by Misty Boyd
“Nah, I gotta get to the library. Book report due soon. I’ll grab something from a drive-thru.”
Sarah got up to exchange the cup she’d left out earlier for a travel mug so Carissa could take her coffee to go. “Studying on a Saturday? You go, college girl!”
Carissa poured a splash of coffee into her mug, followed by epic amounts of cream and sugar.
“You might want to run a comb through that hair before you get where you’re going,” Sarah said, pointing to Carissa’s head.
As she grabbed the appropriately flavored brew, Carissa said, “Will do, Mom. Thanks.”
With a quick goodbye to her parents, she headed out the door to the library.
At the library, she managed to snag the closest spot to the door. Not bad for a Saturday. She combed her hair quickly, finished what was left of her coffee, and got her chair out of the passenger seat and down on the concrete parking lot. Once settled, she rolled inside to spend a Saturday with her head in a book.
She couldn’t have prepared herself for who she ran into just inside the door, though. Isaac. Mr. Runaway himself.
She was about to leave before he saw her, but he looked up from his computer behind the desk before she could. “Hey, Carissa,” he said, “what brings you here?”
She decided to act cool, answering, “Um, studying. College. Remember college? You were there.”
“Well, yeah. I’m still there. Can I help you find anything specific?” Before she could shake her head no, he went on, “I’m off in an hour. Do you want to grab lunch?”
Now she was confused. “Uh… why would you want to have lunch with me?” she asked bluntly.
“Are you okay?” It was his turn to look confused. “I’m getting a vibe here.”
Carissa moved farther into the library toward him, but angled into the study area. “Yeah, I’m good. I just… I don’t want to get into it. I just thought some things I shouldn’t have. It’s good.”
What was his deal? Coffee after class, pull a no-show, then just jump right into lunch today, like nothing was weird? He’d practically run for the hills, and now everything was fine? Boys.
“Oh. Well, I don’t know what you thought, or what happened, but I think I need a cheeseburger in an hour.” He smiled at her uncertainly. “You’re welcome to come along. I’ll come find you when they let me out of here for the day. Cool?”
She nodded. “Uh… cool, I guess. I gotta get to work. Paper due.”
Was that relief in his face? “Okay. Talk to you in a bit.”
Carissa went to a computer desk nearby and set up for studying. She wondered what was up with Isaac. She could tell when a guy wanted to bolt, and she’d definitely thought she’d gotten that vibe when he didn’t bother showing up to Algebra on Wednesday. She must have made a horrible first impression if he had dumped an entire class over one muffin. And now, lunch? Just like that? She did not understand boys. Not at all.
* * *
Just as she finished the opening paragraph of her English paper, she saw Isaac walk around the corner.
“Hey! You good for a break?” He came over with an easy smile and looked down at her. “I’m off for the day and ready when you are. I can find a magazine, though, if you’re not at a good stopping point. I’m good either way.” To prove his point, he plopped into the chair across from her.
Carissa closed the book in front of her. “Nah, I can go now.”
He immediately popped up from the chair. “Great! I’m starved. There’s this new burger place down the street I’ve wanted to try. That okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” It took her a few minutes to get her stuff together.
They moved out the door to his Volvo V70. He opened the door for her to get in on the passenger side and took her chair to put it in the trunk. It was kind of nice that she didn’t have to instruct him on what to do with it. He just knew.
He climbed in on the driver’s side and started up the car. “Hey, what did I miss in Algebra on Wednesday?” he asked, slipping it into gear. “My mom’s caregiver never showed, and I had to stay home and help her with her stuff.”
Oh, no. Was that why… Oh, no. Carissa felt awful. Had he noticed the cold shoulder? And all because he was taking care of his mom? Wow. He took care of his mom, and she’d made up some elaborate story where he hated her. College was hard again.
“Uh… hello? You there? What did I miss?” Isaac was staring at her quizzically.
“Oh… just a bunch of letters dancing with a bunch of numbers. I’ll let you read my notes.” And I’ll never let you know what an idiot I’ve been, she told herself.
