Ezekiel blushed.
And rightfully he should. What grown man still had his mother making his lunches for him? Bekah kept her mouth closed and let her snarky grin do the talking.
Ezekiel shrugged and took the bag from his mother. “Thanks, Mom." He kissed her on the cheek. "I’ll be home later.”
As he turned to leave, Bekah suddenly desperately wanted him to stay. What was she going to do the rest of the day with the woman? This was a bad, bad idea. Why had she ever consented to it? This was all Blade’s fault. Dread kicked into the pit of her stomach like a ball of tightly wound knots.
“Maybe I could come with you?” she asked Ezekiel. “I could do that work the pastor talked about.”
“Get some rest. There’ll be plenty of time in the morning before you head out.”
Ezekiel, still refusing to look at her, made her more self-aware than any other man she'd ever known. Never had she met a man who made her feel ashamed by a mere look. Or in his case, deliberately averting his eyes as if Bekah were an embarrassment to herself and to him. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel pretty, she felt naked and vulnerable.
“Yeah, okay.” Bekah turned to get a hold of the emotions that overwhelmed her.
When had her life become so complicated? So confusing? Her mother was right. For all the act she put on, Bekah was a failure.
Chapter 6 — Ezekiel
With lunch bags in hand, Ezekiel trod back to the church. The boldness of the woman produced an ire inside of him that he didn’t quite understand and yet somehow, he was attracted to her all in the same breath.
Where had she come from? What was she doing in Sunshine? Surely, she was up to no good. Ezekiel looked to the darkening sky. It was monsoon season, and they were in for a big storm. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought she was the daughter of the devil himself, bringing mayhem and destruction right to Ezekiel's very door.
Oh, stop it! He chided himself. It was true that Sunshine was a small town with little to no nightlife, but just because one woman had strolled into town, wearing clothing that looked as though she had just stumbled out of a bar, didn’t mean anything. If only he had his father’s faith.
Still, something about the woman held Ezekiel hostage. She was bold and beautiful on the surface, but underneath he sensed she was someone entirely different. It didn’t matter. Tomorrow she would be gone. He would make sure of that.
The thought of the way Jack had reacted to her made him smile. The boy was a mess. What did he know about hot girls? Obviously much more than Ezekiel did, because he did not find her attire appropriate at all. He found it offensive and ... well, he’d be able to forget about the and part as soon as she was gone.
Thinking of Jack reminded Ezekiel that he hadn’t asked his mother to make an extra lunch for the boy or his sister, which meant he had two choices. Go back and scrounge up a couple more sandwiches and spend another minute with the woman who had invaded his home, or give them his own lunch. He continued his pace toward the church. He wouldn’t be eating lunch today.
Lightning bolted across the sky as Ezekiel entered the church office. Hopefully, the upcoming storm would cool the temperatures a bit. Of course, that meant the humidity level would rise, making it just as unbearable.
He smiled at Bonnie and peeked through the window that led to his father's office. His father was still sitting at his desk, his head bowed in prayer.
Ezekiel waited until his father raised his head then knocked lightly on the door before entering.
“Did you get her there all right?” his father asked.
Ezekiel set the lunch bag on the desk. “Yes. She’s in good hands. I better get this to Jack and Ruby before they miss lunch altogether.” He turned to leave.
“Son,” his father called.
Ezekiel turned back around.
“Trust in the Lord. I have a feeling this woman really needs our help.”
Ezekiel nodded as a lump formed in his throat. He left the office, wishing he possessed the unwavering faith his father had. Countless times the man had let people into their home, and on each occasion, they had suffered no harm. Why was this woman so different? Ezekiel sent up a plea for forgiveness for judging her from the moment he saw her and asked for the blind faith his father held. Even before he finished, he vowed to keep his eye on Bekah. As much as his father trusted, a sinking feeling told him to not be fooled by her dramatic performance.
