A Christmas Promise

by Thomas Kinkade

  Jessica found the party set up in the main building, in a big room that doubled as gym and auditorium. There was a huge Christmas tree by the door, decorated with colorful paper chains and handmade ornaments of all shapes and sizes. Some were in the shape of large stars that held framed photos of the kids at the center.

  It wasn’t the fanciest or most stylish tree, but Jessica found that of all the trees she had seen this year, it gave her the nicest feeling.

  She looked around and realized she was early. The room was nearly empty, except for some adults and students setting up. She noticed Luke nearby and he quickly walked over to greet her.

  “Jessica, Merry Christmas!” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Here, let me take that from you.” He took the tray of cookies and placed it on a table.

  “There’s more in the car, a ham and potato salad. I’ll be right back,” Jessica said.

  “I’ll help you. Lead the way.” Luke pushed open the swinging door and they walked together along the gravel path. “Where’s Sam? Is he coming straight from work?”

  “Sam’s not feeling well. He came home with a bad cold and wanted to stay in tonight. He said to tell you he was sorry he couldn’t make it.”

  Luke considered her news with a thoughtful expression. “I’m sorry too. I was looking forward to seeing him. He hasn’t been around much lately.”

  Jessica felt awkward. “Yes, I know. . . . He often plans to come, but I guess he doesn’t get here.” Jessica stuck her hands in her pockets. The sky was clear and a light breeze tossed the bare branches of the trees overhead. “He doesn’t talk about it, but I know he still feels bad about Darrell.”

  “Has he spoken to him at all, do you know?”

  “I don’t think so. Sam said he wanted to wait a week or two before he called—to give Darrell time to settle in with his family again.”

  She secretly thought Sam needed some time, too, so that the feelings weren’t so fresh and raw.

  “Are you still in touch with Darrell?” she asked. “We bought him a Christmas present—well, a few presents. I wasn’t sure where to send them.”

  That was all true. She had planned to ask for Darrell’s address tonight, but now she found she was actually eager to hear news of the boy. She had been thinking about him a lot lately, wondering how his life was working out, if he was being properly looked after and encouraged—if he was really being cared for.

  Maybe being pregnant had made her more sentimental or simply more empathetic to Darrell’s plight. She wasn’t quite sure what had happened, but she seemed to see things differently now, wishing she had been kinder to him when she had the chance.

  They had reached her car but Jessica didn’t open it. Luke dug his hands in his pockets. It was a cold night and he had come out in only a sweater and sports jacket. He didn’t seemed mindful of the cold, though, as much as unsure of what he wanted to say.

  “Listen . . . I guess this is sort of privileged information, but I was going to tell Sam tonight, so I guess I can talk to you about it, Jessica.”

  Jessica felt instantly alarmed. “Did something happen to Darrell? Is he all right?”

  Luke touched her arm. “He’s all right. It’s just that the plan for him to go back home isn’t working out. I heard today from one of the social workers that his mother disappeared again. He’s living with his grandmother, but she’s not sure she can handle the responsibility. He might end up in foster care, after all.”

  “Oh . . . dear. That’s too bad.”

  The news seemed stunning. Jessica was having trouble taking it in. It made her feel confused—and sad for Darrell.

  Then suddenly, happy, too. As if some precious item she had given up for lost had suddenly reappeared.

  “It is sad. The kid can’t seem to get a break.”

  Jessica looked up at Luke. “Can you find out more? I mean, could Sam and I apply to be his foster parents?” The idea was impulsive but the moment she spoke it aloud, it felt right.

  Luke’s dark eyebrows rose in surprise. “Are you sure you really want to do that?”

  Jessica nodded. “Yes, I am. Being around Darrell was hard for me at first, I guess Sam told you. But . . . something’s changed, Luke. I feel different now. Sam and I need to talk about it some more, I suppose, but I would like to look into it, see what we need to do. I don’t want to tell Sam anything, though, unless it’s really possible.”

