Body of Ash (33 page)

Maybe a part of changing will include taking a risk with Davey.

Stepping closer, he ran his fingers along her jaw. Tilting her chin up, he kissed her. “I hope you come back tonight.”

Leaning in, she breathed in his wonderful smell.  The thrill of a new life was just beginning to take hold.

“I just might.”

46

RACHEL

Friday 8:20 PM

“Trust me,” Colette encouraged, “everything is going to work out fine.”

Her husband, Paul, nodded his head in agreement. Although claiming to be seventy-years-old, the man didn’t look a day over sixty. Fit and well-spoken, his intellect was much sharper than some of the church leaders her father chummed around with on his visits down south. After sharing her story with Colette, the woman called him and requested he join them.

After Paul’s arrival, Rachel told her story again. Starting at the beginning, she repeated what she told Colette: the birthday dinner, Katie’s gossip in the bathroom, Marge
showing up – the boarding school. How she regretted running away, but felt hopeless and lost. Why she ran when Ernie suggested she would need to perform sexual favors in exchange for a place to stay and how much she missed Jason. The hardest part was confessing what she was thinking when she called Colette at the church. Laying it all out on the table was a relief. Admitting the truth was difficult, but it felt better than lying.

Both Colette and Paul made it clear that they couldn’t force her parents to change their minds, but they were willing to help mediate a conversation.

“I know I’m supposed to honor my parents,” Rachel said. “I’ve always tried my best to. I just don’t think I can stand living so far from home, especially now that I’m close to graduating. I want to obey – but I feel it’s so unfair."

“God does command children to obey, but he also instructs parents not to exasperate their children,” Paul replied. “As a father, that was a lesson I had to learn. Your parents are struggling, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love you. We all need a little guidance. They do, too.”

“I don’t know. They haven’t listened to me in a long time, they might not.”

“Don’t give up on God yet, he brought you here, didn’t he?” Colette smiled. “God’s plan isn’t always our plan, but it always turns out better.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Rachel said. Looking down at her hands, she studied the ring Jason had given her the day before. Wondering if her boyfriend missed her as much as she missed him, she gently touched the opal stone. He was such a part of her life, the thought of spending another hour without him hurt. Although he had been sending her text messages, she didn’t respond; instead, preferring to give all of her attention to Paul and Colette while they discussed her options.

Moving to the counter, Colette opened one of the cupboards and removed a can of Maxwell House and a pack of filters. Plugging in the coffeemaker, she filled the carafe with water and set it to brew. Smiling, she pointed to the pot, “It’s going to be a long night. Making coffee seems like a good idea. When you’re ready, you can make the call.”

Placing his firm hand on Rachel’s arm, Paul offered a genuine smile. “Why don’t you go in the sanctuary so you can have
privacy.
If you need us, we’re right here.”

Shaking her head in agreement, Rachel rose from her seat.  Hours had passed since she met Colette and was brought back to the building; her body was stiff from sitting. Stepping out into the main room, once again she was reminded how
different the Church of Christ was in comparison to New Hope. No longer did it matter to her that the place was run down. The compassion she found in the tiny building far outdid any she had experienced at New Hope.

Taking a seat in the front row, Rachel stared at the podium. Even if she had to meet Ernie and Mars, maybe God brought her to Torrington so she and Jason could stay together. Maybe there was some kind of greater plan in all of it. She hoped the good Lord wouldn’t hold it against her that she gave her virginity to Jason or punish her for wanting to do it again. Somehow, she would figure that all out, once she found a way to trust God to get her back home to her life.

I don’t know anymore, but I have to believe He can fix this.

Looking at her cell phone, she reread the text messages from Jason. Over the last hour, he had sent three of them, encouraging her to call her mother. When he first wrote that Angela was at his house with him and his parents and that everything was okay, Rachel was hurt. Her first thought was that Jason betrayed her, that he didn’t want to be held responsible for her taking off so he tattled. But, after reading a few more messages, Rachel realized that wasn’t the case. Jason was the one person she could trust, he wouldn’t buy her mother’s promises unless she was genuinely convincing.

What if she’s lying to him? What if it’s a trick to bring me home?

Again her phone buzzed. Another text lit up the screen.

“Your mom is still at my place. You’re grandma, too. She said you don’t have to go away. Why isn’t Ernie answering his phone? Please call me.”

My grandmother?
Where’s Dad?

