Hailey's Heart (Young Adult Christian Fiction) (The Valley Meadows Series Book 1)

by Cindy Adkins

  “Oh, I’d love to do that,” said Karla. “We could make it look really cozy out on the front porch and attract more street traffic. I have been in this mall for a year and I can tell you that ever since the Sanders’ kids decided to have you manage this place, it has made all the difference in the world. It has come to life!”

  “Thank you, Karla,” replied Cheryl. “I enjoy it. Now that the twins are grown and are busy on their own, it’s nice to have something fun to do. It’s hard to believe that they just graduated.”

  “Gina will graduate next year. I feel the same way you do. Now that our children are older, we have a lot of time on our hands.”

  Just then, Josh and Brad pulled up in Brad’s truck. They got out of it and walked toward the two women. “Hi, Mom,” said Brad. “Hello, Mrs. Johnson.”

  “Hi, Brad,” Karla smiled.

  “Hi, Son.” Cheryl was happy to see him. “I didn’t expect you here today. I thought you were working at the Sullivan Estate again.”

  “Oh, we were, but I wanted to help Josh with the window boxes,” Brad explained.

  “Hello, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Johnson,” Josh greeted them. “How are you today? We got the best flowers that my aunt had.”

  “Hi, Josh,” said Cheryl. “Oh, this will be fantastic.”

  “We’re excited about it, Josh,” added Karla.

  “Well, Brad, if you give me a hand with the bags of soil, we can get started,” Josh told him. They both walked back to the truck.

  “Sure thing,” answered Brad. Then, he turned to his mother. “Mom, we’ll let you know when we’re done so you can come out and take a look.”

  “Great,” said Cheryl. “I’ve got to open up the register and get things going inside, so call me if you need me.”

  “Can we give you a hand with those trays?” asked Josh.

  “No, we’re fine,” replied Cheryl. She and Karla walked up to the mall. Cheryl unlocked the double doors and they went inside to bring the inventory.

  “This is going to make a big difference in the way this place looks,” Brad remarked as he carried a bag of soil toward the porch.

  “I think it will, too,” agreed Josh as he followed him holding four flats of flowers.

  “This used to be a real showplace when Mr. and Mrs. Sanders were alive,” said Brad. “But, since they died a few years back, their kids haven’t done anything to take care of it.”

  “I wonder why,” questioned Josh.

  “Spoiled, I guess,” replied Brad.

  “Some people don’t have to work for anything and they don’t appreciate it,” said Josh.

  “I know.” Brad told him what it used to be like. “Mr. and Mrs. Sanders owned this mall for over thirty years. It was one of the busiest places in town and really popular. They used to have a hotdog stand out front that Mr. Sanders ran, but that’s gone now, too.”

  “I think your mom is bringing some life back into the place,” said Josh. “Even in the last couple of weeks when we’ve come over to help her bring new things in for her booth, I’ve noticed a lot more cars in the parking lot. So, she is definitely doing something right.”

  Within an hour, Josh and Brad had all of the window boxes filled with pansies, mums, and alyssum. Brad went inside the mall to find his mother who was at the cash register helping a customer. “Mom, have you got a minute?” he asked. “We just finished.”

  “Already?” Cheryl was surprised. “I’ll be out as soon as I ring up this sale.” Brad went outside to wait on the porch.

  A few minutes later, Cheryl came outside to view their work. “Oh, Boys, it looks beautiful,” she commented as she gazed at the window boxes filled with flowers. “What a difference it makes. Karla and I were saying earlier that we want to put some old rocking chairs out here and quilts.”

  “Like the old days,” Brad reminded her.

  “Exactly,” said Cheryl. “It will make people nostalgic for how simple it all seemed to be back then.”

  “Yes,” agreed Brad. “Remember Mr. Sanders used to have that penny candy and Hailey and I always got some on Saturdays? We would ride our bikes over here just to buy it.”

  “I forgot about that,” confessed Cheryl. “You kids used to love that and he had those little toys for under a dollar, too.”

