Salvaged: A Love Story

by Stefne Miller

  “Oh.” I was shocked by his bluntness. He was laying it all out there for me to know, and I was completely caught off guard by his honesty—and by his feelings.

  “Look, right now I just wanna be your friend. I want us to hang out and get to know each other. I want you to know me so that when I do ask you out you’ll say yes. I don’t ever want you to think that this is a game for me because it isn’t.”

  “When are you planning on asking me out?”

  “Depends on what time of the day you move out.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “But for right now, we’re just friends; nothing changes, all right? Don’t worry about anything. Don’t act weird or uncomfortable.”

  “All right. And once I move out?”

  “Katy bar the door.”

  “You best prepare yourself, Riley, I may say no.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “I could.”

  “You could, but you won’t.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Do you really think you might say no?”

  “No. I’m a sixteen-year-old girl; I’m only human.”

  “Oh trust me, I know that all too well.”

  Jesus appeared as soon as my ear buds were in and the music was on. “Did you have a good day?”

  “I did. It was a great day.”

  He smiled at me. “I could tell.”

  “Church was great. I’ve never spent time with you when so many other people were around. It was powerful.”

  “Both forms of communication are important, Attie.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when you spend one-on-one time with me, we’re building an intimate connection; we’re making you stronger and building your faith. You come to know who I am on a more personal basis.

  “When you take part in corporate worship, it’s less about you and more about worshipping me, lifting up my name so that I might pour out my blessings on the church as a whole.

  “Following me isn’t just about having one-on-one time with me. It’s about walking out this door and being my hands and feet out there in the world. It’s when my flock joins together that my work can truly begin.

  “You miss out on all that I can do in your life when you limit our relationship to just you and me. I created people to be relational creatures, to need others who they can share experiences with.”

  “That makes sense. I’m more than willing to get involved in church.”

  “It’s more than just church, Attie. Do you remember the dream you had in the hospital?”

  “Of course.”

  “I asked you to go on a new journey with me.”

  “Yes.”

  “That journey is going to take place outside of these four walls. This isn’t just about us, our relationship. It’s about you being willing to do whatever I ask of you.”

  “I can do that.”

  “Following me isn’t easy, but it is rewarding. Up to this point, I’ve allowed you to take time to heal, to get to know me, and trust me more. I can only teach you so much of that here, under the confines of our conversations. For you to completely heal and to learn to trust me, you’re going to have to walk it out, and that means taking the risk of involving yourself in other people’s lives. Not only that, but allowing other people to be involved in yours.”

  “I’ll do whatever you ask.”

  “Good. I’m sure I’ll be reminding you that you said that,” he teased.

  “Probably,” I conceded.

  “So what about this whole Riley thing? How do you feel about knowing that he likes you—as more than a friend?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you feel the same?”

  “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it. I didn’t think it could be like that between us, so the possibility never entered my mind.”

  “I’ve noticed your heart rate goes up a little when he’s around.”

  “What are you, a doctor now?”

  “Well, I’ve been known to heal the sick and raise people from the dead. You know, that kind of thing.” He was being sarcastic but truthful at the same time.

  “What do you think about it? Do you see a problem with it? With Riley and me?”

  “No. I think you need to be careful. You’re both young and hormonal, and you’re in situations that can make avoiding physical contact very difficult. I believe that he’s being very respectful to keep his distance until you’re out of the house. It shows that he knows his limitations and that he’s willing to give himself boundaries. There aren’t many seventeen-year-old boys that are willing to do that.”

  “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

  “I think you’re in very good hands, relatively speaking of course. I believe that he’s good for you. You’re good for each other.”

  “So I have your blessing if I end up becoming interested?”

  “You have my blessing once you have his parents blessing. And by the way, I don’t think that there’s any doubt whether or not you’re interested.”

  We talked more about the day and my new friends, and then at ten o’clock there was a knock at my bedroom door.

  “Come in.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for me?”

  As I made my way to the door, I heard growling. “What in the world?” I swung open the door. “Riley?”

  He was wearing a football helmet, shoulder pads without a shirt, cutoff sweatpants, cleats with no socks, and a baseball bat rested on his right shoulder.

  “Um, excuse me, ma’am,” he said in a deep voice. “Did someone call about needing me to come kick some monster butt tonight?” He was trying to be serious and keep himself from laughing, but I couldn’t hide my amusement. He looked completely ridiculous.

  I decided to play along and started fanning myself with my hands before throwing my arm across my forehead. “Why yes, sir, I did.” It was a very bad Scarlett O’Hara impression. “I need a big strappin’ young man to save me.”

  “Well … ” Riley doubled over laughing but tried to regain his composure. “I’m here to save you!”

  I dramatically sighed. “Oh thank God!”

