Maybe there was a God. She knew there was. Only she’d never thought He would ever work in her favor. And here she was blowing the biggest and only chance she’d ever had. For what? She had nowhere to go, no job, and nothing but some used clothes and a hundred-dollar bill in her pocket. How far would that get her?
As if still on auto-pilot, Bekah got into her car and started it. To her surprise, it started right up. She'd half expected it not to, stranding her in the town. In fact, she almost hoped it did. That would give her an excuse to stay. With laden fingers, Bekah slid the shift into gear, and headed to the gas station. If nothing else, she needed time to think. Her brain was a jumbled mess of what-ifs and regrets. Either way, she needed gas for her vehicle.
Two blocks away stood the same gas station she’d passed on the way in. She pulled up to a pump and walked into the store to pay. Staring down at the hundred-dollar bill, she waited in line for the next available cashier. Against her will, the memories of the last few days accompanied her inside. Talking with Mrs. Gaines, laughing with Ezekiel, interacting with the kids, gaining Pastor Gaines' respect by working for the money ... when had she ever been happier ... felt a part of something bigger than herself?
"Next." The cashier waved her over with a smile.
“Thirty on pump five.”
"Sure thing." The clerk took her bill and gave her change.
Bekah walked back out to her car.
“Rain cleared up quick, didn’t it?” A voice came from behind. “By tomorrow, you’ll never know it had rained.”
Bekah turned around to see a man she recognized as one of the teachers at the school
“Sure is hot out here,” she answered as she lifted the pump. “I thought the rain was supposed to cool the temperature not make it hotter.”
“Ten degrees cooler than it was three days ago, but you wouldn’t know it because the humidity level has doubled.” He held out his hand. “Name’s Garrett. I’ve seen you around the school.”
“Bekah.” She took his hand. “I thought Arizona was a dry heat.”
“It won’t last long.” Garrett chuckled. “In a day or two, it will level back out. We sure did need the rain though.”
Bekah topped off her gas and replaced the nozzle. “I bet.”
“So, where are you headed now that you’re finally free?”
Bekah searched for an answer. Coming up with nothing, she said, “I guess I’ll know when I get there.”
“I get it, you know.” He shuffled. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he looked out into the blooming desert. “I’ve wanted to run all my life. Truth is, there’s nothing more healing than being with the people who love and care for you.”
“That’s where we're different.” Why she was even having such a philosophical conversation with a practical stranger, she had no idea. Maybe she was hoping he’d convince her to stay. “I don’t have anyone to go back to.”
Garrett pulled a hand out of his pocket and rubbed his chin. “I know one family in particular who has taken quite a liking to you.” His cheesy grin was almost enough to make her give in.
“I like them, too. Good people.” She eyed him curiously. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Uh, sure. I can’t guarantee an answer, but I’ll do my best.”
“How do you know when God is speaking to you? I mean, I never ―” She shuffled uncomfortably. “You must be closer to Him than me, seeing how you go to church and all. How do you know when He’s ...? I don’t know what I’m saying." Her face heated. "Forget it.”
“Could I interest you in a cup of coffee before you leave?” He wiped at his brow. “This heat is killing me, and I’d really like to answer your question as best as I can.”
What did she have to lose? There was nowhere she had to be. “Sure.”
They agreed to meet a block down the street at the appropriately named “Sunshine Cafe,” and Bekah got in her car. Had Ezekiel sent the guy as a last-ditch effort to try and convince her to stay? She didn’t think so. They were friends. She’d seen them talking on several occasions. But something about the way he spoke to her made her think he was genuinely concerned. How had she managed to find so many people in one small town who were worried about the well-being of a stranger? It made no sense, and yet, it was happening.
Garrett pulled in beside her as she got out of the car. Together they walked into the cafe and were immediately led to a booth. Garrett ordered coffees for each of them and an apple cinnamon roll for them to share.
“Beula serves the biggest cinnamon rolls in the state,” he said as the server brought them a carafe of coffee.
Within minutes the server came back and set the monstrous sweet treat in the middle of the table. He was right. The thing was ginormous and was covered with warm apple slices and drizzled with icing.
“So, about your question.” Garrett tipped the coffee cups on the edge of the table right side up and poured a cup for each of them. “Sugar?” He pushed the container of pre-packaged sugars in her direction.
Bekah doctored up her coffee, adding three sugar packets and topping it off with creamer. As she stirred, she watched him. What was his angle? Did he have one?
“Can I tell you a story?” Garrett asked, adding sugar to his own coffee.
“Sure.”
“So, there's this guy in uh ... let’s just say Arizona for story’s sake." He stirred his coffee as he seemed to be thinking hard on what he would say. "And he lived on a small mountain in the middle of the desert. Not really a mountain, more like a hill.”
“Are you making this up?”
Garrett’s cup was half way to his lips and he chuckled. “Not exactly. Just revising an old story.”
“Okay, tell on.” Bekah took a sip of her coffee.
“So, this guy. He lived on the mountain.”
“A mountain or a hill?” Bekah interrupted.
