Alison Strobel - The Heart of Memory

Jessie grinned. “Seriously?”

“I’ve never tried anything like that. But I’d like to learn.”

“I thought you hated doing crafty stuff like this.”

“Well, yes, I did. I think because that kind of thing was always foisted on me by my mother, as though I couldn’t possibly be a proper woman if I didn’t know how to make things by hand. But I’ll bet it’s relaxing.”

“When I don’t forget how to do a stitch, yes.”

Savannah nodded. “Yes, I definitely want to try.”

“I’m not that good,” Jessie said. “I only know how to do a few stitches.”

“That’s more than I can do.”

“I have a hook you can use, but we’ll have to get you some yarn. Think there’s a store around here?”

“We’ll ask Tabitha. I’m sure she’ll know.”

“My ears are burning.” Tabitha poked her head into the room. “Did I just hear my name?”

“You did. We need yarn.”

“There’s a great place twenty minutes from here. We’ll take a field trip.” She extended a hand to Jessie. “I’m Tabitha. I’m so happy to finally get to meet you, Jessie.”

“Thanks, Tabitha. And thanks for letting me come.”

“Of course, of course. Folks are hanging out in the common room at the moment. Feel free to stay here or go down and mingle. I’d like to talk to your mother for a minute, though, if that’s alright.”

Jessie nodded, picking up her yarn. “I’ll go down and see what people are up to. Anyone else down there do anything like this?”

“Actually, yes – look for Anne, long curly red hair. I’ve seen her knitting a few times.”

Jessie’s eyes lit up. “Great, thanks.”

They all went downstairs, and Tabitha took Savannah to her office.

“Oh, a private talk. This must be serious.”

Tabitha chuckled. “Not so much serious as official.” She sat back in her chair and regarded Savannah with a smile. “But first of all, how are you?”

“You know, I feel pretty okay.”

“That’s an improvement.”

“A huge one, yes. I feel… peace, about selling the house and moving. Still no clue where we’ll move to, but I think it’ll all work out in the end.”

“You were this close to saying something that sounded decidedly Christian.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know. I very nearly did, to be honest.”

“So…”

“Still doubting. But not angry. And not closed off to the idea. More… curious and confused.”

Tabitha beamed. “That’s fantastic. And it makes me even more sure that this is a God thing.”

“What’s ‘this'?” Savannah grinned. “Do I get to hear your proposition?”

“Yes. So here’s the thing. Aniyah is leaving.”

Savannah gasped. “What? No!”

“She’s been looking for her auntie lately. Just ‘felt like she needed to.’ And she found her – and she’s dying. She has no one, so Aniyah is going to go to her.”

“But-to go back there-”

Tabitha shrugged. “She thinks she’s ready to face her again. And she thinks God is telling her to go, so she’s not willing to say no.”

“So what’s going to happen to your kitchen? You going to start catering Chick-Fil-A or something?”

Tabitha laughed. “No. I was hoping to hire you.”

Savannah’s jaw fell. “You’re kidding me.”

“Not at all. When you called to say you wanted to come back with Jessie, and you told me about selling the house… it was like God wrote it on the wall.”

“But-but what happens if we move somewhere else?”

“I’ll keep you for as long as you’re willing to stay. If it’s a month, it’s a month. If it’s a year, it’s a year. I’m not too concerned about that. God has it figured out, so I’ll just sit back and let it unfold.”

“This is… this is amazing.”

“I think we’ll be able to work it so you can come to the therapy sessions, too, if you want to.”

“I’d love that.”

“Well, then, it’s official. I’ll get the employee paperwork together and get you on the payroll. Aniyah leaves next week, so you’ll have a few days of overlap for her to help you transition into the position.”

Savannah shook her head. “This is just incredible, Tabitha. Thank you, God.” Her eyes went wide and she slapped a hand over her mouth in surprise.

Tabitha gasped. “Savannah! Did you mean that?”

Savannah nodded. “You know,” she said, grinning, “I think I did.”

S AVANNAH’S CELL JANGLED IN HER POCKET. SHE GAVE THE gumbo one more stir, then set the lid onto the pot and pulled out the phone. Shaun’s number showed on the screen. “Hi, Shaun.”

“Hey, Savannah. I just accepted an offer on the house.”

She let out a whoop. “That’s fantastic! How much?”

“Only ten thousand under asking price.”

“Oh, Shaun, that’s incredible! What a relief.”

“We close January 25th, though, so we need to figure out where we-I mean, where I’m going after that.”

“Well…” Savannah brushed egg white over the top of the French bread dough. “I don’t know if you’re interested, but I’ve been keeping an eye on places out here; there are a couple really nice places not far from The Refuge. If you wanted to look at them when you come out, I’ll find a Realtor and get some appointments set up. When will you be out again?”

“I’ve got a ticket for the 23rd-but I may not be able to come out.”

“What? Why not?”

He paused; she could hear the deep intake of breath that always signaled unwelcome news. “I got a call from the Denver Post today.”

Her heart sank. “Oh no.”

“Yeah. She did it.”

“Oh Shaun -”

“It’s okay. I mean-it’s not at all okay, but I’m not surprised it happened, and I deserve pretty much anything they throw at me now.”

“Well-so now what?”

“I’m going to contact the lawyer we had for A &A and consult with him. I don’t know what to expect. I just…” His voice broke and Savannah’s eyes misted in empathy.

“I don’t know what to say, Shaun. I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could do.”

“I know, I know.” He cleared his throat, and sounded stronger when he continued. “I’m not going to dwell on it right now. There’s no point. I’m doing the best I can right now to make amends and that’s all I can think to do. Maybe it’ll count for something if- when – I go to court. Anyway, I’ll let you know what the lawyer says. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he advised me to stay in Colorado.”

“That makes sense.” She rubbed her wrist over her forehead. “I’m… I’m just so sorry, Shaun.”

“Don’t be, Van. I have no one to blame but myself. Maybe this is just God’s way of making sure I do the right thing. I’m not sure I’d have had the strength to turn myself in otherwise. It’s been hard enough facing everyone and telling them the truth.”

She ached for him, knowing the embarrassment and self-loathing he was struggling with, and found herself wishing she could be there to comfort him. Another step forward. It was a slow process, but their marriage really was on the mend. “I wish I could be there right now. I – I miss you.”

“Really?”

She smiled. “Yeah, really.”

“I wish you could be here too. Tell me how things are going. Tell me how Jessie is.”

She gave him an update until the timer went off on the gumbo and she had to focus on finishing dinner. She gave the pots a final stir after hanging up, then slid the loaves into the oven and went in search of Jessie to tell her the news.

She found her with three other Refugees, all of whom held yarn projects of one kind or another. The multitalented Anne was taking a break from knitting to tutor Jessie in crocheting circles. Savannah watched Jessie and felt a warmth spread through her at the look on her daughter’s face. She had fallen in quickly with the others and had begun going to therapy, though she never told Savannah what she shared. Savannah didn’t mind, though. She was just thankful for Tabitha’s generosity, and for the fact that Jessie had somewhere to go to heal.