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Cathy
Driving toward what was supposed to be their first house, Cathy thought back to her own pregnancies. They hadn’t been easy. She’d worked full-time, through the morning sickness that lasted all day, through the emotional roller coaster rides. And she hadn’t been an unwed teenager.
Poor Chevon. Cathy glanced at her in the rearview. She was a little less pale now. Still pale, but not quite as ghostlike. The kid had almost passed out in Fanny’s kitchen. Cathy silently thanked God that she hadn’t.
She stopped in front of a Cape Cod with peeling red paint. There were four cars in the driveway. It would be difficult to pretend there was no one home. She turned to look at Chevon. “You want to sit this one out?”
Sheepishly, she nodded.
“Good idea. You give that baby a break. I’ll leave the car running.” She climbed out, expecting the boys to follow, which they did.
A woman answered the door, her lips pressed into a thin, pale line.
“Good morning!” Cathy tried to sound cheery. “We are from New Beginnings and we are going around town checking on people, seeing if they need anything.”
Her eyes narrowed. “New Beginnings? What’s that?”
“It’s a church on Providence Ave.”
“And you’re just going around town banging on doors?”
She hadn’t banged on anything. “That is correct. We’re looking for ways to serve the community.”
A young boy with something brown and sticky all over his face sidled up to the woman and wrapped a shirtless arm around her leg.
“Get back, Devon. It’s cold out. Go get a shirt on.”
The boy vanished, and the woman looked at Cathy. “My kids don’t have boots yet.”
Oh wow! Cathy hadn’t been expecting that. “We can probably help with that! What sizes?”
“I don’t know. Hang on.” She shut the door in their faces.
Yes. This was more like what she’d expected.
She and the two teenage boys stood there awkwardly, silently, for a long time.
“Do you think she’s coming back?” Hype asked.
“Not sure,” Jason said. “And I’m not sure how long we stand here before we accept that we’ve been duped.”
The woman opened the door and handed an envelope out to Cathy. “These are their sizes.”
Cathy took the scrap paper and looked at it. “Oh wow, you have five kids?” She hoped this would lead to a new family attending their church. She loved the idea of five more kids running around.
“Yes, and no girlie colors please.”
Cathy looked up, surprised.
“My girls don’t like pink or purple.” She started to shut the door. “Or yellow.” She shut the door the rest of the way.
The deadbolt clicked into place.
Cathy let out a long sigh. “Come on, gentlemen, let’s go see if we can find some boot funding.”
Pastor wasn’t at the church, but Joe Weir was.
“You didn’t join a team today?”
“I offered to man the fort,” he said with a broad smile.
“Oh.” She returned his smile. “I just need something from the office.” She headed toward the corner of the building and pulled open the top drawer of the filing cabinet. Inside it was a money pouch full of cash. The women had decided to keep it on hand in case there was a crisis during non-banking hours. She took out some twenties and then slid the door shut, turning toward the doorway—which was filled with Joe Weir. She jumped. “Sorry,” she said a little breathless. “Didn’t know you were standing there.”
He frowned. “That’s not a very secure place to store money.”
“No. You’re right. But there’s not much in there.” She started toward the door, but he didn’t move. “We plan to get a safe. Just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
He still didn’t move.
“If you’ll excuse me.”
“Did someone in town ask you for money?”
Something inside her chest started grinding. Was he serious? Did he think she was stealing? He had no idea who she was! “Are you going to let me out of this room?”
His face relaxed, and he stepped back swiftly. “So sorry! Didn’t mean to block your exit. That’s a small room!” He was obviously trying to sound nonchalant, lighten the moment.
It didn’t work.
“It’s an office. Not a gym.” She headed for the door.
“But what’s the money for?”
She turned to face him. Then she paused, considering her words. “Sir, I don’t know you, and I know you don’t know me. But I’m a founding elder of this church, and I answer to God—not you.” She waited a beat and then turned on her heel and walked outside.
“Are you okay?” Hype asked.
She followed his eyes to her hands on the wheel. They were shaking. “I’m fine, thank you. I think I just have low blood sugar.”
“I have some crackers,” Chevon said quickly. “Would you like some?”
“No, thank you, dear. Let’s go to Reny’s, get some boots, and then I’ll treat us all to a snack.”
“I can’t keep much down other than crackers.”
“That’s okay. I’ll buy you a ginger ale.”
