Love From the Ashes (13 page)

Neither did I;
she wanted to say.  Instead she just planted a grin on her face and shrugged.  “I wanted to visit you guys.”

“I’m glad you did.”  Kari replied eagerly.  Rebecca looked at Thomas and he was smiling at his kids, but he seemed a bit preoccupied.

“This is perfect!”  Bethany spoke and then turned to Thomas.  “Dad, don’t you have something to ask Rebecca?”

Rebecca thought she noticed his face turn red, but she was sure she was just seeing things.  “I…well,” he turned to Bethany.  “Will you please take the kids upstairs?”

“Dad…” she whined, but then did as he had asked.

“Thank you!”  Rebecca was confused, but interested as to why he felt the need to be alone with her.  When they were heading up the stairs he looked at her and laughed.  “I’m sorry about that; I asked Bethany to go upstairs because I have something to ask you, but I definitely don’t want you to feel obligated.  It’s a crazy idea and I have tried to convince her that it is, but you know how children are.  Once they fabricate a plan, it’s hard to convince them otherwise.”

She just stared at him; she had no idea where he was going, but it wasn’t clear to her in any way.  “Thomas, just ask me the question.”

When their eyes met he laughed; it was a nervous laugh, but it made her blush.  Whatever he needed to say, it obviously was weighing heavily on his mind.  “Kari wants me to invite you to come camping with us.  Before you say anything, I did try to persuade her to give up the notion.  I promise you of that, but like I said…there’s just no way that I can change her mind.  So, I promised her I would talk to you about it.  I can make up some reason why you can’t; after all you could have plans.  In fact, do you have plans?”

Rebecca didn’t know how to respond to that; she didn’t have plans, but she was unsure whether he really wanted her there.  He was acting like he had just been sent to a torture chamber and if he could convince Rebecca to go, his life would be spared.  “Um…” she turned away from him; her mind was racing with all of the things she thought about saying to him.  She knew the only reason he was inviting her was because of his daughter and while that usually would have been enough, she started to feel like it would end up being an awkward situation.  “I don’t think I can go.”

She couldn’t tell if the look on his face was full of relief, or sorrow?  “Oh; so you do have plans?”

She shrugged.  She didn’t want to lie, but the thought of telling him the truth seemed preposterous.  “I might have plans.”

When she looked at him he started to laugh.  “Did this just all of a sudden come up; or have you had these thoughts of plans for awhile?”

He was smiling at her and she quickly looked away.  “I mean…I do have plans.  I…I…have to go look for a new lawn mower; mine’s not working.”  She cringed at the lame excuse.  The look on his face was priceless.  His eyes were bugged out and his mouth was formed in a smile.  “My lawn is getting pretty long.”

She couldn’t handle much more of the tall tale, and when he continued to stare at her she started to chuckle.  “I’ll make you a deal; you go with me and the kids on this camping adventure, and when we get back I’ll take you to the best garden shop I can.  I mean, you did help me out with the furniture; it would only be fair.”

She didn’t know whether he was teasing her or serious.  “I don’t get it.”

“You don’t get what?”

“When you first said something to me about going, you seemed to have every excuse in the world why I wouldn’t want to go.  I was sure you only wanted me to go, because of Bethany.  I gave you an out, and you are now trying to convince me to go?  I don’t know that I’ll ever understand you Thomas.”

He sighed and shrugged.  “I don’t know that I’ll ever understand me either.”  She laughed.  “So, will you go?  It will make my children very happy.”

Bethany wished she could read his mind, because it appeared that he wouldn’t object if she agreed.  It was a turnaround from only a few minutes prior.  “It will make your children very happy?”  She raised her eyebrows when she wondered that question.

“Okay; maybe they wouldn’t be the only ones receptive to the idea.  I could use the help and it would be nice to have another adult around.”

She acted like she was thinking, but the truth was she was beginning to like the thought of it.  They were two mature adults; surely they could handle being at a campsite together.  Especially when there were 7 young, little, and exuberant pair of eyes.  “I’m thinking it might be a good idea, but mainly because you could use another driver.  It might be a little cramped in your van.”

