Author: Dee Henderson
Category: Christian
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“The storm is scary.”
“Powerful.”
He let the silence return. He had no desire to push, not about her family. But it was late, and after what Jennifer had said when she called, Cole felt he didn’t have the option to take a pass on this one. He rested his left arm across the steering wheel, picked up the special issue North Carolina quarter he’d received in change, and walked it through his fingers. “What’s going on, Rae? You told Jennifer not to call family. You don’t hide like a turtle from them unless the pressure is fierce.”
She sighed. “It’s easier to have these conversations over the phone than in person.”
“Then I’ll take you home and you can call me.”
It earned him a brief smile. She pushed the remnants of her meal into the sack. “Jennifer still thinks God is going to heal her.”
He paused the quarter between his third and fourth finger. They had talked about this problem too many times before for him to have a new answer for her tonight. “Don’t do this, Rae. Don’t search to understand what can’t be understood.” She’d only been a Christian a few months. He’d been one for over thirty years, and he didn’t have an answer for why Jennifer was still dying from cancer despite their prayers. There was just a God to trust.
“I doubt that God means what He says,” she whispered.
Cole tossed the coin back with the other change. He wasn’t surprised at her words, but he wished he could take away this moment that most new Christians experienced. Doubt was like smoke—it found cracks and worried its way inside until it clouded the joy that was there before. A little could fill a big volume of space. “Christianity isn’t what you thought it would be like. Okay. So change your expectations.”
“You said there would be peace; Jennifer says there’s joy.”
“There is both,” he promised, trying to reach through her turmoil. “What Jesus actually said was, ‘These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.’”
“I’ve read that verse several times, but I don’t understand it, Cole.”
What were the right words to explain it? Cole had never felt more challenged in his own faith than when he tried to help her see some of what had taken him years to grasp. “A few verses earlier He said, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.’ Jesus said My joy, My peace, Rae. He said that even though He hardly had an easy life. Crowds pressed in on Him; the authorities hated Him; Jesus had no place to call His home. He died on the cross, but He had a joy and a peace in life that was absolute. At its heart, the concept is simple—Jesus trusted His Father. He didn’t doubt God’s goodness, His control of the situation, or the fact that His plan would lead to everlasting glory. That’s what Jesus is asking you to do too. Trust God, even in this.”
He wished he had the wisdom of Solomon to give her an answer. “You can see only one answer to Jennifer’s cancer—a cure. God may see another. A verse in Psalms says, ‘The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me.’ If God has to choose between His purpose for our lives and a long life, I believe He’ll go with the purpose every time. Jesus died when He was thirty-three.”
“Jennifer’s a pediatrician. She has a life ahead of her helping children. What purpose could God have in not curing her?”
“When you choose to trust despite the circumstances—it’s called faith, Rae. And sometimes it’s so hard that you wonder why God demands it. Think about this: Is a promise made that’s not yet delivered on any less of a promise? God is trustworthy. It isn’t easy to take that on faith when circumstances are tough, but that’s what He asks of you.” Cole went to the heart of it. “You love Jennifer, and her suffering is pressing hard. Leave the questions for later. You can’t fix this. It will break you to try. And Jennifer is worried about you.”
She rubbed her eyes. “You had to add that last point.”
He covered her hand with his. The bond between the sisters was so great that he knew to Rachel this felt like it was happening to her. “Were you going to call Jen when you got in?”
She nodded.
“Then let me take you home so you can call her.” He started the car. “Tell her we talked. She’ll worry less.”
“You mean she’ll just ask me about you.”
Cole smiled, hoping that would be the case. “You can tell her I still owe you dinner. Eating in the car doesn’t count.”
“This dinner is becoming like the event of the year. Don’t set your expectations too high. It’s likely going to be our typical meal grabbed in spite of a busy day.”
“Rae, it’s time with you that makes it special, not the circumstances. I’ll make sure it’s Chinese—not in a carton this time.”
Six
Rachel leaned against the wall of sandbags. The stagnant water stank, the current gone. The sun was out on Saturday morning, reflecting off the muddy water. The floodwaters had crested and receded in the last two weeks and were down to a mere foot. The workers were repairing the initial breach in the retaining wall, hauling rock and sand out to the now visible break. Cole was out there in one of the boats, helping Jack move heavy bags that rocked the boat as they dropped them into the water.
Her brother Stephen stopped beside her. “Another day and the break will be repaired. It will then just be a case of pumping out the last of the water.”
It was better progress than she had hoped. Governor Street had been drying out for the last week. Structural engineers were in the houses now, finishing their inspections. People were lingering at the community center, waiting for word that they could return to their homes for the first time.
“It’s going to be a mess,” she observed. The emergency shelter had transformed itself into the headquarters for the cleanup, the Red Cross giving way to the local Emergency Services Agency. Plywood sheets were already piled and waiting. Six large dumpsters were lined up, ready to be taken in and placed near driveways to allow for expedited removal of destroyed belongings.
