On 4/19 (On 4/19 and Beyond 4/20) (11 page)

“What’ve you been up to?” he asked. He often wondered what she did when they weren’t together. They had never discussed her dating
during their arrangement, and as far as he knew, she wasn’t seeing anyone. Since meeting her, he hadn’t had a date and had no intention of it. Complications were usually the end result anyway. Urges came, and though he could’ve easily made a call to alleviate his frustration, he instead kept himself busy with work. After a while, it was as if that were no longer an option. He felt it would be disrespectful to Chelsea, and he found no need of other companionship. While he and Chelsea were not romantically involved, just having her around caused him to feel a little more like his former self, the man he was before Tracy died.

“Not much.” She sat on the wooden trunk that served as her coffee table. “I’ve just been piddling around here.”

“Piddling, huh?” He loved the way she talked. Though most often she spoke with the typical Midwestern accent, occasionally, she would throw out a country term, sayings that would remind him of his mother.

“Yes, piddling.” She grinned. “How’ve things been with you?” There was no way she would ask why he hadn’t called. For one thing she knew she had no right, and for the other, she wouldn’t dare voice such a pathetic question. Finding him there waiting for her made up for the days he’d been absent.

“Busy. Too busy.” Having seen her so little in the past weeks, he regretted not making more time. “I was wondering if you were available to do a little traveling.”

Smiling broadly, she said, “Of course. Where to?”

He leaned in and placed his hands on her knees. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

They discussed several possibilities before settling on Australia. He warned her that it was the beginning of their winter, but she was not at all deterred. Having been to Australia a number of times himself, John was able to help her decide what to pack. It was settled, they would leave the next morning.

A
t dinner on their third evening in Sydney, Chelsea found she could hardly eat her meal. Seated in the most unique restaurant she had ever been in, located in the southern sail of the Sydney Opera House, she could do little else but gaze out at the spectacular view of the night skyline. Having never seen a real opera, she had assumed she would not like it. Instead, she found she loved every moment of the production, even when she could barely understand what was happening. It was moving, nearly magical.

Watching her closely while she looked out at the night sky, John sensed she was far away in thought. Without question, she had enjoyed the show, but her current quietness caused him to wonder if something was the matter. Since Chelsea was never quiet, when she became so, it concerned him. “Are you not enjoying your meal?”

“The food is fabulous.” Looking at her plate, she knew she should’ve eaten more while it was warm. “I just can’t get over the view. Have you been here before?” If anything, she was unsure how he could so casually eat with such beauty surrounding him and remain so unaffected.

Nodding, he indicated he had, but it wasn’t something he cared to elaborate on. Once, a few years back, he had brought a new acquaintance to the opera and for a meal afterward. It was during a season of his life he was none too proud of. In town on business, he met the woman at a dinner party, and the very same night took her back to his hotel room. The following night, he took her out to the opera and to dinner at the same restaurant, slept with her once more and never saw her again. Soon after, he began dating much less. John knew the way he treated her and
many other nameless women like her was unfair. His heart had become so calloused; it took a near disaster to wake him up.

Changing the subject, he asked, “What would you like to do tomorrow?”

So far, they had done many of the usual tourist activities. John worked during the morning hours but was usually free by lunchtime. When he arrived back at their hotel, they’d have lunch together, go out for an afternoon of sightseeing, and have a nice dinner.

“What is your work schedule?”

“I have a conference call early and then several meetings. I probably won’t be free until near dinnertime.”

Nodding, she said, “Hmm. Okay. I’ll find something to get into.” Keller Industries was global, and John had many interests in Sydney, including manufacturing and hospitality. The hotel in which they were staying was owned by KI. Not knowing this beforehand, Chelsea found herself surprised, even a bit disappointed when he spent so much time away. When they were out each afternoon, often he took phone calls which left her alone to finish whatever they were doing at the time. She held a baby koala, and he missed it. She touched a live crocodile, and he missed it. With him excusing himself for privacy or quiet, she would snap her own photos with her phone. It wasn’t exactly the trip she anticipated. Without question, she was having a wonderful time. It was the trip of a lifetime for her, and certainly better than their visit to Las Vegas, but for some reason, she expected there to be more personal time and fewer business meetings.

As she thought this, she felt terribly ungrateful. It wasn’t likely she would ever again have such an opportunity, and often she reminded herself how generous he was and how blessed she was that he took her along with him. Just as he did in Vegas, he insisted on buying her extravagant evening clothes for dinners at some of the finest restaurants in Sydney. For each outfit, he would surprise her with more jewelry. Recalling just how generous he’d been, she felt even more ashamed of her secret disappointment.

Based on her brief response, and when she didn’t elaborate on what she planned to do, he suspected she was a little disappointed with his
answer. Without a doubt, he’d spent more time conducting business than he had with her, at least during the daytime hours. Having hoped that giving her his full attention during the evenings might somehow make up for his absence in the mornings and how distracted he was when he was with her in the afternoon, he decided that was not the case. Chelsea was not the type to complain; it was simply not in her nature. In fact, that was what he liked least about her. It drove him crazy how she would rarely ask for what she wanted or admit how she felt. If he could impart one thing in her during their time together, it would be that. He wanted to help her find her voice. More than his desire for her in business, though certainly she would have to gain some spine in that area, he wanted to see her become more vocal and assertive in her personal life.

