Listen to Your Heart

by Irene Brand

  His walk across the college campus reminded Micah of his days as a student. He’d lectured at many colleges since then, but Walden College was more like the one he’d attended as a young man.

  The century-old stone buildings were set in a campus of large maple and oak trees. Squirrels scampered across his path and mockingbirds chattered sassily from the shrubbery. Apparently there was no air-conditioning in the buildings, because the windows were open. Summer classes were in session, and he heard the murmur of voices as he passed several buildings on his way to the administrative offices.

  Micah’s appointment was with the president, Silas Decker. Decker was younger than Micah, but had been associated with the college for ten years.

  “Mr. Davidson,” he said, “we’re flattered that you’re considering joining our staff.”

  “As I told you when we discussed this by phone, I’m not sure I’m ready to become a full-fledged professor. But since I was coming to Tennessee on this assignment, it seemed like a good opportunity to talk with you about it. Even if I do accept an appointment here, I’m sure I’d prefer a part-time job at first. I enjoy doing lecture series, but I may not be ready for a full-time professorship.”

  “We have no objections if you want to ease into the work gradually.”

  “I’d like to look around the campus and sit in on some classes to get a feel for the student body and the teaching staff. I’m staying in the area through the summer. If you’ll prepare a prospectus for both a part-time job and a full-time one, then it will give me something to consider.”

  “If you’ll leave your address, I’ll take care of that this week and mail it to you.”

  “I live nearby, and I’ll pick up the prospectus. Can I let you know my decision by the first of September?”

  “Yes. If you accept, we’ll schedule you for classes in the winter quarter, starting in January.”

  Two weeks passed without any phone calls or messages by mail, and Laurel stopped jumping every time the phone rang. Micah continued to go with them to church on Sunday morning, and afterward the three of them went to lunch together. Laurel was pleased when Micah arranged for some counseling sessions with Reverend Jensen. She wasn’t sure in what direction their relationship was heading, but she knew that Micah’s enlightenment of the Scriptures would be a deciding force in her acceptance of him as a future mate.

  Then another letter came, and again it contained a hand-printed Scripture verse.

  “A time to be born, and a time to die.”

  The caption on this message showed a woman holding a child, and it upset her more than the others. Was this man a threat to Debbie? Laurel couldn’t put the thought out of her mind, and she started staying up until Debbie came home. Two nights after she received the letter, the phone rang about midnight.

  Concerned about Debbie, Laurel snatched the phone from the table without thinking about her harasser. She screamed when a man started singing, “She’ll be comin’ around the mountain when she comes.”

  “Leave me alone!” she shouted. “I’m calling the police.” Her hands shook wildly as she slammed down the receiver.

  The phone rang again almost immediately, and she snatched it up. “Stop calling me!”

  “Mom?” Debbie said. “It’s me. Who did you think was calling?”

  Sick with relief to hear Debbie’s voice, Laurel said, “I’d just had a prank call, and I thought he was phoning again. Where are you?”

  “I had a wreck.”

  “What!”

  “Somebody forced me off the highway, and I’m stranded in a ditch. I’m all right, but I’m waiting for a tow truck.”

  “Where?”

  “About five miles west of our driveway.”

  “I’ll come right away.”

  “That isn’t necessary—” Debbie started, and Laurel interrupted.

  “I’ll be there.”

  Laurel was shaking so much, she didn’t think she could drive safely, but she had to see for herself that Debbie was all right. She looked out the window, and Micah’s light was still on. She called him.

  “Oh, Micah. Debbie’s had a wreck, and I don’t think I’m fit to be driving. Will you take me?”

  “As soon as I put my shoes on. Is she hurt?”

  “She called and said she isn’t. She’s only five miles down the highway.”

  “Meet me at my car.”

  Laurel grabbed her purse, locked the door after her, and reached the car only seconds before Micah came running toward her. After he opened the car door for Laurel and fastened her seat belt because her hands were shaking too much to accomplish the task, Micah hurried into the driver’s seat and sped out of the driveway. Ten minutes after Debbie had called, they arrived at the scene of the accident.

  An ambulance, fire truck and a squad car were all there before them, and the tow truck pulled in behind Micah’s car. Laurel ran to Debbie, who was being checked by an EMT.

  “Now, Mom, I’m all right,” Debbie assured her, but Laurel snatched her into a close embrace for a minute. Then she stood back and waited until the EMT had finished.

  Micah went immediately to check Debbie’s car, and he soon reported, “There doesn’t seem to be much damage except to your right bumper and headlight. You have insurance, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Debbie said. “The papers are in the glove compartment.”

  “Do you feel like talking to the police now, Debbie?” Micah asked. “They have a lot of questions.”

  When Debbie assured him she was all right, he said to Laurel, “Why don’t you come with me. We can get the registration and insurance information out of the car and you can tell the tow-truck driver where you want the car taken for repair. Although you’ll probably need more than one estimate.”

