by Emma Easter
For some seconds, he could not speak, and then he shook himself out of his stupor when he noticed the curious way she was looking at him. Embarrassed, he answered, “Umm... I am Keith Thorn, the pastor of the Firm Foundation Church. I just came to say hello and welcome you to Destiny. Is your husband around?”
Before she could answer, a burly man with a bushy beard appeared in the doorway behind her and looked at him with part curiosity and part irritation. “Yes, what do you want?” the man asked in a deep voice.
Keith told him what he had told the woman and then the man’s face suddenly brightened. “Oh, you’re the pastor that I have been hearing about. Welcome,” he said, smiling. He opened the door wide and said, “Please, come in.”
Keith was surprised at the sudden change in the man’s countenance as he walked into the house. He walked past the foyer lined with flowers and into a massive living room. He looked around him. The only time he had been in a house with such luxurious furnishings was when he visited Mary’s boss, an executive of a software company, in Denver. He would never have imagined that such luxury was in Destiny. For a brief moment he admired the house and then he turned to the couple.
“Sit, Pastor,” the man said.
Keith sat on the milk-white sofa with huge, fluffy throw pillows. Instinctively, he turned to the beautiful woman and then turned away quickly, scolding himself for looking at her. He said to the man, “You have a lovely home here,” and forced his gaze to remain on the man.
The man, who looked about twelve to fifteen years older than his wife, thanked him, and then said, “Please call me Mike.” He sat on the couch facing Keith as his young wife sat on the other end. “This is my wife, Rachel,” the man added.
Keith smiled and nodded. “You are both welcome in Destiny. It’s really unfortunate that you came at this time, when the hurricane has devastated our town. It was such a beautiful town. Have you been here before?”
“No,” the man said. “Neither has my wife. But my father was born here. This was actually the house he was born in. But he left as a young boy when his father died.”
Keith gasped. “Oh. My grandmother told me about your grandfather. So, your last name is…”
“Cadwell,” Mike said.
“Yes. Now I remember. Wow. It is amazing that you have moved to Destiny and into your father’s childhood home.”
“Yes, it is,” Mike nodded and then added, “I had already put together everything that I needed to move here with my family before the hurricane hit. We came here and were really surprised at what we saw. The devastation caused by the hurricane is terrible. I will try to help in any way I can.”
Keith said, “We will take any help we can get.” He smiled. “I would have invited you to our church service on Sunday, but our church building is gone. We were building a new, bigger church, but that was destroyed by the hurricane as well.”
For the first time since the conversation started, the young woman spoke. She said in a soft, velvety voice, “I’m so sorry.”
Keith smiled sadly. “It was really hard when I found out. We were building the new church because the old one had gotten too small. It was supposed to contain everyone who wanted to come to church. Everything we had was sunk into building it. The flood swept it all away.” Keith blinked, realizing he had been going on and on, and said, “I am sorry for rambling.”
Mike smiled. “I like you. And just like I said, I would love to help in any way I can.” He lifted a finger and added, “In fact, hold on a minute. I will be right back.” He stood up before Keith could say anything more and left the living room.
Keith pressed his lips together and then slowly turned to Mike’s wife. He asked, “So, how are you settling in Destiny?”
The lady said in a soft, very feminine voice, “It’s a little difficult because all the stores are closed right now, except for the one near that bookstore. However, I didn’t see anything I wanted when I went there. I think whoever owns the store is giving away most of the things in it. I don’t know who the owner is, but that person has an exceptionally large heart.”
Keith didn’t know what to say. If he told her that the store belonged to him and he was the one who had given away the things he had bought for sale, she might think he was being boastful. But if he didn’t tell her, she would wonder why when she found out he owned the store. He opened his mouth to tell her as humbly as he could that the store was his, but she said, “How long have you been a pastor?”
He was slightly surprised that she had asked him the question. She had seemed somewhat timid sitting beside her husband and he’d thought that was her personality. Now, without her husband present, she seemed more confident and open. She’d asked her question in her silky, soft voice, but there was a steeliness to it that told him that underneath her quiet exterior was a strong personality.
He said to her, “I actually went to Bible school years ago and was an assistant pastor for a few years. But I became the senior pastor of our church about two years ago.” He tilted his head and looked into her blue eyes. “And what do you do, Rachel?” he asked.
He frowned slightly as she looked away. He had seen the embarrassed look on her face and wondered why she was embarrassed. She turned back to him and said, “For now I care for my little baby. But I have always wanted to teach kids. I would love to be an elementary school teacher one day because I love kids and the idea of imparting knowledge to them.”
He smiled encouragingly at her. “So why haven’t you started to pursue your dream?”
For a few seconds she did not answer and he began to worry that his question had troubled her for some reason. But a moment later she said, “I haven’t had the opportunity to pursue my dreams. But now that we are here in Destiny, I think it might happen soon.”
He smiled widely and nodded. “We have a beautiful elementary school here in Destiny where the kids go.” Suddenly he remembered that the school had been flattened and the kids had not been able to attend classes for days. Sorrow filled his heart. He said to Rachel, “Well at least we did have an elementary school, but it was destroyed by the hurricane.”
