Page 8 of Door Posts

PART SIX

  As Daniel steps into the room, he immediately gets slapped in the face and the ‘worry rocks’ are ripped out of his hand. He is grabbed by the shoulders and thrown down to the floor next to the two cowering children. Towering threateningly over the three of them is a large late-twenties redneck man. He is drunk.

  Daniel jumps to his feet, and shouts, “You can’t have my grandmother’s earrings!” He reaches out to take them back, but is easily grabbed by the man and pinned to the wall. Once again, Daniel is shocked by his physical inability to fight back. His muscles refuse to respond to the commands his mind is sending to them. He realizes he has now assumed the identity of the man’s wife, and that she is easily overpowered by her husband’s abusive brute force against her.

  The man presses his wife hard against the wall and moves his face close to hers, and sneers, “If you ever try that again, I swear I’ll kill you.” He throws her back down on the floor with the children and storms out of the house.

  The children are afraid and crying, but Daniel is able to calm them down with some cuddling and caressing. The older child is Charlie, age five. His younger sister, Cassie, is age three.

  Daniel is again struck by the overwhelming maternal urges that are welling up inside of him. From the core of his being and with every cell in his body he is aching to comfort and care for these two little lives. He holds them close to himself and comforts them with warm loving tones from his female voice.

  After he has them settled down and somewhat comforted, he makes a flat fist with his right hand and gently pounds on Charlie’s back in rhythm, while chanting, “Bumbly bumbly bumbly buck, how many fingers do I hold up?” Then he stops pounding and holds up three fingers behind Charlie’s back.

  Cassie peeks around and looks behind Charlie.

  Charlie giggles, and guesses, “Two.”

  Daniel moves his hand around to show Charlie the three fingers he is holding up, and says, “Very close.”

  “Three!” squeals Cassie, delightedly. Then she says, gleefully, “I want to do it! I want to Bumbly!”

  “Ok, Ok, you’ll get your turn next, sweetie,” laughs Daniel. “Let’s just give Charlie another chance.”

  He pounds on Charlie’s back again, and repeats, “Bumbly bumbly bumbly buck, how many fingers do I hold up?”

  “Umm, I say four,” guesses Charlie. “Is it four, Mommy?”

  Daniel reaches around to the front of Charlie and shows him four fingers.

  “You guessed it! You guessed it!” squeals Cassie.

  “Nice work, Charlie. You certainly are a great guesser,” says Daniel, encouragingly.

  The game goes on for a while, and Daniel is having as much fun with it as the children are. He remembers playing these types of games with his parents when he was a child, but they never played this game. ‘How in the world do people come up with these things?’ he wonders. ‘This is kind of fun.’

  In the lighter mood that is created by playing the game, Daniel becomes more in touch with his new identity. He discovers he is now a young mother named Donna, who lives in Bartlesville, Oklahoma in the 1960s.

  Donna has learned that playing Bumbly Buck is always a successful way to redirect the children’s attention away from the harsh encounters with their father. Unfortunately, his abusive tirades are occurring more frequently, and Donna is beginning to believe she must do something to protect her children, and herself.

  Cassie finally gets her turn and they enjoy quite a few more rounds of Bumbly Buck, before Donna says, “Ok you two, I’m going to go see what I can rustle up for dinner.” She stands up, and says, “You two can keep playing for a while and then we’ll have something to eat.”

  On the way to the kitchen, Daniel stops and goes into the bathroom and looks in the mirror. He sees that Donna is an attractive young woman in her late twenties. She is somewhat small in stature with beautiful blue eyes and lovely wavy shoulder-length auburn hair. Unfortunately, he also sees that her beauty is quite marred by several bruises on her face and neck. He looks down at her arms and also sees bruises on them where she has been grabbed by her husband.

  The house is small and simple, but very clean and tidy. In the kitchen, Donna finds some canned peach halves and the makings for grilled cheese sandwiches. She pours three glasses of milk, sets everything down on the kitchen table, and the three of them feast on their simple meal together.

  In the past, after these types of tirades from their daddy, the children would ask questions about his behavior, but not on this particular evening. The children are, instead, unusually quiet and melancholy. Donna knows it is getting worse. The children are showing more and more signs of inner distress about what is going on in the world of their father and mother. And it bothers her that they are beginning to accept this as a normal pattern of behavior. She knows this is not at all good for them. She knows it is time for the three of them to leave.

  “What do you say we get these dishes cleaned up and then play a little ‘Creepy Crawly’ before bedtime?” offers Donna.

  “Yay!” cries Cassie.

  They all finish their dinner and get right to the subsequent task of clearing the table and washing and drying and putting away the dishes. Cassie converts the kitchen table to a coloring station while her mother and brother begin cleaning up and putting everything away.

  Donna is already training the children to do chores around the house. She found a board in the garage that was the perfect size to make a stool for Charlie to stand on next to her at the kitchen sink. She merely pulls out the bottom drawer next to the sink and puts the board over the opening. This creates a place for Charlie to stand that is the perfect height for him to be next to her where she washes the dishes. She hands him the rinsed off dishes and he dries them and then stacks them on the counter.

  When they are finished and walk by the kitchen table on their way to the front room, Cassie points to her drawing, and says, “Here, Mommy. This is for you.”

  “Oh, this is absolutely lovely, sweetie!” says Donna.

  “It’s a blue hummingbird,” says Cassie.

  “Oh, I just adore hummingbirds,” says Donna.

  “I know,” says Cassie. “That’s why I drew her for you. I want you to be happy.”

  Donna feels the tingle in her nose and the wetness accumulating in her eyelids. She gives Cassie a big hug, and says, “Thank you, my lovely little girl. She does make me happy. She makes me very very happy. And so do you.”

  All three of them then make their way into the front room, and sit on the floor in the center of the room with their legs crossed powwow style in front of them.

  “Ok, ready?” asks Donna.

  “Ready,” say Charlie and Cassie, grinning.

  Donna holds up both her hands about chest height and shapes them like duck beaks pointing away from her toward the children. Charlie and Cassie do the same thing with their hands toward her.

  They open and close the duck beaks in time, while Donna sings, “Open shut them. Open shut them. Put them in your lap, lap, lap.”

  They put their hands in their lap, and then she continues to sing, “Take them out and make them flat and hear a little clap, clap, clap.”

  They all clap along with the beat of her singing. Then Donna reaches forward and makes creepy spiders with her hands and fingers and makes them crawl up Charlie and Cassie’s chests, while singing, “Creepy crawly, creepy crawly, right up to your chin, chin, chin... ”

  She takes a quick short breath and opens her eyes wide, and continues to sing, “Open up your little mouths...” And, creeping her crawly hands right up to their mouths, she quickly continues, “But do not let them in!”

  Which, is followed by lots of giggling and tickling and rolling on the floor.

  ‘Creepy Crawly’ is currently their favorite game, and they all love playing it over and over again.

  When all three of them are lying on the floor, winded from all of the laughter, Donna finally gasps, “Whew! Man, those spiders almost
made it into your mouths tonight. You guys better watch out. They are getting very tricky.”

  After a few more moments, they are breathing a little more normally, and Donna says, “Ok, let’s go get your baths done and then it’s off to bed, you two.”

  Bath time goes routinely, as does putting on pajamas and hopping into bed. Several lullabies follow and then it is lights out. It has been a rough day, so it is not long before Charlie and Cassie are also out.