  Micah didn’t like the haunted look in Laurel’s eyes, and he wanted to give her something to do. Within an hour, the car had been pulled from the ditch and was on its way to a garage in Knoxville. The police had finished their investigation, although Debbie couldn’t give them much information about who had forced her off the road, except that it was a car rather than a truck or van. Her vital signs were satisfactory, so it wasn’t necessary for her to go to the hospital. They didn’t return to Oaklawn until two o’clock in the morning.

  “I’m beginning to feel some sore places now,” Debbie admitted as she stepped carefully from the car. Micah held her arm and walked her upstairs to her bedroom.

  “A hot bath will make you feel better,” Laurel said. “I’ll run the water for you.”

  After he’d delivered Debbie to her room, Micah said, “I’ll brew some decaf tea and bring you a cup, Debbie.”

  “Thanks,” Debbie said and kissed him on the cheek. “I don’t know what we’d have done if you hadn’t taken charge. I’m still shaking.”

  “A night’s rest will help you,” Laurel said. “Micah, save some tea for me. I’ll be down as soon as Debbie’s in bed.”

  A half hour later, Laurel entered the kitchen where Micah waited for her. He poured tea into a mug, and she said, “Let’s sit on the back porch. I don’t want Debbie to hear what I say.”

  She sat in her favorite lounge chair and Micah pulled a chair close to her, so she could talk quietly. She sipped slowly on the tea, and he listened without interrupting as she told him of the phone calls and notes she’d received over the past month. “The first call was the day you came to Oaklawn, and the last one was a few minutes before Debbie had her wreck.” Her voice shook as she added, “I think someone tried to kill her.”

  “Since the first call was on the day I came, did you suspect me?” he asked, amusement in his voice.

  “At first, I wondered if it could be you, but after I heard you singing, I knew it wasn’t you,” she said with a small smile.

  In the dim light from the hallway, she saw him lift quizzical eyebrows. “You haven’t heard me sing.”

  “You were humming that day when we walked back from the river, and you have a deep bass voice. This guy
is a tenor. Although the voice seems disguised, I don’t suspect you.”

  “Why haven’t you contacted the police?”

  “I don’t want Debbie to know about it, or she might feel obligated to stay at home instead of going ahead with her marriage plans. Besides, until now I’ve hoped the messages might be from some kid who was having fun at my expense. I thought they might eventually stop without having to make a public issue of it.”

  Micah stood up, took Laurel’s hand and pulled her upward into a snug embrace. “You don’t have to bear this burden by yourself. I’m here to help you, and we’ll find out what’s going on.”

  She snuggled close to him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. She’d been on her own for twenty years, and it was comforting to hear Micah say that he would help her. She would have liked to prolong the embrace forever, and she wondered if she was falling in love with Micah.

  With a weary sigh, she pulled away and caressed his face. “I’ll welcome any help you can give me. Mostly, though, it just helps to have someone to confide in. I’ve been terribly worried. I hope I can keep Debbie from knowing. I don’t want to ruin her last summer at home.”

  Micah took the hand she held against his face and kissed it. “Go to bed, Laurel. I’ll be a little more vigilant about what’s going on at your house. If you won’t call the police, at least promise to tell me anything else that happens.”

  “I promise. I’m relieved to have someone else know what’s going on.”

  The next few days passed without any troubling messages, and Laurel and Debbie continued with plans for the wedding. Laurel also shopped for draperies for the parlor and entrance hall, but with the high ceilings in her house, draperies had to be custom-made and the prices were high.

  One morning when they were shopping in a gift shop for wedding favors, Debbie drew Laurel’s attention to a display of “Over the Hill” birthday decorations. “Over the Hill” in this case meant people who were celebrating their fiftieth birthdays.

  Laurel picked up a card featuring an exhausted man placing a flag on the mountain he’d just climbed. The inside illustration showed an avalanche striking the man and hurtling him down the hill. The caption said, “You made it to the top. It’s faster and easier going downhill.”

  While they laughed at the display of cards, Laurel said, “I just remembered something. When Micah first came, he mentioned that he’d be fifty at the end of June. Let’s surprise him with an ‘Over the Hill’ party.”

  “Sounds like fun, Mom. He’s been good to us, and I figure we owe him a party. But can you take on anything else this summer?”

  “I might be able to, if my daughter helps. Besides, everything is finished for the wedding, except for last-minute things.”

  “I can make sandwiches and get some snack foods. But who would we invite?”

  “Since the idea is only two minutes old, I hadn’t thought about that. He doesn’t know anyone in the community except our church family, so I suppose we could invite the whole congregation. Micah seems to feel at ease with them.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  “Yes. He’s been helpful, doing things around the house for me. Last week when he had a free afternoon, he insisted on mowing the lawn. I’ll feel guilty taking his rent payment for next month.”

  “Let’s not buy any decorations until we make a few more plans,” Debbie said.

  Laurel agreed, and Debbie said, “I can pick them up anytime when I’m going to work.”

  As they were driving home, Debbie asked, “What day of the week is Micah’s birthday?”

  Laurel checked the pocket-size yearly calendar in her purse. “Sunday.”

  “Oh, that’s perfect. We can have a cookout right after church.”

  “That would be a lot of food for us to prepare. I’m not sure we can afford it,” Laurel said.

