by H. L. Wegley
Jennifer hung up the phone. Thank you, God. Still no hitches. Well, none of any consequence.
“So your mom thought you were pregnant?”
“Yes, it was probably terrible of me to tease her like that. She was horrified at the thought of me having a baby out of wedlock.”
Katie swiveled the computer chair around to face Jennifer. “But I’ve seen you and Lee, how he treats you so respectfully. He would never—”
“Katie, you and I need to have a talk soon. For now, suffice it to say, no matter how good you think you are, there are still temptations none of us are immune to, especially when you’re engaged. Now, I need to call Granddad, Howie at work, and then we’re out of here.”
Katie’s expression was thoughtful as she swiveled back to the computer.
Jenn could tell she had questions, and smiled at the thought of teaching this young girl about God and family. She reached for the phone.
****
Jennifer hung up and drew a deep breath. “All done. Oh, Friday you’re going to meet Granddad. Now show me the clothes you found.”
Katie’s preference in clothing was pleasantly surprising. Simple, clean designs. Katie would look wonderful in them. Thank goodness she didn’t like tacky clothes or anything racy.
“My goodness, it’s 11:00 AM. We can hit the outlet stores, and then it should be about lunch time.”
“Lunch sounds good.” Katie’s voice was soft, but probing.
Teenagers and eating. Jenn had forgotten a lot in six years. “Would you like to have lunch first?”
“If you don’t mind. Mel, Kirsten, and I didn’t get much to eat while they held us. I was used to it, but I thought Kirsten might pass out a couple times. When they did give us food, well, Ivan was a bad cook.”
Jenn dismissed her frown and tried to smile. “That’s all we need to remember about him. Now, how about going out to eat?”
“Whatever you decide is fine with me.”
“OK, I know a place with a big menu, It’s quiet there at noon, unlike the evenings.”
****
By 11:30 Katie sat poring over the menu, unable to narrow her choice to fewer than five items.
“Five choices? Tell me which five and I’ll see if I’ve had any of them.”
Katie slid her finger down the large menu. “First, there’s fish and chips, then—”
“Stop there. You can never go wrong with their fish and chips. How about a small salad on the side?”
“Are you sure that’s not too much, Jenn?”
“No, it’s fine. Do you like Italian dressing?”
“Yes. It’s probably healthier than ranch.”
“A little.”
The waiter was walking down an adjacent aisle, obviously waiting for them to choose.
“We’re ready now.” Jennifer smiled at him.
The young man’s gaze returned frequently to Katie while he took their order.
When the waiter left, Katie looked up at her. “He was watching me, wasn’t he, Jenn?”
“That he was. But I can’t say I blame him.”
“I hate it when guys do that. They’ve caused me so much trouble.”
“Katie, he wasn’t looking in a bad way. For whatever reason, God chose to make you absolutely beautiful, and then He gave you a heart to match your looks. As long as the boys aren’t rude or crude, you can’t fault them for gazing at some of God’s finest handiwork.”
“They look at you, too. Do you like it?”
“I hate it.” Her reply started a giggling fit. Great. Now they had attracted the attention of several more young men who worked at the restaurant.
One of them carried a tray with two orders of fish and chips on it.
After their meal was served, Jennifer folded her hands on the table. “Katie, would you like me to ask the blessing?”
“Sure.” Katie bowed.
Jennifer didn’t want Katie to feel uncomfortable about praying in a public place, so she kept it simple, thanks for the food and for bringing Katie into her life.
Katie sat silently for a few moments while they ate. But she squirmed restlessly in her chair, frequently glancing at her. This young girl needed to learn that she could speak openly with her…Mom. I’m her Mom. Jenn took a second to delight in the wonder.
“Have you got something you would like to tell me?”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Truthfully, Katie, yes. So why don’t you just tell me?”
“When you prayed, it reminded me of how I’ve begun to pray.” Katie studied her eyes.
Jennifer dropped her fork. “When did you start praying?”
“I started regularly after I met you at Trader’s shack. Before you came, I just cried out to God for help whenever I felt hopeless.”
“When did you first start crying out to God for help?”
“Not long after Trader captured me.” Katie’s hand slid forward on the table.
Jennifer took it. “Do you remember what day it was?”
“It was when they put me in the building at the old mill. Early on Saturday, I think.”
Jennifer squeezed Katie’s hand tightly.
“Jenn, is there something wrong?” Katie stared at the tears spilling onto Jenn’s cheeks.
“No, Katie. I think something is very right. You see, Saturday morning I discovered an encrypted, cell-phone call. When we decrypted it, we heard Trader and Boatman arranging an exchange, girls for drugs. I knew girls were being held at an old mill site, so Lee helped me search all of the old mill sites on the peninsula. The whole time we were looking, I kept hearing the voice of a girl—someone who seemed like my own daughter—crying out for help. It upset me so much I started acting a little crazy and desperate. Lee can vouch for that. So, what do you think?”
Katie stared across the room for a moment. “There’s only one answer that makes sense. God heard me calling for help. He made sure you heard, too. Then He used you and Lee to answer my prayer. So is that what a relationship with God is like? You talk, He hears you, and then He does things?”
