Around the Bend (Sandy Cove Series Book 4)

by Rosemary Hines

  “I wonder where he’d be today if Michelle hadn’t given him her letter,” Joan mused. “It’ll be interesting to see how far he goes with his new pursuit.”

  In spite of her parents’ understandable guardedness, a warm glow of gratitude swept over Sheila as she considered how God had used her daughter’s obedience to plant seeds in the heart of the man who was rapidly winning hers.

  After breakfast the next morning, Phil turned to Sheila and said, “We need to talk, honey.”

  The look on his face immediately triggered an alarm. It didn’t help when her mother reached over and placed her hand over Sheila’s. “What is it, Dad? What’s wrong?”

  “You know I’ve had a few health issues lately,” he began. “At first I thought it was just age. But…well…”

  “Well what?” she asked, trying not to sound scared.

  “It seems I’ve got cancer, honey. They found it in my pancreas.” He paused as if to let the words sink in.

  Sheila turned to her mother, who squeezed her hand and nodded. Looking back into her father’s eyes, she asked, “Can they treat it?”

  “I can have chemotherapy and radiation to slow it down, if I choose to go that route.”

  “What do you mean if you choose that? What other choices do you have?”

  He cleared his throat and leaned forward, adding his hand to theirs. “I’ve lived a full life, Sheila. God’s been very good to me. He’s given me your mother, you, and the grandkids and great grandkids. Not to mention a wonderful opportunity to serve Him in ministry. But this old body’s breaking down. I’ve got to consider how much I’m supposed to do to keep it going here, or if it’s time to let God finish the work He’s begun and take me home.”

  Sheila could not believe her ears. She’d just gotten over losing her husband, and now her father seemed to be getting her ready to lose him as well.

  “No decision’s been made yet,” her mother said. “But we thought you should know. The doctors hold out little hope of a cure. Just a temporary postponement of the inevitable.”

  Sheila shook her head. “Aren’t you two the ones who tried to teach me all my life that nothing is impossible with God? Surely He sees how much we all need you, Dad. And what about the residents at Tranquil Living? Who could ever take your place there?”

  Phil released their hands and sat back in his chair. He studied her face, and she felt him looking deep into her soul. “There’s nothing I’d like more than to be here for you and your mom and the kids. You know that, honey. And you know how important those folks at Tranquil Living are to me.”

  She nodded, fighting the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

  “There, there,” Joan said, pulling a tissue out of her pocket and handing it to Sheila. “We’re not burying your father, yet. Let’s just pray and see where God takes this thing.” She patted Sheila’s hand reassuringly.

  “You’re right,” Sheila replied, mustering all her inner resources. The last thing they need right now is to see me falling apart.

  “While we’re here this week, I’d like to get to know your fellow a little more,” Phil said with a wink. “Gotta make sure he’s fit for my princess.”

  Sheila took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Okay, Dad. We’ll work that out.”

  “No more long faces either,” Joan said. “We’re here to enjoy you and the kids. So let’s just file this situation away in prayer.” With that, she grasped Phil’s and Sheila’s hands, and turning to her husband, said, “Go ahead, Phil.”

  Sheila’s father squeezed both of their hands, and they bowed their heads while he prayed for God’s perfect will for his health and future as well as their family’s needs and those of his flock at Tranquil Living. As Sheila listened to his confident prayer, she felt her racing heart slow and a sense of peace come over her.

  “What should I tell Michelle?” she asked after their amens had been said.

  Her father patted her hand. “I’ll tell her, honey. Maybe I’ll treat her to lunch.”

  “We could stay with the kids,” her mother offered, and Sheila nodded in agreement.

  “Can you get her on the phone for me?” he asked her.

  “Sure, Dad.” Sheila walked over and retrieved the wireless handset from the phone, dialing in her daughter’s number. After a few rings, she heard Madison’s voice on the other end. “Hi, Maddie. It’s Grandma. Is your mom around?”

  “Yeah. Hold on. I’ll get her.”

  Sheila could hear her calling Michelle and then her daughter came on the line.

  “Hi, Mom!”

  “Hi, Mimi. Your grandpa wants to talk to you.” She handed the phone to Phil.

  “Good morning, pumpkin,” he said. “Hey, I was wondering if I could treat you to lunch today.” After a pause he said, “Your mom and grandma offered to stay with the kids.” He listened and nodded his head. “Okay, great! We’ll be over around noon. See you then.” He handed the phone back to Sheila.

  “See you in a while, sweetheart,” she said to her daughter before hanging up.

  Michelle sat across the booth from her grandfather trying to concentrate on the menu while her mind wandered to possible reasons for their lunch date. This must be important. I hope it’s not bad news about him or grandma.

  After the waitress took their orders, Grandpa Phil reached across the table and took both her hands in his. “Tell me how life is treating you these days,” he said, looking her in the eye with his usual warmth and interest.

  “Pretty good, I guess.” She hesitated and then added, “I’m still a little concerned about Amber, though.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s still really hurting, Grandpa. And I think she’s transferring some of her love and sense of purpose from her relationship with Chad to Caleb instead.”

  He nodded thoughtfully.

