by Nancy Adams
"My hair?" he asked, spinning to look in the mirror. "What's wrong with my hair?"
Anna shrugged. "Nothing, if you're going for that rugged, porcupine look. Bubba, you need a haircut. Like, now!"
Rob looked into the mirror again, and suddenly saw what she was saying. His hair, which he hadn't paid a lot of attention to lately, was looking a little shaggy. He jumped on his computer and started looking at barbershops in the area, trying to find one that was still open. Fortunately, there was one in one of the big malls; it would be open until ten. He called to make sure they accepted walk-ins, then grabbed his sister and they rushed out the door.
The two of them got dinner while they were out, and actually had a delightful evening together. It wasn't often that they went out to have fun, and Rob wondered why that was true.
"Mostly because you're too busy, and by the time we get home you're tired," Anna said when he asked. "The big difference lately is Katie Lou. You're having so much fun when she comes in that you forget to overwork yourself and don’t get as tired."
Rob sat there and stared at her for a moment, but then grinned. She was right, and he knew it. It was interesting to see himself through his sister's eyes, and he thought that perhaps he should do it more often. It might give him some insights into himself that he was missing out on.
"Okay, then," he said. "So, for tonight, let's just have a good time. You and me. What would you like to do?"
Anna stared at him. "Okay, I know this sounds sort of cliché, but who are you and where is my brother? Seriously, Bubba, are you feeling all right? Do I need to take you to a hospital?"
"Don't be a smart aleck," Rob said. "I'm being serious, let's go have some fun. Your call, what would you want to do?"
Anna sat there for a moment, thinking. "Well, there's a couple of movies I've been wanting to see," she said.
"Fine," Rob said. "Let's find a theater where one of them is playing, and go see it."
They got lucky, and the movie she most wanted to see, a comedy romance, was playing at the theater in the shopping center just down the street. They got into Rob's car and drove down to it, bought their tickets, and then hit the concession stand. Twenty-seven dollars worth of candy and soda pop later, they made it inside the darkened theater and found seats near the front, where Anna wanted to sit.
Anna leaned over and whispered in his ear. "You do realize, don't you, that all these people around us think you're my date, not my brother. Right?"
Rob looked at her, and grinned. "Is that a problem? Is there some guy out there you want to have noticed you?"
Anna shrugged. "Well, you just never know," she said. "For all I know, the man of my dreams may be sitting eight rows back, thinking I'm beautiful but that I must be married to the dorky-looking guy sitting beside me." She smiled sweetly at Rob.
"No problem," he said, and then he stood up, turned around to face the people behind them, pointed down at Anna's red hair and said, "Just so everyone knows, this is my sister, not my girlfriend!" He turned around and sat back down, and smiled at Anna, who was staring at him with eyes as big as dinner plates.
"You do realize," she began, "that you have just traumatized me for the rest of my life, right? I mean, who could do such a thing? That was crazy, that was cruel, that was just downright stupid!"
Rob looked at her. "It was funny."
Anna stared at him for a moment longer. "Yeah, okay, it was funny, but that doesn't mean it wasn't cruel and stupid and crazy. Remind me to disown you as my brother! But not until tomorrow, after you pay me for this week."
The movie started, and Rob was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. Parts of it actually reminded him of the things going on in his own life, which made him wonder if perhaps he was really only a character in a romantic comedy that other people were watching. In any event, he had to admit that he'd had a good time, and promised Anna they would do it again soon.
It was nearly midnight by the time they got home, and they were both asleep in no time. The clinic opened at nine, but they were both there by eight to start getting everything ready for the day. That meant they had to be up well before seven, in order to get breakfast and get ready to go to work. When his alarm went off the next morning, Rob suddenly remembered why he didn't like to go out on weeknights.
It was Friday, the last day of the week for the clinic, and Rob got excited after getting some coffee inside him, remembering Katie Lou would be coming in at eleven. He got through his first morning appointments by reminding himself that he’d be seeing her soon, and all of his patients commented about what a wonderful mood he seemed to be in lately.
