Page 23 of In This Moment
The program had come with a cost—though not the great cost Wendell had pictured when they started meeting a year ago. The most difficult part for him was, of course, the loss of Alicia Harris. He couldn’t change her fear. Only God could do that.
Enough about Alicia. Wendell drew a deep breath. Parents’ Night was in a few hours, and Wendell had already decided to share the good news.
Like the Bible said, a person couldn’t light a lamp and put it under a bowl. God had changed the students at Hamilton High. Now it was Wendell’s job to tell the world. Whatever the cost. In doing so, maybe other kids would join in. Parents might get behind the program.
He would talk about the club in basic terms, then Jordy and Cami would share their experience. It was important that the community of parents know the truth about how God was working, and how a voluntary program was doing so much to affect Hamilton High.
Wendell was ready for possible pushback. He would go into the meeting with more than AnnaMae’s report. He had his own research from the summer a year ago. If anyone had any questions, they could pore over the material themselves. There was no denying the reality that helping students find faith in God had changed their lives.
Wendell took a deep breath and settled back into his chair. He was about to read through the statistics of AnnaMae’s report once more when there was a knock at his door. And there, like a vision from an already perfect day, stood Alicia. She looked beautiful, but she’d been crying. And something else. Her eyes looked different. Despite her sadness, they seemed stronger.
He went to her and opened the door. Everything in him wanted to take her into his arms and tell her how much he’d missed her.
But he did none of that.
“Alicia...” He searched her eyes.
She didn’t look down. Again he sensed a new resolve in her, a determination that hadn’t been there before. She held his gaze. “I need to talk to you. Please, Wendell.”
When they had dated more than a year ago, they would sometimes talk at their favorite place on campus. The baseball bleachers. Off to the far side of the school, the baseball field was the perfect place to meet. A line of trees separated it from the rest of the campus, so the two of them could talk without being spotted.
And if they were, that was fine, too. They had nothing to hide. Now, with school out and football practice under way, Wendell figured their favorite spot was exactly where they would go. At the last minute, he grabbed AnnaMae’s research report and the two of them walked to the baseball field.
They didn’t talk until they were seated next to each other. Wendell turned and studied her. Sitting this close to her, he missed her more than he could say. They’d lost so much time together. “It’s good... being with you here.”
Alicia nodded. Her expression was heavy, more troubled than before. “My school... it’s falling apart, Wendell. The kids are as bad off as they were here.” She stared at her hands for a minute and then looked straight at him. “Two kids died in the football stadium last night. They took some kind of street drug. Pinky, it’s called.” She shook her head. “Whatever was in it, they both died.” Her voice broke. “Two of them, Wendell. They took that poison together.”
Wendell felt the gravity of the situation. Losing two students in one day would be a terrible blow for any campus. Wendell groaned and lifted his eyes to the cloudy sky. “God, help their families.” He looked at her again. “I’m so sorry.”
She stared at him, like she was trying to figure him out. “I’ve been reading my Bible.” Her smile was sad, but deep at the same time. “All the time.” She hugged one knee to her chest and looked straight ahead at the empty baseball diamond. “Today when I saw everyone crying in the hallway and in the principal’s office, it’s like... I don’t know, like the Word of God came to life inside me.”
“Hmmm.” No wonder her eyes looked more resolute.
“I had this... boldness. I prayed with teachers and students and the parents of the kids who died.” She paused. “When the day was over, I knew I had to find you.”
His head was spinning, trying to take it all in. “I’m... glad you did.”
“Me, too.” She looked ahead again, like she was seeing answers that had evaded her before. “I was wrong to walk away from you. Even with my panic attacks.” Her eyes narrowed as she faced him. “But there was more to the story.” She sighed. “The day before I broke up with you, Jack Renton threatened to kill me. You, too. Anyone who got in his way.”
“What?” Understanding dawned in Wendell’s heart. Another reason why she had requested a transfer. “Did you call the police?”
“No.” Another sad smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “I talked myself out of it. What would they do to Jack Renton? I even considered a restraining order, but that would mean I’d have to see him in court.” She paused. “Then the calls stopped.” She seemed to think for a moment. “Jack’s married now. He’s out of my life for good.”
Wendell had known nothing of this. “You wanna catch me up?”
She angled her pretty face. “If you wanna listen.”
“Of course.” He moved to take her hand, and then stopped himself. He had to be careful not to blur the lines. Never mind the ache inside him, or the way it hurt to sit this close and not reach out for her. He folded his hands and waited. If he’d known about Jack’s threats, he would’ve been there for Alicia in a heartbeat. They’d missed out on each other’s lives, and Wendell regretted it.
He didn’t blink, didn’t look away. “I still care, Alicia.”
He stopped short of telling her how much he had thought about her. Nothing good could come from that. Not now.
“I know.” A quick half smile tugged at her lips. “Thanks, Wendell.” She drew a deep breath and then she began to tell him all he’d missed. She filled in every detail. How back then she couldn’t afford to lose her job because she had lived beyond her means for Jack. But no longer. She was paying off her debt, but there was one purchase she’d had to make.
A new Bible.
When she was finished, Wendell had just one question. “How are you? Really?”
