by Debby Giusti
Julia put her hand on William’s shoulder. “Follow Abraham.”
William glanced again through the large picture window. “They’re coming inside, Mom.”
“Go, William. Now.”
Abraham grabbed William’s arm and hurried him along a side hallway. Julia kept up with them, then looked back as the door into the hotel opened.
Just as the two men entered the lobby, Abraham and William turned into a side passageway. Julia ran after them. Abraham pushed on the door at the end of the corridor.
He looked back. His face tightened. “Hurry, Julia.”
She glanced over her shoulder and saw Pablo. He called to his friend and pointed to Julia. She followed Abraham and William out the door that slammed closed behind them.
“Down this alley.” Abraham grabbed her hand and William’s and hurried them along.
“Now left at the corner.”
The street loomed ahead. They slowed to a fast walk so as not to draw attention and hurried around the corner.
“Cross the street, then turn right and left at the next corner.”
Abraham glanced back. “Keep moving. Pablo and his friend are still in the alley.”
Julia saw the fatigue that pulled at William’s shoulders. She could tell from his eyes that he was frightened and tired.
“We need someplace to hole up,” she said.
“What about there?” William pointed to a brick church on the next block.
“You think we should hide in the church?” Julia asked.
“In the basement, Mom. Some lady gave me a card in the bus station.” He pulled it from his pocket. “The church has a night shelter for people who don’t have a place to stay.”
Abraham read over William’s shoulder. “Fellowship Church Shelter opens at two. We need to hurry.”
A small sign pointed to the rear of the church but when they rounded to the back of the property, Julia almost cried. A throng of people waited in line for the doors to open.
“Is it closed today?” she asked a woman standing in line.
“Opens at two. We’ve got a few minutes to wait.”
“How many people do they take?”
“Thirty-five most days.”
Julia started to count the people in the long line that snaked along the back of the church.
Abraham peered around the building in the direction from which they had just come. He moved closer to Julia. “Pablo and his friend are at the corner, heading this way.”
If only the doors to the shelter would open and they could get inside. But as she counted off the number of people already in line, Julia’s heart sank, realizing thirty-five people were ahead of them. They would be turned away and back on the street where Pablo would find them. She wrapped her arm around William’s shoulder and grabbed Abraham’s hand. They had to get inside.
The door to the shelter opened.
The woman admitting those in line was middle aged with a kind smile and understanding eyes. She welcomed many of the homeless as old friends and invited them in, and at the same time she gave them a number. Abraham stepped away for a minute and checked the street. His face was pulled tight when he returned to her side.
“You saw Pablo?” Julia asked.
“He is standing on the sidewalk just before the church, staring at the traffic.”
“If he sees the sign for the shelter, he’ll come around to the rear of the property and find us.”
“You and William run if that happens. I’ll try to slow him down.”
“What if we’re separated? Where can we meet up again?”
“Back at the corner where Randy said he would pick us up. Can you find it?”
“We’ll try to get there.”
The line moved slowly toward the back door.
“Welcome.” The woman warmly greeted each person.
Julia stared at the side of the church, afraid she would see Pablo coming toward them.
Her heart stopped.
She could see his baseball cap over the fencing.
The woman counted to thirty-two. Three men stood between Julia, Abraham and William. The men would take the last spaces.
Tears burned Julia’s eyes. “Please,” she murmured.
She grabbed Abraham’s hand and nodded toward the sidewalk where Pablo stood, looking back at the street.
The woman at the door of the shelter held up her hand. “Sorry, Norman, you and your friends can’t stay here after the fight you started last week. I told you what would happen.”
The three guys groused, but the woman held her ground. “Check with me next week and I’ll see what I can do.”
The men turned away and headed out along the sidewalk. Pablo started walking toward the rear of the church.
“Welcome,” the woman said to Julia and Abraham with a wide smile as she handed them the last three numbers. “My name is Muriel. Make yourselves at home. Dinner will be served at five.”
Julia hurried William inside.
“Restrooms,” Abraham suggested, following close behind them. “William, come with me. We’ll wait in the stalls in case Pablo comes into the shelter.”
Julia hated to leave her son, but he was with Abraham. She had to trust they would remain safe. She hurried toward the ladies’ room and glanced back as Pablo approached the door to the shelter, demanding entry.
“Sir, you’re not allowed to be here.” Muriel barred his entrance. “This is an overnight shelter for people who don’t have a place to stay. We don’t accept anyone who cuts in line or tries to force themselves inside.”
Pablo grumbled, but he walked away.
Julia let out a sigh of relief. They had found shelter in the church, at least for the moment.
Abraham and William stepped out from the restroom. Abraham stared at her, his gaze cutting into her heart. He had tried to live a peaceful life after his daughter and wife had been killed. He had offered Julia and her children shelter out of the goodness of his heart. He didn’t deserve anything bad to befall him.
