Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
B eing phoned by Steven to swing by the grill the next day to take a look at the fryer, Ryan was surprised to see the parking lot packed. Walking in through the front doors, he was greeted by clapping and cheering by the townspeople of Cedarwood Creek. Confusion swirled in his mind as the people continued clapping as they parted to let him through the crowd. Martha came close to him and gave him a hug, asking him not to leave town. And Vern as well begged him not to return to California, saying one of the best parts of Cedarwood Creek has always been the Fitzgerald family.
Pastor Chris stood at the counter with arms wide open, and he promptly hugged Ryan.
“What’s going on, Pastor?” Ryan shook his head as he glanced around.
“God used your speech the other night at Jim’s Hardware to minister to this town. It was a wake-up call to every person you see here, Ryan.”
A hand firmly grabbed his shoulder. He turned and saw Bill, misty-eyed.
Ryan’s eyes went wide. “Bill?”
“Yep.” He sighed and shook his head. “I acted like a complete idiot. Please forgive me?”
“Of course I forgive you.” Moved with compassion, Ryan climbed up onto the front counter of the grill and waved to the crowd to quiet. Once they were all quieted and all eyes were on him, Ryan spoke.
“I appreciate this response, and I honestly wasn’t expecting it.”
Jim called out to him, “You’re a good man and a good son to Frank. Your father would be proud of you, Ryan!”
He smiled. “Thank you. But I need to tell you all something. Emily isn’t actually visiting her family in California. She left me.”
The crowd gasped, eagerly awaiting his next words.
Pushing past the uneasiness, he continued. “I might actually choose to go back to California. To save my marriage and my family.”
Again, the crowd gasped at his revelation. Then, Bill spoke up. “Don’t go. We want you and your family to stay! Give us a chance to be the Cedarwood Creek you remember!”
“I appreciate that, but Jason will be here and will continue to keep things running with Steven at the helm.” Ryan surveyed the crowd as his eyes welled with thankfulness and joy. “It means a lot to me that you all showed up today. It was a beautiful gift, and I’ll never forget it. Enjoy free appetizers on me today!”
As the pastor helped him down from the counter and the crowd dispersed, he saw Bill sitting in a booth by himself. He had to know more about what happened, so he went over and sat down across from him. Opening his hands on the table, Ryan looked at the man who had transformed from enemy to friend practically overnight. “What happened, Bill?”
“Change of heart.”
Tilting his head, Ryan could see a joy in his expression that he hadn’t noticed since arriving in Cedarwood Creek. “Can you share more with me, or is it private?”
“Well, the other night at Jim’s when you spoke of love and forgiveness . . .”
Bill adjusted in his seat, sitting up a little straighter and appearing to hold back tears. Ryan encouraged him to continue with a nod and sustained eye contact.
“It prompted me to go see my son, Mason. He lives down the road in Suncrest, and yet we haven’t spoken in fifteen years over a stupid mistake he had made as a kid.”
“How’d that go?”
Tears splashed out onto the older man’s cheeks and he wiped them away. “Really well. The hardest part of the whole thing is the fact that I could’ve done that years ago. So many years lost, all because I was mad at him.”
Recalling his own struggle with his sisters, Ryan felt a weight press on his heart. He hadn’t even spoken to them since the funeral.
“It can be hard to look beyond the hurt.” Ryan’s lips broke into a smile as he continued. “But when we look upon the Cross and all the sin our Lord and Savior took on for us, it can’t help but soften the heart of those who believe in Him.”
“Amen.” Bill nodded, smiling as he pulled his handkerchief out and wiped his nose. “You’re a good man, and your father was too. I feel so dumb for acting the way I did . . .”
“God is good, Brother. Even when we’re dumb.”
“Yes, He is.”
Amazed by what God had done with the man, Ryan smiled warmly at his once enemy and said, “Thank you, Bill.”
Bill’s words about his son and harboring unforgiveness gnawed at Ryan’s heart throughout the rest of the day and into the evening back at the house. As Ryan went out the back door to the patio, he looked over at the pool. He thought about how his sisters, brother, and he would swim for hours during the summer. When he set aside his anger and frustration, all he could feel was pain and longing to connect with them. Pain for the broken and severed relationships, pain for the way things were now with each of them. Not all because their father left them no part in the family business, but also the way they felt he had treated them throughout their childhood. They hated him, and it was easier for him to hate them in return. Love, vulnerability and relationship were all risky, and up until talking to Bill, not even on his mind’s radar.
