The Calling

by Deborah A Hodge

  “She’s doing much better than I ever did,” Kim remarked.

  Cate knew she was not talking about adjusting to Ecuador.

  David didn’t help by commenting, “Cate’s amazing.”

  “I think so too,” Kim agreed, but not to David’s meaning.

  “You two need to stop.” Cate protested. She was not being coy; she really did want them to stop.

  “Cate, can you come to my house and play with me?” Sarah asked.

  “Not today,” David answered, “Cate needs to relax and get acquainted with her new home.”

  “But, isn’t Cate going to live at our house?”

  Everyone but Sarah laughed. For David, it was a laugh of amusement at what his little daughter had said. For Kim, it was a mischievous, nosey laugh. For Cate, it was a nervous laugh, a very nervous laugh.

  David explained, “Cate lives at Miss Kim and Miss Janet’s house.”

  “But, Daddy, you said that Cate would stay with me.”

  “Yes, honey, Cate will stay with you when Daddy has to go on trips,” David brushed a lock of hair away from Sarah’s face, “but, most of the time she will stay at Miss Kim and Miss Janet’s house.”

  “Okay.” That was enough explanation for Sarah.

  Kim and Cate had been silently looking on as David was explaining to Sarah. Once he finished with Sarah, David said his goodbyes and promised that he and Sarah would see them at the reception that evening.

  As David and Sarah left, Kim began her dreaded comments. “Well, well, this promises to be one of the most interesting school years we have ever had.”

  “Kim, I hope you aren’t implying what I think you are,” Cate responded.

  “I wouldn’t know. What do you think I’m implying?”

  “Whatever it is, you’re wrong!” Cate warned.

  “Oh, I don’t think so. David has never, ever hugged me like that.”

  “Like what?” Cate protested.

  “Like he meant it, really meant it.”

  “We’ve been friends for years. That’s all it was,” Cate confessed.

  “We’ve been friends for years too, but he’s never hugged me like that.”

  Knowing there was nothing she could say to change Kim’s mind, Cate shook her head and sighed deeply. “Is it okay if we go back to the house now? I’m a little tired.”

  Kim agreed, but commented as they left the store, “Yes sir, it’s going to be a very interesting school year.

  Cate tried to be congenial on the way home, but Kim wanted to continue her implications about Cate and David and her attempts to probe into their relationship.

  “So you’re Sarah’s caregiver when David is away?”

  “That’s right,” Cate said.

  “If I may ask, why did he choose you?”

  “Maybe, he chose me because I was coming to Ecuador to teach and because Sarah had been my student at the preschool.”

  “Forgive, me Cate, but there seems to be more to this whole thing than that,” Kim continued to probe.

  “David and I are friends.” Cate stopped in the street and turned to face Kim. “We have been for a long time. I trust him and he trusts me. I helped with Sarah after Jenny died. When the teaching position became available he knew I felt God was leading me into teaching in a mission school and he recommended me to Matthew. I prayed about it and felt that God was leading me here. David had been praying about what to do about Sarah and when God confirmed that he wanted me in Ecuador. He felt that was God’s confirmation that he wanted me to be Sarah’s caregiver.” Cate paused, “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

  “That’s part of what I wanted to hear, and that’s probably all that you’re going to tell me, but I can’t help but feel there’s more.”

  Nine

  Lunch and conversation were pleasant, and Kim made no mention of David. Miss Janet was busy telling Cate what to expect at the reception. She pointed out that Cate, as guest of honor and the particular point of interest to the parents and students, did not need to be nervous or overly concerned about first impressions. Miss Janet assured her that the parents and the students were very anxious to make her feel welcomed to their town and their school. Matthew had been excited about the things that David had told him that he had been broadcasting her praises long before he met her face to face.

  “Miss Janet, that makes me even more nervous, how in the world can I live up to their expectations?” Cate admitted.

  “Just be yourself, my dear. From what I’ve seen since you’ve been here, that will be quite enough.”

  I don’t know about that,” Cate protested.

  “I do, Cate. Trust me; you’ll make a great first impression. Everyone will love you,” Kim reassured.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Why don’t you rest after lunch?” Miss Janet suggested. “I’m sure you have a little jet lag. You have plenty of time to take a nap, before getting ready for the reception.”

  “Please, let me help you clear the table and clean up first.”

  “Nonsense, I told you that you are a guest for the first week. Trust me; your turn for chores will come. Rest now; you’ll want to be at your very best this evening.”

  Cate reluctantly, but appreciatively, agreed and excused herself to go to her room and rest. As she entered her room and gazed out the window, she was grateful for the view, the mountains in the distance. Their beauty overwhelmed her and provoked her memory of Psalm 121: 1-2. “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth.” She gave thanks to the Lord, for she knew that He had given her a visible reminder of that truth. She didn’t know that this visible reminder of God’s presence and strength would become vitally important to her.

