Author Ronald Powers
Wrong Bus
Chapter One
Jack Garland turned off the T.V. with the remote and leaned back in his recliner. He didn’t think there was anything he enjoyed more than being at home on Sunday, surrounded by most of his family, and watching football with his twelve-year-old son Greg.
“That’s enough football for today, Greg. You need to get your homework done, get a shower, and get to bed. Tomorrow is a school day.”
“But, Dad, the game isn’t even over yet! And besides, I took a shower one day this week already,” Greg whined.
Jack didn’t know what it was about young boys and taking showers. Greg could spend an entire day in the local pool during the summer, but ask him to take a shower, and he immediately developed a deadly aversion to water.
Greg’s sister Greta, on the other hand, required two showers a day, and she would spend up to twenty minutes under the spray each time. Jack guessed it all evened out in the end. If all of his kids spent twenty minutes, twice a day in the shower, he would have to get a second job just to pay the water bill.
“Greg, one shower per week is not adequate. Quit whining and do as I have asked, and maybe your mom and I will take you and your sisters to the movies this week,” Jack chided.
“I’m going to hold you to that, you know! Would it be okay if I took my shower before I do my homework? Then Gracie or Greta can get in before it gets too late. Plus I might end up having hot water for my entire shower,” Greg asked.
“That would be fine. Just don’t dilly-dally. I want you in bed by 9:30,” Jack chuckled.
It was just like Greg to need to negotiate a deal of his own choosing. It was a constant habit of his to attempt to negotiate for birthday presents, for Christmas presents, for new games for his X-Box, and the inevitable cell phone. He was always in a state of wanting something, and he would hound and nag and try to make deals until he either got his way or he realized he actually would like something else all together. Then he would start the whole process over again.
Jack always had to be wary in his conversations with Greg because Greg was highly intelligent and manipulative. Jack often times found himself obligated to promises he didn’t realize he had made or could not remember he had made. Greg also had a memory like an elephant. He never forgot anything that entered his young ears. He would then try to hold anyone and everyone responsible for the things they had said, no matter how innocent or private their utterance was.
It wasn’t with malicious intent that Greg tried to hold his family to their promises. He loved his whole family very much and liked nothing better than having them all together and doing something fun as a family. He just wanted promises kept so they would all be together. It was his way of feeling loved. Jack knew he had better keep the movie promise, no matter what else might arise.
“Greta, Gracie, come in here for a minute,” Jack yelled from his recliner.
“We will be there in five minutes,” Greta yelled back from the kitchen. “We are helping Mom with cleaning up the mess from supper. It would have gone much faster if two other people, I know, would have lent a helping hand.”
“If by your statement, you are implying Greg and me, I would like to remind you that we not only prepared supper, but we also cleaned up all by ourselves last night,” Jack yelled back laughing.
“You guys had two pizzas delivered and then threw away two empty pizza boxes, Dad,” Gracie chimed in incredulously.
“And your point is, Gracie?”
Jack loved the way his two girls could make him laugh. They were constantly cutting-up, and their gaiety brought a perpetual joy to his heart. He could not imagine life without their smiling faces. They were both good girls who worked very hard at their studies, and they were always ready and willing to pitch in to get the housework done. Jack and Lacy often found it necessary to put household chores on the back burner because of their busy schedules. They were fortunate, however, that the girls would just do things when they needed done.
Jack was not blind though. He knew that his girls weren’t perfect. In fact, they each had their own issues that stuck in Jack’s craw from time to time. Gracie, although only fourteen, and in her first year as a high school student, was a bit too independent for Jack’s liking. She wanted to try everything, at least once, and she was very assertive when trying to get her own way. It was as if she had no natural fear of anything the world had to offer. Jack did not want to inhibit her free-spiritedness, but he was very afraid she was going to end up getting hurt either emotionally or physically.
Greta was the complete opposite of Gracie. She was very methodical and became very anxious when faced with change or a new situation. Her anxiety had led to some rather scary panic attacks in the past. Her mother suffered from the same problem, only to a much more severe degree. Where Greta usually came out of her attacks rather quickly and in a somewhat normal state, her mother usually needed medical attention to get her back to normal.
The one area of Greta’s personality that Jack was extremely worried about was her tendency to take in, what Jack preferred to refer to as “strays.” Greta had a very soft heart, and she had an enormous amount of empathy for those less fortunate than herself, or who did not have the home life that she enjoyed. These “strays” could come in the form of animals or humans. She seemed to get herself entwined with people who were not like her at all. If it was a girl from her class, Jack didn’t really mind much at all. If it was an animal or a boy from school that was the newest “stray,” Jack minded a lot. Jack was upset currently. Greta had somehow gotten hooked up with Hunter Radley, her newest “stray,” and they were now an item. Like Gracie, Jack feared that Greta would get deeply hurt by one of her entanglements.