“The damage isn’t as bad as it could have been. Rather than be a trash pit for the floodwaters, the moving water kept the worst of the debris from building up here. About three miles south is apparently a real mess. Twenty minutes, Rae, and the chief inspector said they’ll be letting residents in. I’ve heard Ann’s house is bad but recoverable.”
“Thanks, Stephen.”
Having worked numerous flood cleanups, Rachel had dressed in old jeans and a bleach-stained shirt, thick socks, and heavy boots. She wore an unbuttoned long sleeve shirt over it to protect her arms. She was already hot. She retrieved the water bottle she’d let chill in the freezer for an hour and tossed it into her bag.
She’d checked at the command center to make sure there were plenty of volunteers for the block. It was well organized. Since other needs were covered, Rachel put herself down to help Ann. With Cole, Jack, and Stephen already on the list to help Ann, someone needed to keep them in line.
“Hi, Rachel.” Adam was the first to reach her, racing ahead with a friend he had brought with him, Cole’s dog running alongside.
“Hi, Adam.” Rachel knelt to pet the dog. The boy with Adam looked to be about the same age as Adam, but shorter, stocky, with red hair and freckles. A healing scrape on the boy’s chin suggested a recent collision with pavement. “Who’s your friend?”
“This is Tim Sanford.”
“Hi, Tim.” She offered her hand.
“Hi.”
Rachel offered the boys pieces of gum from a new pack she had tucked in her pocket that morning.
“Tim goes to my school,” Adam said, dancing around the dog as Hank tried to knock him over. “He’s staying with me today, and next weekend I get to go stay over at his house.”
“Fun.”
“Are they still pumping water?”
“I think so. Why don’t you join the guys at the blue engine.”
“Come on, Tim. Let’s go see.”
With a smile Rachel watched them go. She tucked the gum back into her pocket and
unwrapped a cough drop for herself.
Ann joined her. “The idea of staying at the sitter’s with Nathan was the worst idea Adam had ever heard of, so I let him come. I told him he couldn’t enter the house until we called him so if it’s real bad I can warn him.”
“Good plan. As was letting him bring a friend along.” Rachel looked at Ann. “Are you ready to do this?”
“I don’t think reality could be any worse than what I’ve been imagining.”
Rachel offered her one of the licorice hard candy drops. “The taste is sharp enough it will at least help counteract the odors.”
“Thanks for the warning. I brought buckets, mops, bleach, and lots of garbage bags.”
“Let’s haul the supplies down to the checkpoint, and the guys can carry them the rest of the way.”
Cole, Jack, and Stephen joined them as they brought the last items from the car. The inspectors opened Governor Street to residents, and in small groups people began to see what was left of their homes.
The walk up Ann’s driveway was an adventure. It was covered in a muddy river flowing down to the street. Rachel walked beside Cole, ready to grab his arm if necessary to keep from falling. A demarcation line of dirt, wrapped around the house’s siding, displayed the crest of the water. The sun had been working at it for days as the water receded, and the residue looked baked on. Grass remained in the yard but it poked up through a muddy swamp. The ground had acquired rocks, stray branches, and odd-looking leaves now wilting in the sun.
The front door had been propped open by the inspectors and windows around the house opened. Rachel followed Ann inside. The living room carpet was under two inches of standing muddy water. Furniture had floated. The sofa and television and heaviest items had not moved, but it was as if a powerful hand had shoved everything else to the east side of the room. Books had swollen and now lay curling as the pages dried. The smell was of mold and humid mustiness.
“Is the house still structurally sound?” Ann asked softly.
Stephen came up behind them and settled his hand on Ann’s shoulder. “Yes. Once we dry things out, the inspectors want to look again at wiring before they restore the power. We’ll be able to run off generators for now, start fans blowing to assist with the drying out.”
Cole walked through to look into the kitchen, then turned to look at the guys. “It’s best if we divide and conquer. I’ll take care of hauling out the spoiled food. Stephen, if you can start with the clothes, take them out to the truck, we’ll take them to the cleaners. Jack, why don’t you tackle the generator and get fans blowing, and then hose down the drive. We’ll carry out furniture and wash it off there. The sun will help things dry, help us figure out what we can recover first.”
“I’ll also see about cleaning off the back patio,” Jack offered. “We can bring in the picnic table you sanded and fixed up so there is a clean place to sit and take a break.”
“Good idea.”
“Ann.” Rachel could see that her friend was fighting tears, for this devastation was huge. “I brought lots of boxes. We can start in the kitchen and take the dishes and pans out today. The restaurant next to the bank offered to let us run items through their industrial-sized washer. We can at least have them washed and ready to unpack once the kitchen cleanup is done.”
Ann nodded.
Stephen hugged her. “We’ll get your house back together.”
“Can we start with Adam’s clothes? He needs options for school,” Ann said.
“Sure.”
Rachel picked up a bucket and a bottle of bleach. “Jack, when you can get to it, will you thread a hose into the house? It will make it easier to clean walls than if we have to haul water in.”
“Glad to.”
“Someone find a good radio station with music, something peppy,” Ann requested. She headed toward the kitchen, and Rachel followed after her friend. This would discourage even the most optimistic lady.