Resolving that enough was enough, he pulled his phone out.
He called Alyssa.
With each ring, his heart pounded.
It went to voicemail.
He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Walking over to the pool again, he felt heaviness in his heart.
Peering up at the evening sky, he prayed. “God, I’ll give this a shot, even place my heart out on my sleeve, but I can’t make them feel any differently about me.”
Recalling a sermon he had once heard, the words of a pastor on the radio filed through his mind. Forgiveness isn’t about the other person. It’s about forgiving as your Father has forgiven you.
He retrieved his cellphone from his pocket and wrote out a text message to all his sisters as a group.
Ryan: As I stand here at the pool and in the back yard where we all grew up, my heart longs for each of you. I love you dearly, and I wish things were different. I’m sorry for any pain I caused in your lives and any judgment you felt over the years for the way I live, the beliefs I hold, and the words I have spoken. I’m here if you ever want to talk. Love, your big brother.
Returning inside, he was surprised to find Jason sitting with Chloe on the couch watching a movie.
“What’s up?”
“Just swung by to see how your afternoon went.” Jason stood, smiling as he walked over to meet Ryan in the kitchen.
Ryan’s lips curled into a smile as his eyes moistened. “You knew about it?”
“I did. They wanted to keep it a surprise so I agreed to keep quiet.”
“Nice. I was surprised they had a change of heart.”
“I’m not. God used you as a vessel for His message to this town. I think a lot of people noticed the shift we’ve experienced over the years, and you brought it to light. Brought it out into the open and exposed it.”
“I still think I have to go back to California, Bro.”
Jason nodded, his gaze shifting downward. “I know . . . and as much as I’m going to miss you, I know you have to do what’s right for you and your family. I don’t blame you for doing it.”
“Thank you for not making it more difficult than it already is.”
Jason smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Ryan’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Pulling it out, he read a text from his sister Paige.
Paige: Lose my number and never contact me again. Erin and Alyssa already have you blocked.
Sighing, Ryan gently slid the phone into his pocket and looked at his brother.
“What is it, Ryan?”
“That was Paige. She told me to lose her number . . . I tried to make amends with our sisters.”
“Look, Ryan. I love you and you’re a great older brother. These sisters of ours have deep-seeded hatred for what they feel were injustices in our childhood. That may never change, but it is what it is.”
“I just want to restore the relationships with them. To be that older brother for them . . .”
Jason grabbed his shoulder and nodded as he smiled. “I know you do, and God knows it as well. Sometimes though, things don’t work out and we have to trust God through those times. Know He is still good and know that if He wills it, and they’re willing to forgive, the relationship can be restored. At the end of the day though, they have free will.”
“Right.”
Jason asked, “So with you going back to California . . . does that mean you and Emily are working things out and coming up with a plan?”
As Ryan explained the fight Emily had with her parents and the relocation to a hotel, Jason shook his head. “Man, how did I not know any of this? You usually tell me everything.”
“I’m learning to talk to God first instead of others. It’s been helping me a lot.”
“So, what’s your plan moving forward?”
Ryan sighed as he raked a hand through his hair. “That’s just it. She told me she needs time to think and I’m trying to give her that. She was so patient with me after Dad died and she put up with a lot.”
“Okay. So, if you go back, what about the grill?”
“I know you don’t want the grill.” Ryan held his hands up. “But hear me out. I’m handing the reins over to you if I go. Steven will run it, and you can just help where you can just like you have been doing all along. I should’ve done that in the first place.”
He shook his head. “No way. I wouldn’t have handled Linda like you did, Bro. Speaking of, I had an idea about the situation with her and Tiffany.”
“Yeah? Let’s hear it.”
Jason started to explain how he knows of an administrative assistant at City Hall who was leaving at the end of the month.
“Do you even know if she has experience, or any interest in that kind of work? Or even wants to live here in Cedarwood Creek?”
“Uh . . .” Rubbing his chin, Jason smiled. “I guess I’m not sure of any of that.”
“Give her a call.” Pulling his cellphone out, he gave Jason the phone number for Linda.
As Jason and Chloe were walking out the door a little while later, Ryan stopped him. “No matter what happens with me and Emily, I just want to say thank you.”
“Thank you for what?”
“Being my brother and being there for me. You’ve helped me a lot and I’m thankful for having you in my life. Don’t ever forget that.”
“And you don’t forget you’ve helped me too, Brother.”