Amanda burst out laughing, unaware that she had been holding onto the man’s hand all this time. “Oh, I am so sorry. Thank you so very much. I promise we’ll be quick. Come on, Kris. You’ve got to see the back yard.”
Kris exhaled deeply and, against her will and better judgment, followed Amanda into the foyer.
The house was average in size, around seventeen hundred square feet, but it looked larger due to the open layout design. The floors were tiled and the great room was furnished with typical, Florida-themed items. The kitchen looked out into the great room, and sliding glass doors opened onto a very large screened lanai that ran the entire length of the home.
The first thing that Kris noticed when she walked onto the lanai was the play pen and the precious, dark-haired baby sleeping peacefully on its stomach, its tiny butt raised in the air. A lump formed in her throat and tears threatened to escape her green eyes, so she took a deep breath and immediately focused all of her attention on the beautifully-landscaped yard beyond the lanai.
The next thing that Kris noticed was the frail-looking woman reclining next to the play pen.
The woman turned her head when the trio walked onto the lanai. She smiled pleasantly and said, “Hello… we weren’t expecting company…” She ran her hands through her thinning hair. “I must look a mess…”
Susan attempted to get up but Jack gently placed a hand upon her shoulder and said, “No, love… you need to rest while the baby is napping.”
He looked at the two young women standing beside him, hoping and praying they would not connect the baby in the play pen to the one that had been filling the airways for the last ten days. He was inwardly trying to decide if he and Susan had been found out and whether these women were here to take back the baby. His muscles relaxed when the red-haired woman didn’t immediately rush to pick up the sleeping baby, and he knew instinctively that their secret was safe… for now.
“I don’t believe we introduced ourselves,” he said. “My name is Jack and this beautiful woman is my wife, Susan.” He nodded toward the play pen. “This is our baby, Kelly. She’s such a handful that I insist that Susan rest whenever the baby is sleeping.”
Amanda held out her hand again and smiled broadly. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Jack.” She then held out her hand to Susan and noticed how thin and cold the woman’s touch was. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Susan. Thank you both so much for letting us look around. Your baby is beautiful. Is it a girl or a boy?”
Kris noticed the slight hesitation and the quick glance that passed between the Petersons. She couldn’t explain the sharp tingle that shivered quickly up and down her spine. She glanced back down at the sleeping baby.
“It’s a girl,” Susan whispered. “A beautiful, baby girl… just what I always wanted.”
Kris allowed her eyes to drift away from the infant, a little girl like her Charlotte Grace. “How old is she?” she asked, directing her question to the woman.
Jack knew that the medications his wife took often made her drowsy and incoherent. He also knew that they made her conversations ramble at times. A feeling of urgency swept over him; he knew he had to get the two young women out of the house before any connection to the kidnapped baby could be made. He moved toward the play pen and looked down. “She’s small for her age; she was born premature, but she’ll be five months old next week.”
Jack looked back at Susan, who appeared ready to say something. “You need to get some rest, love. Amanda used to live in this house and has asked to see it one more time. I’ll show them around. I want you to rest and listen out for… Kelly, until I get back.”
“Kelly…” Susan lisped. “Oh, that’s such a beautiful name, don’t you think? Much better than…” Her eyes closed.
Jack motioned Kris and Amanda back inside the kitchen area. “I’m sorry, but what I didn’t tell you is that my wife is very sick and heavily sedated right now.”
“Oh, I am so very sorry…” Amanda said. “Maybe it would be best if we left?”
Jack shook his head and offered a weak smile in return. “No, you’re here now, so please, take a look around. Show your friend the house. I’m sure you want her to see the back-yard paradise that your father worked so hard to create.”
“Thank you, Jack,” Amanda smiled, taking his hand again. “We’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
“I don’t know what’s happened to my manners,” Jack sighed. “May I offer you ladies something to drink? We have iced tea, soda, water…”
“No… but thank you,” Kris replied quickly. “We’ll just have a quick look around and be gone. We really do need to get back on the road.”
