Joshua's Mission

by Vannetta Chapman

  “Where did you get this job?”

  “Why does it matter?” He threw the ball against the wall and caught it. “On the beach, last night.”

  “And they just offered you a job? Someone they didn’t even know?”

  “It’s not a skilled position.” Alton threw and caught the ball again before dropping it on to the coffee table. “These guys were surfing. I wish you could see them. It’s pretty amazing what they’re able to do. So I watched, and then I asked how I could learn.”

  “You’re going to break your neck.”

  “Maybe, but first I need a board. Turns out you can rent them by the week, but as you might guess I don’t have a lot of extra money stashed with my change of clothing.”

  “It’s a complete waste of good money if you ask me.”

  “When I mentioned that I couldn’t afford to rent a board, they said that maybe they could throw some work my way. The job pays ten bucks an hour, and I can do it on Saturdays or a couple hours after we knock off here during the week.”

  Joshua closed his eyes, rested his head against the back of the chair, and tried to think of a way to argue with his brother. In the face of Alton’s enthusiasm, he always felt so old—and tired. Finally he said, “Why were the ICE officers there to begin with?”

  “Didn’t say. One of the teams had a dog, so I assume they were looking for drugs.”

  Joshua groaned.

  “But they didn’t find any. Spider Nix—”

  “Spider?”

  “I’m not sure that’s his real name. Well, I suppose his last name is Nix.”

  Joshua immediately envisioned a man with a giant spider tattooed on his arm. He decided he didn’t want to know.

  “Spider says they’re harassed like that sometimes because they do the hard work around here, the work that people want done but don’t want to dirty their own hands on. It’s very hypocritical if you ask me. It’s as if they don’t want their town tainted with lower-class working folks.”

  “And you believe that?”

  “If this afternoon is any indication, it may be true. But none of that involves me. I just put in my hours—” He spread his hands out in front of him, studying the dirt under his nails, or was it sand?

  “I work and collect my hourly wage.” He pulled out a small wad of money and tossed it on the table. Ten dollars an hour. He may have made eighty bucks. “Now I have enough to rent a board. If I work a few more hours, I could afford a few lessons. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have a little fun while I’m here.”

  Joshua wanted to argue with that, but was he being too stern? Was it any of his business what Alton did in his off time? Jim didn’t seem to mind.

  While he was puzzling it over, Alton left the room. Soon Joshua heard the sound of the shower running. At home, they took a complete bath once or maybe twice a week. There simply was not that much hot water.

  Still, those things were not his business. If Alton wanted to pretend he was Englisch, take showers twice a day and rent a surfboard, what could Joshua do about it? Nothing. What should he do about it? Again, probably nothing.

  He remembered Becca’s expression and the way she had walked away without another word. What was it she had said on the bus? “Surely your parents can’t blame you for what Alton does or doesn’t do.”

  He didn’t know about that. Somehow he had always felt responsible for Alton. Some days his life resembled that of a twenty-seven-year-old man with a seventeen-year-old kid. He’d been his brother’s age himself only a few years ago. Alton was determined to take a different path than he had, but Joshua had no idea if it was his place to intervene.

  He did know that he was starving, and dinner at the Fish Place sounded pretty good. Maybe he’d even indulge in another shower. After all, tomorrow was Sunday. And tonight? Well, tonight he’d be sitting beside pretty little Becca Troyer if he had anything to say about it. It wouldn’t hurt to smell clean.

  CHAPTER 35

  The Fish Place was everything Becca had imagined and more.

  It was a restaurant perched over the water and situated next to an area where boats were docked. As they had walked in, Becca had lagged behind the others to stop and stare out at the many types of fishing and recreational vessels. They sported names like Serenity, Gale Force, and even Orion.

  “Next weekend we’ll take you on an outing to see the lighthouse.” Jim paused beside her. “They’re a sight to behold, don’t you think?”

