by Irene Brand
Micah went to Laurel, took her hand and led her back to the chair. He knelt beside her, gently rubbing her hand.
“When you want to talk, I’m ready to listen. I think you need a break. Will you go with me tomorrow to research a house near Maryville? It’s not a large house, but one worthy of being included in my article. We can easily make the trip in one day.”
Her face lit at the prospect. “I’d love to go.”
She didn’t want to stay at Oaklawn, and she questioned if that was her harasser’s motive. Was he trying to drive her away from her home? A day with Micah would be a godsend, but what if the man called and Debbie answered the phone?
“Maybe I’d better not,” she said. “I have too much work to do. But I thank you for asking me.”
Seeming embarrassed because she’d shown such panic in front of Micah, Laurel stood and Micah knew he’d been dismissed. Her face had that hopeless look he’d noticed the night before when she sat on the gallery. He believed the letter she’d gotten this morning had something to do with her problems. Was Kevin Cooper giving her some trouble?
Her hands unconsciously twisted together, and he thought she was close to tears. Micah thanked her for the food and reluctantly left. He compared Laurel’s current manner to the vibrant woman she’d been when he first came to Oaklawn. How could she have changed so much in such a short time?
Not ready to go to his apartment, Micah walked down the oak-shaded drive toward the highway. Perhaps a fast walk would ease some of his frustrations. It was dark by the time he returned to the buildings. He wondered if Laurel was still in the garden, but he bypassed the house without stopping and went to his apartment.
As he turned on the light in his bedroom, he saw the Bible on the nightstand beside his bed. It had been there when he moved in, but he hadn’t given it a second glance. After hearing the sermon this morning, he had a lot of unanswered questions, and he believed those answers were in the New Testament. He’d carried a small book of Psalms for years, and he’d read them often, but he had scant knowledge of the rest of the Bible. He took the Bible with him to the recliner in the living room and elevated his feet.
Looking for Scriptures to help him make the right connection between Jesus and the God of creation, Micah slowly turned the pages of the Bible. He noted certain passages that someone, presumably Laurel, had underlined.
One marked passage in the first chapter of the book of John seemed to jump off the page into his consciousness.
“Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.”
What had Pastor Jensen said this morning? “God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” So if grace and truth came through Jesus, then anyone who worshiped God must acknowledge the place of Jesus in God’s plan.
Micah started reading the first chapter of John which dealt with the coming of the Word into the world. He read quickly through the whole chapter, realizing that the Word was a reference to Jesus. He paused and read aloud the first verse of the chapter. “‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.’”
Slowly comprehending these words, he laughed softly. Jesus must have been present with God when the world was created. When he had worshiped the God of the Universe, the One who’d created the world, he hadn’t realized that Jesus and the Father were one.
Without leaving his chair, Micah read the entire book of John. When he finished the last chapter, he felt as if he’d completed a marathon. If all of these words were true, and he believed they were, he had spent half of his life unaware of the necessity to receive Jesus as his Savior in order to have the right relationship with God.
Thoughtfully, Micah laid the Bible aside and prepared for bed. He hadn’t understood many of the things he’d read. He would make an appointment to talk with Pastor Jensen to receive further enlightenment.
Micah had often read the twenty-second Psalm and had questioned who the psalmist had meant when he wrote, “Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn—for He has done it.”
As he’d read the book of John tonight, Micah realized that the psalmist wrote about Jesus, Whom he’d ignored for so many years. If he claimed the truth that Jesus was the Son of God, how would that affect his relationship with Laurel? During their short acquaintance, he’d learned that Laurel’s local church congregation was very important to her. Could he also make friends among these people?
The phone rang again as Laurel was in her room preparing for bed. Her hand hovered over the receiver. Was this another threatening call? Regardless of the extra cost, she must have Caller ID installed.
She picked up the phone, swallowed with difficulty and said, “Hello?”
“Hey, Mom,” Debbie answered. “I’ll have to work a double shift tomorrow. One of the other girls is sick, and I agreed to work extra. We could use the money.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Laurel protested.
“I know, but I want to. I called so you wouldn’t make any plans for us tomorrow.”
“Micah asked me to go with him tomorrow while he researches a house for his article. I told him I wouldn’t go.”
“Why not? He’s such a nice man, and a day off would be good for you. You’ve been working too hard anyway.”
“We’ll see.”
Since Debbie would be away from home probably longer than she and Micah would be, there was little chance that her daughter would receive an intimidating phone call. The prospect of a day away from Oaklawn became more and more appealing to Laurel.
She dialed Micah’s cell-phone number. When he answered quickly, she asked, “Am I calling too late?”
“No. I’ve been up reading.”
“I’d like to change my mind and go with you tomorrow. Debbie phoned to say that she’ll be working a double shift, so it seems like a good day for me to get away.”
Briefly, he wondered what had happened to the pressing work she’d mentioned earlier. He was strangely elated that she’d accepted his invitation. He thought he had invited Laurel to go along to improve her mood, but now he wondered how much his personal happiness depended on Laurel’s company.
