Appointment at Christmas Bay

by Chase, Diane

  Lexi let a few minutes go by. “Did you want your tacos?”

  Shame and horror still had in her in a grip, but the squeaky voice that wanted to move on reached her heart. “I don’t think so.”

  Lexi took the taco bag Juliette forgot sat in her lap and stowed it with hers on the floorboard. “Can I turn on the CD player?”

  “Sure, whatever you want. There’s more in a case in the backseat.”

  Lexi pumped up the volume of a CD, and it played softly on the way to Galveston. As the melody of forgiveness rang out in the car, the only person Juliette could think to forgive was herself.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Thunder rattled the windows, and rain gushed down the eaves. Under the chilled air of the ceiling fan, Juliette untangled the warm bedcovers and pulled on her terrycloth robe. Barefoot, she tiptoed in the hallway past Lexi’s room where Skipper slept. If the kid went to Mai’s, there’d be the bonus of getting the dog back.

  Lightning flashed in the foyer and living room as she headed to the library. At the desk, the lamplight cast a comforting glow while she tidied a stack of journals and roused the computer she left on.

  Juliette pulled a few tissues from the box and blew her nose. At the end of the week, Dr. Cabot expected news about the dissertation. The committee might sanction a delay, but then what? Count on some inspirational breakthrough after the wedding? If there was a wedding.

  The antique clock on the bookshelf ran slow, but close enough. It was almost three a.m. Her erratic sleep patterns, especially near deadlines, often meant all-nighters and long afternoon naps, which would leave Lexi unsupervised. Since Lauren left, the girl kept an early to bed, early to rise schedule.

  A muddled mix of guilt and resentment stirred in Juliette. She hadn’t asked for the responsibility. Anyway, there was no sense fighting a sleepless night by staying in bed.

  She culled through her CDs and found the slides of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Lighthouse Community Church may not have art, but they had spirit. The only thing she remembered flowing through the Sistine Chapel was tourists.

  She clicked through the stunning frames and tried to keep a fresh eye. Was there some undiscovered thread, some missed nuance to spin into a dissertation? The Last Judgment, the fresco behind the altar in the Sistine Chapel, glowed on the screen while Juliette bit her thumbnail and stared at the images. Michelangelo had been scavenged for five hundred years. Any sixth grader could tell his story.

  Dr. Cabot might laugh her out of town, but she hit print anyway. Out came the Sistine Chapel page by page. One sheet offered a diagram of the three zones of the ceiling in minuscule type. Juliette dragged a floor lamp from the corner, pushed the coffee table against the sofa, and began piecing the copies together according to the schema. By 4:30 a.m., she’d assembled what looked like a kindergarten project.

  With a sigh, Juliette sat on the coffee table and surveyed the makeshift masterpiece. The mismatched scale and dizzying array of painted figures made her eyes cross, but the scenes from the Old Testament reminded her how the Bible had been just another reference book.

  Juliette leaned back on her palms listening to the rain thump the windows and thunder peal in the distance. If only she could make up for those years.

  ****

  She finally crawled into bed well after the sun rose and tossed about until ten o’clock. Tired didn’t begin to describe her limbs as she slipped on a sundress, forgoing a shower. On the way to the bathroom to wash her face, she stopped at Lexi’s room. Skipper jumped off the bed where the two of them were watching TV.

  “Good morning.” Juliette yawned, glad to see the child already dressed in a denim skirt and a white top, ready for another twenty dollars to attend church. Juliette scuffed the dog’s head and back.

  “I already fed her and took her out,” Lexi said, eyes glued to a cartoon.

  “Great. Give me about twenty minutes, and I’ll be ready, too.” Her cell phone rang from the bedroom.

  “Uh, phone call,” Lexi said.

  “I know.” Juliette unfroze her feet and headed to answer it. Even before she saw the caller ID, she knew who it was. “Hi, Harry.” She took the call in the bathroom.

  Excuses laced his apology. Which was worse—his fib or her drive-by of Shady Acres with the kid? Still.

  While he droned on and on about what a nice guy Brad Barrington and the other folks were, she fished in the closet for gold sandals to match her pale yellow sundress.

