Chapter 17
She hadn’t pulled her hand away, so after Garnet had locked up the church, he walked down the steps where Mertie stood, looking out over the graveyard and the view of the lake beyond, and slipped his hand back into hers.
She startled a little but didn’t pull away. He smiled to himself. He didn’t know what that meant, maybe that she was a little bit at loose ends and just wanted his support, but where he came from, friends didn’t hold hands.
That’s where she had always placed him and where he had been content to stay for a while, but now that she was back in his life, he didn’t think that God had done that just for them to renew their friendship.
Maybe.
But that wasn’t what he wanted, and while he thought it was dangerous to hope that God wanted the same thing he wanted, he had been praying hard for that very thing.
Whether he became the pastor here in Raspberry Ridge or not, he definitely wanted to pursue whatever this was with Mertie and not let this second chance slip away.
He shouldn’t have allowed her to walk out when she gave him Dabney. He should have at least stayed in touch, but he couldn’t change the past. All he could do was seize the future with both hands and not allow himself to squander another opportunity.
“I’ve forgotten how beautiful summers are here beside the lake,” she said as they walked along the sidewalk.
“Same. Summer has always been my favorite, but there’s just something about that lake breeze and maybe the reflection of the sunshine on the water.”
“Watching thunderstorms roll across the lake. That’s pretty awesome,” she said softly. “It just shows you how majestic and powerful God is.”
“I have to agree. There’s something about the lake that reminds you of God’s glory and majesty.” He felt it so much more when he was in Raspberry Ridge than anywhere else in the world. He couldn’t be here without being reminded of it every single day. “I hope I don’t ever take that for granted.”
“It’s true, sometimes we do have a tendency to take things that we get every day for granted. My friends.”
He kept his mouth closed. He wasn’t sure what she was saying. They were friends. Did she have someone in particular in mind? Or was she just giving an example, because she was correct. People often took their friends for granted.
“Our spouses.” He’d seen that a lot in his ministry as well. People taking their spouses for granted, just expecting them to do things because they were married and not giving them the gratitude that they deserved.
“Parents, family, small towns. I definitely took my small town for granted and left without a backward glance. Being back here has definitely opened my eyes to things that the big city doesn’t offer.”
“A globe-trotting lifestyle doesn’t offer either,” he said softly.
“Is that why you’ve chosen to candidate for pastor of a small town?” she asked, refusing to allow his words to apply to her.
“I suppose. I didn’t exactly have a globe-trotting job before this, but yeah. Small towns need pastors just as much as big towns, and while I suppose the lure of having a big church and making a big name for myself is there, I know that’s vanity.”
“Really? You don’t think reaching lots of people with a big ministry isn’t a worthwhile pursuit?”
He chose his words carefully, because he didn’t want to insult her, and he also didn’t want to sound like he was trying to influence her to do what he did or to sound like he was saying that what he had done was better.
“I definitely think big ministries are worthwhile pursuits. Reaching as many people as you can for Christ. If that’s what God has for you. But sometimes, God just wants us to brighten our little corner of the world.”
He hummed a bar, then he started singing and she joined him in harmony.
Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
Do not wait to shed your light afar;
To the many duties ever near you now be true,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Brighten the corner where you are!
Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!
Just above are clouded skies that you may help to clear,
Let not narrow self your way debar;
Though into one heart alone may fall your song of cheer,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Here for all your talent you may surely find a need,
Here reflect the bright and Morning Star;
Even from your humble hand the Bread of Life may feed,
Brighten the corner where you are.
Brighten the corner where you are!
Brighten the corner where you are!
Someone far from harbor you may guide across the bar;
Brighten the corner where you are!
They had made it to his parents’ porch, and he kept a hold of her hand as they stepped up. There was a part of him that was a little embarrassed that he was living with his parents. Shouldn’t a man be more successful in his life? Shouldn’t he have his own home and a thriving career where he made a lot of money, rather than bringing the girl he was interested in to his parents’ house and knowing he didn’t even have a job with which he could support her.
Even while he was bothered by that, he knew that he was exactly where God wanted him. He was doing what the Lord willed, and while it didn’t really look successful in the world’s eyes, his definition of success wasn’t supposed to be the same as the rest of the world’s.
He opened the door, allowing Mertie to walk in first. She was not unsure and carried herself with her usual confidence, every hair in place, despite the stiff breeze that had been blowing, her blue pencil skirt pristine and perfectly pressed. Her white blouse with not a smudge on it.
She wasn’t exactly dressed to go to the beach. He felt a little bad bringing her along, especially considering how nice her clothes were. He should have suggested she go home and change.
“Rudy decided he wanted to go take a nap on the couch, and he barely lay down before he was snoring,” his mom said as she met them by the opening to the living room, where his dad snored on the couch.
“Nice that getting him to bed was so easy,” Garnet said, feeling bad that his mom had such a difficult job, caretaking for his dad. He helped where he could, but... Maybe she would want to go to the beach today.
“Dabney is upstairs changing. She’s so excited. You guys are going to have a picnic on the beach like we used to.”
