by T. K. Chapin
Shaking his head, Tyler raised his eyebrows. “What? Really? For the asking price?”
The man stepped forward, beaming with a smile just as big as his wife’s. “Yes! It’s a steal of a deal with the income we’ll make from the bowling alley.”
“Finally.” Tyler let out a relieved sigh. “Someone who understands this is an income property, not just an apartment for sale.”
It hadn’t happened until this moment, and it did so by total surprise, but Tyler suddenly felt nervous to lose his home. He surveyed the bowling alley’s lanes on the other side of the couple, and all the lanes were full of people. He had spent some good years here, and in weeks, it’d be gone if everything worked out.
“I’m going to miss this place. Did you know this right here was my thinking spot?” Tyler pointed out a high-backed bar stool and a small table nearby. Then, he leaned under the table and pointed to it. “My name is even on it!”
The couple laughed and the man took a step toward him. “You can come back and bowl for free anytime you want, or to sit.” The man nodded toward the concessions. “You can have all the beer you want too.”
“I don’t drink, but thanks. I’ll come by for sure.”
That afternoon, the Feldmans sent in their offer and Tyler accepted. Now, it was just a matter of time in escrow.
Wanting to celebrate, he took a bottle of sparkling cider and two champagne glasses out with him to Chet’s cabin, just a little bit up the dirt road from his own patch of land where his house was being built. He ended up taking Chet up on his offer to buy a part of his land and build on it, an offer he felt confident was the right move.
Knocking on the screen door, he didn’t wait but instead just walked in with the bottle and glasses in hand.
“Guess who sold their bowling alley?”
Smiling as he came across the threshold into the cabin, he saw Chet asleep on the couch with his Bible in his lap. Warmed to see his friend had fallen asleep reading the Word of God, Tyler walked over to the couch and sat down beside him.
“Buddy, I finally did it. I sold that bowling alley. Honestly, I was starting to wonder if it’d ever sell. What I’m thinking is I’ll just move all my furniture and whatnot into that barn, if there’s some room out there. Then, when I’m finally move-in ready here in a couple of months, I’ll just move it all on over. So, basically, I need to take you up on that other offer to live with you until my house is fully ready.”
Tyler leaned forward on the couch and set the glasses down on the coffee table, then poured the sparkling cider.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, Chet. But to be fair, you did offer, and I’m over here a lot anyway, so it makes sense.”
When Chet didn’t respond again, Tyler became concerned. “Chet?”
He reached out and moved his shoulder lightly to wake him.
There was no response and his skin felt cold.
Chills ran the length of Tyler’s spine and he jumped away from the couch. He covered his mouth and fought tears back. “Chet. No.”
He peered up at the ceiling and cried out to God. “Why’d you take him right now, God?”
Tyler’s chest tightened and his breathing shallowed. Slipping his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed 9-1-1 as he kept stealing glances at his friend. As the operator answered and he had to respond to the question of ‘Reason for calling,’ his heart shattered into a million pieces.
“My friend. He passed away.”
Tyler’s brother was kind enough to come out to the cabin that evening to help deal with all that needed to be done when someone passed away. Jonathan had lost his wife and had been through it all before. He, too, knew Chet, but he wasn’t as close to him as Tyler had become, especially over the last several months. It brought Tyler a great deal of relief to have someone there dealing with the funeral arrangements and so forth with him.
After Jonathan hung up with the funeral parlor in the living room, he joined Tyler at the kitchen table and sat down. He was quiet for a long moment, just watching as Tyler combed through the documents they had found in the desk near his bed.
“I couldn’t imagine being the last one left of all your family.” Tyler’s words came as he shook his head and read over the directions on how to shut down operations of Chet’s website.
Jonathan responded, “I think at that point, you’re kind of ready for Heaven if you have a family of believers.”
Tyler’s heart went cold with a deep chill. He knew that other than Chet, his family hadn’t been believers. A desire to change the topic to something lighter pushed against him, and he shuffled the papers to the one that dealt with his will. “He left his money to the church, then the cabin and land to me.”
