GOODBYE to YESTERDAY (8 page)

Meredith had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and was thinking about getting ready for bed when she remembered that she’d forgotten to bring Fritz inside. She hated to go out in the dark, frigid weather, but it wouldn’t be fair to let him stay out in the kennel all night, and she’d never be able to sleep, knowing he was out there in a cold doghouse, while she was warm and comfortable inside. Luke had put plenty of straw inside Fritz’s shelter, but it wasn’t like being in the house where it was warm and more comfortable. Meredith was mad at herself for not bringing Fritz in sooner, or even asking her dad to bring him in when he and Mom were here. But Meredith had so much on her mind, she’d forgotten all about the pup.

Bundling up in one of Luke’s heavy jackets, Meredith grabbed a flashlight and went out the back door. As the cold air hit her cheeks, she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of her husband from the coat that encompassed her. Meredith closed her eyes and could almost imagine Luke standing there holding her.

The wind had begun to blow, and it was snowing again. Meredith was sorry she hadn’t thought to put on her boots. Her feet were soaking wet already and turning colder with each step she took. She shivered and made her way as quickly as possible to Fritz’s dog run.

Woof! Woof!
Fritz wagged his tail when Meredith approached the fence.

“Are you ready to come into the house, pup?” Meredith asked, opening the gate.

Woof!
Fritz dashed out of the dog run, raced across the yard, leaped onto the porch, and started pawing at the back door.

Meredith chuckled. “I know just how you feel.”

After they got inside, she kicked off her shoes and put on a dry pair of socks. Neither she nor the dog wasted any time heading into the living room. Meredith stoked up the fire then went to her rocker and picked up the Bible on the small table beside her. Fritz curled up on the braided rug next to the fireplace.

Opening her Bible to a place she had marked with a ribbon, Meredith read a verse of scripture she thought was especially meaningful and had underlined some time ago. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3.

Meredith smiled and felt herself relax. God’s Word always had a way of speaking to her just when she needed it the most. For the moment at least, she felt sure that, despite all her worries, everything concerning her and Luke would turn out fine.

L
uke was glad to be off the bus for a while. He needed the chance to walk around and stretch his legs. He’d slept most of the way and had ended up with a kink in his neck, just like he’d figured he would.

Luke felt the side of his head, amazed that there weren’t any bumps. He’d hit the window so many times from his head bobbing around, it was surprising that he’d even been able to get in a few winks.

He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. The bus he’d be transferring to in Philadelphia wouldn’t be leaving the station until 12:20 a.m., which meant he had plenty of time to get a bite to eat and buy a newspaper so he’d have something to read. Luke was always interested to see what was going on in the rest of the world and wanted to check for any articles on the weather to see if the storm had reached the areas where he’d be traveling.

Before putting the watch back in his pocket, he clicked it shut, remembering what a great gift it was that Meredith had given him this past Christmas. How she’d ever found that particular pocket watch was amazing. Etched on the outer lid was a bird dog that looked just like Fritz. It was the perfect gift. Rubbing his thumb over the etching made his heart lurch. He was already homesick—for his wife, his dog, and even his horse. Luke felt like an outsider in this busy place and longed for the simple things of home.

As Luke stood on the curb looking both ways, he spotted a diner near the bus depot. The place looked inviting, and with his stomach growling and the wonderful aromas coming from the diner, he was drawn in that direction. When he stepped into the restaurant, he found a stack of newspapers on a rack near the door. He took one, paid the cashier, and then found a seat in a booth near the window, with the bus depot still in view. He noticed a tear in the vinyl seat cover, and as he looked around, Luke noticed the café was a bit run down, but the place was clean and crowded. That could only mean one thing: the food must be good.

When the waitress came, Luke ordered a ham sandwich, fries, and a glass of chocolate milk. Waiting for his food to come, he read the newspaper, while all around him, people came and went. This sure was a busy place. There was an old jukebox in the corner, and someone had chosen a tune where the singer was crooning, “You were always on my mind.” Luke wasn’t used to hearing that kind of music, but he couldn’t help listening to the part of the song that said, “Maybe I didn’t treat you quite as good as I should have.” The song was kind of catchy, that was for sure, but all it did was make Luke regret even more how he’d treated Meredith recently.

Trying to block out the words in the song, he stuck his nose deeper into the paper and concentrated on what he was reading. It was hard to believe all the bad news, and he searched through several pages before he found something positive to read. A group of senior citizens had participated in a class called “Water Walking,” which gave them the exercise they needed, while getting to know other people their age.

Luke smiled at the happy looks he saw on the faces of the elderly people in the picture. They obviously enjoyed being in the water, just as he did during the warm summer months. If he had an indoor pool to use, like these people did, he’d probably swim in it all year.

He also found an article on the winter storm that had already created havoc in states to the west. It sounded like his travels would be taking him right through the blizzard. Even so, his excitement about his new job opportunity outweighed any anxiety about bad weather.

Luke’s thoughts turned to Meredith once again and the fact that he’d soon be able to provide a decent living for their future. Luke could never repay his uncle for the gratitude he felt for giving him a chance for a new beginning.

Earlier in the evening in an act of desperation, Alex had stolen some drugs. Now he had not one, but two dealers after him. But even in his most desperate times, he still had bouts of luck. In the alley behind the bus station he’d found a five-dollar bill, so he’d ducked into the diner across the street to get something to eat. He would figure out what to do from there.

