Always There: Christian Inspirational Romance Page 10

  Again, the two women laughed until they had to catch their breath. Elise was so happy to have her friend’s support, at least somewhat. Now she had to figure out just what to do about Ben.

  Chapter 10

  “Okay, are you ever going to tell me why we are sitting in this bowling alley parking lot?” Sandy asked as she scoped out the area. “I mean, I like bowling but can’t we find a better place…”

  “We’re not going bowling, Sandy,” Elise said rolling her eyes yet again. “Behind this bowling alley is where a lot of the local homeless people live. I came here the other day.”

  “Why?” Sandy asked.

  “Because Pastor Tex convinced me to take over the marketing for the Saturday homeless meal at our church.”

  “Our church? Sure sounds like Seaview has already become your home.”

  “It is my home… for now anyway.”

  “And who calls himself Pastor Tex?”

  “Can you please focus for once?” Elise said smacking her friend on the arm. Sandy had always been her comic relief, and her observations of the world had cracked Elise up many times.

  “Sorry,” Sandy responded, hanging her head in mock shame.

  “Anyway, I came here with Dave just trying to get a feel for where people stay around here that are homeless. I met a woman who lives behind this place, and she was so different than what I expected. She’s happy living the way she does.”

  “How is that even possible?”

  “I don’t know, but she is.”

  “Maybe she’s just accepted her lot in life.”

  “No, it’s more than that. In any event, she’s been here a long time and my gut is telling me that she knows Ben and might know where he is now.”

  “And so you want to go back and talk to her?”

  “Yes, and I want you to come with me,” Elise said, her hands in the prayer position.

  “Elise…”

  “Please.”

  “Fine. You’re a royal pain today! Why did I come here again?”

  “Because you love me and missed our big adventures?”

  The two women got out of the car and scanned the parking lot, making sure no one else was around. Elise clutched the newspaper clipping like it was her most important personal possession - and maybe it was right now.

  As they approached the back of the building, Sandy brought her hand up and covered her mouth in shock. “People actually live here?”

  “Yes. It’s so sad. I don’t know how anyone gets to this position,” Elise whispered. The stench of the dumpsters nearby was particularly overwhelming today as the clean ocean breeze must have adjusted directions. Heat was radiating off the black pavement, and Elise wondered how in the world anyone could survive in the blazing heat for any length of time.

  Elise craned her neck around the corner of the building, with Sandy standing close behind and holding her shoulders, to see if she could spot Mamie Sue. She couldn’t see much from their vantage point, so she turned around to talk to her friend. Instead, a large man was standing behind both of them and startled the pair.

  “Who are you?” Sandy screamed as both women jumped back and then fell into each other which sent them tumbling onto the hot pavement. Elise was sure this would be the day she met Jesus face to face.

  “Easy there, ladies. I don’t mean no harm,” the burly man said. He must have been seven feet - okay, maybe six feet five inches - tall and was covered in more body hair than any man really needed. He reached out a hand to help Sandy up, but she scooted back and used her strong Pilates-built core muscles to get up. He then reached for Elise who, for some unknown reason, grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her up.

  “Who are you?” Sandy said again, this time in a more even tone. Elise noticed her clutching her Louis Vuitton purse and knew that pepper spray was on her keyring.

  “Name’s Mike,” he said, reaching out his hand once again to shake theirs. Sandy stared at his hand, but Elise shook it. If she was going to work with the homeless in the church, she would have to get used to situations like these.

  “Hello, Mike. I’m Elise and this is Sandy.” Sandy shot her a warning glance like she was in the witness protection program and didn’t want to be identified. “I was looking for Mamie Sue. I work with Seagrove Baptist Church on the Saturday lunch team.” Elise had no idea where her newfound calmness was coming from.

  “Nice to meet you, Elise. And Sandy,” he said with a smile as he winked at Sandy. Elise found that to be funny, but kept her laughter to herself. “I reckon Mamie Sue is out doing her visiting this time of day.”

  “Her visiting?”

  “Yes, ma’am. She likes to check on others in our ‘community’, so to speak. Make sure folks’ got food and such.”

  For some reason, that thought made Elise sad. Here was this woman who obviously had nothing herself, yet she was walking around checking on others and making sure they were okay and fed. How could she even help them if she couldn’t - or perhaps wouldn’t - help herself?

  “Sorry I missed her…” Elise said, intent on walking back to the car without any information on Ben.

  “Say, Mike, do you happen to know this fella?” Sandy asked with a smile and her best Southern drawl as she grabbed the newspaper article out of the side pocket of Elise’s purse before Elise could stop her.

  Mike took the paper and stared at it for a moment before smiling. “Well, of course. He’s a famous guy in our community. Did a real good deed, that one.”

