Time to Laugh Romance Collection

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “Are you just going to stand there like a dummy, or is there some justification for you being so late?” Dad bellowed, snapping Tabby out of her musings.

  “I w–wasn’t l–l–late on pur–pur–purpose,” she stammered. She always stuttered worse around Dad. Maybe it was because he was the one person she wanted most to please. “Tr–traffic was r–really h–h–heavy.”

  “Why didn’t you take off work early so you could get here on time?” Dad said, jerking the fork out of Tabby’s hand.

  She winced. “I—I d–did l–leave early.” Tears hung on her lashes, but she refused to cry.

  Dad turned back to the barbecue grill without saying anything more. Tabby pirouetted toward her grandmother, knowing she would at least have a kind word or two.

  Grandma Haskins, cheerfully dressed in a long floral skirt and a pink ruffled blouse, greeted Tabby with a peck on the cheek. “It’s good to see you, dear.” She tipped her silver-gray head to one side. “You’re looking kind of peaked. Are you eating right and getting plenty of sleep? You’re not coming down with anything, I hope.”

  Tabby couldn’t help but smile. Grandma was always worrying about something. Since she saw Tabby so seldom, it was only fitting that she’d be her target tonight. Tabby didn’t really mind, though. It felt kind of nice to have someone fussing over her. Ever since she’d made a fool of herself at the crusade, she had been wallowing in self-pity. Maybe a few minutes with Grandma would make her feel better. “I’m f–fine, Grandma, r–really,” she mumbled.

  Tabby and Grandma were about to find a place to sit down, when Lois came rushing up. Her face was flushed, and she looked as though she might have been crying.

  “What’s wrong, Lois?” Grandma asked in a tone of obvious concern.

  Lois sniffed deeply and motioned them toward one of the empty tables. As soon as they sat down, she began to cry.

  Tabby gave her sister’s arm a gentle squeeze. “C–can you t–tell us about it?”

  Lois hiccupped loudly and wiped at her eyes, which only smudged her black mascara, making the tears look like little drops of mud rolling down her cheeks. “It’s Mike!” she wailed.

  “Is something wrong with Michael?” Grandma asked. “I saw him a little while ago, and he looked fine to me.”

  “Oh, he’s fine all right,” Lois ranted. “He’s so fine that he’s decided to take over the planning of our wedding.”

  “Isn’t that the b–bride’s job?” Tabby inquired.

  “I thought so, until this evening.” Lois blew her nose on a napkin and scowled. She didn’t look nearly as beautiful tonight as she had the last time Tabby had seen her. That was the night of Tabby’s birthday party. Lois didn’t have little rivulets of coal-colored tears streaming down her face then.

  “Tell us what happened,” Grandma prompted.

  Lois looked around the yard anxiously. Her gaze came to rest on her fiancé, sitting with some of his family at another table.

  Tabby glanced that way as well. She was surprised when Mike looked over and scowled. At least she thought it was a scowl. Maybe he’d just eaten one of Mom’s famous stuffed mushrooms. Tabby didn’t know why, but those mushrooms always tasted like they’d been filled with toothpaste instead of cream cheese.

  “Mike doesn’t want us to get married the first Saturday in October after all,” Lois whined, jerking Tabby’s thoughts back to the situation at hand.

  “He doesn’t?” Grandma handed Lois another napkin. “Does he want to call the whole thing off?”

  Lois drew in a shuddering breath. “He says not, but I have to wonder. Mike thinks we should have more time to get to know one another before we tie the knot. He wants to postpone the wedding until June, and he waited till tonight to drop the bomb.”

  “June?” Grandma exclaimed. “Why, that’s ten months away!”

  “That’s not a b–bad idea,” Tabby interjected. “I mean, s–sometimes you th–think you know a p–person, and then he g–goes and does something to r–really throw you a c–curve ball.”

  Grandma and Lois both turned their attention on Tabby. “Are you talking about anyone in particular?” Grandma asked.