  And now that there is nothing to ward it off, exhaustion has its way with Donna. It sweeps relentlessly over her entire body as she walks into the front room and collapses on the sofa. It is not long before Donna is out as well, and she slumbers soundly while dreaming of blue hummingbirds.

  + - + - + - +

  Daniel is sleeping peacefully when he awakens to his mother’s presence and gentle touch on his forehead. He loves the Sunday morning ritual. After a full day of playing hard on Saturday and then crashing on his bed exhausted and happy on Saturday night, his mother’s touch on Sunday morning was like delicious sugary icing on a huge piece of cake.

  He opens his eyes to see her loving face gazing down at him. Her eyes are filled with the indisputable facts of her great love for him. She is everything a boy could hope for in a loving and nurturing mother. She begins to sing slowly and softly, as she usually does, to gently transition her boy from slumber into the process of getting ready to go to church, “Creepy crawly, creepy crawly... ”

  Daniel has never heard this song before. He looks at her, puzzled.

  “Right up to your chin, chin, chin... ” she continues.

  Daniel blinks his eyes a couple of times and sees that his mother’s face is becoming younger and younger. Soon she looks just like a little girl.

  “Open up your little mouth... ” sings Cassie, as she starts to giggle and tickle her mother. “But do not let them in!”

  Donna moans contently, reaches up and gives Cassie a big loving squeeze. Charlie joins them and soon the three of them are giggling and snuggling on the sofa.

  “Alright you two cuddly little spiders. Let’s go get us some breakfast,” says Donna, as they all get up and make their way into the kitchen.

  Charlie and Cassie sit down at the table and Donna effortlessly and mechanically whips up the pancake batter and gets out the electric griddle. But, her mind is somewhere else. This has happened too many times before and, while she knows she and the children will enjoy several hours of peace in the morning, she also knows her husband, Jared, will be back in the afternoon and his mood upon arrival is always somewhat unpredictable.

  She is not worried about getting beaten again because he is usually fairly mollified by a night of drinking and whoring. But, she just does not know if she can live this way anymore. And those diamond earrings were all she had in the world. They were her only hope to provide for any of the resources that would be necessary to get her and the children far enough away from Jared to establish a safe place for them to live.

  “Pancakes again?” comes a voice accompanied by a few raps on the back door.

  The next-door neighbor, Lucy, lets herself in, and says, “You guys live like kings. Or should I say princes and princesses... oh!” stops Lucy when she sees Donna’s face. “Oh, Donna... no... no... you... ”

  “Ok, first batch is up,” interrupts Donna quickly, which is followed by cheers from Charlie and Cassie.

  “You have some, too, Lucy,” says Cassie, as Donna gets their plates ready and puts the syrup on the table.

  Lucy smiles, and says, “Oh, I most certainly will. Thank you, my little cutie. Why do you think I came over?”

  “To invite us to church,” answers Charlie, as he does some damage to the pancake on his plate and takes a drink of orange juice.

  “Well, yes, and that, too,” confesses Lucy.

  Donna goes back to the griddle and pours out the next batch. Lucy follows her.

  Donna looks sheepishly at Lucy. Lucy shakes her head slowly, and says, “Donna, please. Please. You have got to get out of here. This has to stop. You can’t... ”

  “I am... ” starts Donna, but then she looks down, and continues, “I mean, I was... but... ”

  “Donna, please... ” says Lucy.

  “I don’t know what... I don’t have any... ” continues Donna.

  Lucy tightens her lips, and says, firmly, “Finish up here and get the kids ready to go. I’ll be right back.”

  “What?” says Donna.

  “Just get yourselves packed up,” insists Lucy. “You are not doing this anymore. You are getting out of here.” Then she hurries out the back door.

  Donna knows Lucy is right. She knows she is going to have to take the children over to her mother’s house and stay with her for a few days until Jared cools down, and then shows up all repentant and begging for them to come back home. She has no other choice. She has nowhere else to go. Her only hope is maybe this time it will be different. ‘Maybe Jared will finally come to his senses and see what he is doing to us,’ she thinks.

  “Ok, guys,” says Donna. “Let’s get this flapjack feast finished up. We’re going to go and visit Grandpa and Grandma.”

  Charlie and Cassie cheer happily and jump up from the table. Then they run off to their bedroom to get dressed and ready to go. Donna also goes to the bathroom and gets washed up. She throws on some other clothes and then goes back into the kitchen to clean up the breakfast dishes.

  As she is finishing up the task, Lucy marches stridently through the back door, and announces, “Enough is enough, Donna. You are getting out of here.”

  “I know,” says Donna, defeatedly.

  “No. I mean you are getting out of here,” repeats Lucy, firmly. “You are not going to your mother’s this time. This is over. This is the end. Forget it. You will not do this to yourself anymore.”

  Donna looks confused. Lucy takes her by the shoulders and looks straight into her face, and says slowly and deliberately, “Charlie and Cassie are next, Donna. You know that.”

  Donna knows she is right. It is only a matter of time before Jared starts beating on them. She knows she must get them out of there. She must put an end to the madness. She also knows Charlie will most probably be right behind Jared if she doesn’t get him away from that type of modeling. If it doesn’t stop now, Charlie may be the next one beating up on his wife.

  “You’re right. I know you’re right,” agrees Donna. “But he’ll just make me come back again.”

  “That is why you are going the other way,” informs Lucy.

  “What?” says Donna.

  “You’re going west,” explains Lucy. “You’re going to have to go west this time... to get away from him for good.”

  “But I don’t know anyone... ” starts Donna.

  “All I know is that you are going to go in the opposite direction than your mother’s house,” says Lucy. “When he finally gets all guilty and feeling lonely for you, he’ll go over there and, by that time, you’ll all be long gone in the other direction and he won’t know where to find you.”

  “But... ” says Donna.

  “Here,” interrupts Lucy as she hands Donna some money. “It’s not much, but... ”

  “I can’t take this... ” says Donna.

  “Jake and I want you to have it,” insists Lucy. “You’re going to need something to... ”

  “But, I can’t... ” resists Donna.

  “Ok, Ok, you can pay us back,” interrupts Lucy. “Fine. You can pay us back. You have our address. Mail us a check. Whatever. Now that is final. Get the kids and get them packed up in the wagon.”

  Donna knows Lucy is right, but she is terrified and paralyzed about what to do next.

  “Where are your household papers?” asks Lucy, assertively.

  “What?” says Donna.

  “Where do you keep your papers? Your bills. Stuff like that,” asks Lucy.

  Donna points to a work desk in the kitchen, and says, “Right there.”

  “Ok, now go and pac
k up. Take it all. Just throw it all in the back of the wagon,” orders Lucy, as she opens the desk drawers and starts to look through the file folders.

  Soon, the kids are all strapped into the back seat of their Chevrolet Caprice station wagon, and the back is filled with all of the clothes and toys and things that they care about.

  Donna is standing by the open driver’s side door of the station wagon as Lucy walks up.

  “Where do I go?” says Donna, fearfully.

  “All I know is west,” confesses Lucy.

  “But, where will we stay? What... ” says Donna.

  “His eye is on the sparrow, so you know He’ll be watching over you,” says Lucy, confidently. “He will show you the way.”

  Somehow... she doesn’t quite understand it... but somehow Donna feels a wave of assurance sweep over her. She feels confident she is doing the right thing and somehow it is all going to work out.

  “Here. This is the title to the wagon,” says Lucy, handing an envelope to Donna. “You’re probably going to need this if you ever have to sell it.”

