When it dawned on him that he hadn’t given a moment’s thought to gift buying for his family and friends, he went into panic mode.
With the help of his mother, he made a list of what the other members of his family might like. He also included his close friends who had been so supportive the past couple of months. And then there was Ellie. He wanted to get her something very special, something that expressed how much he cared for her.
For the past week, Caleb had been praying about his relationship with the auburn haired girl who had not only captured his attention, but had commandeered his affection the past semester. Up to now he’d had to suppress his true feelings for her. But now, it seemed as if the Lord was giving him the green light to pursue a more serious relationship with her. And he wanted his Christmas gift to reflect his true feelings.
Caleb crisscrossed Baxter in search of the last minute gifts. He spent a fair amount of time at the Southridge mall, and even drove down Highway 84 to Cairo in order to find what he was looking for in the specialty shops there.
Since he didn’t have a lot of money this year, he wanted to make sure the gifts were meaningful for each recipient. By Wednesday afternoon, he’d completed the purchases, and with a sigh of relief, tossed the list into the kitchen trash can.
He was especially excited about the necklace he’d bought for Ellie, and eagerly began planning how he would surprise her with it.
On Thursday evening, his family attended the annual Christmas Eve service, which had always been Caleb’s favorite gathering of the year. It was a church tradition for entire families to sit together during this special meeting, and since many relatives and in-laws were in town for the holidays, some families occupied as many as two entire rows.
Caleb’s parents had invited Miss Cora and Ellie to join their family tonight. Since Miss Cora didn’t drive after dark, Caleb took his father’s car to the house on Pine Street to pick them up instead. He pulled to the curb in front of the Victorian and got out of the car to go see if his passengers were ready. The always punctual Miss Cora and her boarder met him as he started up the front walk.
“Right on time, young man,” the widow announced with a pleased smile.
Caleb held open the door and bowed deeply. “Sawyer Limousine Company at your service, ladies. ‘On time every time’. That’s our motto.” Ellie rolled her eyes at him but couldn’t help laughing.
As he approached the church property, Caleb noticed that the lot was nearly full, so he dropped off his passengers at the main entrance before finding a parking space several hundred feet away.
He walked up to the green lit building and stopped to admire the life sized nativity out front. It was the same one he’d been captivated by as a child. And this year was no different.
Once inside the church, he surveyed the foyer and auditorium. The walls were lined with wreaths and lights, the former exuding the heavenly scent of fresh pine. Golden candelabras with flickering filaments were mounted to the ends of the pews. The organist was softly playing Christmas music as people entered and stood in the aisles, greeting and conversing with one another, many of whom they hadn’t seen since the previous Christmas Eve service.
Caleb located his family and sat down next to Ellie. She was wearing the same shimmering silver-gray dress and matching low-heeled shoes that she wore the first Sunday she’d visited. She’d said it was the only dress she owned, but even if she owned a hundred dresses, he couldn’t imagine her looking any more beautiful than she did in this one tonight.
Following the service, which included the singing of Christmas carols, a brief message from Pastor Murphy, and communion, many of the families moved to the fellowship hall where refreshments were served. It was a time to catch up with family and friends who were in town for the holiday.
Miss Cora, however, appeared tired, and asked if Caleb might drive her home a bit early.
When they arrived at the old Victorian, the elderly lady excused herself and said she was going to bed. Ellie went upstairs to put on a sweater, and then joined Caleb on the porch.
Caleb had been waiting for this moment since the day he’d purchased Ellie’s present. As the two sat looking at the twinkling lights adorning the houses up and down the street, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little red box with a gold ribbon and bow on it. He held it nonchalantly in his lap. After a while, Ellie looked down and noticed the object in his hand.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“What’s what?” He followed her gaze to the box in his hand. “Oh, this?” He held it up for her to see. “Oh . . . nothing. Just a little gift for a very special person, that’s all.”
It took a moment for Ellie to realize what he was saying. “You mean it’s for me?”
“Well, it must be. I don’t see any other special people around here, do you?” He handed her the box. “Merry Christmas, Ellie.”
“Caleb! I wasn’t expecting anything.” She accepted the gift. “You really shouldn’t have.”
“Well, all right, then. I guess I can always return it.” He made a move to take back the box, but she held it out of his reach.
“Not on your life, Mister,” she laughed. “Don’t you know a figure of speech when you hear one?”
He wagged a finger at her. “I thought you might feel that way. Go ahead . . . open it.”
She carefully slid off the ribbon, and slowly opened the box. Tucked inside was a thin-chained white gold necklace with a small heart inside a larger one.
“Oh, it’s gorgeous. I love it!” She disengaged the necklace from the velvet liner and held it in her palm, studying the details. “I’ve never had anything as nice as this.” Then she turned to him with a question. “What’s the significance of the two hearts?”
“Well, first of all, it’s to remind you that you will always be safe in Jesus. He’s the larger heart and you’re the smaller one inside of His.”
Ellie looked as if she were going to cry. “That’s beautiful, Caleb. I’m going to always wear this.” She unclasped the chain.