They arrived at the burger place, which was interesting. It turned out to be one of those restaurants where you got a standard burger, and then there were toppings upon toppings you could choose from―anything from plain old American cheese and mayo, to mushrooms, jalapenos, bleu cheese, and pretty much everything else Carissa had ever heard of. They ordered, and he paid. Again. They filled their cups up with soda, and found a table to wait for their food to come out.
Isaac had gone with bacon, cheddar, and mayo. Carissa chose bleu cheese, mushrooms, and garlic spread. She wasn’t sure what kind of garlic spread they were talking about, but she was never one to pass up garlic in any form. And it wasn’t like she planned on kissing anybody, right?
The food came, and it was delicious. Carissa would have to tell her parents about this place. Or not, since she was here with Isaac, who did not yet exist. To them, at least.
“So, how’s life?” Isaac asked before shoving a french fry into his mouth.
“Uh… good… ish. I had a doctor appointment that turned into more doctor appointments. And I have another appointment tomorrow.” She struggled not to show how nervous she was or what all these appointments might mean.
She just wasn’t sure he could handle all of her yet. She was still feeling him out. His mom did use a wheelchair, but that was his mom. Was he willing to have two ladies in his life like her? His mom wasn’t a choice. Carissa was. And she wasn’t sure he’d choose to hang around.
“Really? What’s going on with you? Anything you want to talk about?” Isaac asked, seeming to know just what to say.
Her heart melted just a little. “Uh… well, just some stuff came up on a test I had. They want to look closer. A day in the life. I’m sure everything will turn out fine.” And she hoped he’d change the subject because she wasn’t sure either of them was ready yet to go into more detail, though she really wanted both of them to be. Her mind was wandering places it shouldn’t. For goodness sake, she hadn’t even told her parents about him.
“What did they find? I mean, if I’m not prying.” He looked at her, his gaze sincere and interested. “I don’t want to pry. I’m just curious. You know, the pre-med thing.”
“Oh, just some spinal cord thing. I had an MRI. They’re looking for tethering.”
“I’ve heard of that.” He took another bite and chewed it thoughtfully before going on. “It’s where your spinal cord gets, like, stuck to you?”
“Yeah, something like that. They say I have symptoms. I’m not too worried,” she lied. She just couldn’t get into it yet. Not this soon. “Hey, so what about this math class? Are you getting everything? I’m so lost. I understand numbers. I understand letters. I don’t understand why anyone ever put them together.”
“No way. Whoever thought of putting numbers and letters together and making college kids take classes about it was a total jerk. I’m just hoping to survive.” Isaac shoved three fries in his mouth at once.
“Yeah. It’ll be a miracle if I make it through the semester.” Carissa sipped her soda.
They finished their burgers, and headed back to the library. Isaac parked behind her car and went to get her wheelchair from the back. When he got back to her side of the car, rolling the wheelchair up to the door, he said, “Hey, uh… I was wondering, while I have you here, could… I… uh… maybe call you sometime? To study? Or maybe for another burger?”
“Sure!” She grinned, delighted. She enjoyed his company, so why not? They exchanged phone numbers, and Isaac asked her to call and update him after her appointment on Monday.
Carissa agreed, and they drove off, going their separate ways. On the way home, she decided she better tell her parents about him before she started having to sneak her phone around in the bathroom. She’d mention him over dinner tonight. That should be fun. Dad always insisted on meeting every boy she was ever interested in, and he had not approved of a single one yet.
Yeah, mentioning a boy should make for great dinner conversation. But she really liked Isaac, so she would.
Chapter 14
Carissa got home and went inside, put all her books in her room, and came out to see what her parents were up to. She was just headed into the kitchen when her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was Isaac. “Already?” she thought.
She pulled the phone out and read the message.
“Hey, it’s Isaac! Just wanted to make sure you got home okay. Not trying to be a stalker or anything. LOL!”
She replied, “Ha! Yeah. Thanks for today. That burger was great! Gotta go, though; talking with parents!”