“That’s only half of the relationship. When you have a friend, you talk and they listen. Then what?”
“They talk and I listen.”
Jennifer nodded. “Yes, and so that begs the question—”
“You mean the question of how God talks to me. Well, He hasn’t that I know of.” Katie looked down and frowned. “Does that mean there’s something wrong with me?”
Jenn hesitated before answering. “Yes, there is something wrong, but it’s not only with you. It’s with everyone. But, Katie, the good news is it can be easily fixed.”
Katie looked puzzled. “But what if it can’t? What—”
“Don’t think that, not for one moment. God loves you very much, and He made you who you are.”
“It sounds like He made me into somebody He can’t accept.”
“Please listen for a minute. Let me explain something, and then I think all your questions will, well, they will go away.”
“OK, Jenn, lay the magic on me. Whatever it is.”
She smiled at Katie. “It’s not really magic. It’s completely unselfish love. God revealed many things about Himself in the Bible, as well as in the universe He created. But when He described His character to us, He told us He’s a God of justice and a God of love. However, because He’s just—”
“I know what you’re going to say.” Katie’s fingers tapped a snappy rhythm on the table. “We’re not perfect. But does that leave any room for love?”
God as Judge, Jesus as both advocate and our substitute.
Katie had already demonstrated that she could understand that analogy.
Jennifer sent up a silent prayer, and then told the Story of all Stories to a young lady who was more than ready to hear it. As Jennifer drew the story to its redemptive end she prayed that its impact would continue on…for a lifetime.
“So, suppose…” Katie moved the salt and pepper shakers like they were pieces
on a chessboard. “Suppose I wanted a two-way relationship with God where Jesus takes God’s justice for me. How would I start it? Do I have to wait for God to, you know, make the first move?”
“God already made the first move by sending Jesus to earth. He invites us to come to Him. In fact, He says He’s standing at the very door of our heart, knocking and waiting. If we open the door, He comes in and we are changed. We become His child, adopted into His family.”
“Suppose I want to open the door.” She paused. “What would I do?”
Jennifer studied Katie.
The public setting didn’t seem to bother her. And one of the waiters was quietly keeping others away from their table. The young man smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up sign.
Jenn took it as her go-ahead signal.
Please take her heart like You did mine.
“Katie, if that’s what you really want, you simply tell God. Pray to Him and tell Him you want to become His child, to forgive you, and you want Him to be your Lord, you know, the One you try to please as you live your life.”
“Jenn, we’re only talking heavenly child, right? I can still be somebody else’s earthly child, can’t I?”
“Heavenly child only, forever and ever.”
Katie bowed her head. Jennifer’s last glance across the room revealed the young waiter, head bowed and lips moving.
Thank You that an appreciative audience can share in the joy of this moment. Jenn smiled at the young man.
In a few seconds Katie looked up.
“How do you feel, Katie?”
“Like everything is right in my life. Everything is the way it’s supposed to be. I don’t have to cry out and just hope somebody hears me.”
“I’m so proud of you. So happy for you. But, you know something?”
“We need to get going, right?”
“If you want any clothes, yes, we need to go.”
“Can I tell Lee tonight?”
“Of course. He’ll want to know. But now, to the outlet mall, and then we need to make one more stop before we go home.”
“When we’re done at the outlet mall, I won’t need anything else.”
“There’s a place…it has something you and I are going to need very soon.” Jennifer took a final sip of her lemonade.
“Both of us?” Katie’s nose wrinkled. “Is it underwear?”
The laugh exploded from her mouth along with the lemonade. “Sorry, Katie. That’s not what I was thinking.” She paused and soaked up drops of lemonade. “I need a wedding dress, and you need a bridesmaid’s dress.”
“Are you sure you want me to—”
“Absolutely.”
Katie’s feelings of being outcast were something they needed to help her overcome.
“If it weren’t for you, my family would probably be attending a funeral instead of a wedding. I want you and my two sisters with me when Lee and I say our vows.”
Katie wiped her eyes and clamped her arms around Jennifer. “I can’t wait to tell Lee tonight, and I can’t wait to see you in a wedding dress this afternoon. Let’s go.”
****
Jennifer stood inspecting a long rack of wedding dresses, while Katie looked over her shoulder. “Much too bare.” She moved on to the next dress. “Way too low in front.” She scanned the next dress from the top to the bottom. “This short dress looks kind of odd where the hemline ends.”
Katie laughed. “Maybe they made it out of odds and ends.”
The next dress was OK, but there were still more choices. She moved down the rack.
Katie grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Jenn, wait. I can totally see you in this dress, and it’ll be beautiful.”
“I don’t know, Katie. It’s fairly modest. Maybe a little low, but not too bad.”
“Just try it on and you’ll see what I see.”
If Katie was this adamant, maybe she should humor her.
“Ma’am, would you help me pull this dress off the rack?” Jenn asked.
“Yes!” Katie’s voice rang through the shop.
Several heads turned towards them. A few people walked their way.
Great. Now she would have an audience.
“Come on, Jenn. Try it on,” Katie begged.
Two clerks spoke softly to one another.