Rob surprised himself, and told each of them that the difference was related to a girl. "The most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he said. Everyone smiled at him, with the exception of one lady who seemed to think of herself as the queen of cougars. She stormed out in a bit of a huff, but Rob didn't let it worry him. He'd been politely ignoring her advances for months, so if she decided to go elsewhere, it wouldn't break his heart.
And then it was eleven, and Katie Lou came through the door. He noticed that while she held onto the walker, it seemed to be more for balance, now, than to support herself. It occurred to him that it wouldn't be much longer before she'd be walking entirely on her own once again, and he was looking forward to that. He wanted to be with her when she celebrated that milestone, but he also knew that there were a few milestones between here and there.
It wouldn't be long, he guessed a week or maybe two, before she would give up the walker for a cane. It would allow her to keep her balance, and give her something to lean on in moments of weakness in her legs. He started thinking about the kind of cane he would offer her when the time came, knowing that he wanted to be something nicer than the extendable aluminum models that he gave to most patients.
Kylie wasn't with her, this time, so it was something of a milestone already. She had her own car, and had driven herself, all alone, to her appointment with him. This was an assertion of her independence that she wouldn't have even been capable of just a couple of weeks ago.
Since Kylie hadn't come along, though, he had Anna come back into the workout room with them. She managed to find some music on her own phone, and as they'd done the last few days, they danced their way through her workout session and lunch time.
Rob admitted to himself that he was having the time of his life.
Katie felt the same way, as if all of the changes that had come along had been somehow ordained by God as a means of bringing her to where she needed to be in her life. She felt stronger as a person, but also much stronger in her faith, and now that she had some idea of what to do with her life, Katie believed she was finally on the right track.
And if this new life included a future with Rob Christopher, then she felt like a very lucky young woman, indeed.
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1
At 13 years old, Robbie Christopher felt like one of the luckiest young men who had ever lived. He was the star of his junior high football team, he was “steady” with Janine Tyler, one of the most popular girls in the school, and life was just generally grand. The only real problem that he felt affected his life, at least in any meaningful way, was the frequency with which he was expected to babysit his little sister, Anna. Anna was only four, with beautiful red hair, and was one of the most inquisitive children that Robbie had ever known.
“Where does the rain come from?” “If the sky is blue, how come it's not the same color as the water?” “Why does it hurt when I pull your hair?” The list of questions that she could come up with seemed to be absolutely endless, but his answers, and his patience, were getting pretty rare.
Don't misunderstand, it wasn't that he didn't love his little sister. He loved her with all of his heart; she was family. However, when you're 13 years old, there are just so many other things you want to do besides babysit a four year old. Seriously, Robbie could think of lots of different things to do that were m
ore fun than babysitting.
Skateboarding—skateboarding was definitely more fun than babysitting! This was particularly true ever since they installed the new skate park, but even when they had to build their own ramps and obstacles, Robbie and his buddies had always been able to find a way to enjoy skateboarding. Privately, Robbie often wondered if he might have been a surfer had his family chosen to live near the ocean, but surfboards didn't do much good on Lake Moses. It just wasn't big enough for tides to help it generate any serious waves, and you can't use a surfboard on a ripple.
Then, there was motocross. Robbie had inherited an old 250 cc dirt bike, one that his uncle had used years ago when he was young, and which had required Robbie to spend many, many hours learning the general principles of motorcycle repair. It had paid off, though, after a year of weekends and many evenings spent mowing yards to earn money for parts. The old Honda ran like a dream, and was the envy of most of his friends. Robbie won many of the races in his particular motocross class, and though his parents weren't always pleased, especially when he came home bruised and bloodied, they always supported his dream of becoming a motorcycle racer. As much as they worried, he was good at what he was doing, and they knew it.
