I’m so glad you came to get me.” Kara leaned back in the passenger seat of Addy’s car, looking out at cow pastures on either side of I-4.
“Me too,” Addy said. “But it’s not going to be the most exciting day.”
“I don’t care.” Kara clicked the seat back as far as it could go, making room for her long legs. “I just needed to get out of there for a little while.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to Disney with the others?”
“No,” Kara said quickly. “Ashley said it was just for fun, no cameras or auditions. I’d rather wait and go with Ma and Pop.”
“When are they coming?”
“As soon as Pop gets better,” Kara said.
“He’s still sick?”
“‘Under the weather,’ Ma says. But this has been going on since I got here. And he’s so stubborn. Refuses to go see the doctor. He won’t even let Ma bring the doc to him.”
“But your mom is a nurse.” Addy checked her rearview mirror before pulling into the next lane. “Can’t she diagnose him?”
“Pop won’t let Ma nurse him. He just wants to rest, says he’ll be better in no time. He tried to get Ma to come down here without him.”
“She refused, huh?”
“No, I did,” Kara said. “She’s not leaving Pop when he’s sick. He needs to be her top priority. I have you. And the ugly stepsisters.”
“It’s not getting any better with the girls?”
Kara groaned. “It’s not big stuff. Nobody is getting into fights or calling names or trying to sabotage anybody else. It’s more subtle than that.”
“Like what?”
“Like Haley always hogging the bathroom so I have no time to get ready. Or Anna Grace making little comments about my performance or my outfits.”
“What kind of comments?” Addy asked.
“Right after our last audition, she came up and said that I was looking at the camera during the shooting.”
“So?”
“So we’re not supposed to look at the camera,” Kara said. “And I wasn’t. But she says stuff like that all the time, just to make me nervous.”
“Maybe she was trying to help.”
“Come on, Addy.” Kara looked at her friend. “You know Anna Grace. You saw how she was on The Book of Love: all sweet on the outside, but ruthless on the inside.”
“What about the one girl you said was nice?”
“Oh, Jillian.” Kara shrugged. “She is nice. And she really likes Flora. She’s with her more than I am.”
“She’s a Christian, right?”
“She says she is.”
“So they probably have a lot to talk about.”
Kara looked out the window. “I guess.”
“You’re not really connecting with her either?”
“Not really.” Kara looked at Addy again. “She just seems to say whatever Flora does. If she does say something different and Flora disagrees with her, Jillian changes her mind to agree with Flora. It’s like she’s trying to impress her.”
“Maybe she’s young in the faith and she sees Flora as a mentor.”
“I just don’t understand people who have no opinions of their own.”
Addy laughed.
“I mean, is that what Christianity does to you, takes away your personality and your brain? You just think whatever people tell you to think?”
“Is that what you think of me?”
“No, of course not,” Kara said.
“What about Flora? Is she like that?”
Kara grinned. “No way. Flora is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. And she sure doesn’t follow the crowd.”
“Have you tried reading John?”
“Yeah. I’ve gotten to chapter five. It’s pretty interesting.”
“I told you.” Addy grinned.
“I mean, I don’t get all of it. Like this one part I read. It said Jesus healed a guy, and then he got in trouble for it. What was that about?”
“Only God can heal,” Addy said. “The religious leaders knew that Jesus was claiming to be God, and they hated him for it. That’s the reason he ended up being crucified.”
“Because he claimed to be God? That’s a lame reason to kill someone.”
“Not to the Jews. They were looking for the Messiah.”
“Don’t you believe Jesus was the Messiah?”
“Yes, but they didn’t. So they killed him because of it.”
“Weird.”
“Keep reading. The end of the story is the best.”
“It’s definitely not as bad as I thought. I still don’t know if I can buy into all of it, though. But being a Christian doesn’t seem as strange to me as it used to.”
“That’s good, because you’re going to meet a whole lot more Christians today.”
“I am?” Kara leaned forward. “Where are you taking me? ”
“I told you I had plans.” Addy smiled. “And you said you didn’t care, that you were up for anything.”
