Christy Miller Collection, Vol 4

by Robin Jones Gunn

  Another twenty or thirty minutes passed. The sun continued to play its peekaboo game with the clouds, and now no one was saying much of anything. Christy thought how ironic it was that earlier that morning Todd had whispered to her that being shipwrecked wouldn’t be such a bad thing. He must not have factored Aunt Marti into the scenario.

  Then, as if the volcano inside Marti could hold back no longer, she let forth a steady flow of fiery accusations. Christy had never seen her aunt this mad.

  “That’s it!” Marti concluded. “You have to go for help. Todd. I don’t care how you do it. Walk over this hill to the other side or swim out to the main part of the lake. It will be dark soon, and I refuse to sit here and wait to be eaten by wild animals!”

  Christy knew they had at least three hours of sunlight left, and the only wildlife they had seen was the timid deer. Still, she knew better than to challenge her aunt’s fears. She wondered if she should go with Todd or stay with her aunt. She knew what she would rather do.

  “We’ll wait here.” Todd said calmly yet with settled authority, as if he had already thought through all the options.

  Marti looked furious. Not many people opposed her even in the best of circumstances. “I suppose you’re waiting for God to send an angel to rescue us.”

  “Angel, human—either one will do.”

  “This faith thing of yours has gone too far. Todd. It’s fine when you want to have theological discussions with Bob, but when people’s lives are at stake…”

  Todd put out a hand to silence her. He seemed to be listening for something. Christy turned her head and listened too.

  “I’m not finished! You will listen to what I have to say, Todd Spencer, if it’s the last thing you do before we perish in this stupid boat.”

  Todd stood up and. still listening, made his way past Marti to the back of the boat.

  “Will you at least have the courtesy to look at me when I am talking to you? You can’t keep trusting God to do for you what you should be doing for yourself! He has too many other things to attend to, like world peace. I’m sure God does not have time to answer the pointless prayers of…”

  Todd put his first two fingers in his mouth and, facing the opening of the inlet, let loose with a whistle so shrill that Christy covered her ears. “It’s a Wave Rider.” he announced. “Help me flag it down, Christy.”

  Christy stumbled quickly to the back of the boat and slipped off her life vest, ready to wave it in the air.

  “You can’t be sure they’re coming this way,” Marti muttered, remaining in her seat but craning her neck.

  They could all hear the high-pitched roar of the Jet Ski now, and it definitely was coming their way. Christy began yelling along with Todd’s whistling. The minute the Wave Rider came into view, Christy waved the life vest over her head, and Todd waved his arms.

  Just as quickly as the Wave Rider came into view, it shot past the cove and disappeared.

  “What did I tell you?” Marti said. “Why don’t you ever listen to me?”

  “I think it’s coming back.” Christy strained to hear any change in the sound of the Wave Rider’s motor.

  “You’re right,” Todd said. “Get ready to wave your vest again.” Before he finished speaking, the Wave Rider appeared and made a quick turn into their secret cove. The driver, a girl with long, dark hair, wearing a bright pink life vest, cut the engine and floated over to the boat. She had a dark tan, the color of chocolate and cinnamon, and a white smile like a crescent moon.

  “Need help?” the girl called out.

  “Ran out of gas,” Todd answered. “Can you give me a lift to the marina?”

  “Sure. Hop on.”

  “Make sure your aunt stays here,” Todd said to Christy. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I heard that!” Marti said. “Of course I’m going to stay here. Where do you think I’d go? Just don’t be getting any ideas in your head that this young girl is an answer to your prayers.”

  “You prayed for help?” the girl asked.

  “Yep.” Todd slid into the water and swam over to the Wave Rider.

  “Are you by any chance a Christian?” the girl questioned.

  “Christy and I both are,” Todd said.

  “This is so cool!” the girl said excitedly. “I’m Natalie. I’m a Christian too! And you’re not going to believe this, but I actually came down to this part of the lake because something inside kept kind of nudging me to go this way. You know what I mean?”

  “Oh, this is ridiculous,” Marti spouted, slouching back in her seat.

