A Future and a Hope Page 5

  But on the ensuing kickoff, Arlington’s heftier front line began to show its superiority, and their running game took over. They ground out yard after yard, moving the ball down to the Bearcat nine-yard line, and scored on a naked bootleg that had everyone fooled.

  Behind fourteen to three midway through the fourth quarter, the Bearcats put together a nice, long drive of their own, moving the ball down to the Tiger fifteen-yard line. On first and ten, Richie Davenport, the quarterback, called for a play-action pass.

  The plan was for the tight end to run a short up and in pattern to draw the defensive linebacker with him, while Caleb, at wide receiver, was to curl under him and head downfield against one-on-one coverage.

  As soon as the ball was snapped, Caleb executed a flawless route, and streaked down the right sideline, a step ahead of the defensive back. Richie unloaded in his direction, but was hit just as he released the ball. It hung in the air, giving the safety time to sprint over from the middle of the field. Caleb had to slow up a bit, and as he leaped high, both defenders sandwiched him when he was fully extended.

  Something popped in his side as he crashed to the turf along with the two defenders. The ball fell incomplete in the end zone. Caleb lay dazed on the field. With each breath there was a sharp pain in his rib cage. He thought he heard the Tiger defenders apologize, but then things became fuzzy.

  When the cobwebs finally cleared, Caleb found himself sitting on the bench, minus his helmet and shoulder pads. One of the assistant coaches and the athletic trainer tended to him. His head ached, and his ankle throbbed from the awkward way he’d landed on it. But it was his ribs that hurt the most.

  The trainer suspected a possible hairline fracture, and as a precaution applied ice and a wrap to Caleb’s torso. Much as he wanted to get back into the battle, his night was over.

  He tried to pay attention to the game. The Bearcats had scored a touchdown following the injury time-out, but the Tiger defense controlled the rest of the game. Although Baxter managed a thirty-one yard field goal with one minute and thirty-eight seconds left on the clock, Arlington held on to win fourteen to thirteen.

  Following the game, his parents drove him to the Emergency Care Center in Baxter. Thankfully, the x-rays showed no rib fractures, but he had sustained severe bruising to the muscles on his left side. After wrapping his torso with a large ace bandage and prescribing some pain medication, the on-call doctor sent him home to get some rest. When he gingerly climbed into bed that night, it wasn’t the ribs that hurt as much as the idea of being unable to play football for a while.

  “Dude! You gonna stay in bed all day?”

  Caleb looked up from his laptop as B.J. came into his bedroom. “Hey, man! What are you doing here?”

  “What do you think? I come bringing good tidings of great joy to my best friend, that’s what. And an appetite for pot roast.”

  Caleb knew what kind of damage B.J. was capable of at the dinner table. “Yeah, well that’s just fine, pal. But please leave me some seconds this time, will you?”

  B.J. laughed.

  “And whatever you do, don’t make me laugh! It hurts when I laugh.”

  “Okay, I’ll try not to.” B.J. looked at the ace wrap peeking out from under Caleb’s pajama top. “Where does it hurt?”

  “Where doesn’t it hurt? I still have a mild headache, but it’s better than yesterday. The good news is I don’t have a concussion or any fractured ribs. But I’ve got a big bruise on my left side, and it’s really sore. Plus my right ankle is sprained, but I can still walk on it some. ”

  “Ouch! You really got beat up pretty good. Tough break.”

  Caleb told B.J. about the game, and how long he’d likely be sidelined from playing football.

  Just then his father appeared in the doorway. “Dinner is served, gentlemen!” he announced.

  Caleb gingerly got out of bed and hobbled downstairs for the Sunday meal. After dinner, B.J. hung out with the wounded warrior for about an hour.

  Caleb told him how Ellie had initiated the short but pleasant conversation with him Friday afternoon. “And get this, B.J. She thanked me for praying about a job for her.”

  “Seriously?” His friend asked incredulously.