  Donna shakes her head in amazement at how pragmatic Lucy is.

  “And, I need to do this, too,” says Lucy, as she lifts up her small instamatic camera. “Just in case this thing ever goes to court. I want some evidence for you. You may have to prove Jared was... well... just stand right there and let me get a few good shots of your face.”

  When Lucy is done, Donna gives her a nice long warm embrace, and then says, “Thank you so much, Lucy. You are such a great friend. How will I... ”

  “You are a strong and loving woman, Donna,” assures Lucy. “Everything is going to work out. Remember, His eye is on the sparrow.”

  “So, He’s going to watch over us, too, right?” finishes Donna.

  They hug one last time, and then Donna gets into the station wagon. She backs it down the driveway and heads west.

  + - + - + - +

  Bartlesville, Oklahoma is a small town about fifty miles due north of Tulsa. Its only real notoriety is the headquarters of the Phillips Petroleum Company. Donna knows she had better stop and fill up the gas tank in town before heading down to Tulsa, and then out west on Interstate 40.

  While she is filling up the tank, she notices an Arab man about age sixty pumping gas into the tank of his car at another pump. He looks up occasionally and stares over at her. When he is done pumping his gas, he walks over to Donna and smiles, and asks, “Are you Jared Robertson’s wife?”

  “Yes,” answers Donna, warily.

  “Please forgive me,” continues the man, bowing slightly. “I am sorry to bother you. My name is Sonni. I own the pawnshop here in Bartlesville. And... I am sorry to say I bought a lovely pair of diamond earrings from your husband yesterday... ”

  “Oh,” gasps Donna.

  “Am I to understand they are yours,” says Sonni.

  “My grandmother’s,” says Donna.

  Sonni looks into the station wagon and smiles at Charlie and Cassie, and says, “He sold them to me for much less than they are worth.”

  Donna’s face saddens.

  Sonni sees Donna’s expression, and continues, “I sensed something was very wrong with the whole transaction.” He then perks up, and says, “I... I am so very happy to have seen you here right now. Praise Allah!” He gently rests his hand on Donna’s arm, and continues, “My shop is not too far from here. May you be willing to come to my shop? I would like to return the earrings to you.”

  “I have no money... ” Donna starts.

  “Oh, no, no, no,” Sonni interrupts. “Please, I want to return them to you. I want you to have them. I should not have... I am so very very happy I saw you here at the gas station, and that now I can return them to their rightful owner. May you come to my shop?”

  Donna hesitates, but then says, happily, “Yes. Yes, of course, we will.”

  The pawnshop is only a few blocks away in the same direction they are heading. Donna has never been in the shop before, even though she has driven past it hundreds of times. When she was much younger, she always fancied having the beautiful banjo she saw hanging in the front window. She loved bluegrass music and imagined herself buying it and learning to play someday.

  The banjo is long gone, but Sonni’s shop is nevertheless filled to the rafters with furniture, and every kind of gadget and trinket imaginable. Charlie is fascinated with the variety of taxidermy items hanging on one of the walls.

  “Do not worry,” chuckles Sonni. “They do not bite... anymore.” He looks at Donna, and says, “I will be right back,” as he walks behind a counter and into the back room. He returns shortly, smiling and holding the earrings. “Here they are,” he says, cheerfully.

  Donna tries valiantly, but the tears cannot be held back. “Thank you so much, Mr. Sonni. Thank you so very very much. You have no idea how much these mean to me. I thought I would never see them again, and now here they are. I never wanted to sell them, but... ”

  After a few moments, Sonni says, “It is not difficult for me to know what your situation is. If you do not mind, may I offer one more piece of assistance?”

  Donna looks up at him.

  “My cousin operates a free shelter for families in need,” Sonni explains. “Just until they can get back on their feet.” He pauses a moment, and then continues, “It is in California, but... maybe far is good?”

  Donna nods yes.

  Sonni gets out a piece of paper and writes on it, and says, “She lives in Berkeley, California. This is the address for the New Moon Family Home. She will help you. You will have a place to stay and people to help you sort things out.”

  Next, Sonni gets out a U.S. road map, unfolds it and shows Donna the directions to California. “It will be a long journey, but the destination will be worth it. I know that Ruwah will be able to help you.”

  “Thank you again,” says Donna. “Thank you so so much, Mr. Sonni.”

  “It is my great pleasure,” smiles Sonni. “It is my utmost pleasure to help you. We are all here to help each other. My people would have all died in the war if the U.S. troops had not defeated the Turks and the Zionists.”

  Sonni reaches out his hand to Donna, and says, “Here, let me put those lovely earrings in an appropriate box.”

  Donna hands the earrings back to Sonni who then bows slightly and goes into the back room again. He returns shortly with a lovely black felt earring box, and a navy blue cloth bag with a gold drawstring. He puts the earring box into the bag, pulls the drawstring and hands it to Donna.

  They walk out to the station wagon, and Sonni says, “And may Allah bless you on your journey.”

  Donna thanks Sonni again and gives him a big hug. The little family then gets back into their station wagon and proceeds down to Tulsa, and then out west on Interstate 40.

  Not long after nightfall, Donna notices Charlie and Cassie are already asleep in the back seat. It has been a long day for all of them and she is starting to feel exhausted as well. By now, they are just outside of Amarillo, Texas, so Donna pulls off the highway and into a rest stop area for the night.

  After moving things around in the back of the wagon, she is able to make a bed on which Charlie and Cassie can sleep. The children don’t wake up at all when she moves them. She then makes a place for herself to lie down on the back seat.

  As she lies there, she becomes aware of the peace that comes with freedom. She feels free. She feels as though she has been freed from a long and tiresome bondage. Free from fear. Free from being ruled by a tyrant. It is an amazing feeling. Waves of peacefulness wash over her. She knows she is far from all of her troubles being over, but finally, just being out from under the oppression of Jared makes her feel like she can breathe deeply and freely, at last.

  + - + - + - +

  “Where’s Grandma?” asks Charlie.

  It takes Donna a few moments to wake up and reorient herself. She sits up and stretches, and says, “Ooh, aah... well, good morning glories.”

  “Where are we??
?? asks Charlie. “Where is Grandma?”

  Donna yawns and looks at Charlie, and says, “Ok guys, I think we better have a little Indian powwow, Ok? You up, Cassie?”

  “Yes, Momma,” answers Cassie.

  “Ok, so... yes, this is not exactly Grandma’s house, is it, Charlie,” starts Donna.

  “No, Momma,” says Charlie, shaking his head.

  “Here’s the deal, guys,” says Donna, looking squarely at them. “It is not right for Daddy to hit Mommy, so we had to get away from him until he can figure out how to stop doing that. Does that make sense to you?”

  “If you hit, you sit,” says Charlie.

  “That is exactly right,” says Donna. “You guys know you can’t hit each other. Well, Daddy can’t hit either. But I can’t make him sit in the penalty box like you guys. So, I had to get out of there, so he won’t hit me anymore.”

  “Where are we going to live?” asks Charlie.

  “In the wagon?” asks Cassie.

  Donna laughs, and says, “No, Cassie dear, not in the wagon. We’re going to a place that helps families when they have trouble like us. They will help us with a place to live for a little while.”

  “I’m hungry,” says Charlie.

  “Me, too,” says Cassie.

  “Me three,” says Donna. “So, let’s get things straightened up, and then see if we can find a place that makes pancakes as yummy as mine.”

