Plan

by Lyle, Linda;

“That’s what I thought. Why?”

  “You sure do ask a lot of questions. Why don’t you just sit down and enjoy it?”

  “Okay,” Rachel said with a puzzled look on her face. Taking a seat at the breakfast nook, she watched him neatly fold an omelet. “I’ve never been able to do that.”

  “It’s all in the wrist. I’ll show you sometime.” He slid it onto a plate and then cut it in half, sliding the second half onto another plate. “I hope you don’t mind sharing. You’re a little short on ingredients,” he said, motioning toward the almost empty cabinet.

  “I haven’t been to the grocery store yet.”

  “So I see.”

  They ate dinner in comfortable silence, and he stayed long enough to clean up the dishes. “If you need anything, just call me. I left my home number on the fridge. Okay?” She nodded her head in agreement.

  “See you tomorrow?” she said. It was more a question than a statement.

  “Yeah,” he replied and then disappeared behind the door.

  She locked the door behind him, and a sudden weariness flooded her body. She turned off the lights and stumbled to the bed, exhaustion claiming her before her head hit the pillow.

  five

  The telephone rang early the next morning, waking Rachel from a sound sleep. She reached for the alarm, and realizing her mistake, grabbed the receiver. She heard, more than felt, her Bible fall off the nightstand. “Hello?” she whispered.

  “Rachel? Are you all right?”

  “Mama?” Rachel sat up quickly—too quickly. She sank back against the pillows.

  “Of course, it’s me. Are you all right?” Anxiety was evident in the way she talked through her teeth. When her mother was anxious, she often appeared angry. It was something Rachel had come to recognize.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You sound horrible,” Edna Grant replied. As usual, her words of concern sounded more like an insult.

  “Of course, I sound horrible. You woke me out of a sound sleep. Do you have any idea what time it is?” Rachel replied. Once again her mother had her all defensive, and all she had done was express concern. What was it with the two of them?

  “It’s a quarter past six. You’re usually up and getting ready for class by now.”

  Feeling guilty for her outburst, Rachel tried again. “I know, I just got to bed late, that’s all.”

  “That’s why I’m calling. I heard about the community center. They said there were no injuries, but I wanted to call and make sure. I tried your apartment several times last night, but there was no answer. I was beginning to get worried.”

  “I’m fine. It just took a while to get all the students home and for the power company to clean up the power lines.” The scene replayed through her mind like a movie. She could almost see the tree resting on her classroom table. She shook away the image as her mother’s voice broke into her thoughts.

  “Rachel, are you still there?”

  “Yes, Mama. I was just thinking. I’m still a little groggy. Can we talk later?”

  “All right,” her mother said with a sigh. “Just make sure you call me back. Better than that, why don’t you just come home this weekend?”

  Rachel hesitated. There was so much that needed to be done.

  “It’s been three months since you’ve been home to visit. With the Center closed for now, you should have some extra time on your hands. There’s nothing going on that can’t wait over the weekend,” her mother cajoled.

  “Okay. I’ll come down late Friday.”

  “Good. I’ll see you then.” The phone went dead before Rachel could even say goodbye. She stared at the phone in her hand until the dial tone started buzzing. The conversation was always over as soon as Mama got what she wanted. Rachel curled up with a sigh at the prospect of going home. Things never changed, especially not Mama. Since her father’s death six years ago, her mother had tried to control her life. After she graduated from college, her mother’s one aim was to see Rachel married no matter what. Rachel knew it was only because she cared, but it often seemed her mother thought her incapable of finding a relationship on her own. It wasn’t that Rachel was against marriage; she just wanted it to be with the right man, a godly man. Those were few and far between these days.

  She didn’t have long to think about her family problems because the phone was ringing again. With a groan, she picked it up.

  “Girl, what have you been doing on the phone at this hour?” Susan asked.

  “It wasn’t my idea.”

  “Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

  “I haven’t gotten up yet.”

  “Oh! Sorry.” Somehow Susan didn’t sound sorry. “I just got some news, and I knew you would want to hear it first thing.”

  “What now?”

  “The Center has been condemned. They want to have it demolished by summer. That’s only six weeks away!” The stress was evident in Susan’s voice.

  “Already? The damage just happened last night!” Rachel struggled up in bed and plumped the pillow behind her. “How could they make the decision so fast?”

  “It seems the committee had a meeting about this last week. The tornado damage was just the clincher. What are we going to do, Rach?”

  “I don’t know.” Rachel struggled for an answer, but her mind was a jumble of images and voices. It was too much, too fast. “I don’t know. We’ll think of something.” Her words sounded hollow to her own ears, and she knew she wasn’t fooling Susan either.

  “Yeah. Right. We’ll think of something.”

  “I’ll meet you down at the Center after class, okay?” Rachel asked.

