Chapter 25
"Another congratulations to both Hanna and Chris." Pastor Walling stated after the morning announcements. He nodded to the couple, smiling at Hanna then looking a bit sad when connecting eyes with Chris.
Hanna was reluctant if not adamantly against telling the people of the town their news. She felt as though it was only recently confirmed of her being with child, when her belly had begun filling out slightly.
"A woman doesn't speak of such things." She said to Chris one night.
"It's such joyous news, why wouldn't you want to shout it through the roof tops?" Chris asked.
"I am over ecstatic about being with child, don't get me wrong, but it's not proper to talk about."
Hanna felt as though there were a few people buzzing about it already. She was now more than a couple months along and even though she barely showed, her symptoms were difficult to hide.
"People usually only find out of a pregnancy when the woman begins to show. It’s not something shouted about.” Hanna said.
When Mrs. Browley asked the couple if she could request that the pastor make the announcement Sunday morning, Chris nodded quickly as Hanna was more reserved about it. “I suppose.” she hesitantly replied.
“These are our neighbors and friends.” Mrs. Browley gave her daughter a wink. “It will be fine, my dear.”
The congregation sang their carefully selected hymns and after a few requests and morning prayers, they settled into the pews.
"Now let us prepare our hearts to worship and praise our Lord." The pastor proclaimed to the congregation. Everyone bowed their heads and the room fell silent. The piano began with a quiet, soft tune.
"Amen." the pastor said. "We will begin our journey today in Isaiah. Please turn with me to chapter 55 beginning with verse 8."
The pastor waited for whoever had their Bibles with them to find the passage, cleared his throat and began reading aloud.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
The pastor paused, glanced quickly to Chris, cleared his throat and continued.
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of the briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed."
Chris’ heart sank. He knew exactly who this sermon was for, him. He knew what the pennies were for. He knew even before he found the 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 coins. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that 1995 would appear in two days.
He had to stop running and hiding from it, something was going to happen and he needed help. Of course God’s help was a necessity but Chris felt he needed some guidance from a body, here on Earth. He had never confronted the pastor about his comment on Chris’ wedding day and lately, the pastor had been acting differently toward him. All of the sad, solemn looks and these sermons, the sermons that he spoke as if directly to Chris. It was time to find out just what he knew.
“Pastor Walling.” Chris hesitantly said approaching him after the service. “Would it be alright if I met and talked with you?”
“Of course, Chris. I’ve actually been waiting for you to ask.” He replied, ignoring Chris’ confused expression. “Let me see the last of these people off and we can talk in the church. Will that work for you?”
“Yes, I will have Hanna ride home with her folks.” Chris replied still confused by yet another comment from the pastor that didn’t make any sense.
Once everyone made their way home, Chris and pastor Walling sat in the front pew of the church.
“You almost seem like you know why I’m here.” Chris began bluntly.
“I will wait for you to begin before I say anything.” The pastor said. ‘Another odd comment’ Chris thought.
“Let me begin with a question, if that’s alright.” Chris said, continuing after the pastor nodded. “The comment you made to me at the dance celebrating our wedding. About me adjusting well especially not being from this time. That comment has been weighing on me ever since. What did you mean by that?” Chris sucked in a breath waiting for the reply.
“I meant it exactly how it sounded. From what time do you join us from, Chris?”
“How do you know?” Chris asked still wondering if they were on the same page.
“I never knew time travel was possible until I met you. You seemed of a different time. Your clothes, your speech, your demeanor and attitude. It was nothing I’d experienced before. At first when the hair-brained idea came to my head, I figured it must have been the future. I, of course, doubted it until I experienced a dream shortly before your wedding. It was as if it was God, himself, coming to me for me to help you. It was my instruction to not help you, however, until you came to me. I’ve been waiting for you. Trying to nudge you with the sermons.”
“I almost figured that.” Chris said, still astonished and trying to fit together everything the pastor had just told him.
“Something has been happening to you the last several weeks, hasn’t it?” The pastor continued.
Chris’ eyes popped up to meet his. His worried expression must have been apparent. “What is it?” the pastor asked.
