Raising Attabury: A Contemporary Christian Epic-Novel (The Grace Series Book 5)

by Stallings, Staci

  “Oh, and where do you keep the bleach? I can’t find it anywhere.” He cracked two eggs and scrambled them, making her nerves stand on end.

  “Top left cabinet in the back. I didn’t want Ja to ever get ahold of it so I hid it.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I guess I should go up and get Jaden going.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “I woke her up, but I’m not sure she actually got out of bed.”

  Dani surveyed him with growing concern. She wanted to ask, but she didn’t dare. “Okay, I’ll check on my way to get ready.”

  “K. Breakfast will be ready when you get back.”

  When Eric heard her leave, he glanced back again, dragged in a long breath and let it out slowly. “Satan, don’t you dare get anywhere near them. You hear me? Stay away from Dani and Ja in the Name of Jesus Christ. Stay away from them.”

  Dani found Jaden out of bed and walking around getting ready like a little sleepwalking zombie. “Hey, you’re up.”

  “Dad put out my clothes, but I don’t think these pants fit,” her daughter said with a plea underlying the words.

  Taking one look at them, Dani felt the mantel of failure drop over her. “No. Those don’t fit anymore. I should’ve given those away last year. Here, let me help you find some that do.”

  Breakfast was on the table by the time the girls came back down, and Eric filled their plates as he had witnessed Dani do many times. “Here, baby-girl, let me cut that up for you.” He glanced at Dani. “I didn’t get the syrup.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll get it.” She got up and went to the little pantry.

  His eye caught her slow sashay. She wasn’t doing it to get attention, but she got his anyway. Coming back, she put some on hers and Jaden’s before setting it near his plate. When he sat down, they had already started eating.

  “Uh, you mind if I say grace?” he asked, and Dani’s eyes went wide.

  Her gaze darted over to Jaden and back to him. “Uh, no. That’s…. that’s fine.”

  Bowing his head, he prayed for the right words for the prayer. “Dear Jesus, thank You for today. Thanks for letting us be here together. Be with us today. Keep us safe and show us what You would have us do to bring Your love into the world. Amen.”

  “Amen.”

  The forks scraped on the plates.

  “That was nice, Daddy,” Jaden said softly, and Eric smiled.

  “Thanks Ja.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  For as peaceful as the morning had been, Dani should have known the tornado she was walking into with no protection when she got to the office.

  “I’ve booked the flights,” Joel said, catching her before she even made it to her desk. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning at seven.”

  She barely caught her jaw from dropping. “Already?”

  “We’ve got to get on this,” he said as he followed her into her office and stood over her desk like an angry principal. “We lose this deal, you and I will both be out on our ears.”

  The sigh hurt. “Okay. Give me a second, and I’ll come to your office and we’ll layout some strategy.”

  “Don’t take more than a second.”

  I’m leaving for Scotland in the morning. 7 a.m.

  Already at his own first meeting of the morning, Eric read the text and shook his head at the news. He had no idea what this meant. How long would she be gone? What would they do in her absence? How in the world was he going to keep up with Jaden and her schoolwork and the housework and meals… and Attabury? Overload threatened, but he was determined not to let her know this was freaking him out.

  K. His fingers typed even as he prayed for the strength to deal with this. We’ll make it work. Don’t worry. Have a good day.

  Ten seconds and her text came back. You too.

  Putting the phone in his pocket, he went over and got some coffee. His mind spiraled with questions and scenarios of their unknown, uncertain future. At the coffeepot, he met up with Brayden, who looked at least a step farther from the ledge today.

  “Hey, Brayden, how’s it going?” Eric got a cup of coffee and sipped on it. His at home was better, but this would do.

  “Oh, good. Good, Sir. I’m good.” Brayden nodded as if he was acting out a part he wasn’t very good at playing.

  Eric laughed just a little. “How’s your dad?”