“It doesn’t matter. It was high, dry land.” He winked at her. “So, this guy, he was not prepared for the rainy season. He was a religious man, and he counted on God to take care of him in everything he did.”
“Okay.” Bekah slid her fork into the cinnamon roll.
“So, when the rains came one year, they were so strong that this guy ―”
“Does he have a name? I do better with names.”
Garrett quirked his lips to the side. “You gonna let me tell the story or not?”
“Go on.” Bekah tried to hide her grin.
“When the rains came, uh, George wasn’t prepared for the waters to reach so high that they flooded the entire bottom of the mountain. As the days passed, and the rains continued, the water rose higher and higher. Soon there was no way down from the mountain.”
Bekah grinned that he’d given the guy a name. “I’m intrigued. Go on.”
“So, the people of the town below, they were worried about poor George. They got together and decided they would go and rescue him. ‘I’ve got a boat’ one guy said. ‘I’ll just row on over and give old George a hand.”
“Wait —” Bekah said. “So, if the flooding was all the way up the mountain, why weren’t the people in the town flooded out, too?”
Garrett raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his coffee. “You are really messing this story up for me, you know.”
“Maybe the people below the mountain had floating houses?” She giggled.
“Not likely, but we’ll go with that.” He laughed at the apparent hole in his story. “So, the guy with the boat. He rows over to the man on the mountain and says ‘George! I’m here to rescue you!’ George looks at the man in the boat and says, ‘No, thank you, Steve. God will save me.’”
Finding the story completely off-the-wall, Bekah leaned forward in interest. He had her attention with this insane story.
“So, Steve rows back to uh, his floating community and says to his friends ‘George won’t get in the boat. He says God will save him.’ ‘He’ll die up there on that mountain!’ another man, uh Barney, says. ‘We have to
save him. I’ve got a helicopter. I’ll go up and convince him to get in.’”
“Barney has a helicopter?” Bekah laughed until her eyes teared up. “This is an awesome story!”
Garrett rolled his eyes and continued. “So, Barney gets in his helicopter, flies up to the top of the mountain, throws a rope down, and yells out for George to climb up. George again says, ‘No, thanks, Barney! I’m waiting on God to save me!’”
By that time, Bekah was laughing hysterically. “What!”
“So, the guy flies back down and tells his friends that George won’t come down. He’s waiting on God to save him. The community is distraught. Why won’t George accept their help? That night as more rain came on, they prayed for George. But when the morning came, George was dead. He drowned in the waters.”
“That’s a horrible story!”
“Wait, I’m not finished.” Garrett took a drink of his coffee. “So, George, being a faithful man of God, ascends to heaven where he meets his maker. He asks God, ‘Lord! Lord! Why didn’t you save me?’”
“God looks at him and says, ‘George, I tried to save you! I sent you a boat and a helicopter, but you wouldn’t get on.”
Goosebumps rose on Bekah’s arms. Although it had been the silliest story she ever heard, the meaning behind it was as clear as day. Was God sending her a boat? A helicopter?
“The moral of the story is, well, don’t discount God to use others to save you from the storms of your life.”
“Garrett, I ... I don’t know much about God. Why would He send me a boat?”
“That’s an easy one. God knew you before you were born. He knows the struggles you’ve already faced, the hardships you will endure, and whether you believe it or not. I bet He’s been sending you boats and helicopters all along.”
Chills rose on the back of Bekah’s neck. Had she missed every single sign God had given her? There were so many times in her life when she should have been out on the streets, thrown in jail, or just plain dead. Had God orchestrated her entire life to end up in Sunshine, Arizona?
“What do I do?”
“You have to make that choice for yourself. I don’t proclaim to know what God is doing in your life, but Bekah, don’t miss the boat.”
“What happened to you?” Bekah asked. “I mean, you said you wanted to run yourself. What made a strong man of God like you want to run away?”
Garrett looked away.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.” Bekah pushed a fallen apple around on the plate.
Garrett turned back to her. “No. It’s high time I get over the past.” He took a bite of cinnamon roll and chewed it slowly. “There was this girl. Jaden. Back in high school, she was the love of my life. We had all these plans. We would get married, have three children, and live happily ever after. My world revolved around her. She was my lifeline, my hope. She was everything good to me. One day God took her from me, and my world was crushed.”
“How did He ... why?”
“I don’t know why. She was in an accident just before graduation. She lived two weeks on a respirator and life support before her family had no choice but to let her go. Doctors said that she would never survive on her own.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I loved her so much. Letting her go was so ...” A tear slipped down his cheek, and he let out a nervous laugh as he wiped it away. “I begged her not to go out with her friends that night. I had this feeling deep in my gut that something bad was going to happen.”
“She missed the boat,” Bekah whispered, tears threatening her own eyes.
Garrett nodded. His hand shook as he reached for his coffee cup. “Just when I think my heart has healed, old memories come rushing back. But Bekah, this is not about me, this is about you.”
“I’m George on the top of a mountain, aren’t I? And the floating city below is just waiting for me to accept their help.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. George is just a story. But when God sends you an opportunity, what harm can it do to accept? I mean, if it doesn’t work out, you just get back into that car and drive off into the sunset. Nothing worth trying is a real loss.”