Chris straightened his body slightly, reached into his pocket and pulled out the copper colored coin. He handed it to pastor Walling.
“A penny.” he replied.
“Look at the date.” Chris stated pointing to the bottom, right side of the coin.
“1994?” The pastor seemed surprised but not overly. “Is that when you are from?”
“Kind of. I was born in 1979 and it was the year 1998 when I left to come here. I am actually from Coar, 130 years in the future. I have been wanting to tell someone for so long, you have no idea what a relief it is to get it off my chest.”
“Hanna doesn’t even know?” The pastor asked in astonishment.
“Nobody knows...” Chris said hanging his head. “I didn’t want anyone to think I was crazy, then it had gone on for so long, I didn’t want anyone to think I’d been lying or deceiving them. I have been stuck within this for so long. After everything I’d been searching my whole life for was found here, I stopped fighting it and longed to stay. Now these pennies have been showing up, on the same day of the week, in the same spot of my field for over 3 months, now. I think I know what they mean but I can’t accept that.”
“What do you think they mean?” the pastor asked as if he already knew the answer.
“I.. think they may be a warning... of my... return.” Chris barely got through the sentence without having to cover his face with his hand. “I don’t want to go back, pastor. I have found my life, here. What am I going to do without it? Without Hanna, without my baby?”
“God has a plan for you, Chris. He knows what He is doing. That went hand in hand with the sermon about trusting Him and allowing Him to lead you with an obedient and happy heart.”
“Why would God send me here to find everything I’d always searched for just to tear it away from me the moment I find it? Does that make any sense at all?”
“What was the most important thing that you found while being here?” The pastor asked with an answer already in his head.
“I found family, I found Hanna. I found...” Chris hesitated. “I found my own strength and I found the Lord.” His tone lowered as if he knew what was next to come
out of the pastor’s mouth.
“I’m not saying that Hanna and the Browley family are not important, but it seems to me that the Lord sent you here to not only find Him but to find yourself. You’ve done that. Your work, here is done and where ever you go, Chris, you will have Him and you will have yourself, stronger than you were before.”
“But Hanna..” Chris said feeling a lump form in his throat.
“It’s hard to hear, but God has a plan for her as well. Whether it be with you or not. Trust, trust, trust Christopher.”
Chris nodded knowing he was right but that did not stop the pain in his heart. “You knew something was going on with me.” he said turning to the pastor. “you knew I was getting these coins.”
“I didn’t know what you were finding or experiencing, but it has been confided in me, Chris...” He stopped and placed a hand on Chris’ shoulder. “You will be going back.”
“God told you that?” Chris asked.
“In His way to me, yes He did.” the pastor replied.
“Why would he tell you and not me. Why would he do this to me and not even give me any time to prepare. I have been begging and pleading with Him to tell me what was going on and he didn’t answer me.”
“Didn’t He?” The pastor exclaimed. “You said so yourself that you knew the reason but refused to accept it.. who do you think put that realization into your head? As for the preparation time. How long did you say you’ve been finding those coins?”
Chris hung his head, not even bothering to answer the rhetorical question. “What do I do, pastor? How much time do I have left, here?”
“I think you know the answer to that, as well.” The pastor said forcing Chris to sift through his brain.
“My guess has been that the pennies will only go up to the year to when I left. But instead of the Tuesday I’m supposed to get the 1998 coin, I’ll be back already. Do you suppose it’ll be the Monday night before?”
“I would just prepare for that, Chris. I do not know the detail. That is between you and God. If this is the case, though. You need to confide in Hanna. You need to convince her that you are telling her the truth so that she understands why you are gone, so she can prepare herself, as well.”
“What if she doesn’t believe me?” Chris asked, reaching out for any answers he could set his ears upon. “Will you help me?”
The pastor slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry, Chris. This is the step you need to take on your own. I have been instructed to only help you understand. The footwork is your responsibility. You have waited so long in denial that you, now only have three weeks to complete this mission. Use the time wisely, my son. I know you will.” The pastor patted Chris’ shoulder, stood to gather his belongings and without another word, strolled out the door.