  “No joke. We need to really pray for her,” he added. “She’s definitely hurting inside. I see it when I talk to her. But I think she’s beginning to warm up a little.”

  “Maybe we can recruit Kelli and Allison and some of the other kids at church to begin praying for her, too,” B.J. suggested.

  “That’s a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”

  B.J. shot him a wicked grin. “Probably because you’ve gone all gaga and giddy and . . . and googly-eyed over her!”

  “You promised not to make me laugh!” Caleb protested weakly, holding his side.

  Caleb didn’t go to school on Monday. To appease his mom, he stayed home one more day to recuperate. Tuesday morning he felt well enough to drive to school. His right ankle ached a bit as he drove, especially when braking. But it wasn’t too bad.

  After parking, he made his way into the building with a noticeable limp, and was immediately greeted by a large number of well-wishers who all asked how he was doing. At first he didn’t mind the attention, but by lunchtime he’d grown weary of explaining everything to everyone over and over again.

  Entering the cafeteria, he headed for the food line, and reached the stack of empty trays just ahead of Ellie. He grabbed two trays, and handed her one.

  “Thanks.” She smiled politely. They began selecting items off the `a la carte menu as they moved down the line. “I heard you got hurt during the game Friday night.”

  “Yeah, I got banged up a little,” he grinned. “But I’ll live.” He grabbed a bowl of fruit and a ham salad sandwich.

  “I didn’t see you in school yesterday. How are you doing?” Ellie asked as they slid their trays toward the cashier.

  Could she have actually missed him? He’d grown tired of answering all the questions, but for some reason he didn’t mind answering hers. “Well, I’m pretty sore. I’ve got a sprained ankle and some banged up ribs. And a big purple bruise shaped like Barney the Dinosaur.”

  She looked straight at him and laughed out loud. Her eyes sparkled in a way he’d never seen before. And they captivated him. Captivated him so much that he slid his tray right off the end of the counter and onto the floor.

  “Okay, you can stop laughing now,” Caleb pleaded. “It’s ancient history!” He and Ellie had just sat down across from one another in the Senior Suite. She was still thinking about the tray incident a few moments earlier, and every so often stifled a laugh.

  “So I made a first class fool of myself in front of the entire student body.” He looked at her sheepishly. “You happy?”

  Ellie put her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry!” It didn’t sound like she meant it. “But that was just about the funniest thing ever! If somebody caught that on their cell phone, they’d win America’s Funniest Home Videos for sure!”

  “Well, Terry McGinley didn’t help any when he slipped on the grapes!”

  They looked at each other and laughed together.

  “I guess now everybody knows how much of a klutz I am.” Caleb was positive he’d be hearing about this for a long time to come. He changed the subject. “Did you have your interview Saturday?”

  Ellie held up her hand as she finished the bite she’d just taken. “Oh, that.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Yes I did. And I got the job!” She looked both relieved and happy, and he was relieved and happy for her. “I work Thursdays and Fridays four o’clock to closing, and Saturdays from ten to seven. I start day after tomorrow.”

  “That’s fantastic! I’m really glad for you.” Caleb took a swig of his soda and silently thanked the Lord for answering his prayers.

  “What about your lawn-care business?” Ellie wanted to know. “I guess you won’t be pushing a mower for a while, will you?”

  “Not for a couple of
weeks anyway. But it’s all good. God’s in control of things.”

  Ellie cocked her head over his last comment. “You always seem so . . . so confident about God. How can you be so sure of things like that?”

  “Well, I guess it’s because I have a personal relationship with Him,” he began. “And He’s proven His love and faithfulness to me time and again.”

  “What do you mean by ‘personal relationship’?” she asked.

  Ellie listened politely as he explained to her how he had accepted Jesus as his Savior at the age of thirteen, and how God had been with him from that moment on, keeping His promises, speaking to him through His Word, and answering his prayers.