  Elise’s breath was sucked from her lungs for a moment. This man knew her Ben. There was that phrase again. Her Ben.

  “Do you know where he is?” Elise asked, staring up into the man’s deep blue eyes. Something about him seemed so genuine, like his soul was as deep as the ocean just a few miles away. There was a depth there, perhaps a life full of adventures, disappointments, turning points.

  “I do. But first I gotta know who’s asking.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Well, dang reporters were sniffing around for a long time looking for Ben. He hated it. Didn’t want no attention. He was just doing the right thing like he always does. Ya’ll reporters too?” His eyebrows were furrowed, and it was clear he was intent on making sure Ben wasn’t bothered.

  “Oh, no. Absolutely not. You see, Ben and I grew up together. I haven’t seen him in years, and I was passing through town when I ran across this newspaper. I was surprised to see Ben…”

  “To see that he was homeless?” Mike asked, his arms crossed.

  “Well, yes, for one thing. We lost contact before our college years…”

  “Yeah, that Ben’s smart. You know, for a homeless guy.” She wasn’t sure, but it seemed she had offended this man, and why not? She was basically putting down the very life he was currently living.

  “Mike, please, if you know where he is…”

  “I was wrong. I don’t know nothin’,” he said as he walked around the women toward his tent.

  “Hey!” Sandy yelled as she stomped her foot and balled up her fists by her sides. Mike slowly turned around, his eyes squinting at her.

  “You yellin’ at me, lady?”

  “You bet I am,” she continued, handing her purse to Elise. “Now, listen here. My friend lost her husband just a few months ago, and she has a baby girl she’s raising by herself. She’s living in a motorhome right now, for goodness sakes! She’s not judging you or anyone else. She’s just desperate to find her friend. Haven’t you ever been so desperate for something that you would do just about anything?”

  He looked at her for a moment before laughing.

  “What are you laughing at?” Sandy asked through pursed lips.

  “At you trying to act all big and bad. It don’t fit ya.”

  “Come on, Sandy. This is a big waste of time,” Elise said pulling on her arm. Reluctantly, Sandy finally turned around and started heading toward the car with Elise.

  “He’s at the Magnolia,” Mike called from behind them. The women tu
rned around.

  “The Magnolia?”

  “It’s a condo complex off Main Street.”

  “But I thought he was homeless?” Sandy asked.

  “He was homeless, but when he returned that guy’s wallet, he got a reward of five hundred dollars.”

  “Five hundred dollars isn’t enough for one month’s rent, though,” Elise said confused.

  “You’re right, but Deputy Bernard was so impressed with his integrity that he and the guys at precinct twelve created a fund for Ben. They paid his rent up for a whole six months. Ben just moved in a couple weeks back. Trying to start a new life, and I think he just might make it… as long as no one messes it up for him.”

  “Are you insinuating that I might mess up his life?” Elise asked with her hands firmly placed on her hips.

  “I don’t know you from Adam’s house cat, ma’m, so I surely hope not. Ben needs a fresh start. He’s still young enough to make something of himself.”

  “Trust me, Mike, no one cares more about Ben than I do. No one.”

  “Then where you been all these years? No offense, but seems to me that if you cared….”

  “That’s enough!” Sandy shouted with her finger pointed. Elise shushed her and turned back to Mike.

  “I’ll have you know that he abandoned our friendship long ago, and I have no idea why. He apparently didn’t care what happened to me, so why did I need to care about him?”

  “How do you know he didn’t care?”

  “Because he just disappeared, Mike. He was gone from my life like one of those magic tricks where the person gets inside the box and poof! They’re gone. And I never knew why.”

  “Maybe he was never gone, Elise,” he said almost too quiet for her to hear.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Nothin’,” he said before turning and walking away. Elise stood there for a moment before shouting thank you to his back side. After all, he’d given her the best piece of information she had to go on for finding Ben.

  “I guess we’d better find The Magnolia,” Sandy said with her arm around Elise as they walked back to the car.

  “Not just yet,” Elise said.

  ***

  As they pulled back into the campground, evening was beginning to fall. The sky had a pinkish hue streaked with waves of orange that gave Elise a sense of peace. It was like God had painted a special canvas just for her.

  “I still don’t understand why we didn’t go to The Magnolia?” Sandy asked as they pulled up to the motorhome.

  “Because I can’t just leave Dave responsible for Jilly all evening.”

  “Then I’ll take her,” Sandy said.

  “But I thought you had decided this was all a bad idea,” Elise said with a sly smile as she lightly punched Sandy on the arm.

  “Well, it’s what you want and you asked for my support, so I’m trying to give it. Don’t make me sorry,” Sandy said laughing.

  “I assume you’re sleeping over?”

  “Unless you want me to hang out with Mike behind the bowling alley, then yes, I am sleeping over.”

