Sam suddenly appeared beside the table; he set down the loaded tray and took a seat. “Sorry that took so long. There was this guy in front of me ordering about a hundred hamburgers.”
He handed out the paper plates of food, seeming not to notice that Jessica and Darrell were so quiet. Jessica stared down at a cold, partially cooked hot dog on a stiff-looking roll. It didn’t matter; her appetite had already vanished.
“I took another look at the minicars. They do look cool. They really move, too.” Sam’s voice was bright and excited, just like another kid. “How about we do those next?”
Darrell chewed his pizza with a thoughtful expression. He looked up at Sam and then at Jessica. In his dark eyes, Jessica could see a question. He was wondering now if she was going to tell Sam what he had said.
She sighed and took a sip of her drink. She wasn’t sure what to do. She told Sam just about everything. On the other hand, she didn’t want to seem as if she could only see negative traits in the boy. Sam would just remind her how tough Darrell had it and how that was why he acted the way he did, all of which was true.
She did feel sorry for him. And she did want to like him. She couldn’t help it if he didn’t like her. How could she be friends with him if he wouldn’t let her?
“What do you think, Jess? The line doesn’t look that long right now.”
Sam’s voice broke into her wandering thoughts and Jessica blinked. “Gee . . . I don’t know. They seem sort of noisy.”
“You didn’t eat your hot dog. Should I get you something else?” Sam looked at her with concern.
“Oh, no, thanks. Why don’t you and Darrell try the cars? I think I’m going to head home. The racquetball was more of workout than I’m used to, and that new medicine I’m taking makes me feel tired.”
The specialist they saw in Southport had prescribed some pills he hoped would help her get pregnant. Jessica had only been taking them a few days and they did make her tired; she wasn’t lying about that. Luckily, she had needed to do some errands this morning while Sam picked up Darrell, so they came in two cars.
“All right. I’ll meet you at home then.” Sam still looked worried. “Do you want me to drive you back?”
“I’m just a little tired. I’m fine to drive home,” she assured him. Though she was touched by Sam’s concern, she didn’t want him to cut short his outing with Darrell on her account. That would undoubtedly breed even more resentment from the boy, and things were already tense enough.
Jessica got up from her chair and picked up her bag. She kissed Sam on the cheek and patted his shoulder.
“Have fun in the cars. I think you’d better drive, Darrell. Sam gets a little wild in those rides,” she added, trying to part on a light note.
“I will if he lets me.” Darrell’s expression was solemn as they parted, and Jessica felt a twinge of sadness, though she wasn’t sure why.
Out in the parking lot, the bright sunlight and relative quiet was a welcome relief to the dim, raucous interior of the Sports Zone. Jessica felt instantly calmer and more clearheaded as she started up her car and pulled away.
She felt relieved but also a bit guilty for abandoning the outing halfway. Sam would just have to understand. She had come along as he’d asked and done her best. The boy just didn’t like her. She couldn’t seem to do anything right where Darrell was concerned. Some things just weren’t meant to be.
CHAPTER SIX
LEIGH HAD PRETENDED TO BE ASLEEP WHEN VERA KNOCKED on her bedroom door earlier that morning. Now she sat on the edge of her bed, fully dressed, carefully calculating how long it would be before both Vera and James left for the Sunday church service.
James never mentioned a word about church to her. But she knew that Vera would coax her again to come along, and she wanted to avoid the conversation.
At a quarter to eleven, Leigh walked down to the kitchen, expecting the house to be empty. She was surprised to hear Vera in the hallway on the phone.
“What do you mean, you can’t pick me up until twelve?” Vera sounded nervous and frazzled. “That won’t do at all. . . . Well, I’ve already called that outfit. They won’t send a taxi way out here. . . .”
Leigh glanced down the hallway, and Vera quickly turned toward her as she hung up the phone.
“Oh, you’re up, dear. I didn’t want to wake you, but my car won’t start and James left so early for church today. Could you possibly give me a lift into town?”