Rachel worked from the top of the cabinets down, washing the wood with the bleach water twice, letting it dry, and then coming back a third time with soap and water. She turned her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeve as the smell overwhelmed her. The open windows and fans were not keeping up with the fumes. Smelling bleach was going to ruin her sense of taste for days.
Cole had the stove tugged out and was working on removing the side panels. It was comforting to work with him, for he was a man who assessed the job and then dug in to do the work.
“Rachel, look what we found.” Adam came in the back door with Tim. She leaned over to see. In his hands were three silver dollars, still crusted with dirt. “They were in the mud out in the flower bed.” The boys were having a great time discovering all the strange things left by the water.
“Excellent finds, guys.”
“Would you keep them for us?”
“Sure. Put them in my burlap satchel. I’ll get them cleaned up and put in coin sleeves for you.”
“Thanks.”
Ann came into the kitchen and Adam hurried to show his mom their treasures. “We’ll be with Jack, okay? He’s going to start washing the siding.”
“As long as you don’t get in his way.”
“We’re helping, Mom.”
Ann smiled at her son. “Have fun.”
The boys rushed out as fast as they had come in.
Rachel hauled another bucket of soapy water to the corner cabinet. “It’s a treasure hunt out there.”
“Boys and mud. They are having fun,” Ann agreed. “It’s looking good in here.”
Rachel wet a new rag and started on the next cabinet. “How is Adam’s room?”
“Most of his clothes can be recovered, probably his chest of drawers. Stephen is hauling out the mattress and is looking at pulling up the carpet and padding. If you’re okay in here, I thought I’d start cleaning some of the furniture they’ve carried out.”
“I’m fine.”
“Cole, can I get you anything?”
“I’m good. Thanks, Ann.”
Rachel watched her friend as she left the kitchen. “She’s handling this better than I would.”
“You handle what you have to,” Cole replied. He got the second panel off the stove.
Someone turned the radio up. Rachel hummed along with a song as she tried to distract herself from the aches. She finished the final cabinet.
There was so much to do. She sat down on a stool to begin sorting out items under the sink.
Rachel jolted as a hand touched her shoulder. Cole leaned down. “Call it a day. I’ll help the guys finish hauling items to the dumpster and move furniture to the garage, and we’ll start again tomorrow.”
“I’m okay. I want to do one more round on the cupboards in the kitchen.”
“It’s five o’clock. If you don’t leave, Ann won’t think of leaving. She needs to take Adam home.”
Rachel had had too much on her mind to realize the time. “Good point.” She got to her feet and stretched to take the ache out of her back. “I need to take a walk around the block anyway, see how others are doing.”
“In that case—” he offered the full roll of LifeSavers from his pocket—“got tissue with you?”
She tapped her pocket.
He smiled. “Go walk the block. I’ll make my own walk-around of the levees and bridge and catch up with you.”
Cole would never fail to be surprised by what the floodwaters left behind.
“How did a golf cart get under there?” Gage asked.
“Great question.” Cole leaned against the bridge railing next to Gage. They were both spectators. Four guys from City Services were down there wrestling to get it out of the weeds. Cole kept a close eye on the men’s safety lines but otherwise left them alone to figure out the problem. “It doesn’t look like much of a golf cart anymore.”
Gage leaned too far over the edge for Cole’s comfort. He tugged the man back. “Let’s not have a casualty.” The river was rushing by within its banks, but it was still violent.
“Is the bridge going to reopen soon?” Rachel called out.
Cole turned around to see Rae coming across the improvised walkway made from sheets of metal. The flooding had washed away and collapsed sections of the roadway. Cole went to meet her. “Another two weeks at the earliest for repairs to get finished.”
“Hey, Rachel LeeAnn. Come give us your opinion. What does that look like on the bank to you?” Gage asked.
Cole reached over, grasped her by the waist, and swung her over the last few feet to more firm ground. He wiped a spot off her chin with a grin. “Chocolate?”
“I was sharing cupcakes with the kids.”
“So I see. Hold still.” He tipped up her chin with a finger and wiped away the evidence, thinking seriously about kissing her. Their first kiss was going to be a forever memory for both of them, and he liked the idea of it being on a day they worked together. He’d been looking for that perfect moment—one that had both their undivided attentions but not so obvious for the kiss to be expected.
A soft blush tinged her cheeks as she caught the direction of his thoughts. Her eyelashes dropped and then swept up again. “Not here,” she whispered.
He settled for tightening his hands on her waist and leaning down to rest his forehead briefly against hers. “Later,” he promised. “How was the walk-around?”
“Most are relieved just to be able to get in and do something.”
He stepped back and when he did, she slipped her hand in his and stayed in his space leaning against his arm. “Tell us what you think,” he asked. “The riverbank, just beyond where the breach has been repaired.”
She reluctantly turned to look where he pointed.
“Does that look like car tracks to you?” Gage asked.
“Gage, you can’t look at anything without seeing a mystery. It’s two deep valleys cut into the muddy bank. Are you sure it’s not just the results of one of those boulders that got shoved around by the water? Or for that matter, the first landing of the golf cart?”