  Genuine surprise lit across Brayden’s face. “My… dad? He’s good. Better. He’s home now. Driving my mom crazy though. They had to put a pin in his leg, so he’s basically out of commission for about five-to-six months. I’m not sure my mom can last that long.” However, he said it with a laugh.

  “I’ll be sure to say a prayer or two for her.”

  Brayden smiled. “I’m sure she would appreciate that.”

  At 2:30, Eric texted Dani, hoping things were going better. When he got, n mtg back, he knew it was not. So he texted, will get J. don’t worry about it.

  He wasn’t at all sure what he was going to do with his child as he still had work to do, so he stepped into his boss’s office to work out a plan. “Hey, Mark, can I talk to you a sec?”

  Mark Rorhbach looked up from his computer and over his reading glasses. “Sure, what’s up?”

  Going in, Eric prayed even as he sat down. “Listen, I know this is kind of out-of-the-ordinary, but I wanted to run something by you.”

  The older man ripped the glasses off his face and leaned back. “Okay. Go.”

  As quickly and concisely as possible Eric explained the situation with Dani, leaving out any visible markers and details. “So I guess I’m going to need to see if I can do some flextime work so I can pick up some of the slack at home.”

  “We need you in Greensboro.”

  “I know.” Eric held up his hands. “And on those days, I’ll just have to get the sitter. But if I’m here, I can go get Ja and come back until around six. Maybe I can work through lunch or take things home.” He already did that, but it was a card he could play, so he played it.

  “How long do you think this flex thing will last?”

  That was much harder to know. “I’m not sure, but if it doesn’t work, I’ll figure out something else.”

  Finally his boss nodded. “Okay, but it can’t interfere with what we’re doing here. These are multi-million dollar projects, and I need you front-and-center on them.”

  Eric nodded. “I will be.”

  Chapter 19

  How was she ever going to be at the airport in any shape to travel by seven the next morning, Dani wondered when she pulled her exhausted body from the SUV at nearly eleven. Thinking straight was becoming a real issue. Dragging herself and her things into the house, she noted as she went by the folded laundry in the basket.

  At the table, she hefted her things on it and let out a long breath.

  “Oh, hey,” Eric said, coming in from the living room. “I thought I heard something.” He came over, put his hand at her back, and kissed her temple. She actually almost felt this one. “You look exhausted.”

  “There’s one word for it.” Instead of moving, she let him hold her for a few seconds thinking how easily she could go to sleep right there and never want to wake up again.

  “Why don’t you go on up and change? I’ll get you something to eat.”

  Without really feeling it, she nodded and headed that direction.

  In the bedroom, she realized she needed to pack so rather than take a shower which was her original plan, she pulled the suitcase out and like a little ant started filling it with things she would need. She was almost finished when she noticed the diary, still off to the side of the vanity where she had last laid it. Thinking it would be a good distraction on the eight-hour flight, she put it in her carry-on.

  Eat and shower. If she could just somehow keep moving…

  Long after Dani was asleep, Eric lay in bed staring up at the darkened ceiling. He wanted to help her, but he didn’t know how. So he did the only thing he could think to do. “God, please, we need You here…” />
  The plane had leveled off, and with Joel in the seat next to her reading Money Today magazine, Dani reached into her bag and pulled out the diary. Running her hand over the rough texture of the hardcover, she let herself marvel at it for a moment. That something had survived for so long, longer even than the person who had taken the time to write in it. Carefully she opened it to the first page and started reading.

  December 27, 1910

  Merry second day of Christmas.

  It was funny because there were blotches of ink in random parts of the letters, and Dani realized two things. The handwriting did not have the sophistication of later passages, and this was surely done with quill and ink. She marveled at the lettering, so much like a child’s and yet meticulously crafted.

  Mama and Daddy surprised me with this special gift today. Since the snow, Daddy did not bring the gifts until today. I shall treasure mine forever. –Hazel B. Buchanan

  Hazel. Dani’s mind snagged on that name and held. Hazel. She had never known Mrs. Attabury’s real name until now. For a second she puzzled on the surname, and then she understood. Buchanan would have been Hazel’s name before she married.