  “I still saved some of them up in the tree house,” Brad told her. “They’re in that old trunk with my comic books.”

  Cheryl stood on the porch talking with Brad and Josh for a few moments. Then, her husband pulled up in the parking lot in his dark blue sedan. When Cheryl saw him, she got excited. Pastor Evans parked the car, got out of it and approached them. “Hi, Curtis. I’m so glad you’re here,” she welcomed him with a smile. “What a surprise! Wait until you see what the boys just did.” She was eager to show him the window boxes.

  “Cheryl, we need to sit down a minute, Hon.” Pastor Evans looked serious as if something was wrong. “Boys, please come here for a moment.” He led all of them over to the stone bench on the side of the building and asked his wife to sit down.

  Pastor Evans put his arm around her. “Cheryl, I came over as fast as I could,” he said. “I am so sorry. I don’t know how to say this. Our Hailey is gone.”

  “Gone?” asked Cheryl. “What do you mean?”

  “I was at the church and I received a phone call from the head of the mission headquarters in Los Angeles. It appears that Hailey was in a terrible accident. There was a torrential rainstorm and she was a passenger in a jeep. It flipped over and she was killed out on a remote road on her way back from the airport in Mexico.”

  “Oh, no!” cried Cheryl. “She can’t be. Not our Hailey.”

  “Pastor Evans, are you sure?” asked Josh in disbelief. “I mean, are they positive that it was her?” Josh was shaking. He had been in love with Hailey ever since they met nearly a year ago.

  “How do they know it was Hailey, Dad?” asked Brad. “Who was driving the jeep?” Tears welled up in his eyes. He and his sister were as close as any siblings could be. They had been together since birth.

  “Your cousin, Chris, was driving and he survived.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Cheryl wailed. “Not Hailey. She can’t be gone. She just can’t be. She loved it so much down there. Are they sure it’s her?”

  “Yes, Pastor Rick had to go and make a positive identification of her.” Pastor Evans tried to be strong for his wife, but he could barely comprehend the words that he was uttering.

  “How is Chris?” Brad inquired.

  “Chris has a broken leg. But, he is going to be all right. It’s nothing life-threatening.” His father looked at him intently. “Please help me out here, Son. Is there anyone else working inside the mall?”

  “Yes, Dad. Karla Johnson is at her booth.”

  “Okay,” his father said. “You stay here with your mother for a moment. I will go in and talk to Karla and gather your mother’s things. I’ll be right back.” Pastor Evans got up and walked toward the building.

  Brad sat down next to Cheryl and put his arm around her. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “I wonder if they’ve made a mistake.”

  “I don’t know,” his mother replied as tears fell down her cheeks. It felt as if she could barely breathe. “It doesn’t sound like it. Chris would have known if Hailey was driving with him or not. Pastor Rick had to verify that it was her.”

  Josh had walked away to be by himself. He stood by Brad’s truck and cried uncontrollably. “No way, Hailey,” he spoke out loud. “You can’t be gone. You just can’t be. We had so many plans. What am I going to do without you?”

  A few minutes later, Pastor Evans came out of the mall carrying his wife’s belongings. He walked toward her and Brad. “I’ve got everything,” he assured them. “Let’s drive to the house. We need to get in my car.”

  “We’re coming with you, Dad.” The three of them walked together toward the parking lot.

  Pastor Evans saw Josh standing next to the truck. He went over to him for moment. �
�Please, Son, come and drive with us,” he pleaded. “We’ll leave Brad’s truck where it is.” He put his arm around Josh and walked with him toward the car. They all got into it and drove back to the house.

  The five-minute ride seemed to go by in slow motion. No one knew what to think or say. When Pastor Evans pulled into the driveway, somehow their house of twenty years did not seem the same to him without Hailey there. She was supposed to be returning home from Mexico in two weeks. He and Cheryl had already planned to surprise her with a car that she could drive to college. How could things change so drastically? It was only a couple of months ago when he went with Hailey to swim with the dolphins in The Bahamas. He remembered the smile on her face as she splashed in the water. It was such a happy day. Now she was gone. Really gone. How could life change in a split second? He was a minister and for the first time, he did not have the answers.

