“Not in your room though,” Dad said. “Keep the critter in the garage until we can come up with a hutch for it in the back.”
“Hi there, little Hershey.” Mom peeked in the cage. “What a cutie. Good choice. Christy.”
“I’m glad you think so.” Christy let out a sigh of relief. “I felt like I had about five thousand pets to choose from. It was so hard to decide! I’m glad you guys like little Hershey.”
“Your brother will be thrilled, you know.”
“I know. I’m hoping I can talk him into pellet-patrol when I’m real busy.” Christy noticed her Dad smirking at the unrealistic goal. She knew it was a fat chance, but she could always hope.
“Todd called earlier,” Mom said. “He’s coming down tomorrow for the day.”
“But I have to work,” Christy said with a groan. “What time is he coming?”
“Before noon probably. Do you get off at six as usual?”
“Yes. I wish I could get off earlier. Tell him to come see me at work.”
“David talked to him about some kind of skateboard park he wanted Todd to take him to. Maybe they can stop by the mall afterward.”
“Nothing like sharing your boyfriend with your little brother,” Christy muttered on her way to the garage with Hershey.
Deep down, she knew she shouldn’t be jealous of David spending so much time with Todd. It seemed to be good for both of them, since Todd was an only child and David looked up to him as the big brother he had never had. Any girl would be thrilled to have a boyfriend who got along so well with her family. And Christy was glad. It was just that she wished she could spend more time with Todd.
Todd and David didn’t show up at the pet store the next day until after five. David wore a huge smile as he told Christy all about the skateboard park and how Todd had taught him some new, totally cool tricks.
“He’s a natural,” Todd said confidently.
“Hang on a second.” Christy left Todd and David in the dog food section and slipped behind the counter to wait on a customer.
“Are you ready?” she asked the woman, who held out a dog leash and collar.
“Yes,” the woman replied, “unless you happen to have the latest copy of Gun Dog magazine.”
“All our magazines usually come in the last week of the month. We probably still have some of September’s issue, but October’s won’t be here until sometime next week.”
“Fine. Just this, then.”
Christy reached for the leash to find the price tag. She noticed the woman seemed to be paying particular attention to Christy’s hands.
“That’s a charming bracelet,” the woman said, looking at Christy’s “Forever” ID bracelet. “Very unique design. Did you buy it here at the mall?”
Christy was about to say. “No, my boyfriend gave it to me.” Then she realized that, yes, she had bought it back from one of the jewelry stores at the mall after Rick had stolen it and traded it in for a silver bracelet engraved with his name. But that wasn’t what the lady was asking.
“Actually,” Christy said, lowering her voice, “it was a very special gift from my boyfriend.” With her eyes she motioned over to Todd, who was too far away to hear their conversation.
The woman followed Christy’s visual gesture and turned back toward Christy with her face lit up in approval. “You are a very lucky young lady!”
Christy could feel herself blushing. “Thank you. I think so too.”
After she had placed the leash and collar in a bag and handed it to the woman, Christy remembered a detail about the bracelet she hadn’t thought about in a long time. Last year when she was making weekly payments at the jewelry store to get back her bracelet, Todd was still in Hawaii. Yet some guy had come into the jewelry store and paid off the remaining balance so Christy could have her bracelet back. It still remained a mystery who that guy was.
For a while she thought it had been her boss, Jon, but he had denied it more than once. She even thought it was Rick since she thought she saw him at the mall the day she got her bracelet. It might have been, but Rick didn’t seem to fit the profile of a benefactor who could keep a secret, especially when his silver substitute bracelet and his ego were involved.
It also occurred to Christy, as she rang up the next customer’s purchase on the register, that she had never told any of this to Todd. Did he even know that the bracelet had been off her wrist for weeks while he was gone? Should she tell him?