Staring at the message, Rachel tried finding the courage to place the call. From where she sat, she could see into the little kitchen where Paul and Colette drank coffee, waiting for her to make the call home.  Knowing they would support her when her parents came to get her made it a little easier, but she was still scared. Angela and Brian Jones were experts at putting on an act. How many times did she participate in one of their façades? She hoped the Beckers were too wise to fall for the “perfect family show.”

Scrolling through her contacts, Rachel selected Jason’s cell and hit send.

After one ring, his familiar voice answered, “Hey, where have you been? I was worried.”

“I met some people. They’ve been really nice.”

“Are you okay? Is Ernie with you?”

Rachel paused, unsure how much she should say. “No, I didn’t feel comfortable with him, but I’m fine. Is my mom still there?”

“Yeah, hold on.”

After a muffled noise, she could hear Jason saying something, probably to Angela, but she couldn’t make out his words.

I hope this isn’t a mistake.

“Rachel? Are you okay,” her mother’s voice was shaking.

Vowing to stay strong and hold her ground, she held back the urge to cry. “I’m okay.”

“Honey, where are you?”

Rachel paused. She didn’t want to give in so easy.  Needing to be sure they understood one another, she spoke carefully. “Mom…I can’t go away. I don’t want to leave my school.”

“I know,” Angela replied
,
her own control was strained. “I was wrong. You aren’t going anywhere.”

The tears Rachel insisted she wouldn’t cry ran down her cheeks. Trailing her hand across the wetness, she tried
holding herself together. A glance towards the kitchen revealed the preacher and his wife holding hands in prayer.

Maybe she was there for reason.

“Can you come get me?”

47

ANGELA

Friday 8:30 PM

Sliding into the Subaru, Angela reached into the glove compartment for her GPS. Unsure where the small church in Torrington was located, she was thankful for technology. Driving at night was difficult enough – finding her way through a strange city riddled with too many one way streets was near impossible.

Opening the passenger side door, her mother climbed in next to her. Although Sylvia had been asked to wait in the car, after ten minutes without word from Angela in the house, she came knocking on the front door. After talking her way in, her mother hadn’t stopped berating Brian and every other decision Angela had made over the last twenty-four hours.

“I don’t know why you waited so long to go there in the first place. The two kids are obviously inseparable. Jason wanted her home as much as you do.” Snapping her seatbelt in place, she waited for Angela to start the car. “I’m coming with you to Torrington. That’s too far to go alone at this hour.”

Angela sighed. She wished her mother would stop talking, at least for a while, giving her time to think. So much had happened and all without sleep, she was running on fumes. Other than coffee and a few bites of yogurt around noon, she had been too worried to eat.

Before steering her car out from the Thompson’s driveway, Angela considered calling her husband, but quickly dismissed it. Although Brian claimed he was going to find Rachel, all he had done was cater to his needs. Sitting around the house drinking whiskey and making excuses – a father should be out searching for his child. Sylvia had been saying
it all day, only now did Angela feel it as strongly as her mother.

“What was all that talk about Rachel going away to boarding school? Whose stupid idea was that?” Sylvia asked. Her presence loomed in the seat beside Angela, causing her to feel like a child again.

“Brian arranged it,” Angela said. She couldn’t bear to tell her mother about Marge Finch or the other women she suspected her husband had screwed around with. “I don’t know why he thought it was a good idea.”

“Leave it to him to come up with a damn fool idea like that. Why you listen to him is beyond me,” she snapped. “He’s worthless.”

Angela gripped the steering wheel. It was a long drive to Torrington – the thought of her mother’s tirade lasting the length of the trip was too much.  “You need to stop.”

“Stop what?” Sylvia’s head snapped around, giving a confused look.

“Stop talking and acting like you have all the answers. You can’t tell me that you were any happier with Daddy than I have been with Brian. He’s never been good enough for you.”

Sylvia turned silent. From a quick side glance, Angela could tell her mother was considering her words.

Clearing her throat, the older woman spoke softly. “It’s no surprise that your father and I weren’t close. He wasn’t an affectionate man.” Sylvia paused, contemplating her words. “Shortly after he and I were married, I realized he wasn’t going to change. Sure, I thought I could change him, but men don’t change. That was when I met Dean. It wasn’t difficult for him to see I was vulnerable, living in that big house without anyone around all day long. He worked for your father, so he made excuses to stop by and see me. Dean was burly and handsome and knew just what to say to sweep me off my feet. I wanted an easier life for you without you having to relive my mistakes. I knew Brian would hurt you the way I was hurt.”

“Daddy hurt you?” Angela didn’t understand. She never knew this part of her mother’s life – never considered that Sylvia, as respected and conservative as she was, could have had feelings for anyone besides her husband.