Orchard Hill Volume Three

by Kara Lynn Russell

  I love you,

  Patience.

  Shaun crumpled the note and half sat, half fell into a chair at the table. He’d been betrayed by his mother, disowned by his father, and now Patience had left him.

  He forced himself to be honest. She hadn’t left him. He’d driven her away. A wave of self loathing overcame him. He stumbled out of the house again, not sure where he was going, just knowing that he couldn’t stay in the apartment tonight. The absence of Patience would mock him, emphasize his failure. He couldn’t go to his father’s. There was no way he was going to his mother’s.

  What was left?

  TITLE

  Orchard Hill: volume three

  Chapter 2

  Two Months Later

  “How many times are we going to do this, Shaun?”

  Shaun looked up from his beer and tried to focus on the people—person—in front of him. “Joseph, is that you?”

  “Of course it’s me. Who else would come out to drag your sorry hide home yet again?”

  Joseph was the owner of the company Shaun worked with. They built and remodeled houses. It was a small enough company for Joseph to know all his employees, and for some reason, he’d decided to concentrate on Shaun right now. Shaun didn’t know if he was happy about that or not. Joseph had expectations he didn’t think he could live up to right now, but on the other hand, it was good to know there was at least one person in the world that cared what happened to him.

  He took another drink. “I’m not ready to go home yet.”

  Joseph grabbed his collar and hauled him to his feet. “Believe me, Shaun, you are.”

  With Joseph’s support Shaun was able to stumble out of the bar and to the parking lot. When they got to Joseph’s big truck, he more or less heaved Shaun into it.

  His head struck the dashboard and Shaun gave a short, sharp cry of pain. Joseph climbed in the driver’s side. “Why do you do this? Is getting drunk helping you solve any of your problems?”

  He leaned back against the window and tried to focus on Joseph again. “No.”

  “So why, Shaun? You aren’t even good at this. The bartender said you were only on your third beer.”

  He shrugged and attempted a smile. “Practice makes perfect, you know.”

  The look on Joseph’s face told him it had been a mistake to try to make light of things.

  Turning back toward the front, Shaun slumped down in the seat. “I didn’t ask you to come and get me.”

  “No, the bartender did. Let’s just get you home for now.”

  He tried to shake his head but that set off some alarming feelings of dizziness. “Can’t go home.”

  “Why not?”

  “I forgot to pay my rent. I’m locked out.”

  He heard the heartfelt groan that Joseph let out. “What am I supposed to do with you? I can’t take you home to my kids like this.”

  Shaun didn’t think his boss actually expected an answer, so he allowed himself to slide down further in the seat while Joseph took out his cell phone and punched in a number. The conversation he had with the person he’d called floated over Shaun’s head. He was half asleep when Joseph whacked him on the arm. “Put your seatbelt on. We’re leaving.”

  Shaun fumbled with the buckle and managed to get it fastened before Joseph pulled out of the gravel lot. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  ****

  Another Two Months Later

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Shaun complained to Pastor Isaac. “You never told me this was what you had in mind.”

  Pastor Isaac laughed. “Quit complaining. At least you aren’t playing John the Baptist. You wouldn’t believe how uncomfortable that costume is.”

  Shaun surveyed the costume for St. Peter. “I bet the beard itches.” The beard was long and white and reminded him of a bird’s nest.

  “You won’t have to wear it very long. I think you’re tough enough to handle it.”

  Shaun gave up the argument. He could indeed endure walking around in a smelly fake beard and a dress for a short while if it would help Isaac with the All Saint’s Day children’s sermon. He owed the pastor a lot. And it was better than spending his time brooding about Patience and when she’d come back—if she’d come back. He’d honored her wishes and not contacted her, but the longer she was gone the harder it was to resist.

  Laying the costume over the back of a chair, Shaun flopped onto the couch and picked up the remote. “Is there anything on tonight?”

  “Hey,” Isaac protested, “you have your own place now.”

  “Yeah, but it’s too quiet there. Don’t you get tired of living alone?”

  “It looks like I’ll never have the chance to find out.” In spite of the sarcastic remark, Isaac joined him on the couch. “The news is on now.”

  Shaun shrugged. It was better than the game show re-run he’d found. He flipped the channel to the local news station he knew Isaac preferred.

  What they saw made their jaws drop. “Is that Joseph?” asked Shaun.

  “Is that our church?” Isaac responded.

  Shaun turned up the volume. A reporter was talking to Harmony Solberg, whom Joseph had been dating. She was asking Harmony about an offer a network had made to produce her television show. She said she was turning it down and before they knew it, the interview ended with Joseph proposing to Harmony.