  Dani wondered how old the child must have been when she was given this gift she so clearly adored, and as her imagination began to drift, she pondered on what life was like for her. 1910. Before… well, as life now appeared to Dani, everything.

  That would have been before the Great Depression, the two World Wars, Vietnam, the space landing. She remembered then the passage she had read when Hazel recorded that momentous event.

  Simply paging through the remainder of the pages, Dani began only then to realize that this book, this simple accumulation of words encompassed this woman’s entire life. Hazel B. Buchanan Attabury. She looked again to see some of the dates recorded. 1969 the moon landing.

  Inspecting the entries preceding that one, she found one that jerked her heart in her chest.

  November 1949

  We buried Tony today. The preacher and I. I’m alone now but for Olivia. When she is gone as I know she soon shall be, I will be here in the family house. Attabury. Alone. Must prepare now even as I face this barren life God has placed before me. What more could he require of me other than my own life? By now even that would seem a blessing.

  Ripping her gaze up from the page, Dani put her head back as the stewardess came to take her breakfast order. Breakfast. Thoughts of her own kitchen and Eric and Jaden invaded her consciousness even as she placed her order. When the stewardess moved on, Dani looked down at the book and knew she could not read even one more word, so she closed it gently and stowed it away. Real life was hard enough, reading about someone else’s misery and struggle would surely render her too spiritless to continue the journey. She put her head back and let go of both worlds. It was easier than thinking she could control them by the force of her own will. Her will was tired, and she gave in to the tired and let sleep fold her into its waiting arms.

  Eric wished he could have figured out how to split himself into two people. Work required thought. Jaden, the house, and the clock required thought. Even Dani who was winging her way to Scotland even as he conversed with the team over Phase 3 cris-crossed his mind at odd times. At just after noon when his phone rang, he wasn’t sure he could handle even one more thing.

  “This is Eric.”

  “Oh, good. I’m glad I caught you,” Caleb said. “You got a minute?”

  “Uh, yeah. Sure. What’s up?” His gaze slid down the expense report even though he forgot what he was looking for.

  “I’m afraid we’ve got a little issue with the foundation.”

  “The foundation?”

  “Yeah, over here on the northeast corner by the kitchen and that back room. When the tree came out, so did some of our foundation. We’ve got Greg here, and he’s making some suggestions. We just weren’t sure which one you would want to do.”

  Pitching the pen to the desk because he couldn’t think through two problems at once, Eric sat back and ran his hand over his face. “Is he there?”

  “Yeah. He’s right here. I’ll put him on.”

  A second and Greg’s voice came on. “Hey, Eric, sorry for the bad news.”

  He pulled himself forward and scowled. “Yeah. What’s going on?”

  Breakfast had been over an hour before, and Dani was awake and bored out of her mind. She glanced over at Joel who was playing some card game on his phone and thought better of engaging him in conversation. So, she reached back for the diary and pulled it out. Angling her gaze down, she decided starting at the beginning would be harmless enough.

  Her gaze slipped over the words about Christmas, over some about a neighbor’s horse, and two about Hazel’s father and his bringing home fabric for the girls to practice sewing with their mother. Dani smiled. Sewing. She’d taken a class by force in high school, learned absolutely nothing other than she would forever be incompetent at the skill, and hadn’t so much as thought of it again until now. However, it was clear that writing and sewing were Hazel’s passions. She wrote of the types of fabric and how she and Louise had managed to get three dresses out of one of the fabrics when their mother had insisted only two would be possible.

  The joy with which the child, now a young woman wrote was fascinating. She seemed like she had the entire world by the tail. She wrote a bit about her studies, at home with her mother and Louise because the school was too far away. She wrote of her longing to attend school, how she wished to be able to read of the worlds her parents’ small library did not afford.