  After they hung up, she hustled through the living room and opened the library pocket doors to the Sistine chapel laid out on the floor. Lexi and the dog scampered behind, and she held them back. “Hey, the library’s off-limits for awhile. I’ve got something going in there.”

  “What is it?” Lexi peered around her.

  Juliette shrugged her purse to her shoulder and fished for the car keys. “A place in Rome.”

  “It looks like the Sistine Chapel to me. I did a report on that in the fourth grade.” Lexi had an uncharacteristic lightness in her voice and step as they headed through the laundry room to the car.

  “Any chance you have a copy?” She laughed, but the girl scrunched her nose, puzzled. Juliette sidestepped the puddles on the back walkway and asked, “Hey, do you want your money now or later?”

  “You don’t need to pay me.”

  “Really?” She would have liked to discuss it, but the kid fiddled with her phone all the way from Postoffice to the church parking lot.

  ****

  The church was packed, and they sat near the back. The four-piece band started right away with a peppy song that revved up the congregation. Hands all over shot in the air, and next to her, a young woman’s voice rang out like a backup vocalist. Maybe it’d cover for Juliette’s preoccupation.

  Feeling a disconnect from the surround-sound worship, she thought about Harry and his logic. She tried to tune into Pastor Jason’s message and strained at the scriptures on the TV monitors. Another song had them on their feet again, and she sighed loudly, unable to think about anything but the upcoming marriage—the decision of a lifetime.

  He erred, but was she blocking his attempt to right his wrongs?

  An elbow jabbed Juliette’s right side, and she glanced at Lexi. Everyone stood and started to sing.

  “What’s wrong?”

  The girl’s eyes watered as she slipped by wordlessly.

  “Are you going to the altar?”

  “Uh huh.”

  Juliette squeezed past two women at the end of the pew and followed Lexi who already strode toward Pastor Jason and fell into his embrace. The band thundered, and the congregation rang out in song clapping their hands. Several people from Bible study and a few others crowded around the girl.

  Juliette stood back and tears warmed her eyes. This is how a mother would feel, maybe. Funny. The man she pledged to marry understood not a single event the last month and wouldn’t get this one either. A single thought shimmered like an oasis.

  When they got home, she needed to find Peggy Golightly and pray.

  ****

  “You look pale. Are you sick?” In the car, Lexi folded her hands over a white folder. It looked like the one Jason Taylor gave Juliette the day she accepted Christ.

  “I’m fine.” The far-reaching implications of the kid’s turn of faith came to mind, but she kept them to herself. What would Connie and Mai say? Where would Lexi go from here?

  “Hey, watch out!” Lexi braced her hands on the dash.

  A pickup truck screeched to a halt on her left. Juliette yelped and waved to the guy. She’d run the stop sign. “Sorry,” she mumbled to the kid.

  “It’s okay. Anyway, I turned in a prayer request for your dissertation.” She hugged the folder. “And one for Mom and Dad.”

  “So they’ll know Jesus?” Juliette parked at the curb in front of the house. Seeing the Golightly’s car in their drive reminded her to stop by and pray with Peggy.

  “No, so they’ll get back together.” Lexi unbuckle
d her seatbelt and opened the door. “God can do it? He healed your hand.”

  Juliette felt like a broken vending machine—the kid’s hope in and no intelligent response out. She gulped. “I don’t understand how God works.” She tried to make eye contact, but Lexi had one leg out the door and looked at the house. “We both have a lot to learn. Listen, I’m going next door for a few minutes to talk to Peggy. I’ll ask her.”

  “Never mind.” The girl jumped from the car and slammed the door.

  The vehicle rocked a few seconds and quickly heated up. She couldn’t help but wonder. Did God really answer prayers like that? Seeing the girl huff up the walkway and swing the front door shut brought back the dark thoughts and confusion from the service.

  Legs weak and wobbly, she strolled next door to the Golightly’s. The pain and terror of the accident swirled in her mind. She hadn’t asked for a stranger to stop, but the little lady had. So had Paul Quinn. Why, when so many prayers go unanswered? Would Lexi’s?

