Mrs. Stephens’ hurtful words turned Kris’ life upside down once again. She convinced herself that Mike’s mother spoke the truth. By the time she hung up the phone, she knew she could not afford to live alone without the additional money that Mike always sent her, so she did the only thing she could. She turned in her notice, quit her job, dropped out of school, returned to Florida, and quickly fell back into her old routine, complete with alcohol, drug and sexual experimentation. The only difference was that she moved in with an old boyfriend instead of returning to her mother’s home. Her mother, like Mike, was also dead and gone. Kris never grieved over the loss of her mother, but she never quit loving Mike and wondering about the life they could have had.
After two years of living her old lifestyle, and with no real direction in sight, Kris met another set of gonads who promised her a better life. She figured she didn’t have anything to lose so she dumped her live-in boyfriend and agreed to move in with Danny Raye. Surprisingly, things did seem to improve a bit. Her drug and alcohol consumption decreased, she found a steady waitressing job, and worked long hours to save enough money to enroll in school again. Her life with Danny Raye gradually meshed into a semi-comfortable routine.
That comfortable routine changed on her twenty-first birthday when Kris found out she was pregnant. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the prospect of becoming a mother; Danny, on the other hand, was quick to inform her that he wanted no part of it. He gave her the money for an abortion and told her to take care of the problem. The look in his eye that day left no doubt in Kris’ mind that if she didn’t take care of the problem, he would. She felt she had no choice. She took his money and aborted the pregnancy.
After the abortion, Kris came to hate Danny with every fiber of her being, but she also knew that she had nowhere to go and no family to turn to. So, she did what she had done all her life. She survived.
Over the next year, Kris put aside every spare dollar she could into her secret savings account – the same account she and Mike had started in preparation for the wedding they never had. Her plan was to leave Danny when she had enough saved and when she had attained her associate’s degree. She didn’t know where she would go, but she knew it would be far away from Danny and the life they shared. He had never been physically abusive to her yet; however, she was constantly aware that she was probably only one punch away from being hurt by him.
She was finally ready to make her move in January 2011 but something happened to change her plans. She became pregnant again; and, like before, Danny insisted on an abortion. He blamed her for trying to trap him, so the only difference this time was that he told her she could pay for the abortion herself. Kris had never forgiven herself for agreeing to the first abortion and she knew, without a doubt, that she could never go through another one. She knew it would be hard to raise a baby alone, but she had convinced herself she could do it. She waited until later that night when Danny left to meet up with some of his friends. She called a locksmith, had the locks on the door changed, and piled all his belongings on the steps outside their apartment. He never came home that night. She called and told him he needed to come collect his belongings if he wanted them. She even arranged for a policeman, the husband of a friend of a friend, to be with her the next day when he finally came to collect his things.
His hands closed tightly into fists before he bent down to gather his belongings. He looked at her, looked at the cop, and offered a final smirk. “So long, bitch.”
Kris was all alone in her pregnancy during the following six months. She went to all her county-sponsored doctor appointments, took her vitamins, ate right, exercised, and was feeling confident that she could be something that she had never had – a good mother. She knew that lots of other single women made it work and she was determined to do the same. There was a brief time during that six-month period that she even considered joining a church, maybe learn to pray. However, she quickly abandoned that thought. She had never been exposed to any type of formal religion and she didn’t really believe in God anyway; the last thing she wanted to do was to be hypocritical about that situation. Maybe one day, but not now.
Kris arrived home from one of her night classes three weeks later to find Danny Raye sitting on the steps outside her apartment. Even though he appeared to be clean-shaven and sober, she instinctively moved to get back inside her vehicle when she spotted him.
Danny jumped off the steps when he saw her start to get back inside her car and shouted, “Wait, Kris... please! Hey, I promise I’m not here to hurt you. I just wanna talk to you for a minute. Okay?”
It went against her better judgment, but Kris listened while Danny begged her forgiveness and asked her to take him back. He had thought things over and he wanted them to try to make things work, to be a real family. He wanted to be a father to their baby.
Kris wanted so desperately to believe him, so... she did.
She allowed Danny to move back in and it didn’t take him long to quickly lure her into a false sense of security. It was another three weeks later when she exited the bathroom of Sam’s Warehouse to find that Danny Raye had abandoned her, and stolen both her car and purse. She had, unfortunately, confessed to him about the secret savings account. It didn’t take him long to convince her to cash in the savings so that they could furnish a nursery and find a larger apartment, away from the crime and drug scenes. She could almost hear Mike pleading with her not to do it, but she knew she had to really begin trusting Danny again; he was, after all, the father of her child. That money had been in her purse. She had wanted to take the purse inside Sam’s with her, but Danny told her he would watch it for her, that she didn’t need to be carrying it inside since it had so much money in it…someone might steal it…
After telling her story to the four patient and compassionate people sitting around the café table with her, Kris shrugged her shoulders and said. “Well, that’s it, I guess. That’s my story. Leave it to me to pick the biggest losers, huh?”
