46

So why is it you like this movie so much? It doesn’t look all that exciting to me.” Brandy held the DVD case at arm’s length, as if afraid of standing too close.

“It was kind of my movie when I was growing up. Until . . . well, until it wasn’t anymore.”

“Why did it change? Because of your arthritis?”

“Yes. No. Sort of.” Truth was, Sabrina wasn’t sure of all the reasons. It had just become too painful to watch.

“Makes perfect sense to me.”

“I guess so.” Sabrina laughed and put the disc into the DVD player.

Two hours later, Brandy said, “That was pretty good, I guess.” She stuck some popcorn in her mouth but couldn’t quite hide her smile.

Sabrina wiped her eyes. “It’s only the best movie ever. That’s all.”

“I mean, I get it, it’s about running and all, and the characters are interesting enough. What hits you so hard about it?”

Sabrina thought about what the true answer might be. “It’s just that I always thought I was going to be a runner and then do work that really changed people’s lives.”

“Like that Eric Liddell guy?”

“Exactly.”

Brandy shook her head. “It seems like an odd combination to me. I doubt there are many Olympian missionaries. Why did you have to give up both?”

Brandy’s question sounded more than a little like the ones Sabrina had heard from her mother. They never ceased to sting. “The two things had always been lumped together into one big dream in what I understood to be my call. It was the running that gave me the . . . I don’t know . . . clout, maybe, to do something really special.”

“Because you would be a hero, people would listen to you?”

“I guess so.”

“And Eric Liddell was a hero because he won a gold medal?”

“To a lot of people, yes. They came to hear him when they wouldn’t have given most speakers the time of day.”

“You know, for someone with such good grades, you’re not very smart.”

“What do you mean?”

“Seems to me this Eric Liddell person didn’t succeed in exactly the way he thought he would. Seems to me what makes a hero is someone who gets knocked down but gets back up and looks for what it is they’re supposed to be doing now that things didn’t work out quite like they planned.

“And to be perfectly honest, while I think Olympic athletes—and especially runners—are totally cool and all, I can’t think of a better hero than someone who has been through all you have and come through the other end bigger and stronger. Like you keep doing. And then you put all that aside and pour all your time into helping someone like me.

“If it’s the hero part that’s holding you back from being the missionary you always wanted to be, then I think you’ve missed the fact that you already are one.”

Monday morning, Sabrina woke up with Brandy’s words still ringing through her mind, as they had been since Saturday night.

She picked up her phone and pressed the numbers. “Good morning, this is Sabrina Rice. May I please speak with Candace Davenport?”

“I’ll see if she is available. Just one moment, please.” Violin music filled the phone line, but it did nothing to calm Sabrina’s nerves.

“Sabrina. So good to hear from you, as I was planning to call you later today. Listen, good news. After the last round of interviews, we have decided to make you a firm offer for the intern position. You wowed us on the second interview and we know how hard that must have been with your recent health concerns. With that kind of perseverance and drive, I expect nothing but good things from you.”

The job was hers! Sabrina hadn’t expected to hear those words when she called. She hesitated, her conviction suddenly less firm than it had been only moments ago. “Uh, well thank you so much for saying that, Candace. And I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all that you’ve done for me. I know you’ve gone out of your way to help me.”

“I expect repayment in full, because I see lots of potential in you.”

Potential. Recent health concerns. So they did know about her hospitalization. “Listen, I’ve been thinking a lot about that in the last few days. My potential. And I’ve come to the conclusion that . . .” The words froze in her throat. The clear answer was suddenly so foggy in her mind. Was she crazy? What would make her even consider doing what she was thinking of doing? “I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no need for you to hold that position for me. I think my path lies in a different direction.”

The silence lasted long enough that Sabrina had begun to wonder if they’d been cut off. “What?” Candace almost whispered the word. “But I thought you were so committed.”

“I was. And I am. I’ve just come to realize that I didn’t want to commit to the wrong thing. Once again, I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” I hope I’m doing the right thing, I hope I’m doing the right thing.

“Sabrina, I want you to really think about this before we end this phone call. After that, if you change your mind you will not get a second chance. This is it.”

Deep breath. Move forward. “I know. And I don’t expect to.”

“You’re making a mistake, but I wish you all the best.” A click sounded on the other end of the line, and just like that it was over.

Sabrina reached in the drawer for the phone book because she had one more call to make. She punched in the numbers and waited until a receptionist’s voice came on the line. “Yes, I’d like to make an appointment to speak with Judge McGuire.” It was time to shut down Mrs. Lauderdale and her threatening phone calls once and for all.