Ezekiel headed for the cafeteria, ineffectively trying to put the woman out of his head. It would do no good for him to lose his focus with the children. He found Jack and his younger sister, Ruby, sitting at a back table. Neither of them had lunches.
“Hey. I brought you guys some grub.” Ezekiel smiled.
“Thank you, Mr. Gaines,” Ruby took the bag and opened it.
“Thanks.” Jack looked away. “You can have it, Ruby. I’m not hungry.”
Ezekiel glanced to the side counter. Their school was too small to offer hot lunches, but they did provide student-sized milk cartons, a few snacks, and some assorted fruit. “I’ll be right back.”
He walked over to the counter, grabbed two chocolate milk cartons, and a couple of bags of chips. He reached into his pocket to pay for them, and Gloria, the cafeteria lady, shook her head. “It’s fine, Mr. Gaines. Give it to the kids.”
“Thanks, Gloria.” He smiled and headed back to the table. “Here you go. You two eat up before the lunch bell rings.” Trying not to make a big deal of the situation, Ezekiel left the kids to eat. Something had to be done, though. He just hoped they were getting proper meals at home.
“No lunch again?” Garrett asked, walking up to Ezekiel.
“Nope. I don’t know what to do with those kids. Are they just waking up late and rushing out the door, or is their father not making them lunches?” he asked as if Garrett had all the answers.
“I don’t know, but it must be hard on Mr. Wilford. Maybe someone should stop by the house and make sure everything is okay.”
“After the stunt Jack pulled today, my father plans on calling him. Maybe that will help.”
“Go easy on the guy. I can’t imagine what he’s going through. When Jaden passed, I was ... well, you know. It’s just hard.”
“Yeah, I get it.” It had been seven years since the accident that took their friend’s life. “Does a person ever move on?”
“I’m sure some do. For me, I’m good right where I’m at.”
Ezekiel patted his shoulder. “Ya never know, man. Someday God is going to bring someone into your life that will turn it upside down.”
Garrett chuckled. “What about you? You know, Gloria is single. I see how she looks at you.”
“Gloria? What would make you say that? She’s had eyes for you since you were in diapers.”
“No way.” Garrett threw his hands in the air. “I’m happy being alone. Anyway, who was that uh, woman I saw you escorting off the property?”
Ezekiel looked away. “Some stranger who came in asking for help. You know my dad.”
“Did you get a look at her? She was ―”
“Don’t say it, man. You’re in the house of the Lord.”
“What?” Garrett grinned. “I was going to say ― sorely underdressed.”
Ezekiel knew his friend better than that. “Right. That’s exactly what you were going to say.”
“Hey, a man can look, right?”
“Not according to my father. Speaking of, I want to talk to him again before he calls Jack’s dad.”
“You gonna ask him not to call? Maybe he should hold off a bit.”
The expression on Jack’s face when Ezekiel's father had mentioned calling had disturbed Ezekiel more than he’d liked to admit, but he’d been too preoccupied with the current situation to deal with it. Now that he’d gotten the vision of the woman out of his head, or at least mostly, he wanted to speak to his father again about Jack.
“Yeah. Maybe we should deal with the situation here.”
“Good idea.”
They spoke for a second more before Ezekiel strode back to his father’s office to speak with him.
“Your mother just called." His father set the phone down when Ezekiel entered. "She and Bekah are getting along famously,” Bekah? It wasn’t like his father to use nicknames. “Oh, good. Dad, I wanted to talk to you about Jack.”
“I’m not calling his father if that’s what you were going to say.”
“You saw?”
“I did. But I think maybe you should make a trip out there soon just to make sure everything is okay. I’m worried about the kids not bringing their lunches to school, and Jack obviously has some anger issues he needs to deal with.”
“You want me to go out there? What do I say?”
“Just check in on them. A friendly visit. You don’t have to mention Jack acting out in class. We can deal with that here.”
