“Then yes, you need to go and do that. It’s going to be okay, honey. God will be with you all the way. I will be praying very hard for you.”
“I’m doing my best to have faith.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. You’ll get through this. God isn’t ready for you yet. He still has plans for you.”
Tonya walked to the security checkpoint and handed the TSA agent her boarding pass and ID for inspection. After collecting her carry-on bags on the other side, Tonya started walking toward her gate. She turned and waved to Sam then disappeared.
Tears slowly flowed as Sam’s heart felt like it was breaking. She gave Tonya all the hope that she could, but she needed to feel it as well. She would be praying for her friend. She would have to have all the faith in the world for her.
***
Tonya placed her two small bags in the compartment over her seat and closed the door. She sat and stared through the thick and blurry window and watched crews loading luggage and various other items onto another plane near hers. She watched a plane taking off into the air and wondered where they were going. She thought about who would be sitting next to her, if anyone, and tried to think about anything but her life at that moment. It hurt too much. It was too frightening. Her dilemma didn’t go away.
The surgery would be Wednesday morning, but she had to be at the hospital Tuesday night. Her doctor said he wanted to make sure she was ready to go very early the next day and already being there and prepped would speed things along easily. He also told her that she would most likely stay one night after the surgery and if everything looked good, she would be able to go home Thursday morning. She didn’t know why she was so scared. Probably because of that powerful word, Cancer. A disease that stole too many from their loved ones every year. A word she didn’t think she would ever have to use for herself. Then again, most people didn’t.
Cancer wasn’t in her family, not that she knew of. Her family was all pretty healthy except for one of her aunts who had diabetes. Other than that, she didn’t know of anything.
Breaking her train of thought a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties stopped next to her section with nothing more than a laptop and made sure he had the correct seat. Once he was satisfied, he sat and politely said “Hello.” Tonya said “Hi” back and that was the end of their conversation. She was content with that. She didn’t feel up to talking to anyone. Even though the flight wouldn’t be a very long one, it would feel that way. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could sleep through it.
The guy next to her placed earbuds in his ears and Tonya could faintly hear his music. She thought about that too, but leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. She thought about what Sam said about God and having faith. Other than going to church with them she hadn’t thought much about God or religion on any level in years. She didn’t think she even owned a Bible. Maybe it was time to rethink how she had been living her life for so long. Not that she had been a wild child or anything, but she knew she was no angel either.
She was very close to the same age as Sam. She graduated from high school with decent grades and immediately knew what she wanted to do with her life. She got a job at a restaurant and became friends with the owner who also owned a catering service. When the owner saw how quickly Tonya picked up on everything she asked her to work the catering business. She fell in love with it right away.
Over the following two years she learned pretty much all there was to learn and decided she wanted to own her own business. She went to school and got a degree in business, got a loan from the bank and six months after graduating she opened her own small establishment called Flavors from the Heart.
It started out a little slower than she hoped but once she started spending money on better advertisement and promoting it through radio announcements, working hard at weddings and sports events, things quickly got better. For some reason that she couldn’t explain over the past year she began to not enjoy it as much. It had become more of a burden than a passion. Possibly, it was not having much time for herself. Not being able to get out and do certain things and not having time to date. She was getting older and had been thinking more and more about having kids. She hadn’t been on a date in two years and missed the attention from a man. She decided to look for a buyer and it hadn’t been hard and at the same time her uncle in Florida asked her to run his restaurant. It felt like things were falling in place for a reason.
Even though it had been hard moving away from her friends, Tonya believed she had made the right decision. She wasn’t so sure any longer. She loved her family in Florida and enjoyed the restaurant business again, but when she found the lump on her breast and went to the doctor, it seemed like everything else was falling apart. She was scared more than ever in her life. Maybe Sam was right. Maybe she did need God.
She fell asleep with those thoughts lingering in her brain. When she woke, she heard the stewardess announce they were approaching their destination and would be landing shortly. She was tired and had so much to do, but when she got back to her apartment she knew what she would do. She would call Sam as promised and take a shower and go to bed. She didn’t want to think or feel. Sleep was all she wanted.
In an hour when she got home she dropped her bags on the floor, leaving them for another task to do later. She plopped down on the couch and called her best friend before forgetting.
“So, you are okay?” Sam asked her.
“I’m tired, but yeah I’m fine. I slept most of the flight so that was good. I did more thinking about everything, but I don’t really want to talk about it right now. Can we talk more later? I want to take a shower and go to bed.”
“Of course, you go ahead, I understand. Thanks for letting me know you got home safely.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll talk to you later.”
She left her phone on the couch and undressed on the way to the bathroom, leaving a trail of her clothes and not caring. Afterward, she fell between the comforting sheets and thick blankets without anything on her clean skin. She was asleep within minutes.