“Well, okay then. Let me know if you have any questions or if you change your mind about that drink,” Jack offered. He stepped aside and allowed Amanda to act as tour guide for her friend. He watched Kris closely, wondering what she was thinking, how she was feeling about seeing a baby, wondering if she had any idea that she was within inches of her missing child. He knew how he would have felt if his child had been kidnapped. He couldn’t help but think that she must be wonderfully resilient if she were out and about sight-seeing, less than two weeks after her child had been kidnapped. “Maybe we did that baby a favor,” he thought. “Maybe we aren’t such horrible people after all…”
CHAPTER 27
-Heaven-
Stephen and Regina Revel in Heaven’s Beauty
Stephen and Regina Turner walked along a golden-bricked path, holding hands and enjoying their own private, quiet moment with God. Each of them was in silent prayer with their Heavenly Father; and, each of them was praying the same thing – for the daily protection and safety of their only child, and for the safe return of the infant, Charlotte Grace Devone.
A variety of birds flew above them, while others perched upon bloom-filled dogwood trees. The birds all flew or sat together in groups, as mixed species, rather than singling out their own individual kind. An extraordinary array of bluebirds, doves, eagles, magpies, owls, quails, sparrows, toucans, and woodpeckers created an unexpected, yet beautiful, melody of sounds. A clear, flowing stream off to the right of the path provided a fun-filled meeting place for dozens of avocets, flamingos, geese, and peafowls.
The blissful quiet was suddenly disrupted. An excited bark caused Stephen and Regina to smile and open their eyes from prayer.
“Oh…my…God…I don’t believe it!” Stephen laughed as he released Regina’s hand and ran to meet the shiny, black Labrador/pit mixed-breed that was running just as fast toward him. “Sam!” Stephen shouted while he ran.
The pet that had shared his and Amanda’s life for ten years flew into his open arms when they finally reached each other. Sam barked with joy and licked the tears of happiness from Stephen’s cheeks.
Stephen held on to Sam, over-joyed to learn for certain that the pets we loved and cared for on earth really did share a place with us in Heaven. He looked back at Regina who had caught up with him and was smiling broadly. “We got him a few months after you died, Regina. You don’t know how much he helped me, and Amanda, cope with your loss.” He ruffled the dog’s strong neck and embraced him again. “Such a good dog… yes, you are!”
Sam barked happily in apparent agreement.
Regina laughed and bent down to rub Sam’s back. “I know…and I’m so glad he was able to help with that. He was a good companion to you both.”
“But I don’t understand…” Stephen muttered. “I’ve been here for almost three years and this is the first time I’ve seen him… or any of my pets for that matter.”
Regina nodded. “It’s all part of the transitioning phase. If you think about it, you’ll probably realize that you’ve been so preoccupied with… this place… and focusing on Amanda’s well-being… that your beloved pets have not been your number one concern.”
Stephen smiled and hugged Sam again. “I guess that’s true, but I hope Sam doesn’t realize that! Plus, even though it’s been three years, most of the time it s
eems like I’ve only been here for a few weeks. The whole concept of time gets a little lost, doesn’t it?”
“That’s because time is not a priority for us here, not like it was on earth anyway. On earth we were always rushing to get everything done on time, to get somewhere on time… to prove something to someone or to ourselves… that we often forgot to stop and just enjoy the time that we were in at the moment. Unfortunately, once that time is gone, well… it’s gone. We can’t get it back, can we?”
Stephen stood up and pulled Regina along with him. “You’re talking about all the time you missed out on with Amanda, huh?”
Regina looked at him with all the love she had for him still. “Not just Amanda…” she smiled. “I regret not making more time for us because… well… I thought we had forever together. It’s true what they say, you know… that you really don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, do you?”
“Hmmm…” Stephen smiled. “Wasn’t there a song with that line in it?”