  They all got out of the car and walked into the house. They continued going toward the family room and sat down. Memories of Hailey seemed to fill the room. Pastor Evans recalled one special moment when she was five years old and came walking in wearing her pink tutu. Her mother had gotten her dressed for her first ballet class. His precious little girl stood there with her hair in pigtails with big pink bows. Hailey had the biggest smile on her face. He had gotten so excited that he took a video of her. The whole family had watched it countless times throughout the years.

  Cheryl recalled the numerous mother-daughter talks that she had with Hailey on the sofa while drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows. She thought about all the nights that she practiced various scripts with her daughter for drama class. The two of them would laugh so hard about Cheryl’s terrible acting that their sides would ache.

  Brad remembered chasing his sister to grab the remote control just to tease her when they were little. He would always tickle her until she let go of it. As soon as Hailey could, she would grab it and run across the room again so that Brad would chase her. It was all in good fun.

  Josh thought about the times that they watched movies there on Saturday nights. Often they would share a bowl of popcorn. Sometimes Hailey caught him staring at her instead of the television. He did not care. He would hold her hand and say, “I can’t help it. You’re prettier than the girl in the movie.”

  Sadly, none of them were afforded the time for reflection. There were pressing matters at hand. Still their minds wandered between the past and the present; toggling back and forth from times of happiness to their grave moment of sorrow. “I have to talk to you,” said Pastor Evans stoically. “Brad, I need for you to be here for your mom. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Dad,” replied Brad. “I’ll do anything I can.”

  At that moment, it was so difficult for Pastor Evans to picture either of his twins without the other. Their lives were so intertwined and they loved each other as much as any brother and sister could. Brad always relied on Hailey’s inner strength while she depended on his humor. It created a perfect balance between them.

  Cheryl would need Brad more than ever. The pastor knew that. The past couple of months since both of their teenagers finished high school had been quite an adjustment for his wife. Up until then, her life seemed to revolve around their schedules and activities. In many ways, she felt lost and her husband knew that. He was glad that she had started to manage the antique mall in the last year. It gave Cheryl something of her own to become involved with when she needed it most.

  How was he going to help get her through this? He did not know, but he prayed that their deep faith would somehow permeate their moments of disbelief as to what had just transpired. Brad’s normally cheerful demeanor was always like a balm for Cheryl. The pastor hoped that having their only son close by her in these difficult hours would make a difference.

  “I need to leave here in an hour and get to the airport. I have to fly to Mexico to accompany her body back here for burial,” Pastor Evans informed them.

  “You’re not leaving without me,” insisted Josh. “I’m going to be on that plane.”

  “I thought that was the case,” said Pastor Evans. “I already had my secretary book you a flight so you could go with me.”

  “I have to see where Hailey’s been this summer,” said Josh. “It meant so much to her. I have to go there.”

  “I know,” said Pastor Evans. “You will, Josh. I promise you will be there tonight.”

  “Cheryl, I called your sister, Amy, and she is on her way over here. She is going to spend a few days with you. She will not leave until I come back. She promised,” Pastor Evans assured his wife. Then, he looked at this son. “Brad, have you got some clothes you can grab for Josh to take with him?”

  “Sure, I can go get some,” offered Brad. “I’ve got a duffle bag you can take, Josh. I’ll be right back.” Brad gave his mother a hug. He did not want to let go of her. She felt the same way. Then, he went upstairs to find the necessary clothes for Josh. As Brad got to the top of the stairs, he stopped in front of the closed door of Hailey’s room. He touched the door handle that she had reached for so many times in the past. He did not have the heart to walk inside to her world of pink. It would be too painful.

  As Brad stood there, he wailed, “I miss you so much, Hailey. I’ve missed you all summer. I couldn’t wait for you to come home. You are my one and only sister. There is no one in this whole world like you.

