by Amanda Tru
Wilma turned, and her face relaxed into a smile. “Jeff, darling!” She walked forward with her arms outstretched. He easily went into them and kissed her cheek. She turned to Gloria. “I know we met before. The day Jeff and I looked at the house.”
Gloria held out her hand to shake. “We did. It’s good to see you again, Dr. Brock.”
“Wilma, please.”
Jeff gestured toward his father, who approached. “This is my dad Fred. Dad, Gloria Sutton.”
“Freddie. Nice to meet you, Gloria.” He held out his hand.
“Likewise.” She shook his hand and then gestured toward the stove. “It smells amazing in here.”
Wilma put a hand on her shoulder. “Jeff did tell you we were having a vegetarian meal, didn’t he?”
“He did.” She smiled. “I am really looking forward to it. My dad did the big turkey thing on Thursday. I’m sure leftovers aren’t out of sight yet.”
Wilma nodded. “I guess that’s one positive to it!”
Freddie returned to the stove. “We are ready to serve, my love. If the table is ready.”
Wilma led the way into the dining room. A red cloth covered the large table. A setting for four sat at one end of the twelve-seat table. White napkins with red, gold, and brown plaid borders secured with acorn napkin rings sat on top of cream-colored plates. Crystal goblets and shining silverware surrounded each plate. Covered platters already sat on the table.
As they took their seats, Freddie came in with a platter of miniature pumpkins stuffed with wild rice. He set it in an empty spot then walked around the table, taking the covers off the platters. Gloria recognized green beans with almonds, a mushroom stuffing, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, gravy, roasted carrots of three different colors, and cranberry sauce.
“Beautiful,” Gloria remarked. “I love this.”
As they all took their seats, Freddie gestured to Jeff. “Would you like to say a blessing, Son?”
They did not hold hands like they did at Gloria’s house, but Jeff did take her hand as they bowed their heads. “Father God, thank You for this time with family, for allowing Gloria to meet my parents, and for all the blessings You have generously bestowed upon us. Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and bless our bodies to Your service. In Christ’s name, amen.”
They passed platters, chatted, ate, passed platters, ate, and chatted for a long and wonderful meal. Gloria couldn’t believe how full and satisfied she felt after a vegetarian meal like that. Everything tasted amazing and fresh, and in her mind, she planned ways to introduce more food like this to her dad, and subsequently, to her son.
After pie and coffee, they went to the family room. Gloria walked along the large fireplace and looked at pictures of Jeff and his family. She looked over at him. “Your wife was very beautiful. Your daughter could have been her twin.”
He smiled a gentle smile as a touch of sadness filled his eyes. “Yes. They were quite incredible.”
Gloria looked at the beautiful woman with the long limbs and the long brown hair. She couldn’t help but compare herself. It made her wonder what Jeff saw in her, how he could feel an attraction to the shorter, thicker, less lithe and graceful woman in front of him.
Pushing away the insecurities such thoughts came with, she walked over to where he sat on the couch. “I’ve needed this weekend. Girl time, you time. Thanks for the suggestion.”
He held out his hand, and she naturally took it. “Good. I’m glad.”
As she sat next to him, Wilma said, “How was Black Friday shopping?”
“So much fun. My girlfriend and I always do it in Charula, but neither of us has ever made it a whole weekend before. There was this release of stress about how long we were taking because we weren’t going home. Which is silly because she’s single, and my dad doesn’t care how long he watches Noah, as long as I don’t make them go with me.”
Wilma chuckled. “I always took Jeff with me. We had a blast.”
“Well, it’s too loud for Noah. Too chaotic. I’ll take him next weekend.”
Wilma nodded. “So sensory is one of his issues?”
“In spades.” Gloria sighed and settled against Jeff as his arm came around her. “He is at his most content at home, in pajamas, in his room.”
“Gloria does a good job of never letting that be his default,” Jeff said. “She pushes him outside of his comfort zone.”
