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Micah opened his eyes and could see the daylight through the windows. He blinked several times as he tried to remember what day it was. Pain shot through his arm, and he groaned as he remembered the accident. He looked over at his arm and saw the dressing wrapped snuggly over his wound. Then he remembered Marla. She had been there. She had been the one to care for him and sew up his arm. He cringed as he recalled how he had allowed himself to be vulnerable. He had given her an uninhibited peek into his broken heart, and for that, he blamed the pain medicine. With his uninjured arm, he pulled the pillow over his face. What does she think of me?
He reached for his cell phone. It was two-fifteen on Sunday afternoon. He had completely missed Saturday. As much as he wanted to blame the pain medicine for this long sleep, he couldn’t, since he didn’t fill the prescription. There were three texts from Lewis, who was checking on him. He texted Lewis back to let him know he was okay. Lewis wrote right back, telling Micah to call him if he needed anything. Micah slowly sat up, using his good arm to prop himself up. His stomach growled as he tried to remember the last time he had eaten.
Micah got up to the bathroom and brushed his teeth and washed his face. He stared at himself in the mirror. He no longer had stubble. A beard and mustache were becoming evident. He shaved his face and felt thankful to be right-handed since his left arm had been the injured one.
In the kitchen, he brewed a pot of coffee and downed a couple of ibuprofen tablets. His arm was aching. He poured a cup of coffee and looked out the kitchen window. The sky was gray, and it seemed colder. It looked as if it had just rained, and it looked like it might rain again. Micah walked to the living room and leaned against the front window. He exhaled a deep breath. The view of the lake was spectacular and comforting. He was glad Ben and Delaney had agreed to lease their cabin to him the week before. Although his boxes were still piled in the living room, he didn’t care. He was thankful to be back on the lake.
Wanting some fresh air, he changed out of his pajama bottoms and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He picked up his coat off the back of a kitchen chair and carefully put it on over his t-shirt. He slipped on a pair of boots and took his coffee out onto the front porch. The air was so cold he could see his breath. The wind had become gusty, and the waves lapped loudly against the dock. The sky was growing dark, and he could hear thunder in the distance. Turning to go back inside, he glanced out again at the lake. Something had caught his eye, and he did a double-take to see if there was anything there. In the distance, there was a rowboat with a person crouched down. What is that guy doing out there? Micah strained his eyes to look harder. How could anyone want to be out on the lake in this weather? There didn’t appear to be any oars, which seemed equally as strange. If he had been out there, he’d be rowing frantically by now to beat the rain and get out of the cold. As he stared longer, he suddenly saw the figure waving his arms in the air. That guy is in trouble, he thought.
Micah could feel his heart start to race. Someone was in trouble. He quickly jumped into his fishing boat. As he started the motor, his hands were shaking from the adrenaline rush. He steered the boat toward the rowboat. Within a few minutes, he approached the vessel. It was Marla.
“What are you doing out here? It’s freezing, and it’s about to storm,” he yelled at her.
Marla was shaking furiously from the cold. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. Finally, she got out, “I lost the oars.”
Micah shook his head, concerned that she might be hypothermic. He didn’t know how long she had been out in the boat, but she was obviously soaked and shaking. Bringing his boat up by the rowboat, he took off his coat and draped it around her. He tied a line between the boats and told her to lie down in the boat. After revving the engine, he took off back toward the dock, towing the rowboat in. Seeing that Marla’s dock was closer, he steered the boats toward her dock. Upon reaching it, he tied the boats to the dock and helped Marla step out of the rowboat. “C’mon,” he said, as he helped her walk to her house.
Once inside the house, Marla tried to explain what had happened.
“I got the divorce papers, and I needed a release, and—”
Micah stopped her. “Right now, you have to warm your core. Your lips are blue. Go run a warm shower. Get out of these clothes and get in the shower. Start with lukewarm water. As your core warms up, you can slowly warm the water more.”
Marla nodded and obeyed. While she sat in the warmth of the shower over the next hour, Micah built a fire in the fireplace. Marla couldn’t believe this had happened. She was so embarrassed that he’d had to come to her rescue like she was a damsel in distress. Eyes closed tightly, she exhaled as the warm water flowed over her face. How would she face him?
After Micah got the fire going, he went to the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee. What had she been thinking? Why did she venture out on the lake in this weather? When he heard the shower turn off, he knocked on the bathroom door. “How are you doing in there?”
“I’m better,” he heard her say softly.
“Put some warm clothes on, then come sit by the fire. We can drape a few blankets over you, and I’ve made some hot coffee for you to sip on.”
Marla felt exhausted from the day, both mentally and physically. Still shivering, her muscles felt as if they had been through boot camp. She slowly emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas and a robe. Her hair was still damp, though she had mostly dried it with a hairdryer.
Micah directed her to sit down on the couch and draped a blanket over her. Once she was sitting, he handed her a mug of coffee. Then he sat on the other end of the couch. They sat in silence for several minutes.
Marla felt embarrassed and ashamed. She couldn’t bring herself to look up.