“That will be great. We’ll make a day of it. We can have dinner before we come home. Thanks for changing your plans to go with me.”
“I’ve already picked the flowers and arranged the bouquet for Pastor Jensen. I’ll fix a few sandwiches and take some fruit along, so we can have a light lunch somewhere along the way.”
“Thanks. Let’s leave by eight o’clock.”
Chapter Six
Laurel woke as excited about the day ahead of her as if she was going on a first date. Her leisurely bath added to her contentment, and she dressed in her newest outfit—a long, belted brown cotton skirt and a V-necked tan blouse. Considering the possibility of walking to where the house was located, she put on a sturdy pair of oxfords.
She and Debbie ate breakfast together, and Debbie asked, “Where are you going?”
“He said the house was near Maryville. I didn’t intend to go, but I changed my mind when I knew you’d be out all day and evening.”
Debbie drained the rest of her orange juice, kissed her mother’s cheek, and said, “It will be midnight before I get home.”
“I should think we’ll be home long before that.”
“Anyway, have a good time. And behave yourself,” she said, teasingly. “Next thing I know, Micah will steal you away from me.”
Laurel flushed, but she held Debbie’s gaze. “Would you mind if I did marry again someday?”
“Of course not. Daddy has been gone for years. You should have remarried ages ago, but I sensed that Grandmother opposed it.”
“I didn’t ask that question because of Micah.”
“Well, of course you didn’t,” Debbie said, and
her eyes glinted with mischief.
“I didn’t,” Laurel said defensively. “But I’ve never lived alone, and I don’t think I’ll like it. After you marry and move, I might want some companionship.”
“Now Mom, that’s not the right reason to get married! Get a dog if all you want is company.” Debbie put her arm around Laurel’s shoulder and leaned her head against her mother’s curly hair. “I want you to be happy. You’ve devoted yourself to making me happy. Now it’s your turn. I have to get to work. ’Bye.” Debbie turned away quickly, but Laurel saw that her eyes were misty when she left the kitchen. Was Debbie having second thoughts about moving so far away from Oaklawn?
Micah was punctual, as was Laurel, so they left Oaklawn at eight o’clock. As they drove away from the house, Laurel momentarily wondered what might be waiting for her when they returned. She drew a deep breath and forbade herself to be anxious about it. She intended to enjoy the day.
“Tell me what we’re going to see,” she said.
“A very unusual house located in the middle of the parking lot of a shopping center near Maryville.”
“I think I heard about it on the news. The developer tried to move the house when they built the shopping center, right?”
“That’s right. It’s a two-story brick house from the early nineteenth century. I have an appointment to interview the African-American woman who lives there.”
Although Laurel had seen the house on television, she was unprepared for the unique sight. When the owner refused to sell, the contractor built the shopping center around her half acre of land. A two-story brick house standing in the middle of a parking lot was an oddity!
Apparently undisturbed by the traffic and industry going on about her, Susanna Briggs sat on the back porch of the house waiting for them. Susanna was a small woman, about Laurel’s height. She had serene black eyes that seemed to bear a constant twinkle. Her hair was gray, her face wrinkled. Laurel guessed she was in her eighties.
After she greeted them, Susanna said, “Go ahead and look the place over and take your pictures, then if you have any questions I’ll answer them. I don’t climb the stairs more’n I have to. I’ll wait for you on the porch and look at my garden.”
Susanna’s small garden was behind the house, because at one time her home had stood directly upon the street, without a front yard. Built of unpainted red-colored bricks, the house had a front-to-back hall about seven feet wide with a large room on either side. A narrow flight of stairs led to the second floor also containing two large rooms. The kitchen and dining room were in a rear ell. The house had high, narrow proportions and an unbroken roof line without any portico. The roof was covered with slate shingles, and the exterior wood trim was painted yellow.
Laurel enjoyed watching Micah at work. He made notes on a palm-size computer. He was intent on his work, and she followed him silently. Accustomed to working alone, she thought that most of the time Micah forgot she was with him. Occasionally, he asked her to hold some of his equipment, but he obviously had a one-track mind when it came to his work.
It was almost noon when they finished the research and joined Susanna on the back porch. She motioned them to a rustic swing and passed a tray holding frosted glasses of lemonade.
“We brought our lunch with us,” Laurel said to Susanna. “Will you share it with us?”
“That would be a treat,” Susanna said. “You wouldn’t think it, with all the bustle and stir that goes on around me twenty-four hours a day, but I do get lonesome sometimes. It’s no fun to cook for one person, so mostly, I just eat snacks or soups.”
Micah went to his car for the picnic basket Laurel had prepared, and Susanna brought a folding table from the house. Laurel had packed tuna salad sandwiches in an ice pack, cheese cubes, cookies, grapes and bananas.
Susanna rocked back and forth slowly, obviously enjoying their company and the food. While they ate, Micah and Laurel sat in the swing, their shoulders touching, listening to Susanna.