  “I mean, I understand how important Caleb is to her. But I’m concerned that she’s placing too much of her hope for the future into building a relationship with him.”

  “How does Caleb seem to be responding?”

  “He runs hot and cold. Sometimes he seems really excited, like when she calls or he gets a letter from her. But other than that, he rarely mentions her.”

  “I’ll pray for that situation, sweetheart. Hopefully Amber will move forward with her life. Eventually she may find someone else to pour her energy into. But in the meantime, she’d benefit from directing it into building her faith and seeking God for her future.”

  “Yeah. I agree.”

  After a brief lull, Michelle asked, “So how are things with you and Grandma? How’s your ministry at the Alzheimer’s home?”

  The mention of his ministry brought a smile to her grandfather’s face. “Things are going well at the Tranquil Living facility. God’s given me such a heart for those dear people. Every week, I witness Him pouring out His love on them in a multitude of ways. And, in spite of their illness, so many of them have maintained a spiritual connection.”

  “Really?”

  “You know, I’ve seen women, who can’t even remember their children’s names, recite scriptures or sing dozens of hymns. God is still very real to them. One gentleman rarely speaks, but always greets me with ‘Jesus loves you’ when I arrive there.”

  “Wow. God is really holding them close, isn’t He?”

  “He sure is, pumpkin. Just like He does for us.”

  “So how about you, Grandpa? How’ve you been lately?”

  “Well, to be honest with you, honey, that’s why I wanted to have some time alone with you.”

  Michelle’s heart sank as she saw his eyes cloud over. “What is it, Gramps?” She leaned forward and squeezed his hand.

  “I may be getting ready to go home to Jesus, Mimi.”

  “What do you mean? Why?”

  “I’ve got cancer, honey. It’s in my pancreas.”

  Michelle felt sick and her heart ached. She tried to fight back the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. “Can’t they do someth
ing to treat it?”

  “I can have chemotherapy and radiation if I want. But the odds are not in my favor. And to be honest, I’m not sure I’ve got that much fight left in me.”

  “But we all need you, Grandpa,” she argued. “You’re our rock.”

  He smiled. “I think you give me too much credit, Michelle. Any rock I’ve been for you or for anyone else in this family has been God pouring His love and strength through this very meager man.”

  She studied his face and saw genuine humility. And then she saw deep spiritual faith battling physical fatigue. His life on earth was definitely winding down. But the glow of grace remained upon him, and she knew he was drawing every once of strength from the hope of heaven. Scooting out of her side of the booth, she came around to his and slid in beside him, pulling him into her arms.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Rick sat across from Phil Walker, feeling as nervous as if he were on a job interview. Sheila had arranged their meeting, saying her father wanted to talk to him alone.

  “So tell me more about yourself,” Phil said, while he stirred some cream in his coffee.

  “Well, I’ve worked at the university for almost twenty years. Before that, I did some traveling and writing.”

  Phil nodded. “I remember Michelle telling me about your anthropology class.”

  Rick cringed inwardly. He flashed back to his lectures and how he’d carefully crafted the curriculum to insert his critical views of religion, especially Christianity. He’d felt it was his mission to set these students straight on the antiquated myths some of them still believed. What a fool he’d been in his pompous arrogance!

  Most students had suffered his humiliations in silence. A few were openly adversarial toward him, challenging his premises and even his right to denigrate their beliefs. But Michelle had been different. Using her own tragic testimony of the situation with her father and how that had impacted her spiritually, she’d taken the time to craft a letter to him explaining the importance of her beliefs and actually inviting him to church.

  Sure he’d basically ignored the letter at the time. But it never completely left him. He’d stumble across it from time to time and reread her message. Over time, it somehow made the journey from her heart into his. And that was when he’d decided to do some exploring of his own — to find out more about her God. The same God he’d always felt had let him down, especially when his mother died.

  Now here he was, studying the Bible and dating Michelle’s mother, who just happened to be a pastor’s daughter. What an amazing twist of fate.

  Turning his attention back to Phil, he replied, “I’d erase that era if I could. At the time, I was on a mission to dispel the foolishness of faith, or so I thought. Now, looking back, I see that I was the fool.”

  “That’s a tough admission.”

  Rick nodded in agreement.

  “Tell me about your life growing up.”

  “It was a little rough. My mother had me out of wedlock, and she raised me by herself. She worked as a waitress at a diner during the day while I was at school.”

  “Sounds like she’s someone very special.”

  “She was,” Rick replied. “She died when I was nineteen. Cancer.”

  “I’m sorry. That must have been tough.”

  “Yeah. Well, I made it.”

  “Did your mom believe in God?” Phil asked.

  “She did. She’d take me to Sunday school and the whole bit when I was growing up. But when God failed to answer our prayers for her healing, I figured I was on my own.”

  “Understandable. But I’m glad you’ve reconsidered that stand and are taking the time to explore scripture.”

  “Your granddaughter had a big role in that,” Rick said.

  Phil smiled in response. “She’s pretty special.”

  “Yeah. Her letter…do you know about the letter she gave me?”

  “I do.”

  “Well, that letter was so heartfelt and tender, it finally got through to this hardheaded professor.”