  “They are, and I’d love to go for a ride, though I’m only a passable swimmer.”

  “We haven’t had a boat capsize yet.” Her expression must have revealed her alarm, because Jim laughed and said, “No worries. All vessels are required to provide life jackets for anyone who would like to wear one. If the gulf waters make you nervous, it may be a good idea.”

  The night only got better from there. The people consisted only of what Becca thought of as their group. Frank, Brady, Simon, and Eva sat on one side with Jim on the end. She sat between Sarah and Joshua, and on the other side of Sarah was Alton. Nancy sat at the end of the table across from Jim.

  Alton seemed in fine form, in spite of the issue with the police. The incident had sounded harmless enough from what the officers had said, but Becca had known from the tightening of Joshua’s expression that the two brothers were about to have a big row over it.

  And apparently they did. Through the open windows, the raised voices were clearly heard.

  “It’s so uncomfortable to know something you’re not supposed to.” Sarah fidgeted with her kapp strings. “Then when someone finally confides in you, what do you do? Act surprised? Admit you know? Ack. I’d rather sit on the patio.”

  “I don’t think we need to hear anyway,” Becca said as she followed Sarah out to the chairs that were sitting in the shade of the boys’ balcony. “We can guess what they’re saying. Joshua will tell Alton he needs to grow up.”

  “And Alton will tell Joshua to lighten up and have some fun.”

  “Then Joshua will remind him that they promised their parents they would stay out of trouble.”

  “Those two remind me of my little bruders at home—always fussing.” Sarah laughed, but then a preoccupied look came over her face.

  “Homesick?”

  “Well, when I’m home, my thoughts often drift to other places. Now that I’m here, I keep thinking of home.”

  They sat in the warm afternoon sun, enjoying the coastal breeze and the sounds from the ocean. Eventually Sarah crossed her arms on the table and rested her head on her arms.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I guess.”

  “You don’t look okay.”

  “I’m only tired. Maybe I need to lie down.”

  “You’re not sick?”

  “No. I don’t think so.”

  Sarah went inside, and Becca followed soon after. She was surprised to see a letter to Sarah sitting on the table. She must have read it while Becca was standing outside with Joshua. Had it upset her? The return address said it was from her mother. She thought back over what Sarah had just said, about knowing things that you weren’t supposed to, and decided not to snoop.

  Snooping was wrong anyway, even if you had a good reason—such as concern for your friend.

  Becca would have liked to have known what was in the letter. Was it important? Sarah’s mother must have sent it the same day they left in order for it to arrive so quickly.

  She only hoped that whatever was in it wasn’t the cause of Sarah’s change in mood. It seemed to Becca that her friend needed a rest, and perhaps not hearing from home would be better.

  Becca was reminded of that letter as she watched her friend enjoy their meal at the Fish Place.

  Sarah had seemed better when they climbed into the van for dinner, and she was eating her food. The meal was served family style. Joshua passed her platters of grilled tuna, sautéed shrimp, and even fried frog legs. Side dishes included fried potatoes, hushpuppies, and a giant bowl of salad.

 
; “How did this place survive the storm?” Nancy asked.

  “It didn’t.” The owner had stopped to see how they were enjoying the meal. He was an older man with weathered skin and deep blue eyes. Jim had introduced him as Stu Harrison.

  “Everything you see here? New. All of it’s new.”

  “How did you rebuild so quickly?” Alton asked.

  “A good question.” Stu crossed his arms and looked out across the room. The place was full of customers, and there was a line of folks waiting out the front door. “The truth is that I’m incredibly lucky—or blessed, depending on how you look at it. My nephews own a construction firm in Houston. They were one of the first work crews on the island. The Fish Place was rebuilt before most people had finished digging out from under the rubble.”

  “Are your nephews still here, working on the island?” Joshua placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

  It was easy for Becca to see that he was taken with the place. The food, the sound of the waves outside, and the general ambience had helped him to relax. He hadn’t sent a worried look Alton’s way in more than an hour.

