Wildflowers

by Melanie Wilber;Kevin Wilber

  Apparently he read her thoughts. “I’ll hire whoever you need to run the place. A buyer, framer, salespeople--. All you have to do is keep taking great pictures to sell and keep sending them. I’ll take care of your travel expenses so you can fly up every once in awhile to make sure everything is how you want it.”

  “Daddy, I don’t know,” she wavered. “This is a very generous gift.”

  “And you are my daughter,” he insisted. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  ***

  Natalie picked up her slides from the lab on Monday morning after taking Daddy to the airport. At home she sorted through them, picked out the ones Mr. Trent wanted, and packed the rest to sort through later.

  Mr. Trent didn’t have any complaints when she dropped them off that afternoon. He was disappointed to hear she was leaving town tomorrow and wouldn’t be available to take any future assignments, but she promised to let him know if she ever returned to the area on a permanent basis.

  A thought had crossed her mind more than once regarding her future career path. After being away from teaching for a year, she knew she missed it and wanted to keep working in that field for many years to come. Photography was fun and she loved the freedom of travel, but she missed having contact with people.

  She would continue to be a weekend photographer and spend her summers wherever her heart led her, but she wanted to teach full-time. She had considered the possibility, however, of obtaining her Oregon Teaching License and looking for a job closer to home. She’d made a commitment to go back to South Tahoe High, and she couldn’t back out on that, but in all likelihood this would be her last year in California. She needed to be closer to her family.

  Natalie had already promised Josie she would stop by that afternoon to say good-bye, and she headed there after leaving the magazine office. Josie wanted to treat her to an early dinner, and they went to a nearby restaurant.

  She told Josie about the gallery. Her fears that her sister would react negatively to their father’s generous offer were quickly squelched.

  “I remember how much I appreciated his offer to pay for me to go to nursing school. He gave me the opportunity to get done in half the time it would have taken me if I’d had to work at the same time to pay my own way.”

  “I never knew he did that,” Natalie said, feeling relieved she wasn’t the only one who had needed Daddy’s help financially. “I always thought you got a loan.”

  “No. He paid for everything. Tuition, books, fees. He also sent me a check each month to help out with the expenses of caring for Tommy.”

  “Do you think I’m taking advantage of him? I didn’t ask for this. He just did it.”

  “Oh, no!” she said, reaching across the table to grasp her hand. “Turning down his offer would be like a slap in the face. He wants to do this for you. Let him.”

  Josie’s words reassured her that setting up the gallery and using it to display and sell her own work was a generous offer she couldn’t refuse. She was excited to get started but had a lot to learn before she could set everything in motion. She wanted to do it right.

  “Allison said you had a good time on the walk,” Josie said. “I heard you had a last-minute replacement for a driver.”

  Natalie smiled. “That made things interesting,” she said.

  “Feel like sharing?”

  “We had a good talk,” she said. “He said some things to make me think maybe God isn’t so far away after all, and I told him I’d think about what he said.”

  Josie looked happy to hear that. Natalie had no doubt her next words would open the floodgates.

  “I talked to Allison too. After church yesterday.”

  “You went to church yesterday?”

  “Yes. I looked for you but decided you must have had to work this weekend.”

  “Yes,” Josie said. “And Tommy wasn’t feeling well so he and Brandon didn’t go either. What did you and Allison talk about?”

  “How to let God into my life.”

  Josie’s eyes widened. “Did you do more than talk about it?”

  Natalie smiled, bringing Josie out of her seat and around the table to give her an exuberant hug.

  “I think I’m going to cry,” Josie said, hugging her tighter.

  “I wanted you to be the one to help me, but I couldn’t wait.”

  “I wish I could have been there,” she said, “but that’s not important. You were right to go ahead when you felt ready.”

  Josie wanted more details, and Natalie shared the gist of her prayer. She also told her about asking God to help her find Him on the final night of her backpacking trip with Daddy.

  “I never imagined Him answering me so quickly, or how He would answer.” She smiled at the memory of her time with Michael over the weekend. “It was really good to see him again.”

  “Are you still leaving tomorrow?”

  “Yes. I’ll probably call him later this week, once I get settled and have a chance. I have so much to do if I’m going to get out of here by morning.”

  Natalie didn’t want to rush through dinner with her sister, and she didn’t. Saying good-bye to her was difficult, just as she anticipated it would be. But knowing she would be back soon to make decisions about the gallery, as well as planning to visit more often and possibly move back sometime soon, she was able to leave without too many tears.

  Once she had everything packed that evening, she thought seriously about calling Michael and telling him her news while she was still here, rather than waiting. She knew he would be happy to hear what she had to say, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to continue things between them right now.

  Michael was ready for a serious relationship, possibly even marriage sometime soon. She had come to believe in God. She had given her heart to Him and was trusting Him to lead her on from here. But was she cut out to be the wife of a youth pastor? The thought overwhelmed and paralyzed her.

