When she was done totaling the sales, Martha got up and looked around. There remained nothing left to do. Before he left, Jeff brought in the rack of clearance items that normally set outside. Time wouldn’t permit bringing the new items out of the back and getting them priced. As soon as 9 o’clock hit, Martha could shut out the lights, turn on the security system, lock up, and head home.
The bell over the door rang. Martha turned and saw a young man wearing a black t-shirt, black jeans, and black boots. She’d never seen him in the store before, and wondered why he would come in right before closing. Usually, the only people who came in this late were church staff who had realized they didn’t have something they needed, or a pastor in need of something for the morning sermon.
“Hello,” Martha said, smiling.
The boy didn’t acknowledge her, but walked past the counter and disappeared behind the shelving that housed the greeting cards. All that was over there were Bible commentaries; he didn’t appear like the type to want one of those. Martha feared that her visitor planned to rob her … or worse.
“Can I help you find something?” she asked.
The store was quiet, except for the creaking of the floor and the shifting of his clothing as he moved.
Martha considered going over to him to ask again if he needed help, but decided that staying close to the phone would be wiser.
Minutes passed, and Martha grew more concerned. She moved over a little to try to get a glimpse past the shelving, but couldn’t see the stranger. What on earth was he doing?
Martha’s chest felt heavy and her hands had begun to shake. She would have to call the police, but then he would hear her. He could do her a lot of bodily harm before the cops arrived. Or, he could run off with all of the cash. That wouldn’t be quite so bad as long as he left her alone. Why wouldn’t he just leave?
Martha looked at her wristwatch. It was 8:55.
She had it! She would approach the boy and explain that the store closed in five minutes. If she did it in a kind manner, perhaps it would convince him not to carry out whatever bad plans he had. Plus, it would give her a chance to find out exactly what he was up to. If he was stealing, she would just let it go. An item wasn’t worth risking injury or even her life.
It was unfortunate, but sometimes teens dared one another to go into the store and steal something. Jeff told her this. He’d heard it at school. If a person had the guts to steal from a Christian store, he or she gained the reputation of bad boy or tough girl.
Heart pounding, praying silently for safety, Martha moved towards the card display.
As she got closer, she heard what sounded like sniffling. Martha passed the card display.
The young man sat on the floor, his hands over his face, crying.
Martha and Roger never had children, but the maternal instinct to comfort the boy arose from within. Ignoring the pains in her body, she got down beside him and made a move to hug him. Looking up, his face red, he welcomed the embrace.
“It will be okay,” Martha whispered. “Everything is going to be fine.”
She had no idea what distressed the boy, but she knew that nothing was a match for prayer.
The boy pulled away and thrust a fist against the floor. “No, it’s not!”
“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
“No.”
“I think you do,” Martha said. “Why else would you have come in here tonight?”
“I didn’t know where else to go! Mom and dad are split up and off doing who-knows-what. I feel like my life is over and nobody cares!”
He started blubbering, and hid his face in his hands.
Martha put an arm around his shoulders. “A lot of people care. I do. Most importantly, Jesus cares.”
She anticipated a hostile reaction to this last statement. Any more, it seemed like the surefire way to offend someone was to tell them Jesus loved them.
The boy whipped his head up. “I don’t see how! First, my boss calls me in the office today and tells me he’s letting me go. I was working so hard for him! I loved it there! Then, I go home and guess what’s in the mail? A rejection letter from Bluffington College! Then, if that’s not enough, a girl I was talking to on the internet tells me she doesn’t feel any chemistry between us.”
“I’m very sorry. You’ve had a horrible day. But I’m certainly glad it’s over and you had the good sense to come here and not do something bad to yourself. My name is Martha Jenkins, by the way.”
“Sam Thurston.”
“Pleased to meet you, Sam. Why don’t we take a more comfortable seat over by the counter? If I can get up, that is!”
Sam laughed, which gave Martha a sign of hope that he liked her and would take the advice she planned to give. He helped her to her feet and they walked over to the counter and sat down in the side-by-side chairs. The bag of money and receipts lay on the counter. Martha hoped Sam didn’t get the crazy notion to snatch it and run out into the night. He didn’t even seem to take notice of it. He sniffed and swiped a hand across his red nose.
Martha plucked a tissue from the box under the counter and offered it to Sam.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He certainly seemed polite; Martha suspected he was either a Christian or just had really good morals.
“You know,” Martha said, “you remind me of my husband. About a year after we got married, Roger lost his job at the hospital. He worked in the storeroom and liked it a lot until a new boss came in and started riding him for no other reason than because he loved the Lord. He started writing Roger up for petty things, like not hanging the broom on the same handle in the janitor’s closet that he’d taken it from. He got him for not sweeping behind a trash can that wasn’t even in his area. Eventually, Roger had enough points against him to fire him. They gave him the ultimatum to quit or be fired. Thinking quitting would sound better to a future employer, he chose that, not knowing that his boss had just gotten the company out of having to pay unemployment.
