But once they were at the apartment, a dismal place located behind a retail complex, everyone worked. Fortunately, the apartment was downstairs. Simon, Alton, and Jim immediately began loading furniture into the truck that Alice had rented. Sarah and Becca carried boxes from the kitchen and bedrooms.
The apartment was small—only one bedroom with twin beds where the children slept. Alice apparently slept on the couch. How long had they been there? Becca counted back to when Orion had landed in October. And now it was May. Seven months? It was a long time to sleep on a couch. Yet Alice had managed to add small touches to the apartment—colorful curtains in the children’s room, a reading corner in the living room, and plants scattered here and there.
Nancy helped Alice finish up the last bit of packing.
They worked as a team, and by the time they took a break for lunch, Becca looked up to see the truck half full. “It’s going faster than I thought it would.”
“I’ll be surprised if we fill up the entire thing.” Alice was wearing an old ball cap. She pulled her hair, fastened with a ponytail holder, more tightly through the back of the cap. “All we took with us, when we evacuated, were pictures, legal papers, and clothes. What furniture we have I found in garage sales or charity auctions where most things went for under ten dollars.”
“It must be terrible to lose all of your things.”
“It is… it was… but it bothers me less than I thought it would. I’m so grateful that the children were unhurt, and now… ” She gave Becca a dazzling smile. “Now we have a new home. Some days I have to pinch myself. It seems too good to be true.”
“We’re so happy for you,” Becca said.
“And we can’t wait to see C.J. and Shelley settled in,” Sarah added. “Will they come over this afternoon?”
“I couldn’t keep them away if I tried. They’ll be out of school at three.”
“Which means we need to finish up this pizza and get the rest of your boxes loaded,” Jim said.
Alton and Simon moved a little more slowly, but soon they were all back at it, and by two in the afternoon there was little left to do but clean the apartment.
“I can come back and do that tomorrow,” Alice said.
“Nonsense. You’ll be unpacking tomorrow. We’ll take care of this for you.”
Simon offered to drive them back in the van. Jim, Alton, and Alice left in the moving truck.
It took another two hours. Alice was a good housekeeper, but some things were hard to see until a room was completely empty. By the time they were finished, Becca and Sarah were ready to take a nap in the back of the van.
“You might want to stay awake,” Simon said, his eyes twinkling as they met Becca’s in the rearview mirror.
“Why would we want to do that?”
“Simon’s taking us home a different way.” Nancy fastened her seatbelt. “I think you girls will enjoy it.”
Simon explained that the lines for the ferry could be quite long on a Friday afternoon. Instead, they were going to drive around via the bridge. “It’s a little farther, but this way I can pick up some building supplies Jim ordered. We’ll save him a trip next week.”
Fighting the urge to put her head back and rest, Becca watched out the window. They stopped at a builder’s supply store, and Sarah drifted off to sleep, basking in the afternoon sunshine. Soon the supplies were loaded in the back and they were on their way again. When Becca saw the bridge rising in the distance, she nudged Sarah awake. She could see the crest of the bridge but not the other side. Sarah leaned over Becca, trying to get a better view.
“Officially, it’s named the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway,” Simon explained. “But some of the old-timers still call it Don’s Bridge.”
“Who was Don?” Nancy asked.
“The TXDOT engineer who was in charge of building the bridge.”
“What does TXDOT stand for?” Becca kept her nose pressed against the window. It was amazing what she could see from the top of the bridge—water, houses, boats, and plenty of other vehicles below. Everything looked miniaturized. It was a view she’d never had from a buggy, not that they had such large bridges or bodies of water in their part of Oklahoma.
“Texas Department of Transportation. They built this bridge to replace the old swing/lift bridge—that bridge was a problem because there would be long waits for boats to get through.”
“But now they just go under,” Sarah said.
“Exactly. And currently the state has plans to build an even taller bridge on the other end—where the Harbor Bridge currently is. If that happens, then they’ll be able to dock cruise ships out of this area.”
“Cruise ships?” Sarah sat back, covering a yawn with her hand. “Maybe they will make an Amish cruise ship—one with no television or casinos, but lots of time for reading and sitting by the pool.”
When Simon met Becca’s eyes in the rearview mirror, she explained, “I think she learned about that in a book she’s been reading.”
Once they had crossed the bridge, most of the construction disappeared. They soon passed a sign that said “Mustang Island State Park” and then they were in a vicinity she recognized.
They were nearly back to their trailers when Becca asked, “Orion didn’t harm the bridge?”
“No, it didn’t. There were some who predicted the bridge wouldn’t hold. Orion may have swept a path of destruction, but at least the bridge remained. It was useful in getting help in quickly once the hurricane passed through.”
He’d pulled up in front of the houses they were working on. Alice’s moving truck was already backed up onto the small driveway, and Alton and Joshua were unloading her items. Nancy and Sarah spilled out of the van and headed toward the house. Becca held back, standing beside the van and studying Simon. “You know a lot about this area.”
“I guess I picked up stuff here and there. Happens when you visit as often as I do.”
“How far is it to your home?”