Finding an appropriate break in Vera’s rambling request, Leigh quickly answered, “I can drive you to church, Vera. It’s no problem.”
“Would you? I’d appreciate that so much. I didn’t want to put you out . . . but it is sort of an emergency. It’s my turn to bring some cakes and things for the coffee hour. You hate to disappoint people once you make a promise.”
Vera was dressed in her coat, hat, and gloves, her bag hooked over her arm. Leigh noticed three foil-covered trays on the kitchen counter and a pleasant, cinnamony scent hanging in the air. She didn’t know what time the service started but guessed it must be very soon.
“I’ll just grab a glass of orange juice and we can go. I can get some breakfast in town.”
Vera watched as she poured the juice and drank it down. “There’s always a lovely coffee hour after the service—so much to eat, you won’t even want lunch. And James is going to speak today about his mission. It should be very interesting.”
Leigh set the dirty glass in the dishwasher, avoiding Vera’s searching gaze. “I’m sure it will be. Let me run up and get my bag. I’ll be right down.”
Up in her room, Leigh found her purse, then paused at the mirror to add a dash of lipstick. She didn’t want to go to the church service, but she thought she still ought to look presentable. It was such a small town, faces were already starting to look familiar.
She helped Vera carry the cake pans out to her car and they started off for the village.
“I need to stay at church today for a few hours after the service, so you’ll have to fend for yourself at lunchtime. Maybe even dinner, too. I’ll probably come back exhausted. The Christmas Fair committee is meeting and I always get roped into doing more than I intend. But it’s all for a good cause. I may not have much, compared to some people, but I count my blessings. . . .”
They were driving down Main Street now. Leigh had taken a few walks during her lunch hour to explore the village, so she knew where to find the church. It was really a beautiful little church, she thought, set on the end of the long village green, which was filled with tall trees and bordered on one side by the town’s harbor.
“Here we are,” Leigh said. “You’re not late at all. There are still some people going in. Shall I drop you off in front?”
Though she usually didn’t mind Vera’s rambling monologues, Leigh was looking forward to being on her own for a cup of decaf coffee and a pile of the Sunday newspapers.
“Yes, right in front would be fine, dear. Oh, the cakes. I almost forgot.” Vera glanced at Leigh with another worried look. “Could you help me carry in the pans? It will only take a minute. You’ll need to park, though. Look, there’s a space.” Vera pointed to a nearby parking space that had just become empty.
“Yes, I see it.” Leigh put her blinker on and steered her car into the space.
With Vera carrying two of the pans and Leigh holding the third, they proceeded into the church. A woman about Vera’s age approached them. She had a friendly, round moon face and wore a coil of white hair on her head that still held a tinge of a former strawberry-blond hue.
“Here, let me help you, Vera. I’ll take that back to the kitchen.” She reached over and took one of Vera’s cake pans. “You’ll be at the meeting later, won’t you?”
“Yes, of course I will. Sophie, this is Leigh Baxter. She’s staying with me awhile. She works in Dr. Harding’s office.”
The woman smiled and Leigh realized her face was familiar, though she couldn’t quite recall her name.
“I’m Sop
hie Potter,” she introduced herself. “I think we met in the doctor’s office, though I had a dreadful cold that day and you probably were just trying not to get sneezed on.”
Leigh smiled back. “I remember. How are you?”
“Just fine, thanks. Here, let me take your pan, too. Why don’t you two get your seats? I think Reverend Ben might even start on time today.” Chuckling at her own joke, Sophie swept off to a different part of the church.
“I should get a seat. I’ll hang up my coat later.” Vera started toward the door to the sanctuary.
“Okay, I’ll see you tonight.” Leigh headed back in the direction of the vestibule, intending to leave, but she felt someone touch her arm. She turned to see Molly Willoughby.
“Hi, Leigh. Want to sit with us? I think there’s still room in our row. It’s a full house today with Reverend Cameron speaking.”