“Oh, great. Please tell me we’re not picketing some senator or standing on the side of the road holding Jesus Loves You signs.”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Good.” Kara leaned back into her seat. “Then what? ”
“We’re helping an inner-city mission restock their food pantry.”
“Really?” Kara said. “Wow. Do you do this a lot?”
“Actually.” Addy moved into the right lane to allow a sports car to pass her. “This will be my first time.”
“You just woke up this morning and felt like restocking a homeless shelter’s food pantry?”
“No.” Addy laughed. “I was talking to Jonathon and he was telling me something he learned from Chad.”
“Chad Beacon?” Kara turned to face Addy. “Do tell.”
“You’re still thinking about him?”
“All the time.” Kara sighed.
Addy shot her a look before continuing. “Chad told Jonathon that he and his family have days when they go and serve others, doing lots of different things. They try to be Jesus to people. Jonathon loved that idea, so he went and helped a gardener at the White House one day.”
“Jesus helps gardeners?”
“Jesus loved others and put their needs above his own,” Addy said. “Listening to Jonathon talk about his day made me see that I don’t do that enough. I’m so wrapped up in my own world.”
“So you’re doing this to feel better?”
Addy shook her head. “I want to be more like Jesus.”
“So you’ll get, like, brownie points or something? ”
“No, we serve God because we love him,” Addy said. “Not because we’re trying to impress him.”
Kara considered that as Addy pulled into the shelter.
The girls arrived at Tampa Cares just before noon. Over a hundred homeless men, women, and children were sitting in a cafeteria eating their lunch.
“They don’t look like the homeless people on TV,” Kara whispered to Addy as they entered.
“What do you mean?”
“You know. Gray sweaters and white beards.”
“You watch way too much TV.” Addy laughed.
Kara glanced at the sea of faces. There were teenagers and young adults, some in fairly fashionable clothes. There were a few of the “TV homeless” too, with their garbage bags clutched in their laps. But overall, these were just people.
“A guy who works here told me a lot of the people here are homeless because they lost their jobs and their homes and didn’t have family or friends they could move in with,” Addy said.
“That’s terrible. I can’t imagine.”
Addy nudged her friend. “With the size of your family, you won’t ever have to worry about that.”
The girls found Ellen, the woman in charge of the food pantry, and got to work.
“I had no idea people sent so much junk to food pantries.” Kara handed yet another can of expired cranberry sauce to Addy.
“Look at this.” Addy held up a half-empty box of potato flakes.
The pantry was full of crates, some stacked with canned foods, others boxed foods, some with paper goods. Nothing looked very appetizing. As the girls sorted through the last crate for their shift, a woman just a few years older than them entered the building.
“Are you working the next shift?” Kara smiled at the woman.
“Not exactly.” The woman smiled back, revealing yellowed teeth. Upon closer inspection, Kara noted that the woman’s T-shirt was worn and her jeans were a size too big and about a decade out of date. “I was wondering if I could get some food.” The woman’s eyes watered, and Kara looked at Addy.
“I’m sorry.” The woman hung her head. “I don’t want to bother you. It’s just that I didn’t know where to go. And I’m so hungry. A friend told me I could come here.” The woman began crying, and Kara held her breath.
Addy walked over to the woman and touched her shoulder. “Of course you can get some food. But let’s go into the cafeteria. They’re between lunch and dinner, but I’m sure we can find something good for you there.”
“I’m Jalina.” The woman held her hand out to Addy. “Thank you.”
“My name is Addy.” She grasped Jalina’s hand and held it in both of hers. “I’m happy to be able to help.”
Addy guided Jalina to the cafeteria, where she was able to get her a hot meal. Addy and Kara sat with Jalina and watched as she ate her meal quickly, barely stopping to take a drink.
“Are you from Tampa, Jalina?” Addy asked.
Jalina looked up from her plate. “No. I’m kind of from all over, you know? I was born in Pensacola, moved all around the panhandle. I haven’t always been . . .” She paused. “I had a home and a family.”
“What happened?” Addy leaned in, her voice kind.
“Drugs.” The woman shrugged. “I started when I was fourteen. My parents told me I couldn’t come home if I didn’t get clean.” Jalina fought tears. “So I didn’t go home. Spent ten years doing everything I could to make money so I could buy more drugs. Made one stupid choice after another.”
