9

Rebecca walked onto the porch, reached for her mail and felt a tug of disappointment that she’d missed Ray.

When she’d left the house earlier, she had every intention of being home in time to see him. Taking the advice of the counselor, she’d headed to the nearest bookstore first thing this morning.

She purchased a cup of coffee in the store café and wandered to the “Inspirational” section only to be overwhelmed by the variety of Bibles there. After picking those that seemed to be geared especially for women, she found a comfortable chair and glanced through each edition. All were lovely, touching, but only one caused her spirit to quicken.

She’d held on to it and put the others back then browsed through the assortment of inspirational books available and picked out a few. If her only hobby was reading, she might as well make the most of it by reading something uplifting, something that might help give wisdom and direction for her life.

Now she was anxious to get inside and get started. She dropped the mail into the bag along with her purchases, got a whiff of scent and smiled. He’d given her roses this time.

Once inside, she emptied the contents of the bag, picked up the packet of envelopes and sorted through them, putting the bills aside and throwing away the junk. Attached to the last envelope with a round smiley-face sticker. Ray’s note made her giggle.

I was here and you were gone, now you’re here and I am gone. And hungry. Guess I’ll have to settle for a cold burger in an impersonal atmosphere, instead of fresh sandwiches in the presence of your lovely company. He’d drawn a frown. Talk to you soon. Have a blessed day. Hugs, Ray.

Rebecca peeled the smiley face off the envelope and stuck the note to the refrigerator where she would be reminded of his kindness and continued friendship, vowing to pray for him every time she saw it.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her it was way past lunch and she hadn’t eaten any breakfast. She fixed herself a sandwich, ate, then settled into her favorite chair and opened her new Bible.

Edited by a popular minister, the book was filled with inspirational articles, nuggets of gold and pearls of wisdom all specifically designed with the sole purpose of offering healing and restoration to a woman’s spirit.

Though she’d read the Scriptures many times before, Rebecca found that the added words of hope and healing—all based on the minister’s unique comprehension of the Bible—brought a fresh perspective to the depth and power of God’s love and compassion. She found herself skimming through the pages anxious to read the next article, excited about God’s Word in ways she’d never experienced before.

She didn’t realize how long she sat or how much she’d read until someone knocked on her door. She put the Bible on the table and glanced at the clock, surprised to note that it was nearly five o’clock in the evening.

She glanced out the door, and then swung it open on a surge of irritation. “I thought I made myself clear the last time you showed up,” she said to the Asian boy who had knocked on her door a few days ago.

Rebecca noted how his complexion reddened, and she felt a tug of remorse as he took a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Sorry, ma’am, I don’t mean to bother. Only a moment of your time, please.” His shoulders hunched in a defeated slump when she didn’t answer.

She sighed. It wasn’t in her nature to be rude. “What can I do for you?”

He looked up at her with dark, earnest eyes. “Your husband, when he die?”

“Over a year ago.”

“I sorry.”

“Thank you. Is that all?”

“May I ask a few questions about him?”

Rebecca studied him a moment before answering. Lean and long-limbed, he appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. Though dressed like any other teenager in jeans and a sweater, the dark hair, olive complexion and almond-shaped eyes revealed his heritage.

Something about the shadow of pain and the hint of fear in his gaze tugged at Rebecca’s heart. “How do you know my husband?” she asked, then wondered at his obvious hesitation.

“Your husband was in Air Force, right?”

The question was almost a statement, and Rebecca nodded slowly, wondering how this kid could know that.

“He stationed in Korea?”

Again, Rebecca nodded. A knot of apprehension formed at the base of her skull. “A couple of times,” she admitted quietly.

He smiled. “He kind to my mother. She encourage me to look him up when I come to school in United States, I sorry to hear about his death.”

Shamed now by her previous treatment of him, Rebecca stepped away from the door. “Would you like to come in?”

Surprise registered on his face, followed by joy. His quick grin touched her in a way that only a mother would understand.

“Thank you,” he said.

The phone rang, interrupting their conversation. Excusing herself, she left the young man to follow or wait, and raced to the kitchen and answered it. “Hello?”

“Rebecca?”

Ray’s voice, raw and fierce, sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine. “Ray? What’s wrong?”

“I just got a phone call; my parents were killed in a car wreck earlier this evening.”

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry.”

“I have to go to Flagstaff.”

“Of course you do.”

“I,” his voice broke. “I don’t want to. I hate that place. But no matter how mixed up they were or how lonely my childhood, they’re still my parents.”

“You’re right.”

“Come with me, Becca.”

The request startled her. “What?”

“Come with me. We’ll take a late flight out and be there in a few hours.”

“But...”

“Please, Rebecca. I’m not sure I can do this alone.”

In light of all the times he’d been there for her in the past year, she could not in all good conscience, refuse him now. “OK, Ray. Give me time to pack a suitcase. How long will we be gone?”

A heavy breath sounded through the phone line. “Thank you,” he whispered. “We’ll only be gone a day or two.

“Where will we, or more specifically where will I, stay?”

“It’s a huge house, there’s plenty of room. But if you’re not comfortable with that, I’ll put you up at a hotel. We have plenty of time to decide on the flight in.”

Rebecca murmured noncommittally, unsure of the propriety of staying in the same house with a single man—and one she barely knew if she were completely honest.