  Then the scene switched back to the anchor. The two men stared at each other. Shaun felt a grin spreading across his face. Who’d have thought his boss had it in him? Everyone swore Joseph would never remarry after his wife’s death.

  Isaac groaned and so Shaun turned to him. “What’s wrong? This is great news, isn’t it?”

  “Great for Joseph,” Isaac conceded, “but bad for me.”

  “How can it be bad for you? Joseph’s your best friend.”

  “Do you know how many weddings I’m juggling right now? I swear it must be something in the water. Our congregation has gone wedding crazy this year.”

  “Really?”

  “I have eight couples on my schedule right now. And it’s not just about performing the ceremonies themselves. There’s the pre-marriage counseling and the arrangements and writing extra sermons, and…and…well, there’s just a lot involved.”

  “Patience and I eloped. We never had any of that.”

  “I wish a few more couples would get that idea.”

  Shaun had never really thought about that before. The pre-marriage counseling would have been a good idea. And there wasn’t a whole lot to look back on in their “justice of the peace” ceremony. He wondered if that had bothered Patience. Shaun realized that he’d like to have his marriage blessed by God, now that he was a Christian.

  “If I ever win Patience back, I think we should have a ceremony. What do you call that when married people get married again? To each other, not other people.”

  “A renewal of vows.”

  “I’d like to do that for Patience.” Maybe they could do it all the way with the fancy dress and flowers. Lilies were her favorite.

  “Heaven help me,” grumbled Isaac.

  “Look on the bright side. Weddings are more fun than funerals.”

  Isaac ran a hand over his face. “Take your scruffy beard and robe and go home, Shaun. OK?”

  ****

  On the day of their first anniversary, Patience received flowers from Shaun, a beautiful bouquet of lilies in shimmering colors. At first she thought they were for her Aunt Elaine, but then she read the card and her heart twisted. He’d remembered.

  A tear slipped down her cheek. Who would have guessed that they’d be apart before their first anniversary? All those people who’d thought they were too young to get married, that’s who. But she’d certainly never thought so. She’d only known Shaun a few years before they’d married, but she was closer to him than anyone in the world. He was the only one who understood her dream of building a home and family when the other kids her age had
been talking about college and careers.

  Her parents were always trying to steer her along a path that they’d predetermined was right for her, but in reality it hadn’t fit at all. Shaun was the only one who’d been interested in what she wanted.

  Shaun was definitely not part of her parents’ plans for her life. They’d disliked him from the start. He had no plans for college, his father had the reputation of being difficult and unfriendly and, worst of all, his family didn’t go to church.

  She carried her beautiful bouquet of flowers, arranged in a crystal vase, upstairs to her room and set them on the dresser.

  Patience knew she should be concerned about her chosen life-partner’s lack of faith—and she was—but it wasn’t so much that he didn’t believe. He just didn’t understand. She’d always hoped he would come into faith if she set a good example for him. And at first he’d gone to church with her when she asked. She suspected her parents’ unfriendly attitude had been the reason he’d stopped. She had planned to suggest they find a different church, but then the whole thing with his mother happened and everything fell apart.

  When the mail came, there was a letter for her as well.

  It began simply with: Patience. That was typical Shaun. He wasn’t one to use flowery terms or gushing endearments.

  I miss you. I wish you would come home. Things have changed a lot since you’ve been gone. I’ve changed a lot.

  At first, things got worse. You already know about my mom. But you don’t know that the night you left, I went to see my dad. He told me he didn’t think I was really his son and that he never wanted to see me again. Then, when I came home, you were gone.

  Losing you, Patience, was harder than losing my dad or my mom. I don’t blame you for leaving. I deserved it, and I was ashamed of myself when I read your letter.

  I have to admit something else I’m ashamed of. After you left, I started drinking. Not all the time, but when I got really depressed and I couldn’t take it anymore, I went to the bar. I don’t know why I did it after the first time. It sure didn’t help.

  I felt like I was lost in some sort of thick fog, and no one could reach me. I stopped caring about everything. And this is where I made another really big mistake. I didn’t pay the rent and got us kicked out of our apartment. I’m sorry.

  That night Joseph pulled me out of a bar. He did that more than once. I was lucky to have him because no one else cared. That night, since he couldn’t take me home, he took me to a friend’s house. The friend was Pastor Isaac, from your church. This is when things started to change.

  Isaac let me live with him for a couple of months. He had me do things around the church in exchange for room and board. And we spent a lot of late nights talking.

  To make a long story short, I’m back on my feet. I’ve found a new place for us. I think you’ll really like it. And I’ve started going to church. Every Sunday, Patience. Honest. I can’t talk much about that. I don’t have the words. All I can say is I’ve changed. I’ll be a much better husband if you come back to me. Please, please come back Patience. Just come and talk to me, see how things are now. That’s all I ask.