“What that man did to Roger hurt him bad. He no longer felt like he had any worth as a worker. He applied for jobs, but when he did get interviews, his self-esteem was so low nobody wanted to hire him. He got really depressed.
“I was working at the time, but not making a whole lot. But the Lord provided for us. We never fell behind on our bills.
“One day at church, the preacher was talking about having confidence in God. That sermon ignited a fire in Roger. His faith grew. He came up with a plan to start a Christian bookstore. I was a little leery at first. It would mean borrowing a lot of money. But our town didn’t have one and there were definitely a lot of churches around. Plus, two of the closest towns didn’t have Christian bookstores, either.
“It turned out to be a smart move. I worked my job until things started going really well here.
“Sam, I’m not telling you this to try to convince you that God keeps problems out of our lives. Sometimes problems come to help us grow closer to Him or to become better people. But I do promise you that if you have Jesus Christ in your life, when the problems do come, they are so much easier to cope with.”
“Yeah,” Sam said, “I had a buddy who was a Christian. We did everything together. I even went to church with him a couple times. He died in a car accident last year.”
“Oh my,” Martha breathed. “You certainly have been through a lot. I’m so sorry.”
She remembered hearing about a teen who pulled out in front of a semi on state route 48 last spring. Toxicology reports indicated he hadn’t had any drugs or alcohol in his system.
“Do you think he’s in Heaven?” Sam asked.
“If he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, definitely. What about you, Sam? Do you know the Lord as your Savior?”
“No.”
“Would you like to?”
Sam nodded. Martha led him in a prayer to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
“You made God very happy tonight, Sam,”
Martha said, standing.
Sam smiled. “I couldn’t have imagined this day ending like this. It’s awesome!”
“I’m so glad you came here tonight, Sam.”
“Me, too.”
They moved towards the entrance. She had the money bag in one hand. It was well past 9 o’clock, but Martha didn’t care. She flipped the switch to activate the security system.
“I don’t know what made me come,” Sam said. “I was just out driving. You know, trying to clear my head, and I saw the cross on your sign lit up. I was hoping maybe I’d find something in here to help me. A book or something.”
“Well, there is a book that can help you.”
“Yeah, I know, the Bible. I guess I was thinking of something more.”
“Sam, there is nothing better than the Bible. It offers so much encouragement, advice, and love, because it’s written by God. Do you have one at home?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I’d encourage you to read it.”
“I will.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Martha smiled. They stood in the parking lot. Sam began to walk away, but she called him back: “Sam?”
“Yes?”
“There is something you could do for me, if you would.”
“Okay.”
“My husband passed away, and we could use some help here. Would you be available to start on Monday?”
“I don’t know that much about Christian stuff,” Sam said.
“I’ll train you. Before long, you’ll be an old pro.”
Sam smiled. “I’ll be here Monday morning.”
“9 AM sharp,” Martha said.
“Okay,” he said.
“You have a good night,” Martha said.
“You, too.”
She started in the direction of her car when she heard the sound of Sam’s footsteps. He ran towards her and hugged her, saying “Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins.” It came as a surprise that he remembered her last name.
Martha gave out a laugh and hugged him back. “You’re very welcome.”
He walked away and got into his car. She got into hers when she noticed she’d left the store sign lit up. She almost decided to go turn it out when she stopped herself and focused on the glowing cross that followed the store name. She closed her eyes.
“You’re still the light of the world, Jesus,” she said softly. “And Lord, tell, Roger that I’m still leaving the store open the hours he had set, and it’s working out really, really well.”
Benediction
By David Andrews
When heartache and trouble
Clamber like monkeys on your back
And your shoulders slump
With the weight of unexpected burden
May your long road rise to meet you
And clearly direct your path
When all hope seems lost
And your soul becomes dim
Behind your grey eyes that forget to sparkle
May a rainbow of bright thick colours
Splash over the canvas of your mind
And awaken you to choose life again
When you struggle on your own
With burdens too common to share
Because others have won medals
For burying their burdens
May you reach out
For we were always meant to
Share each other’s burdens
When someone pulls your thread
And you feel so unraveled
So tied up in knots and pulled apart
May you catch a glimpse of the other side of
Your tapestry of life
See it taking shape as a
Beautiful landscape
May these words dance around you
On a gentle warm breeze
May love surround you
And weave a cloak
Of hope and character
Around your life
***
∼A Golden Light Anthology Series∼
Lamplight
A Golden Light Anthology
Christian and Inspirational Short Stories and Poems
Gaslight
A Golden Light Anthology
Historical Short Stories
Nightlight
A Golden Light Anthology
Children’s Short Stories and Poems
Limelight
A Golden Light Anthology
Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Stories
Spotlight
A Golden Light Anthology
Young Adult Short Stories
***
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