“Good times,” Garnet said. Then he indicated Mertie. “We asked Mertie if she’d go with us, and I figure there’s probably more than enough food for an extra person.”
“You know I always pack a lot. We had such good times,” his mom said. He wasn’t always a great judge of what people were thinking or feeling, but it seemed pretty obvious to him that his mom was a little sad that she would be staying home to care for his dad.
“I hope you all have a great time. I’m so glad you were able to go. When Garnet came back, it just wasn’t the same when you weren’t around, since you guys were inseparable when you lived here.”
She held her arms out, and Mertie stepped in for a hug. Then she pulled back.
“What if you go for a picnic with them? I can stay here and keep an eye on Mr. Rudy. I don’t know how many times I’ve crashed your kitchen and you guys fed me or packed a picnic and sent us off to explore the beach. I certainly owe you.”
“Aww, I wouldn’t dream of it. I’d love to go, but—”
“Then go. I’m kind of overdressed for a picnic on the beach anyway,” Mertie said, indicating her nice outfit.
Garnet wanted to step in. He wanted Mertie to go, but the way his mother’s eyes had lit up, the way the tiredness had seemed to lift off her face, the way she smiled, thinking about all the good times they’d had on the beach, he couldn’t indicate by word or deed that he would rather go with someone else.
“Are you sure?” she said, looking at Mertie’s outfit. “Although that is kind of nice to be sitting on a blanket in the dirt and pebbles.”
“I know. If I would have realized I was going for a picnic, I would have dressed a little differently.”
Garnet doubted that she owned a single thing that would be appropriate for a picnic on the beach. Although she’d been working on the house, painting and such, and he supposed the outfit she’d worn to Bible study was the closest to old clothes she had, and she still looked amazing in his opinion. It was a little hard for him to imagine her as looking anything but perfect. As much as he knew that was wrong.
“Is there anything I need to know?” Mertie said as she peeked into the living room again. “Medicines that he needs to take or anything I should make sure happens when he wakes up?”
His mother rambled off the times for his meds and led Mertie to the kitchen to show her a list taped to the refrigerator door.
Garnet followed, coming face-to-face yet again with the fact that his father was growing old. Of course his mother was too, and he should thank Mertie for stepping back and allowing her to be able to get out. It had been a long time since he and Dabney had gone anywhere with his mother, and the conversation that he had with Mertie on the way home from church, about them taking advantage of the people closest to them, rang in his head. Soon, he wouldn’t have his mother to do things with, and he knew he should be cherishing every moment he had with her.
His sermon seemed apt at that moment as well, since he had extorted his congregation to be better than they had been even a week or a month or a year ago. This was one of the areas where he could improve.
Of course, that didn’t negate the fact that he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Mertie.
Maybe once they came back, she would have time for him.
He got the cold drinks and a pack of ice out of the refrigerator and finished packing the basket that his mom had sitting on the table while Mertie and she had a conversation in the corner.
He heard Mertie saying that she would help wherever she could and that perhaps they could even have their own morning prayer meeting at her house, so she wouldn’t have to worry about leaving her husband.
Garnet didn’t know why he hadn’t thought to ask if they could move the prayer meeting to his home, other than Homer had been the one to start it, and his mother was in failing health as well, dealing with Alzheimer’s.
There she was, stepping in and fixing things, the way Dabney had noticed right off.
“Are we ready to go?” Dabney came into the kitchen, her eyes shining, her clothes changed, carrying a beach towel.
“I am, if your dad’s ready,” his mother said immediately.
He nodded, and Helen came over, linking her arm with Dabney as they walked down the hall.
“I kinda wanted to spend some time with you,” he said as Mertie leaned against the counter, smiling at him.
“I think this’ll make your mom happy. She looked tired and a little sad.”
“You’re right.” Thinking again about how she had seen that, when he hadn’t. “I guess I was being selfish, wanting you.”
“There will be other times for us,” she said with confidence.
“Will there?” he asked, knowing that she wasn’t staying forever. If he was going to get to spend time with her before she left to go back to her big-city position, he couldn’t mess around.
“Yes. I’m sure of it. Go on, enjoy some time with your mom and your daughter.”
“I kind of wanted you to be able to spend some time with her too.”
For some reason, his feet didn’t want to take him out of the house. They wanted to stay right where Mertie was.
“I want to too. But I know I did the right thing.”
He couldn’t argue with that. He just nodded, grabbed the basket which was heavier than he expected, and turned toward the door.
“Can I leave my number, just in case?”
“Sure. Tell me what it is, and I’ll program it in.”
He rattled it off, watching as she typed it in, and then his own phone dinged.
“I just sent you a text, so you have my number too. I’ll be sure to let you know if I have any trouble.”
“All right. That makes me feel a little better.”
“Go on. Get out of here. Have a fun afternoon.”
She made shooing motions with her hands, and while he thought that maybe she looked a little bit sad that she wasn’t going, she had the smile of someone who knew that they were doing something nice for someone else, and they were enjoying that feeling. He didn’t want to take that away from her. So, with a nod of his head, he hefted the basket and walked out of the house.