“Okay, see ya!”
Oh, man. She’d have to tell her parents quick. She smelled actual phone calls in her future. Those would be harder to play off as a girlfriend, not that she had too many of those.
Sarah said from the doorway, “Hey, kid! How was studying? Are you hungry?”
Carissa went into the kitchen, wondering if her mom had heard her phone go off. “Uh… it was… productive. No, I’m not hungry. I grabbed a burger. I’m good ’til dinner.”
“Okay. Spaghetti and meatballs tonight. Sound good?” Sarah grabbed a water bottle from the black refrigerator that matched the rest of the appliances and sat down at the square glass-paned kitchen table where Carissa had parked herself.
“Sounds great! Are you gonna add mushrooms and olives? Please?” Carissa looked up at Sarah and playfully put her hands in a folded praying position as if to beg.
“You know they’ll be there. I’d never forget your olives,” Sarah replied, giggling.
“Yum, can’t wait! Where’s Dad?”
“He went up to the church with Pastor to help set up some things for tomorrow’s service. He should be home in time to eat with us.”
Hmmm… separate parents. Carissa wondered if taking them down individually might be easier. One against one at a time sounded much easier than one against two.
Pulling together some courage, she said, “Hey, Mom? Can we talk a minute?” She folded her arms in front of her, fidgeting in her chair.
“Sure, hon! What’s up?” Sarah took a long sip of her water.
Well,” Carissa started reluctantly, “you know I have college and everything.”
“Yes… I’ve been keeping up,” Sarah got up and opened the fridge door to take out a bottle of chocolate milk, handing it across the table to Carissa. “My grown-up girl is in college now.”
“Well, I kind of met someone. Kind of a boy.”
“Kind of a boy? Or totally a boy?” Sarah grinned.
“Ha, Mom!” Carissa stuck out her tongue at her mom. “Very funny. Totally a boy. He’s nice. He’s in my Algebra class.”
“Okay. Tell me about this totally a boy.”
“Well, like I said, he’s in my Algebra class. He’s nice. We had coffee in the food court on Monday after class. He paid.” Carissa rattled off these things like a grocery list.
“So far a gentleman…” her mother interrupted.
“Yes. And he bought me a muffin. I didn’t ask. He just got it. Oh, and he’s pre-med.” Yes. Definitely mention the doctor part. That’ll help. Hopefully. Carissa was starting to regret her decision to have this conversation twice.
“A muffin, huh? And pre-med? He sounds great. But drop the bomb, Carissa,” Sarah said. “Go ahead. Hit me. Is he just out of prison? Killed someone? He has seventeen cats! What’s making you so nervous?”
“Uh… well… just… I mean, I don’t even know if it’ll matter.” Carissa wasn’t sure how to bring the subject up. Oh, well, might as well spit it out. “We’ve never talked about it, so I just don’t know. I mean, you and Dad aren’t… well… he’s black.”
“Black? That’s it?” Sarah laughed with just a hint of relief. “That’s the bomb? Are you sure he doesn’t have seventeen cats? Because the look on your face says he has seventeen cats, not that he’s black.” She got serious. “Carissa, I don’t care what color he is, and your father won’t either. He’d better treat you better than those other boys, though. I’m not kidding. Buying a muffin is a great start, but you’re our princess. He WILL treat you that way, black, purple, or pink with polka dots. He WILL treat you well. Or else.”
“Okay, Mom. So far, so good. We’re not even dating yet.” Carissa held her hands up, palms out. “Calm down. We just exchanged phone numbers today. He works at the library.”
“Okay,” Sarah said. “You know your dad’s gonna freak. You haven’t done well in the boys’ department. I’m not sure he’s ready to take this ride again, but I’ll try to help you. You have to tell him over dinner.”
“I will. At least it’s spaghetti and meatballs. Give him an extra meatball for me?”
“You got it, kid. Extra meatballs for Dad. I’ll do what I can.” Sarah gave Carissa one of her “trust me” winks.