Chapter Thirteen
The wind whistled along the side of the apartment building and the sky was rapidly filling with dark clouds. The weatherman was saying a four-letter word that Sam hated hearing and it looked like he was telling the truth.
SNOW.
As if they hadn’t already had enough. Sam frowned and closed the curtains. Looking at it was beginning to depress her. It was early Monday and Chris had already left for work. In about an hour when she thought the director of her culinary school would be in the office she was going to call him. She had missed too much time. With all her health issues, her instructor understood, but that didn’t take away from her not being there. She did start back, but had missed more time. With taking time off to spend with Tonya he might even tell her to wait until the next quarter starting in spring instead of having to start in the middle of one. Either way she would accept what he said although she didn’t really want to wait. Maybe if she did though, she could talk to Chris about going to Florida for a few weeks to help Tonya. She would see what happened and leave it all in God’s more than capable hands.
Sam went to the kitchen, removed the pork loin from the freezer, and placed it in the sink. She planned on preparing it for dinner and hoped it would thaw in time. Looking at the clock she saw it was almost 8:00 and got tired of waiting. The director might not be in the office yet but she was impatient. In a way, she hoped he did tell her to wait. She was close to graduating, but she liked the idea of going to Florida for a few weeks too.
She dialed the number and waited for him to answer or for it to go to voicemail. Surprisingly he answered.
“Good morning, Mr. Trebet speaking.”
“Good morning. It’s Sam, how are you doing?” She made every attempt to sound pleased to hear his voice.
“Oh, hey! It’s great hearing from you, Sam. I was going to call you sometime this week to see how
everything was going. I’m good, thanks for asking.”
“I’m doing a lot better, thank you. I was calling to see if I can start back now or if you thought it would be best for me to wait since I’ve missed so much time.”
“That’s another reason why I was going to call and I’ve been thinking it over. With you being out as much as you have been, you missed some important projects, but I know you’ll do great when you come back. However, I think it would be best because of where the class is for you to wait until next quarter. It won’t affect you graduating other than changing the date.”
She figured he would say that and felt some relief flood through her.
“I understand and I think it may actually be best. It would be hard to get caught up on everything and I wouldn’t mind waiting for personal reasons. I’ll be more than ready though when the next quarter starts.”
“Okay, I’m glad to hear that. I hope we can talk again before then and if you need anything let me know.”
“Thank you, I will.”
Sam set her phone down feeling slightly melancholy. She knew it was the best thing for her. She had been telling herself that, but for some reason she still felt sad. Probably because of other things racing around in her head.
Suddenly, Sam thought about her calendar. She had been thinking so much about other stuff she forgot about any possible doctor’s appointments. Looking at the calendar on the wall next to the kitchen, Sam noticed an appointment with her cardiologist at 10:00 the next day. That felt a little ironic to her because Tonya would be already be in the hospital to prepare for surgery. It would be a good time to go, though. It would give her time to talk to Chris about visiting Tonya for two or three weeks and to her doctor to make sure he thought she was healthy enough for traveling. She’d certainly have to pray about it in the meantime.
With no chores other than to sit around the house, Sam wondered what she could do. She wouldn’t be going to school for a couple of months. The apartment was clean. The weather wasn’t good and she had no desire to go shopping in it, and Chris was at work. She looked around the apartment and thought about her parents and Tonya and the holidays.
Christmas cards.
Yes, she could get cards ready to mail out. She knew she had some left over from last year and went looking for them. Once she found them in the box where the decorations were kept, she poured herself something to drink and put some Christmas music on to set the mood.
One of her all-time favorites was on the radio, “The Christmas Guest” by Reba McEntire. Sam loved the story and the deep meaning behind it. The way Jesus came to the door three times in the form of someone in need, and how the man in the song helped all three of them, not realizing they were the Lord in disguise. It was a very powerful story.
Sam made herself comfortable on the couch and wrote out cards to her family, including Chris’s parents. She wrote a few out to friends—Tonya, Junior, and her friends at school. The music helped put the holiday spirit in her and as she completed her simple task it kept her from thinking about her problems. When she was finished, she put stamps on the envelopes and set them on the table by the door to be mailed out the next day. There were still three and a half weeks to go before Christmas so there was plenty of time for the cards to get to their destinations.
She made some phone calls to her family and Tonya to help pass the time. Her parents were happy to hear from her and they told her to keep an eye out for a package from them. She smiled, knowing they would spend too much money on her and Chris as they usually did. She knew they would love it if they could visit them for the holidays so she told them about Tonya and how she was thinking about going there for a couple of weeks to help her before Christmas. They agreed that was the right thing to do, but asked if Chris would be okay without her there. Laughing, she said he was a big boy and that he would be fine.
She called Tonya next and talked about the surgery. She didn’t want to mention the idea of flying down before asking Chris first; she didn’t want to get Tonya’s hopes up. When she hung up, Sam began to worry more about her friend. The best and only real thing she could do for her at that moment was pray. So she did. With all her heart she prayed for her best friend.