“My people came to Tennessee with Mr. Kilroy. He owned lots of land in these parts before the Civil War,” Susanna said. “Maybe two-three thousand acres. He built this house when he first got married—some of his kids were born here. After he built a big house a few miles north along the river, he moved his family up there. My ancestor was Mr. Kilroy’s personal servant—they’d more or less been brought up together, so Mr. Kilroy let my great-grandpa move in this house. It was a cut above what the other servants lived in.”
“It was a wonderful house for that day and time,” Micah said. “It’s still in excellent repair.”
Susanna beamed proudly. “And I aim to keep it that way. My ancestor went all through the war with Mr. Kilroy, and afore he died, the master willed this house to him and his assigns forever. Our family has lived in it ever since—just passed down from one generation to the other. I’ve been offered a lot of money for the site, but I don’t aim to sell. I’ve got lots of grandkids, and one of them will want to live here when I’m gone.” She chuckled, and her dark eyes gleamed.
Laurel could empathize with Susanna. She was trying to save Debbie’s heritage for her, just as Susanna wanted to preserve the past for her descendants. Knowing that Susanna’s efforts were more difficult than her own, Laurel was encouraged in her determination to keep Oaklawn.
Still, looking into the future, Laurel could see herself sitting alone year after year just as Susanna was. Not that she’d be in the center of a shopping center, but it would still be lonely.
“Do the owners of the shopping center harass you for not selling to them?” she asked, wondering again if her unwanted messages were intended to drive her out of her home. There had been some interest in expanding the campus of Walden College. If that should happen, a developer might have his eye on her property.
“Oh, at first, they were kinda snippy to me, but they knew I had my legal rights. They’ve accepted my living here. They’d thought I’d be bad for their business, but that ain’t so. My house has become a tourist attraction. Hardly a day goes by, I don’t have someone wanting to look at the place. I bet I get more Christmas presents than anyone else in the county. Somebody’s always stopping by to give me something—even people I don’t know.”
She pointed to a restaurant several feet from her backyard. “I’m partial to their hamburgers, and the manager sends me over a hamburger and fries about every day.”
“It would be a shame if this important part of history had been destroyed,” Micah agreed.
“I don’t think that’ll ever happen,” Susanna said, and her eyes were determined. “Just in case some of my relatives get greedy and decide to sell the place, I’ve made an airtight will. If none of my family will live here, the house will be deeded to the city of Maryville. I feel like I’ve got an obligation to preserve my heritage.”
Laurel nodded understandingly. “I’m having the same problem—trying to keep a house for my daughter that she may never want to live in.”
After Micah had gotten written permission from Susanna to use the interview and the photographs they’d taken, they got back into the car.
Micah glanced at his watch. “We’re making such good time, why don’t we drive over to Gatlinburg for our evening meal?”
“It’s only two o’clock, and Debbie won’t be home until midnight. We should have plenty of time.”
“It’s been years since I’ve been in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I want to go before I finish this assignment. This seems like a good time.”
“It is for me,” Laurel agreed. “One last spree before the final preparations for the wedding.”
As they left the town of Maryville behind them, Micah said, “You’ve mentioned finding a job after Debbie gets married. What kind of work do you have in mind?”
“I hardly know. I intend to start by taking a computer class at the college. I know it’ll be difficult to get a job anyplace without computer skills. Debbie has a computer in her room, but I’ve never learned to use it. Since Dereck
has a computer, too, Debbie will leave hers for me. She wants to be able to contact me by e-mail.”
They approached Gatlinburg from the west, and Micah drove leisurely as they approached the mountains. The traffic increased as they entered the town, and Micah took the first parking space he could find.
“We’ll see more if we walk around,” he said. They walked along the crowded streets for an hour, window-shopping, and occasionally going inside a building to watch craftsmen at work. Micah remarked on the many wedding chapels they saw. They stopped at Christus Gardens where they enjoyed the interior gardens and saw the dramatically lit, life-size figures depicting the life of Christ. They got into the car and left Gatlinburg, stopping at a restaurant in Pigeon Forge for dinner.
As they started their return to Oaklawn, Laurel leaned her head back against the seat. She’d developed an interest in Micah, unlike any she’d known before. The few dates she’d had several years ago were mostly with men she’d known for years, and she’d accepted their invitations mostly to get out of the house.
Being with Micah was different. She was at ease with him. Although she’d loved Jason, he wasn’t an easy man to live with. She’d never felt free to divulge her innermost thoughts to her husband. She was tempted to tell Micah about the threatening phone call and letter, but she didn’t want to spoil the day by discussing her fears.
After Micah left Laurel at her door, he was too restless to settle for the night. Several times during his sojourn in South America, he’d contemplated following a less active lifestyle. Especially after he’d received an invitation to work at Walden College, he’d wondered if it was time for him to settle down. Even then, he hadn’t gone as far as to think of marriage. He’d mostly thought of living on his acreage in Kansas, although the idea wasn’t appealing. Several times lately he’d contemplated what marriage to Laurel would be like. Had he lived alone too long to include another person in his life? And it was apparent that Laurel wouldn’t leave Oaklawn. He’d always thought living in one area would be boring. Smiling, he knew if he became bored, all he’d have to do would be to spark Laurel’s temper, and things would get lively in a hurry.