“Here, let me help you.” Caleb took the necklace and she pulled back her hair so he could fasten it around her neck.
“Thank you.” She looked down and quietly admired the double hearts for a moment. “You said first of all. Is there some other significance?”
Caleb thought he detected a hint of anticipation in her voice. Perhaps it was his own that he sensed. “Well, yes there is. It’s to remind you that you will always be in my heart, too.”
Tears welled up in Ellie’s eyes, and then finally broke free and trickled down her cheeks. Blinking to hold back the flood, she gazed into his eyes.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to hear you say that.” She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater.
“Well I’ve been waiting a long time to say it.” His response elicited a lighthearted laugh from Ellie. “But now I have the freedom to tell you how I really feel about you.”
He turned his body to face her, and their knees touched. Taking both her hands in his, he looked directly into her eager brown eyes and smiled. “Ellie, I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather pursue a relationship with. Ever since I met you, you’re all I’ve been able to think about. You’ve been on my mind, and now you’re in my heart.” He squeezed her hands. “You’ve changed my life. And I want you to continue changing it.”
The tears resumed their path down her face. “Caleb, you’ve changed my life.” She took a breath to steady her shaky voice, and a touch of the shyness that so appealed to him reappeared. “Maybe we can both continue changing each other’s lives.”
“I’d like that very much, Ellie.”
She looked longingly at him. “Caleb Sawyer, I’m so lucky to have you in my life. No, wait. Not lucky. Blessed! I’m so blessed to have you in my life.”
Caleb smiled. “You’re right. It’s blessed! But I’m the one who’s blessed.”
Ellie giggled. “No, I am.”
They both laughed and
timed their response. “Well, aren’t we the blessed ones!”
With the Christmas lights from the house across the street reflecting in her eyes, Caleb grasped Ellie’s hands in his and gazed longingly at her. She gazed back at him. The distance between them closed slowly, and the kiss that followed was one that he would never forget.
Christmas break proved to be the best Caleb could ever remember. It even ranked above the year he received the new video game system he’d been dying to have. The joy of seeing Ellie put her trust in Jesus Christ as her personal Savior, and the prospect of beginning a new journey with her made this holiday season a most memorable one.
Even the air seemed fresher, the sky brighter, the sights and sounds more vibrant and clear than ever before. Never had each new day held so much promise, so much anticipation, so much enjoyment for him. But then, he had never known anyone like Ellie Thompson before. And it was wonderful.
On Christmas day, Ellie surprised him with a gift of her own, a framed pen and ink drawing of him wearing his #87 Bearcat jersey leaping high in the air to haul in a one-handed pass. She had obviously worked on it for some time, and he was as surprised with the gift as she had been with his.
He hung it on the wall of his bedroom where he could admire it from his bed while he daydreamed about the artist who had created it.
The second Sunday into the New Year Ellie was baptized at the conclusion of the morning worship service. When she came up out of the water with a huge smile on her face, the other teens erupted in spontaneous applause, and many of the adults joined them. In the midst of the celebration, Caleb was certain he heard a voice that sounded very much like Miss Cora’s shout “Hallelujah!”
Amanda Sonnenberg expressed an interest in guiding Ellie in her new walk with Christ, and the new believer agreed to be mentored by her. She also became a regular at the Wednesday night youth meetings, and soon became good friends with Kelli and Allison.
Caleb was thrilled to see her continue to blossom and come out of her shell.
Every night before bed he thanked the Lord for all He’d done in Ellie’s life, for using him to help her find peace with God, and for bringing her into his life. Never before had he seen God work in such wonderful ways, and as a result, his own faith grew by leaps and bounds.
One Tuesday evening toward the end of January, as he was preparing for bed, Caleb’s cell phone beeped, indicating he had a text message. It was from Ellie.
All she said was, “Call me ASAP. Good news.”
He couldn’t hit her number on speed dial fast enough.
“Guess what!” the ecstatic voice on the other end dispensed with the usual greeting. “I just received my acceptance letter from the University of Georgia. Can you believe it?”
She squealed so loudly that he had to hold the phone away from his ear.
“I’m going to college this fall!”
“Ellie, that’s terrific! I’m so happy for you. That’s got to be a big relief.”
“Tell me about it,” she laughed, obviously over the moon about the news.
Caleb’s mind raced ahead. “But I thought you had to prove financial ability before they would accept you.”
Ellie’s enthusiasm did not seem to diminish in the slightest by his back to earth inquiry.
“You do. But here’s the best part, they’re offering me a partial scholarship to the School of Art as a Drawing and Painting Major.” She repeated her earlier exuberant question. “Can you believe it?”
Caleb had never heard her so excited. “That’s fantastic. It’s good to know those professors up there recognize real talent when they see it. Kinda renews my faith in the institution of higher learning.”
Ellie laughed. “Oh, stop it.” She chided him playfully. “Now if I can save up enough the rest of this year, I might be able to cover my entire first year.”
“What about the FAFSA money you applied for? If that comes through, you’ll be in good shape, won’t you?”