“Call your kids, Becca. At least one of them and let them know what’s going on. Don’t want Jeffery to think I’ve abducted you or anything like that.”

Though it wavered, Rebecca heard the smile in his voice. She promised to do so and to be ready by the time he got there to pick her up.

She rang off and returned to her guest, who’d waited politely in the foyer. She offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. You’ll have to come back another time. A friend has an emergency.” She opened the door for him to leave.

The young man obeyed without the slightest hesitation.

He was long gone before Rebecca realized she’d never even asked his name.

After packing her suitcase, Rebecca glanced at her watch and figured she might be able to talk to both of her children before Ray arrived.

Debbie was her usual sweet self, accepting without question why Rebecca felt the need to go with Ray.

Jeffery wasn’t so understanding. “How well do you know this guy?”

Rebecca heard the real question in her son’s voice. “Not as well as you might be imagining. Have you forgotten how I raised you Jeff, or do you just think I have?”

“No, Mom. I wasn’t thinking that at all.”

But Rebecca heard the hint of guilt in his voice that convinced her he had at least considered the thought. “Your sister didn’t seem to have a problem with my going.”

He snorted. “I can imagine she didn’t. She’s too naive and trusting. Just like you. And she thinks he’s ‘incredibly sweet and cute’. At least I think those were her words when I spoke with her the other day.”

Rebecca smiled at the hint of annoyance in her son’s voice. “He is both of those things. He’s also charming, gentle, kind, and unless I’m mistaken, very much in love with me.” She knew it was true the moment the words left her mouth, and she wondered how her son would feel about that.

Jeff remained silent.

“He’s been a wonderful friend to me this past year, and I can’t—let me rephrase that—I won’t let him down now, when he needs me to be the same for him.”

Jeff heaved a sigh.

Rebecca imagined him rubbing his forehead the way he did when he was frustrated or upset. “Don’t you trust my judgment? Or at least trust me enough to know my own heart and mind.”

“Of course I do. It’s just that I don’t know this guy, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. Promise you’ll call me while you’re with him, Mom. At least once or twice while you’re there and when you get home so I’ll know you’re OK.”

Rebecca agreed.

They talked a few more minutes, their conversation ending when Ray arrived.

The flight was quiet, uneventful. Rebecca told him of her conversation with the counselor and her subsequent visit to the bookstore.

“I wouldn’t have minded you calling me, Becca.”

She smiled tenderly and took his hand. “I know, but I’ve always heard that sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger.”

Rebecca noted the tired, strained expression on his face and refrained from further conversation. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and said a silent prayer for his emotional wellbeing when he put his seat into a reclining position and closed his eyes.

They sat in companionable silence the remainder of the flight, but as the pilot began his descent into Flagstaff, Rebecca actually felt the tension building in Ray.

His grip on her hand tightened, his shoulders stiffened, he put his seat up with a forceful snap, and once they landed, he wasn’t in a hurry to gather their things and get off the plane.

After the last person on the plane had passed his seat, Ray let go of Rebecca’s hand and rose. Stepping back, he allowed her into the aisle before reaching in the overhead compartment to retrieve their carry-on bags.

The time it took to deplane, claim their luggage and rent a car did very little to ease the palpable tension. His unease made Rebecca increasingly more uncomfortable, and she silently reminded herself that she was present to support him, and that her own feelings were not a priority.

Once out of the airport, Ray asked Rebecca what she wanted to do about sleeping arrangements.

Rebecca hesitated only a moment before answering. The Bible instructed believers to avoid the appearance of sin, but it also said a true friend sticks closer than a brother. She reached for his hand. “I’ll stay at your parents’ home, but in a different room.”

“It’s not a home, it’s a mausoleum. A home is built on love, joy and happiness, none of that existed in this place.”

The harshness of his voice surprised her.

He emitted a strained, bitter little laugh. “Maybe we should both stay in a hotel.”

Rebecca’s heart broke at the pain and resentment in his voice. “Whatever you think is best, Ray, I’m here for you.”

“And that’s what friends are for, right?”

Rebecca winced at the underlying edge to his voice. He may have forgiven her, but he hadn’t forgotten.

She raised his hand to her cheek, rubbed it against her skin then brushed her lips across it as he had done numerous times to her.

Ray sighed, tugging their joined hands to his lips. “I’m sorry, Becca. I don’t mean to take my feelings out on you.”

Rebecca pulled her hand from his grasp and stroked his cheek with her fingers. “It’s OK. That’s what friends are for.”

His smile was tense. “Touché; I’m grateful you came, Becca. I may not show it over the next few days, but please know that I am.”

Darkness shrouded the mountain peaks north of the city as they drove the five miles from the airport into Flagstaff. Lights twinkled in the distance and although the silence between them wasn’t unbearable, neither was it comfortable. The tension emanating from Ray clouded the atmosphere like a dense fog and Rebecca wondered what kind of emotional upheaval awaited him over the next few days.

Well, here we are,” he remarked, as he rolled into the driveway of a huge, two-story house.

Red brick with white pillars, the house looked as though it belonged on a luxurious estate instead of a small, crowded, city block.

Rebecca thought it was beautiful, but it was understandable how a frustrated young boy could consider it big, cold and lonely—especially if his parents were largely absent.