Inside the Beauty

by Joan Fennell Carringer

  Those beautiful, soft, luscious, kissable lips……

  ▬ ▬ ▬

  SHE SAW HIS TRUCK PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY. Before he reached the door, she was flinging it open and staring at him with wide, eager eyes.

  How beautiful she was! Even with her hair pulled back in a scraggly ponytail, without a stitch of make up on her face, dressed in a baggy jogging suit that looked to be ten or twelve years old - she was still beautiful.

  His heart was racing. “Sharris….”

  Her entire body was tingling. “Crew….”

  Suddenly there was no need for words. Something else was much more important. Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms.

  She offered no resistance but encircled her own arms around him.

  Then he kissed her with all the pent up fire that had been inside him.

  And she returned it just as fervently.

  When they finally managed to pull away, they smiled into each other’s eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “I love you.”

  He simply smiled.

  “You might as well say it, too. If you don’t feel the same way I do, how could you kiss me like that?”

  “For the same reason that I’m wanting to do it again.”

  Her eyes turned teasing. “So what are you waiting for?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Again, they kissed, even more passionately than before.

  They only pulled away from each other when they heard the sound of laughter behind Sharris.

  “It’s about time,” Judy said.

  Crew grabbed his mother and hugged her warmly.

  “It would probably be best if you two came inside the house,” Judy said, grinning. “You’re attracting an audience.”

  Both Crew and Sharris turned in the direction of Judy’s eyes and then waved at Josie and Suzi, standing with Suzi’s new dog, in their yard next door watching them.

  “Is that a dog or a bear?” Crew asked teasingly.

  "It’s a big one all right.” She entered the house, her arm still wrapped around him. “I had no idea you were coming,”

  “He told me on the phone last night,” Judy said. “He wanted to surprise you.”

  Sharris smiled again. “It’s the best surprise I’ve ever had.”

  Judy laughed, but said nothing.

  “Sharris and I are going to have a long talk.”

  She leaned close to his ear and whispered. “Not too long. I need to kiss you again very soon.”

  As the afternoon passed, they didn’t get much talking done.

  “I think we need to get married,” he finally said.

  Her eyes widened and she laughed. “You do?”

  “I hope you aren’t still dead set against taking a chance on it, because I’ve totally changed my mind.”

  “So does this mean you’re proposing?”

  “I guess it does. Not a very romantic way to do it, is it? I mean, I’m sitting on the sofa instead of bending on my knees and I don’t even have a ring.”

  “The only one we need to kneel to is the Lord, and who cares about a ring? All I want is you.”

  “Are you absolutely sure?”

  She kissed him lightly, then pulled away. “I don’t think I’ve ever been surer of anything in my life. I’ve never been in love before, so that’s how I know this is the real thing. I’m so happy and excited that I’m feeling giddy. I’ve never in my life been giddy!”

  “But I want to buy you a ring.” He stood up and reached for her hands. “Let’s go to the jewelry store. You can pick it out.”

  She let him pull her to her feet and then laughed. “Like this?”

  “Why not? You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

  “Sorry, I don’t agree. Why don’t you go talk to Judy while I spruce up a little?”

  He sighed. “I guess I can do that.”

  “Just don’t let her talk you out of this.”

  He laughed. “That’s the last thing she’d try to do. She’s been trying to get us together since that first night we met.”

  “At the party. That was fun. We need to have another one, an engagement party.”

  He pulled her close and held her. “I don’t want a long engagement.”

  She snickered. “It certainly hasn’t been a long courtship.”

  “I never intended to fall in love, but I had the feeling that, if I ever did, it would happen fast and last forever.”

  “Come to think of it, that’s what happened to both my sisters. Of course, Marna knew Devon from our childhood, but Taryn had no idea John even existed and they were married three months after they met.”

  “Three months? Do we have to wait that long?”

  She placed her lips over his for a very short, sweet kiss. Which, of course, turned into something altogether different.

  When he finally pulled away, he said, “You know what?”

  “What?” she asked dreamily.

  “We need to go on at least one date before we get married.”

  “What about all those weeks we spent together?”

  “But we never actually went on a date. We spent time together and talked a lot and went a few places, but I never actually asked you for a date.”

  “Okay. Ask me.”

  “Sharris Cord, will you go out with me?”

  “That depends. Where do you plan to take me?”

  “To a movie?”

  “I only like comedies or clean love stories or mysteries that aren’t gory.”

  “Hmm. I prefer the dark horror.”

  She gasped. “You are kidding, I hope.”

  He laughed. “Maybe we could go to dinner instead. What’s your favorite food?”

  “Uh…grilled shrimp….”

  “Hate it. Has to be deep fried.”

  “Too fattening.”

  He met her eyes seductively. “You don’t have to worry about that, believe me.”

  Although she kept her expression serious, she said back to him. “But maybe you do.”

  He started to laugh and then she did, too.

  “It looks like we can’t agree on where to go on our date.”

  “So maybe we should plan on where we’ll go on our honeymoon.”

  She could only think of one place she’d like to go with him and she wasn’t about to mention it. That tidbit of information had to wait until after the wedding! Instead of saying anything, she started kissing him again.

