In the morning he woke up early and headed into work figuring that he could get a jump on the day. The front doors were locked but there were a few other cars in the lot and their drivers must be somewhere, so he decided to look around and see if a door was open.
He checked two doors, both locked and then a third, the door beside the teacher’s lounge where smoker’s used to be able to go out for a quick smoke between classes. Obviously it was just an entrance now since smoking was banned from the school property. The maintenance man must have left it open for access he thought, so, he walked in.
There were voices echoing through the hallway, he recognized a few of the teachers and the principal, Henry Campbell. He took a few steps further and realized that the voices were coming from the teacher’s lounge and Henry was on a soap box.
“I just don’t see how we can let this opportunity go by.” He said.
Nathan reached for the door knob and stopped cold when he heard another voice say, “I don’t see the problem, Foster’s been a huge asset to the school and many of the kids that he talks to are getting their acts together. Whatever he’s doing is working.”
“He can’t be here pushing religion on these kids. The board is voting today on whether or not to fire him. They want our support and if we don’t give it to them, who knows who might be next. Are you willing to risk your job, your career for this holy-roller mumbo jumbo? Cause I’m not!”
“Can’t he sue the school or something?” Another voice asked.
“If he is fired for his religious beliefs, then yes, that’s discrimination. But they’re saying it’s because of the arrest and the implications that it has on the school. They aren’t even bringing up the religious aspect. It’s brilliant actually.”
Nathan stood there for a minute wanting to storm into the office but resisted the urge. Quietly he walked the other way and into his office. He took out his notebooks and began to update his file information on each student he had seen. He knew that he only had one day, maybe two to complete this, so he focused and dug in. Every time he completed a student’s file he took a black marker and blacked out any info about his or her issues or any religious references that might be used against the student at a future date.
After an hour of rewriting files, Shirley entered his office, “Good morning Nathan, I’m so glad to see you.” Then she whispered, “I hope they weren’t too rough with you in the big house.”
Nathan laughed, “No, they treated me just fine. But I appreciate your concern.”
“It’s so exciting, working with someone who’s done time.” She giggled nervously, “It feels so dangerous.”
Nathan jumped up from his desk, “GRRR!”
Shirley shrieked, “Oh my heavens, Nathan, now you just stop that.” She said holding her chest. “You about made me lose my manners.” She scolded.
“I thought you liked the danger.” He said trying not to laugh.
She swatted at him like a fly and walked out taking deep breaths now with her hands on her abundant hips.
No sooner as he sat back down, Henry entered his office. “Glad to see you made it back so soon.” He said in his patented jovial tone. “You sure you're up to this today? You know you could take a day or two if you need it.”
“No, no I’m fine.” Nathan said without looking up.
“What ya working on so early.” Henry asked leaning over the desk.
“Just getting all the school files updated. I don’t want to let them build up on me.”
“Great. You know Nathan, I have to say, you are doing a great job and the kids are really making great strides and I think you ‘ve had a lot to do with that.”
If Nathan hadn’t been tipped off by the conversation in the teacher’s lounge he was certainly on his guard now based solely on Henry’s lack of vocabulary and nervous tone, but he wasn’t about to tip his hand just yet. “Thanks Henry, I do what I can, and it really helps having the support of the school.”
“Of course. So… if you need anything just let me know.”
“Hey Henry, you ever think about going into politics? You know like mayor or something?”
“No, why? You think I should?”
“Sure, you are exactly what they are looking for.”
“Huh, maybe I’ll look into it.”
Henry walked away and Nathan dug in again. The phone rang in the main office and Shirley picked it up. “He is, would you like to talk with him? Yes sir, does he have your phone number? Uh huh, ok then, I’ll give him the message. She hung up.
She jotted a few more things in her message book and took the top sheet, leaving the pink and yellow copies behind. She stood up and walked into Nathan’s office and placed the message on his notebook. He rolled his head and glared up at her with his dark eyes.
“Oh now you stop it right this instant. You awful man.” She scolded him again.
Nathan sniggered a friendly laugh, “Oh Shirley you make this place bearable.”
“I just received this message and the man said it was very important that you meet him at this address and at this time.”
“Who’s it from?”
“He didn’t say his name only that it’s VERY important that you meet him.”
Nathan folded the message and put it in his shirt pocket, “Thanks Shirley.”