“You’ve given me a lot to think about, Garrett. Thanks for sharing your story with me.”
“It was George’s story, not mine. Mine is still yet to reach its ending.”
“But you still have hope?”
“I still have hope.”
Chapter 16 — Ezekiel
Ezekiel sat at the desk in his apartment, scouring the internet for books and information on teaching theater arts. He’d come up with several books and articles that would be beneficial in starting a drama program at the school.
Bekah had made it clear that she did not want to stay, but he was determined to get something together. If he had to do it on his own, he would.
Standing, Ezekiel stretched, went to the door, and opened it. It was hot outside, but he’d always loved the fresh scent after a rain. Maybe the fresh air would help him to clear his head.
Not today.
It was impossible to concentrate with her bouncing around in his brain. He had no experience in theater. What was he thinking?
He wanted - needed - to help save the church.
He’d been so sure Bekah had been sent there to help them out of their predicament. He’d been wrong. His father had been wrong. God had not sent her. God was almighty and could undoubtedly save their church if He wanted to, but churches died out every day. If it weren’t in His will for them to survive, Ezekiel would just have to accept it.
Two hours had passed, and Bekah was long gone. She was probably in some other unsuspecting small town, charming the pants off of them, and robbing them blind. Even as he thought it, his heart ached. Bekah was more than just some scam artist, roaming from town to town. She was a lost soul.
He didn’t know her story, but he didn’t need to. She’d been hurt. Who was he to think he could save her from herself? Or was he trying to save himself? She would have been perfect for the role of dramatic arts teacher, degree or not. She had what it took. He saw that in everything she did. She was tough, talented, smart ... and had a dramatic flair right from the start with that outfit she’d worn the first day they’d met. It screamed - look at me! And that nose ring and tattoo. She was everything different and yet beautiful. She was self-assured, confident, cocky even ... and she was gone.
Ezekiel groaned and continued his search.
“Whatcha looking at?”
At the sound of her voice, emotions swept over Ezekiel that he hadn’t felt since he’d kissed Lulu Applebee on the playground in the third grade.
Ezekiel stood and went to the door. “You came back?” God, please tell me she came back to stay.
“I guess I never really left.” She peeked into the room. “Cute apartment you got here.”
“Thanks.” Not wanting to read too much into her sudden appearance, he said, “What’s up? Did you forget something?”
“I did.”
“Oh.” Ezekiel’s heart took a nosedive. “I can escort you into the house so you can get ―”
“I want to give your drama program a try. If you still want me to, that is.”
Ezekiel braced a shoulder on the wall, his emotions bouncing so quickly from highs to lows that he almost felt faint. “Of course I do. What changed your mind?”
“I had a long talk with a friend of yours, and well, he was quite persuasive.”
“Garrett?”
“I knew you sent him!” She pointed her finger at him.
“Nope. In fact, he called just after you left, and I specifically told him not to interfere.”
“Well, he’s not a very good listener then.”
“Don’t tell me. He told you the mountain man story, didn’t he?”
Bekah burst out laughing. It was the most delightful sound he’d heard in a long time. “The craziest story I’ve ever heard!” Her face took on a serious tone. “But he’s right. What if this opportunity ... I mean, how will I know if I don’t give
it a try?”
“Bekah.” Ezekiel drew closer. “I know there’s a chance that this whole thing could be a complete waste of time. I mean, maybe we can’t even pull it off. Maybe the entire thing will fail, but isn’t that what life is about? Shouldn’t we at least try?”
“It doesn’t seem as though you have as much faith as your father does when it comes to stuff like this. Why do you doubt it could work?”
Ezekiel sighed. Stepping in front of her, he took her hand. “Bekah, being the son of a preacher does not make me exempt from doubt. So many people think I know all the answers. That because I’m the son of a preacher, I have a direct line to God. But I’ve got the same doubts as everyone else. Questions I can’t begin to answer. I can smile confidently at everyone and pretend I have it all figured out, but inside I’m no different. There are times when I’m just as afraid and insecure as anyone else. Sometimes more. Bekah, I need a little hope here. I need to know that I’m not alone in this. Maybe God called you here to restore my faith. To help me save my church.”
“So, you’re saying Ezekiel Gaines is human after all?”
“Very much so.”
Bekah pulled her hands from his and watched him for a moment. “I’m willing to give it a try.”
“We can’t pay you much, but your room and board will be covered, and if this all works out, we can make it up to you.”
“Not if, Zeke. When.” She winked at him. “You know, you really gotta work on your faith issues.”
Ezekiel let out a nervous laugh. When had she acquired so much confidence? Had one corny story from Garrett really changed her that much? Maybe she wasn’t a complete believer, but if she stuck around Sunshine long enough, God would win her over. Ezekiel sent up a small prayer of thanks. “Let’s go tell my parents.”
“Oh, one more thing.” Bekah shoved her hands into her back pockets. “I’m going to need your help and the help of the entire staff. I know you don’t have a lot of funds to work with, but if we are going to pull this off, we’re going to need to find the resources somewhere.”
The Act of Falling Page 7