  “We’ll provide the beverages, burgers, hot dogs, rolls and condiments, and ask our guests to bring a vegetable, salad or a dessert. I’m sure Mrs. Jensen would make a small birthday cake as her contribution. We’ll tell everyone not to bring gifts, so they won’t mind helping with the food.”

  “I’ll mention the surprise party at our women’s circle meeting next Thursday afternoon. Most of our families will have a representative there, and I’ll ask the ones who attend to spread the word.”

  Micah didn’t seem to suspect a thing when he joined Laurel on Oaklawn’s portico the night before his party. The day had been extremely hot, but a western breeze made the evening pleasant and cool. A full moon rose in a cloudless sky, and the fragrance of roses perfumed the twilight air.

  “Debbie and I want to grill hamburgers for lunch tomorrow,” Laurel said. “Why don’t you join us? You’ve been treating us to Sunday lunch, now it’s our turn.”

  “I’d like that. I’m leaving on Monday for a few days in New York City. I’m working with a publisher who’s putting out a book on my two-month hiking trip in Tibet and Nepal. We have to come to an agreement about which pictures to use.”

  “How much more do you have to do on your magazine assignment?”

  “I’ve pretty much finished in this section of Tennessee. But I have several houses to visit in the western part of the state. I should be through by the last week in August.”

  After Micah’s comforting presence all summer, Laurel dreaded his departure. “Then if I have a request for the apartment, you won’t be needing it after August.”

  Reluctant to break his ties with Oaklawn, Micah squirmed in his chair and said, “I wouldn’t want you to lose a tenant, but I would like to reserve at least through September.”

  He wasn’t even comfortable about leaving Laurel to go to New York, so how could he leave her permanently? If he accepted the job at the college, he could stay at Oaklawn, but he knew he couldn’t make such a momentous decision just because he wanted to stay with Laurel.

  Relieved that she wouldn’t be losing Debbie and Micah at the same time, Laurel said lightly, “Oh, that’s no problem. If someone wants the apartment, I can always put the person in one of our spare bedrooms until the apartment is available. I’ve done that before.”

  She’d been busier than usual preparing for Micah’s party, but sitting on the portico for an hour rested Laurel. She was still tired but happy when she told Micah good-night and climbed the steps to her bedroom.

  When the phone rang at midnight, she was startled from a sound sleep. Cold fear gripped her when she sat up and saw what time it was. She considered not answering, but she hadn’t heard Debbie come in, so she couldn’t take any chances.

  Besides, she couldn’t fight fear by running from it, so she leaned on her left elbow and lifted the receiver. She didn’t say anything, nor did her caller. After a few seconds, a fiendish laugh sounded in her ears. The caller severed the connection before Laurel could.

  She turned on the light and walked down the hall to see if Debbie was home. She was, and Laurel returned to her room and disconnected the phone. Sleep was over for the night, and she sat in a chair and rocked slowly, trying to make some sense out of the situation. If she didn’t believe that God was faithful in His promises to sustain His followers, she didn’t know what she would do.

  She reached for her Bible and turned to the Ninety-First Psalm. The rest of the night, she meditated on the words of the psalmist and his confidence that those who served God were never beyond His encompassing care.

  Several times she read aloud the last verses of the Psalm. “‘I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.’”

  After Laurel assured Micah that they didn’t need any help preparing for the cookout the next day, he went to his apartment to change into shorts and a polo shirt. Two counseling sessions with Pastor Jensen had gone a long way toward convincing Micah that he had been wrong in believing that accepting God as the Creator of the universe
was all God expected of His followers. The pastor’s message this morning had confirmed his need to accept Jesus as his Savior and Lord of his life.

  As he reviewed the pastor’s text from the eighth chapter of Romans, Micah realized that it was only a step from where he was now spiritually to becoming the kind of person God wanted him to be.

  He opened the Bible and turned to a passage Pastor Jensen had read during the service. “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

  Micah knelt by his bed. “Jesus, I confess You as my Savior and Lord. Send the Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart and make me the kind of follower You can use.”

  Suddenly he realized that it was his fiftieth birthday, and he smiled. How fitting that in the future when he celebrated the day of his natural birth, he could also remember his spiritual birthday.

  Since he’d lived a solitary life for many years, Micah supposed it was appropriate that when he made the most important decision of his life he would be alone. He would soon share his decision with the pastor and Laurel, but when his mind turned to her, he was troubled.

  She had been preoccupied during the worship service. Her hands had shaken when she held the hymn book, and her body was tense. When the congregation had prayed the Lord’s Prayer, he detected a tremor in her voice. He’d had a few minutes alone with her before Debbie came to the car, and she’d told him in a hushed whisper that she’d had another call.

  That news had set off alarm bells in Micah’s mind. He knew she didn’t want anything to upset Debbie’s wedding, but how much longer could he stand aside while someone threatened Laurel’s life?

  The guests were coming at one o’clock, and Laurel hurried to change into light blue pants and shirt before she carried the black plates, napkins and cups to the picnic table and covered them with a tablecloth to hide them. She had started the gas grill and was carrying out a container of ice when Micah sauntered into the garden.