Quiet Strength - Book I, Love's Mission
Page 14
Chapter Fourteen: Amy - The Brave
The rest of the journey was, thankfully, uneventful. Ryan and Bill threw different scenarios around about how to get the Bibles printed and smuggled back into Maldives. All their suggestions, when thought out, had road blocks.
“God will work things out,” Bill finally concluded. “This is bigger than our brains right now. When we put things into perspective, we must know that God loves them more than we do. He wants us to succeed, therefore we will. We don’t have to have it all figured out. That’s God’s job.”
Ryan thought about Bill’s words. They were true, but his burning desire to help the Maldives people know God would sometimes be getting his cart before God’s horse. Backing off wasn’t easy. Then there was Amy. He wasn’t ready or willing to let her go either. He had never had a girlfriend and yet he knew who he wanted as a wife… Amy.
The landing in Cincinnati was smooth. They were officially home. The brother’s father was waiting for them. When the brothers saw their father, they ran to him. As if they were little boys again, they dropped their carry-on luggage and hugged their father. He looked so proud of his sons.
Amy’s mom, dad, and sister waited patiently for their daughter to appear out of the tunnel. As soon as her brothers heard their mom squeal in excitement, her brothers stopped chasing each other around and ran to join in on the family group hug. Ryan watched. He was thankful that Amy had people to love her so much. He was sure that was the reason why she was able to love so freely and talk to anyone. All that was left were Bill and Ryan.
“Over here,” came a voice behind a large group of people. It was Bill’s associate. “Sorry, traffic was horrible,” he complained.
“Ryan, Ryan Nelson? Is there a Ryan Nelson here?” It was the airport attendant. “I have a message for Mr. Ryan Nelson.”
“That’s me,” Ryan said. The attendant handed him a note. It was from Ed. He was apologizing for not being able to pick him up at the airport. He had a family emergency and could not pick him up for four more hours. Everyone was looking at him. “I’m fine. You all go on. Please keep in touch.” He wanted them to leave quickly. He was reminded once again that his family was… different. He had food and a roof over his head growing up, but no family. Ed was wonderful. He and his family had demonstrated what a true family was supposed to be like. He knew that if Ed could be there, he would have been.
Not one of his mission friends moved. They were not going to leave him at the airport. As much as they wanted to go back to their homes and tell everyone their experiences, they didn’t want to leave Ryan. They all had grown that close.
“We live close, Ryan. You can come with us and call your friend when we get to the house. He can pick you up there.” It was Mr. Waltz speaking.
“Thank you sir, but I will be fine here,” Ryan replied.
Amy’s dad didn’t budge. “Nonsense young man, you will come home with us.” His voice was sincere and firm. Ryan thought of it as a nice demand.
“Yes Sir,” Ryan replied this time. Handshakes and hugs sent everyone on their way and Ryan with Amy’s family.
Ryan sat in the back of the station wagon and listened to all the commotion going on around him. Amy’s large family was a little intimidating to him. Amy shared the highlights and then answered fifty questions. Ryan didn’t engage in any conversation, even when Amy mentioned his name. This was her time to share and shine. She was exceptional and brave. He watched her glow as she talked about the children she played with in Fuvahmulah. He cringed as she told them of how hard the coir rope was and how it cut her hand. He remembered the cut too. It was the second time he had touched her hand. Then, for the first and only time, he heard her brag.
“I became great at mat weaving. It was like it came so natural to me,” Amy said. Although she didn’t have proof of her talents now, she would one day.
They pulled up into the driveway of a nice two-story house with a large detached garage. Ryan looked all around. He was so in tune to Amy that he hadn’t been paying attention to where they were. There were no neighbors anywhere. “They must have ten acres here,” Ryan thought to himself. The house and land was beautiful.
Amy’s siblings had heard enough. As soon as the car stopped, they jumped out of the car and took off. Mr. and Mrs. Waltz helped to unload the car and they all went inside. Mr. Waltz showed Ryan where the phone was so he could call Ed. Ed’s mom was the one who answered. It turned out that Carol had been sick. What they were blaming on the flu turned out to be a bad appendix. She had received emergency surgery that morning. Ed’s mom was staying with the older girls while Ed and Nancy stayed at the hospital with Carol. It might be a few days before Ed could come and get him. Ryan left the number to the Waltz’s home and asked that Ed call him when he was able.
“I would take you back myself, Ryan, but I am so backed up here at work, that taking half a day off might bury me for a week.” Mr. Waltz was kind to offer, but Ryan would not have accepted anyway.
“I am sorry, Mr. Waltz. I don’t want to burden you here. Um, I am not sure what to do right now.” Ryan hated being in this position. Even if it meant being close to Amy.
Mr. Waltz felt for the young man. There had to be a reason why his family didn’t come to get him. He would get details from Amy later. Right now, the young man needed a place to stay. “I have a small apartment in the top of the garage. The roof is gable styled, so across the middle 15 feet or so is the only part where you can stand up straight. It has a couch that folds out into a bed, a bathroom with a shower stall and a kitchenette. It’s not fancy or homey, but you will have your needs met.”
“Are you sure, Sir? I can go somewhere…” Ryan was interrupted by “No.” Mr. Waltz didn’t play with words. Ryan had a place to stay.
“After dinner, I will show you around.” Mr. Waltz led the way to the kitchen where everyone was scrambling around for a seat. Mrs. Waltz had put a roast with potatoes, celery, and carrots in the oven before they left for the airport. The whole house smelled delicious.
The Waltz household reminded Ryan of Ed’s house. They thanked God for the food before they ate. They had conversations involving everyone and they included Ryan in on their chaos. It was fun. Ryan enjoyed every bite of food and every minute of conversation.
After dinner, Mr. Waltz took Ryan out to the garage. It was dark by this time. He unlocked the door and ran his hand along the inside wall searching for the light switch. “There it is.” He flipped the switch and they walked in.
Ryan was shocked as he looked around. This was no ordinary garage. A small factory would be a better description. It had been expanded at least once from what Ryan could tell. He estimated the building to be 200 feet long and 60 feet wide. “What in the world is that machine?! What are all those boxes for? Look at that pile of cardboard. Why do you have all those shelves?” Ryan didn’t stop there. He had a thousand questions.
“Hold on, young man. Slow down, one question at a time. Or better yet, let me talk and then if you have questions, you can ask.” Mr. Waltz started from the beginning.