“Hey Nick, I got a question.” Bob leaned back on his raft and put one hand behind his head with the other gripping a can of beer.
“Yeah?”
He took a long swig before saying, “Wondering what the poor people are doing right now.”
“They’re probably sitting in a pool just like that one.”
“You got that right. Big underground pools are so overrated.”
“Hey, how about coming to the Collins’ Foster Home fundraiser party in December? We’re building homes to house another fifty kids and celebrating construction completion then.”
“Yeah, that sounds cool Nick. Thanks. I like kids. Hope to have a couple one day.”
“Me too.”
Nick was about to turn around and head back in the house when Bob said, “Hey man, where’s your beer?”
“In the house, next to Piper.”
“Oh, I got it. You’re hoping she’ll slip some drugs in your drink so she can take advantage of you.”
“Yeah, right.”
Bob lowered his voice. “You’ve tagged her, haven’t you?”
“I’m a gentleman, Bob.”
“Gentleman? I don’t see any gentlemen around here. I was talking to you, Nick. If you invited gentlemen to this party, you’d best ask them to leave. My belly’s rumbling from all of the beans I had at lunch.”
“Man, you’re gross.”
“Only on the weekends, Nick. I save my best jokes for you.” Bob chuckled as he downed the rest of the beer in his hand and grabbed the one he’d placed by the end of the inflatable pool.
“Keep those jokes coming and you won’t get any of the ladies to join you in the pool,” Nick said with a laugh.
“Nick, I hate to break it to you, but this pool isn’t for socializing. It’s for show. I’m just getting warmed up here for the ladies while they enjoy their beers. I’ll be out to make my moves when they’re ready for my kind of sophisticated humor.”
Nick laughed before heading back inside and sitting down next to Piper. The beer he’d left there was more of a prop than anything else. It had been there all night, unopened, and was now warm.
***
The following Monday morning, Nick turned on the television and watched a reporter as she stood in front of the county courthouse and announced, “The jury has come to a decision in the Ramsey case, which we’ll report to you right after the break.”
“Mom, you gotta hear this,” Nick shouted up the stairway. “The Ramsey case. They’re going to announce the verdict.”
She walked down the stairs and entered the family room as the reporter continued. Nick could see that she was still fighting the cancer inside of her with every bit of energy she had. Three rounds of chemo hadn’t cured it yet, but he had hope.
“After much deliberation, the jury has found Tricia Ramsey guilty of first degree murder for the premeditated murder of her husband, Braedon Ramsey. She is being held without bail as she waits for her sentence, which the judge will decide in three weeks.”
“During the trial, it came out that Mrs. Ramsey had been having an affair with Governor Scott Kinnaird and was the mother of two of his children, young twin girls, currently staying with relatives. She’d claimed to be an active member of the Fellowship Church, yet no one at the church confirmed her presence in any of the activities in which she’d claimed to be active, though a few recalled her dropping her girls off at Sunday school. She was also pregnant and due to deliver in late November. Custody of the children was to be decided at a later date. The governor couldn’t be reached for comment.”
“Just crazy, huh Mom. Poor kids. Hopefully things will work out for them. I wonder if he’ll lose the election next month.”
“Yeah, the timing couldn’t be worse for Kinnaird. Michael Clark must be celebrating.” She paused and said, “We’ll have to follow up on the girls. Probably owe that to Braedon. Maybe I judged him more harshly than I should have.”
Chapter 32
The Celebration
Nick was thrilled when he found out that the homes had been completed, two weeks ahead of the expected date of completion, and the new foster children were able to move into their new homes on December 1st. The staff, volunteers, and others ready to serve the new children had been organized early, so the earlier date worked well for everyone involved.
By December 19th, the date of the celebration/fundraiser, the children had all been moved into their new homes. They’d be the center of attention at the party that night. Nick thought of the line he’d read on the picture in the conference room a couple of months before about the way that Jesus loved the children.
Nick, Tanner, Marlis, Piper, Bob and sixteen of the older foster children spent the day decorating the grounds with a life-sized manger, a Christmas tree, and lights and decorations. Parker and Aiden, the boys Nick knew from the summer camp, were among the children. They worked hard to help set up the tables and chairs, without bickering once with one another. That was an achievement for those two, who were like brothers.
Having the party outside was ideal, given the size of the crowd and the open space available and the weather. The weather couldn’t be more perfect; cool and sunny without a cloud in sight.
The set-up ran smoothly. After the rental company built a center stage and dropped off dozens of large round and rectangular tables and chairs, Nick and the group set them up and dressed them with heavy white table cloths. They placed flower bouquets in the centers of each of the tables that had been donated by one of the board members. The plates, silverware, and pale blue napkins were next.
The Christian band arrived about an hour before the party began and set up their drums, guitars, and sound equipment on the stage. They’d offered to play free of charge for the event, which Nick was thrilled about. They were one of his favorite bands.