Carissa was relieved to have at least one part of the Isaac conversation over with. Unfortunately, it was the easy part. Dad would be harder. He was tough on guys Carissa wanted to date. She knew his attitude was coming from a good place, but it sure was irritating to hope a boy could pass the dad test every time.
Jim strolled into the house, as expected, just as Sarah finished up the noodles for dinner. It was like he could smell it from the church. Right on time.
“Hey, hon, how did things go? You and Pastor Mark get things set up okay?” Sarah called out from the kitchen.
“Yeah, all set. I told him about Carissa, too. He’s praying. Told me to have her come up for prayer tomorrow if she wanted to.”
“Great!” Sarah replied, meeting him with a kiss as he walked into the kitchen.
They sat down at the table to eat and prayed. Carissa could swear she was getting eyeballs from her mother’s side of the table. It was time. She cleared her throat and went for it.
“Hey, uh, Dad? I wanted to tell you something,” she said, moving a meatball around on her plate. “Mom already knows. But… I kind of met this guy. He’s really nice, Dad. We’re not dating, though. He’s just a new friend. But… I like him. I know your rule.” She looked at him with a touch of nervousness. “He’ll come over for dinner before it goes further than friendship, but he might call sometimes. I just wanted you to know.”
“A boy? A really nice boy? Okay. He’d better be really nice. You don’t have a great track record, Carissa. That last one you brought home… well, he’s gone, and that’s good. So, tell me more about this guy,” Jim said. “Does he have a name? Where did you meet him? Does he have some kind of life goal? Because my girl has life goals. I don’t want anyone holding you back.”
“His name is Isaac. He’s black…”
“She was concerned about telling us that part,” Sarah interrupted.
“Mom!” Carissa admonished, then continued. “He’s in my Algebra class, and he’s pre-med. His mother uses a wheelchair, so he’s pretty comfortable around me. I feel like I can just be myself around him, and not a girl in a chair. I like this one, Dad. I think he’s good.”
“Okay, kid. He comes to dinner, though, before anything happens. I want eyeballs on him.” Jim shoved a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth without breaking eye contact with Carissa.
“Okay. I’ll invite him for one night this week.” Her father’s gaze said that was the only right answer.
“Good deal.” He finally broke eye contact and continued his dinner.
After dinner, Carissa helped Sarah clean up th
e kitchen before going to her room. Whew, she was glad that was over with!
Before she fell asleep that night, her phone buzzed again.
“Hey, I just wanted to let you know,” Isaac texted, “my mom and I are going to pray for you in church tomorrow. I don’t know if you believe in that sort of thing, but we do. You’re covered. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight. And, yes, I believe,” she texted back. “Thank you, Isaac,” she replied, a wide smile on her face. He prayed and went to church? He prayed! And went to church! That would pass the dad test, she was sure.
Chapter 15
Sunday mornings were always chaotic in the Schultz house. Getting three people out the door for a 9 a.m. service was never easy, and they almost never got everyone out the door on time. But, just like every week, and maybe even more so this week, they were determined to try. They all got out the door only ten minutes later than planned. It may have been a Schultz record. Carissa couldn’t remember a time when they ever made it to the car when they said they would. They hopped onto the freeway, heading to church, Jim trying to make up time. He always managed to get them there on time. Was flying down the freeway a sin? Because they did it every Sunday morning.
They arrived at the building, hugged the door greeters, and found seats in the aisle so Carissa could stay in her chair and still be with the family. The music started, and the choir started to sing a song Carissa had never heard before. The lyrics were about healing, and the idea that, even if God chose not to heal, the singer would still choose to have hope in Him alone.
Carissa looked up and saw her dad with hands raised high to the Lord, tears streaming down his face. Carissa started to cry then, too. Even if it turned out she needed this surgery, she would still have hope in the Lord. She always had, and she always would. She had been through a lot, but He had always been there. She trusted Him.
They really could have gone home after that. The Holy Spirit had shown up in worship and given them everything they needed. But, of course, they stayed for the rest of the service. When the Holy Spirit is moving, you let Him move.