  It was signed, Shaun.

  What was she going to do?

  The baby kicked, distracting her. She pressed her hands to her stomach, relishing the feeling of the new life moving within her.

  The baby was the reason she’d left. Things were so confusing. Even though Shaun had frightened her with the rage he’d shown after his mother’s betrayal and his father’s rejection, she never thought he’d physically hurt her. But her parents saw this rough spot as the perfect opportunity to emphasize what a “horrible mistake” she’d made in marrying Shaun.

  When she’d found out about the baby, it was too much. Overwhelmed by the pain and chaos around her, she’d fled. She hadn’t meant to be gone for so long, just long enough to decide what to do. Now, she was afraid to return. How angry would Shaun be when he discovered she was pregnant and had kept that news from him? Had he changed enough to forgive her?

  “Patience, honey, I need you.”

  “Coming Aunt Elaine.” She put away the letter and went to see what her great aunt needed. Not long after she’d arrived, Aunt Elaine fell and broke her hip. That, as much as her indecision, had kept her from returning to Orchard Hill.

  TITLE

  Orchard Hill: volume three

  Chapter 3

  On the way home from work a couple of weeks later, Shaun stopped at the grocery store. He hated pushing the carts around, so instead, he filled his arms with a few items and grabbed a gallon of milk on his way out. Before he could reach the check out, Todd Ellis stepped in front of him.

  Shaun stopped cold. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to have anything to do with his mother’s boyfriend, but at the same time, he didn’t want to make a scene in the store.

  “Your mother would like to see you,” Ellis said to him in a low voice.

  Shaun’s first instinct was to reply with a belligerent “so what?” The fact that he was able to restrain himself gave him confidence that he could live up to the new standards he’d set for himself. He decided on a mild, “Does she?” for a response.

  “Yes, she’s worried about you. No matter what else happened, Shaun, she does love you.”

  He had no answer for that, so he said nothing.

  “Thanksgiving is coming soon. I know it would mean a lot to her if you’d join us. You know where we’re living, right? Dinner will be at 5:00.”

  “I…I don’t think I can make it.” Shaun fervently wished he weren’t standing here with an armful of perishables. He wished he could drop everything at Ellis’s feet and walk away.

  “It doesn’t matter if you’re there right at 5:00. Just come. Come over anytime in fact. Your mother wants so badly to see you.”

  Warring emotions made it difficult for him to answer. Finally he just shook his head. “I can’t.” Stepping around Ellis, Shaun made his way to the check out. Ellis didn’t try to stop him or follow him. He was glad for the line at the check out. It gave him a chance to calm down before he had to discuss the weather with the clerk while she rang up his purchases.

  ****

  “Yes, I’ll come home for Thanksgiving,” Patience told her mother over the phone. Aunt Elaine wouldn’t need her help anyway. Lisa, Aunt Elaine’s daughter, was coming to get her for the holiday, and had told Patience that she intended to convince Elaine to move in with her. Patience realized that she would need to make a decision about herself and Shaun soon. Her refuge at Aunt Elaine’s was about to disappear. Lisa would hardly take Patience and the baby as well as Aunt Elaine.

  “That’s wonderful, sweetheart. I’ll tell Misty to put you on the list of volunteers,” her mother said. “We’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” Patience answered mechanically. Dread pooled in her stomach. How would her parents react when they saw her condition? They had to know sometime. Better to go back now and face the music.

  “While you’re here,” her mother continued, “we could get a few things done.”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, start our Christmas shopping, pick out a tree, see a lawyer.”

  “A lawyer? What for?”

  “Honey, we need to get moving on your divorce.”

  “I never said anything about divorcing Shaun!”

  “You know I believe marriage should be forever, but in your case…Well, you were so young. You didn’t know what you were doing. I’m sure God will forgive you.”

  “Mom, I’m not ready to give up. Shaun wrote to me. He says he’s going to church now.”

  Her mother sniffed. “Well, that’s true. But he’s still not what your father and I hoped. Even if Shaun’s really getting past what happened with his parents, then he’ll still just be a high school graduate who works construction. Don’t you see, baby, that’s all he’ll ever be.”

  “I’m just a high school graduate.”

  “But you don’t
have to be. It’s not too late for you to go on to school…”

  Patience ran a hand over stomach. “I don’t think now is going to be a good time to start.”

  “Of course it is. It would be a perfect time. It’s short notice, but I’m sure with a little work, you could be ready to start in January.”

  “No, Mom, that’s not going to happen. Listen, I’ll be home on Thanksgiving, all right?”