Miracle
Page 43
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The next morning, Jonah, Lyra, and Jet celebrated. Jet was in the kitchen when Lyra arrived. He had coffee brewing, bacon frying, cinnamon pancakes browning, and eggs scrambling. Lyra’s stomach rumbled in appreciation. She felt like she hadn’t eaten in days.
Jonah came downstairs, his hair still damp from a shower, just as Lyra was helping Jet dish up the plates. They ate and talked more about what had happened at Edenvale. Lyra was fascinated with everything.
After they insisted on cleaning up the kitchen, Jonah and Lyra went into the living room and sat on the floor, throwing a toy for Harry. Jet, his usual companion and playmate, had gone to work in his office.
Jonah looked more at ease than Lyra had ever seen him. He looked content.
He took her hand and laced their fingers together. “Lyra,” he began. “I want to thank you for what you’ve done for me.”
She shook her head in confusion. “What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything.”
“If it hadn’t been for you, I’d still be stuck in my self-made prison. I was completely alone and completely miserable. Your friendship and kindness, your tenacity, broke through all my barriers. If it weren’t for you I’d never have had the courage—or even the incentive—to go back to Edenvale and face my worst fears. If it weren’t for you, I still wouldn’t know the truth about that night. Lyra, you gave me my life back.”
Lyra shook her head. “You’re giving me far more credit than I deserve, but I am so happy that you finally have that weight lifted off your shoulders.”
“You have no idea,” Jonah replied.
“I’ll never be able to look back on my childhood as a happy one,” he continued. “But at least I can let it go now. What I discovered doesn’t change the fact that my father was cruel and my mother was weak. Somehow, in my mind, being responsible for their deaths also made me responsible for their failures. Now it’s all gone. I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t even feel the anger toward my father I did before. He was a warped man. That wasn’t my fault.”
Lyra closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Jonah had not only come back to her, he came back whole.
EPILOGUE
Lyra shut the door and met Jonah at front of the car. Taking his hand, she led him forward a few steps, but he was dragging his feet. His reluctance made her stop and turn back to him.
“You said you wanted to come tonight,” she reminded him.
“I know…I’m just…nervous.”
The sound of a live band carried to them on the cold air.
Lyra stepped closer to him and took hold of his other hand. “What are you nervous about?”
Jonah shrugged and shuffled his feet.
“When we talked, you said you weren’t going to let your father’s bad example prejudice you against church anymore.”
Jonah nodded in agreement.
“You said you were willing to give God and church another chance.”
Jonah nodded again.
Lyra sighed. She had kept her promise and returned to Wednesday night Youth Group. She’d been coming for about a month now and really enjoying it. Jonah politely declined her invitations, but listened when she told him all about what they did, the topics they discussed, and the music the band played.
He’d asked her after school today if she was going again tonight. When she said yes, he surprised her by saying he wanted to come too. Lyra thought he would come around eventually, but was surprised at how quickly he had.
Then again, maybe it was still too soon. After all he’d been through, she understood his misgivings.
“So, do you want to go home?”
Jonah looked down into her eyes for a long moment. She could see the indecision warring within him. She smiled, letting him know it was okay either way.
Her acceptance and unconditional support decided him. What did he have to fear with Lyra by his side? She was his own personal miracle. Perhaps a gift to him from a loving God?
He took a deep breath, clasped her hand more tightly, and nodded his head. “I’m ready.”
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