Freddie raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”
Gloria shrugged. “Well, he has to know he can make that place his ultimate goal, but the rest of the world still has to function, and he has to be a part of it. I want him functioning as an adult.”
“That is very wise,” Freddie said.
She felt very pleased at the praise. They chatted for another hour before Jeff finally said, “We need to go. We have a drive.”
At the door, Wilma and Freddie both hugged her goodbye. As they drove away, she looked over at Jeff. “Your parents are very nice.”
“They are. Very personable.”
“I expected standoffish and rude.”
He glanced over at her with a surprised look. “Why?”
She shrugged. “Because they are both esteemed doctors who live in that giant house, and they loved your family.”
Jeff was silent for several moments, then he said, “They did love my family. They are nice to everyone in general. They want me to be happy, and you make me happy, so of course they’re going to like you.”
December Fourteenth
Gloria took a careful sip of her steaming hot cider. “That was a great movie.”
Jeff nodded. “I thought so. What about you, bud?”
Noah nodded and used his finger to scoop whipped cream out of his cup. “It was funny.”
Jeff winked at him. “So are you.”
Noah finished his sentence for him. “But looks aren’t everything.”
Chuckling, Jeff turned his head and watched Betsy carry plates of food to a booth across from them. Gloria followed his line of sight. “We’ll bring her present next week, okay? I know having it in the car is making you want to give it to her.”
She thought of the wooden spoon that she’d bought Noah to decorate with markers. He’d written Betsy on the handle and drawn a Viking helmet on the spoon.
“She’s going to love it so much.”
Jeff nodded. “She is. But she’ll love it even more if you wrap it up and put her name on a tag.”
“You’re right.” His eyes widened and he whipped his head around to look at Gloria. “Mom! I have to pee!”
She chuckled and rubbed her hand down his head. “Then go. But wash your hands.”
As he rushed away, Jeff added, “With soap!”
Gloria propped her chin in her hand and grinned at him. “You are pretty amazing.”
“I am,” he agreed. “Especially because I went to that movie without one word of complaint.”
With a flirtatious smile, she reached over and covered his hand with hers. “I’ll have to make it up to you.” She leaned closer to him and whispered conspiratorially. “I will honestly tell you that I thought the movie was great. Just don’t tell anyone, or they’ll think I’m weird.”
He frowned in mock seriousness. “We may need to reassess this relationship.”
“Ha!”
A few minutes later, she glanced over and saw Noah next to Betsy, who was still at the table across from them. “Oops. Let me go rescue Betsy.”
As she walked up, Noah made claws out of his hands and growled at the guests. Horrified, she rushed forward and said, “I’m so sorry! Noah slipped off before I realized he wanted to say ‘hi’ to Betsy. He didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.”
“Actually, Gloria, you just may be exactly who these people need to speak to!” Betsy said, turning to the man and woman in the booth. “This is Noah’s mom, Gloria Sutton. Gloria went to high school with Jimmy.”
“Jimmy Drew?” Gloria asked, looking back and forth between t
he two. The woman had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The man had brown hair and chocolate brown eyes and a slight beard that looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Her mind shifted way back to high school, and she thought of Jimmy.
“Yes,” Betsy confirmed. “Jimmy’s little girl is gravely ill and won’t be long to this world. They are trying to find Jimmy so she can say goodbye.”
“Oh, no! What a sad situation!” She put a hand over her heart, suddenly very sad for the man she once called friend. “I assume Jimmy took off and doesn’t want to be found?”
The woman looked at her with surprise all over her face. “How did you know?”
Gloria’s lips curved up in a sad smile. “Because I know Jimmy. In high school, he almost didn’t pass biology because he refused to do any of the dissection labs. It wasn’t because it grossed him out. Even though the worms and frogs were thoroughly dead, I don’t think he could take the suffering he imagined for them. I finally offered to be his lab partner and got him through it, but I did all the work while Jimmy plotted his escape routes.”