Christy thought about the bracelet mystery again after dinner while Todd and she drove to the movies in his old Volkswagen, Gus the Bus. She wasn’t sure how to bring up the subject. Todd was still talking about skateboarding and his adventure with David that afternoon. A heart-to-heart talk about the ID bracelet, the symbol of their relationship, didn’t seem to fit in at this particular moment.
She decided to wait until after the movie. Maybe if it was a real mushy one it would help Todd get into a more serious mood.
“Looks like we have a choice.” Todd scanned the list of movies at the ticket window. “It’s great when they’re not all R’s. Do you think they’re getting the hint in Hollywood that people want something other than blood and guts?”
Long lines had formed, and Christy and Todd slipped into one, even though they hadn’t decided what they were going to see yet.
“Could be,” Christy said. “What sounds good to you?”
“That second one on the list starts in five minutes,” Todd said. “I don’t know much about it, but the rating is right. What do you think?”
“Sure. Sounds fine. I don’t know anything about it either.”
“Christy!” came a loud voice from across the parking lot.
Todd and Christy turned around and saw Katie and Michael jogging toward them, holding hands.
They’re holding hands! Why are they holding hands? Katie and Michael are really together. Katie, do you know what you’re doing? You met this guy five days ago, and here you are, obviously on a date, and you’re holding hands!
“Can you believe this?” Katie said breathlessly as she joined them. Her face looked flushed but happy. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with a Save the Whales slogan on it. Christy noticed that Katie’s black eyes had greatly improved. And she wore a new necklace made from tiny, brightly colored beads. “Todd, this is Michael. Michael, this is Christy’s boyfriend, Todd.”
The two guys shook hands, and Todd said. “So how did you two meet?” Christy thought he looked a little surprised.
“At school.” Katie gave Christy a startled look. “Didn’t Christy tell you? It was a designed meeting.”
Designed meeting? Katie, a week ago you would have said it was a ‘God-thing.’ What’s happened to you? What’s this ‘designed meeting’ stuff?
By then Todd was up at the window, and Michael quickly pulled some money from his pocket and told Todd, “Two more of whatever you’re buying.”
Todd paid for the tickets, and the four of them entered the theater. Katie chattered on as they found four seats together near the front, right when the previews began to run.
“Just in time,” Katie whispered to Christy. The two girls were wedged together, with the guys sitting on either side of them. “Isn’t this the cheekiest thing?”
“Cheekiest?” Christy questioned.
“Oh, Michael says it all the time.” Katie giggled. “Isn’t he terrific? Don’t you just love this? Do you realize you and I are finally doing what we always wanted to? We’re finally on a double date together!”
Christy smiled warily in the darkened room. “Yeah, this is great!”
Michael put his arm around the back of Katie’s chair, and she snuggled a little closer to him as the movie started. Christy slipped her right hand through Todd’s arm, and he grasped her fingers and wove them around his.
Todd squeezed her hand as if to say “Relax!” She gave him a squeeze back and settled into her seat. Katie was right. This was what Christy had always dreamed of, going to the movies and holding
hands with Todd, double-dating with Katie and…that’s where the dream didn’t seem to match up. Christy had never imagined anyone like Michael in Katie’s life.
Now that he was here, she didn’t feel settled about him. Why couldn’t it be Doug or Glen? Or any other normal guy from church? Why did Katie have to get involved with this strange guy, who most likely wasn’t even a Christian? What was going to happen?
“We brought our own snacks.” Katie reached for Michael’s leather backpack and pulled something from it. “You want some?”
Come on. Christy, relax. Enjoy this time withjour friends. Sit back, eat some M&M’s, and try to act like everything is the way it should be.
“Sure,” Christy whispered back. “What did you guys smuggle in? M&M’s? Snickers? Ding Dongs?” Christy tried to think of what other favorite junk food Katie might have brought with her.
“Raisins,” Katie said, offering Christy a small box. “We brought raisins and unsalted sunflower seeds.”
“Raisins? You mean those chocolate-covered raisins?”