After studying her for several minutes, Micah asked, “What happened? Why were you out on the lake on a day like today?”
Tears erupted from Marla’s eyes. Micah scrutinized her, trying to figure out what to do next. Finally, he stood up and walked over to her. Sitting down, he pulled her close to him and cradled her with his uninjured arm. “It’s okay. You can tell me what happened. I want to know.”
She shook her head back-and-forth. “No, you’ll just think I’m an idiot. It’s best if you run away now.” She paused and then said, “Thank you for rescuing me, though. I owe you.”
Micah furrowed his brows and gave her a concerned look. He said, “Marla, I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened. I want to know why you were out on the lake today. It doesn’t make sense. Something must have happened for you to take a chance in a rowboat on the lake today.”
“You are such a nice guy, and I am so thankful that you came after me, but I don’t want to drag you into my drama. I have to handle this myself,” she said, trying to sound strong and resolved.
“We all need other people at times. Just look at how I much I talked the other night when you helped me,” he joked, hoping he might not have said as much as he thought he did.
She looked up at him and asked, “You remember that conversation?”
Micah’s eyes widened as he remembered what he had revealed to her. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to spill his heart to her, at least not yet. Hesitating for a few seconds, he finally said, “I do, and I meant every word of it.”
Marla let his words sink in. He had called her beautiful and special the other night, and now he was telling her that he meant it. His honesty and vulnerability disarmed her. Searching his face, she could see the tenderness in his eyes. She was safe with him and somehow knew it would be okay to open her heart up to him.
She turned and stared into the fire as she began to tell her story.
“It wasn’t just that I had a bad day today, it was a cumulative reaction to all of the bad events in my life.” She paused as Micah stared at her and waited for her to continue. She went on. “I had an angry, controlling father who became almost intolerable after my mother died. I was only ten when she died from breast cancer. My father started drinking heavily after her death, and I could never do anything that met his standards. My only reprieve was the few weeks during the summers that I spent here in Guntersville in this house with my grandparents. The days I spent here hold my happiest, most comforting memories. My grandparents were kind and loving to me. Even the little amount of time I spent with them somehow made the rest of my hard life with my father tolerable. I moved out of the house when I went to college, but my father was still able to antagonize me. He eventually drank himself to death, but then I married a man who could antagonize me just like my father did. The first year of our marriage was good. Charlie was kind to me, and we had fun together. I’m not sure when it started to change, but it did. He started to beat me down mentally, just like my father did. Then he started traveling a lot with his work. Sometimes he’d be gone two weeks out of the month. We started growing distant, and eventually, he became mean. About a month ago, just before I moved here, I figured out he was having an affair. When I confronted him, he told me he didn’t love me anymore, and he had already filed for divorce. He told me I had to leave because he was keeping the house. I know I could have fought him for half of everything, but I realized that almost everything we had was his. I didn’t want any part of the life that I had with him.”
Marla paused to take a few sips of her coffee. Micah sat quietly, absorbing her story. She continued, “I realize that I gave my power over to my father and to Charlie by allowing them to manipulate me, judge me, and shame me. I know I’m not that person, but after years of conditioning, it’s hard to break free. I was fortunate that my grandparents left this house to me. I believe that God has shown me grace by giving me this new start here. I just struggle with feelings of unworthiness.”
Micah shook his head and started to speak.
“Wait, let me finish, okay? I need to get all of this out,” she said.
He nodded and pursed his lips.
She continued, “This may sound silly, but the only thing I wanted from the house and our divorce settlement was the grandfather clock that my grandparents left to me. For some reason, that clock has represented comfort in my life, no matter what I’ve gone through. As a child, I used to sit for hours listening to its rhythmic tick-tock sound, and I would wait each hour for the chimes to ring. When I was eight, I carved a small heart in the base of the clock. I told my grandparents that the tick-tocks sounded like a heartbeat. After my mother passed away, and I was feeling down, I would sit by the clock and just listen. The steady sound would remind me that my mom’s heartbeat was still beating in heaven. As an ER doctor, I treat a lot of people in cardiac arrest. Many of them don’t continue on in this life. As I hear the EKG sound go from beeps to a solid sound of nothing, I remind myself that somewhere in heaven, their hearts beat onward and that someday, the loved ones who are grieving the loss of them will be with them again.”
Micah’s eyes glistened as he fought to hold back tears. He sat quietly for a few moments before he said, “That’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing that with me.” He paused again and wiped his watering eyes. “Where is the clock now?”
Marla pursed her lips and frowned. “Remember the Sunday you came over to get your boxes from the garage?”
He nodded.
“And remember when you asked me if I had planned to put something on that bare space on the wall?” Marla pointed to the space he had asked about.
He said, “The clock.”
She nodded. “I had arranged for movers to pick up the clock to bring it here the day after I drove down here. The only thing Charlie had to do was open the door for them.” She paused as her eyes moistened.
“What happened?” Micah asked.