“Get the camera. I’ll grab a release form. This could be commercial-quality advertising.”
A camera? This was becoming a show, and she did not want to be the leading lady. She wanted to hide. Jennifer slipped into the large dressing room.
The clerk followed her in, carrying the dress.
After five minutes of wiggling, pulling and fastening, she was properly in the dress. She wanted to see herself before anyone else, especially before that camera did, but she couldn’t until she stepped outside to the large mirror.
“May I go out now?” she asked. “No more hooks, zippers, or buttons?”
The clerk examined her again. “You’re good to go, though good seems hardly adequate.”
“Katie, ready or not, here I come.” When she pushed on the door, it swung open.
Horrors. There were at least a dozen people gawking. They all gasped in unison.
Was it that bad?
When the crowd moved to the sides, her reflection in the mirror appeared.
An audible gasp she couldn’t suppress broke the brief silence.
“Katie, how did you do that? This dress is perfect. I couldn’t see it, but you could.”
“It’s a whole lot more than the dress, Jenn. I’ve seen Lee look at you with bug eyes. But when you walk down the aisle in that dress, his eyes are going to pop right out of his head.”
“If he goes gaga-eyes on me during the wedding, I’ll kill him.”
Katie’s mouth fell open.
“It’s only a figure of speech. If I really meant it, Lee would be dead and buried months ago. Now, for the bridesmaids’ dresses. Will you please help me pick them out?”
“But they’re for your sisters. I’ve never even seen them. I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Here’s the deal. You pick out a dress somewhere near cranberry in color. One we can order quickly. If it looks good on you, it’ll be fine. My sisters are a little taller and skinnier than me. Not as tall as you, but the store can alter the length. “
“Are you sure about this, Jenn?”
“Just try to do for you what you did for me. If you do, I’ll be more than satisfied. You’ve got the eye for it.”
“Maybe I’ve got the eye for the dress. But I think you’ve got all those other parts.”
“Uh, thank you, Katie, I think. Now, not a word to Lee about dresses or colors, yet.”
Katie made a lip-zipping motion.
Within thirty minutes, Katie found a cranberry-colored dress. It drew a small crowd when she modeled it. What were she and Lee going to do when she drew a crowd of boys?
As a last resort, we can tell the boys she mowed a guy down with an AK-47.
****
Jennifer lined up a row of four Styrofoam containers full of Thai cuisine alongside a row of four empty serving dishes. “Here’s your scoop, Katie. You take two and I’ll take two.”
As Jennifer arranged the dishes on the table, Katie glanced at her. “Are you going to let Lee think we made this ourselves?”
“He’ll know we ordered takeout. These are our favorite items on the menu.”
Katie inhaled the aroma of stir-fry chicken and a wonderful blend of spices. “If it tastes like it smells, I think it’s going to be my favorite, too.” She closed her eyes and inhaled again.
As Jennifer tossed the last takeout container into the trash, the doorbell rang.
She hurried, but Katie beat her to the door.
“Can I tell him now, Jenn?”
“Sure, tell him whenever you want to.” Jennifer wanted to see Lee’s reaction to Katie’s news. Wonderful news that further confirmed Katie was where she belonged.
Katie opened the door.
<
br /> When Jennifer stepped near him, Lee kissed her. “Hello, beautiful.” He turned to Katie. “Hello, beautiful, who’s on the front page of the paper.” He hugged Katie and pulled the evening paper from under his arm. “Take a look. There are my two favorite ladies. Mel and Kirsten, too.”
As Katie pored over the picture and the article, Jennifer’s phone rang. “Let me get this, and then we can eat.”
“Hello…yes…Katie, someone wants to talk to you.”
“To me? Is it Mrs. Barnes?”
“No, it’s Mel.”
Fifteen minutes of chatter ensued. After the phone conversation, Katie hung up and sauntered towards Lee. “Mel is calling Kirsten now. She sure was excited about seeing our story in the paper, even if the reporters didn’t get it right.” She stopped, facing Lee. “I have something to tell you.”
“You decided on a school today?”
She shook her head. “It’s about a relationship.”
“You talked to Jennifer’s grandfather?”
“No.” She looked into Lee’s eyes. “Someone much older than he is.”
“How’s that possible? He’s older than dirt.”
“I’m going to tell Granddad what you said.” Jennifer gave him a warning look.
“I thought you wanted to marry me. Do you want a headless husband?”
Katie tugged on Lee’s arm. “The relationship is with God, through Jesus.”
Silence.
Lee was obviously trying to process the fullness of what Katie had so simply stated.
After a few seconds, he smiled and hugged Katie. “So now you’re my sister.”
Katie’s wide eyes displayed horror. “Sister, I…I was hoping for something more like—”
He chuckled. “We can explain the sister thing later.”
Jennifer stood beside Lee, her arm around his waist. It was the perfect time. “Katie, Lee and I have decided there’s something we would like to do, but we want to ask your permission first.”
Katie’s gaze darted between them. “What is it?”
“Lee and I want to start completing the paperwork to adopt you as our daughter.” She paused, partly because her voice choked and partly to gauge Katie’s reaction. “And we want to file the papers as soon as we’re married, if it’s all right with you?”
