A Future and a Hope Page 4

  Mr. Pruitt tapped his fingertips impatiently on the desk. “Caleb, if you’re leading up to asking me for a raise, I’m afraid I can’t help you. We’re on a pretty tight budget, as you know. And I just got notice that the insurance premiums for the full-time employees will be going up starting next month.” He picked up the correspondence he’d been reading and waved it as evidence. “There’s really nothing I can do for you at this time. I’m sorry.”

  “Um, Mr. Pruitt, I’m not here to ask you for a raise. I’m very happy with what I’m being paid now. You’re very fair about that. I wanted to ask you to consider letting me give my job to someone else.”

  Mr. Pruitt frowned. “Give your job to someone else?” He shook his head. “I’m not sure I follow you. If you like it here, why would you want to quit your job?”

  Caleb took a deep breath and launched into the reason for his request.

  When he finished, Mr. Pruitt leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the desk. “That’s very generous of you, Caleb.” He shot him a knowing look. “Of course, it certainly won’t hurt your chances with the young lady, will it?”

  Caleb blushed. His dad had been right about sending mixed signals. He would have to do this the right way, or not at all. “I don’t want her to know how the job became available. In fact, the only way I can go through with this is if she doesn’t find out that I quit so she could take my place.”

  Mr. Pruitt looked at him with admiration. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of a more generous offer. But I’m curious about one thing. If you’re not doing it to impress this girl, just why are you doing it?”

  Recognizing the opportunity God was giving him, Caleb explained how the Lord had spoken to him through the Bible verse about the two coats, and the circuit-rider giving away his horse. He shared how he had sought his father’s advice before following through on his decision.

  Mr. Pruitt listened intently, and with deep interest. Then, after asking several questions about Ellie, he promised to interview her for the job without divulging Caleb’s secret, and praised him for being so kindhearted. “I’m really going to miss you around here, Caleb,” his boss lamented. “You’ve been an exceptional worker. I wish more of my employees had your character and heart. The world would be a better place because of it.” He smiled, stood up, and extended his hand across the desk to the embarrassed youth. “Good luck, young man!”

  Caleb scrambled to his feet and grasped the hand offered to him. “Thank you, sir.” As he left the office, he nearly ran over Megan Harris. The part-time employee startled noticeably.

  “Sorry! I didn’t see you,” he apologized quickly. She glanced nervously at him, and without a word spun on her heels and hurried away. Now that was odd. What was she doing outside Mr. Pruitt’s office? And what had she overheard?

  Shoving those questions aside, Caleb returned to the break room and cleaned up his lunch leftovers. His spirits soared. A deep sense of satisfaction in knowing that he’d done the right thing flooded his heart. Soon Ellie would have the job she so desperately needed, and maybe then she could acknowledge God’s goodness and love for her.

  With a smile on his face, he left the lunchroom and clocked back in for the rest of his shift.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I QUIT!

  MONDAY COULDN’T COME FAST ENOUGH for Caleb Sawyer. All Sunday afternoon and evening he wondered when he would get the chance to talk to Ellie, what he should say about the job opening, and how she would react to the good news. In bed that night, he finally grew weary of rehearsing the endless possibilities, and came to the conclusion that it would be best if he just waited for the right opportunity, and then let the moment take care of itself.

  Decision made, he rolled over, turned out the light, and fell asleep. He awoke Monday to the heavy rumbling of thunder. As he was getting dressed, raindrops began pattering against his bedroom window, and by the time he arrived at school and parked in the senior lot, it was coming down in sheets. Making a mad dash for the nearest entrance, he hydroplaned into the building. The other students had also brought puddles in with them.

  Were it not for the anticipation of seeing Ellie, this would have been the perfect day to stay home in bed. Even the prospect of going through the day with wet clothes and frizzed-out hair didn’t dampen his spirits in the least. But Ellie apparently wasn’t at school, and it nearly drove him crazy. Between classes, he kept an eye on her locker, and waited for her in the cafeteria, but she never showed up.