  Phil chuckled. “Good for her. I know she was pretty nervous giving it to you.”

  “I’m sure she was. I was an intimidating guy back then.”

  There was a lull in their conversation as the waitress delivered their food. Then Phil said, “Shall we pray?”

  Rick looked at him and nodded.

  “Dear Lord,” Sheila’s father began, “we’re so thankful for this time to get to know each other a little better. We ask that You’d bless this meal to nourish our bodies and bless our conversation as well. May we be ever aware of Your presence in our lives, and seek You wholeheartedly with every decision we make. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  “Amen,” Rick echoed.

  As they began eating, Phil asked, “So how long have you and Sheila been seeing each other?”

  “Just a few weeks.”

  “She seems pretty smitten with you.”

  Rick felt his heart pick up speed. “Really?”

  “You hadn’t noticed?”

  “Well, actually, I was hoping she felt the same way I do,” he admitted. “I look forward to our times together and really enjoy her company.”

  “I’d imagine at your age, you must have dated a number of women. Have you ever been married?”

  “I’ve had a few relationships, but no marriage. It just never seemed to work out.”

  “I see,” Phil said, eyeing him seriously. “It may seem outdated or old fashioned to you, but I still see Sheila as my daughter, and I need to know she’s being treated with respect by anyone who might be pursuing her.”

  “I completely understand. Your daughter is very special to me. I would never treat her any other way.”

  “Her first husband had some serious issues. It made Sheila’s life a challenge and pulled her away from her faith. I don’t want to see that happen again,” Phil said. “You seem like a nice fellow, Rick. And I know you are making an effort to study the Bible. But scripture is not like anthropology. It’s not intended for intellectual knowledge. Rather, it’s a personal message from God to Man.” He paused and looked into Rick’s eyes. It seemed as if he could see into Rick’s very soul. Then he added, “I have no doubt you’ll find much to mentally chew on as you read the Bible. But if it ends there, you’ve missed the point.”

  Rick nodded. Sheila’s father had a clear level of wisdom that commanded respect. “Tell me more. I want to fully understand what you are saying.”

  And so Phil set about explaining the gospel to this highly educated scholar. By the time he was finished, Rick was on the edge of his seat.

  “And so, you see, son, the Bible doesn’t just give you God’s message of truth. It demands a response. Either you accept the free gift of grace offered at the foot of the cross, or you reject it.”

  “To be honest, I’m not quite sure how to do that, Phil.”

  “It’s a simple prayer. You just need to admit that you aren’t perfect, and that you need God’s mercy and forgiveness for the many times you’ve lived life your own way rather than following His. And you’ve got to trust and believe that Jesus really is God incarnate—that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. If you pray that simple prayer, you can start a new life as one of God’s children. Doesn’t mean you’ll never mess up again. In fact, I can guarantee that you will. But it does mean that He’ll be there to forgive you every time and to redirect your steps, growing and refining you until you are ready to meet Him face to face.”

  Something was tugging on Rick’s heart and mind to believe. He studied Phil’s face. What he saw was compassion and love. There was no impatience, no judging or condemning. Just a solid faith wrapped in a warm glow of acceptance and peace. I need that, he thought.

  His mind transported him back to his mother’s deathbed. “Trust God, Ricky. You’ve got to believe.”

  A moment later, he looked up into Phil’s eyes. “I’m going to need help with this,” he said. “Will you pray with me?”

  Phil re
ached over and placed his hand on Rick’s. Warmth surged from his arthritic fingers. “It would be an honor, son.”

  As they bowed their heads, and Phil led him in a simple prayer of surrender, Rick felt the presence of his mother watching over him and rejoicing.

  “Now you are ready to study scripture, young man,” Phil said with a twinkle in his eye. “I think you’ll find treasures there you may have missed before.”

  Rick soaked in his words. Rivers of encouragement flowed into his parched heart. “I really appreciate this. I mean everything.”

  Phil smiled. “Glad we had the opportunity to talk it out.” He paused and then added, “And with regard to my daughter, you treat her well, or you’ll have me and God to answer to.” His expression was still friendly but held a clear warning.

  “I will,” Rick promised.

  Phil leaned forward, wincing a little. “I’m not sure when we’ll get another chance to chat like this, so I’d like to know what you foresee in your relationship with Sheila. Is this a casual thing in your mind? Because I have a feeling she’s growing pretty attached to you, and I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  Rick took a deep breath. Okay. Here goes. “To be honest, I’d like to see it grow into something permanent. I’ve been alone a long time. Your daughter’s grabbed my heart in places it’s never been grabbed before.”

  “So you’re thinking marriage? Because Sheila’s not one to shack up with someone.”

  Rick tried not to smile at the terminology. “Of course. I’d never ask her to move in with me.”

  Phil looked pleased. “That’s good, son. I’m glad we’re on the same page. You two take your time, though. Really get to know each other before you dive into marriage. It’s a lifelong commitment. At least that’s what I’d expect from you. And you also need time to sink your roots into your faith before you jump into the role of husband.”

  Rick nodded. “I agree.”

  “Good. Well, let’s eat, then,” Phil said as they glanced at their full plates.