Forever Friends

by Murray, Tamela Hancock

  “I know. But I only want you to think more carefully next time before jumping in. Will you do that? For me?”

  Kassia shook her head. “Only you can get away with telling me that, because I know you care about me.” Her voice softened. “Thanks.”

  Kassia was grateful for Lexie’s concern, but her frank advice unsettled her. What if Lexie was right? She started to consider the possibilities.

  “Hey.” Lexie’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “It’s not as if you haven’t been there for me.”

  Kassia knew Lexie would always be thankful for her help after her first husband died. Lexie and her daughter had shared Kassia’s second bedroom when they moved back to town and needed to start a new life. “I was glad to help,” Kassia said. “And I’ll always be there for you.”

  Kassia didn’t wait for Lexie to answer. Instead she brightened her voice and changed the subject to two topics she was sure her friend never tired of. “So how is Theo? And does Piper still like school?”

  Lexie took the hint and talked about how well her life was progressing. Soon Kassia had caught up on the news then reluctantly ended the conversation. She placed the receiver in its cradle. At least someone had a perfect life. But why couldn’t she have one, too?

  ❧

  A week later Teague lounged on his couch, watching daytime television. He didn’t want to get involved in any soap opera plots and clicked past those stations. The talk shows only interested him slightly. He could choose between trying to catch up in the middle of an old movie, watching a thirty-year-old adventure series, or getting bored with a game show repeat. If someone had told him two weeks before that he’d be hanging around his house on a Monday, watching reruns of old game shows, he never would have believed it.

  His mother entered the living room from where she had been washing lunch dishes. She had agreed to help Teague for a week, but this was her last day before she had to return to teaching kindergarten. Dad would pick her up this evening and take her home. Teague didn’t know exactly how he would survive after she left, but he would figure out something. He had gotten himself into the situation, even though unintentionally, so would cope with the consequences.

  His mother sat down in the brown leather chair near the couch. “Honey, are you just going to lie there while you’re at home and watch game shows?”

  “I don’t know. I might change the channel if they start showing repeats of repeats.” He grinned.

  Teague was determined to keep his sense of humor. His situation wouldn’t have been happy in the best of circumstances, but without a job, being laid up was even worse. If he had still been employed, someone would have sent materials home to him so he could work on his laptop. But now, with no income and nothing to do, being at home wasn’t as relaxing or enjoyable as he had envisioned.

  The prospect of having little money was even more worrisome. The health insurance he had with his old job was scheduled to run out in a month. But even with the majority of his hospital expenses covered, he still needed to meet his other obligations. He desperately wanted to rejoin the ranks of the employed, but the most he’d been able to accomplish in his search for a new job while he recuperated was to use the phone and Internet. Personal interviews seemed impossible. Besides, who would want to hire an injured man?

  “How about a book?” his mother asked, interrupting his musings. “I can go to the library and check out something for you. Science fiction, maybe? That would take your mind off yourself.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t need you to go to all that trouble. I’m okay.”

  “You’re okay?” She raised her eyebrows. “You can’t fool me. I’m your mother. I can look at your face and tell when you’re worried. Now don’t fret so much,” she told him. “I know it’s hard, but we will do all we can to help you out.”

  “You’ve done enough just by being here for me through this injury.”

  “I’ve been blessed by this time with you.” She leaned over and patted the knee on his unharmed leg. “Besides, you’ll be back on your feet and working before you know it.”

  Teague wasn’t sure what to say. Whenever he tried to hide anything from either of his parents, the news always came out. He couldn’t help but recall Matthew 10:26, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.”

  “I wish everything would be that easy,” he admitted.

  “Of course healing from such a major injury won’t be easy,” Mom said. “You’ll be on crutches for a while.” She thumped her hand on the arm of the chair. “I know. Why don’t I run by your office and pick up some work for you? That would take your mind off everything and let you get something done, too.”

  “Uh, thanks, but I don’t need you to do that.”

  “I don’t mind. Really.” She got up from the chair and headed toward the phone. “I can call your boss now and let him know I’ll be there within the hour.”

  “Don’t do that.” His voice came out more sharply than he had intended.

  His mother stopped and turned to face him. She opened her mouth slightly, in the way she always did when she wondered what had possessed him, and regarded him with a gaze that pierced right through him.

  “There’s something you’re not telling me.” Her lips narrowed into a taut line. “Is your supervisor giving you a hard time about needing this time off?”

  “No. In fact he wants me to take time off.” Teague stared at his outstretched legs. “Too much time.”

  “Forced vacation?” She folded her arms and nodded. “I’ve heard about that. A lot of companies use that tactic to keep from laying people off.” She sighed. “I’m sorry to hear they’re having such a rough time. But so are a lot of other companies.”

  “Yes. They are.” Teague still couldn’t look her in the eye. He struggled with his news. If only he didn’t have to tell her anything. But if he wanted to maintain an honest relationship with his parents, he couldn’t hide it from them any longer. He braced himself to reveal his plight. His body tensed. “Mom, it’s worse for me than that. I wasn’t just forced to take vacation. I was let go.”