  Donna does not have a lot of experience with road trips, but one thing she figures must be fairly evident to anyone driving out on the road, is that the sign of a good highway restaurant is several big rigs parked outside. So, after driving for a while and passing up a few less crowded diners, Donna finally pulls off the highway and adds her station wagon to a large collection of vehicles parked outside a crowded restaurant stop.

  “Ok guys, let’s go get some breakfast,” says Donna after putting it in Park and turning off the engine. “Let me just check one thing before we go in.” She wants to make sure the bag that Sonni gave her with the diamond earrings in it is tucked away out of view.

  When she picks up the bag to tuck it under some pillows, it feels a little odd in her hand, so she opens up the drawstring and looks in. She is then completely surprised to see some cash in the bag along with the earring box. When Sonni was in the back room of the shop, he also snuck a couple hundred dollars into the bag for them.

  Donna shakes her head in amazement at Sonni’s kindness and generosity. And wiping a tear from her eye, she says, “Ok, you two little sparrows. We can go in now.”

  They feel a little like royalty. Charlie and Cassie have never been out to eat breakfast at a restaurant. The waitress notices their delight and works diligently to make the children feel like she is there to wait on them hand and foot.

  Donna was successful in her restaurant selection. The food is delicious.

  “They do make the pancakes as yummy as yours, Mommy,” says Cassie.

  Donna smiles at Cassie, but when she lifts up her eyes and looks over at the counter, she notices a man who gives her the creeps by the way he is looking at them. For the next several minutes she notices him glancing over at them again and again. It makes her start to think about how vulnerable they are out on the highway alone.

  “Excuse me.”

  Donna is startled and looks up to see a young man about her same age smiling and staring down at her.

  “I am very sorry to interrupt your breakfast,” he continues. “But, may I ask you a question?”

  Donna is wary of the man, but his face is friendly.

  “I am totally sorry to bother you, but I think I have an idea that could benefit both of us,” continues the man. “May I sit down for a moment and tell you my idea?”

  Donna looks around briefly and considers the fact that they are in a fairly safe and busy public place, but she says, “I don’t think... ”

  “It will only take a minute,” continues the man. “Then, if I’m pestering you, you can just shoo me away like a fly.”

  Donna then notices the creepy man at the counter has turned away and now seems to be less interested in them, so she says, “Yes, Ok, that would be fine.”

  “Great,” says the man, so he turns around, takes a chair and pulls it up to the table. He sits down and grins broadly at the three of them, and says, “Hello. My name is Abbie.”

  “Hello Abbie,” says Donna. “My name is Donna and this is Charlie and Cassie.”

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” says Abbie, in a stuffy British accent, at which both of the children giggle.

  Donna looks at Abbie, and he says, “So, I am hitchhiking my way to San Francisco. Are you three headed that way?”

  “We are going to a city called Berkeley,” says Donna. “Is that close to San Francisco?”

  “Ha, ha! Yes, that is very close. I’ll say. Yes, very close indeed,” laughs Abbie. “This may be my lucky day. I knew it when I saw you pull up into the parking lot. I just knew it. I had a feeling I should ask you for a ride. I had no idea you could practically take me to the front door. This is fantastic! How would you like a traveling companion? I would of course help you out with paying for gas.”

  Charlie and Cassie giggle at how excited this stranger is acting.

  “Well,” says Donna, looking back over at the man at the counter. “It might actually be nice to... how are you at bodyguarding? Can you fight off any road rats?”

  Abbie jumps to his feet and pretends to wield a sword, and declares, “Certainly, m’lady! With one hand tied behind me back!”

  Donna and the children laugh as Abbie sits back down at the table, and says, “So, is it a deal?”

  Donna feels confident and disarmed by Abbie’s charisma. She trusts her gut instinct about him. She also embraces the new opportunity to make decisions on her own about her life and her new circumstances. “Yes... I think it is a deal,” says Donna. “If nothing else, you will certainly be entertaining.”

  “Most excellent!” says Abbie, standing up again. “Let me go and get my things.”

  Donna, Charlie and Cassie finish their breakfast and then walk to the front door of the restaurant to pay their bill at the cash register. Abbie is there in the entryway waiting for them. The newly formed party of four leaves the restaurant, walks over to the station wagon and adds Abbie’s bags to the pile of things in the back. Then they pull out of the parking lot and continue down the highway.

  Abbie turns and puts his left arm over the back of the front seat, and says to Charlie and Cassie, “I have two children who are just like you guys. My boy’s name is Andrew and my daughter’s name is Amy. Hey! I guess you are the two ‘C’s and they are the two ‘A’s.”

  “Where are they?” asks Charlie.

  “They are back home with their mother, in Worcester, Massachusetts,” answers Abbie.

  “That is where your accent is from?” asks Donna.

  “Yes, and you must be Texans or Oklahomans or Mississippians or something, right?” says Abbie.

  “Oklahoma,” says Cassie.

  “Very nice,” says Abbie. “Very nice indeed, little missy. I was actually in Mississippi for a while, and you don’t sound at all like Mississippians.

  “Anyway, but now I am just heading out to San Francisco to visit with some friends of mine. I’m taking a little bit of time to get some things straightened out in my head. I know all about this kind of thing, you see, because I am a psychologist. I study the head, and help other people get theirs screwed on right. I actually went to the University of California at Berkeley for my graduate studies in psychology, so I know exactly where Berkeley is. I didn’t exactly finish the degree, but I did learn a lot, and I made some really good friends while I was out there.

  “So, that is where I am headed now with you all. I’m going to go and just kick back and reconnect with them for a while. But, that is enough about me. What about you?”

  After a short pause, Charlie says, “Daddy is in the penalty box for hitting Mommy.”


  “Oh, that is not good,” says Abbie. “It is not good to hit people, is it.”

  “No,” answers Cassie.

  “Penalty box, eh... ” says Abbie, looking over at Donna. “Did you make that up?”

  “If they misbehave, they have to sit quietly in the penalty box until their time is up, right guys?” says Donna.

  “Yes, Mommy dear,” they say, in unison.

  “Wow,” says Abbie. “I’m going to have to try that one on my kids. Looks like it works pretty well.”

  After a few moments, Abbie continues, “Adults could stand to take a few lessons from your children. That is one of the things that is bugging the hell out of me right now. Why are we going to war again? I just don’t get it. Haven’t we learned our lesson yet? Haven’t we learned the power of love? Haven’t we learned to love one another instead of kill each other? Jesus Christ! I just don’t get it”

  After a few more hours down the highway, Abbie tells Donna he has done this drive a few times before and if they push hard that day and make it all the way to Kingman, Arizona, then they should be able to make it into Berkeley the following day.

  Thankfully, the good old Caprice station wagon is in good running condition and the children are good travelers. Abbie does turn out to be quite entertaining, and also happy to take the wheel when Donna needs a driving break.

  When he doesn’t have to concentrate on driving, Daniel ponders why in the world he has now assumed Donna’s identity. ‘There certainly does not seem to be anything notable about her, or this entire situation,’ he thinks. ‘But, I do really admire her mothering skills. She is amazing with those two little gems.’

  Daniel discovers the year is 1964, but he has no knowledge of any historical event that happened on a road trip from Oklahoma to California. He hopes whatever he has to do in this block of time will happen soon. He feels like he must be getting closer to getting back home because he realizes he has been working his way forward through the decades of the 20th Century. All he wants is to see Sarah again and hold her tightly in his arms.

