“Lord, I don’t think she likes me much. She made that pretty plain last Sunday. But, it’s not about me. It’s about her. Save her, Jesus.
“I’m trusting You to do a mighty and miraculous work in her, and give her joy.
“In Your Name I pray. Amen… Oh… help Geneva, my ‘awesome beauty’ today with whatever she needs. Amen.” I should probably call her before the end of today. When was the last time I even talked to her?!
*****
Lying on her bed, with red, swollen eyes from crying voluminous amounts of tears, Awsty reviewed her current situation. She was living on the charity of her Grammy, who could choose to throw her out if she wanted to, for no reason required other than she wanted her gone. She had no money at all, a fact that would remain the same unless she found some kind of work. She couldn’t find work unless she had some decent clothes, including some shoes that she could actually walk in.
Looking at her reflection in the glass covering of that ridiculous framed Bible verse on the wall adjacent to her bed, she knew she looked a mess. She knew it. Her hair had at least an inch of auburn roots showing, and she had no mousse or hairspray to even tame it, much less anything to color it with. The last of her white pancake makeup was depleted, and what little powder she had would do her no good because somewhere on Monday while she was out, she must have lost it somewhere. And, where in the world her black lip stain was she had no idea. It was simply gone. Normally, these things wouldn’t have distressed her this much. It would have meant that it was time to either hit the street corners to beg money from passers-by, or she’d go straight to the store that carried the needed goods, and steal them right from the shelves.
She felt totally undressed looking at her bare unmade up face and ratty hair. Even if her ankle was completely healed, she wouldn’t be able to continue the search for a job. Spontaneously reaching up to grab the framed Bible verse off the wall and sling it across the room, Awsty managed to snag two fingernails on the frame’s rigid corner. One chipped in such a way that she’d have no choice but to cut it off quite short, and the other one snapped off all the way to her nail bed, causing the skin beneath it to bleed. That was the last straw. For the second time, she began to bawl. Only this time, Awsty waited to officially start her second round of weeping until she had slid off the bed and curled into the fetal position on the floor.
Chapter 18
Returning from Sheria’s apartment, Grammy yelled in the door as she re-entered her apartment, “Awsty, Sweetheart, where are ya?” She knew, of course, that the only two places she would be were either the kitchen or her own bedroom. Grammy walked to the kitchen door. When she didn’t find Awsty there, she ran to the bedroom that temporarily housed her beloved granddaughter. Not wanting to be found so vulnerable, Awsty had jumped up from the floor and perched herself on the edge of her bed.
“Grammy, I’m here, and I need to talk to you.”
Sensing the seriousness behind Awsty’s countenance, and the tears that she readily saw had been shed, Grammy’s throat closed up and she felt an immediate squeezing of everything in her stomach area. Awsty hadn’t reacted to the news of her own mother’s death with this much emotion displayed, so this must be beyond any horror Grammy could even conjure up in her now highly distressed mind.
*****
Pastor Greg returned from lunch with the intention of quickly planning the best way to go about his afternoon responsibilities at church. Knowing he had only fifteen minutes or so before he was to have a joint meeting of all fulltime personnel at Open Door of Faith, he knew the time was limited before he needed to make the trek down to the board room. That gave him a total of maybe five minutes in which to get his act together before leaving his office.
When scanning his desk to locate and grab the needed manila folder and writing utensil to take with him downstairs, his eyes landed on a Christian magazine on the corner of his desk. He’d been meaning to read through it, but there was rarely ever time during the workday. On its cover was the picture of a lost, forlorn-looking young woman on a corner in an urban business strip location. She was raggedly dressed and pushing a grocery cart. Obviously homeless, she looked beyond all hope for any restoration. His eyes locked onto the large title accompanying that picture, “A Burden for the Lost?” For reasons the Lord knew, Pastor Greg’s mind immediately recalled the young woman on Sunday. If anyone looked lost, she did. Granted, she had a place to stay right now, but she was just as lost as the woman on the magazine.
Resting his elbows on his desk, Pastor Greg folded his hands and laid his head on them.