“Right. Okay.” It was probably not the right time, but when would there ever be? “Dad, we need to talk about the finances. At least a third of the students who attend the school are on scholarship. We can’t survive like that. The tuition is what keeps the church running, and we’re running on empty. You can’t give a hand-out to every person who has a need.” His thoughts went back to Bekah.
“We are the hands and feet of God, Son. If we don’t give generously, who will?”
“I know. I get it, Dad. But church attendance is down, tithes are almost non-existent, and if we don’t pay the rent, there will be no church to help the needy. We could lose everything, Dad.”
“God will provide, Son.”
That was his father’s standard phrase, and as much as he wanted to believe it, Ezekiel worried. They had to do something. He understood that the church was not a get-rich-quick scheme, but they were slowly drowning.
With a heavy heart, Ezekiel rose. He only had a half an hour left to prepare the afternoon lessons.
Chapter 7 — Bekah
Trapped in a crazy gone wrong episode of The Twilight Zone meets Leave it to Beaver, Bekah sat on a stool at the counter across from Mrs. Gaines.
“Rebekah is it, dear? I’ve already forgotten.”
No one in the world but her mother called her by that name and Bekah hated it. “Bekah, if you don’t mind. Bekah Parker.” She didn’t dare give her real last name just in case the police were looking for her. She had no involvement in Blade’s little fiasco, but just in case, it was better to not leave a trail.
“Bekah. Such a cute nickname. I like it. Call me Doris, dear.” Mrs. Gaines said as she added flour into a mixing bowl. “Do you like chocolate chip cookies?”
“I do.” Bekah’s stomach growled. “Would you like some help?” Bekah didn’t know the first thing about baking, but if nothing else, her mother had taught her manners.
“No thank you, dear.” Mrs. Gaines scooped a cup of sugar into the mixture. “Oh, where are my manners? You must be starving. How about if I make you a sandwich?”
Bekah started to decline, but her stomach would not be silent. “Sure. That would be nice. But if you show me where to find everything, I can make one while you finish your cookies.”
“Of course, dear. Bread is in the pantry, and there’s lunch meat in the refrigerator. There are all kinds of condiments in there. Take what you like.”
“Thank you.” Bekah found the items and put together a ham sandwich with mustard. Then sat back down and ate it while she watched Doris add more ingredients to her mix.
“Where are you from, Bekah?”
Bekah took a bite of her sandwich as she decided on a story to tell. The woman was harmless, there was no reason to make up a lie she would only have to remember later. “Long Beach, California.” She would give the woman only information when asked.
“Oh, Long Beach! That’s right up the street from Anaheim! I bet you lived right next to Disneyland!”
“Pretty close, yeah. Have you been there?”
“I was born in Compton, dear.”
Bekah almost choked on her sandwich. “You were?”
“It’s not the same now as it was back then. Oh, how times have changed. Back in my day, it was the hub of Los Angeles. It wasn’t until the seventies that the city began going downhill. My mother and father both grew up there. My mother used to tell the most fascinating stories of her childhood. In her day, it was mostly middle class with a thriving Japanese community. That is, until, well, it doesn’t matter, dear.”
“What happened?” Bekah pressed, interested in the woman’s story.
“Well, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese farmers were removed and sent to what they called relocation centers. Only they were not relocated at all. It was more like incarceration.” Mrs. Gaines frowned. “A sad event in our history. Those good people were no more responsible for the bombing than anyone else living there at the time. But sometimes as people, we allow our fears to rule our hearts. My mother cried for years over the friends she lost back then.”
Bekah finished her sandwich and watched quietly as Doris added a bagful of chocolate chips to her mixture and stirred. Next, she scooped out small balls and placed them onto a cookie sheet.
The woman’s words were surely not meant to convict her, but they had. How many times had she allowed fear to dictate her actions? More times than she could count.
“All ready.” Doris opened the oven and slipped the first batch of cookies inside. “Where are your bags, dear? I’m sure you’d love to get out of those clothes and into something more comfortable.”
“I ... well, I only have these. I was in a hurry when I left and didn’t get a chance to pack.”