  She must be sick. He would have to try again tomorrow.

  She wasn’t at school on Tuesday, either, and by noontime Caleb could stand it no longer.

  In the lunchroom, he asked around until he found Tanya Combs, who rode Ellie’s bus. She told him where Ellie lived. He was a little uncomfortable about the whole thing, but chalked it up to nerves and suppressed the feeling. After football practice he would stop by her house to see if she was okay, and to tell her about the job opening at the Pet Palace.

  As soon as practice ended, he showered in the locker room and changed back into his school clothes. Normally he showered when he got home, but tonight he didn’t want to show up at Ellie’s smelling like an old pair of sweaty socks. Pulling out of the senior parking lot, he headed across town.

  Driving past his father’s insurance agency, Caleb made his way through the downtown district. As he waited for a traffic light, an uneasy feeling prodded at him. Brushing that aside, he continued down the main street until he reached Ellie’s neighborhood. The area had the reputation for being an undesirable place to live. The houses were small, and many were in need of some type of repair or maintenance.

  By now the uneasiness weighed heavily on him.

  He pulled into a convenience store parking lot to figure out what was going on.

  It was as if the Holy Spirit were holding up a red STOP sign in front of his face. Caleb remained in his car outside the quick mart and prayed out loud. “Lord, what are You trying to tell me? Am I not supposed to be here?”

  For a few minutes, he reflected on his plans. Might she still misconstrue his true motive if he were the one telling her about the job opportunity? Was this really any different than coming right out and saying that he had given up his job for her? Conviction filled his heart. No, he was not supposed to be here!

  Caleb pulled out of the lot and headed back the way he’d come. On the drive home, he recalled being uneasy about going to Ellie’s house even when he first thought of the idea that afternoon. But he had ignored the warning then, too.

  By the time he pulled into his driveway, he had formulated a new plan. He would recruit B.J. to tell Ellie about the job! At school Wednesday, the two friends joined up in the cafeteria at noon, and after going through the food line, carried their trays outside and sat down at an unoccupied picnic table.

  Caleb told B.J. how he had started for Ellie’s house the night before to tell her about the job opening at the Pet Palace.

  B.J. shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you did that. Not too smart, Caleb. What in the world were you thinking?”

  “I’ll admit, it wasn’t the brightest idea I’ve ever had. Anyway, I never made it over there.” He shared how God had prompted him to turn around and not be the one to tell her about the job.

  “Well, at least that proves you’re not totally hopeless . . . yet! No telling how she would’ve reacted if you’d shown up at her house uninvited.”

  “Yeah, pretty stupid of me, huh?” Caleb suddenly felt foolish.

  “Probably saved yourself a lot of embarrassment, too.” B.J. rubbed it in a little. “I seem to recall you saying something about trying to control yourself.”

  Caleb grinned sheepishly. “I know, I know. But I couldn’t help it! She hasn’t been in school for two days, and I was worried about her.”

  B.J. tilted his head to one side. “You expect me to buy that?”

  “Okay,” Caleb admitted, “the truth is, I couldn’t wait to tell her
about the job!”

  “I think you’d be much better off if someone else did that. I mean, then you wouldn’t have to worry about Ellie misunderstanding your intentions and all.”

  Caleb jumped through the opening his friend had just created. “Would you tell her for me, B.J.? After all, you’re my best friend. And the only one I’ve really been able to talk to about this thing.”

  B.J. hesitated, and took a long sip of his Sprite. “I don’t know.” He paused reflectively. “She didn’t give me much of a chance that one time I tried talking to her, remember?”

  “Yeah, I know,” Caleb pressed. “But this is different. She’s really desperate now, and you’d be doing her a big favor. And me too. Come on! I’m sure she’ll be grateful for the tip. Besides, how else is she going to hear about it if someone doesn’t tell her? Mr. Pruitt isn’t going to put a ‘Help Wanted’ ad in the newspaper!”

