunt’s.”
“Call her there.”
“I’m not tracking her all over town. I don’t want to talk to a bunch of people, even if they are relatives.”
“I’m not taking the phone back,” Esther said firmly.
“You want me to leave a message?”
“At least.”
“Fine,” Shannon muttered. She dialed home again and waited through the three rings, but when her dad’s answering machine greeting came on, she choked. After struggling through a few broken words, she ended the call and held the phone out for Esther again. “There. Are you happy?”
“Are you?”
Shannon sighed and looked around the kitchen, blinking back tears. “No.”
“You want me to call your daddy to come get you?”
“No.”
“Mmm, mmm, I don’t understand you, child.”
“A couple of weeks ago, somebody told me my dad was still furious with me. He doesn’t want me home.”
“Now that’s a lie,” Esther said, uncrossing her arms and placing her hands on her hips. “I don’t know who told you that, but it’s a flat-out lie. Your mama and daddy are married, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Your daddy could not be that mad at you and still live with your mama every day. He couldn’t. He couldn’t watch her be all torn up about you being gone and not want you home. I’m telling you, somebody’s lying to you, girl.” Esther took a seat at the table beside Shannon. “Baby, it’s just like what Brad read to me a long time ago. ‘Now’s the time.’ There’s no sense to waiting.”
Shannon took a deep breath and weighed things out. She knew in her heart that Esther was right, but the guilt and the fear of facing her dad’s anger, or worse, his disappointment, were too heavy. “Esther, do you think God could let me know things were okay at home?”
“How so? What do you want Him to do?”
“I want Him to send my dad to get me,” Shannon said through tears.
“Baby, you just said your daddy doesn’t know where you are.”
“God knows where I am. If He wants me home, if my dad wants me home, then God should be able to take care of the details.”
* * *
Abby couldn’t resist straightening a fork as she passed by the dining table on her way back to the kitchen. The table had been set for hours, and aromas of roasting turkey, baking bread and the cinnamon candle in the living room mingled through the house. Joel stood at the kitchen table carving the turkey, like he’d stepped out of a Norman Rockwell print. Everything was perfect. “Do you know what you’re going to say?” she asked him.
“Yeah, I think I’ve got it. Ryan said he can play it cool.” He laid the carving knife aside and slipped his arms around his wife’s waist, and kissed her gently. “I love you. I wish you could feel it.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this,” Abby said, blushing.
“Two days after I met you. It was just like this, I promise.”
“It took you two whole days?”
“I was pretty sure you thought I was a dork after that first time I talked to y
ou.”
“Are you kidding? I couldn’t believe you talked to me.”
“Yeah, and look where it got me!” Joel said, his blue eyes twinkling. “I can’t wait to see the look on Mom’s face.”
“You won’t have to wait long,” Abby said, glancing out the kitchen window. “I think that’s them.”
“My mother, always painfully punctual,” Joel muttered.
“Not just yours. Mine pulled in right behind them.”
“Good, that means they have to leave first,” Joel teased.
Abby punched him in the arm as she left the kitchen to let everyone in. She gently hugged Joel’s mother, taking care not to squeeze. “I can’t believe you had surgery a week ago! You look great.”
“I feel good,” Bobbi said, “although afternoon television is enough to challenge your sanity.” Joel had followed Abby into the entryway and hugged both his parents and Abby’s mother, then shook hands with Rob Greenway. Jack followed moments later with two shopping bags full of wrapped presents.
“Let this man through!” Joel exclaimed, pushing the door open wide for his little brother.
“Hey thanks! Merry Christmas,” Jack said. He leaned over and kissed Abby’s cheek.
“Merry Christmas, Jack. You can just set those by the tree.” She pointed toward the living room where the Christmas tree silently blinked.
“Abby, everything smells wonderful,” Angela Greenway said, handing her coat to her daughter. Abby caught Joel’s eye and hoped he was the only one who noticed she didn’t hug her parents.
“Thank you, just make sure you get ahead of Ryan, or else I can’t guarantee any food will be left. I think he must be going through a growing spell. I can’t fill him up these days.”
“Josh was that way,” Angela said, “and I think Zachary will probably end up like his daddy.”
Joel rolled his eyes ever so slightly and Abby smiled.
“Everything is ready, so come ahead and we can say the blessing and eat.” She led the way to the dining room. Her parents were last in so they ended up at the far end of the table away from Abby and Joel. Jack and Ryan became the buffer between them and the Molinskys.
Joel slipped into his seat and looked across at his father. “Dad, would you ask the blessing?”
“Yeah, sure,” Chuck said, sitting up a little straighter and clearing his throat. He reached for Bobbi’s hand and bowed his head. “Father in heaven, thank You. Thank You for the great gifts You’ve given us, for Jesus Christ, for our salvation, and for our family. Thank You for Abby and Joel and Ryan and bless them for their hospitality. Bless this wonderful meal. Bless Shannon especially today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Abby squeezed Joel’s hand. That was it. The opening her parents needed. Right on cue, Angela Greenway broke the silence. “So Shannon isn’t with you?”
“Shannon has been away from home since this summer,” Bobbi said.
“Away from home?”
“A prodigal.” Joel’s mother didn’t flinch.
“That must be very difficult for you.”
“It has been, but God is working.”
“Where does that come from? That kind of rebellion?”
Abby’s stomach tightened, but Joel’s blue eyes twinkled.
“We’re all born with it,” Bobbi said. “And a parent’s job is to model the grace that God gives every one of us so our children find Him early in life. If we love them unconditionally, then they can trust that God loves them unconditionally as well.”
