Crunch

by Rick Bundschuh

  “Really? You don’t mind?”

  “Maggie will thank you; she’s been after me to get back into running. I’m still carrying around all the stuff I ate at Christmastime.”

  “Okay then, it’s a deal,” Bethany said happily. “I’ll set the alarm on my watch.”

  “Don’t forget the time change. And I’ll bring the stick.”

  “A stick? What for?”

  “Ah, if you’re going to go for a jog around here, carrying a stick with you is a good idea.”

  “For muggers?” Bethany asked worriedly. Holly might forgive her for an early morning run, but not for a mugger.

  “Yeah…the four-legged kind,” Eddie laughed. “The stray dogs around here can sometimes get a little too close for comfort.”

  Bethany nodded casually, but her mind raced. What have I got us into now, Holly? she thought with a twinge of doubt—not just about the run—but the whole trip. Then she remembered her dad’s words just before she got on the plane: “Just trust in God and let him lead you, Bethany. He’s the best father any of us could ever imagine having.”

  “Papa!”

  Eduardo shot up from the pallet he had been sleeping on and looked around. It was dark, but he knew if he reached out his arm he could touch the cot his mother and sister slept on, knew that the other two cots his four brothers shared would be just beyond that. He put his hand to his chest, feeling his heart still racing from the dream. And what a good dream it was!

  He had been running down a beautiful soccer field. So much green! He had never seen that much green in one place. He grinned to himself, remembering how he scored a goal for his team and how good it felt when his teammates thumped his back with congratulations. His smile faded as he recalled searching for his father’s face in the stand filled with people.

  For just a moment, he thought he’d spotted him when he saw a man stand up and begin to walk toward him through the crowd. But people kept getting in his way, and no matter how hard Eduardo squinted, he couldn’t make out the man’s face.

  Eduardo shivered but resisted the urge to crawl onto his mother’s cot. If his brothers woke up and saw him there, he would never hear the end of it. They would say he was loco to dream that he would do anything other than rummage through other people’s garbage. They would also say that he was a baby to call out to a father he had never had.

  Eduardo grimaced and curled up on his pallet again. He wasn’t a baby. He was five years old—old enough to know better than to wake his mother, and old enough to know he needed some sleep before he had to get up and go to work again.

  Still, he thought as his eyes began to grow heavy with sleep, it would have been nice if he could have seen that man’s face. It would be nice to at least pretend he had a father.

  two

  “That’s weird,” Bethany said, trying to catch her breath as she and Holly ended their run at the empty space where their van had been parked. “I wonder who left so early?”

  “I don’t know,” Holly gasped, holding her side. “I didn’t think there was anyone besides you who was crazy enough to get up this early.”

  “I thought you girls needed a jogging companion, not a racing competitor,” panted an older voice. Bethany and Holly laughed as they spotted Eddie heading toward them in a slow, weary trot.

  “We only sprinted the last block when we saw we were back at the dorm,” Bethany grinned. “Thanks for running with us; we wouldn’t have felt safe without you.”

  “Oh, you’re welcome,” Eddie said as he bent over to catch his breath. “This was a good wake-up call for me. I am so out of shape!”

  “I shoulda warned you about her,” Holly chuckled. “It’s never a run; it’s always a race!”

  “Hey, did you three enjoy your morning jog around luxurious Tijuana?” Sarah grinned as she stepped onto the porch of the dorm wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt to ward off the cool morning air. In her hand was a large mug of steaming coffee.

  Sarah started to say something else when Bethany saw her eyes dart to the empty spot where the van had been.

  “Eddie, where’s the van?”

  “I don’t have any idea,” Eddie said, suddenly glancing around. “Did one of your drivers take the kids somewhere?”

  “No, the drivers are inside having breakfast!” Sarah said with the start of panic in her voice.

  “Uh-oh.”

  Bethany and Holly looked at each other. They didn’t like the sound of the “uh-oh” or the sudden creepy thought that someone dangerous could be nearby.

