At the next stop, Mark got off the bus and started the short walk to his sister’s house, praising and thanking God the whole way for the miracle he had performed on Mark’s behalf. He had to use Julia’s phone to call Bill and the guys from the men’s prayer group. They would want to know how God had chosen to answer their prayers. Mark had been forewarned that God might not choose to answer his prayer the way he wanted it answered. He’d prayed for understanding if that was to be the case but was very glad it wasn’t.
Julia opened the door, surprised to see Mark standing before her smiling like an idiot. “Thank you, Jesus!” came out through tears as she hugged her brother, ever thankful for him being in her life.
She hung on for a long moment. All the years of worry he’d put her through seemed to be fading into the past, gone like a bad dream with the first rays of morning. She’d prayed hard for him during those years. Sometimes she had to separate herself from him physically, but she never left him in her prayer life. She was thankful to find out that Aunt Merry had been praying during those years too. Now she joined Aunt Merry in praying for Jessi. The final ending had yet to be seen.
Mark pulled away first. “We have to celebrate, sis. I’m taking you out to dinner. No amount of protesting is going to work. It’s final. You’ve cooked for me so much lately; it’s your turn to be treated. Where do you want to go?”
“Well, since you put it like that, I want a chimichanga. How does Mexican sound?”
“Mmm…great. I haven’t had that in ages. Can I use your phone before we leave? I need to call Bill and some of the guys from prayer group. They are going to want to know how everything turned out.”
“Sure, go ahead. I need a few minutes to get cleaned up, anyway.” Julia disappeared down the hallway to change.
Mark made his phone calls, letting the guys know his good news. They offered all sorts of encouragement, and everyone seemed genuinely happy for him. He and Julia made their way downtown to her favorite authentic Mexican restaurant. They talked mainly about the future and how they envisioned things to come.
Julia had her own good news. “Mark, I’ve decided to go with you to Wisconsin. I’ve done nothing but pray since we first discussed it, and I have a positive feeling about it. I believe it is God’s will for me to move on. This place holds so many memories for me, both good and bad. I feel like I too need a fresh start. Do you think you could handle being so close to your sis?”
“Do you really mean it?” he went on without waiting for her answer. “This keeps getting better and better. Yes, yes, I can more than handle it, sis. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it on my own. At least here I have you, Bill, Aunt Merry, and the church supporting me. There I’m going to have no one, and the only adult I will know doesn’t want to be in the same room as me.”
They planned their move to coordinate with Julia selling her house. It might mean moving a couple of weeks later, but it would also be the answer to how he was getting to Wisconsin, seeing as he couldn’t drive, and where he would live once he got there. Until Julia found a house, they would share an apartment. They went on for a couple of hours, talking and finalizing their plans.
***
Jessi curled up in her room with Aunt Merry’s journals. Aunt Merry was at Mabel’s house, and Olivia had been invited to spend the night with a friend from church, so Jessi had some free time to sit and read. She had been looking forward to reading them again and had just been too busy to do them any justice. She picked up where she had left off. The next entry was dated Tuesday, October 8, 1963:
Lester and I went walking after church on Sunday. He held my hand, and we walked down by the creek. I loved having him close to me. We talked about all sorts of things. He told me what he wants to do with his life. He’s hoping to go to college in the next year, if he saves enough money. His dad wants him to stay and work the farm, but he doesn’t want to. He wants to be an engineer and work and live in the city. It sounds so exciting. I haven’t given much thought to leaving our little country town, but given the right circumstances, I’d do it in a heartbeat, especially if they would include Lester. I think of Lester every night before I go to bed. I think I’m in love.
Meredith.
“Who is Lester, and why haven’t I ever heard of him?” Jessi asked herself out loud. She continued reading through the entries, some of which were just normal day-to-day events of a teenager, and then others, like this one, really surprised her.
