“Well, I’m here now,” she said quietly even though there was nobody to hear her. Feeling pulled to go to the left, Amanda picked the direction for no other reason. As she slowly walked up and down the rows, she instantly became fascinated by the inscriptions on the stones. Some, unfortunately, were nearly indecipherable due to neglect and age.
There were several family plots containing numerous stones bearing only the name “Baby” on them. For some reason, these unnamed children bothered her the most as she realized the families had lost five or six children at birth. Times were certainly harder in the olden days; she was thankful for the medical knowledge of her own time.
Amanda dug a tissue out of her purse, glad she had brought it after all. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. If she spent this much time at each family plot, she would never discover where her sister had been interred. She hurried her steps and only paused for a couple of other stones which were so spectacular she felt she could not help but stop to look.
Her spirits were beginning to flag when she had traversed the entire left-hand side of the cemetery without any success. She tried to recall what her father had said about Virginia’s burial and remembered he had said it had been near a building. She looked around her and spotted the back of the hospital on the opposite side of where she had started.
“That figures!” she said as she stomped across the gravel access road to get closer to the building before she got sidetracked with reading the stones again. The grass beneath her feet was longer and unkempt in this section of the property. It was nothing like what she had imagined in her mind. None of the stones had any flowers around them like the ones closer to the entrance, and some were even leaning precariously.
“This can’t be right,” she mumbled even as she kept getting closer to the edge of the property line where a ragged fence did more to hold up weeds than keep people from trespassing. She used her foot to clear the grass away from the closest headstones. The dates were too old to be of interest. She moved along and repeated the same process until she finally found a small, rounded, white stone which bore the inscription: Virginia Ellen Covington, Born September 28, 1972, Died September 28, 1972, Beloved Daughter of Chris and Diane, In Our Hearts Forever.
Chapter Eleven
AMANDA KNELT AND angrily grabbed hunks of grass and pulled them out by the roots where they covered the inscription. Why did Mom let this happen? Didn’t Dad say she came to visit? From the looks of it, she hasn’t been here for years! Amanda’s hands were filthy by the time she was done grooming the land surrounding the stone. Absently, she wiped her palms on the grass beside her to get the worst of the filth off before she finished wiping them on the thighs of her pants.
She sat back on her heels and pulled the flowers out of her purse which she had dropped behind her. Letting herself fall back onto her rear, she crossed her legs and simply stared at the words on the stone. Now that the moment was here, she had no idea what she wanted to do or say to her sister. ‘It’s been twenty-six years, and I finally made it to see you’ seemed a bit too cheeky for the solemn occasion.
Not sure what she had expected out of the visit, the emptiness she felt inside was certainly not on the list of emotions. She felt guilty because she had imagined there would finally be a sense of sisterhood or at least kinship by her proximity. This emptiness was unexpected, not to mention disheartening.
“I’m sorry, sis,” she whispered as she got her feet back under her and stood up. She stooped over and patted the stone while she picked up her purse. For some reason, she did not think she would ever be returning to this gravesite. There was nothing here for her, not even a sense of peace, nothing except feeling anxious and alone.
The trek back across the property seemed shorter since she did not even look down to inspect any other inscriptions. She was ready to leave, and nothing was going to stop her from getting home to her waiting husband. With keys in her hand, she got into her truck and drove away, not quite squealing the tires in her haste to be on her way again. It seemed strange she had been so anxious to get to the cemetery, only to feel the same sense of urgency to get away.
There was a long line of traffic she had to wait for before she could turn onto the busy main road. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and noticed the dirt crusted under her nails. “Yuck,” she said out loud.
An opening in the traffic appeared, and she gunned the motor. She had just completed the turn when a loud bang sounded, and her steering became erratic. “What in the world?!” she exclaimed as she promptly pulled to the side of the road and hit the brake pedal to stop before she ran into something. She turned on the hazard lights and again waited for traffic to clear so she could open her door without getting hit. This was not a good road to be stranded on during this time of day. It seemed as though every person in Florida had decided to use this road for a Sunday drive at the moment.
Another break in the traffic allowed her to exit the vehicle and go around the front to find the passenger tire had blown out completely. The rim was resting on the gravel and had a flat spot on it where it had rubbed against the pavement when she tried to slow down. This was not good! She opened the passenger door and searched for her cell phone in her purse. Her digging became more frantic as she discovered it was nowhere to be found. She upended the bag’s contents onto the seat and stared in disbelief as the phone was not there.
“No! No! No!” she screamed dramatically and then leaned over the seat for support as she started to feel tears of frustration forming in her eyes. This had to be the worst day ever. Of all the times for her to forget her cell phone, this had to take the cake. “What am I going to do?”
The words were barely out of her mouth before she heard tires crunching on loose gravel behind her vehicle. She used the backs of her hands to angrily brush away the tears from her cheeks. She leaned away from the vehicle to see who had stopped to offer assistance. It was never a good idea for a young woman to be stranded on the side of the road, so she hoped whoever it was at least did not look terrifying.