  I barely know anything about the Bible. I have so much to learn myself, how can I possibly lead a bunch of kids? Michael doesn’t need a pretty wife, he needs a partner. Someone who knows how to do things like lead Bible studies and answer questions about God. I don’t think I can do that.

  She was still corresponding with Samuel on a regular basis, and he had put in for the transfer to the San Francisco office. As he had predicted, his boss said it may take several months before a position would open up for him, but he was planning on moving back, and she was the reason.

  She felt torn between Samuel and Michael. Deep in her heart she knew her feelings for Michael were much stronger, but marrying an investment banker seemed more realistic. Reaching for someone like Michael seemed like reaching for the moon, something she had often been eager to do, but her dreams didn’t always match up with reality.

  At nine o’clock she picked up the phone, but not to call Michael. She wanted to call her mom. She hadn’t talked to her since before going to Europe with Daddy. Her mom had been trying to patch up things between them for several months, but she hadn’t been cooperative. She knew she was wrong.

  “Hi, Mom. How are you?”

  “Can’t complain,” she said. “How about you?”

  Natalie heard the caution in her mother’s voice. Natalie had bitten her head off more than once over the telephone recently and knew her mother was trying to be careful not to say the wrong thing.

  “I’m better than I’ve been in a long time.”

  Her mother hesitated before replying. “That’s good, honey. I heard you went to Europe with your dad. Did you have a nice time?”

  “Yeah, Mom. I did. Daddy did too. I think it was good for both of us.”

  “I’m sure it was. Your dad has needed a vacation for a long time.”

  “I have something to tell you,” she said.

  “What’s that?”

  “I know God, Mama.”

  “You do?” Natalie could imagine tears forming in her mother’s eyes. “Oh, honey. That’s wonderful!”

  �
��I need to ask you to forgive me, Mama. I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you for so long. It never occurred to me how much you were hurting too.”

  “Oh, honey. I forgive you.” she said with choked words. “I know how awful I was, and I’m sorry too.”

  She went on to tell her mom about the gallery and some of her recent work. Her mom wanted her to send a copy of the magazine with the lighthouses on the cover and any future issues she had photos in. They talked like they hadn’t in years, and it felt good. Really good. Before she hung up she had one more thing to ask her.

  “Mama, will you pray for Daddy? I think his heart may be searching too.”

  “I already do, honey,” she replied. “I already do.”

  ***

  Early Tuesday morning Natalie’s phone rang while she was eating the breakfast feast Leona had prepared. Who could be calling me at this hour?

  “Hello, Ms. Matthews,” she heard Mr. Trent greet her. “Can you possibly come by the office before you head out of town? I have a favor to ask.”

  “Sure,” she said, wondering what he had in mind. Whatever it was, he wanted to discuss it with her in person.

  After a tearful good bye with Leona, she got into her packed car and headed downtown. Mr. Trent’s secretary had not arrived yet, and she found Mr. Trent as she often did, bent over a light box with notes and paperwork scattered around his work area.

  “Is there a problem with the work I brought over yesterday?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t forgotten something. She didn’t have time to search for some missing slide right now.

  “Oh, no,” he said. “This is regarding another matter.” He crossed the room to one of several file cabinets and searched until he found the folder he wanted. Pulling it out and closing the drawer, he motioned to his desk and had her take a seat.

  “I took on an assignment myself,” he said, chuckling and tossing the folder in front of her. “We’re doing a feature on a private garden at a Bed and Breakfast, and I waited until this last weekend to get it finished.”

  She opened the file and saw some slides. Taking one out and holding it up to the light, she saw they had obviously not turned out well.

  “I think that must have been an old roll of film,” he said, “unless the lab messed up. Anyway, I need to reshoot that section of the garden as soon as possible. The layout crew needs everything by the beginning of next week at the latest. I may be able to get away sometime before that, but I heard on the radio this morning they are expecting rain tomorrow. A heavy downpour could significantly diminish the beauty of the flowers.”

  She understood what he meant. One of the secrets of great photography was timing. Even one day or one hour could drastically affect the shot.

  “I was hoping you could stop by on your way today. The location is close to the freeway, and if you get there within the next few hours, the lighting should be all right. The directions on how to get to the site are in there. You can drop the film in the mail, and I’ll take care of getting it developed.”

  “Okay,” she said, closing the file. “I think I can do that.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Matthews,” he said, reaching across the desk to shake her hand. “For all your hard work. Again I beg you to let me know if you ever make Oregon your home again.”

  When she got to her car, she reopened the file to see where this place was. Checking the name of the Bed and Breakfast which she wasn’t familiar with, she dug further, finding a map inside.

  Mr. Trent had circled her destination in red ink, not too far from Interstate Five--within the city limits of Eugene.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Natalie’s hands began to tremble. She stared at the map for a long time, recalling Michael’s words from the other day. ‘God planned for us to meet.’

  God, are you trying to tell me something? I know this is too weird to only be a coincidence. Mr. Trent doesn’t know anything about my personal life. He couldn’t have planned this. Did you?

