Part 26 (1/2)
”We've got a new pie. Who is game for a piece?” Whitney bounded down the back stairs toward the group of mostly teenage boys involved in the fence raising. They all set down their hammers and saws and hurried over to the plate Whitney held above her head. ”One at a time, one at a time.”
Two lone figures remained fence side, not bothering to come for this latest sample. Angie and Chris stood side by side. Chris was actually working on a length of fence, Angie standing close beside him holding nails. They both smiled almost constantly.
”You know”-Gary came up beside Susan, a sliver of apple pie wrapped in a napkin in his hand-”I'm happy enough that you let the kids invite Chris just because I think he's a great kid, and I think he and your daughter really are growing to care about each other. But, to be completely honest, even if none of that were true, the look on Kendra's face when she saw him . . .” He began to chuckle and soon Susan joined him. A moment later, they were leaning on each other's shoulders, laughing all-out.
She pulled back and nodded. ”You're right. That alone would have been worth it.” She looked toward the shack and giggled a little more.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. ”Susan, I need to tell you. . . . ”
Her heart all of sudden lurched.
”I've . . . got to leave. Tomorrow. It looks like I might not make it back before the end of the summer. But I didn't want to leave without saying that being here with you has made this summer so worth it. To me.”
”Where are you going?”
He stared off in the distance. ”Long story.”
The sound of hammering and saws started up again as the boys finished their treats. Susan looked at Gary, and the feelings of abandonment she'd just gotten over all came flooding back. ”They need your help over there. I guess it's best that we say good-bye now.”
”Susan, wait, I really want to see you after this is all over.”
”Sure. The next time you're in California, give me a call.”
Like that was ever going to happen. She turned and hurried into the house, not wanting to show the emotion that was overcoming her. All along she'd been telling herself she wasn't interested, and yet, with just one good-bye, that proved to be a lie. And now it was over without even really ever having started.
As the last of the kids left, Julie collapsed in a chair. ”Whew. That was quite the s.h.i.+ndig.”
”The house still smells good.” Thomas made an appreciative sniff of the air. ”In spite of a couple of burned pies.”
”n.o.body's perfect.” Whitney dropped to the floor, a chocolate-chip cookie in her hand. ”So, Angie, in those Amish books you read, do they talk about how hot the house gets during those cooking frolics? We've got air-conditioning here, and I'm still soaked with sweat.”
Angie, her face still a little dreamy, shook her head. ”n.o.body wants to read about sweat. They read those books to escape for a little while into a simpler lifestyle. One they wish they could lead.”
Whitney twisted her hair around her finger and looked up at the ceiling as if in thought. ”Seems to me, we're the ones who make our own lives overly complicated. We've got lots more choices than Amish people do-if we choose to do thirty things, then we shouldn't be whining about how busy it is.”
Whitney's words sank right through to Julie. There was so much truth in them.
Then the story of Stephen came back to her. Even the apostles couldn't do everything, no matter if it was a good thing, a thing that truly needed to be done. What she needed to do was find out what it was she was supposed to do, and do it with all her strength. She just didn't know what that was.
As they climbed into bed that night, Thomas said, ”I'm really amazed at the difference in you and the kids after this summer. You all seem so much happier and more content.”
Julie shrugged. ”We've been out of the pressure cooker for a while.”
”You're like a different person.” He put his hand on her cheek. ”I was a large part of the heat in that cooker, I know, and I think we need to figure all that out. I want to hold on to what you have found here, if we can. We need to sit down and perhaps look at our goals for the coming year, and readjust accordingly.”
”I was thinking the same thing earlier tonight. We need to pick out the things that are most important to us and focus more on them.”
He nodded. ”Maybe we should make a mission statement for our family and ourselves. Try to stay more on task in the future.”
Julie nodded, having no idea what her mission statement might entail, other than taking care of her family. But how did something as vague as that protect her from exactly the same situation she'd already been in?
She didn't know the answer, but she went to bed praying that G.o.d would show her.
Chapter 41.
The final weeks pa.s.sed without major event-good or bad. Susan somehow managed to push her way through them, put on a happy face, and do what she'd come here to do. Angie would be able to complete high school in the home she'd grown up in-that had been secured-and she had further solidified her plans for the new BodyBuilders. Those were the things that were most important.
She padded down the stairs for the final morning. Clanking sounds were coming from the kitchen, letting her know that Julie was already up and about. Time to celebrate their successful completion. ”Good morning.” She rounded the corner, already smiling.
” 'Morning.” Julie quickly turned away, busying herself at the stove. She had turned fast, too fast.
Susan walked closer. ”You okay?”
”Fine.” Julie didn't look at her; she just sniffled.
”What's wrong?”
Julie shrugged and turned toward her, blinking fast. ”I don't want to go back.”
Susan stopped herself from her impulsive response, you're kidding me. ”Julie, you are one of the smartest women I know, but there's a new word I want to teach you, and you need to add it to your vocabulary effective immediately.”
”Really? What?”
”No.” Susan paused long enough for it to sink in a little. ”You can't allow people to pressure you into filling your schedule so full that you don't have time to do what you do best. Pick one or two projects you are really pa.s.sionate about, and let someone else step up to the plate to handle the others.”
”It sounds like a cop-out to me.”
”No, it's not; it's common sense.” She knew that Julie wasn't convinced. ”Have I shown you my newest sketches for BodyBuilders?”
”No.”
Susan hurried upstairs, then back again. She pulled out the sketch showing the skeleton but with some of the muscles and organs inside.
”I see where Angie gets her artistic talent. This looks like it's straight out of a science book.”
”Hardly.” Susan shook her head, seeing a million flaws. ”But here's the point. We don't just need the skeleton-structural people-in our lives. The body won't live without its vital organs, either. I think that has become the problem with so many of the things we do as women. We need the heart.” She drew a circle around it. ”No one really sees the heart; it's buried beneath layers of bones and muscle. Think about the heart's job. It shoots blood in a million different directions all over the body. Still, no one ever says, *Gee, the heart is really good at helping the brain,' or *look at how well the heart helps the left leg balance the body while the right leg is injured.' No, it is behind the scenes. And that . . . is you. You are the heart of almost anything we do. And I think we've spent far too long giving praise to the brain and the left leg without ever acknowledging the heart behind it all.”
”You are overstating. I'm just a little worker bee behind the scenes.”
”No. That's not true. You take some time and pray about it. You'll see that I'm right.”
The thud of footsteps on the back porch caused them both to turn. By the time Kendra had pushed open the kitchen door with her typical ”Knock, knock,” Julie had wiped her eyes and busied herself at the coffeepot.
”Good morning, ladies. I have a little treat for the families today.”