Keep him safe, Lord, Julia prayed. Keep us all safe.
* * *
Abraham motioned them to a sofa in the corner of the large central common area where Julia and William could relax. The boy’s eyes drooped soon after they sat down. He placed his head on Julia’s shoulder and within a few minutes he had drifted to sleep. Julia rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. Every so often, she blinked her eyes open and peered at the various people gathered in the basement area.
A number of the men were middle-aged with graying hair. They shuffled as they walked and chatted amicably with some of the others gathered. The homeless women stayed in a corner, talking softly among themselves. A number of volunteers worked in the kitchen, preparing the meal they would soon serve. Showers were available and the homeless signed up for a time slot.
The woman who had greeted them at the door came by and smiled at the sight of William sleeping on Julia’s shoulder.
“We’re glad you’re here,” Muriel said to Abraham.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You and your family are most welcome.”
Family?
He started to correct her but stopped himself. He wanted to tell her his family had been murdered by a man who sought revenge for being incarcerated.
For too long, Abraham had felt that same desire for revenge against the man who had planted the explosive in Abraham’s car. He should have been the one to die and not his precious daughter and beautiful wife. The memory of all that had happened cut through him again and opened the wound he tried to keep bandaged. Today he felt raw. Maybe because he had not been able to help Julia and William.
What was wrong with him? He had wanted to find the boy and take him back to Yoder, but they were holed up in a homeless shelter with two punk
gang members looking for them on the street. Abraham had lost his edge. He had gone soft and was an ineffective protector.
Turning to gaze at Julia and William, his heart warmed. The boy had been obstinate and had made a huge mistake in calling his friend and running away, but he was basically a good kid. The hurt and anger he carried seemed aimed at his father. If only Will could realize how much his mother loved him and how much she had sacrificed to keep him safe. Maybe then he would understand the danger he was in and see the Philadores for who they truly were.
As she slept, the worry lines on Julia’s face softened and she appeared more peaceful than Abraham had seen her thus far. Her eyes fluttered open and his chest constricted. He did not expect to react to the emotion that soared through him for one brief moment.
She pulled herself upright, smoothed her sweater and then tugged her hand through her hair. She glanced at William, still asleep, his head still on her shoulder.
“I must have dozed off.”
“Rest longer, Julia. We seemed to have found a good place to wait until the taxi is fixed.”
“You’ll call Randy?”
“If I can find a phone. Randy said the mechanic would work until eleven. We will know then if we have to spend the night here or whether we can meet up with Randy.”
Julia glanced at the kitchen. “Something smells good.”
“You must be hungry.”
“A little.” She brushed the hair out of William’s eyes and smiled at her sleeping son. “I’m sure he’ll enjoy dinner, too.”
Abraham went to the far side of the basement and peered out the window. Traffic was still bad. Hopefully Pablo and his friend had moved on. They would not give up, of that he could be certain. He had to get Julia and William out of the city and back to Yoder and the safety of the Amish community.
The woman who had welcomed them was wiping down the tables for dinner. Abraham approached her. “Ma’am, is there a pay phone at the shelter?”
She stopped working and smiled. “You’re new here.”
“It is our first time.”
“How long have you been on the street?”
“Just today. We are traveling and ran into some difficulty.”
“I know a construction company that hires day laborers if you’re willing to work.”
“I appreciate the offer, ma’am, but we plan to leave as soon as our ride can get here, today or tonight.”
“We have beds if you need a place to sleep.” She pointed to doors that led out of the common area to the right and the left. “Women on one side, men on the other. Your son will need to stay with you. We provide bedding and showers as well as breakfast in the morning.”
“You provide a much-needed ministry.”
“Just doing the Lord’s work.” She tilted her head. “Are you a believer?”
“I am.”
She nodded. “I could tell. Glad you’re here. Stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you, ma’am. What about the pay phone?”
“A door on each side of this common area leads to a hallway outside the men’s and women’s dorm rooms. You’ll find the phones there.”
“Thank you.” Abraham pushed through the swinging door, relieved to see the phones.
Randy’s voice was tense when he answered. “I’m with the mechanic. He’s working as fast as he can, but I still don’t know when he’ll finish. Can I reach you on this phone?”
“You can try calling. I might hear it ring, but I cannot say for sure.”
“Then you call me, Abraham.”
“I appreciate all you have done, Randy.”
“You’ve been a friend for a lot of years, right?”
“Yah, since we were boys.”
“I liked your datt. He was a good man. A bit pigheaded at times, but still a good man. The least I can do is help his son.”
Julia’s eyes blinked open when Abraham settled into the chair next to her.
“You don’t look happy,” she said. “Evidently Randy didn’t provide good news.”
“The mechanic continues to work on the problem. I will call again later.”
“I’m not sure staying here is a good idea.”
“We could try the hotel,” he suggested.