  “No,” Stu said. “They’re back in Houston. They had jobs contracted out for the next three years. Their coming here was a real sacrifice and caused them to work many nights and weekends to catch their other projects back up to where they were supposed to be.”

  “Family first,” Nancy murmured.

  “Yes, I suppose that’s true. However, even I was surprised at how quickly and how well it was done.”

  Stu thanked them again for coming and then hurried off to check on something in the kitchen.

  “This restaurant was one of the first establishments to reopen on the island.” Jim glanced around at the room filled with people. “Stu could have taken advantage of that. If he’d raised his prices, he still would have had plenty of customers.”

  “But he didn’t,” Joshua guessed.

  “No. In fact, he offered a discount for residents who lived on the island or anyone who was working on a rebuild, which was basically everyone. One of our first rebuilds was for a neighbor of his. When he learned about MDS, he searched for ways to help, and he’s followed through on all of those commitments. An organization like ours depends on contributions from others.”

  “Do you bring all the work crews here?” Becca asked.

  “We do. Stu insists on providing a free meal for each MDS work crew. The other crews you met at the beach came a few weeks ago.”

  “They mentioned last night how much we would love this place.” Simon was talking to Jim, but he glanced back and forth between Becca and Joshua. Had he guessed that she had feelings for Joshua? Becca blushed at the thought and then immediately stared down at the table so that he wouldn’t see her cheeks redden.

  “Stu wants to meet and thank every person involved, and he says that feeding you is the best way he knows to do that. From the amount of food you ate, I guess he’s right.”

  “I feel like a beached whale.” Alton relaxed back into his chair and patted his stomach, which looked quite flat to Becca. “Tell Stu he outdid himself.”

  Joshua leaned forward and glanced at his brother. “Ya. Wait until we tell Mamm about the frog legs.”

  “Tastes just like chicken,” Alton said in a deep voice.

  They both laughed over some shared family joke. Becca was relieved to see them getting along so well. Perhaps the argument they’d had before dinner hadn’t been as bad as she’d imagined. Some folks raised their voice to let off steam. But had that been Joshua or Alton?

  Brady was telling a story about frog gigging while they were working on a MDS site in Jasper.

  “Where’s Jasper?” Becca asked.

  “Southeast Texas.” Frank pushed up his glasses. “Nearly to Louisiana. It’s an interesting place.”

  “That was my first mission trip.” Eva carefully folded her napkin, and then she added, “What I remember most is the snakes. We have some in west Texas, but nothing like what they have in Jasper.”

  Becca hadn’t thought much about snakes. She didn’t want to either. It was enough to worry about jellyfish, though she’d learned to watch for them and walk around them. Suddenly there were so many things she wanted to share with her mother that she felt a wave of homesickness.

  Before she could wallow in it, their server brought over a tray of desserts. Becca opted to share a piece of key lime pie with Joshua. She turned to see what Sarah wanted, but the chair next to her was empty.

  “Where’s Sarah?” she asked Alton.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Bathroom?”

  By the time her coffee and pie had arrived, Sarah still wasn’t back. Becca excused herself and hurried to the ladies’ room. She opened the door and heard the unmistakable sound of someone retching.

  But when Sarah came out, she insisted that she was all right, that the tuna maybe hadn’t agreed with her stomach. Doubts whispered in Becca’s mind. Was this what Sarah’s eating disorder looked like up close? She’d read about girls who ate normally but then forced themselves to throw up. Was that what had happened to her friend?

  Sarah had already left the restroom. Becca used the facilities and then washed her hands. As she made her way back to the table and sat, it seemed that Sarah purposely avoided her, turning all of her attention to Alton. Joshua proclaimed the key lime pie excellent and teased Becca that he’d almost eaten her half.