He sighed loudly and then bent his head slightly, overcome by how much the town of Destiny had lost. He jerked his head up when he felt arms around his shoulders and looked into Rachel’s eyes. For a full minute, he gazed at her, surprised that she was sitting beside him now with her arms around him to comfort him. He appreciated her gesture, but it felt inappropriate. What would her husband think if he walked in now? He didn’t know whether to shift away from her or to stay.
Footsteps approached the living room and Rachel immediately got up and took her seat again.
He sighed in relief, not just because she had moved away and saved them the embarrassment, but because of the way he’d felt when she had put her arm around him. He wondered at his reaction to her. He had seen beautiful women before, so why was he suddenly so besotted? Why had everything in him come alive at her touch? She was married, for goodness’ sake. He had to leave this house right now.
Her husband Mike appeared and Keith stood up. He put on a smile and said, “I have to go now. I still have a few other people to visit.”
Mike smiled and nodded. He walked up to Keith and held out a piece of paper.
Keith looked at the paper. It was a check. He looked up at Mike.
“To rebuild the church,” Mike said and then thrust the check into Keith’s hand.
Keith raised up the check and stared at it. His jaw dropped. He blinked, wondering if he was adding more zeros than what was actually on the check. But he wasn’t. He looked up at Mike and asked in bewilderment, “Is this for a hundred thousand dollars?”
Mike chuckled. “That is what is written on the check, isn’t it? And there is more where that came from.”
Keith’s heart nearly stopped and then he began to laugh with joy. “Thank you so much,” he said to Mike. He wanted to hug the man, but he wasn’t sure he should. “This will go a very long way toward build
ing the church and rebuilding this town.”
Mike shrugged and Keith took his hand and shook it. “Thank you,” he said again. “I promise to keep you posted every step of the way. You will be able to clearly see how your money is being spent.”
Michael nodded. “I love the church of God, so this is an easy gift for me. I just want to make sure the church is built so people here have a place to worship.”
Keith smiled. The man was a Christian then. Which meant his wife probably was also. He said to Mike, “I would love to have you and your wife as guests in my home. I can give you a tour of the whole town when you have the time. You could bring your baby along, too.” He turned to look at Rachel and then noticed a strange look in her eyes.
He turned back to Mike when the man said, “I have three children.”
Keith nodded. It was slightly strange that the man had said he had three children instead of “we” and then shrugged it off. “So, when can I expect you at the house?” he looked at Rachel and faced Mike again.
“We will send word to let you know when we are free,” Mike answered.
Keith nodded. He thanked Mike and his wife once more for their generosity and then left the house. As he walked back to his, he kept looking at the check with wonder and bewilderment. But most of all with joy and gratitude to God. He whispered, “Lord, I asked for a miracle and you provided. And you didn’t just provide, you blew my mind. Thank you so much.”
He hurried towards his house, almost running. He had to show Eric and Paula the check. And then he would call Mary and tell her about the money and the kind couple who had given it. He would tell Mary that she had been wrong and he had been right. God had truly called him to Destiny, to build a church for His flock. There had been a slight hitch in the plans, but now it had all worked out for good, just as the Bible said it would.
He got to his house and felt every shred of disappointment and despair that had clung to him after the hurricane fall off, replaced with a joyful hope for the future and a certainty that he was at the center of God’s will.
Chapter 9
Rachel buttoned her blouse after breastfeeding Emily and laid her gently on the sofa. Emily was already drifting off to sleep and Rachel smiled and kissed her cheek. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the remote control on the coffee table and turned the TV on. She’d hardly ventured out of the house since they’d arrived in Destiny. Everything she needed to know about the devastation the hurricane had brought to the town was on the news. Not that Destiny was on the news. They were mostly showing all the places that had been affected by the hurricane.
She hated to leave the house here because she was ashamed. Destiny was not Fallow Creek. The people here probably lived like other normal people in other places. The men probably had one wife each. The rules that governed this place were different from those that governed Fallow Creek. The people in this town did not know that Mike was a polygamist and that she was the so-called second wife, the one who had imposed her presence on a once happy marriage and snatched the affections of the first wife’s husband away from her.
She sighed and turned off the television, unable to concentrate on any of the shows. She had told herself that she would leave Mike once they left Fallow Creek, but it had not been so easy — especially because this town had been devastated by the hurricane. There were no jobs here. Without a job, she had no money except what Mike gave her, which was mostly to purchase things for Emily and for the house. Usually she asked Olivia to help her buy the things she needed so she wouldn’t have to go out herself.
She leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. She was getting claustrophobic. Soon, she would have to leave the house or she would go mad. But if the people of Destiny found out about her living conditions with Mike and Olivia, she would not be able to bear the wagging tongues that would surely ensue. No doubt, the people would judge her. And they would be right to.
The front door opened and Olivia walked into the living room, carrying bags of groceries and toiletries. She had left the house early in the morning to go to the next town in order to buy all the things they needed in the house.