“I don’t know Jimmy personally,” the woman said, her face sad. “All I know is that he left when Allie was battling cancer the first time. Allie’s leukemia has relapsed after a remission, but they haven’t heard from Jimmy at all in a very long time.”
Gloria nodded. “I saw Jimmy a few times around town over a year ago, but I can’t say that we actually had a conversation.”
“Hi!” Jeff put his hand on the small of Gloria’s back. She leaned slightly toward him. “Everything okay?”
“Yes, we’re fine. These people are trying to locate a man I went to high school with.”
“Wait. I know you.” Jeff kept his left hand on Gloria’s back but held out his right hand to the man in the booth. “Dr. Carter Solomon, right? The pediatric oncologist? I’m Dr. Jeff Brock. I attended a medical conference where you presented.”
She so rarely had an opportunity to witness Jeff in professional mode. His body straightened slightly, his voice took on a more formal sound, and confidence exuded from him.
Carter stood from his seat and shook hands. “That’s why you look familiar. Weren’t you in one of my breakout sessions?”
“Good memory.”
Carter and the woman stood. She introduced herself as Geneva, and soon she and Geneva talked about Jimmy while Jeff and Carter discussed the breakout session on cell membranes in leukemia patients.
“You’re very clean,” Noah announced suddenly, staring at Carter. “You definitely would make a good Viking. Vikings had excellent hygiene. They bathed once a week. Archaeologists have found combs, razors, tweezers, and even ear cleaners made from animal bones and antlers. You’re also tall. But some historians think that maybe only some of the Vikings were really tall, but others weren’t. You’d be one of the more powerful warriors.”
Before Gloria could excuse Noah’s dialogue, Geneva grinned and leaned down toward him. “If he’s a Viking, he’ll need to grow a beard. Then we’ll need to find a way to dye both it and his hair blond. Maybe we could use some strong lye soap like the Vikings did. It’s like a rule that Vikings are blond. If they weren’t that way naturally, then they would bleach their hair. Of course, there are other benefits as well. Just think, Dr. Solomon, if you bleach your hair and beard, you won’t need to worry about head lice!”
Noah looked at Geneva with wide eyes as if realizing he’d just found a kindred spirit. His excitement obvious, he opened his mouth to surely unleash more fascinating Viking lore.
“Now you’ve done it!” Gloria laughed. “We need to get back to our own dinner, or else we’ll be here all night, and Noah will have Dr. Solomon wielding an ax in no time!”
“Thank you for your help,” Geneva said warmly.
Gloria’s entire countenance fell. “I don’t know that I was any help at all.” She hesitated and then spoke quietly while Carter and Jeff held their own conversation. “I don’t want to dash your hopes, but even if you find Jimmy, I doubt you will convince him to return to his daughter.”
“Why is that?” Geneva asked curiously.
Gloria shrugged and smiled sadly, thinking of Jimmy’s personality, and his inability to stick to anything. “Jimmy never graduated high school. He passed biology, but that wasn’t his only issue. We also had a social studies class where we were expected to do volunteer work at a hospital, retirement home, or some other community service venture. I don’t even know exactly what Jimmy was assigned. I just know he never completed it. He never even asked for a different assignment, he just gave up and took off. Jimmy was smart, and I heard he later became an electrician. But he didn’t get a high school diploma. I don’t understand why, but he has never been able to deal with emotionally difficult situations. Unless God has changed him, I doubt he will handle any more than he did in high school.”
Feeling like maybe she toed the line with gossip, she shifted backward, suddenly a little uncomfortable. Jeff read her body language and ended his conversation with Carter. “Looks like Betsy brought our dinner,” he said. “It was nice to meet you. I pray you find your man.”
She grabbed Noah’s hand. He started to resist, obviously wanting to continue to talk about Vikings, but he didn’t fight. He saw his dinner and allowed her to lead him back to the table.
Once seated and the prayer for God’s blessing prayed over the food, Jeff leaned toward her. “You okay?”