Leigh hesitated, wondering if she should stay to hear James. Everyone seemed so excited about it. And he’d been so kind to her. It would seem rude now to run out, especially when she didn’t really have anything better to do. Besides, she was genuinely interested in hearing more about his work.
She glanced around for Vera and saw that she was talking to another friend. “I came with Vera but it looks like she’s busy. I’ll catch up with her later, I guess.”
Leigh followed Molly into the sanctuary, where someone handed her a program. The man smiled knowingly at her and she suddenly recognized him, the police officer who had taken the report the night of her accident. Tucker . . . something?
She followed Molly up the side aisle and soon spotted Molly’s two girls, Lauren and Jill, who often stopped by the office. They were sitting beside Dr. Harding and his daughter Amanda, whom she also knew by now.
“Look who I found,” Molly whispered happily to the group.
“Hi, Leigh. Good to see you,” Matt Harding said.
“Leigh! What are you doing here?” Jill’s frank question made her mother cringe but Leigh had to grin. It was a good question. She wasn’t quite sure herself how she’d wound up here this morning.
“Just scoot over and make some room, please, Jill. And give Leigh your hymnal. You can share with your sister.”
Whenever Leigh heard what Molly called her “Commander Mommy” voice she was totally in awe. Mentally, she took notes. She had learned that Molly had more or less raised her girls without her ex-husband’s help. Leigh only hoped that she would do as well as a single parent. She was sure it wouldn’t be easy.
Settling back in her seat, Leigh glanced around. The church was just as pretty inside as out, simple but elegant and old-fashioned, with cream-colored walls, polished oak pews, and tall stained-glass windows that filtered the light in hues of rose and gold. She saw James sitting in a front row, to the side of the pulpit. Another minister with spectacles and a beard sat beside him. Reverend Lewis, she thought. She’d heard a lot about him from James and Vera, but so far they hadn’t met.
James seemed different somehow. She realized it was because he was wearing a long white vestment. It was a bit of a shock to see him in his “work clothes.” He didn’t make much of being a minister and most of the time she thought of him as just a regular person. Now he seemed to have a kind of solemn authority.
He dispelled that impression at once, smiling as he met her eye and looking surprised but pleased to see her there. She smiled back, but quickly looked away.
The choir sang a hymn to start the service. Leigh spotted Sophie Potter in the second row and a tall young woman with striking looks standing beside her. The resemblance was so strong, Leigh thought they had to be related. She recalled Vera saying Sophie had been recently widowed and that a granddaughter was living with her now. Leigh felt satisfied for a moment at having made the connection, as if fitting a piece into a large puzzle. Then she caught herself, taken aback by how well and quickly she was getting to know the people in this small community.
It’s just the job at the doctor’s office, she told herself. I see so many people there every day. It doesn’t mean anything. I’m sure I’ll forget all about them soon after I go. And they’ll forget me.
Reverend Lewis stepped up to the pulpit and began to address the congregation. He covered some announcements about church activities, giving special emphasis to the meeting Vera had mentioned. The church Christmas Fair didn’t sound like much to Leigh, but it was obviously an important matter here.
Leigh couldn’t bear thinking about Christmas. It brought up so many unhappy memories. Even good memories of holidays she spent as a child with her mother seemed bittersweet now. The last few years of her life had soured everything for her.
The service went by quickly with rounds of hymns and prayer, and then Reverend Lewis was introducing James.
“As the holidays draw near, we think of the Helping Hands Mission and our annual outreach to that special community,” he began. “Since the mission was started in Nicaragua over fifty years ago, by a minister who formerly headed this congregation, Bible Community Church has maintained a close and special relationship with Helping Hands. The mission is now blessed to have Reverend James Cameron as their director, and for the past few months, we’ve all shared in that blessing while Reverend Cameron has visited here with us. I’ve asked him to give us an update on the mission this morning and on the work going on there.”