  Juliette stopped at the porch steps short of overturning a clay pot with red geraniums. Twenty-eight years, and she never stepped through the Golightly’s door. Her heart thumped while she waited for someone to answer her knock.

  Peggy appeared wearing a floral duster with her short blonde hair styled in neat waves. “What a nice surprise.” She motioned her inside.

  The homey décor resembled pictures of her grandmother’s house before her parents redecorated—dark-wood antiques with pinks and ivory on the upholstered pieces. Across the many tall windows, sheer draperies turned the harsh sun into a warm glow.

  “Am I disturbing you?”

  “No, honey. I’m thrilled you stopped by. Asher’s lying down a bit, and I was just wondering what to do with myself. Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

  “That’d be great.”

  Juliette followed Mrs. Golightly through a combination dining room and seating area where a sofa, recliner, and big screen TV were arranged near the front windows.

  The lemon-yellow kitchen had a dinette in the center. Peggy poured two cups of coffee, and they sat at the table. “I remember when you and your sister used to chase each other around the yards.” Her brown eyes crinkled. “Cute as buttons, both of you.”

  Juliette winked back tears and bit her bottom lip. “I remember some of that.”

  Mrs. Golightly rubbed her folded hands. “We were so saddened by her passing.”

  Juliette breathed through a wave of grief. “I don’t understand why things like that happen.” She glanced at her left hand. “Why God healed me and let my sister die. Why all the mayhem and tragedy in the world yet this for me?” The nausea gripped her stomach again. She shook her head. “Lexi’s mother has gone back to Houston. Today, she accepted Christ, but, Mrs. Golightly, I keep thinking, is that the right way for Lexi? For me?” She rubbed her temples. “My thoughts feel so confused, and I’ve got this headache—”

  The woman’s hand flew in the air. “Satan, we bind you in the name of Jesus! And Lord, we pray for the peace you promise.” Her hand rested again on the table, and her eyes twinkled with a soft smile.

  Juliette smiled at the unexpected outpouring then grimaced. “Satan?”

  “We don’t struggle against flesh and blood, honey. Just the rulers, the powers of this dark world, and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Let’s pray.” Mrs. Golightly bowed her head.

  Juliette closed her eyes and listened. Gradually, a calm settled, and the doubt she fought all morning loosened its grip.

  “Amen,” Mrs. Golightly said emphatically. “I have an idea. Why don’t you girls come over about one o’clock for roasted chicken to celebrate Lexi’s new life and yours. We’ll get Asher to share a word or two about it all.”

  The idea of rescuing the afternoon for Lexi lightened her load. “That’d be wonderful. Thank you.”

  After visiting for awhile, they walked to the foyer. “She’s praying for her parents to get back together. What should I tell her?” Juliette asked.

  Mrs. Golightly tilted her head. “He healed your hand, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, but…” Juliette bit back her doubt.

  Mrs. Golightly opened the door. “Let’s get Asher to offer Lexi some verses for the right perspective.” She pulled Juliette into a warm embrace. “Thank you for coming, honey. I’ve been praying for you since you were in diapers.”

  On the walk home, Mrs. Golightly’s words echoed in her head. Did that explain what was happening to her life? Was God just answering her neighbor’s prayers?

  Chapter Fifteen

  After a restful night’s sleep, Juliette woke early on Monday, checked on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and took Skipper for a long walk. When they returned, Lexi was sitting on the front porch reading a paperback.

  Juliette sank to a wicker chair. “I need to run a few errands and thought you might come along, maybe buy a Bible. You‘ll need one to look up those scriptures Asher gave to you.” She narrowed her eyes. “Unless you know someone nice enough to lend you one.”

  Lexi pushed up her glasses and smiled a little. “I already printed them from the internet.”

  “What do you think your mom will say about all this?” Something about their new common ground made it easier to talk.

  The girl’s gaze fell to the book in her lap. “I’m not sure.”

  “Are you worried about it?”

  “Mom lets me do what I want. If she knew Jesus, she might feel better.”

  “You’re lucky to know what you do at your age.” Juliette got up and squeezed the girl’s shoulder on the way to the front door. “Really lucky.”