  B.J. sighed and gave in. “Alright, alright, bro. I’ll do it.” He shot his friend a sly look. “Of course, this just may cause her to end up liking me instead of you, ya know!”

  Caleb jokingly grabbed at his friend across the table, but B.J. pulled away and laughed hard enough that a dribble of Sprite came out of his nose.

  “You know that’s not why I’m doing this,” Caleb insisted. He paused while B.J. wiped his face with his napkin. “We both signed the ‘equal yoke’ pledge, remember? I’m not trying to get her to like me so she’ll go out with me. Right now she’s hurting inside, and she needs to see God’s love demonstrated in a real way. Maybe then she’ll loosen up enough to make some friends. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of loneliness behind that mask she wears.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” B.J. replied soberly. “I’m sure it would be good for her to make some friends.” Then he grinned mischievously, “But, if she’s going to make some friends, it might as well be us!”

  Caleb wadded up his sandwich wrapper and threw it at B.J. “You’re impossible!”

  This time, the dribble of Sprite became a gusher.

  Caleb found it hard to concentrate in class that afternoon. Harder than usual, that is. He passed Ellie in the hall between fifth and sixth periods, but resisted the temptation to say anything more than a passing “Hi.” No need to risk doing anything that might negatively impact B.J.’s chances with her. But he was glad to see her back at school.

  After last period, as he was putting away his books, he glanced down the corridor in the direction of Ellie’s locker in time to see B.J. walk up to her. Part of him wanted to stick around, but he couldn’t bring himself to watch, so he grabbed his jacket, closed his locker, and headed for the parking lot to wait for his friend. He’d get the full scoop on the way to B.J.’s house.

  It was a while before B.J. emerged from the building and headed toward Caleb’s car. He opened the door and slid into the front passenger seat.

  “Well?” Caleb blurted out as soon as B.J. shut the door.

  “Well what?”

  “How’d it go?”

  “How’d what go?” B.J. gave him a puzzled expression.

  “Oh, so we’re going to play the ‘Let’s Make Caleb Wait’ game again, are we?”

  B.J. chuckled. “It’s way too easy messing with you, dude.”

  “Come on, man, what did she say?”

  “Well, I asked her if she was looking for a job. And do you know what the first thing she said was? ‘How’d you know about that?’”

  “Oh, man,” Caleb groaned. “What did you tell her?”

  “I told her I’d seen her looking through the paper in the cafeteria. You know, that day she yelled at you to leave her alone.”

  “But I’m the one who told you she was looking for a job. In fifth period, remember?”

  “Yeah, I know. But I did see her reading the paper that day. It wasn’t a lie, Caleb! I just sort of, you know, combined both bits of information into one statement, that’s all. What was I supposed to say, ‘Caleb told me’? You did want me to keep you out of this, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, okay, okay. So how did she respond when you told her about the job?”

  B.J. apparently wasn’t finished with having fun at Caleb’s expense. “She seemed genuinely grateful,” he began, in all seriousness. “In fact, she was so grateful, that right there in the hallway—in front of everybody—she kissed me and said I could be her boyfriend if I wanted to!” He looked over at Caleb and burst out laughing.

  Caleb grabbed him and put him in a headlock.

  Another weekend rolled around. Another academic week in the rear view mirror. Another gridiron clash in the headlights. This week, Baxter High faced its toughest challenge of the season, the Arlington Tigers. The rival school had been to the Georgia state semi-finals the past two years.

  Oblivious to the main hall’s chaos, Caleb loaded his backpack for the weekend. He was looking forward to the Baxter marching band spaghetti dinner, and so focused on the game, that he almost didn’t hear his name called.

  “Caleb?”

  He looked up, surprise showing on his face. “Hey, Ellie!”

  “I thought you’d like to know that I’ve got a job interview tomorrow morning.” She smiled. “Finally!”

  Caleb was pleased that she had gone out of her way to share the information with him. “That’s great! Um, where at?”

  He felt a twinge of guilt for pretending he didn’t know the answer.

  “The pet store down by the mall.”

