Page 13 of Second Chance Fate

“I’ll be there in ten.” He hung up the phone, and before he started to stand, Minnie was awake and was moving to the ground to stretch.

Caleb changed out of his sweats and threw on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and was heading out of the house in under five minutes. He wasn’t the only one trying to get out the door.

“Nice try, but sorry, Mins, you can’t come tonight.” Using his thigh, he blocked her escape attempt, which was basically just putting her head down and walking. Besides thinking she was a lapdog, she also thought if she couldn’t see you, then you couldn’t see her. As adorable as her imagined cloak of invisibility was, it did not gain her access to Arthur’s birthday party. In just a few months, she’d be able to because he was getting her certified as a therapy dog so she could go to hospitals and work with kids and seniors. The only thing stopping her was her age. She had to be a year old before she could be official. He bent down and kissed her on the top of her head. “I’ll be home soon.”

They didn’t call it puppy dog eyes for no reason. When she looked up at him with her huge brown eyes, his heart broke even though he knew he’d only be gone a short time and she’d probably sleep most of it. He managed to stay strong and make it out the door, heading to the retirement home without further delay. Caleb sat behind the wheel and flexed his fingers around the steering wheel in frustration. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about Arthur’s birthday party.

Arthur didn’t have any family. He had moved to town about a decade before Caleb was even born, and for most of that time, he’d been a recluse. Well, as reclusive as you could be in Hope Falls. People knew him, but he didn’t socialize. He’d go eat at Sue Ann’s and barely speak to anyone. He’d drink at JT’s Roadhouse a few nights a week but kept to himself.

That all changed one day when Caleb was eight years old. He and Josh were riding bikes in the woods, something they did all the time. In a freak accident, Caleb’s tire hit a branch, and it propelled him over the front handlebars. The fall wouldn’t havebeen a big deal except he landed in a rattlesnake den. When he realized where he was, he panicked and scrambled to stand up. His flailing movements caused two large snakes to strike in defense and bite him.

Thankfully, Josh was able to pull Caleb to safety, and they both got back on their bikes and managed to escape. The closest help was Arthur’s cabin. By the time they got there, Caleb was going into shock. He was throwing up, dizzy, and running a fever, and he fell over, collapsing onto the ground. The last thing Caleb remembered was lying on his side, watching Josh banging on Arthur’s door, screaming for help. The next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital.

Josh told Caleb later that Arthur opened the door and knew exactly what to do. He said Arthur’s demeanor instantly calmed him down. He told Josh it would be okay if he listened to him and did exactly what he said, and Josh believed him. He calmly asked Josh to describe exactly what the snakes that bit Caleb looked like. Then he grabbed a black supply kit from his house that looked like it belonged to a spy, a ninja, James Bond or something like that, and put both boys in his truck. He instructed Josh on how to clean the bite wounds and to make sure and keep the bitten areas lower than Caleb’s heart. As he drove, he contacted emergency services and told them what mile marker to meet his truck at to get Caleb to the hospital the fastest and most efficient way, instead of them coming all the way to his cabin. Once he did that, he called Caleb’s parents and told them what had happened and what the rendezvous point would be to meet him and the ambulance.

Arthur saved Caleb’s life that day. He handled the situation like a professional fixer. When the TV showRay Donovancame out, Josh and Caleb were convinced it had been based on Arthur’s life. After the incident, several papers wanted to do stories about him, but he refused. The mayor wanted to honorhim, but he refused to take part in any ceremony or award or recognition at all.

That day changed Arthur. It’s not like overnight Arthur transformed into a social butterfly, but he did start to talk to more people. Or maybe they just didn’t give him a choice. Whatever the reason, he began to integrate into the fabric of the town. And then, five years ago, he suffered a stroke and had to give up living on his own, which was not an easy pill to swallow for Arthur. He complained about living at Golden Years, but Caleb had a sneaking suspicion he secretly enjoyed the drama. He insisted he hated bingo, movie night, art classes, gardening, yoga, and all the other group activities, but they weren’t mandatory, yet he attended them. Complained about them but attended them.