“And your family?” Kara asked, finally speaking.
Tears fell down Jalina’s face. She couldn’t speak.
“You haven’t spoken to them?” Addy’s voice was soft.
Jalina shook her head, wiping her tears with a napkin.
“Would you like to?” Addy asked.
“No, I can’t,” Jalina said. “You don’t understand. When I left, they told me I can’t ever come back.”
Addy scooted her chair closer to Jalina. “Have you ever read any of the Bible?”
“Not really,” Jalina said.
“Jesus once told a story about a young man who asked for his inheritance early, then went out and spent it on all kinds of things. Worthless things. He wasted all the money his parents gave him.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Jalina said. “That’s me, right? I know.”
Kara looked at Addy. What is she doing? Trying to make the poor girl feel worse?
“This guy got so low he was eating food the farmer threw out to the pigs.”
Jalina looked at the food on her plate and all three girls laughed.
“So what happened? Did the guy die out there with the pigs?”
“No.” Addy smiled at Jalina. “He finally got up the courage to go home.”
Jalina pushed her empty plate toward the center of the table. “I bet he got told what’s what.”
“Actually,” Addy said, “his father had been waiting for him every day, hoping he’d come home.”
“What?”
“Yes.” Addy’s smile was brighter. “He was prepared to beg for his father’s forgiveness. The man was going to ask his father if he could be a family servant. But when he got to his house, his father hugged him and called to the others to prepare a feast to celebrate his coming home.”
Jalina bit her lip. “That’s a true story?”
“It’s a parable that Jesus told.”
“A parable?”
“It’s a story that teaches a lesson,” Addy said.
“But what if I don’t have a dad like that?”
“You do.” Addy gazed deep into Jalina’s eyes.
“You mean God?”
“That was the point of that story, Jalina. To teach us that God is waiting for his children, and he will welcome us no matter what we’ve done.”
Jalina reached for a napkin. “God can’t love me. I’ve done too many terrible things.”
“God doesn’t love you because you are lovable,” Addy said. “He loves you because he is love.”
“Really?” Jalina’s eyes watered. “God really loves me? ”
“He does. And he’s waiting for you.”
Ellen walked over. “Well, ladies, how’s the meal? ”
“It’s not pig slop,” Jalina said.
Kara laughed, a deep belly laugh. Jalina and Addy joined her and Ellen looked on, her face blank.
“Sorry.” Kara took a deep breath. “No offense. Addy was just telling Jalina a story about a guy who ate pig slop.”
“The prodigal son?” Ellen asked.
“Yes.” Addy nodded.
“I love that story,” Ellen said. “I was just like him.”
Kara saw Jalina look at Ellen, taking in her white smile and shiny black hair. “You?”
“I sure was.” Ellen sat down. “I’d be happy to tell you about it.”
Kara knew that was their signal to leave. She said goodbye to Jalina, hugging her lightly, then looked back as she left the cafeteria. The young woman was listening to Ellen, nodding and crying as they walked out to Addy’s car.
“I have never seen you be so quiet.” Addy buckled her seat belt and looked at Kara.
“I didn’t know what to say. But you were like a little preacher girl. That missionary DNA keeps on coming up, doesn’t it?”
Addy laughed. “It isn’t a genetic disease.”
“No, it was good.” Kara stared out the window. “You gave that woman hope.”
“God gave her hope. But he allowed me to be part of it. That was great.”
“That was pretty great.” Kara looked at Addy. “And the prodigal son. I’ve heard people talk about that story, but I didn’t know it was about God.”
Addy didn’t speak.
“The Bible really says God loves people like that?”
“He really does love people like that,” Addy said. “All people. Drug addicts. Homeless people. Even people who don’t believe in him.”
“Oh, I see.” Kara leaned her head against the window. “I’m lumped in with the drug addicts.”
“And homeless people.” Addy grinned.
“Actually, that’s not such bad company.” Kara thought about Jalina, the hope in her eyes when Addy talked about God’s love. “Can we do that again?”
“We sure can.”