A few seconds later, a woman exited the car and hurried to get to the front of her vehicle and out of the rush of traffic approaching. “I saw your flashing lights and thought you might need help. Are you okay?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid I won’t be going anywhere until I can get the tire changed.” To show the stranger the damage, she shut the passenger door and pointed toward the front tire.
“Wow, you totally blew the tire out! I’m glad I stopped. Have you called anyone yet?”
Wishing she did not have to admit it, Amanda replied, “Of all days, I forgot my cell phone at home. So, no, I haven’t called anyone.”
“It’s okay; I got my cell phone. Also, my dad owns his own towing company. I could call him if you want.”
“I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!”
“Cool. I’ll call him right now. Just a sec.” She flipped her phone open and hit the speed dial before putting it up to her ear. “Hey, Dad. I just came upon a woman whose tire is blown on the side of the highway. Yeah, it’s just down the road from your shop, going Eastbound. Really? Great! I’ll stay here with her until you get here. I’ll see you in a couple of minutes. Thanks, Dad!”
She flipped the phone shut and announced, “He’ll be here before you know it. He just finished dropping a car off in the yard and was just heading out anyway.”
“That’s amazing timing. My name’s Amanda. What’s yours?” Amanda held out her hand for the introduction and belatedly realized how dirty it looked.
The girl did not seem to even notice as she took off her oversized sunglasses and smiled warmly at her. She grasped her hand in a firm shake and said, “I’m Angie McFarland. You know, you look awfully familiar. Are you from around here?”
“I grew up about thirty minutes north of here. But I was thinking the same thing about you, too. I think we went to the same high school together.”
“Wait! Did you say your name was Amanda?”
“Yes.”
“Amanda Covington?”
“Well, it was. I’m married now.”
“Oh, my gosh! I’d heard you were injured in a boating accident and in a coma right after we graduated. This is terrible to say, we all just assumed you died!”
Amanda chuckled and replied, “Well you got half of it right. I was in a boating accident of sorts, and I was in a coma for seven years.”
“Wow! That’s a long time. Wait! Does it mean you woke up last year? Hmmph, woke up doesn’t seem quite right; it’s not like you just took a nap.”
“A very long nap!” Amanda laughed outright to try to ease Angie’s discomfort at her choice of words. “I was very fortunate to even wake up, not many people do after so long.”
“We were all appalled to hear about Neal’s death in the accident. He was a cool guy. And now you’re married?”
Not sure where to start, Amanda hesitated. Being reminded of that period of her life, she also recalled her journal entry where she had come home to find Neal had started dating a girl named Angie. Was it a premonition for when Neal did get home? Was this woman in front of her the person who was supposed to get together with her ex-fiancé?
“Yes, I’m married to Riccan Stel. But, you know Neal didn’t die in the accident. It’s a really long story, but he’s home recovering from his long ordeal. I think he could really use a friend right now. You should stop by his parents’ house and say hello sometime.”
“Seriously? Neal’s alive? This has been the most fascinating traffic stop I’ve ever encountered. Tell me about your husband. You said his name was Riccan? Oh my goodness, did you mean the Riccan Stel? Like the NHRA racer, Riccan?”
“So you’ve heard of him, huh? Yes, he’s my husband. How do you know him?”
“My Dad has got to be his biggest fan. I’ve watched him on T.V. for years. Although I don’t recall seeing him race this last year, come to think of it.”
“Which is probably my fault. I’ve turned his life upside down ever since we met.” Amanda smiled at the recollection of her meeting Riccan.
“I’d love to hear the story sometime. Oh, look, there’s my dad pulling up right now.” She left Amanda’s to be the first to tell her dad about who this woman was married to. He was going to freak out! She opened the passenger door of the tow truck and began speaking hurriedly. She saw his expression change as he took in her words.
Amanda watched as a big man lowered himself out of the tow truck with its lights flashing. She could see he was excited about what Angie had told him and, at this point, Amanda was not above using her husband’s popularity to get faster service to get home. Angie was positively dwarfed by the size of her dad as she tagged along by his side as they advanced on where Amanda remained beside her vehicle.
“Billy McFarland,” he said as he held out his hand for an introduction when he got close enough.
“Amanda Stel.” She shook his hand firmly. At once she saw his hands were dirtier than her own, so she did not even feel ashamed.
Billy leaned his body to the side to assess the damage to the vehicle and whistled. “You sure did make a mess of the rim.”
“I think there’s a spare under the truck in the back,” Amanda offered hastily.
“Okay, I’ll check it out. Have you changed your spare recently?”
“No. I don’t think so, anyway.” Amanda wondered why you would have to change a spare. Did they go bad? She did not think they expired.
“Excuse me,” he said as he backed up and opened the rear passenger door and leaned into the vehicle.
Amanda was more than a little curious to find out what he was doing. She moved around the door and tried to peer around his massive frame. Finally, she gave it up as a lost cause and set about to wait to see what he was doing. It all became clear when Mr. McFarland turned around with a couple of parts in his hand which Amanda had no idea were even in the vehicle.