“You be careful Nathan; I don’t want you getting wacked.”
Nathan laughed again, “I’ll be careful.”
“Ok then.”
“Hey Shirley.” Nathan called. “I’m real busy today, can you clear my schedule please.”
“Ok.” She leaned back in the office, “Are you a snitch for the FBI now or something?”
“No.” Nathan shook his head and began writing again.
He closed the last folder and looked at the clock, 5:13 pm. He hadn’t even realized that school had let out yet. He closed his briefcase and took the message from his pocket. The address was 1332 Main St. and he needed to be there by 7:00. But he still didn’t know who he was meeting or what they wanted, so he decided to go see what was at the address.
When he arrived it was 5:43 and the address was a vacant storefront that once was a coffee shop called “here we JOE again.” The Idea was good but the parking was mostly in the rear and only a few spots on the street out front. The windows were covered in a type of brown construction paper. Over the marquee was what looked like a painter’s tarp obviously covering up the now useless “here we JOE again” signage.
Beside it was a flower shop, on the right and on the left was an accountant’s office. Across the street was a small hardware store that survived only because the big box stores were so far away that patrons didn’t want to drive twenty minutes for a shovel or light bulb. It made him think about Kelsey Monroe, and how he was able to assist her as she pulled through such a low point in her life. Beside that were a printer on the right and a pizza parlor on the left.
Nathan’s stomach growled a vote for some pizza while they waited. So without further hesitation, Nathan pulled up to the curb of the parlor and went inside. At the counter he ordered two slices and a bottle of water. He paid the cashier and took his pizza and water and had a seat near the window so he could watch across the street and see who he was meeting.
As he took a bite of the piping hot pizza the bell over the door opened and a lady entered, “I have a to-go order.”
Five minutes later as old blue eyes was singing, “when the moon hits your eye,” the bell chimed again and Nathan turned to see Edger Rowe. The old man walked to the counter and the cashier said, “Oh ay, Mr. Rowe, the regular?”
“Sounds good Vito.” He replied
“Ok, I have it in-a five-a minutes. Ok?”
“Ok.” Edger said as he leaned on the counter. “So how’s the family?”
“The family is-a good, very good. Micah now play-a soccer and make-a goal on Saturday.” He tossed a disk of dough into the air and caught it, then placed it on
the counted and began to build Edger’s pizza.
“He gets those fancy hands and feet from his Papa.”
“Hands yes. Feet, not so much, that is-a from his mama. She a dancer. A very beautiful dancer." His accent, as thick as melted-mozzarella disguised each word, but yet, Nathan couldn’t help but hear a beauty in it.
“And how’s business?”
“Business is-a slow but good.” His voice undulated a bit, “It always slows this-a time-a year. When school-a is-a out, we get busy, busy, busy. Please Mr. Rowe, have a seat, I bring you da pie.”
“Ok Vito, thank you my friend.”
Vito graciously bowed his head and then placed the pizza in the large stone oven as Edger walked away. He spotted Nathan sitting in the booth and walked over to him. “May I join you?”
“Sure.” He said offering the other booth seat to him.
“How are you doing Nathan?” The old man asked.
“Actually, I’m doing very well. I tried to track you down a few times to apologize for the last time we spoke. I had no right to talk to you the way I did and I know you were only trying to help. So, I apologize.”
“Apology accepted.” Edger said. “Did you ever find the answers you were looking for?”
Nathan took bite of pizza and thought about it and swallowed, “I did.”
“So may I ask; what kind of God does that?”
“My God - My father in heaven. You know Mr. Rowe for most people it’s enough to believe and go on, but I think God knew I needed more. So he gave me more. Now I see God not as a mean kid pulling wings off of bugs but as a wise and loving father. We are all his children and he has the right to call us in from playing with our friends if he chooses to. I believe he called Kathleen home because she had, well, a boo-boo, if you will. Mr. Rowe, I’ll see my wife again soon. But for now I know she is safe and happy, and that’s enough for me.
Vito came to the table with Edger’s fresh hot special pizza pie. “Here-a you go.” Vito kissed his fingertips, “Just the way you-a like it. Yes?”
“Perfect, as always Vito. Thank you.”
Vito danced across the floor and back behind the counter. Then Edger leaned forward, “I can’t eat all of this. So I need you to help me out.”