She held up her hand. “Just kidding. The shelter works for me. I wonder if the hotel clerk told Pablo that his friends had been waiting for him.”
“Maybe. The clerk made it clear he did not like us hanging around. At least here we are welcome.”
“And fed.”
“I can see the street from the window at the front of the church. Traffic is still bad.”
“Did you see Pablo?”
“I did not.”
“Would I be too optimistic to think he might have left town?”
“Yes.” Abraham smiled. “Much too optimistic. My guess is that he will remain in this area at least until tomorrow.”
She nodded. “When the children and I were trying to get away from Charlie, I considered staying at a shelter for a night or two. Somehow I was always able to scrape up enough money for a hotel. Not necessarily the nicest of hotels, but we were together in a room, and I could watch over both children. Most of the shelters, like this one, divide the men and women into two areas so William would have been taken away from me. I couldn’t bear for that to happen.”
“He will have to sleep in the men’s dorm tonight, Julia, but I will be there with him.”
“I know and I appreciate all you’ve done for us, Abraham.”
“I am not sure if I have helped or hurt your chances of getting free of the Philadores.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you are being hunted still.”
“But this time we’re not alone. You are with us, Abraham, to guide us.”
“You have needed no guidance except at which corner to turn.”
She laughed. William stirred. He blinked his eyes open and glanced at both of them before he drifted back to sleep.
“When I checked my purse earlier, I found a note Mrs. Fielding had given me when we were in Philadelphia.”
“The lady who lived in your apartment building?” he asked.
“That’s right. She watched the children for me when I worked at a neighborhood diner.”
Julia opened her purse and pulled out a piece of folded notepaper. “It’s a short prayer Mrs. Fielding said whenever she was worried or in trouble. Jesus, I trust in You.”
“Sounds like she was a woman of faith.”
“Indeed. She’d been through hard times. Her husband died some years back. They’d lost a son to a drug overdose, but she kept her faith and her trust in the Lord. She taught me a lot about believing in God’s abundant mercy.”
“When Marianne and Becca died, I railed at God and blamed Him for their deaths. I did not want to live and could not understand why I had been the one to live.”
“Jonathan said a paroled criminal was trying to get back at you for arresting him.”
“He thought I would be driving the car instead of my wife. Her car needed an oil change. I took it to the mechanic that morning so she would not have to deal with the problem.”
The memory of kissing Marianne goodbye before he had left the house flooded over him. Becca had run from her room and grabbed his legs. He had lifted her into his arms and kissed her cheek. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled. The last words he had heard from her sweet mouth were “Daddy, I love you.”
Julia reached out her hand and took his. “Losing those we love, especially an innocent child, is the hardest thing anyone has to do. God watched His son suffer and die on the cross, Abraham. He understands your pain.”
“That is what Jonathan tried to make me realize. He was there when I needed him.”
“Which is why you took u
s into your home. I’m very grateful, and I’m also sorry that you had to leave your peaceful farm to help me find my son.”
Abraham offered a weak smile. “William is a good boy. He has been hurt and feels abandoned by his father. That is a hard place for a boy to be.”
“I know you were a good father, Abraham. I can tell by the way you interact with Kayla and William.”
“Kayla never met a stranger, as the saying goes.”
Julia nodded. “Which is not always good. Plus, she’s wise beyond her years. I’m glad we left Philadelphia. It wasn’t a good environment. I tried to keep the children at home as much as possible, but that’s not the best, either. I kept blaming Charlie for everything that had happened, yet I was the one who married him. That mistake was totally mine.”
“You have two wonderful children, so good came from your marriage.”
“That’s true. I’m blessed beyond words, thanks to them.”
William stirred again and blinked open his eyes. “Did you say something?” he asked.
“Only that I’m glad you’re my son.”
The boy smiled. “I...I’m sorry about running away.”
“Right now we need to give thanks for finding you and for keeping you safe.” She glanced at Abraham. “We have someone to thank for that.”
William hung his head and then glanced up. His gaze was sincere when he spoke. “Thank you both for coming after me. I wasn’t thinking about anyone but myself, like you said back in the barn, Abraham. I was wrong.”
“Yah, we have all made mistakes. This one will end well. You have a lifetime ahead of you, William, and much for which to be thankful. You are a good young man. You will grow into a strong man who makes good decisions.”
“Do you really think so?” The boy seemed hungry for affirmation.
“I know it is so.”
A bell rang. The woman who had welcomed them stepped to the middle of the room. “The meal will be served soon. Let us give thanks, then if you want to wash up before eating, the restrooms are on either side of the living area.”
She waited for everyone to settle and then bowed her head. “Dear God, we thank You for all those who are here today. We ask Your blessing on each of them, on the volunteers and on the generous people who provided the food for this meal. Touch each person with Your love and with Your mercy. Allow us to place our trust in You, Lord. Amen.”