  Tabby shook her head. “No, n–not r–really.” She had no intention of telling them about Seth. They’d never understand the way things were. Besides, they weren’t supposed to be talking about her right now. This was Lois’s engagement party, and apparently there wasn’t going to be a wedding … at least not this year. “Do M–Mom and D–Dad know yet?” she asked.

  Lois shook her head. “I only found out myself a few minutes ago.” She reached for Tabby’s hand and gripped it tightly. “What am I going to do?”

  Tabby swallowed hard. She could hardly believe that her confident, all-knowing little sister was asking her advice. If only she had the right answers. Thinking back to the devotions she’d done that morning, Tabby quoted the following scripture: “ ‘Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.’ ”

  Lois’s face was pinched, and her eyes were mere slits. “What on earth are you talking about? Why would I trust in you? What can you do to help my situation?”

  Tabby bit back the laughter rising in her throat. Even though she and Lois had both gone to Sunday school when they were children, Lois had never shown much interest in the things of God. In fact, she’d quit going to church when she turned thirteen. “That verse from the book of John is saying you should trust God and not allow your troubles to overtake you. ‘Trust in God; trust also in Me.’ That was Jesus speaking, and He was telling His followers to trust in Him, as well as in God.” Tabby smiled at her sister. “As I’m sure you already know, Jesus and God are one and the same. So, if you put your trust in God, you’re trusting Jesus, too.”

  Lois’s mouth was hanging wide open, and Grandma was looking at Tabby as though she’d never seen her before.

  “What? What’s wrong?” Tabby questioned.

  “Do you realize you just quoted that Bible verse and gave me a little pep talk without missing a single word? No stuttering, no stammering, nothing,” Lois announced. “I think that must be a first, don’t you, Grandma?”

  Grandma smiled. “I wouldn’t say it was a first, because I can remember when Tabby was a little girl and didn’t have a problem with stuttering.” She reached over and gave Tabby’s hand a gentle pat. “I think it’s safe to say when Tabby feels convicted about something, she forgets her insecurities, so her words flow uninterrupted.”

  Tabby wasn’t sure how to respond to Grandma’s comment, but she never had a chance to, because Lois cut right in. “Well, be that as it may, it doesn’t solve my problem with Mike. How am I going to convince him to marry me in two months? I’ll just die if I have to wait until next summer.”

  Grandma’s hand made an arc as it left Tabby’s and landed on Lois’s. “Everything will work out, dear. Just do as Tabby says, and put your trust in the Lord.”

  Tabby looked over at her grandmother, and her heart swelled with love. If Grandma was beginning to believe, maybe there was some hope for the rest of the family. With more prayer and reliance on God, there might even be some hope for her. Perhaps she just needed to trust the Lord a bit more.

  Chapter 18

  When rain started falling around eight o’clock, everyone went inside. Tabby decided to head for home, knowing the roads would probably be bad. Besides, she was anxious to be by herself. This had been some evening. First, her parents’ little put-downs, then the news that Lois wasn’t getting married in October, followed by that special time she, Grandma, and Lois had shared. For a few brief moments, Tabby had felt lifted out of her problems and experienced a sense of joy by offering support to her sister. If only Lois hadn’t ended up throwing a temper tantrum right before the party ended. She and Mike had spent most of the evening arguing, and when they weren’t quarreling, Lois was crying. Tabby couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

  “No matter when the wedding is, you can keep the automatic two-cup coffeemaker I
gave you tonight,” Tabby told Lois just before she left. She said good-bye to the rest of the family and climbed into her car. It had been a long week, and she’d be so glad to get home and into bed. Maybe some reading in the Psalms would help, too. Despite his troubles, David had a way of searching his soul and looking to God for all the answers to his problems and frustrations. Tabby needed that daily reminder as well.

  The freeway was still crowded, though it was not quite as bad as it had been earlier. To make matters worse, the rain was coming down so hard Tabby could barely see out her windshield. She gripped the steering wheel with determination and prayed for all she was worth.

  By the time Tabby reached the Lakewood exit, she’d had enough. She turned on her right blinker and signaled to get off. Traveling the back roads through Lakewood, Fircrest, then into Tacoma would be easier than trying to navigate the freeway traffic and torrential rains. At least she could travel at a more leisurely pace, and she’d be able to pull off the road if necessary.