Joel winked at Abby, and Ryan tried his best to hide a smile as he took a drink of his tea. “Angela,” Joel said with as much charm as he possibly could, “would you care to start the potatoes around?”
“Of course.” She dipped from the serving bowl of mashed potatoes and passed it to her husband. “But doesn’t God have standards that He expects us to meet?” she asked without missing a beat.
“How can we expect to meet any standard set by a holy God?” Chuck asked.
Abby’s father laid his fork down and raised his head slowly. She knew he disapproved of Chuck Molinsky almost as much as he disapproved of her. “So you’re saying we shouldn’t try?” Rob Greenway said.
Ryan rubbed his cheek so he could grin at Jack from behind his hand.
“Not at all,” Chuck said with a smile. Abby leaned back in her chair to watch as Joel’s dad got his lawyer posture. “I’m saying, my worth in God’s eyes is not dependent on my ability to live up to His expectations. My worth and acceptance comes from the fact that He is my Father and Christ is my Savior.”
“So, let’s just say, Shannon comes home. You’re not going to punish her?”
“No.”
“What’s stopping her from doing something like this again, then?”
“Not a thing.”
Her father shook his head slightly, smiling a condescending smile. “You see? Kids will always take advantage of you.” He glanced in Abby’s direction and she felt her face flush. He never missed an opportunity.
“So you wouldn’t let Shannon come home?”
“Sounds like she’s made her choice to me.” He took the next serving dish from his wife and passed it along. “I mean, look at Abby. Do you think it’s an accident that God has denied her any more children?”
Abby dropped her eyes, shamed by her father again, but Joel’s dad, with kindness and grace, took up for her.
“No, I don’t think it’s an accident at all,” he said, “but I hardly think God is denying them children.”
“Children are a blessing from the Lord, Chuck. No children, so obviously there’s no blessing.”
“All right, then. What’s it going to mean when Abby and Joel do have more children?” Her father didn’t answer. “Is it too much to believe that God could bless your daughter? That He’s pleased with her? That He’s using her?”
“God doesn’t use sinners.” Abby knew that tone. Her father intended that to be the killing blow, but Joel’s dad smiled and leaned up to the table.
“Rob, what other choice does He have?”
The setup was too perfect. She knew Joel couldn’t keep it quiet any longer. He grinned and took her hand. “Say, Abby and I have been talking. We think this is going to be her last year of teaching for a while.”
“Why on earth would you quit, Abby?” her mother asked.
Bobbi looked at Abby, her eyes brimming with tears. She knew before Joel said it. “Abby’s going to stay home with the baby. She’s pregnant!”
* * *
Chuck glanced behind Bobbi as he unlocked the front door of their house. “What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Nothing. I was just checking to see if your feet were touching the ground.”
She smiled at him. “My goodness, that’s the best news I’ve had in about a hundred years. A baby, oh, I can’t wait!”
“My favorite part,” Jack said, then he lowered his voice, “‘So what’s it gonna mean when they do have children?’ And they are! Everything you said about God blessing Abby, being pleased with her! I loved it. That was too sweet.”
“Abby so needed to hear something like that.” Bobbi handed Chuck a hanger from the closet for his coat. “I’m glad you stood up for her.”
“I had to. Rob’s just wrong. Besides, standing up for Abby . . . I felt like I was standing up for Shannon, too.”
“I wish Shannon could have heard you.”
He dropped his eyes. “Yeah. Listen, we’ve done well today. I, uh, I don’t want us to fall apart now. I’m gonna go start your coffee.”
“Thank you,” Bobbi said. “I’ll meet you in by the Christmas tree.”
“Is this a married-people-only thing?” Jack asked.
“Of course not. You want some coffee?”
“Yeah, if it’s not too strong. Mama’s boy coffee, you know.” He pulled the front door open. “I’ll bring in the bags.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I hope you don’t think that’s all you’re good for, lugging bags in and
out.”
“It’s just makes me wish for the day that I have teenagers of my own,” Jack teased.
Bobbi kicked off her shoes, took a seat in the corner of the sofa and pulled an afghan around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, soaking in the day, savoring the thoughts of being a grandmother. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed the message light on the phone blinking. Unwrapping herself, she walked over and pushed the playback button.
“Mom . . . it’s Shannon. I’m okay . . . I love you . . . I’ll be home soon.”
“Baby,” Bobbi whispered, clutching the arm of the recliner. “Dear Jesus, she’s okay . . .”
“Bobbi?” Chuck was there, reaching an arm around her and easing her down into the chair. “You didn’t hear me, did you? Did you faint?”
She shook her head and held out the phone to him, choking the words out. “Shannon called.”
* * *
Tuesday, December 30
Shannon paced the short hallway outside Mrs. Wolfe’s office waiting for Esther to come out. Mrs. Wolfe was going to split them up. Esther was getting her own floors. That’s the only thing it could be. Please, let it be about union dues, or insurance, or anything else. I need Esther.
The last week had been the worst since leaving home. Leaving that phone message for her mother touched off something much deeper than homesickness or shame. She hadn’t slept since then. Her appetite was gone, even with Esther’s fabulous leftovers, and everything made her jumpy. If she lost Esther, too . . .
Just then Esther came out of the supervisor’s office and Shannon pounced. “What’d she say?”
“I get my own floors next week.”
“That stinks.”
“Why? You ain’t gonna be here next week.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You gonna be home.”
“Don’t start that prophet stuff. I’m not in the mood today.”
Precedent: Book Three: Covenant of Trust Series Page 27