“I never thought about it that way; you really would be doing me a favor.”

“Well then; how could I pass that up?”

They laughed.  He turned to the stairs and called for his kids.  Whether she wanted to admit it, or not, she was looking forward to the following weekend.  She wanted it to be the best night of her life; or at least the best part of her year.  She smiled to herself; it definitely would be
a time she was bound to never forget.

Rebecca jumped out of her vehicle and Thomas immediately followed her.  “This is it!”  She enthusiastically replied as the kids piled out of each of their vans.  She remembered the state park fondly.  When Thomas told her that he wanted to go to the place that she used to as a kid, she was all too excited to make arrangements.  Lily’s mother had met Thomas half way to drop off Lily.  They then met Rebecca at her house and she led them to the park.  It was easy to remember how to get there, once she was on the road.  Bethany, Lily, and Frankie piled into Rebecca’s van; while Kari, A
llison, Judy, and Joey got into Thomas’.  She smiled thinking about how excited the three in her vehicle was.  It made her even happier that she had gone on the trip. 

Thomas looked around the spot; his eyes were shining.  He looked just as happy as the kids.  “This place is so beautiful and peaceful.  It’s no wonder you love it.”

She nodded in agreement.  “It’s been so long; I almost forgot just how much.”

“Dad, can we go sightseeing?”  Kari asked with her hands laced together.  “Please!”

“We will go sightseeing, but we first have to pitch the tents.  We can’t be stuck doing that in the dark and by the looks of it…we only have about an hour.”

The children groaned, but they each started to help unload the vans. 
It was true; it was going on 6:00 and with the weather changing the days were getting shorter.  “I hate to admit; I forgot how to put one of these things up.”  She laughed as she looked at the tent.

He leaned up against her ear.  “Don’t worry; I’m a good teacher.”  She looked at him; his smile was infectious.  She then quickly had to look away; she was on the trip because she was going to help him with the kids.  She wasn’t supposed to be thinking of anything else, but the children.

“Thank you, but I’m sure I can figure it out.”  She mumbled under her breath; the look on his face proved that he was at a loss for words.

“Where should we put our bags?”  Bethany asked as she finished unloading the vans.

“Well, you can put them next to that tree.  I figured everyone that rode will Rebecca will sleep in the little tent and everyone that rode with me will sleep in the big tent.  How does that sound?”

Rebecca nodded, but didn’t turn to face him as she diligently worked on fixing the tent.  She heard the idle chatter as everyone started to help put the tents together and she was relieved that she was able to do it without needing Thomas’ assistance.  She wanted to prove to him and to herself that she could do it.  “There, I’m done.”

He looked at the tent and then caught her eye and smiled.  “Job well done.”

“Did you have any doubt?”  She laughed and he just shook his head.  She grabbed the girl’s
bags that would be bunking with her and put them into the tent.  When she exited the tent she noticed that Thomas’ and the kids were finishing up with the other tent.  “Good job!”  She laughed when he looked at her.

“Did you have any doubts?”  He joked and she shook her head.  “Okay; we can go sightseeing for a little while.  However, we are then going to come back to camp and I will cook an All-American camping meal.
  Do you have any special places to check out here?”

“Hm…follow me.”  She led the way to the hiking trail.  There were lots to explore and she wasn’t going to leave one stone unturned.

____________________

“Let’s go down this path.”  Rebecca eagerly called as the troop followed her.  The path wasn’t very bumpy and Thomas was relieved about that, the toddlers seemed to be able to make it with ease.  “See this cave; this used to be my brother’s and my favorite hangout when we came here.  We would always come in here and tell ghost stories.”  She got quiet and he wondered if it was difficult to think about the years when Robbie would have been by her side.  “Let’s go inside.”

Thomas walked to the cave and cautiously peeked inside.  “I don’t know Rebecca.  It’s going to get dark soon and this cave…are you sure it’s safe?”

She laughed.  “Don’t tell me you’re scared.”

He would have never admitted to her that.  “I’m just thinking about the children’s safety.”

