The young woman with the long blond ponytail hung up the phone. She had dialed the number off, and on all day, and had no luck at all getting an answer. Sometimes it would ring over and over, and then go dead. Twice now, when she dialed all she got was a recorded message saying the line was out of order. It was so frustrating. She had waited a very long time to make this call; surely if she tried enough times, it would go through.
Beth sat down in an old-fashioned high back chair that had come from her mother’s house. She wondered what to do now. She guessed she didn’t have much choice except try again later. Probably the phone lines just weren’t working properly. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was already almost 5 o’clock. Darrel would soon be home from the plant where he worked as an engineer.
She should probably go and start something for supper. Mentally, she went over what she might have in the cupboard. She knew she had a package of ground hamburger and some cheeses in the refrigerator, so she decided on lasagna. It was one of Darrel’s favorites, and she had ice cream in the freezer for dessert. A short time later Beth’s husband of three months came in the door.
“Oh, my goodness! You’re smelly,” she laughed while trying to hold her nose as he grabbed her in a bear hug.
“Didn’t you even miss me today?” he said. “You mean I have to be clean before you’re even willing to let me touch you? Can’t you at least appreciate the fact that I have been slaving away all day just for you? I can’t believe a guy can’t even get a simple little hug!” In mock disgust, he headed down the hall and into the tiny bathroom. He turned his head and called over his shoulder, “By the way, what’s for supper? Will I have enough time to watch the news before we eat?”
“I don’t think I’ll even tell you, Mr. Smarty-pants!” She laughed and said, “I can wait a little longer before I put things in the oven.” Forty minutes later, Beth almost had dinner ready when Darrel called from the other room.
“Honey, didn’t you say your sister lived in Summerset Hills, Pennsylvania?”
“Yeah. Why?” Beth wiped her hands on a kitchen towel as she stepped into the living room.
“Look at this! There was a really bad tornado there last night. It says there were a number of injuries and several people killed”. The television was showing a large area of land with many houses that looked more like “pick-up sticks” than homes. The trailer court they showed was completely beyond recognition, and there was literally nothing left of it.
Beth’s face turned ashen.
“Oh, Darrel, I’ve been trying to call there all day. That must be the reason I couldn’t get through.”
He reached for her hand, “It’s OK, Hon. Just because the phones aren’t working doesn’t mean they aren’t all right.”
Beth barely ate the lasagna she had made that evening. She had been so excited about finally finding out where Sandi and Joletta were, and now this! Surely God wouldn’t let anything bad happen now.
She slept fitfully that night, and when her husband got up at 6:30 the next morning, he found Beth in the front room, just sitting and looking at the large painting on the wall – a painting of two small boys and a smiling blond-haired girl. The painting her sister did so many years earlier.
“I have to go there, Darrel. I have to go and find them,” she said quietly.
He sat down and put his arm around her. “I know,” he said.
Three days later, Darrel picked Beth up from her job and drove her to the airport. She barely said a word during the 40-minute drive downtown. She had said very little in the past several days, and her husband was concerned.
“Call me when you get checked into your hotel,” he said.
He held her close. “I am really going to miss you, babe. Are you sure you’re going to be all right? I’m sorry, Hon. I wish I could have gotten off work.” He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. “I really tried but the boss said we are just too busy right now.”
“I’m fine,” she paused, “at least right now I am. I’m just dreading what I might find.” She held tight to him and said into his chest, “Oh, I wish you could go too, but I’ll be all right, really I will.” Her bravado slipped a bit as her voice caught in
her throat. Squeezing his hand once more, she turned to wave as she walked down the chute to the waiting 747. “I’ll see you next week, Sweetheart. I love you!”
“I love you too. I’ll talk to you tonight.”