  If the doorbell hadn’t rung to interrupt them, they may not have broken apart for hours!

  “Who in the world could that be?” she wondered aloud.

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  With their arms still around each other, they walked to the door and opened it.

  “Jackie! Joe!” Sharris cried excitedly.

  Although he couldn’t believe his eyes, Crew immediately recognized his brother, even though he hadn’t seen him for fifteen years. Joe, on the other hand, hadn’t seen Crew since he was twelve and was only a boy. Crew spoke, his voice barely audible, “Tom?”

  Joe’s eyes narrowed at first, but then recognition struck. “Oh, my God! Crew?”

  Everything became deathly quiet. As Crew looked at his brother and his brother looked at him, their expressions clearly revealed their shock and disbelief. Neither said another word nor moved a muscle.

  Sharris looked at Jackie and Jackie looked at her, their eyes quizzical.

  No one heard as Judy walked over to them. All they heard was the sound of her scream, followed by the words, “Oh, my God! You’re alive!” Just before she fainted.

  ∞ TWENTY-SIX ∞

  TODD EVERTON just happened to be driving by when he saw that familiar steel gray truck pulling into the driveway. The other truck, the one he’d seen Crew driving before, was already there. He stopped, his heart thumping. Was it happening already? Were they going to see each other face to face in a few minutes? He thought he’d have a little more time to figure everyth
ing out before it happened.

  As he watched, Tom and that little short, black-haired girl walked up to the door. When it opened, Crew and his blonde girlfriend were standing on the other side.

  He couldn’t hear what was said, but he could hear a woman’s scream, before the door was slammed shut. It had to be the black woman. She would’ve recognized Tom.

  He had to get this situation resolved. Now! He’d worry about his wife Elaina some other time. There would never be a better opportunity than the one that was facing him at this very moment. Crew was going to pay for what he’d done and his brother was going down with him. For years, he’d planned the day when he’d get rid of that black woman. It was really a shame the two pretty women had to share their fate, but it was no fault of his. Maybe he’d get them first. Let those boys watch them die….

  An unexpected voice filled his mind. “Do you have any heart at all, Todd? Of course, you do. God made you and He never made junk. So why did you insist in turning into a piece of it?”

  Elaina had said that, the day he’d nearly killed her and Tom both. He hadn’t counted on the boy’s strength and thought for a moment he was the one who was going to die. Instead, he wound up in prison. The day he was sentenced, his wife had sat there crying. As if it mattered to her. All she really wanted was for everyone to see her bruised face and black eyes and broken arm. He’d never have touched her if she hadn’t deserved it! She didn’t say anything except three little words just as he was being led out of the courtroom. “God loves you.”

  Then Elaina and Tom disappeared. Gone from his life forever, just like Crew.

  Reaching into the glove compartment, he took out his revolver and checked to be sure it was fully loaded. Six shells. All he needed was five.

  ▬ ▬ ▬

  JUDY OPENED HER EYES and sat up on the sofa. Crew had picked her up off the floor and carried her there.

  Sharris sat down beside her and took her hand. “Are you okay, Judy? What in the world happened?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know,” Jackie said.

  Crew had gone to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water. “Drink this, Mom.” He handed it to her.

  The only thing she did was sit there holding it and looking first at Crew and then at Joe, her eyes wide with disbelief. “It’s true. I didn’t imagine it.”

  Crew and Joe looked at each other, neither saying a word.

  Sharris stood up and placed her arm through Crew’s. “What is it? Do you and Joe know each other?”

  Crew finally spoke. “Joe?”

  “This is Joe Callen,” Jackie said quickly.

  Why had he not recognized the surname before? When Judy was talking about Joe, she’d said his name was Joe Callen. It hadn’t registered in his mind that his mother’s maiden name was Callen. Still, even if it had, he would have had no idea his brother might be using it as his own, or that he’d started going by his middle name.

  It was Joe who spoke. “My real name is Tom Everton. Crew and I are brothers.” His voice started to break before he finished.

  “I thought you were dead,” Crew breathed, meeting Tom’s eyes.

  “I thought you were dead,” Tom repeated. “All these years……I wanted to find you. I wanted to tell you I was sorry for the last thing I said to you.” Tears began rolling down his cheeks.

  “Aunt Connie called. She said you and Dad and Mom were all killed in a car accident. I was going to go home but she said it was too late, you were already buried, that it had happened several months earlier. I asked why she was just now calling and she said she knew we were all estranged and wasn’t going to call at all – but her conscience finally got the better of her and made her do it.”

  Tom swallowed. “Almost the same words she used when she called to tell Mom and me that you had been killed in a car wreck. I had no reason not to believe her.”

  “Neither did I.”

  There was a long silence before Crew spoke again. “Why would she do such a thing?”

  Tom shook his head.

  “She and Dad were always close. He must have made her make those calls.” Crew’s eyes widened suddenly. “Mom. Is Mom still living?”