  “I’m glad that all works for you,” she commented, “but I’ve never had reason to believe in God myself. If He does exist, I picture Him as this . . . this ‘distant deity’ who sits up there and watches us self-destruct. He doesn’t seem to care about our problems. If He does, then why doesn’t He step in and do something?” Her question seemed genuine this time. The anger she’d expressed when he first mentioned God to her several weeks ago was gone.

  “He did step in! That’s what Christmas is all about. And the cross!” Ellie remained silent. As she quietly processed his reply, he stole a glance at the time. Fifth period was about to begin.

  After they returned their trays to the kitchen, Ellie said goodbye and headed off to class. Caleb was thankful for the opportunity to share his faith with her. As he walked back to his locker to grab his books, it struck him that this was the first time she’d hung around for an entire conversation.

  He was confident that real progress had been made in tearing down the brick wall that existed between them. And he was thrilled about that. Even sitting through Mr. Grossman’s boring economics lecture later that afternoon failed to suppress his surging spirits.

  Caleb may not have been able to play, but he could still support the team. He watched his teammates scrimmage before heading home. Youth meeting was tonight. He quickly changed clothes and stopped on the way to church to pick up B.J., Kelli, and her sister. During prayer time, he told the group of twenty-four how he’d been able to share his faith with Ellie during lunch.

  “Would you all pray for her?” he requested. “She needs to see how much God cares about her. And pray that she would see her need for Christ.”

  On the way home, Kelli spoke up from the back seat. “Caleb, you can count on me to pray regularly for Ellie. I’ll try to reach out to her at school, too. She’s in a couple of my classes.”

  “Thanks, Kelli,” he replied gratefully.

  On Thursday, as difficult as it was, Caleb intentionally avoided Ellie. He wanted to give her some space after their lengthy lunchtime conversation the previous day. But on Friday, eager to find out about her first afternoon at the Pet Palace, he stopped her in the hallway and asked if she’d like to have lunch with him.

  “Thanks for the invite, but I can’t today. I need to spend the time studying for my English composition test.”

  “No problem. I just wanted to find out how things went last night.”

  “Last night?”

  “Yeah. Your first night at work. How’d it go?”

  “Oh. Pretty good,” she told him. “I think I’m going to like working there.”

  That was all he was able to get out of her before she had to go.

  Saturday came, and Caleb and his father spent most of the day working on his car. The oil needed changing, as did the plugs and wires, and the front wheels needed new brake pads.

  His dad insisted on doing the oil change and brake job himself. Around one o’clock, his mom called them in for lunch.

  As they were washing up in the half bath off the kitchen, she pointed to the table. “Caleb, there’s an envelope for you on the dining room table. I think it’s your paycheck.”

  Caleb wiped his hands on the towel hanging next to the sink, and went into the dining room, completing the hand-drying process on his pants. He picked up the envelope with the Pet Palace paw print logo in the upper left hand corner, and tore it open. Inside was his final paycheck and a handwritten note from Mr. Pruitt. In it his former employer reiterated his praise for the work ethic and thoughtfulness of his former employee. He concluded by saying that if another position ever opened up, Caleb would always be welcome to come back and work for him.

  There was a P.S. under the signature: “Please accept the enclosed gift as my way of saying thanks, and use it toward your college needs.”

  Caleb looked at the pay stub. In addition to the regular amount for the hours he’d worked, there was an separate line-item gift of $500.00.

  After lunch, they went back outside to finish up the preventative maintenance on the Hyundai. Around four o’clock, with the repairs completed, and his chariot deemed roadworthy again, Caleb texted some of his friends to see if they were going to be at Edwards later on. B.J. replied that he had to work, but others responded affirmatively, so after cleaning up and changing clothes, he headed for the diner.

  As he entered the red-and-white 50s-themed restaurant, the pleasant smell of fried food greeted him. He glanced around the interior. Some of his friends already occupied the corner booth near the back.