  “You were supposed to be home in time for our eighteenth birthday. I made you a miniature tree house to put on your dresser. It was supposed to be a surprise. It’s so intricate. I even put a sign on it that says ‘Keep Out’ like I did to keep you and Rachel out of the big one in the backyard when we were younger. I always knew that two of you snuck in there on Saturday’s when I was at my karate lessons. I never got to tell you that. I’ve worked on the tree house ever since you left for Mexico. Rachel’s been helping me. I don’t even know how I’m going to tell her that you are gone for good. I can’t even accept it myself.”

  Finally, Brad had to go and get clothes for Josh. Before he walked down the hallway, he leaned against Hailey’s door. Somehow, Brad hoped that it would give him comfort, but nothing could take away his pain. He only wished that he could see her come out of it and tell him that none of this had really happened.

  Pastor Evans was still downstairs trying to make arrangements. “Josh, we will swing by your house and pick up your passport,” said Pastor Evans. “Do you know where it’s at?”

  “It’s right in my dresser drawer. I can grab it in a hurry. I put it there when I got back from The Bahamas.” All Josh wanted to do was get as close to Hailey as he could. He could not begin to imagine his life without her. That plane could not take off fast enough as far as he was concerned. The thought of her being down there all alone tore him apart. Why hadn’t he insisted on going with her when she went to do the mission work? Maybe if he had, none of this would have happened. But, the reality was that he had to work. He could not afford to take off for two months. It was not even an option. Still, he could not forgive himself.

  Josh thought about when his mother was taken from him in a heartbeat. Now Hailey was gone, too. He recalled all the times that he had talked to Hailey about how hard it was for him to lose his mother. Hailey was more than a girlfriend. She was his very best friend. Hailey even promised him, “I’ll always be here for you.” Josh thought that she would be. That is why he wanted to start a business so that they could get married in the future. He wanted to provide a good life for her. What was it all for now? He did not know. He only knew that he needed to get to Hailey so that she would not feel alone in a strange country. Maybe it would not make sense to anyone else. But, it did to him. He wanted her to know that he was there for her.

  Pastor Evans sat next to Cheryl as she cried uncontrollably in his arms. He was trying his best to be strong for her. “We’re going to get through this, Honey,” he said to her. “I don’t know how, but we are. I don’t like leaving you here, but I don’t feel safe with you going dow
n there in the shape you’re in right now. Amy should be here soon and also, Brad will be right with you.”

  “I know,” said Cheryl. “I hope they made a mistake and that it’s not Hailey. She had everything to live for and no reason to die. She was so full of life. Sometimes Hailey exhausted me with her energy, but I always wished that I could be more like her. She had guts. That girl could make people cry when she uttered the words of a playwright in just the right tone on a stage. She was the same person who could use her own words to affect change whenever she deemed it necessary in her personal life. Hailey never gave up. I can’t give up on her. Maybe she isn’t gone. Maybe they’ve got it all wrong. My little girl was supposed to come home. She just has to. I want to see her come up the walkway and give me a hug like she always did. Oh Curtis, our baby can’t be gone. She just can’t be.”

  * * * * *

  Tuesday morning was the funeral. Hailey’s body was laid to rest next to her grandparents at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Prior to that, the chapel was filled to capacity. Her white coffin was draped with five hundred daisies with a yellow ribbon across them that read, “I love you, Juliet.” They were from Josh. That was his nickname for her ever since that day almost a year ago when they heard that they would be in the school play together.

  Chris had flown in from Mexico and was there for the services. Using crutches, he stood up and walked to the podium to speak to the other mourners. “Today we are celebrating the life of a very special young woman, my cousin, Hailey. Many of you remember her as a boisterous, strong-willed teenager. Yes, that’s who she was when she left Valley Meadows to go to Mexico six short weeks ago.

  “But, I want you to know that Hailey’s trip was not in vain. You see, she fell in love with the children there and adored working with them. I used to tease Hailey relentlessly when we were there and she could take it. I would ask her how she was doing without a mall nearby. She was such a great sport. She took it and knew that it was all in good fun. But, in the six weeks that Hailey was on the mission trip, I saw her grow up before my eyes.