Tonight was his 90th birthday party. His actual birthday was last week. Caleb had taken him out for dinner on the day, but tonight was his party, and he almost missed it because he was preoccupied by the mystery woman.

When Caleb pulled up to the retirement home a full hour after Arthur’s party had begun, he was pleasantly surprised to find the parking lot was full. The only downside to the turnout was there were no parking spots. He drove down the block and parked at the end of the mouth of the trail where he ran every Sunday. As he made his way down the dirt path, he couldn’t help but notice the brilliant kaleidoscope of colors painted in the dusky sky. Reds, oranges, pinks, and purples all weaving together majestically.

Caleb understood that not everyone believed in God; faith was an intensely personal experience, but he didn’t understand how someone could look at nature and the beauty in it and not feel connected to something bigger than themselves.

As Caleb approached the community room, he could hear laughter and music pouring out of the open double doors. Awarmth spread through him as he entered and saw the room filled with balloons, streamers, and a giant banner reading “Happy 90th, Arthur!” There were half a dozen long tables lined with every kind of food imaginable. The invite was BYSD, bring your signature dish. Hope Falls was a melting pot of people with diverse backgrounds, and the cuisines laid out represented that. There was everything from gumbo to sushi, tamales to bratwurst, and egg rolls to enchiladas. Caleb had already eaten dinner, but that didn’t stop him from grabbing a plate and getting in line. There was no way he was missing out on Mrs. Maguire’s famous meatballs or Rose Morales’s chicken adobo. Or Hedy de Jonge’s nasi goreng. As he piled food on his plate, people gathered around him, each one with something to tell him or ask.

Caleb had grown up watching people respond to his father the same way they responded to him now. He couldn’t speak for other churches or towns, but in this community and this congregation, holding the position of pastor was more than just a job; the hours were not nine to five, and there was no clocking off. Caleb’s dad told him that he thought of being a pastor the way he thought of being a parent. No matter where he went or what he was doing, he was a parent first. That never changed, and at any moment, he may need to do something in that capacity, like listen to a story he didn’t want to hear.

Which was exactly what was happening; he was in the middle of hearing about Roger Carr’s toenail turning black and falling off, which was not the most appetizing story, when he was rescued by Josh.

“Nonna was looking for you. I told her I’d grab you when you got here.”

Caleb nodded and said goodbye to Roger, then headed off across the room with Josh, knowing full well they were not going to see his grandmother. If Nonna wanted to see Caleb, she wouldhave summoned him herself. She didn’t send people to do her errands. They stopped at the punch table, and Caleb filled a red Solo cup and lifted it in cheers. “Thanks.”

“No worries.” Josh grinned, making no secret of the fact he found it amusing that Caleb got stuck having conversations about TMI medical issues.

Caleb took a drink and scanned the sea of faces. He knew it was a long shot that she would be there, but he had to look for her. At this point, it was a compulsion.

“Arthur’s talking to Henry.” Josh motioned to the corner where Arthur and the mayor were huddled together, most likely talking about fishing, which was both of their favorite pastimes.

Caleb lifted his chin to acknowledge Josh but then let his eyes search as he panned back out, this time trying to be less conspicuous so that Josh didn’t clock his continued search. And it worked. Or at least he thought it had. For a few minutes, neither man said a word; they both just stood in comfortable silence drinking punch and people-watching.

Then, still facing out to the crowd, Josh asked, “Who is she?”

“What?” Caleb played dumb. “Who?”

He had no idea why pretending to have no idea what Josh was talking about had been his knee-jerk response. He was typically an honest guy. Not because lying was a sin, just because he always thought lying was sleazy. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Literally, it made him feel physically ill.

“Whoever you’re playing Where’s Waldo to find.”

That’s funny that Caleb had made the same association to Where’s Waldo earlier in church. It made sense, considering it was both of their favorite books whenever they had to go to the library for book fairs.

Instead of denying it, Caleb turned toward his friend. “How do you know it’s a she?”

“Because you like her,” he replied bluntly.

He didn’t even know her; how could he like her?

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