“Lord, I keep thinking about that girl on Sunday. Austin? No that wasn’t her name. I can’t think of her name, but Lord, You know her. Please take care of her, wherever she is. She needs people who will love her unconditionally, pray for her, and lead her to You. I’ve only met her once, last Sunday, but for some reason I have a real burden for her. Jesus, save her, and give her Your Joy. I’m asking this in Your Name, the Name above all others. And, thank you for Your Answer, Jesus.”
Having ended his prayer, Pastor Greg felt refreshed and ready for the afternoon. Funny how just a little time in the Throne Room perked him up! He picked up his manila folder and a pen, left his office and headed to the elevator. No, actually, he was feeling a little more robust. Maybe he’d take the stairs. Wonder where that burst of energy came from?!
*****
“Grammy,” Awsty began, sniffling several times, “I don’t even know where to begin. I can probably sum it up by saying that I’m just a mess, and I need help.”
Grammy caught herself getting ready to speak, and consciously made herself stop. She needed to hear the child out, then respond.
“I don’t even know where to begin, so I’ll just start.
“First, I want to thank you for letting me stay here with you until I get settled. I’m not paying you anything, and still you don’t make me feel like I’m a burden. Thank you, Grammy.”
Awsty stopped talking for a moment. Grammy wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say something before the girl continued. She opted to stay quiet, but reached over and squeezed Awsty’s bony little knee.
At this point, Awsty began to seriously sniffle, which turned into a full blown crying binge. Everything she said from this point was random and between huge sniffs of air.
“My hair is a wreck. I don’t have any coloring. No hairspray or mousse. Lost my makeup, well, the pancake. Lipstick’s lost. Can’t find my powder puff. No decent clothes. Can’t lace up my boots. Ankle’s too sore. Don’t have any money. I just feel lost! And, I don’t know what to do about all of it!”
The sobbing continued, but the words had come to a halt.
Grammy grabbed hold of Awsty and pulled her to herself. Awsty leaned into her. And, there they sat for several minutes, with Awsty crumpled into her grandmother’s arms, allowing herself to be rocked as though she were two years old.
When Awsty’s tears had played out and she was just lying against her grandmother for quiet comfort, Grammy thought how pitiful this child was. She looked more like a little girl than a grown adult.
Awsty looked up into her Grammy’s eyes, lifting her two broken fingernails for Grammy to see. Grammy grabbed them and kissed them, which brought a small smile to Awsty’s pale lips.
Now was the time to jump in, and Grammy couldn’t help but think that the Lord had orchestrated this, because Awsty’s expressed concerns created the perfect segway to what Grammy was preparing to offer her. Awsty had no idea what it cost Grammy to give her this gift.
Grammy hadn’t been sure how she would approach Awsty with her present idea, but now that Awsty had been the first to lay out all her fears before her grandmother, she just allowed her words to come out in the fashion they came.
“Awsty, I have missed ya so much these last few years. And one of the things I missed most was not bein’ able to celebrate yer birthdays.
“Now, I know it’s not yer birthday right now, and it’s a while ‘fo
re it gets here, but if ya say yes I’d like to catch up on these last three.”
“What do you mean, Grammy?”
“Well, I’ve been talking to some o’ my neighbors and we’ve come up with a plan. How would you feel about having a Twenty-First Makeover Birthday Party this Saturday? Or, maybe I should say a Twenty-First Makeover Un-Birthday Party.”
“Grammy, I…”
“ Now, ‘fore ya say yes or no, let me tell ya what we thought.
“Between all o’ us, we can give ya a really great un-birthday party. Sheria is goin’ ta do yer hair. Ya know, coloring, cutting, whatever. Sheria’s friend is a nail technician and is goin’ t’do yer nails. Her name’s Gemma. I think they call what she’s gonna do is a mani-pedi. Sheria’s daughter, Monica, is gonna act as yer masseuse. She’s gonna give ya a shoulder and back massage while the nails thing is goin’ on.
We’re gonna have cake and ice cream when yer done, and I have a special gift for ya. What d’ya think?”