  Christy felt like laughing at her aunt’s refusal to believe in answered prayer even when she saw it with her own eyes. She knew it wasn’t funny, but why couldn’t her aunt see that God had responded to their request for help?

  Todd positioned himself on the back of the Wave Rider, and he and Natalie waved and took off, leaving Christy alone with her aunt. She waited a few minutes before trying to start a conversation.

  “Why is it so hard for you to believe in God, Aunt Marti?”

  “I believe in God.”

  “I mean, to surrender your life to Him and ask Jesus to be your Savior?”

  “I refuse to get into a religious discussion with you, Christina. You are far too young to understand such Things.”

  Christy hushed up. All she could think was, I’m glad Jesus didn’t consider me too young when I gave Him my heart.

  Todd and Natalie returned in less than an hour, and the boat started right up. “Thanks!” Todd called out, waving to Natalie as she took off. He slowly directed the boat out of the inlet but cranked it into high gear as soon as he hit the open lake.

  “Slow down!” Marti squawked. “It’s too cold! You’re going to miss the houseboat if you go too fast.”

  Todd slowed a little and told Christy, “Keep looking for the houseboat. They could be anywhere along this part of the shore.”

  It really was chilly, with the wind off the lake and the late afternoon sun hanging low in the sky. The sun looked so much different from the one that had greeted Christy and Todd at daybreak. This big, sinking orange ball looked tired and ready for a rest, and so did Christy.

  They finally found the houseboat after several trips in and out of a variety of coves along the shoreline. Katie was fishing off the roof, and Bob and Doug sat on the back deck, deliberating over a game of chess.

  “They’re here,” Katie called out. “Finally! Where have you guys been?”

  Christy noticed that another houseboat was parked across the cove from them. Katie yelled so loudly that Christy felt sure the people in the other houseboat must be ready to come out on their deck to find out what all the commotion was about. Todd docked the boat, but before he or Christy had a chance to explain why they were gone so long, Marti started in.

  “It was absolutely horrible,” she moaned to Bob, who offered her a hand out of the boat. “We were shipwrecked for hours! I’m frozen to the bone!”

  “We ran out of gas.” Todd explained to the curious eyes that looked to him for an explanation. “We prayed, and God sent an angel on a Wave Rider.”

  “Why don’t you come on in and take a warm shower,” Bob suggested. “Everything is ready for dinner except the steaks, and the coals are perfect, so I’ll slap’em on the grill. You got back just in time.”

  Christy gladly took Bob’s suggestion to hop in the shower. She was surprised at how nice the shower was in the houseboat, and they had plenty of hot water. There was even a place to plug in her hair dryer. She took her time drying and combing out her hair. Better to finish that in the bathroom than to fling her wet hair all over her aunt again.

  As it turned out, Christy didn’t have much to worry about. Marti didn’t emerge from her room for the rest of the night. Bob, the ever-patient and loving husband, prepared her dinner and took it to her.

  Christy felt fresh after her shower and only slightly ruffled from the day’s adventure. She slipped into a pair of jeans, a favorite cream-c
olored knit sweater, and a pair of weathered white tennis shoes. The water from the shower made her hair especially soft, not frizzy like the water at home in Escondido. She could feel a little bit of sunburn on her cheeks and thought how rosy and cheerful it made her look.

  Quickly dabbing on some mascara and going over her lips a second time with a tube of clear lip gloss, Christy took another look in the mirror. She felt pretty. Pretty in an outdoors, healthy, glowing sort of way. She wondered if Todd would notice.

  Just then Katie knocked on the door. “Are you coming, Christy? The steaks are almost ready.”

  Christy opened the door and pulled her friend inside. “Well?” Christy whispered. “‘How did it go?’ with Doug this afternoon?”

  “What do you mean, ’How did it go?” How was it supposed to go?”

  “I thought you guys might start to, you know…get together, sort of, if you had some time alone.”

  “Christy, what makes you think Doug is at all interested in me?” Katie’s words came out almost sad.

  “I think you two would be perfect for each other. He’s a great guy. It would help if you would show him a little more attention. Let him know that you like him.”