He walked to the back of the truck and knelt. With his big hand on the rear bumper, he held himself from the ground while he looked under the truck. “Hmph,” he grunted as he pushed himself to a standing position. “I won’t be needing these tools after all.” He returned to the truck and began putting them away again.
“I don’t understand. Are those the wrong tools?” Amanda asked in confusion.
“No, they’re the right tools. You just don’t have a spare tire. I’m going to have to tow your vehicle unless you want to leave it here and run the risk of someone else towing it.”
“What? How come the spare tire is missing? It doesn’t even make sense.” Amanda knew Riccan was meticulous about the upkeep of all of his vehicles. This was just another strange happening in a long list accumulating for the day. “The spare tire must be at home. Can you tow it to my house?”
“I’ll tow it anywhere you like, miss.”
“Please call me Amanda. And, yes, I think I’d like you to take it to my house. Thank you.” At this point, Amanda was doubly cursing her carelessness for leaving her cell phone at her house. She really needed to talk to Riccan badly, if only for some comfort.
“Okay, Amanda. I’ll get you hooked up, and we can be on our way in no time. Sound good?”
“Perfect! Thank you!”
Angie plucked at Amanda’s sleeve and asked, “Do you want to wait in my car while my dad gets this taken care of? It’ll be more comfortable than standing here on the side of the highway, and definitely quieter.” Several semis passed just then, and the wind of their passing almost blew them over.
“Sure, that would be great. Thanks, Angie, you really have been a life saver. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t stopped when you did. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect since it had just happened.”
“No problem, I was just leaving my office. I normally don’t work on Sundays, but I needed to get a few things handled when it was quiet. I’m glad I could be of assistance.”
Chapter Twelve
“WHERE DO YOU work?”
“I own my own insurance agency. If you ever need any type of insurance, I’d appreciate the business.” Angie smiled and then gestured for them to start walking to get into her car.
“That’s cool! How did you get into that line of work?” Amanda asked over the roof of the car before she sat in the passenger seat of the BMW. It appeared Angie was doing quite well in her career to have such a nice, new car.
With the doors shut, the noise was all but canceled out. Angie turned and rested her back against the door to make it easier to talk. She could hardly believe Amanda was sitting in her vehicle alive and well. “The opportunity basically fell in my lap. I was working for the agent who used to work in the location, and he decided he wanted to retire. He asked me if I wanted to handle all of his clients and take over the agency. Of course, I then had to go to school and get licensed, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
“Of course! That’s really cool. Good for you!”
“What have you been doing? Are you working anywhere?”
“No, I was in rehabilitation for most of last year, and then I got married to Riccan.”
“What was the rehab for?”
“Well, I was pretty weak from being in a coma for so long. The rehab helped push me to get back into shape.”
“How did you meet Riccan?”
Amanda thought it seemed like a loaded question. If she were to tell Angie the whole story, she would never believe her. She opted for the simple version by saying, “We met during a search and rescue mission. I was the spotter while he flew his airplane.”
“Really? He’s a pilot as well? You’re so lucky, Amanda. Is he as nice in person as he is on T.V.?”
Amanda chuckled and answered, “Well as I’ve never seen him on T.V. I can’t really answer to that part, but I think he’s the best man ever. I wouldn’t have married him otherwise!”
“Duh! That was about the dumbest question I could have asked. I’m sorry!” Angie covered her reddening cheeks with her han
ds.
“It’s okay. Why don’t you come over to the house while your dad is towing the truck? Riccan’s at home, and I’m sure he’d be glad to meet you both. What do you say?”
“No, I really couldn’t intrude.”
“It’s not intruding when I asked in the first place. Come on!” Amanda saw Mr. McFarland’s tow truck pull out from behind Angie’s car and move to the front of her own truck.
“So was it love at first sight then?”
Amanda tore her gaze from outside the front windshield and looked over at Angie. “What?”
“With you and Riccan, was it love at first sight?”
With another chuckle, Amanda replied, “It was for me. I don’t think Riccan would quite agree. I think I kind of scared him because I already knew so much about him and he didn’t even know who I was.”
“Well, I’d think he’d be used to it since he’s so popular in the public eye. Of course, you knew all about him!”
Amanda nodded agreement, even though her mind had other ideas on the matter. Amanda’s knowledge of Riccan included so much more than what was available online. She had known him intimately from her dreams while she was in her coma. There was no rational explanation for all she had learned while sleeping, yet it was all coming together. Thinking along those lines, Amanda looked at Angie with the light of seeing if she would eventually begin dating Neal, as she had in her dream.
“Are you married?”
“No! No, I’ve been way too busy to get involved with anyone. It’s just me and my work.”
The wheels were turning in Amanda’s mind. How would she introduce Neal to Angie? Surely this roadside meeting was more than just a coincidence. Amanda no longer believed in coincidental encounters anymore, not after everything which had happened to her in the last year. “Do you have a business card? I’d love to stay in touch with you.”
Ascension Vision- The Levels of Ascension Box Set Page 65