  Tom’s eyes saddened. “She’s living but she has dementia and a serious heart condition. I had to put her in the nursing home. I didn’t want to. I wanted to take care of her, but I couldn’t. When I went to work, she’d wander off. Several times, she fell. I was afraid she’d hurt herself badly – or maybe even set the house on fire trying to cook or something.”

  “But she’s alive?”

  “She asks about you all the time. She was in her right mind when that call came from Aunt Connie, but she’s gone downhill ever since. Now, she doesn’t even remember that call, and she doesn’t know you were supposed to be dead. Every day – she wants to know where you are.”

  Crew started shaking and the tears rolled down his cheeks. If he hadn’t sat down on the sofa, he was afraid he would’ve fallen. “All this time – I planned to find both of you when I was old enough, Tom. Before that day got here, I thought you both were dead.” Placing his hands over his face, he started to sob.

  His brother sat down beside him and put his arm around him. “I had my own plans to find you again. I’m so sorry for what I said. I’m so sorry for what we’ve both been through.” Putting his head on Crew’s shoulder, his own sobs began.

  The women watched, all of them in tears. There was nothing they could say or do. Everything in the room was total silence, except for the heart-wrenching sobs of the two brothers.

  Sharris had never seen a grown man cry. She could feel every bit of the anguish coming from their hearts and couldn’t hold back her own tears. She’d thought there was no way she could ever love Crew more than she already did, but she was wrong. Now she did. She loved him so much that her heart was breaking right along with his. She loved him so much that she wanted to take his pain on herself.

  Wasn’t that exactly what Jesus had done? He loved the entire world so much that He took everyone’s pain, everyone’s tears, and everyone’s sins upon Himself. Even when He was hated and mocked, He willingly gave His life so those very ones who were doing it would have a chance to redeem themselves, through His blood, and live forever someday in heaven.

  She was feeling only a teeny, tiny fragment of that love. Just the same, her heart felt like it would burst with the weight of it.

  ▬ ▬ ▬

  NO ONE HEARD HIM open the door and enter the room. No one saw him walk noiselessly across the floor to where they were all gathered. His eyes were filled with disgust. All of them crying. Tears. He hated tears. They never made anything one bit better. Only worse.

  Elaina had shed a lot of them. Once more, in his mind, he heard her last words to him. “God loves you.” It wasn’t true. How could God love him when he didn’t even believe there was a God?

  If there’d been a God, that black woman wouldn’t have stolen his son. Never once, in his entire life, did Todd put any of the blame for what happened on himself.

  Very quietly, he raised the gun and aimed it directly at Judy.

  Everything happened so fast that it was hard to tell what happened. At the minute the shot rang out, the happy excited voice of little Suzi filled the air. At the same time, the new large dog she’d just gotten ran into the room and right into Todd Everton, knocking him to the floor. As he fell, the pistol fired again.

  Sharris and Jackie screamed. Crew and Tom jumped to their feet and ran over to the man lying motionless on the floor. Suzi squealed and grabbed her dog, holding onto it like a lifeline. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

  Crew looked at his brother. “I think he’s dead.”

  Tom groaned.

  Everything was forgotten when Sharris suddenly cried loudly, “Crew! Judy’s been hit!” She fell to her knees beside the black woman who had slouched down onto the sofa.

  Jackie was immediately on the phone, calling 9-1-1.

  Crew felt Judy’s wrist. “She has
a pulse! Oh, my God, why did he do this?”

  Suzi started sobbing and ran out of the house, followed by the dog.

  “If it hadn’t been for that dog…..” Tom said, his voice trembling. “That dog might have saved us all.”

  Crew cradled his mother in his arms. “If only it had gotten here a minute sooner!”

  ∞ TWENTY-SEVEN ∞

  THEY SAT TOGETHER in the hospital waiting room. Even though it seemed like hours had passed, it had only been forty-five minutes since the ambulance had brought Judy through the emergency room doors and disappeared with her, promising to let them know something as soon as they could.

  Crew had given the clerk all the necessary information on Judy, but neither he nor Tom could answer all the questions that were asked about their father. Crew hadn’t seen him for fifteen years, Tom for ten. They agreed to pay his medical expenses and give him a decent burial, but that was the most they could do for him.

  Their father was dead. He’d gone into eternity in his sins. No matter how much Crew thought he hated him at one time, he could hardly stand the thoughts of it. Todd Everton had a choice, just as everyone else on earth. It wasn’t God’s fault he’d chosen to continue in his evil ways and ignore the salvation so freely offered to him. God never caused any man to be lost and his soul doomed. Man did it all himself when he chose not to believe and accept God’s most precious gift, the sacrifice of His only son.

  His thoughts stopped when he felt the touch of Sharris’ hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. Looking at her, he saw the tears still in her eyes. He leaned over and kissed her lightly. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

  “Where else would I be? She’s going to be all right. I just know it.”

  “You love her, don’t you?”

  “From the moment I met her.”

  “The color of her skin never bothered you?”

  “No.” She looked at Jess and his wife, sitting across from them, holding tightly to each other as tears streamed down their brown cheeks. “I love all your family.”

  Jackie sat close to Joe. Looking at him, she wondered if it was going to be hard for her to start referring to him as Tom.