Bertie pushed up and away from the table while Doug refilled everyone’s cups with steaming coffee. “I think I’ll go fetch us all some dessert,” Bertie sighed.
Max stood up and looked down at Kris. “I’ll go call the police.”
Kris watched Bertie, Max, and Doug all walk silently toward the kitchen. She looked over at Amanda, whose eyes were wet with unshed tears. She couldn’t remember anyone ever crying over her. It felt really strange, but somehow....comforting, too. Kris offered a weak smile. “I bet you’re really glad you stopped to help me, aren’t you?”
“Oh, more than you can imagine! You know, Kris, there really is a God,” Amanda whispered. “I’ve known Him all my life and, trust me, He is awesome! If you only put your faith in Him, you’ll see that everything is going to be just fine.”
Kris rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I learned a long time ago, Amanda, to put my faith in only one person, and that’s ME. I’m sorry, I know your faith is real to you, but…I don’t believe in your God. I mean, just look at my life, at everything that has happened to me. What kind of God allows people to suffer like that? No, I do not believe in your God.”
Amanda watched her new friend turn her face toward the window. She smiled to herself and thought, “That’s okay... you don’t have to believe in Him just yet, because He believes in you.
CHAPTER 11
-Heaven-
Amanda’s Parents Meet Martin
Stephen and Regina Turner stood off to one side waiting patiently for the tall, skinny black man to acknowledge their presence. Each of them had been in different locations when they had telepathically received what they could only perceive to be a summons; so, they had closed their eyes, concentrated on the voice and command they heard, and when they opened their eyes, they found themselves standing next to each other for the first time since Regina’s death.
They had not been physically together when Amanda first dreamed about them, but they had joined forces, telepathically, in order to relay the
important message to their daughter. This summons by Martin was the first time Stephen had laid eyes on the love of his life in fourteen years; well, fourteen human years, anyway. He had no idea how long he had been in what he now knew was Heaven; sometimes it felt like it had only been a few days, while at others, it felt more like the three years since he had died.
Regina’s eyes lit up when she saw her husband. She reached for his hand and squeezed it tightly. “I’ve been waiting for you for such a long time, Stephen.”
Stephen squeezed back, amazed at the sensations that rocked his new heavenly body. He couldn’t take his eyes off Regina and, at first, was unable to speak past the lump in his throat. “Regina…oh, my, God…I am so confused.” He pulled her into an embrace, never wanting to let her go again. He kissed the top of her head and said, “I know this is the first time we’ve seen each other, but I could swear you and I were together, speaking to Amanda... in a dream, I think, but how could that be possible? My, God…you look…wonderful…”
Regina smiled back at him. “I know it’s confusing, love, but it will all begin to make more sense, eventually…after all, you’re still a newbie at all this.” She waved her arms to include the vast whiteness surrounding them before continuing. “But, you’re right…we were together, sort of. It was the same dream, but we weren’t physically together. I have to admit that I still don’t understand all the mechanics of how it all works. I doubt if any of us ever will, but it really doesn’t matter how things happen here. We just accept that they do happen and that there’s always a good reason behind why they happen as they do.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and threw back her golden hair. “I’m just so glad to finally be able to hold you in my arms and to see you again. I’ve missed you so much, Stephen…so very much.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Stephen Turner as he stared at the woman he had shared his life with, the mother of his only child. It dawned on him that this woman who had been such an important part of his human life, and whose body he had known so intimately, now held no sexual attraction to him at all. He also knew that these same thoughts and feelings were shared by Regina. The love and the bond they had always shared were still there, stronger than ever, but neither of them experienced any sexual inclinations toward the other.
He ran both hands down his face and shook his head as this final thought sunk in. “I really am confused...”
Martin had his back turned to the couple while he fidgeted with some buttons and switches beside the huge screen with scrolling, black lettering. He decided to give them a few more moments together before acknowledging them. He loved being a part of the heavenly reunions between husbands and wives, and he smiled now when he heard Stephen’s confused thoughts about the lack of sexual attraction toward his wife. This had always been one of the hardest things for the human souls to accept and understand; however, Martin always chuckled when they realized that it was, also, somewhat of a relief!
“Who is he?” Stephen asked, nodding his head in Martin’s direction. “And, where exactly are we? One second I was sitting with a group of people listening to a man explaining to us about the hierarchy of angels, and the next thing I knew I was here, standing beside you. By the way, did you know that you and I aren’t angels? I learned that in the class I was attending today…just one more thing to add to my overall confusion, I guess…”
Regina reached up and pushed back a lock of her husband’s hair that had fallen down upon his forehead. His spiritual soul, as well as her own, were at the ages of twenty-eight and twenty-six, respectively – not much older than their daughter currently was in her earthly years. She glanced over at Martin and smiled in acknowledgment. “His name is Martin and he’s the first assistant to Max. Max is what we humans would call an angel, not to be confused with the real heavenly angels, mind you. Max operates the café where our Amanda is working. But, like I said, neither Max nor Martin are “Heavenly” angels....just as you and I aren’t, nor will we ever be Heavenly angels. We’ll be more like…well…angel assistants, or spiritual guides. Real angels… Heavenly angels… have never lived human lives.”