  Sarah hurried back into the dorm, and Eddie, wiping his forehead on his sleeve, followed behind her.

  “This is not good,” Bethany whispered to Holly as they quickly followed them inside.

  “Okay, guys, the blue van is missing,” Sarah announced as she entered the dining room. “Did anyone see anyone strange around the dorm this morning?”

  Eyes darted back and forth. A few kids shrugged. Bethany noticed that Monica, Jenna, and Malia were speechless for once as they stared back at Sarah with wide eyes.

  “Oh, man. I knew you should’ve let me be in charge of the van,” Dano said, trying to lighten the mood. Kai elbowed him and gave him a dark, brotherly scowl before he turned to look at Bethany and Holly.

  “You guys didn’t see anything on your run?” Kai asked Bethany and Holly. They shook their heads.

  “Wait a minute. I have the keys,” Sarah said, glancing at Eddie. “How could the van be gone?”

  “Hate to say it, but the thieves in this part of the neighborhood can be very resourceful,” Eddie replied sadly. “They can bypass ignition systems with just a screwdriver and a wire cutter.”

  “They took a rental van!” Mike exclaimed, frustrated.

  “Do you have insurance?” Eddie asked.

  “Yeah, both here and in the States,” Sarah said slowly, pursing her lips. Bethany knew she was trying to come up with some sort of plan.

  “You know, I can’t help thinking that we can make something good come out of this,” Eddie said. “Maggie and I always seem to get hit with something crazy just before God leads us to someone in need.”

  Trust in God and let him lead you. Bethany heard her dad’s voice whisper through her mind. In spite of her fears of the unknown, she said a quick prayer that God would lead Sarah—would lead them all—to wherever it was that they needed to be.

  “Okay,” Sarah said finally. “We might have to cram people in or shuttle, but I think we should try to stick with our plans.”

  “That’s the spirit!” Eddie smiled. “I think this would be a good time for us to pray.”

  “A five-minute time limit for showers is crazy,” Monica grumbled as she strolled into their dorm room with a towel on her head.

  “From the wettest place on earth to the driest place on earth,” Jenna said, digging through her duffel bag.

  “Well, like Kai says, we aren’t in Kansas anymore,” Bethany said as she sat on her cot, drying her hair with a beach towel.

  “Or Hawaii,” Holly interjected. “I can’t remember ever hearing about a car being stolen back home.”

  “That’s because we live on an island.” Bethany laughed. “My mom says if our car was ever stolen, we’d just sit in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Sooner or later the thief would have to drive by.”

  The girls all laughed.

  “Is there anyone else that is creeped out by this besides me?” Monica asked.

  “I am,” Jenna answered truthfully.

  “Me too,” Malia said.

  “I’m kind of creeped out,” Holly admitted slowly as she glanced at Bethany. “I keep wondering how we’re going to do anything good if stuff like this keeps happening.”

  Bethany nodded. “Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing. But then I thought about what Eddie said, and I have this gut feeling that he’s right about something good being on the other side. Think about it. Most of the people we’ve listened to who’ve gone on mission trips have stories of tough stuff happe
ning. But they trusted God and kept going. They all thought the trip was worth the hard stuff.”

  “Remember when I got hurt on our trip to Samoa?” Malia said. “If that hadn’t happened, you probably never would’ve talked to Liam about God.”

  Bethany’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! And how about when we first met Jenna? If I had ignored what God was trying to tell me, we wouldn’t all be friends right now!”

  “And I would’ve probably drowned,” Jenna added.

  “And our cliff adventure,” Holly reminded them. “We wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for those people we helped.”

  Bethany grinned, feeling their excitement return with each memory, and she recalled a verse Sarah liked to quote: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.”