  Tossing the file on top of the blankets in the front passenger seat, she pulled away from the curb and headed for the freeway. On the two-hour drive to Eugene, she tried to decide what to do. Maybe she did need to see Michael one more time before she went back to California. Even if they weren’t meant to be more than friends, she knew he had been praying for her, and telling him about her decision face-to-face was the least she could do.

  The only problem would be finding him. She had his home address, but he would be at work this time of day. She thought she remembered the name of the church and could probably ask someone for directions, but there was no guarantee he would be there either. She could always call his cell phone, but once he knew she was close by, there would be no backing out.

  At nine-thirty she pulled into the parking area of the Bed and Breakfast. Grabbing her camera bag and tripod, she went to the front door, rang the bell, and introduced herself to the owners. They showed her around their lovely garden surrounding the historic home, and she located the areas Mr. Trent had indicated he needed her to reshoot.

  The light was harsher this late in the morning than she preferred for shooting flowers, but she couldn’t do anything about that. She worked quickly and did the best she could under the circumstances, finishing up with the white bistro table sitting among a wildflower bed bordering a rustic wooden fence. The shade protected area was sure to bring out the vibrant display of color nicely.

  Packing up her gear, she thought again about stopping to see Michael. Now that she was in Eugene, knowing how close she was to him, she knew she had to see him. Just like the beauty of the flowers she had captured on film could all be gone tomorrow, so could her chance of ever seeing Michael again.

  Okay God, if this is meant to be, then I trust you to help me find him. I hope I’m not being ridiculous for asking for such a petty thing. You know I’m new at this.

  She went looking for a phone booth with a Yellow Pages inside. Spotting one at a gas station, she pulled in to have her tank filled and then went to the booth to look for the name of the church where Michael worked. She wrote down the address and went inside the mini-mart to pay for the gas and grabbed a pink lemonade from the cooler.

  After the cashier took her money and gave her the change, she held out the address to ask if he could give her directions. He did, and she wrote down the streets he indicated to turn right or left on. It didn’t sound too complicated or too far away either.

  Getting back into her car, she wove her way through the unfamiliar streets and found the church with no problem some five minutes later. Pulling alongside the curb, she saw Michael’s car sitting in the parking lot, and she took a deep breath. Checking her hair and make-up in the rearview mirror, she ran a comb through her wavy blond hair and added a touch of powder blush to her pale cheeks.

  Suddenly she couldn’t wait to see him. Laying aside her doubts and fears, she felt like reaching for the moon. As long as she lived, she knew she would never meet anyone that touched her heart like Michael did, and she had to tell him so. Being close to Michael was more important to her than anything, including her own pride and insecurities. God had brought someone wonderful into her life. She couldn’t let that slip away.

  She went in the door marked Church Office and stepped inside, letting her eyes adjust to the darker location. She approached a sliding glass window and saw a woman sitting at a desk on the other side.

  “May I help you?” she asked.

  “Yes. I’m looking for Michael Walker.”

  “His office is down the hall, last door on the right. If he’s not there, he might be in the youth room. Take a left at the end of the hall and follow it all the way back. It’s the large room at the end.”

  “Thank you,” she said, proceeding down the hall to where the woman had indicated. The office with his nameplate on the door appeared empty, and she continued into the next hallway, passing several classrooms, some restrooms, a large meeting room, and a kitchen before coming to a set of double doors.

  She peered th
rough the narrow window and saw multiple rows of chairs and a small stage area up front with a piano and drum-set sitting on the wide platform. Spotting Michael along the far wall confirmed she had the right room. She took another deep breath and laid her hand on the door handle.

  At the same moment she saw Michael turn his head and smile. Natalie realized he was not alone. A young woman with long curly brown hair and a trim figure came into view and smiled at him broadly.

  Natalie had a sinking feeling. Her fears turned to reality as she watched Michael’s expression go from happy to delighted by something the beautiful girl said to him. They embraced.

  Staggering backwards, she felt like she was going to be sick. Michael hadn’t said anything about having a girlfriend, but he didn’t owe her anything.

  Turning away, Natalie hurried down the hall and went out through a side door rather than going past the office. Once outside she hurried to her car, anxious to get away before anyone saw her. She would send him a letter in a week or two thanking him for everything and telling him of her decision to trust God. But she wouldn’t make his life complicated by telling him how much she still cared for him. He had moved on. She had to do the same.

  She reached her car and fumbled around in her purse for her keys. Digging between her wallet and a small make-up bag, she didn’t find them in their usual place. Further searching brought on panic.

  Afraid to even look, she peered through the window and saw them hanging from the ignition. Trying the door handle, she found it locked. She closed her eyes. No. This is not happening to me.

  She opened her eyes. The keys were still there, like an unreachable life preserver. And her phone was in there too. Great. Just great. Now what am I going to do?

  She started running through the possibilities. Going back to the church to ask someone for help was out of the question. The church sat in a residential area. Knocking on the nearest door and asking to use the phone to call a locksmith seemed like the best option until she remembered something.