Right Where I Belong

by Krista McGee

  “What are you thinking?” Spencer asked.

  Natalia sighed. “I’m thinking that you are right. Maybe I do underestimate God’s goodness.”

  Brian Younger Jr.’s face popped into Natalia’s mind and, for the first time, she let it linger.

  Chapter 45

  You okay?” Spencer sat next to Natalia on the plane. But this was a different Spencer than the one who got on the plane just a few days before. Being in Costa Rica had changed him. No, God had changed him. Natalia was pleased, rather than annoyed, to have him as her seatmate.

  “No.” Natalia wiped her eyes. “I’m not okay. I want to stay here.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “The girls in my little group begged me to come back.”

  “So go back—maybe during Christmas or spring break.”

  Natalia thought about how much she’d love to do just that. But where would she ever get the money? The only reason she was able to come this time was . . . “By the way, thanks.”

  “Thanks?” Spencer buckled his seat belt as the stewardess began her preflight speech.

  “I know your family provided the money for me to come on this trip. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “No.” Spencer hung his head. “I’m so embarrassed. It wasn’t my family. I just wanted you to think it was.”

  “Oh.”

  “I was such a jerk.” Spencer watched the flight attendant demonstrate the proper way to use the oxygen mask.

  “I was just thinking of how much you’ve changed. God is really working in you.”

  Spencer smiled. “I wish I’d listened to him before. This is amazing—talking to God, reading his Word. I used to laugh at you guys for your Bible studies. Now I get it.”

  “I’m proud of you, Spencer.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “God spoke to you, and you listened.” Natalia felt the plane back away from the gate.

  Natalia thought of Carmen back home. She prayed her best friend would find Jesus like Spencer did.

  But Spencer didn’t find Jesus because he heard great arguments or read three-page e-mails filled with lessons from Bible class. It was God’s love and grace that broke through to his heart. God, help me show that to Carmen, to love her to you. And thank you for showing me that with you, anything is possible.

  Natalia looked out the window as the plane raced down the runway and shot into the sky. She was leaving a piece of her heart in Costa Rica. She didn’t know if she would ever get it back.

  “Want to talk about it?” Dad asked as Brian stared at the backs of Natalia’s and Spencer’s seats.

  “No.”

  “Can I talk about it, then?”

  “No.” Brian pulled a book out of his backpack and pretended to read.

  “Wuthering Heights? Really?”

  Brian moaned. “It’s for English. I need to get a head start.”

  “If I remember my British literature correctly, that story is about a young man who pines for a girl for so long that he eventually becomes angry and reclusive.”

  “I’m not angry and reclusive.” Brian turned the page. “And I’m not pining for a girl. Who says pining anyway? What are you, eighty?”

  “Right, you’re not angry or pining.” Laughter laced his father’s voice.

  Brian slammed the book shut. “She says over and over again that she doesn’t date. And I respect that. I try to be her friend. And Spencer—who always gets everything he wants—has a spiritual awakening and gets Jesus and Natalia.”

  “How do you know she’s interested?”

  Brian sat up and motioned to the couple with his head. “Look how close they’re sitting, Dad. We’re not sitting that close. Nobody else is sitting that close. And she keeps leaning her head toward him.”

  “The plane is loud, son.” Dad patted Brian’s knee. “She’s just trying to hear him. And be a good friend.”

  “Right, a good friend. That’s exactly what she’s being.” Brian closed his eyes. He didn’t want to talk anymore, didn’t want to see what was going on.

  Come on, God. I try to do what’s right and what do I get? I don’t get the girl. I do get a “message” from you telling me I should do what I most want not to do.

  The more Brian thought about being a missionary, the less he wanted to do it. In fact, just about everything was annoying him right now.

  “I hate turbulence.” Natalia gripped the armrest as the plane bounced up and down. The sky outside her window had grown dark. She knew the pilot was trying to get the aircraft above the storm, but the trip up was not enjoyable.

  “Think about something happier.” Spencer put his hand on Natalia’s. “The girls you worked with. The waterfalls.”

  Natalia pulled her purse out from under her seat. The girls in her group had made her a card. She read it again. “That just makes me sad. Look how sweet these girls are.”

  “Sad is better than scared.” Spencer took the card from Natalia’s hand.

  “Perhaps.” She pointed to the card. “Cassie drew a picture of us singing. Isn’t that cute?”

  “You really loved being with them, didn’t you?”

  “So much.”

  “I think you’d make a great teacher.”

  Natalia sighed. That thought had hardly left her mind all that week. “You, of all people, know how that would sound to my parents. A teacher? At a missionary school?”

  Spencer returned the card. “A waste of your talents.”

  “Not to mention the thousands spent on my education.” Natalia mimicked her father’s baritone voice.

  “I guess I’m lucky. I actually want to do what my dad wants me to do.”

  “Lawyer?”

  “Yes. Ever since I was six years old and went to court with my dad for the first time.” Spencer smiled. “I knew that’s exactly what I wanted to do.”

  “You don’t feel like you were pressured into it?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Dad would probably kill me if I didn’t want to be a lawyer. But I do, so we’re good.”