Jack really didn’t like himself for thinking of Hunter as a “stray,” or that he wasn’t good enough for his daughter. Jack had been dealing with the Radley family for several years now, even from before their father passed away, so he had a vague idea of what Hunter’s home life was like. To Jack’s shame, he felt that Hunter’s family just didn’t measure up to his standards. He knew he was wrong in his attitude, but he just couldn’t help wanting better for his daughter. She was seventeen, almost eighteen, and only a junior in high school. She had the whole world ahead of her, and Jack didn’t want her to lose out on opportunities by getting tied up and settling for one of her “strays.”
“Are you girls done with your clean-up yet?” Jack hollered to the kitchen as he got out of his chair.
“Yes, we just finished. We will be in, in a minute,” Greta yelled back as jack walked into the kitchen.
“You don’t have to scream to be heard, Greta. I am right here,” Jack chuckled.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you Dad? What did you want Gracie and me for anyway?” Greta asked with her hands akimbo and with a fake attitude.
“Greg is getting his shower presently. Of course that occurred through some heavy-handed negotiations on his part. If either of you two wants to get a shower, the bathroom should be available in a few minutes,” Jack said to the girl’s backs as they raced past him in an attempt to be the next one in the shower.
“Gracie get your homework done, and Greta, no twenty-minute shower tonight, and no talking on the phone to that Hunter character.”
“Whatever, Dad,” they both yelled back at Jack in unison.
Jack was feeling very content. If Gary, Jack and Lacy’s twenty-year-old son, was home, instead of away at college, everything would be absolutely perfect. Well, he thought, almost perfect. Jack looked over at his wife, Lacy, and thought, if only she were happy, then everything would be perfect!
“Lacy, are you okay? I don’t think I have seen you smile once since you got up this morning for church. Did I do something to upset you?” Jack asked lovingly.
“I am just tired, Jack. It feels like all I ever do is work. You may enjoy working a lot, Jack, but I am not cut from the same cloth,” Lacy said despondently.
“Lacy, we all try to lighten your load by picking up as much slack as we are able, but a family of six takes a ton of work. I worry because you have been tired for a very long time. That just isn’t normal. I have told you before you don’t have to continue working at the doctors’ office. If it would help you to feel better and less tired, you could just resign,” Jack stated with a lot of care and concern.
“And what, Jack? Live off of your salary totally. The only reason I work is so we will have some discretionary income every month. I don’t want to work, you know that. You, however, remain blissfully content at the same place making the same amount of money, so I feel I have to work. And, Jack, that is what makes me so unhappy.”
“Lacy, it’s not like I make chump-change. We could live on just my salary. We would just have to make some adjustments to our budget. Then, maybe, you wouldn’t feel it a necessity for you to have a job.”
“But, don’t you see, Jack---no, you never see, do you? I don’t want to work, and I don’t want to have to make adjustments either. I look at the wives of the doctors at work, and realize, they don’t have to work; they don’t have to make adjustments; and I envy them for that.”
“Lacy, you can’t compare our lives with theirs. We all have made our own choices.”
“No, you made choices, Jack. You are the one who chose to take time off after high school. You are the one who chose to switch from pre-med to education without talking to me. You are the one who chose to postpone my life until you were good and ready without giving me so much as a hint as to the reason for the delay,” Lacy sobbed. “You promised my father you would take care of me when you asked him for my hand. This is not the taking care of that either he or I expected.”
“I---I have worked hard to provide for you and our family. I dearly love and cherish my family. I just don’t seem to have the slightest clue what you really want out of life. I have to admit. It is very painful to come face to face with this realization after all the years we have been together and after all the blessings we have received.”
“Jack, I don’t think you have ever understood, and I don’t believe you ever will,” Lacy cried out as she ran from the kitchen.
Jack could only stand alone in the kitchen with his pain. How could their marriage be in this condition after so many years spent together and after having four wonderful gifts from God? Did he really not know Lacy? Had he missed the signs of her discontent all along? How could he be so content, yet Lacy be so miserable?
The questions and self doubts were swirling through Jack’s head, but no answers or assurances were presenting themselves. Jack realized that he needed help. The problem and solution were too large for him to handle by himself. He felt himself being drawn to his knees.