“He purposely was not at the house when the movers arrived. When I finally got him to respond to my texts and voicemails, he told me he ‘forgot’ and had sold it to an antique store. Earlier today, I not only received the divorce papers in the mail, but I also received a check for $500 for the clock that he sold.”
Micah exhaled loudly as he pulled her close to him.
Tears rolled down Marla’s face. “It may just be a piece of junk to him, but for me, it had become a reminder of the good, kind, and peaceful parts of my life, and it was a symbol of hope.”
Micah asked, “Did you ask him where he sold it?”
Marla exhaled and closed her eyes. She answered, “Yes, but he wouldn’t tell me. He wanted to be able to hold one last control over my head. It worked. Today, when I received the divorce papers along with the check, I had to get out of the house. I didn’t know where to go or what to do, but I needed to clear my head. I thought a trip in my grandfather’s boat might be the escape I needed. I didn’t realize the oars could become unattached. I didn’t even know I had lost them until I had cried for a long time. When I looked up and saw they were gone, I just felt helpless ... and stupid.”
Micah pulled her head to his chest and held her. “You are an amazing woman, Marla. I see you as special, just like I told you the other night. Honestly, your story tonight has given me encouragement.”
Marla pulled her head from his chest and looked at him. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. You hardly know me, yet you think I’m special. How could my story possibly encourage you?”
“Let me share something with you,” he said. He released her and sat back onto the couch, laying his head back. “I was married for two years to Allie. She was my everything.”
Marla gasped as she realized that the Allie he had spoken of had been his wife.
He continued, “I had never met someone so full of life, kindness, strength, and vulnerability. She was born with a heart valve condition and had already had the valve replaced once. She also had other complications, but when we married, she was doing well.” He paused and exhaled before he continued. “Three years ago, when she was only twenty-nine, she passed away from cardiac arrest. I felt like I had died with her. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. One day she was doing well, and the next day, she was gone. I was certain that I would never meet another woman who made my heart beat the way she did.”
Micah stared into space toward the fireplace as he paused his story. He sat quietly for several minutes as if his mind and heart were reliving special moments. Marla stared at him intently as she waited for him to continue.
Finally, he looked at Marla and said, “I have lived these last three years feeling devastated every day, until the day I met you. Something changed. I’ve started to feel different, and I think what’s different is that you’ve given me hope. I know we’ve just met and hardly know each other, but I think I’m starting to care for you. That may seem crazy and scary to you, but for me, it’s a lifesaver. It’s the first time since losing Allie that I believe that someday I might be able to love again.”
The words echoed in Marla’s head. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat. Although his words captured her heart, she also found herself in a déjà vu moment. She stared intently into his eyes, looking for the reason she felt as if she had been here before. She could see truth reflecting from his eyes, as the words “love again” echoed in her mind. Her heart swelled, and she felt hope. As she reached for his hand, she glanced at his bandaged forearm. Despite the warmth of this moment, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been in a similar moment before.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
Marla answered, “Yes, I ... I’m fine. I ... how is your arm?”
He furrowed his brows and looked uncomfortable as he examined her face. He answered, “My arm is much better, thanks to you.” He paused and then said, “I’m sorry if I said too much.”
She looked up into his face and shook her head, “No, you didn’t. I’m just still trying to believe your words. I can hardly remember Charlie ever being this kind to me. It’s hard to believe that you could possibly care for me.” She paused and took a breath. She continued, “Thank you for telling me about Allie. I’m so sorry for your loss. I can only imagine how sad you’ve been, and I’ve sensed this sadness in you from the moment I met you. As for you and me, I have to admit that something stirred in me when I met you, but I never believed you’d feel anything for me. I think that goes back to my feelings of being unworthy. It’s just hard to break free from the way I’ve been conditioned, I guess.”
Micah pulled her into his chest and held her. “I want to say something, and I don’t want it to come across as condescending or parental. Bear with me.”
She pulled back and searched for meaning in his eyes, and then he pulled her back close to him.
He took a deep breath and whispered gently, “Your value comes from what God thinks of you, and only from Him. When He looks at you, He sees His daughter. He calls you ‘Daughter.’ When others mistreat you, demean you, or devalue you, they are messing with a daughter of God. Don’t ever base your worth on what a man thinks of you. Always remember that you are worthy and special because you are a daughter of God.”
Marla looked up at him, and tears glistened in her eyes. This man seemed to have a heart for God. She had tried so many times to get Charlie to go to church with her, but he’d always had an excuse to avoid church. It was soothing and refreshing to hear Micah’s words. She whispered, “Thank you.” Then she leaned into him and kissed him gently on the lips. The kiss grew deeper and more passionate until Micah pulled back. He lay back on the couch and carefully pulled her beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder as they held onto each other. He whispered, “Have dinner with me soon.”
Marla exhaled slowly and whispered, “I would love that.” For the first time in a long time, she felt secure. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the crackles from the fire. She reveled in the warmth and comfort radiating from his closeness to her.
Micah kissed her forehead and pulled her closer. She moved her head to rest on his chest, and the peace she felt lulled her to sleep as she listened to the beat of his heart.