  “I know what you mean. Sam doesn’t need to have his heart broken twice over this.” Luke touched her arm lightly. “I’ll look into it and call you at the office. How does that sound?”

  “That sounds perfect. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

  Luke gave her a knowing smile. She sensed that he wanted this to work out for them but was wary of being too optimistic.

  Jessica opened the trunk and gave him the rest of the food. Luke encouraged her to return to the party, but she was eager to get back home. Even if she couldn’t tell Sam the news, she just wanted to be with him.

  Jessica drove home down the dark, quiet road. It was a clear, starry night. A bright crescent moon glowed behind the bare trees, lighting her way. She still couldn’t quite believe what Luke had told her. She felt nearly overwhelmed to hear about this turn of events and so happy to have the possibility of a second chance. But was she really feeling happy for herself or for Sam?

  No, she realized, it wasn’t just for Sam. She knew if that were the case, her reaction would have been, Oh, no, if Sam finds out, he’ll want to take Darrell in and I just don’t want that.

  She honestly didn’t feel that way at all anymore. Something inside her had changed; at some moment when she hadn’t even been paying attention, some door inside her heart had opened to the boy. Maybe because she was going to have a baby of her own now, she saw things differently, felt willing and able to include Darrell in her life with Sam.

  That could happen, couldn’t it? Wasn’t that the miracle of love the Scriptures were always teaching about?

  Jessica walked into the darkened house and up to the bedroom. Sam was asleep, an open book resting on his chest. She put the book away and turned off the light. She wished she could wake him and tell him about Darrell. Instead, she just stood looking down at him in the dark, thinking how much she loved him, how much she learned from him.

  Jessica closed her eyes and said a silent prayer.

  Dear God, please give us a second chance with Darrell. Please help us bring him into our family and please help me be the loving parent he needs right now. I’m sure you already know that Sam will be.

  JAMES SAT ON A BENCH IN THE VILLAGE GREEN, HUDDLED INTO HIS coat, hugging himself for warmth. It was a bright, clear day, the sunlight deceptive—strong enough to bother his eyes but not lending much warmth. The harbor was frozen solid, a few old boats stuck in the ice, looking trapped and beyond repair. Which was very much the way he felt right now.

  He knew he ought to either get back to work or go get some lunch, but he couldn’t seem to rouse himself. He considered returning to Vera’s house and getting back into bed instead. It was one of his tired days when he pushed himself along by sheer will and his favorite theory: If he forced himself to do what he should be doing, then he couldn’t possibly be as unwell as the doctors claimed.

  But yesterday’s visit to the specialist in Boston had brought more bad news, and this morning he saw his theory crumbling under the weight of it.

  A gull swooped down from the sky and perched on the hull of one of the boats trapped in the ice. James watched the bird peer around, toss its head, and fly away again, eager to move on to a place with better pickings.

  The sight made his spirits dip even lower; he wished he were the bird but knew full well he was the boat.

  “It’s a cold day for sitting outside and watching the harbor.”

  James turned to find Ben standing beside him. Ben must have been in the church and seen him sitting here, wondering what was keeping him from coming inside.

  James manage
d a bleak smile. “There’s not much to see, except for the gulls.”

  “The gulls never quit. They’re either God’s most persistent creatures or His most unimaginative,” Ben said, taking a seat on the end of the bench.

  “The fishermen must hate the winter,” James mused. “They can’t get out and do their work.”

  “This time of year is frustrating for them, no doubt about it. But many don’t mind some time off the water or the winter work they take in town. It’s a chance to be around the house more and be with their families.”

  Ben sat back and looked out at the harbor. “How was your visit with the doctor in Boston yesterday?”

  “Not good. But you must have guessed that by now.”

  James rubbed his hands on his knees and leaned forward. He didn’t really want to share the news with anyone. As long as he didn’t say it out loud, he could continue to pretend that maybe it wasn’t really true. But he couldn’t avoid telling Ben what the doctor had advised. He certainly wouldn’t lie to him.