“Wow.” Jonathan’s eyebrows lifted. “You must’ve made some mark on the man.”
Tyler shook his head. “I was just his friend. I remember people thinking it was odd back in the day when we were hanging out all the time. Such an age gap between Chet and me, but honestly, I loved this man like a brother.” He shook his head again. “I can’t believe he’s gone now. I’m sad but I know he’s better off in Heaven. He was in a lot of pain, and God knew Chet would pass away today. The Lord wasn’t surprised like I was.”
“That’s very true. He is with his Lord and Savior now. So, what now? You have a cabin and a house on the same property?”
Tyler started to laugh. When it didn’t subside right away but rolled into an uncontrollable laugh, Jonathan joined in, laughing uncontrollably. They stood up and tried to calm themselves, but if more than a moment passed without laughing, one would bust out into laughter again. There was no explanation for the fit of laughter other than a gift from God. Finally calming down about five minutes later, they wiped their tears.
“I don’t even understand why that was so funny,” Tyler said, wiping his eyes as his abs were inflamed from laughing so long.
Jonathan shook his head. “I don’t know either.”
Tyler rested a hand on his hip and then placed his other on the back of the kitchen chair.
“I don’t know what I’ll do with the cabin. For now, I’ll live in it. Once my house is built, it’ll sit. Maybe the youth group can use it for a weekend or something? I don’t know.”
“That’s a good idea.”
A few hours later, Jonathan was getting ready to leave, but before he did, he and Tyler prayed in the living room. Jonathan rested a hand on Tyler’s shoulder as they both bowed their heads.
“Lord, we come to you today for Tyler’s close friend, Chet. We pray that he is enjoying Heaven. Please help Tyler’s heart be comforted during this time of loss. We know Chet is with You now. His body is no longer under the curse and he is pain-free. We pray that you guide and protect us and lead us in the way we should go in our lives. We pray these things in Your precious and holy name, Jesus. Amen.”
“Thanks, Brother.” Tyler wiped a stray tear and patted Jonathan on the back and walked him to the door. After Jonathan left, Tyler decided to stay the night.
He sprawled himself out on the recliner in the living room and started in on a stack of photos from Chet’s life. Each one he looked at, he’d set on a pile on his chest. Some, he had already seen when he had visited Chet that Sunday when he was out visiting Diamond Lake last summer. Then, toward the end of the pile, he saw photos he didn’t recognize. Seeing an old black-and-white photo of a young man in a service uniform, he flipped it over. In blue ink, it read, Chet ’55.
Tyler thought about it for a moment, then realized he’d most likely been in the Vietnam War. He flipped the photo over to look again at the picture of Chet. He was young and clean-shaven, with a whole life ahead of him. He thought it was interesting that Chet had never mentioned his past war experience. Then, leaning in closer, he saw a Purple Heart medal on his service jacket.
Conviction filled Tyler as he recalled his saving of that woman last summer. He had bragged to Chet about it. He had bragged about it to practically everyone he came across. He hadn’t been
quiet about it like Chet had been about receiving a purple heart, and Chet had been in a war, the closest place to Hell on earth a person can get. Admiration for Chet’s life overtook Tyler, and he prayed right there for courage to be such a man as Chet.
Sleep evaded Tyler later that evening in the recliner. He didn’t want to go back to Spokane, not right now, and he also didn’t want to sleep in a dead man’s bed or on the couch where he had breathed his final breath. In the hopes of finding inspiration to sleep, he drove into the town of Newport to walk around the quiet streets.
He pulled alongside a curb and got out. Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, he started to walk beneath the street lamps that dotted the path of the sidewalk. His breath was visible, and the cold April night’s air lashed against his coat, penetrating and chilling his skin. Not long into his walk around town, a slow-moving car pulled up beside him, still moving as the driver’s-side window came down.
A woman’s voice came from the shadow. “Alex?”