Taking a seat, he drummed his fingers nervously along the edge of the table. He was exhausted, cold, and wanted something to eat almost as much as he’d needed his last fix. He looked around while he waited, hoping he wasn’t too conspicuous. The place was sure busy and bustling with people. Alex was so hungry he could eat a horse and was almost to the point where he felt faint.

“What’ll it be?” the middle-aged brunette waitress asked, looking down at Alex without a hint of a smile.

“What’ll five bucks get me?” he mumbled, rubbing his hands briskly over his bare arms, wishing he looked a little more decent.

“How about a burger and some chips?” she replied stiffly, making no eye contact with him.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“You want some water to wash it down?”

“Sure.” Alex nearly choked, trying to hold back his irritating cough.

When the waitress went to turn in his order, Alex sat back and surveyed his surroundings. Over the years there’d been a few instances when people were nice to him, but most of the time they acted like the waitress, either looking at him with disgust or avoiding his gaze altogether. Alex didn’t care anymore. There wasn’t a person on this earth who meant anything to him.

Now there’s a familiar scene
, Alex thought when he spotted an old man slouched in a booth near the door. The guy’s eyes were closed, and his mouth hung open as his head lulled against the back of the seat.
The lazy bum’s probably drunk
. Alex clenched his jaw.
Reminds me of my old man when he was in one of his stupors. Sure don’t need no reminders of them horrible days. Just wanna forget about my past and try to have some kind of a future. But if I don’t get outa here before I get caught, that’s not likely to happen
.

Directly across from Alex sat a young bearded man with blond hair, reading a newspaper. He wore dark trousers and a heavy-looking black jacket. A black felt hat lay on the table next to his plate of fries.

Alex pulled his fingers through the ends of his own bristly beard, noting that the man’s beard was about the same length as his. After closer observation, he realized the guy was Amish. Alex had seen some Amish men at the farmers’ market in Philly, selling their wares. Just a week ago, Alex had stolen some produce from one of their stands. The old guy had been so busy yakking with one of his customers that he hadn’t noticed what Alex had done. Or if he had, he’d chosen not to say anything about it.

Alex’s burger came about the time the Amish man was finishing up with his meal, and when the fellow took his wallet out to pay, Alex couldn’t help but notice the wad of bills sticking out. He also noticed how nice the waitress was to the bearded man as she counted back the change he was due.
What’s the point of bein’ nice to people? They’re all strangers anyways, and they don’t care about nobody but themselves
.

Alex gave his beard a quick tug.
I’ll bet that guy would be an easy target
. From what little Alex knew about the Amish, he understood them to be a peaceful bunch of folks. He figured it shouldn’t be too difficult to get what he wanted from the man. He just needed the right opportunity.

M
eredith rolled over onto her side and bunched up her pillow. She’d been in bed nearly two hours and hadn’t been able to sleep because she couldn’t turn off her thoughts. She’d started nodding off while reading downstairs, but by the time she’d gone to the kitchen for a glass of milk and then climbed the stairs to her room, she was wide awake again. All Meredith could think about was how much she missed Luke. She wished he’d let her pack some sandwiches for his trip. At least he’d have something from home in his stomach right now.
I wonder where he ended up eating and what kind of food he had
.

She glanced at the battery-operated clock on the small table beside her bed and saw that it was getting close to midnight. Luke was probably in Philadelphia by now and should be boarding the next bus soon. Meredith tried to imagine everything as if it was playing out in front of her, but all she could do was guess. The trip to Indiana was long, and Luke would be glad when he got there. Being patient wasn’t easy, but she’d have to wait for his call tomorrow evening to find out how his journey had gone.

Lying on the small braided rug near the foot of Meredith’s bed, Fritz woke up suddenly and started to bark.

“What’s the matter, pup? Do you need to go out?”

Fritz darted around to her side of the bed and put one paw on her chest.
Woof! Woof!

“Oh, all right.” Meredith pushed the covers aside and climbed out of bed. Slipping into her robe and slippers, she went downstairs and let the dog out.

“Now hurry up and do your business,” Meredith called as Fritz dashed into the yard. The frigid air made her even more awake, so she quickly shut the door. Spring couldn’t come too quickly. She looked forward to planting her garden and tending all the colorful flowers in their yard. She loved having the windows open and the front and back door, too. The mild spring air wafting through the house always made everything smell so fresh and clean, especially after a good rain.

Several minutes went by; then Meredith heard a—
Thump! Thump!
—on the door, followed by a loud bark. “Are you ready to come in?” she asked, opening the door.

Woof! Woof!
Fritz tromped inside and raced up the stairs.

When Meredith entered the bedroom, she found Fritz sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed, whining.

“I know, pup,” Meredith said, patting the dog’s head. “Luke hasn’t even been gone a full day, yet I miss him so much.”

Then, seeing the wet paw prints on the floor, she grabbed a towel and wiped up the water.

Going around in circles until he found just the right position, Fritz grunted and finally bedded down on the floor.

Meredith crawled into bed, and as she pulled the covers up to her chin, she said a prayer on her husband’s behalf. It seemed like she’d been praying for Luke a lot since he’d left this afternoon.

But that’s okay
, she reminded herself.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are told to pray without ceasing
.