  In one entry she wrote of a land called Paris, a city of lights. She wondered what that city would be like since she herself lived so far removed from lights that the only ones she knew were either candles or the stars. Dani smiled at the simplicity of the young woman’s wishes, and she wondered for a moment what Hazel might think if she were alive to see today.

  Her thoughts slid into how different the world had become from Hazel’s birth to the day she died. So many innovations. So many leaps in technology, learning, and life. Why, in fact, Hazel had been born prior to the Wright brothers first taking flight, and by the time she died, the sky was filled with not just planes but rockets and satellites as well.

  “Would you like something to drink, Ma’am?” the stewardess asked, and Dani waved her away.

  “I’m fine.” She turned the page.

  Tree roots. Old rotten ones had taken up residence under their house, boring under and through the foundation so that when the tree was removed, it had caused a multitude of problems.

  “Will you be able to get it stabilized?” Eric asked Greg, panicking because he couldn’t just get on the road and go himself. He would have to trust the judgment and expertise of his friends, not something he had been very good at doing to this point in his life.

  “Yeah, it won’t be easy or probably cheap,” Greg said, “but we can get going on it as soon as you give the word.”

  Eric looked at his watch. Dani was still in the air, and they needed this decision now. He thought through the finances, closed his eyes and said a quick prayer. “Yeah. Okay. Do what you have to do.”

  The light turbulence hardly registered as Dani read.

  November 1918.

  Thanksgiving. Mama insisted on all of the trimmings though I could hardly eat a thing. Though Daddy talks of the armistice, I have yet to hear from Ben, and I am trying not to fear the very worst. Louise said if something tragic had happened, we would have heard by now. My heart fears otherwise. Daddy and Mama say I am much too young to feel this way about someone. I do not believe my heart understands that. Please, God, bring Ben home to me safely. –Hazel B. Buchanan

  Steeling herself, Dani forced her eyes to keep reading.

  December 29, 1918

  The words scarcely seem real to me even now. Benjamin J. Ellsworth, my love for you will live forever though you were taken from us so young. My heart will never belong to another. That is my vow to you now and always. Until we mee
t again, my love. –Hazel B. Buchanan

  Dani’s eyes came up off the page as her heart tripped over the words. She thought back through all she knew about this young woman. Only 18, so very young to lose the person you believed would love you forever. She had written briefly of their first meeting, at a cousin’s house as he visited for the summer. He was 20 at the time, barely more than a teenager himself. She, still under her parents’ care, unable to convince them of her feelings for him, and then the summons of the draft, her fear and courage as she said good-bye, believing she would one day see him again. And now, this.

  A sudden, tragic farewell.

  Dani swallowed her own emotions, read for just a bit more of Hazel’s heartbreak and struggle to find a life after Benjamin. Then she came to this passage.

  March 1921

  The letter arrived today. A Mr. Anthony Attabury of one Ridgemount, North Carolina has sent a request for me. Mama believes it is a sign from God. Daddy is encouraged that Mr. Attabury has stature and backing, a good and upright family. For myself, I cannot think I should ever do any better as love is no longer my aim in life. I am 21. Practically an old maid now that Louise has been married. So I shall set my face to the Carolinas, and I shall make a life there for no life abides for me here in Kentucky any longer. –Hazel B. Buchanan

  Eric sat in traffic, staring at the stoplight five cars ahead. He should have left ten minutes before he did. Glancing down at the clock did nothing for his nerves. It had been a thoroughly rotten day. He reeled in his feelings, wondering if Dani’s plane had landed yet. Scotland. He couldn’t imagine.

  “Come on,” he said to the light. The last thing he wanted to do was be late picking up Jaden. Finally the traffic started moving again, and he followed it to the little turn off that was jammed with cars. There had to be a better way to do this.

  The engineer in him started working through the logistics of making this process run smoother. A longer turnabout would allow more cars to stop at a time, which would allow more students to be loaded. He calculated the ratio of students to cars and cars to average seconds to load per stop. In a breath he understood perfectly why he was left sitting.