  “And what makes you think I like him?” Katie asked.

  “Why wouldn’t you? He’s tall, good-looking, athletic, a super-strong Christian, and a lot of fun to be around. I’m sure he likes you.”

  “Then he’d be the first guy ever,” Katie said dryly.

  “And what a great first guy!” Christy tried to cheer her friend on. “Come on, Katie. You’ve got to emotionally walk away from all those bad memories of Rick, and who was that missionary kid from Ecuador? Glen? It’s time to move on.”

  “You’re probably right.” Katie glanced in the mirror and noticed that her freckled nose was sunburned. “Oh no, now I’m going to peel.”

  Christy looked in the mirror. The contrast between the two girls was evident. Katie’s fair skin, green eyes, and copper-colored hair made her look young, almost childish. Christy’s tan made her blue-green eyes stand out. Her smooth skin looked flawless next to Katie’s freckles, and her clean hair looked silky compared to Katie’s unbrushed hair.

  “How can I compete with that?” Katie motioned to their reflections and focused on Christy.

  “We’re not competing, Katie. This is not some sport. Besides, if it was, you’d whomp me hands down. This is just the guys, and I’m with Todd, so why don’t you see what you can do about getting together with Doug?”

  It surprised Christy to hear herself talking like that. She had never pushed Katie toward any guy before. She knew her motive was to get Katie and Doug together so she wouldn’t have to feel awkward around Doug.

  “Ladies.” Bob’s voice called through the closed bathroom door. “We’re about to sit down to dinner, and we have a guest. Care to join us?”

  “We’ll be right there!” Christy called back, then looked at Katie. “Is there any way I can encourage you by telling you that you’re wonderful just the way you are? You’re adorable. Katie, and any guy would be crazy not to see how terrific you are.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Yes, I really think so. And I think Doug would definitely be interested in you if you showed some interest in him.”

  “You sure?”

  Christy nodded. “Come on. let’s go out there and see what happens.”

  “Okay.” Katie smoothed back her hair before opening the door. “Here goes nothing.”

  The two girls walked side by side down the short hallway to the kitchen. What they saw made them suddenly stop and stare.

  Todd was standing next to the table with his arm around a stunning young girl. She looked as though she couldn’t be much older than fourteen, but her figure made her look more mature. Her dark hair was pulled back by her sunglasses and her lips curled in a charming crescent-moon smile, revealing perfect white teeth set off by her deep, chocolate cinnamon skin.

  “Christy,” Todd said, “guess who’s in the houseboat across the cove from us?”

  “Natalie.” Christy forced a friendly smile. “What a surprise!”

  Katie poked Christy in the side as if to silently ask, “And who is Natalie?”

  “Katie, this is Natalie. Natalie is the one who rescued us this afternoon.”

  Todd moved his arm from Natalie’s shoulders and was about to say something when Doug came in from the side of the houseboat with a platter of barbecued steaks in his hand. He apparently hadn’t seen Natalie arrive.

  “Hi!” Doug said brightly, his grin dancing across his face. Doug looked to Todd for an explanation.

  “This is Natalie. Our angel on the Wave Rider.”

  Natalie giggled. It was a cute, innocent giggle. What was it Todd had said about how irresistible innocent girls were?

  “Would you like to join us for dinner?” Doug offered. “We have plenty.”

  “We already ate,” Natalie said. “I just happened to notice it was your boat parked over here, so I thought I’d come say hi.”

  “This is awesome.” Doug said. “We’re going to have a campfire on the beach after dinner; you’ll join us. won’t you?”

  “I guess. Sure. Thanks for asking.”

  Then, as if someone had said to Katie, “Let the games begin,” she jumped into the conversation. Gaining Doug’s attention obviously was her goal. “Those steaks look great, Doug. Did you cook them? I bet you guys are hungry. I sure am. We should sit down to dinner, don’t you think?”

  Bob, who had been observing all of this from the kitchen sink where he was pouring a pan of hot peas into a serving bowl, joined Katie’s team. “Good idea. Let’s sit down.”