  He walked past the pictures of James Dean, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe on the wall next to the take-out counter, and popped a quarter into the restored original jukebox. After selecting the Coasters’ “Yakety Yak” from the “100 Greatest Hits of the 50s” play list, he pulled a chair up to the already crowded booth, and ordered a tenderloin with everything, a side of onion rings, and a draft root beer.

  No better place to be on a Saturday night. As the friends joked and laughed and plowed their way through a mound of onion rings and seven or eight songs on the jukebox, he found himself wishing that Ellie could have joined them. If only she could see how much fun she was missing. Anyway, she was at work now. And socializing was not something Ellie Thompson had any interest in. But he could always hope that she might change her mind. Or that he could change it for her.

  He would see her on Monday and talk to her then he promised himself.

  Monday morning Caleb arrived at school ten minutes earlier than usual so that he could speak with Ellie. He’d given her plenty of space the past four days, but he wanted to ask how things had gone at the Pet Palace on Saturday.

  He hung around his locker and pretended to straighten up the perpetual mess of books, papers, jackets, and gym clothes that always made closing the door a spectacle, while keeping an eye out for her. Soon he caught sight of Ellie’s bouncing auburn hair coming down the hall. He gave her time to open her locker and hang up her jacket before heading in her direction.

  “Hey, Ellie!”

  She glanced at him. Her eyes grew cold, and she turned back to her locker without a word.

  He tried again. “I um . . . how was your first Saturday at the Pet Palace?”

  “I don’t want to talk to you!” She spat the words into the depths of her locker.

  Stunned, Caleb stood there. He hadn’t been prepared for that type of reception. “Is there something wrong?”

  She pulled her head out of the locker and stared straight at him. Her usually beautiful brown eyes were narrow, smoldering slits. “How can you even stand there and ask me that?” she demanded. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

  “I’m . . . I’m not following you.” Confusion swirled in his head. “Wouldn’t find out about what?”

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Caleb Sawyer!” Her voice drew unwanted attention from passing students, but she didn’t seem to notice or care if anyone heard her. “I know all about it! What you did to get me on at the pet store!”

  So that was it! She knew.

  “Oh, you found out about that.” Crimson crept into his face. Still, her reaction seemed way over the top, considering the sacrifice he’d made for her. Why should she be so upset about the kindness he’d shown?

  But then, B.J. had labeled her a challenge at
the start of school, hadn’t he? Was he ever right!

  “Yes I did. And I can’t believe you’d do something like that!” Ellie glanced around and lowered her voice. Her tone changed from anger to hurt. “You had me convinced you were a really nice guy, Caleb. I thought you were different from most of the jerks around here.” The hurt became bitterness. “But you aren’t, are you? All that talk about God, and prayer, and Him being in control and everything. That was just a pack of lies, wasn’t it? God didn’t get me this job. You did!”

  Caleb winced. “You weren’t supposed to know about that. I didn’t want you to find out. Honest! You’ve got to believe me.”

  “Of course you didn’t want me to find out. Caleb, how can I believe anything you say after this? You’re a hypocrite and a liar!”

  “I’m really sorry you feel this way about it. I was only trying to help you, Ellie.” A hard knot grew in his stomach.

  Tears formed in her eyes “I don’t want your help! Or your sympathy.” She turned away and swiped at the tears with her sleeve. Then she closed her locker, picked up her book bag, and looked at him one last time. A deep sadness that just about crushed him laced her voice. “Caleb, I really thought you were different. I really wanted you to be different!” She paused. “Now, I just want you to leave me alone. Like everyone else. Just leave me alone, okay?”

  She rushed off down the hall, still brushing at her tears.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ONE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING

  CALEB WAS TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES late to first period world history. After the scene at Ellie’s locker, he ducked into the boys’ restroom and escaped into one of the stalls. With the door closed, he retreated into the churning chaos that bubbled and boiled in his brain.

  “What just happened?” Realizing that he’d spoken these words out loud, he quickly glanced under the stall dividers. To his relief, there was no one else there.