“Seminole is about six hundred miles, give or take a little.” When Becca glanced left and right, he turned her to face the northwest. “It’s that way. Not too far from Lubbock.”
“What’s it like there?”
“Dry, dusty, hard to farm.”
“And you like it?”
“I do, but I also like visiting the coast. It’s a nice change of pace, and it’s wunderbaar to see water and rain for a change.”
Jim called out, asking Simon to grab the other end of the couch.
Becca hurried across the street to put up her backpack and use the restroom. While she was there, she took a moment to glance at herself in the mirror—something she rarely did at home. She saw a Plain girl, with rosy cheeks, a nose that was a little too large, and freckles sprinkled across her cheeks.
Becca felt sure she was the same person who had left Cody’s Creek a little more than two weeks ago, but she also realized that she had changed. She was older—maybe not in years, but in her outlook. She didn’t feel like a child anymore. And there was another thing. She realized she was less worried about who she was and who she would become. Maybe such thoughts came from too many hours alone, but her time in Texas had moved her perspective out and away from herself.
She couldn’t imagine living in the dry land that Simon described, or driving down every few months—driving six hundred miles—to work on homes in Port Aransas. But she could imagine God using her in the future the way He had used her here. And whether it was with Joshua or not, she could certainly trust Him to direct their paths the way they were meant to turn—either together or apart.
CHAPTER 51
The next afternoon part of their group met to dedicate Alice’s house. The Mennonite group had left at first light, headed back to Seminole, Texas. They had vowed to return in three months to continue the work. When they did, they would check in on Alice.
All of Alice’s things had been moved in the day before. There were still a few boxes to unpack and curtains to be hung, but basically t
heir work was done.
The other two groups of MDS volunteers had driven over to participate in the home dedication. It wasn’t required—they could have spent their Saturday at the beach. But everyone understood what an important moment this was, and they wanted to share it with Alice and her grandchildren, even if they hadn’t worked on that particular site.
The little house was brimming over with MDS volunteers.
Joshua peeled off from a group of men and walked across the kitchen to settle next to Becca. She stood in the front of the sink, her hands braced against the porcelain as she stared out the window.
She didn’t turn toward him but said, “Joshua, I can just imagine the vegetable garden Alice will have out there in the fall.”
“Partitioning off part of the side yard was a gut idea. I could tell Shelley was quite excited about the prospect.”
“They’re learning about plants and how things grow in her second grade class. She’s a smart little girl.”
Becca glanced up at Joshua, and it seemed that a contented look spread across her face. Together they both returned their attention to the small plot of land outside the window. The garden consisted of a five-foot-by-five-foot raised bed bordered with landscape timbers. Earlier that day, Joshua had peered over the edge of the roof while he was checking on the house next door. They didn’t work on Saturdays, but he usually walked through and noted what things had been done and what still awaited their attention. Jim had suggested he would make a good site coordinator, but Joshua didn’t take that idea seriously. He was a farmer, through and through, though he’d learned some things about construction that he planned to speak to his father about. Their place could do with a bit of a remodel.
When he’d glanced over the fence, he’d seen Becca working in the dirt with the little girl, planting seeds. He’d realized at that moment what a good mother she would be. And he had admitted to himself—not for the first time—that he was in love with Becca Troyer.
She seemed to sense the serious direction his thoughts had taken and turned to study him. “I heard you boys are bringing pizza to the celebration tonight.”
“Ya, and we heard you girls are grilling hot dogs.”
Becca laughed. “I’m not sure how much help I’ll be with an outside grill, but it will be nice to enjoy a cookout on the beach, even if our group is smaller.”
“Do you miss Simon already?” The thought had caused Joshua to toss through much of the night. Did Becca care about Simon? Had he missed his chance to win her affections?
“Of course I do.” She smiled up at him, and a part of his heart melted like ice cream spilled on a hot sidewalk. “We’re good friends.”
She emphasized the last word and then motioned with her head toward the group that had left the kitchen. It was their final pass through of the home. Alice lived here now. It was no longer an MDS worksite.
They moved slowly to catch up, and Joshua was glad for the chance to speak with Becca alone. Each day he’d looked forward to the little moments they found to be together, and he realized, with a start, that he would miss her quite a bit once they returned to Cody’s Creek.
Breaking into those thoughts, she said, “From what Jim told us, there’s an empty FEMA trailer, one near the beach. MDS keeps it in case they have extra volunteers, and they also use it for gatherings.”
“Like tonight’s.”
“Exactly. The plan is to cook hot dogs outside, maybe walk the beach or go for a swim, that sort of thing—”
“Will you miss the ocean when we’re back in Cody’s Creek?”
She smiled a bit wistfully. “I will, but I have my bag of shells.”
“And your notebook.”
“Yes. And my notebook.”
They caught up with the rest of the folks walking through the home. The other MDS groups, plus Alton, Sarah, Nancy, and Jim, were present. And of course there was Charlie, Quitz, Alice, and her two grandkids. They all barely fit into the combined living/dining room, but it seemed right to Joshua that everyone should be there. He didn’t think he would ever forget the last few weeks. They had changed something deep inside of him—helped him to find a way out of his own self-preoccupation. Together they had done good work, and he looked forward to participating in such a project again.