Nick’s mom arrived late in the afternoon. She walked up to Nick in a festive, yet elegant, ocean blue dress. “This looks great. You and your friends and the kids have done a wonderful job of getting things ready.”
“Thanks Mom. It’s really come together well. People should start getting here in about an hour. Joan checked in and she and the other board members plan to get here a half hour early.”
“Great. Well, the weather couldn’t be better and I love the manger. I’ve never seen one so large. How about the kids? Where will they be sitting?”
“A few of the older ones will be seated at the tables with the adults, and the rest will be with the staff and care workers at the tables over there.” Nick pointed to the right of the round tables to twenty-five rectangular tables, which had been neatly organized in rows of five.
“Good work. Well, I’m excited. I’m going to walk over to the main facility and see if I can’t catch a board member. I’ll be back in a few.”
“Okay, Mom.”
A van approached and Nick noticed that Joan was behind the wheel. She pulled into the parking lot, which was adjacent to the party area, and hopped out before opening the door behind her. Nick could see a good number of colorful floral arrangements.
“Hey there. I thought I’d put these around the stage where the band will be playing. Also, thought I’d set up any extras along the walkway.”
“Great plan. Thanks Joan.”
“No, thank you, Nick! This all looks excellent. I’m looking forward to tonight.
Several vans then entered the campus and pulled up alongside Joan’s van in the parking lot. Six men, wearing white catering outfits, exited the vans and walked up to Nick.
“Where do you want us to set up?”
Nick pointed to an area to the left of the tables, where they’d arranged a few rectangular tables for the food. Four bars serving drinks would be in all corners of the grounds.
“Okay, will do,” the head caterer said as they returned to the vans to collect their equipment and the food and drinks.
Bob walked up to Nick, “Hey man, thanks fo
r inviting me. This is really great.”
“Thanks, Bob.”
Nick walked over to Parker and Aiden, who were unfolding a rectangular table. “Great job guys. We really appreciate your help.”
“Thanks Coach Nick. We appreciate your help too,” Aiden answered. “You’ve made a big difference here.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be around to see you guys get out of this place one day and get yourselves into a good college football program.”
“Thanks, Coach!” Aiden said.
“That means a lot to us Coach,” Parker added.
***
At 6:10 p.m., the sun set, so Nick, Tanner, Piper, and Bob turned on the many lights that were adorning the grounds. With all of the lights, the night appeared as the day. Christmas music played over the speakers, which would be used to fill the time between the band’s songs.
The first guests arrived at 6:30 p.m. and by 7:00 p.m., the party was bursting at the seams with guests and foster children. The staff had dressed the children in fancy Christmas outfits, which had been donated by the board in recognition of the party.
“They look adorable, Nick, “Piper said, “I love the little girls’ bouncy polka-dotted skirts and red tops. And the teens’ outfits, leggings and oversized button-down blouses, look like something I’d wear. Very nice. Oh, and the boys look good too. Can’t complain about sporty beige pants and solid button-downs.”
“Yeah, they’re looking good.”
Nick then heard a champagne glass clank and spotted Joan on the stage with the microphone in her hand. “Hello. My name is Joan Landers and I’m the interim chairman of the board of the Collins’ Foster Home.”
The crowd clapped and turned their attention to Joan.
“I just want to be the first to welcome all of you to this blessed event in which we will be celebrating our Lord and Savior’s birthday and celebrating the opening of five new homes on our campus. The homes are now occupied by fifty children, including many sibling groups, from our county. They’re staffed with loving and caring full-time and part-time employees and volunteers who attend to their security needs and any issues that arise. We are truly blessed to be able to open our homes and our hearts to these special children.”
The crowd clapped again.
“And we owe all of this to Catherine and Nick O’Brien. They came to us last summer and listened to our needs and our dreams. Without blinking an eye, they agreed to fulfill our dreams by building ten additional homes on our campus. Without blinking an eye, they opened their wallets and donated generously to this worthy cause. Thank you, Catherine and Nick O’Brien.”
The crowd clapped loudly as they turned to face Nick and his mom. He blushed as he felt the eyes of over five hundred people on him. He smiled and looked at his mom, intentionally attempting to shift the attention to her. She’s the one who donated the money.
“Catherine and Nick, would you please come to the stage and say a few words?”
“Didn’t prepare anything,” Nick thought. “Hopefully Mom has something to say.”
He followed his mom to the stage and helped her climb up its stairs.
“Thank you, Joan,” his mom said as she took the microphone. “I’d like to share a story with all of you. It’s a story of a CEO who for many years cared about her son, her company, her ambitions, and her possessions. That was it. She lived in a mansion and had a yacht and drove a Ferrari. She snubbed her nose at anyone who didn’t share her same ambitions or work ethic. She threw around strong opinions and judgments of those who’d made different choices in their lives, placing all blame on them for any of their poor choices. That CEO was me.