“You’re right.  If you guys don’t want to go in, we don’t have to.”

“Are you kidding me?”  Bethany and Lily ran to the cave and entered through the darkness.  “This is awesome.”  Thomas could only here the faint echo of their voice and Rebecca was smiling at him.

He grabbed Joey and Judy’s hand and entered the cave.  Kari and Allison ran ahead to meet with the older girls, but Frankie stayed back.  She was the conservative one of the group; much like he was. 
“We used to say that there was buried treasure in here.”

“Did you ever find any?”  Kari asked; the excitement on her face was undeniable.

Rebecca shook her head.  “No, but we came close once.  There was a chest that we found; we were certain that it was filled with gold.”

“What happened?”  Bethany and Lily rejoined the group.

Rebecca began to laugh.  “Well, my brother Robbie and I were just sure it was going to be full of gold.  We didn’t want to take any chances that someone else would find it.  So, we left it here until our parents and Bradley were asleep.  We snuck back to the cave and we had to use a needle to unlock it.  When we opened it, do you know what we found?”  Everyone, including Thomas, just slowly shook their heads.  “It was full of marbles.”

“Marbles?”  Thomas asked.  He had to laugh, because it became evident that he was most interested.

“Yep; marbles.  We were so disappointed; we thought we were going to be rich.  Although, I suppose you could say we were rich.”

Thomas watched her as she looked like she was thinking.  A smile was placed on her lips.  “How?”  Bethany asked; her voice was barely above a whisper.

“It made us realize that while we were still poor, we had a family that loved us.  That’s more important than anything money can buy.”

He saw a tear run down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.  “How old were you?”  Kari asked.

“We were just about Bethany and Lily’s age.  I even kept the chest full of marbles.  Someday I’ll show them to you.”

“Dad, do you think we could look for gold?”

Thomas looked at Rebecca and she just shrugged.  “Maybe later Frankie; we have to…” he looked up when he heard a strange sound.  “Did you hear that?”  He was looking at Rebecca, hoping that she could spread some insight as to the sound.  She shrugged.  They looked around, trying to find the source of the noise.  Bethany and the other kids didn’t seem to notice as they were looking at the etchings in the cave.  Rebecca and Thomas turned and Thomas’ eyes got big at the moment that Rebecca looked at him.  “Run!”  He yelled as they each grabbed the hands of some of the children and ran as fast as they could.  Bethany and Lily had reached the outside first and when Thomas and Rebecca had reached the entrance first they both burst out into giggles.  “Safe, huh?”

She was breathless as she fell to the ground.  “I swear; in all of my times I have been in that cave I have never seen a bat before, let alone a whole
colony of bats.”  She laughed.  “I’m sorry guys.”

“That was fun!”  Bethany replied eagerly.

He stared at her.  “Fun?”  He mumbled.  “Well, I have had enough fun to last the rest of my lifetime.”  He teased.  “What do you say we go back to camp and I make that meal that I promised you guys?  We could go swimming tomorrow; if it’s warm enough.”

They all agreed and he helped Rebecca to her feet.  “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.  He was seeing Rebecca in a different light.  She was always easy to talk to, but it was nice seeing her outside of their normal element.  It was so natural to be there with her and the 7 kids and he was so glad Bethany had brought up the fact of inviting Rebecca.  The kids were all enjoying themselves, but he couldn’t forget the fact that he was too.  It was the little things about Rebecca that fascinated him the most, and he wanted to explore those deeper.  Despite any reservations he once had.

____________________

“Are you sure I can’t help you with supper?”  Rebecca knew it was almost coming across as pleading, but she felt helpless and didn’t want to be seen as a user.

“Rebecca, I promise you; I have it under control.  Besides, I am just about done.”  He smiled that same smile that always gave her a funny feeling.  She nodded and turned back to where the kids were sitting around a nice campfire.  “Did you guys have fun exploring?  Even when we had to run for our lives.”  She giggled as she took a seat next to Bethany.

“It was a blast.”  Kari responded with enthusiasm.  “Can we go back tomorrow?”