“If you can’t eat it all, why order a whole pie?”
“I order two slices.” He said tucking a napkin into the collar of his shirt. “But Vito always makes me a fresh pizza. No matter what.”
“That’s really nice of him.”
“He’s a good man. Now what do you say? Can you help an old man out here or what?”
“I’ll try, but I have a meeting in a little bit.” He looked at his watch, 7:12. “I’m sorry Mr. Rowe, I’m late. I need to go.”
“Relax Nathan, we’re having our meeting.” Edger took a bit of pizza. “I wanted to see if you are a man that would give his time to someone else or a man that keeps it for himself.”
“I was meeting with you?”
“You see Nathan our life on earth is only time, nothing else. We can make our life into whatever we desire, but when the time is up, so is our life. And you, young man, shared your life with Me.” he took another bite. “They are going to get rid of you at the school, you know. But I think you have more to give. So I don’t want you to stop what you have begun.”
“But I don’t know what to do next.”
“Are you worried?”
Nathan took a bite and smiled, “Nope. God has a plan and whatever it is; I’ll try to be ready.”
“Good, then let’s eat this wonderful pizza and see what happens.”
They carried on small talk for a while until Nathan finally said, “Mr. Rowe, thank you for this wonderful meal, but I can’t eat another bite.”
“Ok then, I need to ask you a favor.” The old man dabbed his mouth and slid out of the booth. He looked at Nathan, “Follow me.” He walked out of the door and Nathan followed. Outside the night was beginning to settle in and Mr. Rowe put his fingers in his mouth as if to whistle but only spit instead. “Nathan, do you know how to whistle with your fingers?”
“I sure do.”
“Can you teach me?”
“Ok,” he placed his fingers in his mouth and blew, sending an ear piercing whistle reverberating up and down the mostly empty street. As the sound faded away, across the street at the old coffee shop, the lights blinked on. But instead of a coffee shop the huge sheet fell from the top of the building unveiling “The Kathleen Foster’s Family Counselling Center.”
Nathan fell to the ground in disbelief. The golden letters were positioned in a field of golden wheat – verity to be exact, bordered by large dark brown trees. There was a white castle in the background and a path through the wheat, from the bottom up to the words. Then in smaller lettering across the bottom was written, “Trust only those with both feet in the truth.”
Nathan’s throat clenched when from out of the doors walked Kathleen’s parents and his children. They ran across the street and jumped on Nathan. He hugged and kissed them all in turn. Then he saw Bill, then Max, then Carolina and her kids, and Amanda and even her grandfather Bernard. Bill walked across the street and helped Nathan up. “The school may not appreciate what you have done but the town does and there are a ton of people here that you have touched and they wanted to give a little back.”
Bill and Nathan and his children walked back across the street and into the building. It was magnificent; play rooms and toys for little kids, offices for meeting with individuals and larger rooms for families and then Bill said, “We can fit three hundred nineteen people in here for youth group. He looked behind him and saw Mr. Rowe pulling on the door trying to open it, Nathan ran to open it for him and he walked in slowly.
“So what do you think?” Edger asked.
“It’s amazing. Thank you.” Nathan said.
“God made this possible, but still, it has been my pleasure to watch you become the man Kathleen always knew you could be.” He handed Nathan a folder. “Here is the deed to the building, a contract for you to be he head of operations, and a letter giving you my recently vacated chair on the school board signed by five of the six remaining board members. It’s yours till the next election.”
From the Author
I truly hope you enjoyed A Glimpse of Tomorrow. I did not intend for this to minimize the difficulty that losing a loved one brings, but rather give a new way to understand that all things can be used for the glory of God. It is my personal belief that the enemy does not have the authority to supersede that of the father and if that is true, then I believe that God allows us all the opportunity to take our place with him in heaven, some of us just get the chance to go sooner than others.
The death of my mother devastated me, and although I knew that she was going to be with the Father, I lost my focus and my direction and became very angry. I hurt those that tried to comfort me and I abandoned those that needed me. I became an embarrassment to my family, and for that I am truly sorry, but I have since renewed my new life with God positioned firmly in my heart, and my desire is to help others find a way to the peace that I have found in him.
Connect with me,
If you have any comments for me please feel free to email me, [email protected]
God Bless
A Glimpse Of Tomorrow Page 27