“That would be a brilliant idea if we didn’t have work in the morning.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “But we do. And we have two kids we have to figure out what to do with.”
“Yeah.” Bekah stood. “You’re right. I better get to bed.”
Being so close to Ezekiel and not being able to express her feelings was killing her. Ezekiel was a different kind of person. She understood that his touches and gentle kisses on the cheek were just his way. Every person she came across in the town seemed to be that way. They were a close-knit community, and no one gave a second thought to giving another person a hug or a peck on the cheek. Being from the big city, Bekah wasn’t used to all the warmth. But that one passionate kiss they'd shared, that was much more than a friendly gesture. It was deep, all-consuming, and she wanted it to be the start of something between them. Hopefully, he wanted that too.
“Goodnight, Bekah.” Ezekiel stood with her and pulled her into a hug. “Things will be okay. You’ll see.”
Bekah smiled, leaned up, and kissed him on the cheek. She was counting on him to be right. Following him into the house, she was thrilled with the idea of having a family. She didn't care if they had to all live in a garage apartment. All four of them. It made no difference to her that Jack and Ruby were not biologically hers. She loved them, and she loved Ezekiel.
Chapter 24 — Ezekiel
Three days had passed, and Jack and Ruby were still living with Ezekiel and his family. Each night after they got the kids to bed, Ezekiel and Bekah had taken a ride over to the Wilford home to see if their father had returned. And each night they came back without a single idea as to his whereabouts. Bekah had called all the hospitals in the area, and they’d done an internet search of the county jails to see if he’d been processed into the system. Nothing had come up. He had literally fallen off the face of the earth.
“We’re going to have to call the police.” Pastor Gaines stepped out onto the porch where Ezekiel sat drinking a glass of tea. “There’s no way around it.”
“I know.”
His father sat down next to him. “I don’t want to do it, but we can’t very well keep them here without telling someone.”
“Would you two like some pie?” Bekah peeked out onto the porch.
Ezekiel’s heart seemed to fall a little deeper into his stomach each time he saw Bekah. He was in love with her. That he couldn’t deny. He’d planned to tell her that before their lives were turned upside down with Jack and Ruby, and now he couldn’t find the words to do it.
“Come on out here for a minute, Bekah.” His father waved her out.
“Don’t say it. Please, don’t,” Bekah pleaded, knowing what was coming next.
“Have a seat.” His father scooted to the end of the bench to allow her a seat in the middle.
Bekah plopped down between them and covered her face.
Ezekiel placed his arm around her and pulled her into his chest. “I know you don’t want us to call the authorities. I don’t want to do it either, but we can’t keep them here until their father shows up. He’s obviously not fit to care for them.”
“And the sooner we get them into something more permanent, the sooner they will be able to adjust,” his father agreed. “It’s not fair to them to keep them here to get used to us only to be pulled away again.”
“Why can’t they just stay here? You said it yourself. Jack is doing good in school. Ruby is thriving. How can you just let them go?”
“Bekah―”
“I know. I get it. This is not my home. I have no right to say what you guys should do in this situation, and it’s not even fair of me to ask. But I don’t want to see them go into the system.”
“It’s not that.” Pastor Gaines turned to Bekah. “Don’t think we don’t want to keep them here. They’re sweet kids. They’ve brightened up our lives. Why, Doris hasn’t been so busy in years, and it makes her happy to care for the young ones. I’ve grown attached to them too. But my concern is the legal aspect of it. You can’t just go and take kids into your home without alerting the authorities.”
“Why?”
Ezekiel took Bekah’s hand. Although she was a grown adult, she was acting like a stubborn child. She knew very well why she couldn’t pull two kids into a home and take care of them. And he loved her for that. She had a fight in her that she would allow no one to take away from her.
“Fine.” Bekah slumped. “I get it. I just don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it either.” Ezekiel squeezed her hand. “But we’re not qualified to take children into our home. There are classes you have to take and a certification process to be qualified to foster children.”
“The only qualification a person needs is love.” Bekah turned to his father. “Aren’t we called to take in the orphans and widows?”
His father’s eyes gleamed with appreciation. “I’m happy you have been listening on Sundays. And yes, we are called to care for the widows and orphans. We are called to love everyone. But we must also obey the law.”
“The law sucks!” Bekah stood.
“We’ll keep them until the weekend. If their father has not shown up by then, I will have no choice but to call the authorities. I’m sorry, Bekah.”
“Can you play for us now?” Jack and Ruby showed up at the front door. “Please?”
“Of course I can!” Bekah went inside, leaving Ezekiel alone with his dad.
“You really like her, don’t you?” his father asked.
“Yeah. I do.”
Bekah strummed the guitar inside the house, and the kids squealed with delight.
“Are you going to tell her?”
“I don’t know, Dad. Everything is happening so fast. And with the kids here, I just don’t think it’s the right time to discuss my feelings with her.”
Inside, Bekah and the kids belted out a corny song.
“You don’t think she feels the same?”
“How did you know, Dad? I mean, how did you know that Mom was the right one for you?”
“I guess you never really know for sure until you do.”
“That makes no sense.”
