Page 80 of Here With Me

Maria ate in silence, and it wasn’t until David slowed down, almost finished with his meal, that she fired the first question. “What is wrong, David?”

“Nothing.” David shoveled another bite of meat and veggies into his mouth.

Maria shook her head. “You cannot lie to me, David. I know you. Tell me how you have broken your spirit.”

Broken his spirit?

Moving the food around on his plate, he considered Maria’s words. She’d been too good to him over the years to give her a flippant answer. Besides, she’d only pry the truth out of him. “I’m not sure my spirit is broken. But I’ve hurt someone I care about.”

“That is not you, David. You love and serve and give. Why would you hurt someone you love?”

Love. That word dug in. It hurt and pinched, and then settled in feeling rather…right. Like he should have grabbed hold of it when he first recognized it and told Sadie. Run to her with the revelation. He had always loved her. “It was never my intent to hurt her. I was trying to do the exact opposite, but I was stupid and wrong. And exactly what I was trying not to do.”

“Then apologize and fix it.” Maria took another sip of her soup, looking at him like it was the simplest thing to do.

If only it was. David pushed the plate away, the food turning over in his stomach. He shouldn’t have eaten so much. “I don’t know if I can.”

“And why is that, David? What is holding you back?” Maria pushed her bowl away, too, leaning her elbows on the table. If the table wasn’t between them, David had no doubt she’d grab his face again and scold him like an errant child.

“Because I’m here.” David gestured around the restaurant. The warm colored walls decorated with local artwork. The lunch rush had cleared out a while ago, and David was the only one there. In fact, Maria would be closing soon.

“Are you supposed to be here?” Maria’s voice needled the question he’d asked himself over and over. The visit with Wesley this morning had been insightful. The position incredible. He’d be able to return to Costa Rica, his life here, his work, the people he’d made connections with, like Maria, but he’d leave behind his family. Sadie.

“God called me here.” He had. David had no doubt that ten years ago the Lord had asked him to follow the calling to Costa Rica, and David had willingly obeyed.

Maria nodded. “Things change, David. Do you remember when Ricardo died and I floundered? You said to me, ‘God is full of surprises. And even in this turn of events, He is leading you, guiding you.’ Your words gave me the freedom to close up the store, move away, or take over.”

And Maria had stayed. She’d taken up the store, coming into the café day in and day out even without Ricardo. “But you stayed here. Kept this place open, loved on everyone who walked in.”

“Because that’s my calling—to feed the hungry. At first it was to feed my hungry family, and with four boys, they were always eating. But they grew up, and still I wanted to feed the hungry. How I followed God’s calling changed. I’d never spent much time in this kitchen when Ricardo was living. I stayed home, kept our house, and I fed him.”

That wasn’t right. Maria had always been part of the café. “I always saw you here.”

“I came to be with Ricardo. But I didn’t cook here. Not until he died. Then my plans changed.”

“But the school, the students?—”

“God will take care of them.” And He had. He’d already brought Chris in, and after seeing Chris in action, on the weekend no less, David knew that he brought an energy, a youthfulness to the position David had filled for ten years. An excitement that David could feel in the air. “What did God call you to do here?”

“To love and to share Him.” Which he’d been doing in Heritage. His heart sped up, and he wiped his hands on his pants. Was this what everyone had been telling him? That God’s calling could change—not because David was no longer useful, but because God could use him someplace else?

“What is holding you back, David?” Maria reached across the table, pushing his tabla out of the way, and wiggled her fingers, indicating she wanted his hand. He offered it to her, and she pulled it closer.

“What if I’ve mess it up? What if I’ve completely derailed God’s plan and I can’t fix it?”

Maria threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, David. You cannot derail God’s plan. You may have added a detour or two, but His purpose never changes. He will keep drawing you to Him. Unlike God, who can surprise us daily, you can never surprise Him. You’re going to make mistakes, but God offers forgiveness. His mercy will never end, and He will continue to guide you.”

He couldn’t derail God’s plan.

Those words sank in deep, digging in. The truth resonating within.

He couldn’t ruin God’s plan. Hadn’t ruined God’s plan.

If he and Sadie had stayed together, who knew where Lottie would be today. God needed Sadie to be there for that little girl. And David had needed to be in Costa Rica then. But now? Now might be the time for David and Sadie to finally fix their problems.

“What if I’ve ruined Sadie’s trust in me?”

“Ah, I knew there was a woman in your heart.” A wide smile broke across Maria’s face as she used her free hand to pat her chest. “You are a good man, like my Ricardo. He had to prove to me, too. It took a while, but he did. I heard him through his actions. We had forty-seven years together. Prove to your Sadie, with your actions, that you can be trusted. Do whatever it takes to prove that you will be the man that will stand by her. And every day, you show her you love her.”

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