“Pizza and hot dogs sound good, and a walk on the beach would be nice.” He hesitated before lowering his voice and adding, “Though I’m not sure I have the energy for a late night.”
“Oh, really?”
“Ya. I’m no spring chicken, you know.”
“I didn’t.”
“Nearly twenty-eight. Do you think that’s old, Becca?”
She blinked several times, as if she was unsure what he’d asked her. “Nein. Of course not. Too old for what exactly? Joshua Kline, I think you’re teasing me.”
“Maybe.” He scratched at the sunburn on his face. “Maybe not. When all the groups get together we eat for hours.”
“Hours, huh?”
“And then there’s the bonfire.”
“I could tell last time that you hated that part. We had to practically drag you away from the guy singing those cowboy songs.”
“I heard one of the workers say he’s bringing a volleyball and net. Ack! All of this fun is too exhausting. We might need to save our energy for church tomorrow and then one more week of work.”
“Are you saying you’re too old to hang out with us?”
“You are old, bruder.” Alton was standing next to Sarah, shoulder to shoulder with her.
Joshua wondered about their relationship. He’d seen them the evening before, walking off together toward the end of the street to catch the bus. Alton had said they had gone to town for dessert and then walked the streets, looking at new construction by various groups. Joshua had been surprised that Alton wasn’t surfing, but his brother had only shrugged. “Spider has a girlfriend now, so he doesn’t go as often. We’ll catch some waves tomorrow night, though.”
One night with a girl, the next night surfing. His brother was a busy man. Though he’d been teasing Becca, he actually wouldn’t mind a long afternoon nap.
“No one else is tired?” Joshua asked, bending forward and moving one hand to his back the way he’d seen old men do.
“You were framing a house yesterday.” Sarah nudged him. “We only helped carry in boxes.”
“We also unpacked a few,” Becca reminded her.
“True, but I doubt it was anywhere near as exhausting as putting up a house.”
“I offered to help when we got back from Alice’s apartment,” Becca said. Then she laughed. “If only you could have heard Jim’s response to that. Ever since I nailed my sleeve to the wall two days ago, he’s been keeping me away from the power tools.”
Joshua glanced across the room at Jim and then back at Becca. “Jim turned down help?”
“He… um… gently reminded me that Alice wanted our help inside the house.”
“I didn’t mind getting an easy pass,” Sarah said. “Someone needed to help her unpack, and I’m still sore from the work we did the day before.”
“And the day before that. An easier day wasn’t such a bad idea.”
“You might have wanted to help with framing, but climbing the ladder in your dress would have been a problem—” Joshua stopped midsentence.
Charlie had moved to the end of the room and everyone fell silent. Alice was standing beside him, and next to her were the two grandkids—Shelley and C.J. Quitz stood close by, as always.
Charlie cleared his throat, looked around, and then addressed the group.
“We want to thank you all once again. Jim assures me that isn’t necessary, but the way I was raised—well, it is. It’s important to appreciate the people who have traveled a rough road with you. Alice, C.J., Shelley, and I thank the Lord for each and every one of you.” He paused and took off his ball cap, staring at it as if he hadn’t seen it before.
“You all know that my wife and I had just moved to the is
land in 1970, the year Celia hit.” His hand came out, and he motioned toward something outside the window. “I told you this before, when I shared my testimony, but some things bear repeating.”
He set the ball cap back on his head and continued. “My life was changed with that storm, and Madelyn’s was too. We saw our neighbors in a new way. Through the aftermath of that horrific event, we carried each other’s burdens—even if that burden was a stack of shingles headed up to the roof.”
Laughter sprinkled throughout the room.
“Before she passed, Madelyn would sometimes remind me that the world had moved on. I know it’s hard to imagine, but I’d become a bit cynical by then.”
Joshua exchanged glances with Becca. They were standing very close to one another, and all eyes were on Charlie. Joshua couldn’t resist. He reached over and laced his fingers with hers.
“Madelyn was right. Things have changed, but in spite of those changes you folks have reminded me that there is still a lot of good left in the world.” He swiped at his eyes and laughed at himself. “You’re fine folks, and we thank God that you came, you saw our need, and you helped.”
Everyone clapped, and Shelley apparently asked Charlie to pick her up. When he did, a look of satisfaction crossed his face that brought a lump to Joshua’s throat.
Alice held up a hand to quiet them. “I knew there was still good in the world because I care for these precious children every day. They remind me of all that is beautiful and true and honest. And Charlie—he’s helped us since day one, since I first started serving him coffee.”
Now there was outright laughter. Everyone knew how much Charlie loved his coffee.
“But he knew us.” Alice’s voice dropped lower, grew softer, and yet Joshua had no trouble hearing her. The group had gone completely quiet. “You didn’t. We were strangers to you, but you gave us drink. You invited us in. You clothed us and you looked after us.”
Alice’s reference to Christ’s words in Matthew stirred something deep in Joshua’s heart.
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