  A little after dark, they do make it to Kingman, and Abbie directs Donna to a highway rest area where they can stop for the night. The weather is pleasant enough for Abbie to sleep outside in his sleeping bag, so Donna merely prepares the sleeping arrangements in the station wagon in the same way as the previous night, and they all crash soundly after their day-long asphalt adventure.

  After breakfast in Kingman, Donna looks up the local YMCA in the phone book. She wants to call ahead to Sonni’s cousin at the shelter to let her know they will probably arrive there that night. She is hoping the YMCA might let her use their telephone to make the call instead of trying to figure out how to make it work from a pay phone. She does not have much experience at this type of thing and she is doing the best she can to make it all work.

  The manager at the YMCA is happy to help them out and let Donna use their phone to make a long-distance phone call. Sonni’s cousin, Ruwah, is very kind and understanding on the phone. She lets Donna know Sonni had already called her to let her know about their situation. She tells Donna she is very eager to meet the young family when they arrive. Lastly, Ruwah gives Donna driving directions to follow when they get to Berkeley. After she says goodbye and hangs up the phone, Donna thanks the people at the YMCA for the generous use of their phone. They wish her well, and then the foursome heads back out on the road.

  After about an hour or so down the road, Abbie pipes in with, “Didn’t we learn anything in Korea? Why in the world are we messing with Vietnam? Doesn’t it just drive you crazy?”

  “It does, but I don’t know what to do about it,” answers Donna.

  “That is exactly it!” says Abbie. “People don’t know what to do. We instinctively know something is wrong, but we feel powerless. We don’t have a voice. There is no voice of the people. Well, I’m not going to take it sitting down. They can’t get away with it this time. We need to be heard.”

  “I hear you,” says Charlie, from the back seat.

  “Ha, ha!” laughs Abbie. “Ok, so you’re with me, right Charlie?”

  “Yes, I’m right here with you,” agrees Charlie, smiling broadly.

  “Hey, that’s far out. I have my first convert. How about that,” laughs Abbie. “No one can stop me now.”

  “But we might have to stop for a bathroom break,” says Charlie.

  Donna and Abbie burst out laughing. They are having a lot of fun. The trip is turning out to be quite enjoyable for all of them. Donna is very thankful her quirky and unorthodox traveling companion is such a great blessing to them. Their conversations continue to be a wacky blend of seriousness and humor, and finally, after dinner, they arrive at the New Moon Family Home in Berkeley, California.

  “I can easily catch a bus from here into the city,” says Abbie, as he gathers together his things out of the back of the station wagon.

  “Thank you so very much for everything, Abbie,” says Donna. She gives Abbie a hug and Charlie and Cassie join in for a group-hug.

  “Are you sure you are going to be all right?” asks Donna.

  “Oh, yeah, sure. I did this all the time when I went to school here,” assures Abbie. “It’s a piece of cake. And it will be even easier soon because they are building a new train system around here called BART -- the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. It’s going to be great when they are done with it.”

  Abbie heaves his bag over his shoulder, and chuckles, “Hey, it’s probably a good thing it isn’t the Farm Area Rapid Transit system, right? Ha, ha, that’s a good one! Ok, you all, take good care of yourselves. I wish you well. This has been a great ride. I hope we meet again, and happy trails to you! Goodbye!”

  + - + - + - +

  Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the front door. “Where is she? Damn it! You better tell me where she is!”

  Lucy was startled, but she knew this was going to come, eventually. She quickly stopped reading to her two young children, and then told them to huddle under the kitchen table. She hurried to the front closet and took out the shotgun.

  “Where is she, God damn it! I know you had something to do with this!” yelled Jared.

  Lucy opened the front door.

  “Where is she, bitch!” snarled Jared.

  “Get off my property, Jared,” ordered Lucy, clearly and firmly.

  “I know you had something to do with this. Her God damn battle-axe mother doesn’t even know where she is,” said Jared, angrily. “Now, you better tell me. Where the hell is she?”

  “I’m warning you, Jared... ” started Lucy.

  “And I’m warning you, bitch! If you don’t tell me, I’ll... ” yelled Jared.

  Lucy stood firm, and lifted up and cocked the shotgun. She pointed it directly at Jared, and said, “You’ll what, you big pussy. Beat on me? Is that what you’re going to do? Beat on a woman? You would come around when Jake isn’t here. You are such a pansy ass pussy.”

  Jared took a step forward and reached for the doorknob.

  Lucy took a couple of steps back and stood solidly in the entryway. She took aim with the shotgun, and said, “I swear to God, Jared. I will blow your head off if you set foot in here!”

  Jared stopped and grunted in frustration, and threatened, “This ain’t the end of this!”

  “Oh, yes it is the end of it,” countered Lucy. “If you so much as look at my family sideways, I will blow your head off. You know I can and you know I will.”

  Jared grunted, turned around and then stormed off the front porch and walked away. Lucy lowered the shotgun and walked up to the front door. She looked out and watched Jared get into his pickup truck and drive away. She then looked across the street and saw that her neighbor was looking out the front door. Lucy acknowledged her and then turned and carefully put the shotgun back into the closet.

  “It’s Ok, kids,” said Lucy, as she walked back into the kitchen. She knelt down next to her children under the table. “Charlie and Cassie’s dad is just mad about th
em leaving. Let’s go ahead and get back to our story.”

  The children were comforted by Lucy’s firm command over the situation and the loving and nurturing tone of her voice as they crawled out and took their seats back at the kitchen table.

  “But I’m going to call the sheriff first and let him know what just happened. Mr. Robertson is not allowed to come over here and threaten us like that. It is against the law.”

  + - + - + - +

  “Do you know how to use a sewing machine?”

  “Yes, a little,” answers Donna. “My grandmother taught me a few things when I was a girl.”

  “That is good,” says Ruwah. “The women here at the shelter need jobs in order to care for themselves and their children, so we have connections in town for work.”

  “Thank you so much, Ruwah,” says Donna. “That would be wonderful.”

  Donna takes well to the job at the clothing manufacturer and, after about a week, she is fully integrated into the operation. She is surprisingly good at working with the various fabrics and the patterns and all the aspects of garment construction. She also benefits from the friendships that develop from working side-by-side with the other women at the shop. She thoroughly enjoys the human interaction with them, and realizes she was completely unaware of how isolated she had become as a result of her toxic relationship with Jared. She thinks about how grateful she is that Lucy so valiantly helped her to break out of it. And she shudders at the thought of how she was spiraling down deeper and deeper into the darkness of her abusive situation.

  A particular camaraderie develops between Donna and Alice, one of the fashion designers at the shop. Alice is about ten years older than Donna. She is a beautiful woman with long wavy light brown hair. She is earthy and embracing at least the fringes of the hippie culture, preferring not to wear a bra or any makeup. She clearly presents her unique personality through both her warm loving spirit and her stylish clothing designs.

  “We weren’t married. We were doing the ‘free love’ thing and all,” says Alice one day during the lunch break.

  “How did you get away from him?” asks Donna.

  “I didn’t have to,” says Alice. “Fortunately, he simply got tired of beating up on me and left. Never saw him again. When I did think about it later, I would sigh a little and pity the next poor girl who would succumb to his charms, and then find herself in the same situation I was in with him. But, then I would always fantasize that she would have a big gun.” Alice smiles and takes a sip of tea, and then continues, “Why did we do it, Donna? Why did we just let them do that to us?”

  Donna empathetically shakes her head slowly.

  “Thankfully, there are places like New Moon, right?” continues Alice. “I mean, I was pretty beat up when the cops found me. Social Services put me there to recover.”