Regina grinned back at him. “Probably, but you know what I mean.”
Sam barked again and ran toward a couple of peafowls spreading their colorful feathers.
“Sam!” Stephen yelled after him, afraid of what the dog might do to the beautiful birds.
Regina placed her hand on his forearm. “Don’t worry, dear. He won’t hurt them. That’s just another one of the beautiful things about Heaven. You’ll see creatures and species of all types just… hanging out together. It’s no longer survival of the fittest.”
“Amazing…” Stephen said, shaking his head. “There’s so much to learn and take in.”
“Well, trust me,” Regina said. “I’ve been here a lot longer than you and I haven’t even scratched the surface yet. I have been so raptured with just being in God’s presence and feeling his eternal love that it’s hard to tear myself away from that feeling to… explore the rest of what Heaven has to offer.”
“Then I’m glad I have you as my tour guide,” Stephen joked. He whistled for Sam and took his wife’s hand. “By the way, just how long does this transitioning phase last? And what happens next?”
Regina laughed as Sam jumped between them, barking happily before running ahead of them. “It’s different for everyone, Stephen. There’s no set time, no tasks or quests to accomplish in order to complete it. It’s really hard to explain, but you’ll know it when it happens because you’ll feel it in here.” She placed her free hand over her heart. “If you think you feel joy now just being here in Heaven, you won’t know what hit you when the final feeling of transition comes over you. It’s really indescribable. Words alone don’t do it justice, but trust me… you will definitely know when it happens for you. As to what happens next… well, that’s not for us to say, is it? We are simply blessed to be here and to be a part of it all. The best is yet to come…”
“Wow…” Stephen shook his head, thinking about all she had said. “You know… there’s something else that I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“Go ahead,” Regina said. “I may not know the answer but I’ll try.”
“Well, it’s this feeling I have toward Amanda. You’re going to think I’m crazy, but it’s like, well, you know how much I love her…”
“Yes, I do…” Regina squeezed his hand.
Stephen laughed nervously. “I mean, she was my life, my sole reason for living after you died, Regina. So… wouldn’t you think I would be more… well… worried about her than I am? Or did I do enough of that while I was living?”
Regina stopped walking, turned to face him, and placed both hands upon the broad shoulders of the man she had loved for so many years, and would continue to love now throughout eternity. “That’s an easy one, love. There are no worries in Heaven, Stephen. It simply will not happen here. There truly is no pain, no worry, no hardship, no strife, and no tears…other than tears of happiness, which you have already experienced with Sam.”
“So that’s really true, then? All the stories we heard about Heaven… they weren’t just fiction?”
“The Bible is anything but fiction,” Regina reminded him. “If more people realized and accepted that fact, then their earthly lives might run much more smoothly and they wouldn’t have to wait until they got to Heaven to experience happiness and bliss.”
Stephen looked down at his wife. “We experienced happiness and bliss on earth.”
“We also did our share of worrying, didn’t we?” she asked. “As much as we both believed in God, you more than I… there were still so many times that we doubted Him and didn’t trust him with our lives, weren’t there?”
Stephen looked ashamed, recognizing the truth in what she said. “I always loved God with all my being, except when He took you from us.” He bowed his head. “I hated Him then, truly hated Him.”
Regina lifted his chin and looked deeply into his eyes. “No you didn’t, love. You were angry at Him. There’s a fine line between hate and anger. That’s perfectly understandable, but you never truly hated Him and He knew that. You made sure that Amanda grew up knowing Him, trusting in Him, and loving Him. Look at what a wonderful job you did with her. She is absolutely remarkable, Stephen, and that was YOUR doing. You couldn’t have done that had you truly hated God.”
Stephen looked around him and whispered. “He’s listening, isn’t he?”
Regina laughed out loud and ran after Sam. “He hears EVERYTHING!”
“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.”