Most enjoyable, of course, as would be the case with any 13-year-old boy, was finding excuses to be alone with Janine, his girlfriend. Janine was actually a year older than Robbie, and was a cheerleader, both of which made her seem exciting and alluring to him. Her mother was oriental, so while she was rather small, the “exotic” appearance she had inherited gave her an appeal that Robbie simply couldn't resist, even if he had wanted to. He happily spent afternoons wandering through the mall with her, expressing his approval at different outfits she wanted to try on, different perfumes she waved under his nose, and even some of the strange foods she wanted him to try—who on earth would have thought of rolling up strips of raw fish, and selling it for three dollars?—in order to make it to the evenings they could occasionally spend alone.
He was 13, she was 14; they were at the perfect ages for exploring the wonders of that mystery known as “the kiss.”
On this particular day, Robbie's ruminations were brought on by the fact that his parents had decided that it was time for the annual family journey to visit Aunt Kay in Maxwell. He didn't particularly mind the road trip, because at least he'd get to enjoy the scenery along the way, but he knew what was going to happen when they arrived at their destination. Mom, Dad and Aunt Kay would be going out to have some fun, which meant that Robbie would be babysitting.
Oh, well, he thought to himself. Maxwell isn't that bad, and they've got some great hills for the skateboard. I'll get lots of chances to get out and have some fun, at least during the daytime.
He even had a few friends in Maxwell. Over the years, during their visits, he'd gotten to know a lot of the local kids, and there were quite a few that lived near Aunt Kay. He got along well with two boys on her street, Jimmy and Travis, and was looking forward to seeing them again. They had skateboards of their own, and knew some of the best places to go.
Because it was a 12-hour drive, his parents liked to get an early start on the trip. They always made sure that everything was packed up and loaded into the car the night before so that they could leave Cincinnati at about four AM, which—even allowing for stops to eat, get gas and go to the bathroom—would put them in Maxwell at around six or six-thirty that afternoon.
Robbie suspected that it might also have to do with the fact that leaving so early meant that he and Anna would be sleeping for a good part of the trip. Robbie wasn't stupid, no matter what his parents thought; he knew that they wanted to avoid Anna's constant, ongoing inquisition just as much as he did. The more she slept, the fewer questions had to be answered.
School had let out the week before, and his father had gotten his vacation time arranged, so it was time to make the trip. They would be leaving on a Wednesday morning, so Robbie spent all of Tuesday afternoon and evening with Janine, practicing kissing techniques and reassuring her that there was no other girl in Maxwell that caught his attention. It was a bittersweet evening, enjoyable because of smiles and kisses, but sad because of the knowledge that they wouldn't see each other for two whole weeks.
When you're 13 or 14, two weeks can be a lifetime. You can't be certain that you’ll ever even see each other again, not with two weeks of separation staring you in the face. Who knew what could happen? When they finally said goodbye, Robbie didn't admit to Janine that he had a strange foreboding, that he might not be seeing her again as soon as he hoped. He shook it off, and made it home just in time to avoid being yelled at by his dad.
“Come on, get up out of that bed!” he heard his mother say. “Come on, Robbie, we're leaving in about 20 minutes. Daddy says we’ll stop for breakfast on the way, he wants to get on the road as soon as possible. Up, up!”
“I'm up! Holy cow, Mom, I'm up!” He rolled over onto his back, his eyes closed, ready to fake his way through five more minutes of sleep, but it wasn't to be. Little Anna jumped up onto his bed and plopped onto his stomach, knocking the breath out of him for a moment and waking him up faster than anything his mother could ever have dreamed of.
“OOF! Get off me, you little monster! Oh, I'm going to strangle you!”
“But you gotta get up!” Anna said. “We gotta go, daddy says we gotta go.”
Their mother poked her head back into his room. “Robbie, don't you dare threaten her like that again! That's your baby sister, and you should be glad you have her. Let me tell you something, the day will come when you'll know that she loves you so much that she'll do just about anything for you, and that day is when you’ll most need help. You need to be nice to her, because someday, you're going to need her. Trust me on this, I know from experience!” She disappeared back out of the room, as Anna climbed down off of her brother.