  As she tried to rest, she couldn’t help but evaluate her first few hours in Ecuador. She felt joy at the prospect of coming, and that joy had continued as she arrived. She was sure that she was being obedient to what God had called her to do. However, she failed to understand why almost immediately, the David issue had confronted her again. Had she not given all of that to the Lord? Why would He allow it to pop back up? She prayed that He would take control of the situation and resolve it in accordance with His will and purpose. She also prayed that He would give her grace, strength and wisdom to deal with the issue, and all that lay ahead; that night, and in the future. She drifted off to sleep with the assurance that God’s grace would be sufficient.

  She awoke to a gentle tap on her door and Kim’s voice telling her that she needed to get up and begin to get ready for the reception. She stretched and looked at the clock. She couldn’t believe that she’d slept for almost two hours. Evidently, I’m suffering from jet lag more than I realized. As she began to get dressed, she realized that she felt much better; she found herself humming and singing.

  Matthew picked Cate, Miss Janet and Kim up and drove them to the reception. He confessed that he wanted to walk into the reception with Cate on his arm. “After all,” he reminded his passengers, “she was my find.”

  “Nonsense,” Kim retorted, “she was David’s find.”

  “I’m the one who hired her. David simply recommended her. Therefore, I deserve the credit, and I aim to have it.”

  “Yes, boss; anything you say, boss,” Kim joked.

  “I am the boss, and don’t you forget it.” Matthew smiled as he winked at Kim.

  “Never, Sir, never,” Kim replied. Everyone laughed, even though Cate’s laugh was forced.

  There was the whole David issue again and she was certain that a Matthew issue was looming in her future. She said a quick prayer under her breath. “Dear Father, you know that all I want to do is obey you and be a good missionary teacher. Please, please, help me.”

  *****

  Once they arrived at the school, Matthew did indeed make a grand entrance with Cate on his arm. Cate was embarrassed, but smiled broadly, as everyone began his or her introductions and hellos. They were extremely
gracious and nice to Cate, yet try as she might she knew she’d never remember all of their names. She met her fellow faculty members, not only of the elementary grades, but also, of the secondary grades. Those in the community who helped the school financially, those who volunteered, and those who served on the local advisory board were also there to greet her. She met many of the parents whose children attended the school, and met the parents of the children who would be her students. As much as Cate enjoyed meeting everyone, it was the children, many of whom would be her students, that she enjoyed the most.

  Some of the children were children of missionaries, or of Americans living in Ecuador. Those children boarded in quarters owned and operated by the mission school. Others were children of locals, who were well-to-do, and others who were not so well off. Cate was pleased to see how well mannered the children seemed to be and all were anxious to meet the new teacher. Each one, flanked by his or her parents, introduced himself or herself to Miss Cate. The parents seemed proud of their children, and extremely anxious for them to learn. The parents’ excitement about the possibilities and expectations for their children was contagious. Cate was looking forward to getting into the classroom to work.

  Once the introductions were over; the children sang a song of welcome for Miss Cate. She enjoyed the sincere emotions exhibited by the children and their parents. The time for refreshments came, and again Cate became the center of attention. More than once, she heard the word “bonita” connected with her name. She could not help but be embarrassed. It always embarrassed her when someone called her beautiful because she did not see herself that way. She was more concerned about being beautiful on the inside, and constantly prayed that God would make her beautiful from the inside out.

  Finally, the time for the reception to end neared, and people began to say their goodbyes and leave. Cate saw David and Matthew standing to the right of the room. David was holding Sarah, who had fallen asleep. As she looked in their direction, she realized that they seemed to be talking about her. When she walked over, she confirmed her suspicions, they are talking about me.

  “There she is, the belle of the ball. The beautiful new teacher, who has won everyone’s heart,” Matthew said.

  “Belle of the ball, maybe. Beautiful… I’m not so sure. Having won everyone’s heart… I doubt it.” Cate was embarrassed.

  “Belle of the ball, for sure. Beautiful…I can prove it. Isn’t she beautiful, David, my friend?” Matthew responded.

  “Yes, she is beautiful. She’s very beautiful.” David smiled as his eyes sought Cate’s.

  Cate, disarmed by the tone in which he had answered, turned her gaze slowly toward David. Hearing him say that she was beautiful caused her to look into his dark brown eyes to seek to discover any indication as to why he’d answered as he had. As she caught a glimpse of David’s face, she wasn’t sure what she saw. She only knew that she had to try to understand what she had heard. As her eyes met David’s, the spell of the moment was broken as Matthew continued, “See, Cate, it’s unanimous. You are beautiful. You might as well admit it.”

  “I dare say that a lady admitting she is beautiful would make her less so.” Cate hoped that she had covered up her reaction to David’s words.

  “She’s got you there, Matt,” David said. They all laughed.

  “Cate, I’d be glad to show you your classroom and give you a tour of the school, or if you’d rather, we could wait until tomorrow,” Matthew said.

  “Well, I’d hate to make Miss Janet and Kim wait while we did that.”

  Cate looked at David as he replied, “Go ahead if you’d like. I’ll be glad to escort the ladies home. Matt’s dying to show you around.”

  She looked at Matthew, “Okay I’ll have the ten cent tour please. David, I guess I’ll see Sarah and you tomorrow at church.”