-Nahum 1:7 (NKJV)
CHAPTER 28
The Holy Spirit Reaches Out to Kris
The songs and melodies of Patsy Cline had kept Amanda sole company on the drive back to Monticello. She had attempted to draw Kris out from within her shell; however, after a couple of hours of responses ranging from grunts to mere nods, she decided to give Kris the space she obviously needed. Amanda guessed that seeing the sleeping infant had disturbed her best friend, and she had thanked God that the baby had been sleeping while they were there. Amanda never doubted that a bouncing, laughing baby would have been too much for Kris to handle.
They were within a half hour from Monticello when Amanda asked, “Do you want to stop at the café and grab a bite to eat before we head home?”
Kris looked over at Amanda, and then glanced out at the darkness that had crept upon them without her realizing it. “We’re here already?” She glanced down at her Timex and pressed the illuminating light. “Wow, it’s almost eight o’clock. Did I fall asleep?”
Amanda shook her head. “Not really, but you have been in your own little world since we left my old home.” There was a slight hesitation before she continued. “I’m really sorry about that, Kris. I wasn’t thinking, I guess. If I’d known there was a baby inside, I never would’ve put you through that. It just felt so good to be in the old neighborhood again, and once I pulled into the driveway, the house pulled me like a magnet. I just had to be inside, one more time. I really am sorry.”
Kris waved her off. “Not your fault, Amanda. You had no way of knowing they had a baby.”
Another quiet moment passed between them before Kris continued. “That baby was small for five months, don’t you think?”
Amanda saw the glow from the café’s halo up ahead. “Well, Jack did say that she was a preemie. Preemies are smaller than normal babies, right?”
Kris nodded but didn’t respond.
“Café’s up ahead,” Amanda said. “You hungry or do you want to just go home and fix something there?”
They were in front of the café’s parking lot when Kris pointed with the first excitement she had shown all day. “Look, isn’t that Dean’s car? Let’s stop here and get something to eat. Maybe he’s heard some news about…”
“You got it!” Amanda grinned as she whipped into the parking lot.
It was the day after Christmas so Amanda wasn’t surprised to see only a couple of cars at the café. Dean’s car was parked up front, closest to the door
, and Amos Brown’s pick-up truck was parked next to it. The café van was parked beneath an old oak tree.
The angel chimes sounded when the two women entered the front door. Amanda couldn’t shake the feeling that the chimes always made her feel as though she had come home. That’s what the café felt like to her, especially now that she didn’t really have a home to call her own.
The first sound the women heard when they opened the door was Max’s out-of-tune whistling. Even though the whistling was horrible, Amanda recognized the tune immediately and ran forward to join the small group who smiled and beckoned them over.
Amos began singing and the tone of his deep baritone sent tingles of joy and excitement up and down Amanda’s spine. He sang the first verse while the others clapped and hummed along. “I was standing by my window, on a cold and cloudy day, when I saw the hearse come rollin’, for to take my mother away…”
Amanda had rushed to join in but Kris remained by the front door watching them. She thought they all looked absolutely radiant, even Dean, who stood up during the chorus and made his way over to where she stood. He took her by the arm and led her to a vacant stool.
Kris listened attentively while they all sang the chorus a second time, lifting their heads and hands upwards. “Will the circle be unbroken? By and by Lord, by and by; there’s a better home a-waitin’, in the sky, Lord, in the sky.” It was a beautiful, uplifting song and Kris, quite unexpectedly, found herself wishing that she knew the words so that she could join in. She had no idea from where that thought came! She grew more entranced with each new verse. She found herself clapping tentatively when Amos got to the last verse. “We sang the songs of childhood, hymns of faith that made us strong, ones that our mother had taught us, hear the angels sing along.”
By the time the group was ready to sing the last chorus, Kris knew the words and joined in. It was the first time she remembered ever singing along to a song… any song.
The Heavenly Grille Café (Heavenly Grille Cafe Book 1) Page 16