  “You mean the Pet Palace?”

  “That’s right. The Pet Palace.” She looked at him quizzically. “But didn’t you say that’s where you worked?”

  He’d forgotten that one minor detail. “Well, I . . . I used to work there.” He struggled to choose his words carefully. “But I decided I could, you know, maybe do better mowing lawns. I used to run my own lawn-care business before I worked at the pet store. For about two years. Now I’m focused on building my client base again instead.”

  His answer seemed to satisfy Ellie. “Oh, okay. Well, I just wanted to let you know that you can stop looking out for me now. Hopefully, that is! I don’t have the job yet.”

  Caleb grinned broadly. “I don’t mind looking out for you at all!” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he winced. Did he really just say that to her? But instead of the negative reaction he half expected, she rolled her eyes, and tried somewhat unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh.

  “Well, anyway, thanks for thinking of me.” She hesitated. “Or should I say, thanks for praying for me?”

  Caleb was floored.

  “Maybe there is something to that, after all.” A momentary sadness filled her eyes. “At least for you, there is.”

  He swallowed hard, unable to find anything to say. Ellie started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to face him.

  With a sincerity that surprised him, and a smile that engulfed him, she added, “Good luck tonight! I hope you have a good game.”

  The spaghetti dinner was a big success. Well over two hundred people attended the meal to show support for the Baxter Bearcats football team. Caleb sat with his parents and sister, along with a teammate and his family. Following the meal, the players suited up in the locker room and boarded the bus for the ride to Arlington. Three other buses, loaded with cheerleaders and students, many with homemade signs, fell in line behind the team bus. Fifteen or twenty cars, mostly full of students, completed the caravan.

  Upon arrival at Arlington High School, while the rest of the entourage headed for the bleachers or the hot dog stand, the football team sequestered itself in the visitor’s locker room for a quick pep talk by the coaching staff. Caleb could tell this game meant a lot to them. In Coach Davis’ six seasons at Baxter High, his teams had played the Tigers four times, and had lost each time.

  “Baxter has never beaten this team,” he told the players gathered around him. “But tonight, the past means absolutely nothing! We start this game tied with our opponent zero to zero. They’ve won four games, but so have we.
They’re undefeated, but so are we. Whoever plays the hardest, the best, the smartest, will win this contest. Give it everything you’ve got, gentlemen. Leave everything on the field. Tonight is our night!”

  Caleb loved these pregame speeches. They always reminded him of the line from the “Win one for the Gipper” speech given by Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne:

  “ . . . sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they’ve got and win just one for the Gipper.”

  If it was the last thing he did, Caleb intended to do just that for Coach Davis tonight.

  The team huddled for the usual cheer, and then ran out onto the field to prepare for battle. There was an electricity in the stands as the game began. Even though the Tiger fans vastly outnumbered them, the Bearcat faithful were loud and proud tonight. Baxter won the coin toss and elected to receive. Following the opening kickoff, the Bearcats offense went three-and-out, and punted. The Tigers took over on their own thirty-nine yard line, and methodically marched sixty-one yards on thirteen plays, scoring on a two yard dive over center by Arlington’s big fullback.

  On the next offensive series, the Bearcats managed to move the ball pretty well, and picked up several first downs, including one by Caleb who caught an eleven yard pass off a slant pattern. The drive stalled at the opponent’s twenty-nine yard line, however, and facing a fourth and two, they opted to go for it rather than to attempt a long field goal. Stopped inches short, the visitors turned the ball over on downs.

  The rest of the half see-sawed back and forth. Both teams moved the ball well, but failed to score. The Baxter defense rose to the challenge and kept the Tigers out of the end zone again. At half-time, Coach Davis was effusive with his praise. They were only down by one score, and he was confident they could overcome that deficit. After making some minor adjustments on offense, he sent the team back onto the field believing that they had won the first half.

  The second half became a bruising battle of stamina. With thirty-four seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Baxter kicker split the uprights for a twenty-four-yard field goal, and the visitor stands erupted.