  “Let go!” She rushed to the couch and sat on the cushion near his feet. “But you loved your job, and you were working hard. I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I, if you want to know the truth. But we lost a contract, and Will didn’t feel he could afford to keep me on without more work in sight.”

  Her shoulders drooped. “Oh, Teague. I’m so sorry. When did this happen?”

  “Last week, before I went on the ski trip.”

  “And you’ve waited all this time to say something?”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say anything about it because I didn’t want you to worry. And now look what I’ve done. I never should have been so foolish. I never should have gone on such a risky trip, knowing I didn’t have a job and my insurance would be running out soon.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “You know how to ski. How could you have predicted you’d have an accident? From all reports, the tumble you took clearly wasn’t your fault. In fact a couple of the people I work with even suggested you might be able to take the owners of the lodge to court.”

  “I’m not going to do that. It’s not worth the trouble, and besides, there’s no way to prove an obstacle was in the path.” He remembered something else. “Anyway, everyone signed a disclaimer relieving them from responsibility for any mishaps.”

  “Everyone knows how to cover their bases these days,” his mother said. “Not that I blame them. One big loss in court and they could go bankrupt.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “Even if I had a case, I’m not sure I’d sue. I think sometimes it’s right to go to court, but I don’t feel that’s the way the Lord wants me to spend my time now.”

  His mother patted his left knee. “I’m so proud of you for listening to Him. The Lord will see you through, as He always does.”

  “I know, Mom. I’v
e been praying.”

  “Good. And I want you to know I’ll do anything I can to help you on your job search,” she said. “I can take time off from work and drive you to your job interviews.”

  “I can see me hobbling in for an interview right now.” Teague groaned.

  “They’ll know it’s not a permanent injury.” She smiled. “Of course, the sympathy factor alone might get you a job.”

  He laughed. “You always know how to cheer me up. But, no, I won’t let you take off from work. Besides, I don’t have any interviews lined up yet.”

  “When you do, you let me know.”

  “Thanks, but that may be awhile. Jobs are scarce right now.”

  “I know, but someone with your ambition and talent is bound to find something else soon.” She tapped the arm of her chair. “What about Kassia? Maybe she knows someone, or maybe her company has a job opening.”

  “That’s a thought.” Teague didn’t want to admit to his mom that he hadn’t told Kassia. Their time together on the ski trip had been limited, and he hadn’t wanted to spoil the few minutes they had together sharing such bad news. Just when he thought he was stable enough to settle down, this had to happen. He didn’t want to tell her. He was too much of a coward. He prayed she wouldn’t find out before he could gather up enough courage to tell her himself.

  “Kassia is such a nice girl,” his mother observed. “Do you think you could get serious about her?”

  “Oh, Mom!” Despite his objections, the suggestion seemed reasonable.

  “I was just asking. Look at how she stayed with you at the hospital until after your surgery. You don’t see that kind of devotion every day from people you’ve been friends with for years, much less someone you hardly know.” She paused. “Unless you’ve known her longer than you’ve let on to us.”

  “No. We had only been out to dinner once and then the ski trip.”

  “She must be smitten then.”

  Teague didn’t answer.

  “Your dad said he had a wonderful time talking to her when he took her home.”

  “I’m sure she enjoyed talking with him, too.”

  “I’m so glad it looks like you might have found someone,” Mom said. “I know you’ve been waiting a long time.”

  “I know.” Teague’s voice was soft. How could he express his nagging doubts about Kassia to his mother when Kassia had shown him nothing but kindness?

  He watched his mother pick up the newspaper and begin reading. A pleased smile lingered on her face. She had always been good at assessing people’s characters. Was it possible he was being too judgmental?

  Even if he wasn’t, he harbored no expectations beyond friendship. The alliance had been forged because of a temporary setback. True friendships were based on more than just compassion in the face of adversity or on gratitude. He had to remember that.

  His worries went far beyond friendships, though. His whole life had shattered. In a few days he had gone from being a valued employee of a promising, dynamic company, to being laid up, recovering from surgery that left him with pins in his ankle. He also wasn’t sure how easy finding a new job would be in this tight economy.

  I have nothing to offer Kassia.

  Her presence at his bedside had comforted him more than he could have anticipated. She stood with him. He now realized how much he wanted a woman in his life, a helpmate rather than a mother or sister.

  He thought about the beautiful brunette. Even though she was taking baby steps in her faith walk, any man would be lucky to have her. Brad’s obvious interest in her at the restaurant demonstrated that Kassia had her pick of men. She held down a responsible job as an office manager for a group of stockbrokers. Suddenly he felt unworthy again. Why would she want an unemployed, injured man to pull her down?

  She shouldn’t have to. Without a word, he made a resolution. The next time Kassia called, he would thank her for her help and then make no promises or offers to see her again. The sooner she got on with her own life, the better.

  He tightened his lips, but his determined feeling evaporated as soon as it arrived. If he would be better off without Kassia, then why did he feel so heartbroken?