“Robbie, you gotta get up,” Anna said again, pleadingly. “Daddy says you gotta get up.”
“Anna, I'm up!” He rolled to his right, and let his feet touch the floor while his back came up straight.
Anna grabbed hold of his hand and started pulling. “Yay! Come on, get up and get dressed.”
Robbie stood up, grinning down at her. “Okay,” he said, “I'm up, I'm up, how many times do I have to say it? Now, get out of here so I can get dressed.”
Anna giggled, but ran out of the room, and Robbie shut the door behind her. He shook his head, then reached over and picked up the clothes he had laid out the night before. Even at 13, he knew that you wore comfy clothes for a long road trip, so he put on his most comfortable jeans and a T-shirt. He slid his feet into socks and sneakers, grabbed up the books he was taking along to read on the trip, then patted his computer goodbye. His parents had absolutely forbidden him to load the bulky thing into the car, but he knew that Aunt Kay had a fairly new Dell, and she was always bragging to him about how fast her cable modem was, so he figured it would be able to get online once in a while. He’d be able to check his Yahoo mail and message his friends.
They finally pulled out of the driveway about a half hour later, then stopped right beside the Interstate to get breakfast at one of the all-night fast-food places. Robbie liked it when they got breakfast there, because they had a steak-and-egg biscuit on the menu that was really good. Usually, his dad would say he needed to get something cheaper, but on trips like this, Robbie managed to get pretty much what he wanted. He asked for two of the steak and egg biscuits, then pushed his luck by asking if he could have a cup of coffee. He was surprised when his dad grinned at him and nodded.
“And tell them lots and lots of sugar!” he added, and his father relayed the request to the person in the window. Anna got an egg biscuit with cheese, and a carton of chocolate milk that Robbie had to open for her. He grinned when she looked up at him and told him, “Thank you,” as politely as any adult Robbie had ever known.
Okay, he admitted to himself, maybe having a little sister wasn't all bad. He looked at how Janine's older
brother acted, and figured he would probably be just as protective of Anna when she got into her early teens. Luckily, Janine's brother Walter was on the high school football team, so he and Robbie had a lot in common. He had taken Robbie out behind their garage one day, though, and explained in no uncertain terms exactly what the limits were during those kissing practice sessions. Robbie got the point, and the two boys had been best friends ever since.
The road stretched out ahead of them, and Robbie watched the local scenery slide by the windows. As they made their way out of town and into the countryside outside Cincinnati, the houses and the stores and the car dealerships and all the other buildings faded away, and they were surrounded by trees and wilderness. That view always sent Robbie's imagination into overdrive, and he would fantasize about what it might have been like to be one of the first explorers to see this part of the New World. Somewhere in all that dense forest, he was sure, there were places where no one had ever set foot. He dreamed of the day when he might be old enough to go camping and exploring out there, to go hunting and set traps and live off the land for a while. Years ago, he had read a book about a boy who had run away from home to live in the woods. It was called My Side of the Mountain, and it told all about how he found what plants were edible, how he caught fish without a fishing pole; all the little tricks of survival that wilderness people had known and collected over the years, this boy had read and researched and buried deeply into his memory. What a story!
Robbie wasn't interested in running away; his life wasn't that bad, even having a little sister. He'd save his wilderness adventures for when he was grown, and didn't have to worry about who might come looking for him or the whipping he'd get when he got home. Still, he enjoyed daydreaming about it as the car rolled swiftly past all the wild countryside.
Anna was asleep by the time she finished eating, so Robbie closed up her chocolate milk and put it in a cup holder on his side of the car. That was simple self-preservation, because if it got spilled, he knew that his parents would ask him why he hadn't made sure it couldn't get spilled. He'd learned, through sad experience, that the explanation that it wasn't his milk didn't get him anywhere. He was still in trouble, and he knew it. Putting the milk away simply avoided potential problems.