  Before I knew what was happening, he scooped me up and threw me over his left shoulder. One of the shoulder pads poked into my rib, but I was laughing too hard to care.

  “I’ve got you, Miss; you’ll be safe tonight,” he said, stomping toward his bedroom.

  As he swung me around I saw his dad standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at us like we were crazy.

  “Hi, Pops!”

  He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

  Carrying me into his room, Riley threw me onto his bed and started beating his chest with his fists. “Bring it on!”

  “Riley!” At this point I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face.

  He hopped onto the bed and jumped while still beating his chest.

  “Riley! Stop, Riley! I can’t laugh anymore! My stomach hurts!” I felt like I was falling and then realized we were lying on the floor. The bed had collapsed, and we were sprawled out on the ground.

  “What in God’s name is going on up there?”

  “We’re just havin’ some fun, Dad.”

  “What kind of fun, Riley? Never mind, don’t answer that!”

  “It’s okay, Dad; we’re just playin’ around!”

  “Your dad probably thinks we’re up here doing some weird teenage mating ritual.”

  Riley wiped tears from his eyes. “There’s no telling what’s going through that man’s mind.”

  I jumped up and raced to my room. “Don’t move, Riley. Don’t move!” Throwing
open my dresser drawer, I grabbed my camera and ran back to his room. “I’ve got to get a picture of this!”

  Riley stood up and posed in various positions while I snapped away.

  “Enough up there already! People are trying to sleep down here for crying out loud!”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Riley removed his cleats. “He’s probly been sitting on the bottom step this entire time. He’s so freakin’ paranoid.”

  “Well then, I guess it’s a good thing he doesn’t know how you really feel about me.”

  He looked at me over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you’re gonna bring that up, are you?”

  “No. Subject dropped.”

  “Thank you. It was embarrassing enough the first time.”

  “So do I get a performance like this every night?”

  “I don’t think so. I already broke the bed, and I think I pulled a groin muscle.”

  “Don’t tell your dad; he really will lose his mind.”

  He laid the sleeping bags onto the floor and climbed in.

  “You can sleep on the bed, Riley. It isn’t fair for you to have to sleep on the floor too.”

  “Need I remind you that we broke my bed?”

  “We didn’t break your bed; you did!”

  He shrugged and then propped himself up on his elbow. “Sleeping on the floor is no big deal. I go camping all the time, and that’s much harder. You wake up and you’ve got a rock in your back and a twig up your butt or something.”

  “Ooh, sounds so appealing. I’m sorry I’ve been missing out.” I threw my hair into a knot and then climbed into the sleeping bag next to him. “I really do love sleeping in a sleeping bag. It’s the most comfy thing ever. It’s got to be the closest thing to actually being in the womb.”

  “I can’t believe you’ve never been camping. You’d love it.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so.” He grinned and pumped his eyebrows up and down. “I was right about the Coney, wasn’t I?”

  “Yes, Riley, you were right about the Coney.”

  “So, will you go camping with me if I plan a trip?”

  I raised my eyebrows back at him. “Will you wear the helmet and pads again?”

  “Not while I’m camping, but I’ll wear it again … when you least expect it.”

  “I can’t wait. That was the highlight of my day.”

  He frowned. “That was the highlight of your day? I think you just shattered my heart into a trillion little pieces.”

  “It was one of them—one of the highlights of my day.”

  He smiled again. “Go to sleep, Charlie.”

  chapter 12

  “Atticus, don’t you look beautiful this morning! And so well rested.”

  “Thanks, Gramps!” I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I slept all night last night.”

  He waved his right hand in the air. “Praise the Lord! I’ve been prayin’ that God would send a guardian angel to protect you at night.”

  I pictured Riley in his hero costume. “He did, Gramps. God sent me a guardian angel.”

  “God is good, Atticus. Isn’t he faithful?”

  I couldn’t have agreed more. “Yes, Gramps, he is. He’s very faithful.”

  “So Thomas tells me that you’ll be startin’ counseling with Joshua Crawford tomorrow mornin’.”

  “Yes, I will, so I won’t be in for work until about nine thirty or so.”

  “That’s not a problem, Princess. I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’ll have somebody to talk to, especially with the anniversary of the accident right around the corner.”

  I groaned. I’d been trying to forget that the anniversary was next Monday. I was hoping it would come and go without anyone noticing.

  “Are you plannin’ on doing anything special on that day?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it, Gramps.” That was a lie of course; I’d probably spent hours debating whether or not I should mark the day in some special way.

  “You know, you don’t have to do anything if you don’t wanna.”

  “I know. We’ll see.” It was time to change the subject. “So what’s on the agenda at the clinic today?”