***
Chris walked into the apartment and was surprised it was so quiet. Sam wasn’t in the living room or kitchen and he didn’t hear a radio or television. Figuring she must be in the bedroom, he walked in to find her sleeping on top of the covers. He stood at the door and admired her. He smiled because she looked so beautiful lying there. Every time he looked at her, especially since their vacation, he appreciated her more and more. He knew he would never tire of the sight of her.
Chris thought about leaving her alone and letting her rest, but remembered what time it was. He didn’t know what time she lay down. If Sam slept too long she would be up all night. He gently shook her arm and stirred her from her dreams.
“Hey, sleeping beauty.”
“Hmm?” Sam turned slowly and opened her eyes to look at him. The lighting in the room was dim because the blinds were closed and it was still dreary outside. When she saw Chris smiling and leaning over her, her lips parted into a gorgeous smile back at him.
“Did you have a good nap?”
“Yes, thank you. What time is it?”
“It’s four-thirty. How long have you been asleep?” he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed with her.
“Oh, wow. I didn’t mean to sleep that long,” she moaned and rubbed her eyes. “I think it was around noon. I must have been more tired than I thought.”
“Yeah, you must have been. Are you okay?”
“Umm hmm,” she nodded and yawned. “How was your day, babe?”
“It was good. I missed you.”
Sam smiled again. “I missed you too.”
“Come on. Up and at ’em,” he said as he stood and offered her his hand. She pushed herself off the bed and against him, and wrapped her arms around him. They kissed a proper hello before walking into the kitchen.
Sam checked the pork loin and it was still half frozen. She frowned, knowing it wasn’t ready and wouldn’t be until the next day. She asked him if he wanted something else or wanted to order from somewhere.
“It’s okay, no worries. We can order some Chinese or pizza if you want. You’re tired and I keep telling you that you don’t have to cook for me every night. Sometimes I can manage on a sandwich you know.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll make it tomorrow and Chinese sounds good to me.”
They ordered what they wanted and watched television as they waited. Chris told her about his day and she figured it was a good time to talk to him about her idea on Florida.
“I figure if you can manage for a couple weeks it would be a great time to help her out after her surgery, which is the day after tomorrow by the way. I’d like to go down maybe Wednesday but probably Thursday and stay two weeks to help her get through that and through her first two treatments, and be back before Christmas.”
Before he could respond the delivery guy knocked on the door. Chris paid the driver, gave him a decent tip, and they walked to the table to eat. Sam got the feeling he didn’t like the idea because of his expression and not speaking.
“So, what do you think? You don’t want me to go do you?” she asked him worriedly.
He sat and looked at her, smiling. “It’s not that, honey. I think it’s a great idea. I love Tonya like a sister and agree that she could use some help.”
She sat across from him and took out her egg roll and dinner.
“So, what is it? You look concerned about something? Is it me?”
He nodded and answered as compassionately as he could. “Yes. I am worried about you. You had open heart surgery barely two months ago. When do you see the doctor again? I think you should ask him before you go. As far as me, I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy and can fend for myself.”
“I know you can. I’ll stock up on peanut butter before I leave.”
“Fun
ny.”
“Seriously, I am seeing my cardiologist tomorrow. I have to be there at ten o’clock, so I’ll ask him about it then. Hopefully, he will say it will be fine because I feel okay. I really do.”
“And what about school?”
“I have it all covered. I talked to them today. They had already decided since I missed so much that it would be best for me to wait until the next quarter to go back.”
He chewed on a mouthful of Kung Pao chicken and swallowed before answering.
“Okay, so it looks as if it may work out then. Have you talked to Tonya about it already?”
“No, I wanted to talk to you and the doctor first. I don’t want to get her hopes up and then it not work out for me to be there. If the doctor says it’s okay for me to go I will tell her tomorrow, then buy my ticket online.”
“Well, if the doctor says it’s okay then it’s okay with me, babe.”
Getting up from her chair long enough to kiss him she said, “Thanks honey. I knew you would understand. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Be sure to give her my love when you are there. I know one thing though. By the time you get back I’m going to hate peanut butter.”
***
That evening Tonya lay in the dark and stared at the ceiling as she worried about going to the hospital the next day and getting ready for her surgery. Mostly, she was afraid about the actual surgery and if the doctors would be able to get all the cancer. She had been trying all day to not fret over it and had a long talk with God. The whole praying thing was new to her, but she was trying to believe and have faith. She turned over onto her right side and stared at the red numbers on her clock, wishing herself to sleep and dream pleasant dreams. Her wishes weren’t listening to her.
“God. If You can hear me I really need You right now and over the next few days. I know I haven’t talked to You until today in a very long time. Please, forgive me. Please, help me. I don’t want to be sick and die.”
Never Again (Never Again Series Book 1) Page 10