Page 44 of Wish You Faith

“You’re a rare one.” Rosie laughed.

“You don’t like crunchy kale?”

“I do love crunchy kale. Mom and I make it all the time.”

“So you’re a rare one too.” Evan wanted to know more about Rosie, but he hadn’t planned on talking about vegetables. “What about fruits?”

“I like all kinds of fruits, but I’m partial to watermelons. It’s not summer until we have watermelons.” Her eyes had that faraway look. “When Dad was alive, he’d cut up the watermelons for us and we’d eat them sitting outdoors in the backyard. We’d line up lawn chairs, and Dad would tell stories.”

Evan didn’t know how to ask about how her dad died. It might be a sensitive topic.

“What did your dad do?” he asked instead.

“He was a crane operator at the Port of Savannah.” She paused. “He had a heart attack one day on the job and died.”

“Oh, so that was the workplace accident you mentioned.”

“Did I tell you?” She looked surprised.

“At the masked ball last Saturday, remember? But you didn’t go into details.”

“You didn’t ask.”

“I figured that if you wanted to tell me, you’d tell me.”

“I call it an accident because something happened to the crane and Dad was trapped. Maybe the stress of it all gave him a heart attack, but I don’t know. The company compensated us and paid a safety fine levied by the Port of Savannah. The company eventually went out of business.”

Evan knew a thing or two about safety at ports, but this wasn’t the time to ask for details. Besides, Rosie didn’t work at ports.

Rosie drank more hot chocolate. “Thank you for rescuing me from Travis this evening.”

She smiled.

It was inviting. Evan resisted.

“No problem. What did you do to fend him off before I came to town?” Evan asked.

“Lorenzo and our staff protected me at work. After work, I went straight home. I would’ve been home this evening as well if not for the skate night that I promised my Sunday school kids I’d go to.”

Evan nodded. “He doesn’t try to harass you at church?”

“Not at church, but I don’t know if it’s harassment, you know. That sounds indicting. He bothers me, but if it persists, I will ask for some guidance. We have police officers who are members of Riverside Chapel, and Lorenzo knows a few.”

“How long has Lorenzo lived in Savannah?” Evan asked.

“He relocated here about a year ago to be closer to his parents. They moved to SSLR years ago before they ran out of room. Pastor Flores’s dad preaches in the SSLR chapel services on Sunday mornings.”

“I see.”

“SSLR must be the happening place.”

“It is, but unless they build more condos, there’s no room for Mom.”

Rosie didn’t say it and Evan didn’t want to bring it up. However, if someone died, there would be room.

“Thing is, when people move to SSLR, they get the best care in the world—medical, emotional, social, and the rest—so they tend to live longer.”

“That’s good.” Evan finished his hot chocolate and wondered if he should get more. “What are the ways to get your mom to SSLR?”

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