Rebecca turned to Thomas and he was smiling.  “If you want to.  I also thought I could show you a pond that I used to swim in when I was younger.”  They were all nodding eagerly and she smiled to herself.  She didn’t know if the tree with the rope was still there, but she figured it would be interesting to see if she had what it would take.  The thought of even attempting to swing into the pond was foolish, but she was excited about the thought.  “We’ll have to see how the weather is tomorrow.  Hopefully it won’t be too chilly.”  The fall temperatures were perfect camping weather, but she didn’t want them to have hypothermia in the water.

“Supper is ready.”  Thomas was saying, bringing her out of her thoughts.  She helped the younger kids to get a plate prepared and then grabbed her plate and took it to the picnic tables that they had set up.  She sat down and to her pleasant surprise; Thomas sat down next to her.  She looked at him and she noticed that any reservations he once had about her being there, must have faded.  “Before we eat, I would like to say grace.”  She placed her hand in his and he gently squeezed it.  It confirmed her suspicion that something had definitely changed.  “Heavenly Father, we thank you for this beautiful night.  We are blessed to have so many people that we care about in our lives.  We ask for you to watch over us this weekend, keep us safe and free.  Free to do the things that we have been holding back on and guide us to make us understand that we’re on the right path.”  Rebecca frowned at his prayer.  She began to wonder what it was that he needed guidance with.  “Thank you for the food and wonderful friends that are about to share in it.  We ask that you watch over the ones that weren’t able to be with us.  We ask this in your name; Amen!”

“Amen!”  Rebecca whispered.  It was nice that he included Scarlett and Robbie in the prayer.  He didn’t need to say their names for her to fully understand what he meant.  She helped Judy, who was seated on the other side of her.  Thomas was helping Joey with his hotdog.  She stayed away from the conversation that everyone was involved in.  She just enjoyed sitting back and hearing what they had to say.  Bethany and Lily were getting caught up since they hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks and Kari and Allison were chatting about television shows they both watched.  Thomas was right; Frankie seemed content enough with just being there.  She was talking to Joey as if he was her best friend.

She looked over at Thomas; he was staring at her and it suddenly made her feel uncomfortable.  “So, are you glad you came?”

She looked around the table and smiled.  “I have to admit, I really am enjoying myself.  I guess I’m glad you forced me.”

He raised his eyes at her remark and then started to laugh.  They both knew that it was kind of the truth, but she didn’t mind.  “I’m glad you convinced us to come here.  It’s nice spot.  I would definitely come back.”

Rebecca was hopeful that he would invite her back too.  However, she didn’t want to get too involved.  She needed to play things on the safe side; even if they were having the best time of their life, there was no guarantee he would want to make it a repeated adventure.  “I know you said that the kids have never been camping, but how about you and Scarlett?”  She surprised herself by being so forward, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“The last time I went camping…I was probably Joey’s age.”

“Wow!  I had no idea.”

He laughed.  “Yeah; so that was…” he looked like he was thinking.  “That was about 25 years ago.”  He smiled.  “Man I feel old.”

“You’re not old, just mature.”

“I see, well sometimes this mature 30 year old feels old.”  They both began to laugh.  “All kidding aside, I noticed that the cave seemed to take a whole new hold of your memories.  I just worry that it might have been too much.”

“Sometimes I think that I might be forgetting everything about Robbie.  I don’t want to forget his memory; so, a little bit of reminiscing is good for the soul.”

He smiled.  “I concur.”

She took a bite of her hamburger and closed her eyes to the light, cool breeze.  It was true; she felt a breath of fresh air that she could remember the good times.  The good times, by far, outweighed the bad; that’s what she needed to hold on to.

____________________

Thomas exited the last tent and stood there watching Kari, Allison, Bethany, and Lily interacting with Rebecca.  They were all around the fire and he couldn’t begin to guess who was having the better time.  The kids; or Rebecca?  He was betting that it was pretty even. 
Kari looked up and spotted him first.  “Dad, you’re just in time.  We were about ready to tell ghost stories.”

He glanced at Rebecca and he saw the unsure expression on her face.  “I…are you sure?”