  “Geez, Bethany, I never noticed how much Rip Curl stuff you have,” Jenna said, suddenly plopping down on the bunk as she rifled through Bethany’s duffel bag. “Rip Curl duffle bag, Rip Curl daypack, Rip Curl sweatshirt…”

  “Well, she is sponsored by Rip Curl,” Malia said dramatically.

  “Too bad they don’t make makeup,” Holly said, and they all laughed.

  “How about money?” Monica asked. “Have they started giving you money to surf?”

  “Only pros get money from their sponsors,” Bethany answered, pulling her long blonde hair into a ponytail. “I haven’t gone pro yet, so I get free stuff and my travel expenses paid for.”

  “How much free stuff?” Monica pressed, and everyone groaned. “How are they going to know if she wears all of that—or if she gives it to her friends to wear?” Monica asked defensively.

  “The point is, I agreed to represent them in contests and by wearing their clothing,” Bethany explained. “It’s not about what they do or don’t find out, it’s about my word. I gave my word.”

  “Yeah, well what they don’t know won’t hurt them,” Monica said with a small smile.

  “No, you don’t get it, Monica. It’s about my honesty and making sure that if I make a promise I keep it, even if there is no contract or anything in writing.”

  “Nobody does that, Bethany. That’s why there are stacks of contracts and lawyers for everything,” Monica said, exasperated. But her eyes said something else, Bethany thought. Almost like she wanted what Bethany said to be true—that people really did keep their promises.

  A call to gather in the main room interrupted the conversation and the girls left their dorm room to join the others downstairs.

  As they entered the room, Bethany glanced at the bars covering the windows and, for the first time since they arrived, was glad they were there. She spotted Kai slouched low next to Dano on one of the sofas. He slid his eyes from her to the bars and back to her with a look that said he was thinking the same thing.

  “Okay, the good news is that since we were insured, the theft of the van is covered,” Sarah announced as she looked around the room. “The bad news is that it will take Mike all day to get the paperwork straightened out and to rent us another vehicle. So, we’re going to have to do some reshuffling for today.”

  Hands popped up all around.

  “Did you call the police?”

  “Yes, right away. Eddie has already talked to them.”

  “Do they think they’ll be able to find the van?”

  “They aren’t real optimistic. Eddie thinks it’s probably being painted another color at this very moment,” Sarah said with a “what are you going to do?” shrug. “So, our new plan for today is that those of you who rode in my van will go by cab to an orphanage and provide the kids with some Hawaiian entertainment.”

  “Define entertainment,” Bethany said with a wary note to her voice, and everyone laughed—including Sarah.

  “Well, I’ve asked Kai to play his ukulele, so I need any of you who know how to hula to jump on that team with him. If you can think of anything uniquely Hawaiian we can add to the mix, jump in now.”

  “How about something on surfing?” Monica suggested.

  “Kinda hard to show and tell without an ocean,” Sarah said.

  “Bethany has a video of her surfing. You should make her go and explain it,” Holly interjected with a grin in Bethany’s direction that said “gotcha.” Bethany took it in stride; she had volunteered Holly for way more than a video show. Besides, she was still trying to picture Kai playing a ukulele. She raised her eyebrows at him, and he gave her a good-natured scowl.

  “Bethany?”

  “Okay. I do have the video my brother shot at the Pine Trees contest. It’s on my iPod.”

  “The kids would probably love to see something like that—if you’re willing,” Sarah said, adding a charming smile to the request.

  “I’ll do it,” Bethany grinned back. “I have the plug-ins if they have the TV.”

  “Eddie?”

  “It works as long as the city power is on.”

  “Okay, those of you who are going to the orphanage meet with me. The rest of you will be helping to build houses this morning. Make sure only to bring with you what you need. Don’t bring anything you are not willing to part with. Eddie says we’ll be in a part of town where things might get stolen.”

  A burst of movement followed as everyone scrambled to get their gear together.

  Since Bethany already had her iPod, she opted to sit on the steps with Sarah and watch Eddie’s group load the trailer with lumber and supplies.