“I was so excited about the scholarship, I completely forgot about that. But yes, that should cover just about everything else, I think.” She paused to catch her breath. “Caleb, this is an answer to my prayers. God has been so good to me. In fact, looking back now, I can see His goodness even when I didn’t recognize it before. He’s always loved me, hasn’t He?”
“Yes He has.”
There was a momentary silence on the other end. “Hey, guess what I’m looking at right now.”
“I don’t know. What?”
“The necklace you gave me for Christmas. It reminds me of Him.” She paused, then added with a sweetly flirtatious tone, “And it reminds me of you.”
Before he could formulate an appropriate reply, she quickly tacked on, in a sing-song voice, “Goodnight, Caleb. See you in school tomorrow.”
CHAPTER TEN
FULL OF SURPRISES
“WHERE DID THE TIME GO?” Caleb posed the question to Ellie one evening while the two were sitting on their favorite swing.
It was a warm Saturday in early May, and they had just completed their shifts at the Pet Palace and were enjoying some take-out burgers from the Dairy Shack they’d picked up on the way to Miss Cora’s house.
Their senior year of high school was rapidly drawing to a close, and the semester had blown by to the pair like a bullet train to a couple of passengers standing stationary on the platform a few feet from the tracks. It was hard to believe that graduation was just around the corner. The entire second semester seemed to be compressed into a few short weeks, but a lot had transpired in that time.
In addition to his work hours at the pet store, Caleb picked up a half-dozen lawn mowing jobs to help pad his college savings account. Yet he still managed to find time to participate on the Baxter boys track team, where he competed in the 400-meter and 400-meter relay with a satisfactory measure of success.
Ellie continued to grow in her newfound faith, and not a youth meeting passed where she didn’t come prepared with a list of questions for Tony or Amanda. In March her federal student aid application was approved, which, when coupled with the partial art scholarship she had received in January, completely covered her tuition and room and board at UGA.
On top of that good news, and out of the blue, Mrs. Sinclair informed her that an acquaintance of one of the art professors who had judged Ellie’s entries in the art competition had seen her work and had been very impressed with her talent. He wanted to commission her to do a number of water color and ink drawings for the lobby of a large hotel he owned in downtown Atlanta. The amount he was offering to pay for her artwork was more than enough to purchase a new wardrobe for college.
Even though they were busier than ever, they still had time to spend with each other. Whether it was with the gang at Edwards or the Dairy Shack, or just the two of them alone on a date, they enjoyed every minute they were together.
It was becoming rather apparent to all their friends that there was something special going on between them, something wonderful developing in the relationship, something magical. They were falling in love.
Two weeks before graduation, Ellie was surprised to learn that she had been named class salutatorian, losing out to Monica Stedwell for valedictorian by only two hundredths of a grade point.
To celebrate this honor, Caleb took her to a fancy restaurant in Dothan the following Saturday night. The two enjoyed a delicious meal and a romantic walk in a nearby park.
“Thank you for planning such a wonderful evening,” Ellie said, as they strolled hand in hand down the path. “You told me on my birthday that you weren’t any good at planning things like this.” She turned to face him with a twinkle in her eye. “Mister, you’ve been holding out on me.”
They continued walking and soon came across a large decorative fountain in the middle of the park. He and Ellie sat down on the edge and ran their hands through the spray.
“Ellie,” Caleb began, staring into the water, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you.”
> “Yes?” He detected the note of anticipation in her short response.
After drying his hands on his shirt, he took her hands in his. Looking intently into her eyes, he shared what was on his mind. “Ellie, I love you.”
She responded with an affirmative—and very memorable—kiss.
Graduation came and went. During her salutatorian address, to the nervous consternation of the politically correct faculty adviser who had approved her speech, Ellie gave glory to God for all He had done in her life, and acknowledged the role her friends had played during the past year at Baxter High.
Once again, as he had observed during her baptism testimony before the church congregation, Caleb was amazed at how comfortable and confident she appeared standing before the packed auditorium of faculty, fellow students, and families. The withdrawn and isolated caterpillar he had first noticed in the fall seemed to have disappeared completely, only to be replaced by the beautiful butterfly that now stood with elegance and grace addressing the entire school community.
Following the commencement ceremony, Caleb and Ellie posed for group pictures with B.J. and Allison, Aaron and Kelli, and their other friends in their caps and gowns. After exchanging good-byes and well-wishes with their fellow classmates, the graduates who were in the church youth group attended a reception organized by their parents and youth leaders. It was one of those memorable nights that all high school graduates look back on for the rest of their lives, some with fond memories, and some with regrets.
That summer could best be described as a blurred blip on the radar screen. It almost seemed over before it started. The two worked as many hours as Mr. Pruitt would allow at the Pet Palace, sometimes picking up extra shifts for other employees who called in sick or took vacation time. Caleb continued to mow lawns, while Ellie concentrated on completing the drawings for the hotel owner who had commissioned her.
In late June, accompanied by Caleb’s parents and sister, they made a trip to Athens to familiarize themselves with the UGA campus. And nearly every week, Caleb took Ellie shopping so she could assemble her wardrobe in preparation for college life.
A Future and a Hope Page 17