  He was right. The taste was exquisite—sweet and creamy with just a touch of tartness. She almost enjoyed it, but her thoughts kept turning to her friend and the possibility that she might not be as well as she pretended to be.

  CHAPTER 36

  The next day, Sunday, their little group attended a nondenominational church service at the state park. Although it was different from what Joshua was accustomed to, the Scriptures and the hymns had been familiar.

  Then the first part of the week passed in a blur. During the day Joshua immersed himself in the work, which he found quite different from farming but still quite satisfying. He supposed as long as he was outdoors, he’d be content.

  His brother continued to disappear at the end of the workday—ostensibly going to plant flowers at the large condos. Joshua had seen a glimpse of them when they had gone to the beach on Friday. They looked like giant hotels to him. Did people actually live there? He couldn’t imagine. Surprisingly, a few of them had withstood Orion’s wrath, though much repair work had to be done before they would be habitable again.

  He enjoyed the work and the time with Frank and Brady and Simon, but what he looked forward to the most was the evenings.

  On Monday they had taken the bus to the beach. Sarah and Becca had hunted for seashells while he’d enjoyed the beach, the surf, and watching folks fish. He had to admit, the fishing looked like something he would enjoy. Then on Tuesday evening, Simon had surprised him by showing up with a fishing rod. “Want to give it a try?”

  “Ya. Sure I do.”

  Sarah and Becca had begged off going, claiming they wanted an evening to wash their clothes and rest. He later heard Becca talking to Eva about going over to the mainland for a little shopping. The thought made him smile. What woman did he know who didn’t like shopping?

  Within a half hour, he and Simon had found a relatively empty stretch of beach.

  “We’ll do a little surf fishing first. Then we’ll try it from the jetties.”

  “Anything I need to know?”

  “If you’ve fished before, you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly.” Simon handed him a baggie and instructed Joshua to loop it through the fastener that held his suspenders. “Fish guts. It’s good for catching trout and maybe even redfish.”

  With his pants rolled up and wearing his Amish hat, Joshua felt like a true tourist, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was the wind, the sea, and the fish waiting to be caught.

  As he began walking into the surf, Simon cautioned, “Be alert as to what’s around you. They don’t have sharks in this close, bu
t a friend of mine was once wrapped up by a man-of-war. He came out of the water trying to beat it off with his fishing pole.”

  “Did he live?”

  “Sure. A little meat tenderizer on the wounds and he was fine, but he wasn’t allergic to them.”

  “What if I’m allergic?”

  “We don’t want to find out. Just stay aware of what’s going on around you.”

  The story of the man-of-war should have changed Joshua’s mind. Surely the responsible thing would have been to sit on the beach and watch Simon fish. But there wasn’t a chance he was going to do that. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, filling him with confidence. He could just imagine taking a big catch of fish home and frying it up for the girls.

  He ended up catching two nice-sized trout and three that were too small to keep. Simon had brought a cooler, and they placed the trout under the ice, adding what he’d caught to it. “Makes for a good breakfast or dinner,” he said. “Want to try the jetties?”

  “Of course.”

  “You’re going to want to keep your eyes out for snakes. Especially with the warmer weather, they will often come up on the rocks.”

  Joshua’s life had become an adventure story like the books Becca liked to read. He could hardly wait to get back to the trailer and tell her about this. But once he was on the jetty, all other thoughts fell away. He stopped worrying about Alton. The work still to be done on the houses seemed like a distant concern. Becca was a pleasant memory that tickled his mind.

  His attention was filled with the experience as they walked to the end of the jetty and baited their hooks with live fish.

  “Before the storm, you needed a license to fish here,” Simon said. “But there’s a temporary waiver on that, mainly because it’s difficult to get a license with all the buildings blown over. Even the state park offices was demolished by Orion.”

  “So you’ve done this before?”

  “Sure. I enjoy working for MDS. It’s a good use of my free time when things aren’t busy back home. But I also come here because I love the fishing.”