  “I’ll let myself out,” Natalie said softly. “I guess I’ll watch for your campfire later on.”

  “Don’t leave.” Doug slid onto the vinyl bench seat and patted the spot next to him. “There’s plenty of room. Natalie. Come sit by me.”

  Katie took the challenge and bolted to the table where she slid in on Doug’s other side. “Are you as hungry as I am?” Katie asked Doug, looking for an answer from him.

  Christy found herself a chair and pulled it up to the table. She wasn’t sure how she felt about what was going on here. In a way she was glad Katie was flirting a little with Doug. Maybe all Katie needed was the competitive factor that Natalie brought into the situation. Still, Natalie had to be several years younger than Katie and Christy. If she was about fourteen, that would make Natalie eight years younger than Doug. Surely he knew that. He wasn’t really flirting with her, was he?

  Throughout dinner Natalie giggled at all of Doug’s comments, and Katie popped off with some of her classic lines at the right moments. Christy wondered if Todd had any clue as to what was going on.

  Do guys ever? she thought.

  After dinner Christy helped Bob with the dishes. Todd and Doug, followed by Katie and Natalie, took off to start the campfire.

  “I brought some marshmallows,” Bob offered, handing a bag to Christy after the dishes were done. “Some coat hangers are in the hall closet. Why don’t you join the others?”

  Christy went in search of the coat hangers and glanced toward the shore out the window. The fire was already glowing. In the darkness she could make out Doug’s frame with both girls on either side of him. in the exact spots they had occupied at dinner.

  Natalie seemed like a sweet girl, and it was fun to meet another Christian and to have been rescued by her. Christy just hoped that being so young and vulnerable Natalie wouldn’t misinterpret Doug’s attention. Even more than that, Christy hoped Katie wouldn’t get hurt, especially after Christy’s big pep talk with her.

  Did I do the right thing, pushing Katie toward Doug like that?

  Armed with marshmallows and five coat hangers, Christy grabbed a beach towel and headed for the campfire. She spread her towel on the smooth rocks next to Todd and asked, “Anyone ready for a marshmallow?”

  Doug didn’t hear her. Katie had him tangled up
in a thumb wrestling contest.

  “I’d like one.” Natalie left her post next to Doug and joined Christy. As she skewered the white puff, Natalie looked past Christy and said to Todd, “I still can’t believe you guys are all Christians. That is so cool!”

  Todd, Christy, and Natalie chatted, quietly roasting marshmallows while Doug and Katie continued their contest. When they seemed to have had enough thumb wrestling. Doug and Katie joined the other three and started another competition. This time it was to see who could get his or her marshmallow the brownest without burning it.

  After three marshmallows, Christy was full of the sticky sugar and placed her coat hanger against one of the large rocks lining the fire pit. As she let go of the hanger. Todd stretched out his hand.

  She thought he was reaching for her coat hanger, but instead he grasped her hand and wrapped his thick, warm fingers around hers. She turned to him and smiled. Todd smiled back. They were together, sitting close under a star-filled sky, holding hands. This was what Christy had always dreamed going together would be like. She moved a little closer to Todd so their hands could rest comfortably on his folded leg.

  That’s when she noticed Natalie looking at them, and Christy realized how awkward Natalie must feel with two college guys paying all their attention to Katie and Christy while Natalie sat alone like a leftover. Christy remembered how explosive her emotions were when she was fourteen, and she tried to draw Natalie into a conversation. Even though Todd and Christy were sitting close and holding hands. Christy thought it didn’t have to mean they excluded Natalie.

  Doug and Katie continued their marshmallow competition until the entire bag had been devoured. During their contest Natalie and Christy talked about school, family, and church. When the topic of Jet Skiing came up, Doug sat down next to Natalie with a string of questions.

  Now it was Katie’s turn to look like the leftover. The more Doug and Natalie talked, the more Katie seemed to withdraw. When Natalie asked Doug if he wanted to try out her Wave Rider tomorrow morning, Doug lit up with excitement and gave Natalie one of his hugs.