Tyler couldn’t see the woman, so he turned fully toward the car.
“Alex?” she again asked.
“Um, no?” He was confused not only because someone had mistaken him for someone else, but that it was happening at one o’clock in the morning. “What are you doing out so late looking for someone?”
“What are you doing out so late walking around Newport?”
He laughed. “Touché. I’m clearing my head to get some perspective. You?”
“Alex is a . . . friend.”
“A friend?” He shook his head and peered over as he and the car came beneath a street lamp. He glanced over to get a better look at the woman. His heart stopped and his steps did too. It was the woman from the car wreck in August. “Olivia? Is that you?”
She looked at Tyler and then blinked as it appeared to click in her mind. She rolled the window up and punched the gas pedal.
Chasing after the car, he entered the street and tried to wave her down as he ran, his heart pounding as confusion swirled in his mind.
Out of breath, he finally stopped. He panted for air as he watched her car’s taillights vanish around a corner. She was gone.
Chapter 11
HEART RACING AND CAR WHEELS squealing around the corner, Olivia glanced in her rearview mirror to make sure Tyler hadn’t followed after her in his car. Her hands and fingers trembled as she gripped the steering wheel. She hadn’t expected to see him ever again after that day at the inn, let alone eight months later at one o’clock in the morning. Embarrassment and shame rippled through her whole being. Not only had she loaded her one-month-old baby into her car in the dead of the night to go get pills, but she’d also seen the man who’d saved her life and repeatedly visited her in her dreams.
Driving straight to Rachel’s house, she quickly got out of the car and pulled Molly’s car seat out from the back seat. She hurried up the steps and into the house. Rachel paused her movie in the living room and stared at Olivia, wide-eyed.
“What’s up?”
Olivia set Molly’s car seat down on the floor and covered it with a blanket she brought from the car. Then, she walked into the kitchen, Rachel following behind her. Once in the kitchen, she kept her voice low. “He was nowhere in Newport!”
Rachel raised her hands in defense. “Whoa, there . . . no need to bite my head off.”
“I brought Molly with me, Rach! I just needed something for the pain quickly. Typing out my recent paper for school must have really irritated my hand. It hurts so much! So, I go in search for some relief, and I ended up running into Tyler.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Tyler? Haven’t heard that name in a while. Wow. He was in Newport?”
“Yes, he was, and I was mortified! I had my newborn baby in my back seat, and I was out looking for drugs in the middle of the night like an addict!”
“Hey, now, you’re not an addict. You don’t overdose, you go months without taking pills, and you don’t take more than recommended. But I don’t know why you’re talking to me like I forced you to go out there. I told you he wasn’t home and was probably walking to his friend Steve’s house. I didn’t say you had to go find him.” Rachel walked over to the pantry in her kitchen and pulled out a box of cheese crackers. Popping a handful into her mouth, she shook her head. “Nobody made you do it, and nobody made you take Molly. You could’ve waited until after you dropped her off with your mom tomorrow, before you went to work.”
Her cousin’s words pierced through her like a javelin through the heart. Her cousin was right. It was all her own fault. Her eyes welled, and she grabbed her bad hand. Rubbing the palm, she tried to deaden the pain. “I couldn’t sleep. I can’t keep living like this. It’s getting worse every day!”
Rachel came closer and offered the box. Olivia declined. Rachel tossed another handful in her mouth. “Have you tried your doctor again?”
She laughed. “Do you know how difficult it is to get prescription painkillers these days? They treat you like an addict on your first visit in. In other words, yes, I’ve tried, and I have failed miserably. I’ve even gone to a pain specialist. They were even ruder than my normal doctor.” Olivia went over to the kitchen table and sat down in a chair. Resting her head against her good hand, she felt all hope draining from her. “I feel so stuck and confused and worried. I can’t lose my job, and I only have five more months before I get my dental assisting certificate. But what good will that do if my hand is messed up?”
“You need a miracle of God.”