  “The doctor doesn’t think I’ve recovered enough to return to the mission. To hear him tell it, it will be several more months. If ever.” James tried but couldn’t keep the bitter edge from his words. “It’s just one opinion, of course. He doesn’t know everything.”

  “True. Doctors aren’t infallible.” Ben looked out at the water again and turned up the collar on his coat. James realized his friend must be feeling half-frozen, but his manner and tone were the very definition of patience and interest. “Why did he say you needed to wait, James? What’s going on with your recovery?”

  James took a breath. This was hard for him to talk about. “It’s not just the malaria anymore, though my body is still weakened from the infection. My kidneys are the main problem now; they’ve been overworked from fighting the malaria. I have to take medication, and possibly dialysis if I don’t follow the course of treatment. Any new infection now would be very dangerous. He says I can’t risk it.”

  Ben didn’t answer for a long moment. “I’m sorry, James. I know that isn’t what you hoped to hear. How long did he think it would take for you to get past this part?”

  James shrugged. “He was purposely vague on that point, but it sounds like a minimum of two to three months. I need to go back in two weeks to see how the medication is working.”

  “At least you will recover and the condition won’t be chronic.” Ben glanced over but James wouldn’t meet his eye. “A few months more isn’t so bad. You’re like a fisherman, James, who woke up and found the harbor frozen over. But God still gives you these precious, brilliant days. The question is, how do you make the best of them anyway?”

  James knew what Ben was trying to tell him—to count his blessings, to feel gratitude for what he had in hand, and not waste his time moping over a door that stood closed.

  Still, he felt himself fixed on that door, rattling the handle, angry and unwilling to give up and turn away.

  “I don’t really know the answer to that, Ben. All I know is that I need to return to the mission. I’ve invested my entire life there. It’s the work I was called to do. If the good Lord has some new plan for me, I wish He’d let me in on it.”

  Ben stared at him a moment. James could see that he was trying hard not to smile, though he could hardly understand what could be striking Ben as funny at this moment.

  “I think He has let you in on it. In fact, I think you had a total, textbook collision with it.”

  James didn’t catch his meaning at first or understand the teasing sparkle in his eye. Then he knew. It was Leigh, Leigh and her baby. He looked away, out at the water again.

  “What if the specialist in Boston had given you a clean bill of health yesterday? How would you feel about leaving Leigh? Would you be rushing off to catch a flight back to Nicaragua tonight?”

  “No . . . of course not . . . I couldn’t do that.” He glanced at Ben and met his gaze. “She needs me. I promised myself I would stay until her child was born. I wouldn’t leave before then.”

  “I didn’t think you would, even if you were able to. But is it just about helping her with the baby? Leigh has a lot of friends here now. She has Vera and Dr. Harding. There are many people who would help her.”

  That much was true. James had told Leigh the same thing the other night by the Christmas tree. Right after he’d kissed her. He was still shocked at having done that; he wasn’t even sure now that he should have acted on his feelings that way. Then again, whether he acted on them or not, the feelings were there, far deeper and more intense than what he’d told her—far stronger than he wanted to admit, even to himself.

  “I care for Leigh very much. I’ve even said as much to her. She’s changed my life, you know?” He glanced at Ben, searching for the right words to capture his feelings. “She doesn’t even realize how happy I feel around her. She thinks I help her because I’m trying to be nice, because I’m a minister or something.” He laughed self-consciously. “She doesn’t have any idea how much she gives me.”

  Ben smiled gently. “I’m glad you’ve found someone that makes you feel that way. It’s very, very rare.”

  James thought that went without saying. He knew he didn’t have much experience with women, especially for a man his age. He had never had much time for relationships or met women he wanted to get involved with. But, even so, he’d never felt quite like this about anyone.

  “I know you’ve been a good friend to her, James. But she has a lot of challenges in her life right now. Is she ready for a new relationship?” Ben asked quietly.