His father slapped his back heartily, making him cough. “Well, I dated a girl or two before your mother. Each time, I liked them well enough. I might have even thought I loved one or two, but it’s a feeling you get when you find the right girl. You know it right from the start.”
Ezekiel thought back to the girls he’d dated. He had never felt as strongly about any of them as he felt for Bekah. “But what if it’s just because she’s so different? I mean, she’s nothing like anyone I’ve dated before. She’s spunky and stubborn. She has a spider tattoo on her back, for goodness sakes.”
His father’s eyes rounded. “Shocking!” His eyes twinkled with sudden mischief. Then he searched his son’s face, carefully, and leaned in. “I’m going to tell you something, son. Everyone has a past. And a tattoo is not indicative of an immoral person. Look at Garrett. He has that mermaid plastered right on his forearm. That doesn’t make him a bad person.”
“Of course not.” Ezekiel remembered when Garrett had tried to coax him into going with him to get it. He’d laughed so hard when the guy told him what he’d wanted to do. He’d gotten it to remember Jaden. He’d even had her name written underneath. No one had looked down on him for doing it. It had been a coping mechanism that gave Garrett more peace about losing her. “But Garrett’s not ...”
“Not what? A lost girl who came into town to find herself?”
“Well, a girl he is not. Finding himself, yeah. I guess so.”
“Son, I firmly believe that God brought Bekah here for a reason. Whatever that reason is, I don’t know. But she has brightened up our lives. I’d like to see her stay.”
“Yeah. Me too.” Ezekiel stood.
Inside Bekah sang the one Frankie Valli song she knew. Ezekiel grinned.
“She sure is something.” His father stood with him. “Don’t let her get away.”
Ezekiel went inside. Jack was sitting across from Bekah, Ruby right next to her. His mother and Bekah were singing in unison – My Eyes Adored You. His mother looked so happy. He wasn’t the only one falling in love with Bekah.
Chapter 25 ― Bekah
Bekah stood before the entire school once again with a new excitement welling in her chest. The auditions were complete, and she was ready to announce who would be a part of the cast of Peter Pan. With Pastor Gaines signing a release form for Jack and Ruby, each of them had tried out for parts. Bekah was not playing favorites when she chose them as a part of the cast. Jack was a real ham and had won his role all on his own. And Ruby, well she was just too cute to not get the small mermaid part. Many of the younger kids were given extras in the play. They had no lines, but they were adorable, and Bekah couldn’t resist.
“I have an important announcement for you all!” Bekah called, watching the excitement that filled the auditorium. “The cast has been chosen. All of you have so much talent, and I would have liked to have chosen every single one of you, but if I had, we’d have to build a bigger stage.”
Many of the older kids chuckled.
“If your name was not called for a part in the play, please don’t get discouraged. We will be doing many more, and each of you will have the chance to play a behind the scenes role in this one.” Bekah hated to disappoint anyone, but it was good for them to understand that being on stage was not the only important role in any play. “I will start with the backstage hands and work my way up to the main cast. If I call your name, you are to report directly to one of these fine people behind me.” Behind her were the teachers who had volunteered to help with play props, costumes, and other behind the scenes stuff.
“The first area will be props.” Bekah called off the names of fifteen boys and girls from the junior high grades to help with the building as well as another ten from the elementary to assist in painting.
“Next will be costumes.” Mostly girls had requested to help out in that capacity, and Mrs. Gaines had worked with them for hours, teaching them to sew, and choosing the best of the bunch to continue working with. Mrs. Gaines had advised her that even the ones who were not very skilled in the area would be useful in collecting sizes for the costumes, separating material, and whatever else she had for them to do, so Bekah had chosen every girl who signed up to help out.
“We have five individuals who signed up to work in the sound booth.” She announced their names. “Each of you will report to Mr. Coleman for training on how to work the sound system.”
She went on to announce the other backstage areas which included the making of snacks to sell, and running the popcorn machine and drinks, to the printing of flyers and selling tickets. By the time she was done, two-thirds of the school was standing behind her excitedly.
“Lastly, we have the cast.” She looked out at the students left. All of them would be chosen for a part. She had made sure that every single child in the school had some part in the play whether it was on stage or behind the scenes.
She began calling out the cast members.
“Peter Pan will be played by Dominic White!”
Dominic, a sixth-grader, stood and threw his arms into the air. “Yes!”
Many of the other boys let out groans. Peter Pan was one of the biggest parts, and Dominic had earned it.
Bekah read off some more of the cast. With each child that came forward, the kids in the stands waited anxiously.
“The part of Captain Hook will be played by Jack Wilford!” she called.
Jack jumped up excitedly, almost tripping over the stands in front of him. “Argh!” he called as he jumped down to the bottom floor.
Bekah laughed. The boy had not only earned the part but had found a way into her heart.
She continued announcing the rest of the cast until every mermaid, lost boy and pirate were chosen. She chose an understudy for each of the main characters just in case she would need them.
Once everyone got their assignments, Bekah had them all get together with their assigned teachers, and she got together with the cast for a brief meeting, at which time she handed out their scripts and addressed them. “Now for you understudies, learning your part is just as important as the cast members. If for any reason you have to fill in, I want you to be ready to go.”