She shrugged and dipped a fry into ketchup. “I just feel a little angry at Jimmy for the way he never finished anything. And I feel super sad for his daughter. He left her just like he left his school projects.”
He leaned over and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I love your heart. That little girl clearly has people who love her, or we wouldn’t have just had that conversation with complete strangers. So, cling to that.”
She smiled, clearing her throat and pushing the sad thoughts away. “You’re right. Thank you.”
He winked and picked up his fork for his salad. “Any time I can drag you out of the pit, just say the word.”
“I know. Why don’t we pray for her?”
Noah picked up a piece of lettuce and dipped it into his ranch dressing cup. “I don’t know why you insist on praying for things. The Vikings prayed to Odin, Freyr, Thor…”
Gloria cut him off and impatiently said, “I don’t need to hear a list of the Viking gods, Noah.”
He frowned at her. “I’m not listing them. Well, I am, but what I mean is that those gods didn’t do anything for them. God is just this modern society’s current myth. I mean, church is nice and all, but it’s just another religion. We might as well pray to Odin.”
Gloria narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to give you some grace right now because you’re not even nine yet, and you’ve only been capable of logical, cognitive thought for about four years. I will say that there is far more evidence for the reality of Jehovah God than there is not. And, one day, you’ll have a mature enough mind to grasp that fact.”
Noah shrugged. “I doubt it.”
Jeff said, “I think you’ll be amazed, Noah. Jesus has a way of making Himself real to you when you least expect it, and it very often happens in the most unexpected way.”
“I pay attention in church and Sunday school,” Noah said without a hint of defensiveness. “God has never talked to me in my heart or in my brain. I can’t imagine that will ever change.”
Jeff met Gloria’s eyes. She could see deep concern there. “Noah, you know how you know everything there is to know about Vikings? What if you learned everything there is to know about Jesus? Think that might change your mind?”
“Nope,” Noah shook his head. “But I will still go to church. I like church.”
With a sigh, Gloria said, “Yes, you will. And any questions you have, I will answer them, or Grandpa or Jeff will. But I would appreciate your willingness to have an open mind and not make any blanket black and white declarations until you are at least thirteen.”
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Jeff looked at her. “Thirteen?”
She shrugged. “It’s just over four years from now.”
She could tell he wanted to chuckle but hoped he didn’t so that he didn’t inadvertently make light of her words in front of Noah. She felt confident he understood.
Jesus, a Jew, taught with authority in the synagogue at the age of twelve. The age of thirteen is considered the age of accountability according to the Jewish tradition and the source of the mitzvah celebration and ceremony. Originally, a person had to be at least thirteen-years-old to be considered “elders” in the church.
Besides, this gave her just over four years to research, prepare, and help Noah with the way he thought, and all of his absolutes, and help him understand what true faith really meant. She realized that she wanted Jeff here four years from now, to help her and Noah navigate the autistic mind as it relates to a belief in an unseen God and reconcile the different religions of the world with him.
He reached out and took Gloria’s hand. “We’ll work it out. We have time.”
Her heart soared as she realized that he somehow echoed her own thoughts. Lord, she prayed silently, please help him through this winter so we know if we have a future together.
Christmas Eve
The blue cloud covered a third of the nation. “It’s even predicted to snow in northern Florida,” Tanya said, swiping the screen on her phone. “That’s insane. They’re saying it’s hitting us late Christmas night or early the next day.”
Gloria put the bow on the last package. “Time to batten down the hatches. It wrecked the west coast already. Storm of the century.”
She looked outside, at the gray skies and the dead leaves swirling in a vortex of wind out by the barren garden. “I hope you don’t need to go to the store. The crowds are going to be insane.”
“I’m good.” She held up her phone. “I saw the forecast and went ahead and did the milk and bread run yesterday.”
Gloria snorted. “You don’t eat bread.”
“Don’t drink much milk, either. I was speaking figuratively.”