“Oh, my. You poor dear.” Mrs. Gaines wiped her hands on the kitchen towel. “I’m sure I have something you can wear. And you must be tired. Why don’t we find something to your liking, and I’ll show you to the guest bathroom where you can shower and change.”
Bekah followed Mrs. Gaines to the back of the house. The woman most likely owned nothing but the loose-fitting dresses matching the one she was wearing, but it would be great to shower and get out of her sweaty, tight-fitting clothes.
“This is where you’ll be staying the night. I hope it suits you. We have another guest room as well. This one used to be Ezekiel's before he renovated the garage into a studio apartment.”
Bekah peeked inside the room. On one wall was a twin-sized bed with a soft brown comforter neatly placed on top. A side table sat next to it, containing a lamp and a small Bible. On the other wall was a six-drawer dresser with attached mirror. An arrangement of plastic flowers sat on top, brightening the room.
“This one is just fine. Thank you.”
“Good. I’ll grab you something to wear, and you can wash up in the bathroom.” Doris pointed to the door across the hall. “I’ll be right back with a towel and a change of clothes.”
“Thank you.” Bekah sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes growing weary.
Only a moment later, Doris came back into the room carrying a towel and a bag of clothes. “I hope you can find something in here to your liking,” she said as she handed over the bag. “Unmentionables are at the bottom,” she whispered.
“Right. Thanks.”
Closing the door, Bekah shuffled through the bag of clothes. With a sigh, she brought the entire bag into the bathroom. It was going to be a long day.
Chapter 8 — Ezekiel
When the last bell rang, dismissing the students, Ezekiel wished them all a good rest of their day and sat down at his desk to catch up on the grading he hadn’t gotten to over the hectic lunch hour. His mind had been preoccupied for the rest of the day, and the kids had seemed to notice.
“Mr. Gaines?”
Knowing who it was before he even looked up, Ezekiel raised his head and nodded at the boy. “What can I do for you, Jack?”
“I was just wondering ... I mean ...” Jack looked out the window. “If I promise to be good, maybe you could ask Pastor Gaines not to call my dad? He’s going to be plenty mad and ―�
�
“Have a seat with me for a minute, Jack.” Ezekiel pulled a chair up to the back of his desk.
Jack sauntered the rest of the way into the room and sat in the chair.
“I know you’re going through a rough time, buddy. Is there something I can do to help?”
“No, sir. I’ll be good for now on. I promise.”
“You miss your mom, don’t you?”
Jack nodded and bent his head low.
“I’m sorry, bud. I wish I could take all the sadness away for you. I don’t know why these things happen, but I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
Jack nodded, a tear sliding down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly and sniffled.
“How’s your dad doing? Is he okay?”
“He’s fine, sir. Just sad too, I guess.”
“It’s to be expected. How about Ruby? How’s she doing?”
“Ruby’s fine. She cries at night, but she doesn’t think I hear her.”
It was no use trying to explain to an eleven-year-old that God had a plan in everything He did. Ezekiel didn’t understand it himself sometimes, and the words would just be empty at that moment. Instead, he changed the subject. “You like to shoot hoops?” he asked.
What Jack had done probably shouldn't have been rewarded with a fun time at the gym, but Ezekiel felt for Jack. He was a good kid going through a tough time. Understanding his pain was impossible for Ezekiel. After all, he'd grown up in a stable home with the support of both his parents. He couldn't imagine losing either of his parents at such a young age much less anytime soon.
Jack’s face lit up.
“How about you call your dad and ask if you can be a little late today and you and I will play a little one-on-one in the gym? I can drop you home afterward.”
“Can Ruby come?” Jack looked at him, hopefully. “We can walk home together. It’s not far at all. We do it every day.”
There were plenty of kids that walked home from school, and in the summer months, the sun didn’t go down until late in the evening. “Sure. Head over to the office and give your dad a call, and I’ll meet you in the gym.”
The Act of Falling Page 3