“Nope. Just plain, ordinary, healthy raisins. Michael says they’re full of iron and something else. They’re good. Really! Here, have some.” Katie plopped the little box in Christy’s lap and tossed a handful of raisins into her own mouth.
She brought raisins. Katie is eating healthy raisins! Oh Katie, this is worse than I thought. You’re really serious about this guy, aren’t you?
“Do you have any bottled water?” Michael asked the waitress at Marie Callender’s Restaurant and Bakery a few hours later when the foursome stopped in for an after-movie snack.
“Yes, we do. Would you like anything else?”
“No. thank you. Just water.”
The waitress turned to Christy. “And for you?”
Christy felt a little embarrassed ordering pie after Michael ordered only water. “I’d like a piece of cherry pie, please.”
“Would you like that with ice cream or whipped cream?”
She thought ice cream sounded good but turned it down. “No, thanks.”
“Would you care to have it heated?”
“No, thank you.”
“Good choice.” Michael leaned across the table and confided in Christy. “It won’t be until the next generation that we’ll see the side effects of all this microwaving we’ve done to our food. Can’t be good for humans, I think. Best to avoid it whenever possible.”
“Right,” Christy said with a slight smile.
“A small salad, please,” Katie ordered. “No dressing.”
After the raisins in the theater, nothing should have surprised Christy, but Katie ordering a salad did.
“Not the iceberg lettuce,” Michael added to Katie’s order. “It retains pesticides even after it’s been washed.”
“Would spinach be okay?” the waitress asked, looking a little annoyed at Michael, the “nature boy.”
“Sure,” Katie said. Then turning to Christy, she mumbled in a low voice, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try spinach for the first time in my life. What do you think?”
Christy knew this was neither the time nor the place to tell Katie what she thought. Instead, she returned Katie’s friendly smile and waited to see what recommendations Michael might have for Todd’s order.
“Pumpkin pie with whipped cream and a glass of water.”
“Is tap water okay, or would you prefer bottled water as well?”
“No, city water is fine. Hasn’t killed me yet.”
The waitress turned with a swish, and Christy felt certain she was miffed with them. Christy didn’t like anyone to be upset with her. Not even a waitress.
“So tell me about Belfast,” Todd said to Michael, who jumped right in and in his wonderful accent talked about the political unrest in his beloved city. He told of being in a grocery store as a child and leaving only minutes before a bomb exploded. The bomb sheared off the front half of the store, but Michael and his mother were unharmed.
Christy enjoyed listening to Michael speak with such passion about his homeland. She had to admit that his accent was charming, and he spoke with beguiling animation. Katie looked so proud to be with him. He was nice-looking in his natural, earthy sort of way. His thick, dark hair fit well with his fair skin and green eyes, and his personality and looks were intriguing. If only he would say he was a Christian, it would make everything perfect.
When the food arrived, Todd said, “Would you guys mind if I prayed before we eat?”
“Pray for a piece of pie?” Michael asked with a laugh.
“I like to give thanks to God whenever He provides me with something to eat.”
Michael looked amused. “But the waitress provided it. The cook prepared it. It’s the money from your own pocket that will pay for it. What has God done to provide your pumpkin pie?”
Now it was Todd’s turn to look amused. “God made the pumpkin. I want to tell Him thanks.” Bowing his head, Todd said in a jovial voice, “Thanks, Father, for making the pumpkin. Thanks too for making Michael. You did a good job on both of them. Amen.”
Michael laughed aloud. “I don’t suppose I’ve ever heard a prayer like that before. You sure God heard you?”
Todd nodded and gave Michael a confident smile. Just before the first forkful of pumpkin pie touched Todd’s lips. he said with complete assurance, “Oh, yeah. He heard me all right. God hears.”
Michael took a swig of his bottled water and shook his head. “Your friends are a bit daft, Katie. Anyone ever tell you that?”
“They’re the best friends a person could ever hope for, Michael.” Katie quickly retorted, moving the spinach around on her plate, apparently trying to work up the nerve to take her first bite. “You won’t find better than these two anywhere.”