Awsty stalled in answering her. She was thinking that this was a nice gesture. It would help, but it still didn’t address her clothing needs. During the momentary silence, Grammy was sure she was going to say no. Probably because she was so determined to look like a Victorian goth girl. So, Grammy held her breath while waiting for the answer. Not being one to waste any opportunity though, Grammy quietly in her heart asked the Lord to help her say yes… if it was His Will, of course.
When Awsty finally found her words, trying to be thankful for whatever help Grammy gave her, she said, “Grammy, I don’t know why you’re so good to me, but yes. Of course, yes. It sounds wonderful! The only thing, am I the one who’ll be picking out hair color, nail color, and stuff? Or…”
“’Fraid not, Sweetheart. The only thing ya get ta choose is how loudly ya’ll scream with joy when yer all done bein’ made over.”
Awsty just laughed. What else could she do? She had to admit it. She was excited! “I’m the luckiest girl in the world!”
“Luck’s got nothin’ to do with it, Sweetheart.”
“Grammy, I know what you’re thinking about saying. Please don’t start in.”
Grammy only smiled on the outside, but on the inside, she was shouting, Thank ya, Jesus!
Chapter 19
Saturday afternoon at four o’clock sharp, a group of eight laughing, teasing, joking and just plain fun females met at Sheria’s. Besides Grammy, Sheria, Monica, Lydia, Gemma, and of course, Awsty, there were two others from the apartment complex that didn’t really know Awsty, but they just loved Grammy, and when they found out it was a makeover-giving-, movie-watching-, popcorn-eating-, cake-and-ice-cream-eating affair, Carrie and Tanya were all in.
It was decided that Sheria’s apartment was the only logical place to hold this shindig. While manicures, pedicures, makeup applications, and eating cake and ice cream could be done comfortably anywhere, the hair processing and cutting couldn’t. Since Sheria already had a room in her apartment set up for her cosmetology business, her apartment became “party central.”
From the moment the un-birthday makeover party began, it was hours and hours of hair-, nail-, masseuse-, popcorn-eating-, old-movies-watching-, and general girlie stuff going on. Awsty was having the most fun she could remember ever having in her whole life. She couldn’t ever remember laughing as hard and as long as she did that day. As she took in all the activities going on, she yet again thought how no one had ever done such a fun thing for her in her whole life, and in the midst of her hair dye processing, Awsty looked around the “hair business” room, in which they had all crowded themselves. Most of them were sitting on the floor, some polishing their own nails, some getting neck- and back massages from Monica, and all of them watching whichever old movie was playing at the moment on the small tv on the corner table, not without making typical wisecracks and laughing hilariously at various points in the story.
So that Monica would have someone more her own age among the partiers, Lydia, her “dearest friend in the whole world” had been invited. And, it was a great idea to include her. Lydia, who lived in the apartment directly below Sheria’s, loved making beaded necklaces more than anything in the world. She brought all her beaded necklace making equipment, and was teaching everyone how to make their choice of adorable one- or two-strand necklaces. She was so unselfish, giving every attendee everything needed to make themselves a necklace, that at one point during the party, Grammy asked Lydia to help her with refreshments in the kitchen, and once getting her alone, slipped her a ten dollar bill, telling her that this was one of the most fun party activities ever! Although thrilled at both the praise and the money, Lydia tried to tell Grammy that what she had given them in beads and wire today was only worth about three or four dollars. But, Grammy gave her a squeeze, bent down until she was looking directly into her eyes and said, “Lydia, maybe the necklace stuff is only worth three or four dollars, but the fun ya’ve brought today ta our party is worth ten dollars. Thank ya, Sweetie.” Lydia hugged her back… hard. “Now I can get some of the more expensive beads when my mom takes me back to the store. Thank you so much!” She pulled Grammy close and gave her a sweet little kiss on the cheek before grabbing the fresh batch of popcorn and returning to the girls in the “hair business” room.
Grammy was picking up a tray with paper cups of punch to take to everyone in the back room. But, before she took even one step out of the kitchen, Awsty peeked around the door frame. Awkwardly walking into the kitchen on her bare feet, toes now covered in a beautiful shade of medium pink, she stopped and faced her grandmother.