  Natalia sighed. “What would you do if you didn’t want to be a lawyer?”

  Spencer shook his head. “I’ve been a Christian less than a week. Don’t ask me. The Youngers could probably give you some good advice.”

  “I’m sure they could.” Natalia thought back to the conversation she had with Mrs. Younger, when she explained how she married Pastor Brian despite her parents’ protests over his chosen profession. “I don’t think I’m ready to hear it, though.”

  Chapter 46

  Welcome home!” Calla and Nora sang out in unison.

  Jack had picked Natalia up from the airport, assuring her that “big surprises” were waiting at home.

  Natalia just hoped those big surprises did not include another helping of her stepcousins’ crunchy flan.

  The house was filled with balloons and streamers. The girls had made a cake with “Welcome Back, Natalia” written on it. She guessed the girls had misspelled her name a few times because that part of the cake matched the blue lettering more than it did the white frosting.

  “I’ve only been gone a week.” Natalia laughed. “But thank you. This is all very sweet.”

  “I helped make the cake.” Nora’s blue fingers attested to that fact.

  “Me too.” Calla jumped up. “I cracked the eggs, and I only got a little bit of the outside in there. But I cleaned it all out.”

  Hmmm, crunchy cake? At least these girls have culinary consistency. “You girls are the best. I can’t wait to try it.”

  “Can we have it now, Mommy?” Calla batted her big blue eyes at Carol. “Please?”

  Carol looked at Maureen. “I think that’s fine. Aunt Maureen and Natalia have a lot of catching up to do, so we’ll eat our cake quickly and let them talk.”

  What did that mean? Maureen seemed very happy. Natalia was relieved to see a genuine smile on her stepmother’s face when Natalia walked through the door. Maybe Carol had been able to make some
progress while Natalia was gone.

  Before Carol and her family left, Natalia fished through her suitcase for the bracelets she bought for Maureen’s nieces. “These are made from trees grown right in Costa Rica.”

  “Wow.” Nora put the bracelet on very slowly, her eyes wide.

  “Thank you, Natalia!” Calla hugged Natalia’s legs. “I love it.”

  “I’m glad you love it.” Natalia kissed the top of the girls’ head.

  “So . . . ,” Natalia asked Maureen as soon as their guests had left. “What do we have to talk about?”

  Maureen sat on the couch and motioned for Natalia to sit beside her. “Let’s talk about your trip first. We’ve done enough talking about me lately.”

  Natalia didn’t need any prompting. She told Maureen everything she could remember about the school, the church, the girls in her group, the food, the sights and smells. “It was wonderful, Maureen.”

  “It sounds wonderful.” She clicked through the pictures on Natalia’s cell phone. “Most of your photos are of the girls in your group.”

  Natalia looked at the picture on the screen—Alayna’s mouth was wide open, singing “La Cucaracha” at one of their rehearsals on the patio. “They asked if I could come back.”

  “When?”

  “Whenever I can,” Natalia said. “But sometime before the summer, or all of these girls will be gone. Their parents are only at the language school for a year at most. Then they go to the country where they’ll be serving.”

  “Maybe I can go with you next time.” Maureen wiped Natalia’s hair from her face. “I could even see if we could make it a ministry for my Spanish classes. Wouldn’t that be exciting?”

  Natalia sat back. “Who are you, and what have you done with Maureen?”

  “You sound so American.” Maureen laughed. “But you’re right. I’m not the same person I was when you left.”

  “Carol?”

  Maureen cocked her head to the side. “Actually, Natalia, it was you.”

  “Really?”

  “The day you left, I sat here feeling sorry for myself, moping around as usual. And then I saw your note.”

  In all the excitement of the mission trip, Natalia had forgotten she had left a note for her.

  Maureen pulled the note out of the side-table drawer. “‘Dear Maureen, I know you are struggling now, and you are questioning your decisions. But I will always be grateful that God allowed you to come into my life. You introduced me to him, and you taught me about him. Thank you for that. I am praying God will help you see how special you are, how loved you are by him and by me.’”

  Maureen put the note back in its envelope and placed it in the drawer. “I had been beating myself up over my mistakes. You were right. But reading that note made me see that good came out of those mistakes. You came out of it. And I would never, ever trade my relationship with you for anything.”

  Natalia wiped tears of joy from her eyes. “I feel exactly the same way.”

  “Good.” Maureen wiped her eyes. “Because I intend to be around for you a lot more. I want this to be your best year ever. I want you going off to college knowing you have an ex-stepmother in Tampa who loves you very much.”

  Natalia winced. “We really need to come up with something better than ‘ex-stepmother.’ That sounds even worse than stepmother.”

  Maureen’s laugh was loud. Natalia loved the sound of it. “Very true. How about we just stick to Maureen?”

  “Maureen it is.” Natalia returned her embrace. “Welcome back.”

  Chapter 47

  I can’t believe you’re getting on a plane again.” Maureen pulled Natalia’s suitcase out of her trunk.

  Natalia’s father called the day after she returned from Costa Rica. He had a business meeting in New York and wanted Natalia to fly up and meet him there. “I still wonder what he wants.”