“Do you have anything at all in mind that you’d like to do? I’ll order a car for you.” The lighting was dim, but he could still tell the little sparkle that was normally present in her eyes was missing at the moment. If he had one goal during their time together, it was to keep that sparkle alive.

“No. That’s okay. I’ll catch a cab.”

Finished with his meal, John moved the plate aside, propped his elbows on the table, and leaned in closer. “Chelsea, I know I’ve been very distracted since we’ve been here. I’m not here often, so when I am, I try to fit in way too much in too short a time frame. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed.”

When she waved him off, indicating it was no big deal, he knew it was a big deal to her. Her gesture made him think of Tracy and how he did the same things to her. Fiercely independent, much more so than Chelsea, Tracy never seemed the least bit concerned that he spent so much time away. It was only after losing her that he came to recognize her vulnerability and how much of what he thought she ignored, she instead internalized just as Chelsea was doing.

“What do you plan to do?” He asked.

“I want to see the real Australia, not the tourist stuff, but the real people and places.”

“Can it wait until later in the day?” As soon as he asked the question, even before she answered, the look of resignation on her face caused a lump to form in his throat.

“Sure.”

Again she was quiet. Her dessert arrived, and she picked at it quietly. She was by no means sulking, but clearly she was let down. When she lost interest in her dessert, it was then that he offered, “I’ll try to get done a little earlier. Will that help?” He hoped that would pacify her.

Setting her fork down gently, she then lifted her napkin to her mouth. Chelsea placed her napkin on the table, and even while reminding herself how grateful she was for the trip, spat, “You know, as far as I can tell, you appear to be the boss, like everybody’s boss. It seems to me, as the boss, you could simply say, ‘I’ll not be available tomorrow. I have a city to see, some poor people to feed.’”

He could hardly decide which to respond to first, her finding her voice to express how she felt or her comment about feeding the poor. Tremendously proud of her, he began with, “You’re right. I am the boss. And as the boss, I’ll schedule a day off tomorrow.” He grinned broadly, asking, “Now what’s this about feeding the poor?”

The next morning, Chelsea was up and dressed early. Earlier that morning, she had gone down to speak to the concierge, asking him to direct her to the nearest poor section of town. As she anticipated, he thought she was out of her mind, but she pressed him for the information. Her plan was to locate some local churches and find a few families who were in need and buy them some groceries. At dinner the night before, she had asked John if they could forgo the expensive clothes and dinner the next night and instead spend that money giving to others. Without hesitation, he agreed. She also had some of her own money she planned to contribute. Anticipation of the day to come had kept her up much of the night, but even without enough sleep, the thought of what she was about to do energized her.

Once John was up and dressed, they set off in search of the poor. When he agreed to take the day off and spend it with her doing charity work, you would have thought, based on her excitement, that he offered to buy her the moon. In the weeks he had come to know her, he always greatly respected her, but this day, he found such deep admiration for her, he could hardly imagine her not being in his life. When such disturbing
thoughts came, his only reassurance was in knowing there was indeed a termination date for their agreement. If not, he might find himself a bit concerned about his growing fondness of her.

For him her age was still deterrent enough to keep him from longing for her in any physical sense. Certainly she was beautiful and even alluring at times, but her innocence was always a restraining force that kept his mind from considering her in that way. A rock solid friendship was forming. He simply liked being in her company. She had a way of looking at the world that kept him grounded. Never having known a woman, other than his mother, who was less selfish or concerned about her own happiness, John found Chelsea to be the kind of young woman he would be proud to call his daughter. While his feelings didn’t exactly remain fully in the consider-her-a-daughter camp, especially when she was so elegantly dressed the night of the opera, he still maintained what he believed to be a healthy boundary where his feelings for her were concerned.

When they arrived at the first church, Chelsea pressed the intercom for assistance from the church office. When the voice sounded, Chelsea informed them, “We’re here to make a donation.” She giggled and looked at John. “That’ll get ‘em to open the door.”

Once inside she told the receptionist in the office that they would like to purchase food for families in need. Fairly surprised by the offer, the woman assured them she had many families who could use assistance. Providing John and Chelsea with a list of needed items, the woman prayed with them and sent them off to the local market.

Shopping together was tremendously fun. Purchasing non-perishable items, they filled cart after cart with food. The store manager soon joined them, and before long, they had all they needed to fill more than twenty grocery bags. Each family would receive two. While they were there, John also purchased gift cards for the market so that each family would be able to go back and buy bread, milk, and produce.

Arriving with groceries at the church, several people were already waiting in anticipation. One woman was in tears as she took her sacks of food and that caused Chelsea to cry too. When Chelsea walked with her to the car, John watched as she knelt beside the open door next to
the woman and prayed for her. Both were sobbing, and in that moment, watching such a sight, John realized he’d lost himself somewhere along the way. There was a point at which God could have used him that way. But because of the path he chose, his heart became hardened enough that such things no longer mattered to him. If given the opportunity, John decided watching Chelsea, he would do things differently. He would be much more like her.

The remainder of the day John and Chelsea spent visiting two other churches and purchasing groceries for more families. All totaled, they helped more than thirty families. Based on John’s estimations, he determined he and Chelsea had provided food for more than a hundred people. Never had he felt more energized than he had in helping others. Certainly, he gave large amounts to various charities each year, but he never was able to see the outcome of his giving. Today, he witnessed tears and laughter, and it was well worth taking the day off from work and every penny spent. Knowing that people would eat a healthier meal that night gave him such satisfaction that he was already considering how he might do something similar back home and on a regular basis.