  “Well, we’ve got a lot of boarded animals right now with it bein’ summer vacation time and all. I was thinkin’ you could start with feedin’ ‘em and playin’ with ‘em a little.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “Later this afternoon I’ve gotta head on over to the Truman place to check out some horses. You can join me if you’d like.”

  “Awesome.”

  As we pulled in behind the clinic, I could hear the dogs barking. This was always one of my favorite moments of the day. The animals got excited because they knew that people were arriving and they were about to get some company.

  Walking into the clinic felt like entering heaven. Among the crazy, hectic, and cruel world sat this clinic—a refuge. Within its walls was a man who loved me more than life itself, and I could spend my time caring for the wonderful creatures who visited.

  The clinic hadn’t changed at all. Just inside the door sat a bucket of dog treats. He must have been using the same brand because when I picked one up and smelled it, the scent was familiar.

  Eight orange plastic chairs lined the walls, and there was a small coffee table with animal magazines and a Bible stacked on top. The wall above the chairs was decorated with a scripture:

  And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

  And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

  Genesis 1:24–25 (kjv)

  I smiled at the memory of my grandmother standing on a ladder and painting the words. I’d been sitting on the floor watching her as I played with a new litter of puppies and she sang hymns.

  Me-Maw worked at the clinic every day answering the phone, cleaning cages, and anything else that needed to be done. She did it all because she loved working alongside her soul mate. Seeing as how she spent all her time here, so did my dad. He was literally raised in this clinic. My grandparents had a small bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen added to the back of the clinic so that Me-Maw could care for her child and assist her husband simultaneously. After Me-Maw passed away several years ago, Gramps moved into the clinic permanently. Aside from my family visiting over the summers, he didn’t have any other family, so he figured he’d move in with the animals and they could keep him company.

  As I walked past Gramps’s office, I saw Me-Maw’s white vet coat still hanging on the back of Gramps’s desk chair.

  As we walked toward the back of the clinic, the noise became almost deafening. I walked amongst the cages greeting all the animals. Smaller breed dogs were always my favorite, but there were several larger ones that I felt compelled to pet as well. I noticed one small dog in a cage, and unlike the other dogs, it wasn’t clamoring for attention. The small dog (which looked like a poodle mix) huddled in the back of its cage, and its rear leg was in a small cast.

  “Gramps, what’s wrong with this one?”

  “Oh, I call that one Baby. Someone stuffed it in a paper bag and threw it in the trash. Connie West was walkin’ by and heard the poor thing cryin’, so she got it out and brought it to me.”

  I opened the cage door. “Poor Baby.”

  “Be careful, Atticus, she’s very skittish. She dudn’t like people much.”

  “Well, who can blame her?” I slowly reached into the cage and placed my hand just an inch or so from her nose so she could get used to my scent. “Hey there, pretty Baby.
Are you going to let me pick you up?” Reaching in with the other hand, I slowly removed her from the cage. As I held her close to my chest, she fell asleep.

  “Well, look at that, she likes you,” Gramps whispered. “You’ve always had a way with animals.”

  He brought me a sheet and fabricated a sling so that I could keep her close by for the rest of the day, and then I got to work.

  The morning passed quickly as Baby and I fed the other animals and sterilized equipment. I was lost in thought when Gramps interrupted to tell me that I had visitors.

  Walking into the reception area, I was greeted by Anne, Tammy, Tess, and a cheery blonde-headed girl that I’d never met.

  “Oh, look at the puppy!” Tess squealed, running over to me.

  Anne made the introduction. “This is Jennifer. She’s on the cheer squad with us. I thought you might enjoy making a new friend.”

  “Hi!” Jennifer said excitedly. “I’m so happy to meet you. The girls have told me so much about you.”

  I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you too, Jennifer.”

  “And don’t worry,” she added. “I’m on Team Attie.”

  “Team Attie?”

  “Yes, the squad is sorta dividing into two camps. Team Attie or Team Tiffany,” she explained. “So far, Team Attie is bigger.”

  “Why the two teams? Shouldn’t a cheer squad be one team?”

  “Well, evidently Tiffany doesn’t think so. She’s already trying to cause problems for you.”

  “She’s never even met me. What’s she upset about?”

  “Who knows? She likes to be the talk of the town, and now that you’ve arrived, she’s losing ground.”

  “Oh.” Unfortunately, my fear of being the enemy of the girls on the cheer squad was coming to fruition. At least part of the team anyway.

  Anne interrupted my thoughts. “We came to see if you wanted to get some lunch with us.”

  “I don’t know. I need to ask my Gramps.”

  “Gramps says go ahead.” His voice bellowed from the back room. He’d been eavesdropping.

  “Give me just a minute. I need to put Baby back into her cage.”