  “Oscar’s your father.” Maureen slammed the trunk closed. “He wants to spend time with you.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Natalia knew the mention of him was difficult for Maureen.

  “I will be.” Maureen nodded. “I have my first appointment with a counselor today. I know I have a lot to work through, and I can’t work through it all alone. Pastor Brian recommended her.”

  “I’m so proud of you.” Natalia hugged Maureen.

  “Hey, that’s supposed to be my line.”

  Natalia spent the flight praying about how to broach the subject of teaching with her father. Time away from the girls hadn’t lessened her desire to teach. In fact, it had just grown. She missed them so much that she tried to call Brian and see if they could offer a special class for the children of the students in their Thursday-night class. Brian hadn’t returned her call yet. But he would. Natalia wondered at his avoidance of her lately, but assumed it was just the emotions of the mission trip. She felt it too.

  Lord, how do I tell my papa I don’t just want to teach, but I want to consider teaching overseas? That idea had settled into her mind and wouldn’t stop replaying. She couldn’t imagine anything more fulfilling than living in Costa Rica and teaching missionary kids. I’d have to study Bible and education in college, but that would be exciting. In researching online she learned that she could even complete her student teaching overseas.

  Papa would understand. He was passionate, so he would appreciate the passion she had for this. Mamá would be harder to convince, but surely she would come around too. They both love what they do. I’m sure they want the same for me.

  Peace washed over her as she exited the plane. God was going to work all of this out.

  Papa began talking nonstop from the moment he greeted Natalia. She understood some of the business jargon, but most of it seemed like a foreign language—one she had no desire to learn. The pair took a car Papa had rented to a nice restaurant near the theater district.

  “Dinner and a show for my best girl.” Papa smiled as he pulled up to the valet parking attendant.

  “What about Victoria?” The latest e-mails had contained news of their upcoming wedding in Segovia.

  He waved his hand. “She was only interested in my money.”

  “You broke up with her?”

  “I told her I was going bankrupt, and she broke up with me.”

  “You’re going bankrupt?” Natalia thought her father’s business had been doing well.

  “No.” He followed the waiter to a small booth in the corner of the restaurant. “But I told her that to see how she’d react.”

  “Maureen would never do that.”

  Papa pulled the chair out for Natalia. “No. Maureen was never very materialistic.”

  “Do you think you’d ever . . . ?”

  “No.” He opened his menu. “Women are plentiful, Natalia. I’ll find another.”

  Natalia wanted to walk out of the restaurant. How dare her father treat marriage so callously. “Don’t you ever wish you had someone to grow old with? Someone who knows you well and loves you anyway?”

  He laid down the menu. “I’ve told you before—I am not made to be with just one woman.”

  Natalia’s rage left, washed away with a wave of compassion. Her father’s flings weren’t something genetic, something he couldn’t control. They were a reflection of a deeper need. He couldn’t love the way he was meant to love because he didn’t know the author of love.

  “Papa . . .”

  “Enough of this.” The waiter came and took their orders. When he left, Papa continued, “I want to discuss your future.”

  She took a deep breath. Now was the time to tell her father the desire of her heart.

  “You will work for me.” Papa smiled and pulled out a manila folder. “I have spoken to your mother, and she believes, as do I, that you would make a superb partner: Lopez and Lopez. It will take time. You will need to study international affairs and go on to earn a master’s in business administration. Preferably at Harvard. I have it all outlined here.”

  Natalia pulled out the papers. Her
life planned out over the next five—no ten—years. Where she would go to college, what she would study, where she would intern. All ending with a few years working up the ladder to finally, by age twenty-eight, becoming a full partner. The number of zeros in her projected salary took her breath away.

  “Papa, I—”

  “No, don’t say anything right now.” His smile was broad. “I know it is overwhelming. But I believe you can do it. You are smart, hardworking, and you are a Lopez. When it comes time for me to retire, I will be content knowing the business will stay in the family.”

  She couldn’t even eat the filet mignon the waiter laid in front of her. Papa talked more about the business, about his newest client, about how trends were changing in the international market, and how his company was on the cutting edge of those changes.

  Natalia couldn’t even enjoy the musical they went to see. I can’t turn him down, God. I can’t. Papa is handing me the company he built. He is trusting me with it.

  As soon as the pair made their way to the hotel, Natalia ran to her room, telling her father she was tired and needed to rest.

  Rest, however, would not come. She picked up her cell phone.

  “Oh, Brian.” Natalia had hoped to catch Mrs. Younger, but a just-woken Brian answered the phone. She glanced at the electric clock on the nightstand. “It’s after one o’clock. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I’ll call back later.”

  “No, it’s fine.” His tone changed. She could hear his concern, imagine him running a hand through his wavy hair. “Is everything okay?”

  Natalia let out a deep breath. She wanted to hang up and deal with this by herself. What was she thinking, calling the Youngers in the middle of the night?

  “Natalia.” Brian’s voice was teasing now. How she had missed that sound. “Don’t make me come over there.”

  “I’m in New York City,” Natalia teased back.

  “What?” His voice changed from mockery to shock. “When?”

  “I left this morning.” Natalia placed a fluffy pillow on her lap. “Papa is in town and wanted to see me.”