  “I am completely thankful for them,” agrees Donna. “I had no idea what I was going to do and then, right out of the blue their door opened up for us... at a gas station, of all places. This old Arab pawnshop owner told me about it. Way out in Oklahoma. Can you believe that?”

  “That’s funny. It was also some old Arab guy from the Holocaust who started the New Moon shelter,” says Alice. “I guess it was about twenty years ago now. Did Ruwah ever tell you about that?”

  “No,” answers Donna. “What happened?”

  “I guess he escaped from one of the Aleppo concentration camps,” continues Alice. “The Army brought a bunch of the prisoners back here to the Presidio in San Francisco and they settled here. So anyway, I guess this one guy wanted to pay it back. He was so thankful to be rescued from the camp that he somehow got it together and started New Moon... ”

  As Alice continues, Daniel checks out of the conversation for a moment. He can’t believe what he is hearing.

  “What was his name?” asks Donna, quietly.

  “Haven’t you ever seen that photo in the lobby?” says Alice. “There is a picture of him hanging on the wall, right there in the front lobby. His name was Addiv. Addiv Saron.”

  + - + - + - +

  As time goes by, Alice is so frequently helping Donna with Charlie and Cassie that they decide to pool their resources and rent a large three-bedroom apartment that the four of them can live in more comfortably. The hippie culture is flourishing in Berkeley and Donna and Alice embrace it wholeheartedly. They get together often with friends and talk about social concerns and various civil rights issues, and the government and war, and love and sex and drugs.

  Daniel has never used drugs and has no intention of ever doing so, but he finds this preference cannot override Donna’s will. Marijuana is the cool new high and Donna’s friends are all experimenting freely with it. She welcomes the high that makes any thoughts or concerns about her toxic relationship with Jared disappear. And she enjoys how the drug takes her away to a happy place where no strings are attached to her troubled past.

  “They call everyone a communist,” says Wysteria, one of the younger women in the group of friends, who is very intellectual and quite involved in social justice and the ‘power to the people’ movement. “Anyone who goes against them is a communist. I read The Psychedelic Experience. It’s totally far out. Timothy Leary is a genius. The Establishment is just trying to keep us down. We’re trying to be enlightened and they don’t like it. If we get too smart, they won’t be able to manipulate us anymore.”

  She then pauses and gets a mischievous glint in her eye, and says, “I got some, you guys.”

  “You got what?” asks Alice.

  Wysteria says, defensively, “The Beatles are doing it. All kinds of people are doing it. It’s an awakening. People are being awakened.”

  “Are you talking about LSD?” asks Alice, shocked.

  Wysteria nods somewhat sheepishly, but then she notices the rest of the group leaning forward and quite interested in what she is talking about.

  “Let’s just try it,” says Wysteria.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” says Alice.

  “Really. Why not?” says Wysteria. “Seriously, a lot of people are trying it and getting all kinds of cool insights from tripping out on it.”

  Alice can see the clearly unanimous interest in Wysteria’s proposition, so she concedes, “Ok, Ok... fine. It’s fine with me. I’m not going to be the one to stop you. But, I have also read about it, so I volunteer to be the one who doesn’t take it. You’re supposed to have someone in the group with you who is not tripping out. Just in case things get out of hand, or whatever.”

  Daniel tries desperately to hang on to rational thinking, but soon the drug takes over and his mind is out of control.

  All of the women are hallucinating and talking wildly and describing their visions.

  “Hummingbirds!” exclaims Donna, gleefully. “Look at all of the beautiful blue hummingbirds!”

  They bring up a variety of random subjects and talk about them as though they are all experts in the field. They are pontificating about social issues and posing no small variety of ethical and philosophical questions. They discuss them as though they alone have the solutions to all the world’s ills.

  “Ok, I got one for you,” says Wysteria. “If you could go back in time and meet anyone in history, who would you want to meet?”

  Several different answers circulate around the room with comments or laughter inserted in between each one, until Wysteria says, “Well, I’d want to meet Judah Barshevet and punch that asshole right in the kisser.”

  Daniel snaps.

  Donna jumps to her feet, and screams, “Stop it! Stop it! You’re going to kill him... Oh, Father! Mother! I tried. I really did try, but I could not stop them... they were beating him and beating him!” She falls to the floor and grabs her groin, and screams, “Stop them! Please stop them! Oh God, please stop them! Tamara! No... no... ” She rolls over into a fetal position and sobs loudly, and cries, “Where is he? Where is my baby? My baby boy! Please take me to my baby... Oh... no... Please stop! You are killing us! Oh God, Allah
! Have mercy!”

  Alice rushes over to Donna, pulls her close and cradles her in her lap, and says, “It’s Ok, Donna. It’s Ok. I’m right here with you... Shhh, it’s Ok.”

  “They are dying! Can you not see? They are dying!” cries Donna from Alice’s lap. “It is right here! The cure is right here in front of your eyes!”

  All of the other girls are shocked by Donna’s out of control trip and begin to sober up instantly as they stand stunned and motionless around her.

  Donna lets out a blood curdling scream, gets tightly back into a fetal position in Alice’s lap and sobs profusely, crying, “Jared, please... please, stop it Jared! God help me! God, oh God, help me!”

  Donna sobs and sobs convulsively in Alice’s lap. Alice caresses her head over and over, and says, “It’s alright girl. It’s Ok... it’s Ok, you’re going to be Ok... I got you... shhh... shhh now, girl... I got you... you’re going to be Ok.”

  + - + - + - +

  After that episode, Donna decides she is done with drugs. She has been drinking also, and she decides to stop that as well. She knows first hand about the horrible effect drinking had on Jared’s life, so she decides to stop all of it. Alice agrees with Donna and the two of them become health nuts. They begin exercising regularly, eating more healthy foods and simply taking better overall care of their bodies.

  One night, when Alice has a casserole cooking in the oven for dinner, Donna tells her she has something to show her. She escorts Alice into her bedroom and shows her some clothes laid out on the bed. They are a variety of hippie-style shirts, pants and dresses.

  “Wow!” says Alice, as she picks them up and looks at them. “These are really far out. Where did you get them?”

  “I made them,” says Donna, smiling shyly.

  “What!” exclaims Alice. “You made these? You made all of these?”

  “Yes,” says Donna. “Do you like them?”

  “Like them? I love them! They are fantastic!” says Alice. “Wow! We are going to make a fortune on these... can we show them to Sharon?”

  “I guess so,” says Donna.

  “She’s going to love these. We are going to make a killing with these,” says Alice. “Wow! Who knew? How in the world did you come up with these? I had no idea you could... ”

  “I have merely been watching you, Alice,” says Donna. “You are such a great designer. I have been watching you work and... well, the ideas just started popping into my head.”

  The oven timer goes off, so they make their way back into the kitchen.

  “Well, just keep those ideas popping, Donna,” says Alice. “This is going to be great.”

  During dinner, Donna is feeling euphoric. She loves her life. She loves her children and her job and her home. She loves Alice and treasures their friendship. She takes a bite of Alice’s delicious casserole and looks across the table at her smiling and talking to the children. Alice looks back at Donna and smiles. Life is going very well for all of them.

  After dinner, Charlie and Cassie go out to the living room to watch The Flintstones on TV, while Donna and Alice clean up the kitchen. As Donna watches Alice work, she begins to feel male attraction for her. Daniel is drawn to her. All of his previous male and female romantic experiences blend into one strong wanting and yearning for intimacy with Alice.