  “Sure. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Rachel hung up the phone and sank against the pillows like a lead weight. Her body felt too heavy to move. What about her students? They would have nowhere to go to study. Most of them were getting ready to apply for citizenship and desperately needed the practice. Not to mention the neighborhood kids who depended on the Center as a place to get away from their family problems. The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became. It took pure willpower to get herself out of bed and into the shower. She still had a job at the university, and she couldn’t afford to louse it up.

  All the way to the university her mind pondered the situation, but there still seemed no way out. By the time she reached the campus, tears had formed. She pushed them back and took a deep breath. This was no time to get emotional. She had a class to teach.

  Rachel took the long way to her class, hoping to avoid Dr. Harris’s office. It was going to be hard enough to hide this from her students. She just couldn’t face him today as well. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going. The impact brought her mind to the present, as a strong arm caught and pulled her close. She was standing nose to nose with Randy Harris. It was several moments before she could catch her breath.

  “We meet again,” Randy said. He seemed a bit out of breath.

  “Oh.” Rachel couldn’t think of anything to say, so she stood there with her mouth half open, willing her brain to work.

  “Are you all right?” Randy’s brow wrinkled as if in concern. “Come into my office and sit down for a few minutes.”

  Despite her protests, he propelled her toward his office, one arm still tight around her waist. Closing the door behind them, he pushed her into his chair and pulled up another for himself. With one hand on either arm of the chair, he looked closely at her. She lowered her eyes and tried to avoid his gaze, but he wasn’t giving up.

  “What’s the matter, Rachel?” He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his.

  “Nothing. It just scared me a little when I bumped into you. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

  “I don’t think so. What’s really bothering you?” He stared at her with such concern in his eyes that her resolve melted and the tears that had been so close to the su
rface all morning finally made their way down her cheeks. “Hey, hey. It’s okay.” He pulled her over to the loveseat against the wall and stroked her hair. She laid her head on his shoulder and cried until her body shook with sobs. He just held her, stroking her hair and whispering comforting words. After a few minutes, the tears stopped and she jumped and looked at his watch.

  “What time is it?” she cried.

  “Eight o’clock. Why?”

  “I have class. I have to go or I’ll be late.” She started to get up, but he held her firmly in place.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I don’t have any choice.” She tugged at his arm even though, inside, the last thing she wanted to do right now was teach a class. “Let me go. I have to get to class.”

  “Not today. You need a break, especially after yesterday. I’ll call the office and tell them to send someone to notify the class.” She spouted incoherent protests, but he ignored her. One arm securing her to his side, he used his free arm to dial the office.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “You need a break. You won’t be any good to the students like this. They’ll enjoy the vacation. Besides, it’s not like you take off every week. As far as I know, this is the first time you’ve ever missed class. So relax!”

  “I guess you’re right.” She sank back onto the couch and realized Randy’s arm was still around her. It felt good.

  “I know I am. Now why don’t you go home and take a nap or go for a walk or something? Just clear your mind for a while.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  “Good girl!” He patted her arm. “I’d go with you, but I’m giving a test in a few minutes. You go on and I’ll meet you on the quad for lunch.”

  “I think I’ll pass on lunch. I’ll just grab something at the apartment.” She saw the disappointment in his eyes and she looked away. She needed some time to think.

  “Sure. Maybe later.”

  “Bye,” she said as she walked out the door.

  ❧

  Randy watched from his window as she crossed the lawn. There was something she wasn’t telling him. He was sure of it. Thinking back to last night, he remembered that stab of fear he felt when he heard the weather report. There was no planning, no thinking it through, just an urgent need to find her. When he heard that the tornado had hit the community center, he knew that Rachel was there and needed him. It had taken almost an hour to get through the rubble to where she was. She had been standing alone looking at the damage, obviously in a state of shock. It had been instinct that made him cross the lawn and take her in his arms. She had followed his instructions meekly, accepting his help as if it were as natural as breathing. Then she had said, “Randy, what am I going to do?” She had finally called him Randy. It had come out so easily, as though she had been saying it for years. He had wanted to hold her in his arms, but he was afraid he would scare her. And today he had surprised himself too. Maybe he had come on too strong and that was the reason she had suddenly shied away. Maybe. Still, there was something else going on and he was bound and determined to find out what it was.

  ❧

  Rachel walked across campus, but this time she wasn’t feeling sorry for herself. It was time to take some action. She reviewed her resources again and mentally went through a list of options. There had to be a way to keep the Center. There just had to be. With that in mind, she turned her steps toward Susan’s house.

  ❧

  “I don’t see how it could work, Rachel,” Susan said for the third time. “There’s no funding available for another building. The only reason we had the Center is because the property was donated. There never was any money budgeted for a building. That’s why it was in such bad shape.”

  “But isn’t there someone who’s willing to let us have classes in an office building or library somewhere? Maybe on campus?”

  “That could be a possibility, but that’s only short-term. What are we going to do after these classes are finished?”

  “I don’t know, Susan, but I’m not going to give up without a fight. We owe it to the students to at least finish the term. That will buy us some time to figure out a long-range plan.”

  “Okay. Okay. I give in.” Susan threw her hands up in surrender. “We’ll do it your way. You just don’t give up, do you?”