  “I’m not sure. Sometimes I think she might be. Other times, she pulls away. It’s hard for me, too. I don’t know where this could lead, Ben. What will happen when I am able to go back to the mission? Leigh knows I have to, someday. Maybe that’s why she keeps her distance.”

  “Possibly. But when feelings are strong between two people, things have a way of working themselves out.” Ben turned to him and caught his eye. “Be here now, James. Did you ever hear that expression? My son, Mark, likes to say it to me when I start fretting over things that haven’t happened yet.”

  James considered Ben’s words for a moment. “ ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself’?” he said, reciting from the book of Matthew.

  “Exactly.” Ben’s expression was full of sympathy and goodwill. He reached over and rested a comforting hand on James’s shoulder.

  “Christmas is coming. Focus on that for a while. Only seven shopping days left. Have you bought Leigh a present yet?”

  “I plan to. I just don’t know what. I asked Vera what she thinks the baby would need, but she says she doesn’t really remember. Maybe Carolyn could give me some advice?”

  “I’m sure she can. Our house is fully equipped for Prince William, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.” Ben smiled and got to his feet. “Come on, let’s get out of the cold. I don’t think the harbor is going to melt down today, no matter how long we stare at it.”

  James had to laugh. “I think you’re right.” He stood up, gave the frozen water one last look, then turned back to his friend. “Are you hungry? I’ll buy you lunch at the Clam Box.”

  “Fine idea. I could use a bowl of Charlie’s chowder right now.” Ben put on his hat, and the two men set off across the green.

  Ben was a good friend, James mused. He had listened to him patiently but hadn’t let him indulge his bleak, self-pitying mood. But one thing Ben said gave him pause. Had God really changed the course of his life? Or was meeting Leigh just a temporary roadblock? James knew even Ben couldn’t answer that question. He needed to pray about this now, and ask the Lord to help him figure it out.

  “SURPRISE!”

  Leigh pushed opened the door to the all-purpose room, expecting to see a final flurry of work for the fair that started tomorrow. But that was not what she saw at all. Awestruck, she took a quick step backward.

  She bumped into Vera, who stood close behind
her, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Then she felt Vera’s gentle touch on her back, pushing her into the room again.

  “Go on, dear. It’s your baby shower. They’re all waiting for you.”

  A circle of women swarmed forward to surround her, bright-eyed and smiling. Sophie Potter, her granddaughter, Miranda, Molly Willoughby and her two girls, Jessica Morgan and Rachel Anderson, Nancy Malloy, Grace Hegman, and Carolyn Lewis—all of the women on the Christmas Fair committee, as well as several more she’d gotten to know during her stay in Cape Light. Leigh gazed around, feeling stunned.

  Carolyn was the first to break ranks. She leaned over and gave Leigh a hug. “You’re really surprised, aren’t you? We did a good job of keeping the secret.”

  “I was bursting to say something. I must have nearly slipped a hundred times today,” Vera confessed.

  Sophie patted Vera’s arm. “Good job, Vera. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.”

  Especially for Vera, Leigh thought with a secret smile. “I had no idea. This is . . . amazing,” Leigh said as she gazed around.

  The room had been totally transformed from its utilitarian decor. Pink and white helium balloons floated from the ceiling, trailing long curly ribbons; matching crepe paper streamers and stork decorations covered the walls. Long tables covered with pink and white cloths were set up with tea—sandwiches and salads, a huge punch bowl, and several cakes. Bunches of fresh flowers mixed with holiday greens, a subtle hint of the season, seemed to be everywhere.

  A fan-backed wicker chair had been decorated as the place of honor, with more pink ribbons and baby trinkets.

  “This is all so beautiful. . . . I can’t believe it.” She met the eyes of her eager audience and felt herself tearing up again. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me.”

  Molly came up beside her. “It’s not for you, it’s for the baby. Now come and sit down and start opening your gifts. Her gifts, I mean.”