  Alice puts a dish away in the cupboard, and then turns and notices the way Donna is looking at her. She too realizes that she has similar feelings for Donna. She picks up her glass of water from dinner and raises it, and says, “Well, here’s to us, right partner?”

  Donna walks up to Alice, and says, “Yes, here’s to us.” And then she gives her a warm embrace.

  The embrace lingers for a while. They part somewhat and see in each other’s eyes the companionship and togetherness they have developed. Slowly and hesitantly, they draw closer to each other and tenderly kiss.

  + - + - + - +

  Donna’s initial clothing designs do sell well, and soon she and Alice start working together as a design team. They continue to create successful lines of clothing and find themselves able to save money, instead of living paycheck to paycheck. New Moon also becomes a beneficiary of their success as Donna and Alice invest their time, energy and resources into paying the shelter back for all the help they were to them when they so desperately needed it.

  “That is so nice of you,” says Alice, as Donna puts together two thank you packages -- one each for Lucy and Sonni back in Oklahoma.

  Donna picks a few of her newly designed clothing items that she thinks each of them would like and puts them into the boxes, along with a thank you letter and a check to pay them back for their kindness. “I hope they like them,” she says, as she finishes wrapping up the packages for the mail.

  “They are going to be so surprised. And so happy to hear from you,” says Alice.

  “It feels really good to be able to do this. They were so amazing. I could not have done it at all without their help,” says Donna.

  + - + - + - +

  Alice returns from a meeting with a clothing distributor in San Jose, and says to Donna, “You have got to hear this new band I heard down in San Jose. I’m telling you, they were way too far out!”

  “Really?” says Donna.

  “We have to get them up here,” continues Alice. “The people up here would love them. Hey, I know! Let’s do a benefit concert for New Moon! We’ll do it outdoors in People’s Park. George and Frank put on concerts there all the time. They can do it. It’ll be a piece of cake.”

  “What in the world are you talking about?” asks Donna.

  “The Grateful Dead!” says Alice.

  Donna shakes her head, puzzled.

  “I know. It seems like a stupid name for a band,” says Alice. “But these guys are really really great. Everyone at the concert down there was going wild. And the people up here would love them, too.”

  So, after some planning and booking and organizing and scheduling, the Grateful Dead comes up to Berkeley and gives a concert in the park. Everyone there goes wild for them as well, and the concert generates a large donation for New Moon. Now San Jose is not the only place that knows about this great new band with the weird name.

  As time goes by, Daniel gets more and more restless. He cannot for the life of him figure out why he has assumed Donna’s identity. And he is troubled about why he has been grafted into her life for so long. The identities he previously assumed did not go on this long and he begins to wonder if he will be stuck in Donna’s life forever. ‘Nothing is happening. Why am I even on this crazy journey through time in the first place?’ he wonders. He looks back at his interaction with Adolf Hitler’s life, but thinks maybe it only turned the tables on the Germans and ushered in a different type of Holocaust in the Middle East. He remembers doing some good by helping some Arabs escape horrific treatment at the hands of Turks and Zionists in a dreadful concentration camp. But then he wonders what, if any, impact he had on the AIDS situation as a blind black man in the African Congo. And now, he can’t figure out why he is halfway across the world from there in Berkeley, California listening to the Grateful Dead. All he wants to do is go home. He just wants to be back home in his simple little apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota. He just wants to see Sarah. He just wants to be himself.

  + - + - + - +

  Alice’s suggestion to take a day trip into San Francisco comes at the perfect time. It is exactly what Daniel needs to take his mind off his perplexing situation.

  The next weekend, Donna and Alice treat themselves and the children to a jaunt into the city to see the sights and have a little fun. They spend the latter part of the morning hanging around Fisherman’s Wharf and checking out the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Then they have a nice lunch at The Cannery. After lunch they take a cable car up into the Haight Ashbury area to see if anything interesting is happening up there. As they walk by Buena Vista Park, they see a crowd gathered, so they head over toward it to see what is going on.

  “Mommy
! Look!” says Charlie, pulling on Donna’s skirt and pointing to a man who is up on a platform speaking to the crowd.

  Donna can’t believe what she is seeing, so they move over toward the center of the crowd to get a better look.

  Charlie is right.

  “What, Mommy?” asks Cassie.

  So Donna lifts her up, and says, “Look, honey. It’s Abbie. Remember Abbie? He drove out here with us in the station wagon. Remember?”

  “I do! I do!” says Cassie, gleefully.

  Donna looks down at Charlie, and says, “You certainly are observant, as usual, young man. This is kind of weird. I wonder what he is doing here.” She looks over at Alice, and says, “This is so trippy. We met that guy in Amarillo, Texas on our way out here from Oklahoma. We gave him a ride in the wagon with us for the next couple of days that it took us to get out here. He was such a cool dude. We had a great time together. Wow. It is so far out to see him again.”

  It isn’t long after this that the police arrive and begin to disperse the crowd. Abbie protests the actions of the police for a while, but eventually gives up when he sees the crowd is dwindling.

  “Hi, Abbie!” says Charlie, as they all walk up to him.

  “Well, hey hey, if it isn’t Mr. Bumbly Buck, himself,” says Abbie, grinning broadly. “What in the world are you doing here? This is so trippy. I can’t believe this.”

  Abbie gives Donna a big hug, and says, “Wow! This is fantastic! Hello Cassie. How are you, my little sweetie?”

  Cassie is a little bit overwhelmed and hides slightly behind Donna.

  Abbie smiles, and says, “It’s Ok, honey. That was a while ago, and I’ve been known to be just slightly overbearing.”

  “This is my friend, Alice,” says Donna.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance, ma’am,” says Abbie, with a broad smile.

  “Likewise,” says Alice.

  “Hey! We got some catching up to do,” says Abbie. “Want to go get a Coke, or something?”

  “Do you know of a place that has good tea?” asks Donna.

  Abbie looks at Donna, and says, “I did notice you are quite the earth mother now. You actually look really really good... really healthy. Especially compared to where you were when I first met you.

  “Yes... yes, I do know of the perfect place. It’s a health food store and they make great tea and juices and stuff like that. It’s really cool. Let’s go there.”

  Charlie and Cassie enjoy the fresh juice drinks that are blended right at the counter, and the tea selection is excellent.

  “Have you been here in San Francisco this whole time?” asks Donna. “I thought you said you were just coming out to visit some friends.”

  “No. I’ve been bouncing around a lot,” says Abbie. “Just trying to find myself, really. I feel like I’m lost. Like aimless with no real momentum. Not doing anything about anything.” He takes a drink, and then continues, “Like today. I’m out there trying to warn people about what is going on in this stupid country. And all I really see out there are glazed over faces. Then it’s the same thing. The cops come and break it up, and everyone just goes their merry way. Like lambs to the slaughter. And meanwhile, the whole system is getting flushed down the toilet.

  “And they call me a commie! They call me un-American! Shit man, I’m about as American as they come. I care more about America than all of them put together. And I’m willing to do something about it. Shit. I love our freedoms, and I’m going to use them, man. Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly. They are my constitutional rights and I intend to take advantage of them.”

  But then Abbie gets a slightly dejected look on his face and glances over at Donna, and says, “But, nobody else seems to care, so really... why should I?” He looks down at his tea.

  “What about McCarthy?” asks Donna.

  “He’s such an asshole,” says Abbie.

