Gradually, new strength began to course through her body and spirit. It was as if God were speaking to her saying, “It’s your turn to be the strong one now.” And she felt a sense of deep peace that God was in control, and would carry them through whatever lay ahead.
That night at the dinner table, she reached out and took her husband’s hand in hers. “Honey, I want you to know that no matter what happens, I’ll be okay. You seek God for what He has in mind for you, and don’t make any decisions based on worrying about me. Alright?”
He studied her face and nodded. “Alright.”
She thought she saw some relief in his teary eyes. “I mean it. I’m with you one hundred percent no matter what you decide to do.”
“I sure don’t know what I ever did to deserve a wife like you,” he said, his voice shaking.
“Don’t you go soft on me now,” she warned, feeling her own tears starting to pool.
“Yes, Ma’am.” He sat a little taller and gave her a warm smile.
“Do you think we should call Sheila and tell her what the doctor said?” Joan asked.
“No, I think we need to go up there. We’ll just tell her we want to see her new place all unpacked and settled.”
“Good idea,” she replied, hoping her smile conveyed the strength she was gleaning from God. “Do you want to wait until you decide about the treatment?”
“Not necessarily. I think we should go as soon as we can.”
She nodded. “Okay, I’ll call up there tomorrow.” She watched as he did his best to eat. Bless his heart, she prayed.
“It’s such a nice evening,” he said between meager bites. “We should take a walk after we’re finished.”
“I’d like that,” she replied. There was something refreshingly normal about that idea after a very abnormal day.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
As soon as Steve got home from work that evening, Michelle cornered him in the kitchen. “You will not believe what is going on with my mom,” she said.
He leaned over and kissed her. “Hi to you, too,” he teased.
She laughed. “Okay. How was your day, honey?” she asked dutifully.
“I know you don’t care about that so just tell me about your mom.” His playful expression told her he wasn’t really irritated at all.
“She’s ‘dating’ my anthropology professor,” she said, using her fingers to punctuate quotes around the word dating.
“Rick Chambers?”
“One and the same.”
“I knew they had lunch together after church. But dating? How do you know?”
“She flat out told me today. Apparently they went out again last night, and she left her cell phone in his car, so he brought it by while I was helping her unpack boxes today.”
Steve nodded, picking up the mail and beginning to thumb through it.
“They’re seeing each other again on Friday,” she added, turning up the volume of her voice slightly to make sure he still heard her. “She told me she feels like a teenager again.”
Steve looked away from the mail and into her eyes. “Wow, honey. That’s pretty amazing.”
“I know. I still can’t believe it.”
“So what do you think?”
“I don’t know. I never pictured her dating again. It’s hard to imagine my mother going out on dates with someone, especially someone like Rick Chambers,” she said.
“Yeah. Hope she’s not wearing her heart on her sleeve.”
“Me, too,” she agreed, a frown furrowing her brows. “Do you think I should have a talk with her? I mean, try to discourage this before it goes too far?”
Steve looked at her intently. “I know you’re concerned, honey. And I get that. But your mom’s got a good head on her shoulders. She’s been through a lot, with your dad and everything. Maybe this is good for her.”
She nodded, trying to soak in what he was saying and battle the voice of worry that so often invaded her mind.
“There’s nothing wrong with expressing your concerns. But ultimately, your mom needs to live her own life. And she does seem pretty happy about this whole thing with Rick, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I think we should just commit it to prayer and see where God takes it. And, hey, it’s pretty telling that he actually showed up at church and is open to studying the Bible now. That’s a radical departure from how he was when you were in his class. Maybe God’s got a hold of him.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” she agreed.
He pulled her into his arms. “And it’s all because of you.”
“Me?”
“Yep. You wrote him that letter and got him thinking. Otherwise he would never have visited our church or met your mother.”
“Yeah. I just hope I don’t live to regret it.”
He leaned over and kissed her again, first affectionately and then more passionately. Her body responded immediately, and she hoped the kids wouldn’t walk in as she dissolved in his embrace.
Sure enough, a minute later, Madison barreled into the kitchen to get a snack. “Oh, gross,” she said.
Michelle pulled back, and she and Steve laughed. Then, just to tease their daughter, Steve nailed her with one more big smooch.
“You two are disgusting!” their daughter exclaimed, grabbing a couple of cookies and disappearing.
Michelle leaned back against the counter and straightened her somewhat twisted blouse. “Guess the moment’s over,” she said with a smile.
“We’ll pick up where we left off later,” he replied. “And let’s not worry about your mother, honey. If she gets a second chance at love, who are we to begrudge her that?” He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl and carried it into the family room, as he headed to his usual pre-dinner news show.
Michelle retrieved the mail he’d left on the counter to finish sorting through it. A blue envelope caught her eye, and she pulled it out of the stack. It was a decorative stationery envelope with a cloudy sky design. She glanced at the address and saw Caleb’s name. In the top left corner was Amber’s name and address. She breathed a quick prayer before taking it into the family room to show Steve.
