by T. K. Chapin
“What? You have a problem with insulin users?”
Rushing to her, Courtney grabbed her left arm and shot the sleeve up. Track marks littered her arm. “Insulin?”
Forcefully pulling her arm away from her, Taylor scowled. “Don’t judge me.”
“You need help, Sis. It’s okay to need help!”
“No!” She pointed to the hallway, trying not to get too loud. “I will lose my boys if I get help! It was different after Dad died. I didn’t have kids to take care of and I could just focus on getting sober. I have children now. How am I going to take care of them and me? I just found out their father passed away in prison. I am alone with this!”
Courtney stayed quiet, thankful that her sister had at least thought about it. Taylor went over to the couch and sat down. She began to cry and then she folded her face into her hands.
Joining her on the couch, Courtney turned toward her. “Maybe you can do one of those outpatient treatments and still take care of the kids?”
“I don’t think that will work for me. There is this one place, Flowing Meadows out in Wyoming. They said they could take me on a sponsorship, paid in full because I have children. It’s for three months, but the boys can’t go.”
“Maybe Mom can take them?”
Taylor began to cry into her hands again. “I know Mom won’t do it. They’re too much trouble for her in her old age.”
Scooting closer to her on the couch, she smoothed a hand over Taylor’s back. “Then I’ll do it.”
Lifting her moistened eyes, she shook her head. “But how? You have a job and everything.”
“I don’t know how it’ll work, but we have to make it work.”
Pounding away on the keyboard at five o’clock in the morning one November morning, Brian Dunlap smoothed a hand over his face as he saw the time in the lower right corner of his computer screen. Only two more hours and then I have to get dressed, he reminded himself. He had been waking up at four every morning for the last five days in a row in the hopes of getting ahead with work. He had to balance replying to client emails, fixing random issues on the website, and completing the ad copy for the series of new advertising he was hoping to roll out for next week’s Black Friday sale he was having for puppychowdirect.com, his online e-commerce site. His eleven-year-old daughter, Lucy, was arriving that morning to spend her one weekend a month with him. He knew he’d be buried in work no matter what come Monday morning, but at least these last five days of effort would make it less painful.
Suddenly, it was seven o’clock. His insides cleaved as he still had five more ads to design. At least the ad copy is done.
Rising up from his computer chair, he passed by his workout room that was covered in dust and headed for the shower. Inside the en-suite bathroom, he kicked dirty towels out of the way and started his shower.
As he let the hot, steaming water crash over his body, he reached over and pressed the button that fired up the massage jets. Then he remembered a different task on his to-do list that was even more important than the ad copy. He had forgotten to update the new design for the banner at the top of the website.
He shut off the shower and quickly grabbed his robe and headed back to the office. His hair still wet, and nothing but a robe on, he opened up his website’s back end system and started uploading the new design banner. After uploading it, he saw an issue and had to make an adjustment before re-uploading. Finally done, he stood up to leave his office when his doorbell chimes sang through the house.
Peering at the clock, he saw it was 7:30 AM. His ex-wife, Melissa, and his daughter, Lucy, had arrived.
Shuffling quickly out of his office, he tightened his robe and slicked his hair back on his way to answer the door. Stopping in the foyer, he grabbed the random moving box that was sitting against the wall and moved it into the coat closet to hide the fact that he still hadn’t finished unpacking in the two months he had lived there. Peering through the foyer toward the living room, he thought about how he had forgotten to clean up the night before. Breathing deeply, he turned toward the door and opened it with a smile on his face.
“Ladies.”
“Hi, Daddy!” Lucy moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. She might’ve been growing up and starting to become interested in boys, but she was still his little girl at heart. Warmly embracing her, he smiled and kissed the top of her head.
“I’ve missed you, Princess.”
“I missed you too.” Lucy walked in past him while he was left alone at the door with Melissa. As soon as Lucy was out of earshot, Melissa started in on him.
“What’s the deal with the bathrobe? You knew we were coming, right? Or did you forget?”
“I didn’t forget. I was finishing up some work stuff.” She was about to say something more, but he held up a hand. “I have to go. My daughter is here.”
Brian shut the door and then went into the kitchen. The sink was full of dishes and empty pizza boxes, and takeout containers filled the kitchen island and counters. He started to clean up and then moved on to the rest of the house. It took him almost two hours to clean, and it irritated him that it cut into a portion of his time with his daughter. That evening, as he pillowed his head, he returned to his thoughts last month about hiring someone to take care of the mundane minutiae of life. He had tried several times with a local hiring agency in the past, but each person they sent ended up needing more direction than he could give them. He needed someone who would handle things without having their hand held every moment. How do I find someone like that, Lord? he asked God as he prayed about the situation that evening.
The following morning, Brian and Lucy got dressed and went to church. After going to the first service, he and Lucy both served in the toddlers’ class during the second service. Brian served in the class every Sunday, but Lucy only did on the one weekend a month she was with him. Lucy didn’t attend church at her mother’s house much, to his dismay, but Melissa wouldn’t budge on it whenever he brought it up.