  “Not when I believe in something. This town needs that Center, whether it knows it or not. There’s so much more that we could be doing.”

  “Whoa there. One thing at a time. First, we find a place to hold classes, and then we conquer the world.”

  “I’ll talk to the university first thing in the morning,” Rachel offered.

  “Great. I’ll see if the church will let us use the basketball court and the fellowship hall for the kids’ programs. I’ll meet you here tomorrow and compare notes.”

  “Perfect. Tomorrow we fight.”

  six

  “I can’t believe this,” Rachel fumed. “Nothing’s going the way I planned it!”

  “Well, you know what Burns said, ‘The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray,’” Susan said.

  Rachel frowned in reply. Neither the church nor the university were able—or willing—to help. She had spent all morning trying to convince the university to let them use a classroom for the English class. Unfort-unately, all the classrooms were either in use or being repaired. The university had just begun an extensive remodeling project hosted by the local chapter of the historical society. She made two rounds of the carpet and was starting a third when she stopped midstride. “That’s it!”

  “What’s it?” Susan stared at her as if she had completely lost it.

  “The historical society.”

  “You lost me. What are you talking about?” She emphasized the “are” with decided sarcasm.

  “That’s our way out of this mess.”

  “I’m still lost. Can you give me a clue?” Susan rolled her eyes and stuck out her chin as she spoke, her eyebrows furrowed in a question mark.

  “Okay. I’ll say this slowly so you’ll understand. If we can get the historical society to declare the community center a historical landmark, then they can’t destroy it and we can get funds to renovate.”

  “Are you serious? Do you really think that they’ll do that?” Susan’s eyes popped open with the first hint of hope she had shown since the night of the tornado.

  “Yes!” Rachel squealed. “Remember when I went out with Randy?” Susan nodded, so Rachel continued, “Well, we went to a presentation on local historical landmarks. I remember the speaker talking about how the community center used to be a…”

  “A what?”

  “I can’t remember, but it was important. Randy will know. I’ll call him tonight and ask.”

  “Great. Now what do we do?”

  “I’m not sure, but Randy can help us with the next step.”

  “You like him, don’t you?” Susan prodded.

  “Of course I like him. He’s a nice guy.” Rachel didn’t like where this was going.

  “I mean you really like him.” Susan sat up straight in her chair. “Come to think of it, you haven’t mentioned Kyle in a week.”

  Susan’s obvious excitement over her love life made Rachel squirm. “I’m just taking your advice and letting Kyle suffer.”

  “Oh, forget Kyle! Randy’s got a lot more going for him than Kyle.”

  “How do you know?” Rachel asked. “You haven’t even met Randy.”

  “No, but I’ve heard you talk about him and I’ve seen the way you look when you talk about him.”

  “You’re crazy. He’s just a friend. A colleague. I’m biding my time until Kyle realizes what he’s missing.” From the look on Susan’s face, she must have made her point.

  “Girl, I hope you don’t go and mess up a good thing. Randy’s the best thing that’s happened to you in a long time. Don’t throw it away over something you’ve dreamed up in your imagination.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking abo
ut.” Rachel put on her best blank look. It didn’t work.

  “Yes, you do.” Susan picked up her bag. At the door she turned back. “Be careful, Rachel.”

  As the door closed, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. Susan didn’t understand about Kyle, or Randy, for that matter. Pretty soon Kyle would come to his senses. But what about Randy? a little voice whispered. What about Randy? He wasn’t interested in dating her. They were just friends. Right?

  ❧

  Rachel didn’t talk to Randy that night or the next. In her worry about the Center closing, she had forgotten all about midterms, so she spent the evening making out the tests and the next day grading them. Essay papers took such a long time. When it came down to it, the teacher had more work to do than the students, though the students would never agree. With a sigh she put the last grade in her gradebook and glanced at her watch. She had just enough time to freshen up before Bible study.

  She breezed past Kyle, abandoning her usual spot for a seat up front. She ignored him completely, not even turning to give him a glance. It was easier than she had thought it would be, especially after the pastor’s first words.

  “You know Burns said that ‘the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray,’ and there’s a lot of truth in that statement.” It struck Rachel that Susan had said the exact same thing just a few days ago. Her ears pricked up as the pastor continued, “We often make our own plans without really considering what God wants. God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, but if we never stop and ask Him, we’ll never know His perfect plan for our lives.” The pastor continued, but that last thought kept going round and round in her mind. She tried to dismiss it, shake it off, yet it lingered. She had been so preoccupied that after the service she had walked out without even a word or a look at Kyle. Actually, she wanted to get home and call Randy about the Center. She hurried toward the car with an anticipation about the call that she was unwilling to acknowledge.

  Randy answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Randy. It’s me. Rachel.”

  “Hi.” His voice warmed considerably at the sound of her voice. “What can I do for you?”

  “I need some help. I think I have a way to keep the Center open, but I’m not sure how to go about it.”