  ****

  For the first time on a Tuesday night, Bible study went without a hitch. Juliette stowed her books in a fifties-era straw bag embroidered with palm trees and hula dancers.

  Pepper Burke stopped them on the way out. “I almost called you guys yesterday.” She slid her arm around Lexi’s shoulder. “We’ve got lots of things brewing this summer that might interest a bored girl. Juliette and Lexi chuckled at the accurate description.

  Pepper’s position with the church wasn’t exactly clear. In the study group, she seemed more like an observer than participant, a co-facilitator or something, but Juliette couldn’t help but notice the easy way she had with Lexi. The attractive woman handed the girl a neon-green flyer.

  “We have Teen Mania starting this Monday, and it lasts two weeks. I need help tomorrow setting up if you’re interested. A few other girls are coming in about ten. We going to make posters and sort out the snacks and supplies.”

  Lexi passed Juliette the bulletin with a variety of all-day events that included worship, study, hayrides, surfing lessons, and horseback riding. One of Harry’s liability lecture came to mind.

  “Did you see the jewelry making session?” Pepper asked. She smiled at an older woman who waited by them. “Are you ready to go, Ms. Martin?”

  “Take your time,” the woman said.

  “We need to be on our way, too.” Juliette took a few steps toward the door.

  The woman and Pepper walked with them through the hallway. “So what do you guys think?”

  “Yeah, definitely! And I want to help you tomorrow. Can I Juliette?” Lexi hadn’t been so excited since Lauren’s visits.

  “Sure. We just need to let Mai know.”

  Lexi slowed down, and her face fell. “Why?”

  “I’m sure she’ll agree.”

  “Right.” The beam on Lexi’s face could have lit an underground mine. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow, Pepper.”

  Juliette felt the delight along with her. It’d be good for the girl to hang out with real kids rather than the virtual ones on the computer and have some structure beyond her school project and cleaning.

  As their group strolled past the classrooms talking, Juliette watched Lexi bob from window to window peering in, a revived energy and life in her step. Juliette couldn’t help feeling sorry for Connie and wondered if she missed her daughter. In some weird
way, it also made her miss the daughter she didn’t have.

  ****

  The next morning, Juliette dragged the duster around the living room and sprayed essence of roses in the air. Today, Sarah, one of her bridesmaids, was coming into Galveston for lunch.

  Upstairs, Lexi’s angry voice rang out in Mandarin. Juliette stopped by her open door. Sitting on the bed, the girl sniffled and shook her head, her face puffy and red.

  Juliette waited by the door until Lexi hung up and then asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I can help Pepper today, but Mai says she has to ask Mom about Teen Mania.” She fell back against the pillows. “I don’t even want to go.”

  “I really think you should, but if not, you can have lunch with us later.”

  “I don’t want to hang out with old ladies,” she mumbled.

  Juliette chuckled. “Okay, hop up then and wash your face. Let’s take one day at a time. Mai said you could go. If you’re miserable, I’ll pick you up.” She glanced at the clock by Lexi’s bed. Pepper would expect them in twenty minutes. “Up, up.”

  She dropped Lexi at church and returned home with just enough time to finish the light cleaning and dress for the lunch visit. Climbing the stairs, a strange feeling made her limbs heavy. With all the ways Juliette’s life changed since she saw Sarah a couple of months ago, what would they talk about? The accident, church, Harry?

  Why did every day end up in some kind of out-of-body experience?

  ****

  “Craig’s back.” Paul’s boss yelled down the aisle of the furniture warehouse and disappeared.

  It’s about time. He wiped his sweaty face with his sleeve and climbed down the scaffolding where he inventoried unassembled dinette sets. After a week at Melcher’s Furniture Dynasty in Freeport, Paul figured out which guys made their own schedules, like Craig who usually took an extra fifteen minutes for lunch.

  Starving, he wound through the enormous hotbox to the office near the entrance. He found his timecard and avoided looking through the office windows where laughter rang out in the AC. Ideas about where to spend his hour scrolled his thoughts on the way to the parking lot.