Leigh sat up a bit taller as James came to the pulpit and took Reverend Lewis’s place. He looked out over the congregation with his usual warm, easy smile; he might have been saying good morning to her over the breakfast table. Leigh didn’t know what she expected but this was not quite it. He seemed so relaxed, so casual, even though he’d now stepped into such a formal, spiritual role.
“I want to thank Reverend Ben for that gracious introduction. I’m not sure I’ve entirely been a blessing to him, since it seems we both prefer the same section of the morning paper each day.” His joke made Leigh smile and drew a few laughs from his audience. “This congregation has been so generous to Helping Hands Mission. Not just at Christmastime, but throughout the year. Yet I don’t think that you fully understand what your gifts mean to the people in our community and those who come to us for help. Your donations have provided the simple necessities like nutritious food, blankets, and clothing. Immunization for children who now will live without threat from the most serious childhood diseases, like measles and polio. The schoolbooks that help both children and adults learn to read, or the tools they need to farm their land, or raise livestock, and have a self-sufficient life.
“I do want to update you with specifics, and I have a detailed talk scheduled for this evening, complete with pictures of our school, the new water treatment facility we built last year, and the expansion to our medical clinic which is now under way.
“But when I considered what I really wanted to say to you this morning, I thought about so many of my friends at the mission who came to me and asked me to convey their thanks and tell you their stories, so you could understand how your gifts have truly transformed their lives.
“First, there’s Azura Esteban. She’s a young woman, still in her early twenties. She gave birth to three children, each of whom died during their first year of life—”
Leigh shuddered inwardly. What if she lost her baby that way? She didn’t know what she would do. How did any woman survive that?
“Though our immunization program has helped lower the infant mortality rate, unfortunately it’s still quite common for children to die before they reach school age. Finally, Azura had a fourth child, but that baby became ill with pneumonia. Azura brought her to our mission clinic for treatment, where, by the grace of God, the child was saved.
“That was six years ago. Azura’s daughter has grown healthy and strong and now attends our mission school. She tells me she wants to be a doctor someday and help people in her village. I pray that this will be so.”
James spoke simply, without any deliberate drama, but his words were powerful and held Leigh and ever
yone around her riveted.
“There are many stories that don’t have happy endings,” he went on. “There are many who come to us who are beyond help in this mortal life. All we can do is provide comfort, support their faith, and help them pass on in dignity. There are many who need help beyond our limited resources. Though we’ll never be able to solve every problem that comes our way, our goal is to ever expand our reach.
“Above all, I think the greatest gift our mission gives is hope, a light where there was only darkness. And the gift grows tenfold and tenfold again because those whom we help reach out and lift up others, like a handful of seeds tossed on the earth that grow into a garden. That remarkable transformation is God’s miracle, the way He takes our small gifts and uses them for His great purposes.
“So please remember that beyond the immediate aid of a hot meal or some new clothes, your gift to our mission gives hope and inspires faith. It’s God’s love, working through all of us, passed on and on in an endless chain. The impact is immeasurable, and very often, lifesaving.”
The congregation was silent. Leigh felt a bit stunned and saddened. It was hard to imagine people who had so little in their lives and struggled so hard just to survive. You knew that people lived at such a desperate level of existence but you didn’t want to think about it. It was like passing an accident on the highway; you might glance at it quickly but you just couldn’t focus on the gruesome details for very long. It was too disturbing, too upsetting. Most people felt helpless to do anything about such overwhelming problems.
But James had dedicated his life to solving those problems and willingly lived in those conditions, day in and day out. Leigh had always been impressed by him, by his kindness and intellect. This morning, though, she had seen him in a whole different light. He seemed not simply nice or kind but strong and courageous, daring to do difficult, often heartbreaking work.
Martin pretended to be strong, flaunting his wealth and ordering people around like the imperious ruler of a little kingdom. But he was weak, a coward, crippled by his insecurities. He was the very antithesis of James.
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