  “Yes, you will. You two have fun,” David replied.

  Matthew offered Cate his arm; she smiled and said another goodbye to David. As Matthew ushered her through the door, Cate turned her head to catch one last glimpse of David as he walked toward Miss Janet and Kim.

  Matthew’s tour of the school was very informative. He talked about the school and its mission as a proud parent would talk about his child. Cate realized how much he loved what he did. She also found out that his father had established the mission agency and school thirty years earlier and had served as its director/headmaster. He retired from the position because of illness, and he and his wife returned to the U.S. for his medical treatment. Since the time of his father’s retirement, Matthew had been the director/headmaster.

  Cate asked about his upbringing and found out that he spent most of his life in Ecuador. He had earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina and his Masters at Dallas Theological Seminary. After seminary, he returned to Ecuador to help his father at the mission school.

  “Enough about me,” Matthew said, “I want to hear about you.”

  “There’s not much to tell.”

  “That, I do not believe,” Matthew answered.

  “Well, there’s not much that you don’t already know.”

  “Tell me about your family,” Matthew probed.

  “My family lives in Kansas. I have two older brothers, who are both married and have two children each. My father is a pastor. He’s been the pastor of Bethsaida Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas for the past twenty-seven years.”

  “So you’ve basically lived in Kansas all of your life,” Matthew added.

  “Yeah, basically,”

  “May I ask a very personal question?” Matthew asked.

  Cate narrowed her eyes, “Sure, I guess.”

  “How come such a beautiful girl like you isn’t married?”

  “I was married. You know that,” Cate answered, honestly.

  “I know you were married. David told me that before I hired you. He also told me how your marriage ended.”

  “David told you about that?” Cate felt a lump in her throat.

  “Yes, he did. David and I have been friends for years and I specifically asked.”

  “Of course, you did,” Cate replied, “you'd want to know what kind of person you were hiring.”

  “That’s right and I found out.”

  “You found out that you were hiring one with a lot of baggage,” Cate looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

  “We all have baggage, Cate.”

  “I guess, so, but not baggage that disqualifies.”

  “Disqualifies you from what?” Matthew asked.

  “Oh, nothing; I was just thinking out loud.”

  “You’re not the only person ever to get divorced. You’re not even the only pastor’s daughter ever to be divorced,” Matthew pointed out.

  “All of that’s true, but what I did, I did when I was rebelling against God, and I didn’t even know it. Before I married Justin, there were questions I should have asked and things I should have recognized, but I was blind to my motives for marrying him and blind to myself. Consequently, I married a man that I should never have married. I hurt a lot of people, people I love, that should never have been hurt.”

  “But, you weren’t the one who left the marriage,” Matthew reminded her.

  “No, I wasn’t, but that doesn’t matter. Lots of people got hurt.”

  “It does matter, if you were faithful and your husband wasn’t. You were the offended one. You had biblical grounds for divorce.”

  “That may be true, but I think my husband felt like he had been sold a bill of goods,” Cate’s shoulders fell.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I wasn’t living as a Christian ought to live at that time, and later I found out that Justin wasn’t a Christian at all. When I began to try to live as a Christian should, that caused big problems in my marriage. Therefore, I have to bear some responsibility for what happened.”

  “But, your husband was the one who left the marriage wasn’t he?”

  “David told you a lot, huh?” Ca
te asked.

  “Yes, but only because I asked. I hope you don’t mind. I promise I wasn’ trying to pry. I just wanted to know about you.”

  “No, I don’t mind. It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything,” Cate replied. “I’m just amazed that you hired a divorcee to teach in your mission school. Some boards would have never considered a divorced person.”

  “I hired you for two major reasons. You had impeccable recommendations from your previous employers and David vouched for you. David’s recommendation goes a very long way with me and our board. He thinks a lot of you, you know.” As Matthew explained, he saw Cate blush.

  “Yeah, David’s a great guy.”

  “Yeah, he is a great guy, and I hope when you get to know me better that you will think that I’m a great guy too.”

  “I already think you’re pretty great. After all, you’ve given me a chance to follow God’s calling and teach in a mission school,” Cate confessed, with a big smile.

  “Just wait. Give me a chance and you’ll have many more reasons to think I’m a great guy.” Matthew tried to sound as if he was joking, but decided to be serious, “Cate, I think you’re special, and based on everything I know about you now, I really would like for us to get to know each other better. I think you and I might be good for each other.”

  “Matthew, I really just want to focus on getting use to things here and doing a good job. Really, for now…”

  “I understand and trust me, I’m all for that, but that doesn’t necessarily exclude us getting to know each other. Does it?”

  “No, I guess not,” Cate answered, reluctantly agreeing. “But, I want you to know up front that I’m not looking for romance. Friendship is fine. Romance is not.”

  “Friendship is good, but why not allow for the possibility of romance?”

  “Too many complications,” Cate answered, shaking her head ‘no’.

  “Complications can be dealt with.”

  “Some can, some can’t, and I don’t even want to think about it all,” Cate answered. “Please, for now…”