  Tabby clicked on her car radio as she headed down the old highway. The local Christian station was playing a song by a new female artist. The words played over and over in Tabby’s head. Jesus is your strength, give to Him your all…. Jesus wants your talents, please listen to His call ….

  The lyrical tune soothed Tabby’s soul and made her think about Seth again. For weeks he’d been telling her to use her talents for the Lord. “That’s because he’s trying to change me,” she murmured. “Seth’s more concerned about finding the perfect woman than he is about me using my talents for God.”

  Even as she said the words, Tabby wondered if they were true. Maybe Seth really did care about her. It could be that he only wanted her to succeed as a ventriloquist so she could serve the Lord better.

  “But I am serving the Lord,” Tabby moaned. “I bake cookies for shut-ins, take my turn in the church nursery, teach the day care kids about Jesus, tithe regularly, and pray for the missionaries. Shouldn’t that be enough?”

  As Tabby mulled all this over, she noticed the car in front of her begin to swerve. Was the driver of the small white vehicle drunk, or was it merely the slick road causing the problem? Maybe the man or woman is driving too fast for these hazardous conditions, she reasoned. Tabby eased up on the gas pedal, keeping a safe distance from the car ahead. If the driver decided to slam on his brakes unexpectedly, she wanted plenty of room to stop.

  She was on a long stretch of road now, with no houses or places of business nearby. Only giant fir trees and bushy shrubs dotted the edge of the highway. The vehicle ahead was still swerving, and just as it rounded the next corner, the unthinkable happened. The little car lurched, spun around twice, then headed straight for an embankment. Tabby let out a piercing scream as she watched it disappear over the hill.

  Tapping her brakes lightly, so they wouldn’t lock, Tabby pulled to the side of the road. Her heart was thumping so hard she thought it might burst, and her palms were so sweaty she could barely open the car door. Stepping out into the rain, Tabby prayed, “Oh, Lord, please let the passengers in that car be okay.”

  Tabby stood on the edge of the muddy embankment, gazing at the gully below. She could see the white car, flipped upside down. She glanced up at the sky. Tree branches swayed overhead in a crazy green blur, mixed with pelting raindrops. She took a guarded step forward; then with no thought for her own safety, she scrambled down the hill, slipping and sliding with each step. Unmindful of the navy blue flats she wore on her feet or the fact that her long denim skirt was getting splattered with mud, she inched her way toward the overturned vehicle.

  When she reached the site of the accident, Tabby noticed the wheels of the car were still spinning, and one tire had the rubber ripped away. Apparently there had been a blowout, which would account for the car’s sudden swerving.

  Tabby dashed to the driver’s side. The window was broken, and she could see a young woman with short brown hair, lying on her stomach across the upside-down steering wheel. There was only a few inches between her head and the roof of the car. She could see from the rise and fall of the woman’s back that she was breathing, but her eyes were closed, and she didn’t respond when Tabby called out to her.

  A pathetic whine drew Tabby’s attention to the backseat. A young child, also on her stomach, called, “Mommy … Mommy, help me!”

  Tabby’s brain felt fuzzy, and her legs were weak and rubbery. She had no idea how to help the woman or her child. She certainly wouldn’t be able to get them out by herself, and even if she could, she knew from the recent CPR training she’d taken, it wasn’t a good idea to move an accident victim who might have serious injuries. What this woman and child needed was professional help. She’d have to go back to the car and call 911 on her cell phone. If only she’d thought to grab it before she made her spontaneous descent.

  “D–don’t be afraid, little g–girl,” Tabby called to the child. “I’m g–going to my c–car and c–call for help. I’ll b–be right b–back.”

  The blond-haired girl, who appeared to be about five years old, began to sob. “I don’t know you, and you talk funny. Go away!”

  A feeling of frustration, mixed with icy fingers of fear, held Tabby in its grip. She hated to leave but knew she had to. “I’ll b–be right b–back,” she promised.