The television was on but he was nowhere to be seen. “Honey?” she called out.
He appeared at the top of the stairs. “Did you call me?”
“Yeah. I want to show you something.”
“Okay. I’ll be down in a minute. Just wanted to get out of my work clothes.”
She sat in her rocking chair and fingered the envelope, tempted to open it but feeling like she should wait and give it to Caleb first. When Steve came down a few minutes later, she handed it to him.
“From Amber, huh? Caleb will be happy to see this,” he said.
She sighed. “Yeah. I hope this was a good idea.”
“It’ll be fine, babe. He’ll probably be excited for an hour and forget about it by tomorrow.”
Michelle thought about their son. Steve was probably right. Caleb had settled right back into his usual routine after Amber had returned to Arizona. There was no reason to believe he’d overreact to her letter.
She went to track him down and found him playing with some superhero figures in his room. “Hey, buddy,” she said.
“Watch out, Mom!” he called out as one of the heroes zoomed through the air. “We need to save the puppies!”
“What puppies?” she asked.
“The puppies that fell into the river,” he replied, swooping the figure down to the corner of the room where three plastic dogs were sitting on a heaped up blue t-shirt. He pinched the arms of the superhero around one dog at a time, lifting each out of the river and carrying it to the safety of the bed.
Michelle smiled as she watched his imagination successfully rescue the drowning pups. After the emergency was over, she sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside her. “Come sit with me. I want to show you something.”
Caleb scooted himself onto the bed and looked at the envelope in her hand. “Is that for me?”<
br />
“Yep. It’s from Amber.”
“Really?” His face lit up with a smile.
“Really,” she replied, reaching over and giving him a side hug. “Shall we read it?”
“Yes!”
Michelle handed him the envelope, and he tore it open. “Take it easy, bud. You might tear the letter too.”
He handed it back to her, and she slipped out the matching blue stationery. Pressing it open on her lap, she began to read aloud.
Dear Caleb,
How is your summer going? I have been busy working and taking a class at college. I miss all of you and think about you every day. I put your picture up on my refrigerator so I can see it whenever I go in the kitchen.
I’ll never forget all the fun we had at the park and playing ball. I told my brother and my mom what a good arm you have! You’ll be a famous pitcher someday. Just wait and see.
It makes me happy to think about you and your family. You are a very lucky boy to have such great parents and such a wonderful sister. I wish I lived closer and could see you more often. But I know you are in a very good home, and I know I will see you again sometime soon.
Be good. Please write back. And tell your Mom and Dad and Maddie that I said hi.
I love you, Caleb.
~ Amber
She handed the letter to her son. “This is yours to keep, honey.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He took the letter and carefully tucked it back inside the torn envelope. “Can you help me write back to her?”
“Of course,” she replied with a smile. “Let’s get out your paper. You can tell me what to write, and I will write it first. Then you can copy it in your own printing.”
He slipped off the bed and walked over to his desk, pulling out a pad of paper with school-ruled lines for first graders.
“Grab a pencil, too,” Michelle said.
He took a pencil out of his pencil pouch and brought both items over to the bed. Handing them to her, he climbed back up by her side. “Tell her about my t-ball game, okay? And about Logan sleeping over tomorrow night and about the picture I drew of Noah’s ark in Sunday School. Oh and tell her I’m getting a turtle.”
“What? Who said you are getting a turtle?” she asked with a grin.
“Dad did. He promised if I cleaned out the closet I could get a turtle.”
Michelle walked over and slid open the closet door. One side looked very neat and tidy. The other had piles of toys and clothes stashed in the corner of the floor. “This side looks great, Caleb. But what’s this?” she asked as she pointed to the pile on the other side.
“Oh yeah. I still have to do that part.” He shrugged and added, “I’ll do it tomorrow, so we can still tell her about the turtle. Okay?”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Scout’s honor.” He crossed his heart with his finger.
“Okay. We’ll tell her about the turtle, too.”
They sat together and Michelle wrote as he dictated. She read it back to him, and he nodded approval or modified her words according to what he wanted to say. After she was finished, he took the pad over to his desk and went to work copying what she had written. “Stay here, Mom,” he instructed. “In case I need help.”
While he worked on his letter, she put away some clean clothes sitting on the foot of his bed. Noticing how dusty his bookshelves were getting, she made a mental note to do a thorough cleaning of the room the next day.
Peeking over his shoulder, she saw that he was almost finished. Most of the words looked fairly legible, so she figured Amber would be able to decipher it.
“Can I draw a picture for her, too?” he asked.
“I think that would be a wonderful idea, honey.”
He pulled open the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out some crayons and drawing paper. Then he set to work.
“What are you drawing?” she asked.
“A picture of Amber and me at the park.”
“Wow. That looks really good! She will love it.”
Caleb held up the picture and grinned. “Okay, Mom. I’m finished. Can you mail it for me?”
“Sure. I’ll go get an envelope and write her address on it. Then you can go with me to put it out for the mailman.”