Wednesday, December 11, 1963
I can’t believe my dad said yes. Lester and I are going to the movies on Saturday night. Of course, we’re really not going to the movies. Lester was invited to this really groovy party, and he’s taking me. Of all the girls Lester could ask, he asked me. I can’t believe my luck. I must be the luckiest girl in the world. I found a great hiding place for my journal now, as I dare not let anyone see it.
Sunday, December 15, 1963
I had to pretend being sick today for church. I felt so sick after last night. I got in late, and mom and dad were already in bed, thank heavens, because one look at me and they would have known that I had managed to get into something bad. As it was, this morning I had to make up an excuse as to why I couldn’t go to church. I told them Lester bought me something to eat after the movie and it must have been bad. They believed me. I thought for sure I was found out. Nope. They completely believed me and told me to just rest and it would probably pass. Yeah, it’ll pass. I’m not sure that I’ll ever try that again. A guy at the party had some joints that his cousin brought when he was visiting from California. At first I didn’t want to try the joint that was being passed around, but Lester told me he wouldn’t have invited me if he thought I’d still be acting like a baby. So I gave in, and for a while it was great. We were drinking beer and passing around the joint. I felt so grown up and cool. Then my stomach started hurting, and I started throwing up. Yuck. Lester took me home right away. I can’t believe I acted like such a baby. No one else was sick at the party. He probably won’t ever ask me out again! I’m so mad at myself. Why can’t I just be more grown up? Ugh!
Jessi closed the journal, not sure how much more she could take for the night. This was a side of her aunt she could never have imagined. Why was her aunt letting her read these? Why would anyone want someone else to read about the skeletons in her closet? Jessi headed downstairs and put tea water on and waited for her aunt.
When Merry walked through the door, she could tell that Jessi had something on her mind. She bent down to give her niece a kiss. “How are you, dear?”
She started busying herself with the tea, knowing that whatever was on Jessi’s mind would come out when she had sorted it out herself.
“I was reading your journals. For what reason could you possibly want me to read them? I’m just surprised by what I’m reading, and even more so that me reading them is okay with you.”
Jessi looked downright troubled.
Merry sat down opposite Jessi and took her hands in her own. “Sweetheart, I want you to know firsthand that the perfection you see in me is just not so, and if reading about my past is going to help you do that, then so be it. I’ve tried to tell you that I too have made mistakes in my life, but you refuse to believe me. This way there can be no question. Oh, don’t look so down. There isn’t all bad in those journals. Some very good things happened too. You’ll just have to keep reading to find out what.”
Merry gave Jessi the best “wouldn’t you like to know” look she could muster up and hoped it worked. They continued to talk a while until they both started yawning. Each woman closed her bedroom door, lost in her own world of thought, Jessi wondering if she really even knew the woman down the hall, and Aunt Merry on her knees, desperately praying that Jessi would continue reading. It would be a long time before sleep came to either woman.
Chapter 19
Olivia woke up and looked at her surroundings, startled, until she remembered she had spent the night with Bethany, her friend from church. Today wa
s going to be a fun day, and she couldn’t wait to get started. She could smell breakfast, and it smelled really good, so she nudged Bethany, who was sleeping in the twin bed next to her own. Bethany’s mom, Mrs. Bowers, had promised to make homemade waffles with strawberries for breakfast. Bethany had a beautiful bedroom. She had two beds in her room, both decorated with pink and white polka dots, a white nightstand in between, and pretty matching curtains. She even had a seat that had a pink cushion on it by the window. She had a big white dollhouse with lots of furniture and dolls to play with, and there were pretty pictures on the walls of ballerinas. As far as Olivia was concerned, it was a dream bedroom, kind of like the one she slept in at Aunt Merry’s house, her mom’s old room. Olivia pushed Bethany even harder. “Hey, come on; wake up. I’m hungry, and I can smell breakfast.”
Bethany’s eyes slowly opened, and she rubbed them with the backs of her hands. “I don’t want to get up.” She groaned before slowly swinging her legs to one side of the bed.