  As she scrambled up the hill, Tabby could still hear the child’s panicked screams. They tore at her heart and made her move as quickly as possible. By the time she reached her car, Tabby was panting, and her fears were mounting. What if the car was leaking gas? What if it caught on fire and she couldn’t get the passengers out in time? The stark terror that had inched its way into her head, was now fully in control. She felt paralyzed of both body and mind.

  She offered up another quick prayer and slid into the car then reached into the glove box for her cell phone. With trembling fingers, she dialed 911. When an operator came on, Tabby stuttered and stammered so badly the woman had to ask her to repeat the information several times. Tabby was finally assured that help was on the way and was instructed to go back to the car and try to keep the occupants calm.

  How in the world am I going to do that? she wondered. The little girl didn’t even want to talk to me.

  Suddenly, Tabby remembered Rosie, who was in the backseat. She’d taken the dummy to work that day, in order to put on a short routine for the day care kids. Maybe the child will feel less threatened talking to Rosie than she would me.

  Tabby reached over the seat and grabbed the dummy. “Well, Rosie, you’re really gonna be put to the test this time.”

  Back down the hill she went, feeling the squish of mud as it seeped inside her soft leather shoes and worked its way down to her toes. Her clothes were drenched, and her soggy hair hung limply on her shoulders. In the process of her descent, Tabby fell twice. The second time, Rosie flipped out of her arms and landed with a thud on an uprooted tree. Tabby picked her up, only to discover that Rosie’s face was dirty and scratched, her head had come loose, and the control stick was jammed. Not only would Rosie’s slot-jaw mouth no longer move, but the poor dummy looked a mess!

  “Now what am I going to do?” Tabby lamented. “Rosie was my only hope of reaching that child.”

  “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” The scripture verse that popped into Tabby’s mind offered some comfort and hope. She closed her eyes briefly and pictured the Lord gathering her into His strong arms. He loved her. He cared about her, as well as the two accident victims in that car down there. With His help, Tabby would step boldly out of her shell and serve Him in whatever way He showed her. She could do all things, because of His strength.

  “Lord, I really do need Your strength right now. Please calm my heart and let me speak without stuttering, so I can help the little girl not be so afraid.”

  When Tabby hurried to the car, the child was still crying. She knelt next to the open window and turned Rosie upside down, hoping the sight of the small dummy might make the girl feel better. “Th
is is my friend, Rosie. She wants to be your friend, too,” Tabby said softly. “Can you tell me your name, sweetie?”

  The child turned her head slightly, and her lips parted in a faint smile. “It’s Katie, and I’m almost six.”

  Tabby released the breath she’d been holding. Progress. They were making a little bit of progress. “Rosie’s been hurt, so she can’t talk right now,” she said. “Why don’t the two of us talk, though? Rosie can just listen.”

  Katie squinted her blue eyes but finally nodded. “Okay.”

  Tabby’s confidence was being handed over to her. She could feel it. She hadn’t expected such a dramatic answer to her prayer, but the doors of timidity were finally swinging open. Thank You, Lord. Tabby tipped her head to one side and leaned closer to the window. Now Rosie’s head was poking partway in. “Are you hurting anywhere?” she asked Katie.

  “My arm’s bleedin’, and my head kinda hurts,” the child said, her blue eyes filling with fresh tears.

  “I used my cell phone to call for help,” Tabby explained. “The paramedics should be here soon. Then they’ll help you and your mommy get out of the car.”

  Katie choked on a sob. “Mommy won’t wake up. I keep callin’ her, but she don’t answer.”

  Tabby wasn’t sure how to respond. Even though Katie’s mom was breathing, she could still be seriously hurt. She might even die. Katie had good reason to be scared.

  “Listen, honey,” she said with assurance, “I’ve been praying for you and your mommy. The Lord is here with us, and help is on the way. Let’s talk about other things for now, okay?”

  Katie nodded, but tears kept streaming down her bruised cheeks. It tore at Tabby’s heartstrings, but she was thankful the child was willing to talk to her now. She was also grateful for answered prayer. Since she’d returned to the battered car, she hadn’t stuttered even once.