“Cool!”
Michelle stood up. “Go get washed up for dinner and then come on downstairs.”
“Okay,” he replied, and then added, “Thanks, Mom.”
“For what?”
“For helping me.” He rushed over to her and gave her a big hug.
“I love you, kiddo.” Michelle’s voice caught in her throat.
“I love you, too.” He turned before walking out the door and added, “Mom, when I grow up, I’m going to marry you.”
She smiled to herself as he walked away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Joan hesitated before reaching for the phone. She closed her eyes and asked God to give her strength and a calm voice when she talked to their daughter. Since Phil did not want Sheila to know about his diagnosis until they could tell her face to face, she knew she needed to sound her usual self in spite of her emotional state.
Clearing her throat, she sat on the kitchen stool beside the phone and dialed Sheila’s number. After only a couple of rings, she heard her daughter’s voice on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Hi dear, it’s me.”
“Mom! What a pleasant surprise. How’s everything with you and Dad?”
“Just fine. How about you? Are you getting settled into your new place?” Keep the focus on her and everything will be okay.
“I am. It’s beginning to feel like home. I miss Seal Beach, of course, but it’s so nice to be close to Michelle and her family. They have me over for dinner several times a week, and we see each other at church on Sundays. Overall, I think this will be a good move for me.”
“You sound really happy, honey. I’m glad to hear that,” Joan replied.
“How’s Dad feeling these days?”
Joan took a deep breath. She hated lying to her daughter but wanted to honor Phil’s wishes as well. “He’s still feeling a little punk. Don’t worry about him. I’m taking good care of your father,” she added, steeling her voice against the emotions that threatened to overtake her.
Sheila must have been convinced because she didn’t prod any further. “I sure wish you lived closer, Mom. I’d love to have you come over and see the house.”
“Actually, we are thinking of coming up to do just that,” she replied.
“Do you think Dad’s up to traveling?”
“He’s the one who suggested it,” Joan said. “Do you have your guest room ready?”
“As a matter of fact, I was just making the bed in there when you called,” she replied.
“Perfect! Because we’ve got tickets to fly up on Saturday.”
“Wow, that’s great! I’ll tell Michelle. She’ll be happy to have you guys back in town, again so soon. How long are you planning to stay?”
“We’re not sure yet. Probably only a week. Your father has some appointments to attend to, and you know how he is about being away from his ministry at the Alzheimer’s facility.”
“A week’s better than nothing,” Sheila said. Her voice sounded so good. Really the happiest Joan had heard her in a long time. Sandy Cove life must agree with their daughter.
“Anything else knew with you,” she asked.
“Actually yes. Something good, and very unexpected, is happening in my life right now.”
“Really? Do tell.”
“I’m seeing someone, a man who attends Michelle’s church.”
“Does Michelle know him?”
“Actually, Mom, it’s a former professor of hers from Pacific Northwest University. His name is Rick Chambers.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?” Joan asked.
“I think she mentioned him to Dad when she was in his class. He was giving the Christian students a run for their money,” she explained. “But
he’s changed, Mom. He’s really trying to learn about the Bible and seek God now.”
“Now I remember Michelle talking to your father about him.” Joan thought about how Sheila had fallen for an unbeliever with her first husband and how that had impacted her life and the lives of her children. I hope she’s not getting too involved with this man. What will Phil say?
“You know, Michelle was actually instrumental in impacting Rick’s life,” Sheila said.
“What?”
“I said Michelle impacted Rick’s life. She actually invited him to church while she was in his class.”
“Didn’t she write him a letter or something?” Joan asked.
“That’s right. She shared how she’d come to her own faith through John’s suicide attempt. Rick didn’t respond at the time, but it turns out he kept the letter. We ran into him at the Coffee Stop, and Michelle introduced me to him. We talked a little, and he asked her if her invitation to church was still standing.”
“So he came after that?” Joan asked.
“Yes. We saw him the following Sunday.”
“I see.”
“And he took me out to lunch afterward. He really liked Ben’s teaching and plans to continue attending.”
“Hmmm…” Joan wondered if it was the teaching or her daughter that was motivating this man’s interest in attending church. “Be careful, honey. People don’t usually change that quickly.”
“I will, Mom. But, from what I’ve seen so far, he seems like a sincere guy, and someone who throws himself fully into whatever he’s pursuing.”
“As long as he’s pursuing God first and foremost, and not you. You lived a lot of years without God, and I’d hate to see another relationship pulling you away from Him now.”
“I know. Me, too,” Sheila replied. “I’ll be careful. Promise.”
“Okay. I’m sure your father will want to meet this man while we are up there,” Joan added.
“He’ll be at church. You can meet him there. Maybe we can even have a meal together, too, while you are in town,” she suggested. “And, Mom, don’t make a big deal of this with Dad. Rick and I are just friends right now. It’s nothing serious.”
Around the Bend (Sandy Cove Series Book 4) Page 17