Olivia had always been the type of kid who would take off running the minute her feet hit the floor. Bethany was clearly not like that. Olivia walked over to her and looked closely at her friend. “My mom wakes up looking like you do, all grumpy. Do you need to go downstairs and drink some coffee before we can discuss our day?”
Bethany looked at Olivia like she was a crazy person. “Are you kidding? I’m not allowed to drink coffee. I’m just a kid, like you.”
Olivia stood and walked to the door then turned and looked at Bethany. “Well, you need it, just the same. Can we go downstairs now?”
Bethany grumbled and followed Olivia downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Bowers, who was used to Bethany’s morning moods, was surprised to see the girls awake and entering the kitchen. “Wow, you mean I don’t have to go up and drag you out of bed? I thought for sure, as late as you two were up, I’d be dumping cold buckets of water on you.”
Olivia laughed.
Bethany scrunched her face and said, “Not funny.”
Both girls sat down at the table, and soon Mr. and Mrs. Bowers and Bethany’s little brother joined them. They bowed their heads, and Mr. Bowers said grace. After breakfast, they headed off to church in the family’s minivan.
Olivia had never been to church so much in her whole life. She had been going with Aunt Merry every Sunday since they came. Now she was going with her friend and her family. Did everyone here go to church? She wondered why they never went to church in Wisconsin. She’d have to ask her mother about it.
Olivia liked being with Bethany and her family, even if Bethany was a grump in the morning. It was easy to pretend that she was a part of a real family with a mom and a dad and even a brother and sister. She hummed all the way to church thinking about the things she’d learned so far, things about Jesus. She would have to ask Aunt Merry about him. She would know about Jesus, since she talked about him so much. She sat and listened to a man talking up front. Bethany called him “pastor.” She wasn’t sure if that was his name or what. It seemed odd to not call him Mr. Pastor, but Olivia did as she was told and just called him pastor.
After “pastor” got done talking, everyone stood up and sang some songs. Olivia didn’t know the songs they sang, so she just looked around at the people. She was looking for Aunt Merry but hadn’t seen her yet. Maybe when everyone sat down again she would find her. After the singing it was time for her and Bethany to go to class; this was her favorite part. She liked her teacher and liked listening to the stories. They always made something fun and had cookies for a snack. She followed Bethany out of the big room and into the hallway to their class. On the way out, she saw Aunt Merry and waved to her. Aunt Merry smiled and waved back.
Ms. Shelly, as she liked to be called, taught the five- and six-year-old girls’ class at the First Christian Church of Oklahoma City. She had twelve girls in her class and enjoyed teaching them both Bible stories and the lessons that could be learned from them, and lessons for everyday life, like how to be a good friend. The past few weeks, Olivia Jensen had been in her class, and she was glad to see her again this morning. The child had such a thirst for the knowledge of Jesus, and she wasn’t shy about asking questions. She had yet to give her heart to the Lord, but if her quest for knowledge was any indication, it wouldn’t be long. Shelly knew her aunt well and liked her immensely, as she was one of her mother’s best friends and praying partners. Her mother, Judy, didn’t talk much about their prayer meetings, but she did give Shelly the good news if someone they were praying for found faith. Shelly, like Judy, rejoiced with the group.
Shelly greeted the children. “Good morning, class.”
“Good morning, Ms. Shelly,” the children responded, not quite in unison.
“Before we get started, I have a question for you. Who remembers what tomorrow is?”
Everyone’s hand but Olivia’s shot up in the air. One of the girls couldn’t wait to be called upon, so she answered out loud, “Vacation Bible School starts tomorrow!”
Shelly smiled. While trying to get the children ready for real school and reinforcing the simple courtesy rules from school, she oftentimes found their excitement too much for them to contain. “Yes, that’s right. Tomorrow we start Vacation Bible School. How many of you are going to be coming?” Once again all the hands but Olivia’s shot into the air.