Dear Lord,
I know I should have been on my knees sooner, and I know I cannot rectify this situation on my own. I need Your help. I believe You do all things for my good, so I am laying this burden at Your feet. I ask that You change Lacy’s heart, and give her the discernment to realize that You have blessed us as a family, beyond all understanding. Also, please give her a sense of contentment and peace. I ask all of this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Full Circle (Sneak Preview)
Chapter 1
(2014)
The sight of Jack sobbing nearly broke Lacy’s heart. He had been through so much, and now a letter that was assumed to be an ‘atta-boy’ letter had Jack sobbing, and would soon have Lacy questioning her own resolve to forgive.
“Jack, you are scaring me here. What could possibly be in that letter that could have upset you so much?”
Jack began some slow, deep breathing to try to get himself back under control. It was not working well, however. Everything that had happened recently was pressing down on him creating a burden of unbearable weight. It was as if the load was just forcing the sobs out of him and he couldn’t catch his breath in between. Jack looked at Lacy with a look that begged for her help. It certainly had the right effect because Lacy instantly wrapped her arms around him and began whispering in his ear.
“Everything will be okay, Sweetheart. Whatever it is that has you so upset, we will deal with it together. We have just come through one of the worst situations that could happen to two people, and we are still standing, and we are still together. So, I don’t think this could be any worse.”
The soothing sound of Lacy’s voice in Jack’s ear had the effect of calming his sobbing, and he was now actually able to breathe normally again. “Lacy, I think you had better read the letter before you make any rash decisions on the direness of the situation or our ability to handle it.”
“Okay Jack, I will read it, but I just don’t see how it could be that serious. I am sure you are just over-reacting because of all the stress you have been under.”
“Lacy—please-- just read it, before you say anything else. Please!” As Jack was finishing his plea, he handed the letter to Lacy and plopped down onto their bed and buried his face in his pillow.
Dear Jack Garland,
You do not know who I am, and after you read this letter, you may well wish it stayed that way. My name is Katie Lee Bradford. You may recognize my last name. You used to work for my father, Terrance Bradford, when you were part of the group called “Rescuers without Borders.” You do remember that, don’t you?
Approximately 28 years ago, you and Terrance secretly crossed the Chinese border to bring out a Christian woman that the group had somehow learned was about to be arrested, detained, and tried for her religious and political beliefs. That woman was my mother, and her name was Victoria Lee.
Terrance and my mother were married about one year after her escape from China. She lived and raised me in London, England until the time of her death three years ago. She died in a plane crash during a rescue mission for “Rescuers Without Borders.” Terrance has also passed away fairly recently and I have moved to a home he owned in Los Angeles. Mother and I didn’t even know he owned this house. Terrance never brought us to this house or to anywhere in the states for that matter. I have recently discovered why, thus the reason for this letter.
In preparation to move to the states, I started sorting through both Terrance’s and Mother’s belongings. You would be surprised how often I came across your name. In my mother’s jewelry chest I found a letter addressed to me. My mother had written it long ago, and I assume she planned to give it to me sometime in the future.
In the letter mother states that when you two met in China that she fell instantly in love with you. Terrance became extremely jealous of her feelings for you, so when you all extricated yourselves from China, he had her flown immediately to London instead of the states, which was to be her original destination. Terrance would not allow her to move to or visit America because he insanely feared that mother would somehow run into you. Terrance forced her to marry him and to accept citizenship in England.
All of this was surprising to me, as you can imagine, however the most surprising piece of information I discovered related to my biological father. You see Jack, Mother states that Terrance is not my actual father. You are Jack Garland.
“I was totally wrong when I said that we had been through the worst thing two people could experience together. The possibility that you could have a child, with another woman, never even made a blip on my radar. I am so stunned I do not have any idea what to say or how to react, Jack. The only thing keeping me from screaming and hitting you multiple times is that you did forewarn me. You said I was going to be tested, and you were exactly right. I am going to be tested. I just hope and pray, for our sake and for the sake of our children, I can pass this test.”
“Lacy, I know this has to be as much of a shock to you as it is to me. But, I can assure you that there has to be another explanation for Victoria to have told Katie that I am her father.”
“Whoa, wait a minute Jack. I want to make sure I am hearing you correctly. In one breath you say you are as shocked as I am by this letter, but in another you say you actually know this Victoria person, and there has to be a good reason for her to name you as her daughter’s father. I may be slightly naïve, but even I know the primary reason a woman names a man as the father of her child, Jack. It is because they slept together, and even just saying that is making me physically ill.”