After prayer and story time in the Sunday school class, it was time for snacks. Lucy began setting out napkins, and Brian followed behind her pouring out cereal for each child. As he poured a handful onto a napkin, a frantic woman appeared in the doorway of the classroom.
“Hey. Am I too late?”
Lifting his gaze, Brian looked over at the doorway. There was a beautiful woman standing there, a child on each hip and a look of desperation in her eyes. Her eyes were red and swollen, and it appeared to him that she might’ve been crying or not sleeping, possibly both. Moved with compassion for the stranger, Brian handed his daughter the container of cereal in his hand and approached the woman in the doorway.
He smiled. “It’s never too late.”
She laughed lightly, but he could tell it was fake and forced. The woman gently placed the two little boys over the child gate. “Thank goodness! I needed a break.”
“What?” Taken aback by the mother’s comment, he felt a measure of repulsion flinch inside him. “You will be in the sanctuary, right? You’re not, like, leaving?”
“No, I’m not leaving. I’ll be in the sanctuary! I’m so sorry, it’s just been hard. They are my nephews and they’re just staying with me while their mother . . . gets well. My church didn’t have a children’s class during service, and they cannot handle being in service with me, so here we are!”
His heart eased and shifted again to compassion. Turning his gaze toward the boys, he watched them as they sat down. “What are their names?”
“Blaze is the younger one in the black hooded sweatshirt, and then Todd’s in the neon green.”
Just then, Blaze took a toy from another toddler.
“Blaze!” she shouted, leaning slightly over the gate.
Holding a hand up to stop her, he shook his head. “Go enjoy the service. We have it from here.”
She smiled and let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you.”
After service let out and after he and Lucy had cleaned the classro
om, they were on their way out to the parking lot when he spotted that same woman sitting in her car, crying. Turning to his daughter, he handed her the car keys and told her to go get in the car and warm it up.
Walking over to the car window, he knocked lightly on it.
The woman rolled the window down and peered up at him. “Yeah?”
“I couldn’t help but see you over here. Is everything okay?”
The window went up, then she got out of the car and shut the door.
“Since you asked, I’m going to answer. I know you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, but if I don’t get this off my chest to someone, I might explode.”
“All right.” He nodded. “Go ahead.”
“My sister went away to rehab last month and I agreed to watch her boys. Seems fine, right? I’m thinking okay, God. I’m not sure how this will work, but let’s do it! So, I’m watching these kids. Well, it turns out these boys don’t know any kind of structure at all! They’re climbing counters, and they won’t eat anything other than hot dogs or Pop Tarts! They hit, they destroy, they don’t go to sleep. My life is nothing but chaos.”
“Wow. Sounds hard.”
“Wait.” She smiled a little too wide and shook her head as she touched his arm. “It gets better. I have a job, so I’m able to escape it for a little bit each day. Turns out they get kicked out of daycare. Not once, but twice. Then . . . to top it off? Can you guess?”
He shrugged, not knowing what else could go wrong. “What?”
“I lost my job on Friday for missing so much work.”
“Ouch.”
“So now I have two very dependent children, no job, and I can’t even talk to my mom because she thinks it is all ‘normal kid stuff’ since I don’t have experience in having children.”
Suddenly, the woman began to cry and folded her hands over her face. She started to hyperventilate as well, causing an uneasy feeling to grow inside Brian.
Brian peered around the parking lot and then came a little closer. Uncomfortable and uneasy, he placed a hand on her back.
“It’s going to be okay. It sounds really hard, but God will get you through this.”
Once she calmed down, she wiped her tears from her cheeks. “How am I going to find work that allows my nephews to be there with me?”
The thought to hire her popped into Brian’s mind. Then fears of it not working out followed the thought, and having the boys destroy his house didn’t sound appealing. “What’s your background in?”
“I worked at a dental office recently, and before that, a lot of clerical work.”
He pushed his fears aside and raised an eyebrow. “I just happen to be looking to hire someone right now.”
“No, you’re not.” She looked doubtfully at him.
“Yes, I actually am. I need someone to handle day-to-day housework and maybe some clerical work too. Emails, record keeping, and so on.”
Her expression lit up. He could see hope flickering in her eyes.
Lifting a hand, Brian shook his head. “I’ll warn you. A lot of people have tried to be my assistant and it hasn’t worked out. I know you need a job right now, but there’s a good chance it won’t work. I’m a bit . . . demanding when it comes to my work and expectations.”
“I’ll take it! And if it doesn’t work out, that’s okay! I have to try something!”
Reaching in his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card with his home address on it. “Come by after the kids wake up tomorrow. I’m up and working every day by five at the latest.”
“Thank you!” She peered at the card. “Mr. Dunlap.”
“You can call me Brian. I didn’t catch your name?”
“Courtney.”
“Nice to meet you, Courtney. See you tomorrow.”
Walking back to his car a moment later, Brian was torn about whether he had made the right decision. Peering up at the cold, cloudless sky, he committed the matter to God. Whatever happens, it’s in Your hands, Lord.