Shelly decided to talk to Merry about Olivia attending Vacation Bible School as soon as church was over. With everything else going on in her life, and the fact that she didn’t work in the children’s department anymore, Merry might not be aware that it was starting tomorrow. “I’m so glad that so many of you are coming tomorrow. Remember, it starts at nine thirty and ends at noon. Don’t forget to tell your moms and dads, okay?”
All the kids eagerly said they wouldn’t forget, and Shelly started in on the Sunday school lesson. “Okay, girls, it’s time for our story. Today’s lesson is about friends in the Bible. The first friends we are going to talk about are David and Jonathan. Before I tell you about David and Jonathan, I wonder if some of you could tell me what you think makes a good friend? How do you know if someone is your friend?”
The girls began raising their hands one by one. Emily thought that being nice was important. Bethany looked at Olivia and said that a real friend would let you sleep as long as you wanted. Chelsea said that sharing was very important. All the girls gave very good virtues of a friend.
“Those are all very good answers. I have friends who are all of those things—they are nice, they share, and another thing they do that is very important to me is they love me, and I love them very much. I know they love me because when I am sad they try to make me happy, and when I laugh they laugh with me. They care about me and my life. Not everyone cares about our lives like our friends do, do they? That’s what was special about David and Jonathan in the Bible. They were very best friends who loved each other very much.”
Ms. Shelly went on and told the story of David and Jonathan before David became king, including the times Jonathan saved David’s life from King Saul, Jonathan’s father.
“I’m going to tell you about someone else in the Bible who wants to be everyone’s friend. Can anybody guess who that might be?”
Most of the girls, having been in church most of their lives, guessed whom Ms. Shelly was talking about.
“That’s correct. Jesus wants to be everyone’s friend. But there’s something that makes him very sad. Can anyone tell me what that is?” The girls were pretty silent on this one. Ms. Shelly continued. “Jesus gets very sad when people don’t want to be his friend.”
Krista, a very sensitive child, was close to tears. She couldn’t understand why someone would not want to be Jesus’s friend and asked, “Why wouldn’t someone want to be friends with Jesus? He’s my very best friend.”
“Well, there are different reasons that people don’t want to be Jesus’s friend. First, they might not believe in Jesus because they haven’t ever seen him. They don’t have what we call faith. Faith is when y
ou believe in something that you can’t see. Like Jesus. We can feel in him our hearts, and we can feel his love inside us, but we can’t see him, right? But we believe in him because we have faith. Another reason some people don’t believe Jesus is because of pride. Pride is not being able to accept help, and there are people who don’t want any help from Jesus or anybody else. Do you think there are things that you can do to help people believe in Jesus?”
All the girls nodded yes.
“That’s right; there are some things that you can do. First, you can tell people about Jesus so they can learn to have faith and believe. Second, and this should be very easy for all of you, you can do something nice for someone. This shows them that it’s okay to be helped, and it will quietly lead them to Jesus. I want each of you to think of something nice you can do this week for someone who you think might not know Jesus. Have you thought of someone yet?” The girls each nodded. “Okay, I want you to do something nice for them, like take them cookies you baked or pick some flowers for them or anything nice you can think of. There are many things you can do, and I want you to tell me next Sunday who you picked and what you did for them. Okay?”
All the girls got excited and started talking among themselves about their assignment for next week as they headed to the work table to make their art project.
It wasn’t long before the bell rang and church was over. After all the kids were picked up from class, Shelly found Merry talking with her mother and asked if she would be bringing Olivia to Vacation Bible School. Merry didn’t make any promises but said she would ask Jessi and do her best to get Olivia there.
***
The next morning, Ms. Shelly found Olivia sitting at the table, ready to learn more about having a friend like Jesus.
Chapter 20
Monday after work Mark headed to Merry’s house to visit with Olivia. He found her sitting on the front steps with her face cradled in her hands. “Hi there. Penny for your thoughts?”