My son was my saving grace. He cared about others, whether the homeless man we found sitting outside of the Beachfront Grill, the people he saw fishing in the ocean for their dinners as we drove by in our Ferrari, the kids he bonded with while coaching at the summer camp, or for the thousands of people living in Florida who’d suffer if changes weren’t made to our education, environment, or welfare programs.” She paused as she looked over to Governor Clark and his family and said, “It’s a blessing that you were elected, Governor Clark, since you have a heart for the people. I wish I’d thrown a fundraiser for you, but apparently one wasn’t needed.”
The crowd laughed and clapped.
“Well, God wasn’t appreciative of the life I was living, so he thought he’d throw me a curve ball. On Friday, June 13th, I was diagnosed with stage four cancer and told to get my life together because I only had a few months to live. But I was still stubborn and judgmental and self-righteous. My son told me that if I died, he’d donate most of his inheritance to the church, so I balked, because that’s what you do when you’re married to your possessions. Apparently I needed more help seeing the light.”
“Two weeks later, my nurse and I were on the way to a chemo appointment when we were hit by a car heading the wrong way down the highway. I found myself in a coma on the hospital bed. When I became conscious, I could hear my son and his friend Tanner desperately reading the Bible to me, hoping to share the good word of Jesus Christ. I finally listened. I’d denied my Savior before and had doubted that he was anything more than a myth. My son and his friend proved me wrong using words from both the Old and New Testaments.”
“Soon I found myself in the warmth of a very bright light and I felt a love unlike any other love that I’d ever felt in my life; it was all-encompassing, forgiving, and compassionate. Jesus Christ. My life flashed before me and I had the epiphany that God wanted me to have.”
“Not too long later, the doctor announced that my cancer was getting better and that there was a possibility I could pull through this. That’s why I’m here. I want to share everything I have with all of you. Thank you, all of you, for giving me this opportunity. And most especially, thank you Nick. If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened.” She turned and hugged Nick, whose eyes were streaming tears. He hated crying in front of a crowd, but this time he couldn’t control himself. He wiped his eyes and whispered into his mom’s ear, “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”
The crowd clapped wildly as both stepped off of the stage. Nick scanned the crowd to find his friends. He first sighted Bob, who was sitting next to a pretty blonde girl. Bob spotted him and gave him a thumbs up and a toothy grin. Then he saw Piper, Tanner, and Marlis, who were seated at the next table over. The empty chair next to Piper was calling his name.
“I’m going to head over to my friends’ table.”
“I’m going to go sit next to Joan,” his mom said.
Nick strolled over to the table with his friends and sat down next to Piper.
“Thanks for all of your help today,” he said with tears still welling in his eyes.
“I can’t imagine any place else that I’d rather be,” she said.
The band began to play a song that everyone knew: “Joy to the World, the Lord is come, Let earth receive her King…”
***
Throughout the night, under the lights, and to the tune of an assortment of Christmas songs, people walked over to the Christmas tree carrying gifts for the children. They donated scooters, bikes, games, books, toys, clothing, and money to the children and the home. By the end of the night, the tree was surrounded by hundreds of gifts, which were piled high and far. Across from the tree, a donation table held a large stack of envelopes, carrying the generous donations of the donors at the celebration. People’s donations far exceeded the expectations of Catherine, Nick, and the Board. They were overjoyed about everyone’s generosity and would soon plan the construction of more homes.
***
Six days later, on Christmas morning, the foster children awoke to find gifts waiting for them around a Christmas tree, which the caretakers had set up in each of the homes. Joan reported to Catherine and Nick that the children were thrilled when they opened their gifts. That day many celebrated better Christma
ses than they’d ever had. Nick was pleased that they were thrilled, but the thrill he felt far exceeded anything they could have been feeling. Giving is always superior to receiving.
About the Author:
S.J. Thomason lives with her two rambunctious, yet adorable sons, handsome hubby, and chief security officer/pooch, her schnauzer-mix dog. She works as a college professor, teaching business management courses in a medium-sized comprehensive university. That helps to pay the mortgage. In her spare time, she publishes academic articles on human resource selection, assessment, and performance, yet derives her greatest sense of satisfaction when writing on Christian themes.
She's spent the past few decades attempting to reconcile the logic and rationality of nature with the unexplained force of love within. World religions address the latter, yet none so perfectly and comprehensively as Christianity. By diving into the academic, literary, and church communities, she's found many answers to the complicated questions of life, strengthening her commitment and dedication to Christ. She can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @sjthomason1225.
A Closing Thought
I’m riding down the road, with Jesus at the wheel.
He lightens up my load, through Him my pain is healed.
Lord, bless me on our way; that I use your gifts well.
Help me not to stray, with You I yearn to dwell.
Wayward Paths and Golden Handcuffs Page 16