  ❧

  From his perch on the couch, Teague set the Saturday edition of the Richmond Times Dispatch aside and looked out the front picture window at the yard. The grass lay dormant, sleeping during the winter months. Three Japanese maple trees, so beautiful with red leaves during the spring and summer months, were stripped of their former glory but stood stalwart in wait for warmer weather. He felt thankful that at least he didn’t have to stress over yard work while he recovered.

  At intervals, cars, vans, and SUVs whizzed by on the two-lane country road in front of the house. Teague cringed when he noticed several were traveling too fast for the curves. Still, their speed made him long for the freedom of motion once again. At first the rest had been somewhat welcome. The time spent with Mom had given him a chance to reconnect with her in a way he hadn’t experienced since he was in high school. But now she had left, and everyone else had gone on with their lives out of necessity. Restlessness visited more often than friends and family.

  The white wooden farmhouse across the way was well off the road. In the summer, corn grew in the field in front of the home. Teague hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Mr. Wilkins, the farmer who shared some of his vegetable harvest with Teague during the warm summer months. He knew the farmer wasn’t aware he had been injured, and he wasn’t about to call and worry him. Still, Teague wished Mr. Wilkins would stop in for a chat.

  As he mused about his loneliness, he noticed a small blue car slowing down in front of his house. Coming almost to a stop, the car hesitated as though the driver was confirming the number on his mailbox. Just then the car pulled into his driveway. The heavy layer of gravel crackled as the car made its way to the house.

  “Who could that be?” he muttered.

  Teague didn’t like the idea of living so close to other people as many did in the city. He had chosen to rent a home in a rural area that offered a longer but not intolerable commute. The low density of homes and his long driveway discouraged visitors. He recalled no recent visits from traveling salesmen, missionaries, or children selling goods for fund-raising.

  The car didn’t belong to his pastor or anyone from church. He didn’t recognize it as belonging to a friend, neighbor, or relative. Whether he liked it or not, someone he didn’t know had stopped by. He wasn’t sure he wanted to take the trouble to hobble to the door.

  He clicked his tongue. “I’ll bet I know who this is. It must be one of the women from church bringing me something for lunch.”

  Teague looked down at his clothes and decided he looked presentable enough in a white sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Knowing he would need time to answer the door, he rose from his seat and tottered to respond to the knock that had not yet come.

  He stopped in the middle of his hobbling. “But Mrs. Grueman from church isn’t supposed to be here until tonight.”

  Curious, he glanced outside and spotted a brunette emerging from the car. Curls escaped from her hooded coat of leopard spots.

  He took in a breath. “Kassia!”

  His stomach did a flip-flop on seeing her. How could he be so firm in his resolve not to see her anymore when he was alone, but the moment he noticed her in front of his house, he became soft as mush?

  Father, where is my strength?

  Ten

  Kassia stared at the small but sturdy brick house. She remembered Teague had mentioned he was renting his home. Noting the expansive lawn, she wondered why anyone would agree to take care of so much land when he didn’t even own it. Still, large trees in the yard lent the house a sense of stability and permanence that no apartment complex could offer, no matter how upscale or well planned.

  In spite of the cold weather, she took in a deliberate breath. Fresh air!

  Leaning on her car door, she paused for a moment in the stillness. Out here in the country she could
now understand why a person might like to live away from the hurry of the city. In her apartment she could hear muffled sounds of other tenants talking through the walls she shared with them. Often she would notice her upstairs neighbors walking back and forth across their floor and even hear water running through the pipes behind the wall.

  Living out in the country all by himself, Teague had no such problems. Then again Kassia wondered if he ever got lonely.

  Realizing she had paused too long, she opened the back door of her small car and retrieved the cardboard box from the floor. She took a minute to inspect her dishes. She was thankful none of the containers had come open and spilled their contents.

  Maybe I should have made sure Teague wanted all this food. Maybe I should have been sure he wanted to see me before I barged in.

  Whether he wanted to see her or not, she had to try. Ever since she’d left him after surgery, she couldn’t get him off her mind. Every day she wanted to call him but resisted the urge. The fact that his mother was staying with him was a welcome deterrent. Kassia had too much pride to look as if she was chasing Teague, even though she and Loretta had taken an instant liking to each other.

  Funny how I can get along with his mom. Why can’t it be like that with my own mother?

  Kassia wondered, though, why she was standing in the freezing cold with a meal she had spent a lot of time and effort on, taking it to a man who hadn’t called her once since he’d left the hospital. Yet she felt a sense of peace about what she was doing.

  Lord, are You trying to tell me something?

  ❧

  Teague leaned on his crutches and watched Kassia draw in a breath of air then stop. She studied the side yard, obviously unaware he could see her. He wondered what she was thinking. He smiled. Something about being in the country seemed to make people pause and reflect. And that was a positive thing.

  He observed her unload a large cardboard box from her car and was at once reminded of his current helplessness. Ordinarily he would have hurried to her aid. Since he couldn’t move with enough agility to meet her at the car, he had to witness her shut the car door with her hip then carefully walk to the front porch with whatever she carried in the box.