  “I’ve never built a house before,” tall, skinny Ben was saying as he slid some lumber into the trailer.

  “Me neither,” his friend Jeff said with an excited grin.

  “If you can swing a hammer and hit the nail—at least most of the time—you will be fine,” Eddie said.

  “Why would anyone want to live in a house we made?” asked Ben.

  “The people we’re building for are people who have run out of options,” Eddie explained. “You will find them extremely grateful that they get a roof over their heads and a place to call their own—even if it is a rough, ten-by-ten-foot room.”

  “Ten-by-ten-foot? That’s not a house; that’s a storage shed!”

  “It’s a lot more than they have now,” Eddie said over his shoulder as he went for another armload of lumber.

  Bethany glanced at Sarah. “I was really hoping we would be helping build some homes today too,” she admitted as she continued to watch Eddie’s team. “But I keep reminding myself that there’s got to be a reason our plans were changed—that since God’s in charge, he allowed this to happen for a reason.”

  “That’s exactly how I’m looking at it too,” Sarah said, putting her arm around Bethany’s shoulder. “The minute I realized we would have to settle for a cab—something that we couldn’t load lumber in—I just knew God had different plans for us today. And then Eddie suggested the orphanage.”

  “Kind of like following along with a really good mystery, huh?” Bethany said with a small smile, reminding Sarah of a story she had told them not long ago.

  “Exactly!” Sarah grinned. “You never know how it’s going to turn out until you get to the end of the book.”

  “Ever wish you could turn to the last page for a little peek?” Bethany asked.

  Sarah laughed out loud. “Always! But then that would kind of spoil the mystery, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” Bethany nodded. But she still couldn’t help wondering what lay ahead for them—and what was so important that God had decided to change their plans.

  Eduardo couldn’t believe his eyes. He had only been working for a couple of hours when he found a large, clear trash bag filled with shiny pots and pans. Expensive ones at that! Heavy too, he thought as he dragged the bag down the slope of the trash heap toward his home.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” his brother Manuel called out to him as he looked up from his spot with narrowed eyes.

  Eduardo ignored him and kept pulling the bag, yelling for his mother as soon as he saw he was close enough for her to hear him. She
hurried out the door with his baby sister on her hip, eyes wide with worry until she realized that he wasn’t hurt.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed as she spotted his find. He grinned proudly as she rushed over and studied the contents of the bag. “You are such a good boy—eyes like an eagle!”

  “We can sell these for good money?” Eduardo asked.

  “Yes,” his mother said, lovingly brushing his hair back from his face. “This will be a big help—so big that I think you deserve to take the rest of the day off.”

  Eduardo was so elated that tears of gratitude sprang to his eyes. He quickly blinked them back. “So I can go?”

  “Yes,” his mother said, laughing as she watched him spring into action and run across the tiny compound. “But Eduardo, come back, okay?” she called after him. “I really need you with me!”

  “I’ll be back, Mama,” he called over his shoulder. “I promise!”

  And he would be back. He loved his mother. He had told her about his dream, and she hadn’t made fun of him. Instead, she had suggested that the man he had thought was his father may have been God. Eduardo had thought about God all morning, even prayed for God to help him. And look what happened! It was like the miracles they spoke of at the orphanage.

  Eduardo picked up his pace, running as fast as his five-year-old legs would carry him. He had so many questions—but one in particular that he just had to find the answer to.

  three

  “There he is!” Maggie announced from behind Bethany. Bethany turned to check out their new ride.

  It was a green, dented-up, older model station wagon with the word Taxi written in bright yellow, but very large, old-English-style script on each front door.

  The driver looked to be in his early twenties and wore a Yankees baseball cap turned backward on his head. He smiled at Sarah and the teens as they climbed into the station wagon.

  “Maggie, please tell Miguel we really appreciate him agreeing to this at the last moment,” Sarah said as she closed the door.