Lacy was reeling from the shock of the letter’s content. Of all the things Lacy felt were faults of Jack’s, she never ever thought of him as a liar or a deceitful person. In fact, she always pictured him as truthful to a fault. Even when the truth could be harmful to himself or others, he did not appear to have the capacity to not share it. It had been a bone of contention in their years together because often those truths were directed at some character flaw in herself. Jack was usually correct in his truthfulness, but that didn’t help alleviate the sting of it. In fact, it usually made it that much more painful. No one, especially Lacy, wanted to hear the absolute truth all the time. Even Jack felt pain when he was forced to face a truth about himself that he had not previously suspected or owned up to.
“Jack, it is very hard to accept that you have not only lied to me, but what is even worse is finding out that you have been keeping secrets from me our entire marriage. How am I to acknowledge that? And worst of all, how am I to accept that and just go on?” sobbed Lacy.
“Lacy, I can assure you that I never lied to you, and I am just as stunned by this letter as you are,” Jack pleaded. “Also, I do not know why Victoria would have left that letter for her daughter, but I can state categorically that I have never had any contact with Victoria after she went to England. I had no prior knowledge that she had a daughter, and most importantly, there is absolutely no way that Katie can be my daughter.”
“But, you had contact with her before she went to England?” Lacy felt her voice rising in fear and accusation.
“Yes, I did. I was involved with her flight out of China,” Jack replied in his usual honest way.
“So let me get this straight,” Lacy said while trying to pull herself together. “You and this Bradford fellow went into China, located Victoria, and secreted her out of the country, and then she flew to England with Terrance Bradford. And you what? Flew home, married me, and lived happily ever after? Is that pretty much how it went, Jack?” Lacy asked acidly as she realized that she had lost control again.
“Well, in an over-simplified way, yes, that is very much how it happened,” Jack said sheepishly.
“And you expect me to believe that a woman would accuse you of being her child’s father from a flimsy story like that. Again, I will repeat, I may be a bit naïve, Jack, but I am not stupid, and I am a woman. This woman’s actions indicate that there is much more to the story, and there was a much deeper relationship between the two of you than just a rescuer and a rescue. Tell me how I am off base, Jack!”
Lacy was feeling extremely desperate at the moment. She wanted to believe Jack with her whole being, but to realize she had been deceived all these years by the one person she felt that she could always count on was almost too much to bear emotionally. Lacy knew nothing about Jack’s trip overseas, or about his work with “Rescuers Without Borders,” or about his emotional and possible physical ties with another woman. She had always assumed that she was the only woman Jack had ever cared for. The possibility that there could have been another, and that Jack had kept her existence a secret, was tearing her heart to pieces.
Lacy wiped the tears from her eyes on the sleeve of her robe. It was the robe she had received as a gift from all the kids on Christmas ten years ago. Although it was beginning to become thread-bare, Lacy couldn’t bring herself to part with it. She knew Jack had bought it so the kids would have a present for her, but the joy on their faces as they watched her open her present that Christmas morning made it feel like the robe had been made by their own little, loving hands.
When her eyes were clear, she looked around their bedroom. It was decorated just as she had always dreamed her bedroom would be, right down to the antique oak bedroom suit that was her and Jack’s first big purchase as newlyweds twenty-two years ago. On a whim, they had decided to take a trip to Gettysburg, PA to take the battlefield tour but found they spent much more time in the town going into and out of all the quaint antique shops. In one of the many shops they had visited, they found the bedroom set. Lacy fell in love with it immediately, and fortunately Jack was able to negotiate a deal they could afford, and the pieces were delivered to their home a week later. The bed, that Jack had his face buried in, was especially precious to Lacy. It was where all four of the Garland children were conceived.
Now Lacy was wondering if it was all just one big lie. Had their life just been another of Jack’s deceptions? She wanted to ball up her fists and pound on Jack for making her feel like such a fool for believing in him for all these years.
“Jack, look at me,” Lacy yelled. “I am a woman floundering right now, and I am second-guessing why I have ever believed in you. If for no other reason than to reassure me, please, please tell me this all hasn’t been one big deception and that I am not the most gullible person on earth for having trusted you.”
Jack lifted himself from the bed, and without saying a word, he walked to Lacy, wrapped his arms tightly around her, looked deeply into her eyes, and began, “Lacy, I have never lied to you. If you will give me the chance, I will prove to you that I am not hiding anything from you and that you are the only woman I have ever loved. Will you give me that chance?”
“I have no other choice, Jack. But you must promise me that you will give me all the details. You cannot leave anything out in an effort to spare my feelings.”
“I promise,” stated Jack.