“You mean I have to learn this whole thing, and I don’t even get to go on stage?” Collin asked. She was finally learning each of their names.
“Well, Collin. If Jack takes suddenly sick, the entire play will be ruined without a Captain Hook, right?”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“So that means it’s just as important for you to learn each line just as Jack would. In fact, if all goes well and we are able to pull off two nights, I may switch the cast around a bit to let each of you perform.”
“What if we suck and no one comes?” Jack asked, making several others giggle.
“We won’t ‘suck’ as you put it, Mr. Wilford. We are going to work at it until we have it perfected.” She winked at him. “This play is going to be a hit as long as everyone does their part.”
Jack grinned. “Aye, Matey!” He turned to the boy next to him. “Mr. Smee, I’ll bet my bloody hook this is going to be a smashing good time!”
Bekah swallowed her smile. She had most assuredly chosen the right boy for the part.
LATER THAT EVENING, as Bekah watched Ezekiel get Jack ready for bed, she couldn’t help but notice that each time he’d taken such care with the boy, making sure he felt comfortable and at home. Bekah was in charge of getting Ruby bathed and changed as Ezekiel was not comfortable doing it being that he was not her father. Bekah didn’t mind. She enjoyed it, and she understood completely. She just wished it wouldn’t have to end. There were only two more days until the weekend, and Mr. Gaines would call child welfare services. She didn’t like that either, but she understood it. She just hoped they wouldn’t have to leave the town or be separated.
Bekah tucked Ruby into her bed and continued reading her the Disney version of Peter Pan.
“Maybe someday I could be Tinkerbell.” Ruby yawned. “When I get bigger.”
“You will one day make the perfect Tinkerbell, sweetie.”
“Miss Bekah?”
“Yes, Ruby.”
“I know why Daddy left.”
Bekah closed the book and looked at her. “And why is that?”
“Because me and Jack were bad. The day before he left, we got into a fight because Jack wanted to watch Sponge Bob and I wanted to watch Fancy Nancy. Daddy got mad and yelled at us. He sent us both to our rooms for bed and the next morning he was gone.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sure that’s not why he left. I’m sure your daddy loves you very much. You don’t worry for one second more about it. Whatever made him leave had nothing to do with you.”
“But if we weren’t bad —”
“No one expects you and Jack to always get along, Ruby. If you didn’t get into it once in a while, I’d wonder what was wrong.”
“I don’t remember her anymore.”
Bekah started to ask who before she realized what Ruby was saying. “Oh, honey.” She hugged Ruby, searching for the right words of comfort. “Tell me about her. What was your favorite part about her?”
“Mommy used to always do my hair in french braids. And she teached me how to make brownies. Those are my favorite. And she always let me lick the spoon.”
“That sounds wonderful. What else?”
“She hung up all of my pictures on the frigerator, and when I was sick, she slept in my room with me.”
“It sounds like you have a very wonderful mom, Ruby. Tell me, did she look like you? Did she have pretty brown eyes and long, pretty brown curls?” Bekah touched Ruby’s ruffled hair.
“Uh-huh. She did. Daddy used to say I was her twin.” Her face fell. “That was until she had to get that yucky medicine that made her hair come out. But she was still the prettiest mommy ever.”
�
�I bet she was!” Bekah hugged the girl, trying to stave off the tears. “If you ever forget what she looks like, all you have to do is look in the mirror. And as you get older, I bet you will look more and more like her. You don’t ever have to forget what she looks like and how special she was to you.”
“Did your mommy make you feel special too?"
Bekah thought long and hard before answering. Finally, something came to her. "When I was about your age, my mom took me to the fair. I got to go on all the rides twice, eat cotton candy until I was sick to my stomach, and play all those corny games that no one ever wins." At the mention of that one instance, a whole slew of memories came tumbling down around her ― The walks to the park to feed the birds, her mother tucking her into bed at night telling her how special she was, the trips to the beach, making sandcastles until the waves came up and washed them away, tickling her until she peed her pants with laughter ... how could she forget and when had it changed? "I look a lot like my mom too. People always tell me I have her eyes and dimples." A longing came over her to make things right with her mother.
"Your mommy must be very pretty, then." Ruby smiled. "I bet she was the best mom in the world."
Bekah tucked Ruby in and kissed her cheek. "She was a good mom. She did her best. You get some sleep, sweetie."
"I love you, Miss Bekah."
"I love you too, Ruby." Bekah kissed her again and stood before Ruby could see the tears that welled in her eyes.
When she turned, Ezekiel was standing at the doorway. "You okay?"
Bekah nodded. "I will be."
Bekah went out to the porch and sat on the swing.
Ezekiel sat next to her. "I know this is hard. I'm struggling too. I don't want them to leave any more than you do."
"Ruby thinks it's her and Jack's fault that their father left." Her voice quivered as she spoke. "She said ..." Bekah took in a long breath, but nothing would stave off the tears. No longer able to speak, Bekah laid her head on Ezekiel's shoulder and cried.
Ezekiel held her as she sobbed. "Shhh. It's okay. Everything will be okay."
The Act of Falling Page 12