Chapter 2
Courtney - Age 17
The annual state fair had come to the little town of Blackfoot, Idaho, and Courtney and her sister, Taylor, were excited more so this year than usual because their father, Frank Hinley, had finally realized his dream of having a concession stand at the fair. After years of saving his and Rhonda’s money, they were able to buy a local used food truck to sell homemade cooking two years ago. They had sold food out of the truck on the weekends to local businesses for the last two years and had saved enough to secure a spot at this year’s state fair.
It was the night before the fair opened, and Courtney and her sister were at the fairgrounds with their parents, finishing up preparations for the next day. Grabbing the last box of homemade frozen gravy from the trunk of the car, Courtney walked the fifteen feet over to the food truck. Her sister, Taylor, had her feet kicked up on a plastic table, sipping on a cola as she reclined.
“You take it easy, Tay. I got this.”
Taylor laughed and shooed a wave of one of her hands. “Dad said I have delicate ankles, and I agree. I need to rest them.”
Courtney smiled and went up the metal slatted steps into the food truck. She handed the box to her father, Frank, and he smiled at her. “Thanks, doll.”
As he turned toward the deep freeze, she saw he had a small cut on his arm. “Dad. Your arm.”
“Oops. A little blood there, isn’t it?”
Rhonda’s ears perked up at the word blood and came over from her work on the menu board. “Let me see that, Frank.”
Turning toward her, Frank let her inspect his arm. Courtney’s father had a blood clotting disorder that required him to be on a high dose of blood thinners. A gash could land him in a hospital if it was bad enough. Her mother, Rhonda, carefully looked at the wound.
“I’m not too worried. Just wrap it up and we’ll keep an eye on it.”
“You need to be more careful, Dad!” Taylor chided him as she entered the entryway of the truck behind Courtney.
“I know, I know. Hey. You girls take Mom’s car and head home. You need your rest for tomorrow. Your mother and I will stay here and finish up getting everything ready.”
“Okay. I’m driving!” Taylor spun around and darted out of the truck and toward the car. Courtney chased after her.
On their way home, they stopped at the convenience store and bought candy and soda. Then, they got home and curled up on the couch with blankets to watch a late-night talk show.
Muting the television during a commercial, Taylor turned toward Courtney.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?”
“Should be fun. I’m looking forward to earning some extra cash in life.”
Taylor laughed and playfully smacked her. “I’m talking about the boys we get to meet!”
Courtney laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think the husband God has for me is going to come talk to me at the fair tomorrow when I smell like food and have an inch of sweat across my forehead.”
“You never know! Did I tell you I saw your old friend Chelsea over by the stadium today? I was over there getting a drink and she was with her husband. Her kids were acting like total brats! I can’t believe she already has children and she’s only nineteen!”
“Don’t be mean. You don’t know what she’s going through. I wouldn’t mind having children early in life.”
“I know you wouldn’t. You’re such a weirdo!”
Courtney playfully, but with a little force, punched Taylor in the arm.
“Ouch!” Taylor slapped her with a piece of licorice.
The next morning, Courtney sipped on her cup of sugar with a splash of coffee in it as she waited for noon to roll around and business to start picking up at the food truck. As she waited, a group of guys from her graduating class of last year walked by. Peering over at her, they laughed and kept walking. She knew why they were laughing. She was wearing a ridiculous bright yellow shirt and a yellow visor. Rolling her eyes, she too
k another drink of her coffee and thought to herself how she was earning money while they were doing nothing.
Her mother, Rhonda, called her over to the flat top. Sizzling patties lifted an aroma that was permeating the air. “Could you keep an eye on these patties while I go find your father? He went to get ice and still hasn’t found his way back.”
“Yes.” Watching over the patties, she turned toward her sister who was at the cash register staring across the walkway at one of the Giant Tom’s Burgers guys. “Do you know that guy?”
“That’s Steven. He was in my Spanish class. Isn’t he cute?”
Laughing, Courtney nodded. “Sure. Why haven’t you guys dated?”
“You know Dad’s rule.”
“Hasn’t stopped you before . . .”
“True, but . . . I don’t know.” Taylor turned toward Courtney. “It’s weird, but when I know a guy is into me, I don’t like them as much. He’s too sweet and stuff.”
“Oh, Sister.” Turning back to the patties on the flat top, she saw they needed flipped. Grabbing the metal spatula from the magnetic strip on the wall, Courtney flipped the patties over.
“Customers!” Taylor excitedly clapped and adjusted her footing as a lady and child approached.
“Do you know where the restrooms are?”
Taylor pointed toward the stadium down the walkway. “Over there.”
Courtney laughed. “We’ll be busy soon enough.”
“I hope so.”
By eleven that morning, Frank and Rhonda’s food truck was flinging homemade food and had a line down to the Kia dealership tent a half-mile down the walkway. Frank and Taylor ran the cash registers while Courtney and Rhonda kept the food coming. The family of four worked well together and seamlessly as they met the demand the first day at the fair. When the slow time came between lunch and dinner, Courtney took a break and went to go check out the farm animals in the barns. She knew from past fairs that the first day was the only day she could stomach seeing the animals due to the natural occurrence that happened when warm temperatures and animals’ living environment mixed for prolonged periods of time.