“I found you.” Michael faced Katie and looked deep into her eyes. “It’s the luck of the Irish I carry with me wherever I go.”
Katie blushed. But she didn’t turn away. Instead, she met Michael’s gaze and locked into a silent visual embrace with him.
Christy looked down at her cherry pie. It was awfully hard to act casual when Katie was falling in love right before her eyes. Had she acted like that when she first met Todd? It seemed so long ago. She was so used to him now, so comfortable around him. She couldn’t picture herself being entwined in such an intimate exchange with him in a public place. Still, it was amazing to see Katie so in love.
Tomorrow, Christy decided, when Katie and I are working in the church nursery, I’m going to lay it on the line with her. If this guy isn’t a Christian, which he doesn’t appear to be, then she needs to break up with him immediately before she gets too involved.
But the next morning Katie didn’t show up for her commitment to work in the nursery. Christy had her hands full with fifteen weary and hungry three-year-olds.
“I just found out the teacher for the three-year-olds has gone home ill,” the church nursery coordinator said, popping her head into Christy’s room. “I have you and another high schooler scheduled. Do you need an additional helper?”
“Definitely!” Christy retrieved a truck from a little boy who was about to throw it at two girls quietly looking at books on the rug.
“Mine!” the boy wailed. He burst into tears and tried to retrieve the truck from Christy’s raised hand.
“The other high schooler is my friend Katie. She hasn’t shown up. I could use all the helpers you can send me!”
“I’ll send three junior helpers in right away,” the woman promised. “Here’s the lesson book. If you don’t mind, could you look it over? It looks like you’ll need to teach the Bible story today. Snacks will be at the regular time, and I’ll be right next door if you need anything.”
A mixture of panic and anger washed over Christy. Katie was the one who was good with little kids. She could entertain ihem on a moment’s notice. Katie would be great at doing the lesson, even if it was last minute. She was probably off with Michael somewhere and hadn’t even bothered to let Christy know she wasn
’t coming. This was unfair!
Fortunately, the three middle-school helpers were right at home with toddlers. They busied the kids with crayons at the table while Christy peeked at the lesson book.
It seemed easy enough, a story about seasons and how God is in control of all the changes that take place in this world. Some verses appeared at the end of the lesson from Ecclesiastes about there being a time for everything. She thought she had heard a song about that before.
I’m so mad Katie isn’t here! She probably knows the song. She could have sung it for the kids. She should be doing this, not me!
Christy stared out the window at the church parking lot while she thought about Katie’s desertion. The leaves were changing color on one of the big shade trees; several floated down and landed on some of the car tops like giant yellow and orange confetti.
It was a memorable parking lot. Her dad had given Christy her first driving lesson there. Last summer they loaded the bus for church camp in the lot. It had been Katie’s idea to go, but she had backed out at the last minute, leaving Christy alone as a camp counselor to a bunch of fifth-grade girls.
Then Christy flashed on another memory of that church parking lot. Two years ago she had given Rick Doyle a Christmas present out by his car, and he had unexpectedly kissed her. Come to think of it, the gift for Rick and going out to the parking lot with him had been Katie’s idea too.
Christy realized she had a memory for almost every season in that parking lot. Maybe she could make a memory for this little bunch of young hearts out in that same lot. They could go for a walk and each collect one of those autumn leaves. Then they would come in for story time. Christy would put all the leaves up on the board and talk about how it’s God who makes the seasons change. It seemed simple enough.
“Okay, now everyone remember to hold on to the hand of your buddy. We’re going to be very quiet.” Christy placed her finger over her lips and motioned for the class to tiptoe behind her like little mice.
Except for a couple of creative youngsters who added some tiny mouse squeaks, they made it to the parking lot without incident. Christy led them to the tree at the side of the lot. “Now while you’re still holding the hand of your buddy, everyone pick up one special leaf, and we’ll take them back to class.”
Christy Miller Collection, Vol 4 Page 8