  “Mommy! Aunt Sandy!” Jilly squealed as she ran from the community center, face covered in what Elise could only assume was chocolate syrup. “They had sundaes again!”

  “I can see that, sweet girl,” Elise said as she knelt and hugged her daughter. Dave was ambling behind her, his age showing compared to Jilly’s exuberant behavior. “Thanks so much for taking her, Dave.”

  “Not a problem at all. Barb came back a little earlier than us, so if you ladies will excuse me, I’d like to give the missus a quick kiss before I start grilling up our dinner. Sandy, would you like to join us?”

  “Sure, if it’s not a problem,” Sandy said with a smile as Dave disappeared behind the corner of his RV. “Everyone around here is so nice.”

  “Yes, they are.”

  “So, what are your plans for the evening?” Sandy asked, a sly grin plastered across her sun kissed face.

  “Well, I’m going to grab our meat so Dave can cook it up for all of us and then…”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Seriously? Don’t you think it’s a little late for me to be going to find Ben?” Elise whispered as Jilly picked flowers at the corner of the lot.

  “What? Is he eighty years old or something?”

  “Well, no…”

  “Then what are you waiting for? I’m leaving tomorrow, Elise. Right now, you’ve got a proven, trustworthy babysitter at your disposal.”

  “True. And we’ve still got at least an hour before dark. Okay, I’ll do it!” she said, more excited than she had expected. How would Ben even react to seeing her?

  All of this time, she’d really only been concerned about how she would react to seeing him. It never dawned on her that Ben might not be so welcoming. Maybe he would be upset because she never got in touch. Maybe he had some personal issues that were impossible to get beyond. Maybe he wouldn’t even remember her or the time they shared together when they were younger. Although that last part seemed unlikely.

  The bond that they’d had was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before or since, if she was honest with herself. She had loved Ted, but certainly not in the same way that she had loved her best friend all those years. Even thinking something like that made her feel guilty. After all, Ted was the father of her only child. She loved him for that and for the time they shared, but the bond was never as strong as what she’d had just being friends with Ben.

  She’d tried over the years to write it off as first love syndrome. Maybe she was romanticizing the past. Either way, she had no idea how Ben was going to react when he saw her.

  Elise quickly agreed with her friend, grabbed her purse, hugged her daughter goodbye and jumped in the car. She wasn’t sure if it was anxiety or excitement that she was feeling as her heart pounded, but she knew it was something she had to do. It would be impossible for her to go one more night not knowing if Ben was safe. Even though Mike had told her she would find him at The Magnolia, she had to see for herself.

  Chapter 11

  Elise drove into the heart of town, which wasn’t very far from the campground given how small the town was to begin with. When she turned onto Main Street, she went slowly being careful to look for The Magnolia.

  All of the houses in that area were Victorian in style. In fact, it looked like she had transported herself back to the old South. She liked it, mainly because she was used to looking at a very congested cityscape in Atlanta. Sure, there were nice places with old houses, but this was different. This was authentic small town America at its finest.

  Her mother was a huge fan of the Andy Griffith show when she was growing up, and she half expected Andy himself to walk past her on this street. It was like time stood still in Seaview, and she kind of liked the idea of that. There were times in her life when she had wished for time to stand still so she could just savor the moment a bit longer. When she met Ben. When she held her Daddy’s hand. When she last hugged her mother. When she said “I do” to Ted. When Jilly was born.

  A part of her wondered if those happy times were a thing of the past for her. Would she have more “time please stand still” moments or was that all she got?

  It didn’t take her long to see the sign. She had kind of hoped that her drive would take longer because she didn’t have as much time to think through what she was going to say or do. She hoped it would come to her, but there was no option on waiting longer. Sandy was keeping Jilly and this was the best time to face her past.

  She pulled into the driveway and then tilted her rearview mirror down so she could check her hair and makeup. She pulled a brush from her purse and ran it through her hair before adding a little bit more lip gloss. She wasn’t even sure why she was doing that given the fact that this wasn’t a beauty contest or job interview, but she just felt like Ben wouldn’t recognize her without doing those things.

  The sun was starting to slide down behind the building, making the front yard
of the building darker. The huge old oak trees shaded the lot with the requisite magnolia tree hovering over the side yard. In comparison to condo buildings in Atlanta, this was small. In reality, it was an old antebellum house that had been converted into a condo. It was large, much like Tara from Gone With The Wind only a bit smaller.

  She locked the car and started making her way up the cobblestone path to the front door. The house had a huge, wide wraparound porch with wooden slats. As she reached the front door, she noticed a sign that said to come in and look on the board for condo numbers and names. It occurred to her that that didn’t offer whole lot of security for the people who lived there, but in a tiny town like Seaview, it probably wasn’t an issue anyway.