Stephen squeezed his chin together between his open palms and shook his head. “Gee, thanks for clearing that up for me, dear. Oh yeah… sure… it all makes so much more sense now.” He pulled her close to him, kissed the top of her head, and rested his chin there while he watched Martin’s back. He couldn’t be sure, but by the slight heaving of the man’s shoulders, he would have sworn that Martin was suppressing laughter!
The huge white screen suddenly flickered off as Martin turned to face the couple. “Ah, Regina! So good to see you again, my dear! How have you been?”
Regina walked toward Martin and accepted his embrace. She sighed and smiled up at him. “Much better now, thank you.” She glanced back at Stephen and sighed. “There’s still so much to learn, Martin. After all this time, I still feel like such a beginner in my lessons.”
Martin nodded. “Not to worry, my dear. You have plenty of time and you have already learned much more than you may realize.” Martin looked over at Stephen and motioned him forward. “Stephen, please come here…join us.”
There was no hesitation on Stephen’s part. This man exalted trust, honesty, and integrity; it oozed from every particle surrounding him. Stephen trusted him instantly.
Martin welcomed Stephen into their embrace. “I know how happy Regina is to finally be able to talk with you again. She has waited a long time for your arrival, and you’re probably wondering why it didn’t happen sooner. After all, you have been with us now for three years.”
Stephen cocked his eyebrows and nodded in agreement. “I’m actually wondering about a lot of things! For instance, I was fifty-one when I died and, well... this isn’t exactly the body I died in, if you know what I mean. And, Regina was only thirty-five when she died, but...” he sighed again as he took a long look at his wife, “Well, she doesn’t look any older than she was the day I first met her.”
Martin released them both and fluttered his hands theatrically in the air. “Time is truly irrelevant, don’t you think? Humans put far too much thought and energy into worrying about time. If only they knew what the two of you have learned since you’ve been here…ahh…their time on earth would be so much more rewarding for them.” He turned back to the large screen and motioned them closer. “Enough of that, come closer…both of you, I want you to see this.”
The huge screen flickered on again, and images of the current inhabitants of the Heavenly Grille Café filled it; they were all sitting around a booth. Regina and Steve moved closer and observed an older man and woman sitting on one side of the booth; and, their daughter, Amanda, was sitting on the opposite side of the booth next to a young woman – a very pregnant young woman. A handsome young man stood at the end of the booth filling cups with steaming coffee.
“Oh, look!” whispered Regina, grabbing hold of Stephen’s hand. “There’s Amanda! Oh, Stephen, look at how beautiful she is.” She looked up at her husband. “You really did a wonderful job of raising her, you know. Thank you for that…”
Stephen smiled down at her. “Well, I’m not sure how much credit I should take in that. I tried not to screw things up too badly, but I have to admit that it was touch and go at times. Let’s just say... there were many, many times when she could have used her mother’s touch and advice, but she had to settle for her Dad’s inane efforts. Do you have any idea how long it takes to master a French braid?”
Martin allowed them to linger their attention on their daughter for a few moments before he interjected. “Amanda is not only beautiful on the outside; she also has a good soul. Even though she is all alone in the world, she still has compassion for her fellow human beings, always on the lookout for someone to help. She seldom allows herself self-pity, does she?”
Stephen shook his head. “Nope, that’s just not Amanda’s style; I think she gets that from her mother’s side of the family. Whenever things didn’t go her way, she would just
pick herself up and tell me that tomorrow would be a better day. She also had a lot of compassion for animals, especially abused ones. It seems like she brought strays home every week and would keep them until she could find a forever home for them.” Stephen nodded at the pregnant woman sitting beside his daughter. “Something tells me that this young lady might just be Amanda’s latest stray…am I right? She’s the person that Regina and I told Amanda to be on the lookout for, isn’t she?”
“In a sense,” Martin smiled. “Yes, I suppose you could call Kris Devone a stray. Her life has, indeed, been very similar to that of a stray animal…but…we are hoping that Amanda will be able to help her turn her life around.”
Stephen leaned closer to look at the screen and pointed at the older woman sitting at the booth opposite his daughter. “Well, I’ll be! Look! It’s that actress who played Hazel on television! Look, Regina!”
Regina took a closer look at Bertie. She did indeed bear a striking resemblance to the actress, Shirley Booth, a character actress who had played in the television series, “Hazel.” The show had been a hit series from 1961 through 1966. Stephen was born in 1960 but had grown up watching re-runs of the series and had been Shirley Booth’s biggest fan. He had adored everything about the woman. Regina grinned in agreement. “She definitely looks a lot like her, Stephen.”
The Heavenly Grille Café Page 6