She laughed. “Yeah. I gave up on God a long time ago, Rach. The things I’ve done? If there is a God out there, this is purely retribution for all the wrong I’ve done.” Olivia’s gaze went across the kitchen and to the open archway that led into the living room. She thought of Molly and the fact that she had taken her to Newport with her tonight. “I’m a bad mom. I took my newborn out in the middle of the night, and you’re right. Nobody made me do it.”
“Hey, now.” Rachel came over and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her touch did little to ease the overwhelming sadness lapping against her heart. She didn’t know what to do anymore or how to function. She felt like she was heading down a road in the middle of nowhere and it was leading her into darkness. “You’re a human being and you want to dull that pain because it helps you sleep so you can get up and go to work in the morning. If you go to work, you can keep providing for Molly. See? It’s not that bad. You were trying to do what you felt was best.”
Olivia nodded in agreement, but she knew it wasn’t fully true. She had other options. She’d just been selfish and wanted the instant gratification of relief. Taking the box of cheese crackers off the kitchen table, Olivia reached in and grabbed a handful. Retrieving her hand, she popped them into her mouth. After she swallowed, she turned to her cousin. “Didn’t Aunt Tina have bad pain after her horseback riding accident years ago?”
“Yep. I think she did acupuncture and it helped her. Maybe you can try that?”
“Yeah, maybe I can.” Hearing Molly make a fussy noise in the other room, Olivia took it as her cue to leave. Rising from the table, she hugged Rachel. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you. I was freaked when I saw Tyler, and then not finding Alex, and . . . I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ll call Alex and see what happened. I’ll come find you tomorrow with a bottle.”
“Thanks.”
Leaving through the living room, she picked Molly up and went out to her car to leave.
Molly was awake by the time she arrived home, and she knew it’d take some rocking to get her to fall back asleep after her bottle. Each moment Molly was still awake was like a twist on the knife Olivia felt in her heart. It was her fault her daughter wasn’t home tonight and in the comfort of her own bed. In the moonlight streaming in through the nursery window in her apartment, Olivia wept silently for her mistreatment of her own child. As she peered down at her baby girl’s soft pink face, she thought of Molly’s future. I know you’d be better off with someone else right now
. You deserve the best, and the best is not what I am. Hugging Molly a bit closer to her, Olivia felt an increasing pain in her soul as the truth of her bad parenting was brought to the front of her mind.
By three o’clock, a half hour after getting home, Molly was finally asleep. Olivia rose up from the rocking chair and laid her gently into the crib. She saw the Noah’s Ark mobile hanging above the crib and thought of her mother. She thought about how disappointed she would be if she knew who she had become lately, someone who was hunting for drugs on the street with her baby in the back seat. Her heart ached even more, thinking about her mom telling her how proud she was of her just a short time ago. Leaving the crib, Olivia walked out of the nursery and quietly shut the door behind her.
Venturing down the hallway to her bedroom, she went in and got her pajamas back on, then climbed beneath the warm sheets and comforter. She had about four hours of sleep left before she’d have to get up, and with the pain still present, she knew it’d be a fight all the way through the day.
Staring at the red LED lights on the alarm clock as it struck seven and the alarm sounded, it felt as if a part of Olivia died in that very moment. The thought of a full day of work at the dealership brought an agony that ran deep in her bones. Not just physically, but mentally as she tried to focus on work while having the pain shoot through her hand. Pushing the covers off, she climbed out of bed and went and got ready.
On the drive over to drop Molly off at her mother and father’s house, she thought again of last night. Not the fact that she hadn’t gotten any pills, but that she had seen Tyler. She had been focused on herself, her pain, her embarrassment, and she didn’t stop to consider what he was doing out at one o’clock, walking around the town of Newport. She began to regret driving off from him so fast. He had tried to reach out to her. Maybe he had been going through something too? The thought lined up with his comment about being out at that time to clear his head. She felt bad. Thinking about him stirred a long-forgotten desire inside her.