“Grammy, this has been the most fun party I’ve ever had. In fact, I don’t remember ever having a party before. Thank you.” To punctuate her thanks, Awsty closed the few steps between them. Grammy knew she was going to give her a hug or a kiss, or both, and was afraid she’d cry if Awsty got all sentimental, so when Awsty’s arms reached out to embrace her, Grammy thrust the tray of drinks to her and laughingly said, “Sweetheart, the party isn’t over yet. Wait until it’s over, then ya kin thank me all ya want. There’s still more surprises fer ya.”
“Grammy, this is enough.”
“What d’ya mean it’s enough? Yer hair isn’t done, yer manicure isn’t done. Ya better wait to see how ya like everythin’ first, before ya start praisin’ me. Now get those drinks back inta the girls. They’re prob’ly chokin’ on the popcorn by now.”
Awsty flashed a huge toothy grin back to her feisty grandmother, then turned away, again walking with her still-tacky polished toes exposed, and delivered the drinks to some very dry, thirsty females.
Chapter 20
When Awsty awoke Sunday morning, she lay awake thinking about yesterday’s un-birthday party. Whoever even heard of such a thing?! She wore a grin on her lips. That had been more fun than she’d ever dreamed she could have.
After the party was over, Grammy and Awsty had returned to Grammy’s apartment, where Grammy gave her the last and best gift of her un-birthday. It was just a small envelope, so Awsty thought it might be a five dollar bill or maybe even a ten dollar bill, if Grammy decided to give up any luxuries for quite some time. So, it was with total unabashed shock that she read the card inside. It simply blew her away. Inside the envelope was a little handmade card that presented Awsty with a shopping trip for two (she and her grandmother) and a new work wardrobe of clothes. Grammy had even given specifics on the card. It was supposed to take place Monday, the very next day. It was to include three main stores, one a discount clothes store, one a huge chain store that included inexpensive clothing lines in its inventory, and the third a discount shoe store. And, Grammy put a post-script at the bottom of the card that said the day included a picnic lunch at the park across from the shoe store, complete with an ice cream cone from the street vendor in the park.
Awsty knew Grammy’s un-birthday gift had cost her dearly. Grammy barely made ends meet. How could she afford this kind of generosity? If Awsty had known that Grammy’s gift was born of a sacrific
e of running errands, baking, and doing housework for neighbors for weeks, maybe months to come, she would never have accepted it. But, she didn’t know, so she decided to release all her concerns and simply enjoy it, knowing that Grammy would somehow make it all work out.
Anyway she looked at it, Awsty was so excited about her new wardrobe and the party that was thrown in her honor yesterday, that she abandoned her afore planned scheme to get out of going to church today. Oh, she still hated going! And nobody should think otherwise! She still thought every single person that attended that place was nothing less than a total hypocrite, well… all of them except Grammy. She was the only person she knew that claimed to be a Christian that really lived what she believed. But she was just a fluke. No one could match her.
She really didn’t have much choice in what to wear to church this morning. So, it looked like she’d be wearing her same black long-sleeved top with the chains, either the short black skirt or jeans, and her lace-up platforms.
Deciding to wear the jeans with her top, since the black stockings had a run, Awsty stood in front of the mirror, analyzing her appearance. She was still trying to get used to having auburn hair that lay in a soft bob. She hated it at first. But, she couldn’t say that to anyone at her party. Sheria had taken so much time to color, cut and style it. She was so proud when Awsty turned around in the chair to face the mirror. It would have hurt her so much if Awsty had told her how she really felt about it. So, she smiled and kept turning her head back and forth to get a look at both sides. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she kept smiling and angling her head to and fro. Rather than lying by telling Sheria she just loved it, she jumped up from her chair, grabbed Sheria and hugged her tightly. Sheria took it to mean that Awsty just loved her hair. Grinning from ear to ear, Sheria turned to Grammy and said, “I just knew she’d love it! Geez, I had no idea Awsty was such a beauty! Awesome! Just Awesome!”
Funny thing was, the more she saw herself with rich reddish brown hair, the more Awsty was getting used to it. She couldn’t truly say she was crazy about it, but she no longer looked freakish to herself. In fact, she began thinking that she might actually get used to this color.
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