Rachel rose up immediately to help her with the bags just as Mike walked in from the back-porch. He reached out and pulled Rachel into his arms before she could get to Olivia.
Kissing her firmly, he said, “I haven’t seen you all day.” He ran his hand slowly down her arm and then looked at Olivia, who had now dropped some of the bags on the floor and was looking at them with hurt in her eyes. “I think I hear the kids arguing upstairs,” he said to Olivia. “Go and see to them.”
Olivia opened her mouth as though to say something and then shut it again. She averted her eyes, picked up the bags, and then walked past Rachel and Mike. When she left the living room, Rachel glared at Mike. He was playing his foolish games with her and Olivia again.
She said angrily, “I was about to help Olivia with the bags. She should have been the one you went to greet instead of me. I saw you about half an hour ago when you went to sit out on the porch, but Olivia has been out since morning.”
Mike shrugged and planted another kiss on her lips. “I know I just saw you thirty minutes ago, but you know I cannot get enough of you. Olivia has had her time with me, but now you have my complete and full attention.”
She felt repulsed and pulled away from him. If only she could find a job so she could leave him immediately.
Mike smiled at her and said, “I’m going to take a walk around town.”
When he left, Rachel took Emily to her room and laid her gently in her crib. She came downstairs again and sat on the living room couch. Her mind went back to the incident with Olivia and Mike. What had happened was not a surprise to her. It was how Mike regularly behaved. At moments like that, she hated herself for staying with him, for putting up with him. She hated the hurt in Olivia’s eyes every time something like that happened. She hated how he fawned over her in Olivia’s presence, especially as she was the intruder.
Why are you still with him? she asked herself.
But she had no choice for now. Even though she had said she would leave him as soon as she was free from the awful laws that degraded women in Fallow Creek, as she had no job and therefore no money to take care of Emily or herself, she couldn’t leave yet. But she would. The constant guilt she felt about how she was hurting Olivia and sinning against God by staying with Mike was eating more and more into her. Once she found a job, she could then save for a small house for herself and Emily.
But she had to be careful about how she left Mike because he could cause her a lot of trouble, even here in Destiny.
She began to think about her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher and then remembered what the good-looking pastor had said when he visited. He had told her she could pursue her dreams by being a teacher in the elementary school in Destiny. But he had also said that the school was no more. She was sure she needed some kind of training to become an elementary school teacher, which she did not have. She had been too ashamed to tell the pastor that her formal education had stopped at age thirteen.
An idea suddenly popped into her mind. Even if she did not have the qualifications to be a teacher, she loved kids. Surely there were people in Destiny who needed a babysitter to watch their kids. She could babysit for them and get paid for it. The money would not be much, she knew, but it would be a start for her while she planned her escape from Mike.
She pursed her lips. Actually, she did not have to escape anymore. She would just leave him, as they were no longer in Fallow Creek. Once she had saved enough money from her babysitting, she would leave him. But for now, she had to find a way to keep him away from her. She couldn’t keep sharing his bed. Even if she couldn’t formally leave now, she would stop being intimate with him. That would be hard, considering how forceful Mike could be. Plus, they shared a bedroom. The first thing she would have to do was to find a suitable excuse to move into the guest room.
She sighed wearily. Wha
t excuse, she did not know. She stood up as a firm determination entered her heart. If she did not succeed in moving out of Mike’s room, then she would have to keep praying for forgiveness until she could save up enough money to leave him. Which meant that she needed to find people who would trust her with their children and pay her to take care of them.
She smiled in self-mockery. She was a stranger in town. Why would anyone trust her with their children?
And then an idea came to her. She immediately headed upstairs and went to Olivia’s room. She found Olivia playing on the floor with her two boys. She sighed as Olivia looked up at her with a cautious expression. Haltingly, Rachel said, “Olivia, can you do me a favor?”
For a long moment, Olivia said nothing. Finally, she smiled down at the boys and told them to go outside and play. She looked up at Rachel again and said harshly, “What do you want from me?”
“Can you watch Emily for me? I just want to run out on an errand. I will be back in no time.”
Olivia stared at her while Rachel waited, her heart thudding. When Olivia didn’t answer after a full minute, Rachel said again, “Please, Olivia. I promise I’ll come back as soon as possible. Emily is asleep right now so she doesn’t need that much attention unless for some reason she wakes up and starts to cry.”
Olivia sighed audibly and nodded. “Fine,” she said. “I will watch Emily for you.”
“Thank you so much,” Rachel said. “I kept some formula in…”
“I have two kids!” Olivia snapped. “I know how to feed a baby!”
Chastised, Rachel gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Thank you so much, Olivia. I will be back before you know it.” She left the room quickly and went into the bedroom she shared with Mike.
She stepped out of the floral dress she’d worn constantly in Fallow Creek, which was one of the only four dresses she owned. She put on another dress, a light blue gown. Out of all her dresses, it was the most appropriate to wear in a place like Destiny. Actually, in any other place that wasn’t Fallow Creek with its strict dress code for women.