“Hanna, my darling. There is something serious I need to discuss with you.” Chris began that night as they rocked gently in their chairs.
Hanna put down her knitting. “What is it?” She asked with worry in her expression.
“I don’t know how to begin. I’m... not from around here. Well, I am but not really. I’ve actually lived here my whole life but...” Chris let out a burst of frustration. ‘How is she going to understand this if I can’t even understand the words coming from my mouth?’ Chris thought as he studied the wrinkles on Hanna’s confused face.
Her expression then smoothed out. “Oh, Chris. Did you find out the missing piece? Of how you got here? That seemed to be the only thing you couldn’t remember.” Her hopeful eyes broke Chris’ heart into even smaller pieces.
“Hanna. I’ve always known. God sent me here. I am from Coar... Coar City.”
“City? Is that another place with the same name because I’d never seen you around until pa brought you home after the twister.”
“Coar City is the name of Coar in the year 1998. Please believe me my dear. I am from here but 130 years in the future.”
Chris sucked in an even deeper breath waiting for her reply. ‘Please believe me, Hanna, please believe me.’ chanted through his head.
“Oh, come now, Christopher. Is this some crazy dream you had that you’ve twisted around into your reality?” she said with a light chuckle.
“I’m telling the truth. I have been wanting to tell you since the moment I realized I was in love with you and when I knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”
Hanna raised a brow to him when she saw the seriousness in his face.
“I am telling you now...” Chris continued but with a pause. “because I am being sent back.”
“Sent back where?” Hanna asked with force in her voice.
“I’m being sent back into the future. Where I came from. The year 1998.”
“This is the most ridiculous, absurd thing I’ve ever heard in my life, Chris. What game are you playing with me? It’s not funny.” Hanna said showing even more confusion and hurt.
“I’m not trying to be funny. I’m trying to make you understand why I won’t be here in a couple of weeks.” Chris said, forcing his words upon her in a desperate attempt to make up for the time he lost. The time he should have been using to convince her that his story was, in fact, true.
‘Why did I wait for so long?’ Chris wondered. ‘Why did I think that my own denial would make all of this go away? God didn’t have to give me all of this time to prepare but He did and I squandered it.’ The thought made Chris want to curl up in a ball and weep.
“What are you saying? You’re going to leave me?” Hanna said, choking on her words. “Just when we get married and find out we’re having our first child. You’re going to leave?”
“I have no choice..” Chris tried to explain.
“You think you do not have a choice. You’ve wanted to get out of Coar the moment you stepped foot into it. You never wanted to stay here, you made that perfectly clear. You’ve probably, finally realized where you are from and it has proven more important to you than I.” Tears now flowed down her cheeks.
“Hanna, I am not leaving you to go to some other town. I won’t even be in this time anymore. I am not leaving Coar, I am leaving the year 1869 and returning to 1998. I would never intentionally leave you. This is killing me! I need you to believe me and understand, please. There’s nothing more I can do to convince you. God knows and maybe He will tell you.” Chris pleaded. “Go to Him, see if He will tell you before you ostracize me from your heart.”
“It seems I have a lot of praying to do for you, Chris. I am thoroughly confused right now.” Hanna stated as tears continued to flow from her red, puffy eyes. “I’m going to bed. Hopefully you have come to your senses by morning.”
She slowly rose from her rocker and without another word, strolled into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
‘That didn’t go well.’ Chris thought. ‘How am I to convince her? I do not want her to wake up one morning and think I’ve abandoned her. I cannot allow her to ever think that I do not love her with all of my heart and soul.’
‘Please God, I beg of you. Please speak to Hanna. Place the truth into her heart and allow her to understand what will be happening to me, to her and to our family. I have no choice but to accept the fate of your plan for me but my heart breaks for my family. I cannot fathom the thought of my last two weeks, here to be in an argument with my wife. I need her love, support and understanding right now. Lord, please, show her what the future holds. Show her what her next step is. Show her, dear Jesus, how I still and always will... love her!’