  “Which is exactly why you have to keep trying,” says Donna, encouragingly. “If you stop... well, he won’t stop, right? So if you stop, you will just let him keep getting away with all of that crap.”

  Abbie looks up from his tea.

  “You have to keep at it, Abbie,” continues Donna. “Really. Keep going. You will make a difference. You have to. Nobody else will.”

  Abbie takes a drink of tea, and says, “I don’t know, Donna. It’s a pretty formidable task. There are so many people out there who simply don’t have any idea what is going on in this country. They are all just fat and happy. ‘Don’t rock the boat, man. Things are going fine.’”

  “I agree,” says Alice. “But there has to be some way to reach them, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” agrees Abbie, hesitantly. Then he looks at them, and says, “Theatre has worked pretty well for me in the past. Maybe I just need to get more creative. Maybe I need to think of something that will actually get their attention. I don’t know. Maybe it’s like when someone is sleeping, you gotta do something to snap them out of it.”

  “Sounds like that would probably work,” says Donna.

  “Yeah, you’re right, of course,” agrees Abbie. “I need to stop making this one big pity party about me.

  “Hey! Pity Party! That’s it. That could be my new platform. ‘Join the Pity Party! Let them run all over us. We’re the party that doesn’t do shit. Join us! Together we’ll just sit around and get nothing done!’”

  Abbie pauses for a moment and then looks over at Donna, and says, “You’re right, Donna. You are absolutely right. I’m not going to join that pity party, damn it. I have to keep trying.”

  “That’s more like it,” encourages Donna.

  “I am so glad I ran into you all today,” smiles Abbie. “Really. It is so great to see you. I was just getting discouraged about all of this stuff. Kind of spiraling downward.” Then he raises his eyebrow slightly, and announces, “There must be something in this tea. I feel like a new man.”

  “Well, it is great to see you, too,” says Donna.

  Abbie takes a drink, and then continues, “I was actually thinking about heading out to New York. I hear things are shaking up out there, and I thought I might check out the action. And now I’m feeling a little charged up about it.”

  “Is that where your wife and children are?” asks Donna.

  Abbie sighs deeply, and says, “Well, sadly, that part of my life is not going so well. Sheila and I don’t see things the same way anymore. We’re too different. We’re pulling in different directions and tearing each other up in the process. And, it’s no good for the kids. It’s all of that negative vibe rubbing off on them. It’s not good. Not good at all. We’re just... well, we’re just going to have to take our different paths and try to make it work out as well as we can.”

  Abbie smiles, and says, “But you guys look good. You guys look like one big happy family.”

  “We are,” agrees Donna. “Everything is really going well for us, right guys?”

  Charlie and Cassie both nod yes, and then continue to sip their juice drinks.

  “Alice and I are doing real well,” says Donna. “We design clothing and it’s all selling like crazy and... well, things have settled down very nicely for us, especially since the last time you saw us. Man, I was a total wreck back then. It is totally amazing I was even able to get out of that mess. The people at the New Moon shelter really helped us a lot.”

  “That is so fantastic,” says Abbie. “I am so glad things have worked out so well for you. Who would have ever guessed that that bedraggled mother of two at a roadside diner in Amarillo, Texas would have ever gotten it together as well as you have?”

  Donna raises her eyebrows and takes a deep breath, and says, “Not me, I’ll tell you. Certainly not me.”

  + - + - + - +

  “I know it is going to be somewhat difficult for you, but it seems like this is perfect timing for me,” says Alice.

  “We’ll be fine. Really... Alice, don’t even worry the slightest bit about us,” assures Donna. “Of course it is the right th
ing for you to do. You have to take advantage of it now while the opportunity is presenting itself.

  “And believe me, I know... honestly I know, you cannot find a better traveling companion than Abbie. You two will be perfect together. And he’ll get as much benefit from you being with him as you will get from him traveling with you. Really. It will be great. And, like you said, the timing is perfect.”

  “But it is also really really scary,” adds Alice. “I mean, New York. We’re talking New York fashion, Donna.”

  “Are you kidding me? You are every bit as talented, or even more talented than they are,” assures Donna again. “Why would they offer you the job if you weren’t, silly.”

  “I know. I know,” says Alice, hesitantly. “And you are right, as usual. I need to stop thinking of myself as that beaten down woman left for dead in that sleazy apartment. But, it is just so so hard to stop going back there in my mind whenever I am feeling even the slightest bit unsure about myself.”

  “We are miles and miles away from those places in our past, Alice,” comforts Donna. “This is a new adventure for you. This is where you are meant to be. New York fashion is never going to be the same. You’ll see. You are going to rock that city, and they are never going to know what hit them.”

  + - + - + - +

  The Capital Grounds are always so beautiful at that time of year. It is the early spring transition between everything being dormant from winter and everything being awakened by new growth. Life is everywhere. Even the air is bursting with life. And, it is not merely the birds flying around in it, but it is also the sounds traveling through it and the moisture sparkling within it.

  Daniel closes his eyes and takes in a long slow breath. He tilts his head up toward the sun and lets its warm rays dance all over his smiling face. He is gone again. Off on some adventure into his imagination, or into some deep philosophical quest, or simply dreaming about Sarah... dreaming about their life together...

  eeeeEEEEEEE-OOOOoooo eeeeEEEEEEE-OOOoooo...

  ‘Why, why, why does that always happen... just when I was getting to the good part,’ thinks Daniel, frustrated by the sound of the emergency vehicle siren blaring down the street toward him. Daniel looks down at his watch, and thinks, ‘Time -- my relentless nemesis. Will you ever let me be? Why must you constantly jerk me back into your realm -- your realm of clocks and schedules and places to go and people to see and deadlines to meet... Deadlines. Yes, that is exactly what you are -- a dead line. You are marching along that line toward death, and dragging me along with you. Time -- my relentless traveling companion. When will I be free from your unyielding tyranny?’

  Daniel looks up from his watch and sees the ambulance rush past him down the street with its blaring siren and flashing lights. ‘God help that poor soul. And thank You that it is not me,’ he prays. Then he packs up his lunch bag, stands up and starts walking back to work.

  Daniel looks ahead of him and sees something on one of the park benches, and thinks, ‘What is that?’ As he walks closer, he sees it is a person completely covered by a full-length gray robe, asleep on the bench. From a distance, it looked like a pile of dirty laundry.

  ‘Is he dead? He is not moving at all. Is he breathing?’ thinks Daniel, as he stops and kneels down next to him. “Hey, pal. Hey, are you Ok?” he says. Then he puts his hand on the person’s shoulder and jiggles him slightly, and says, “Hey, buddy, are you...”

  Suddenly, Daniel notices tiny veins of light creeping through the fabric of the robe starting outward from under the palm of his hand. The veins get a little larger as they move out in a circular pattern all over the robe. Daniel feels himself being sucked in by the veins of light. He instinctively tries to jerk back his hand, but it is now fastened to the person. The light then rapidly networks all over the person’s body and completely covers it. Daniel jumps to his feet and tries with all of his strength to pull away, but the veins of light are now traveling up his arm. He is being consumed by the light as the veins rapidly make their way all over his body right up to his head. Suddenly, everything around him bursts into a blazing flash of white light.

  Donna sits straight up in bed, breathing like she just got the wind knocked out of her.

  “Momma, can we have pancakes?” says Cassie, sleepily, as she crawls into bed next to her mother.

  Donna cradles Cassie under her arm and lays back down, still breathing heavily. “Sure, honey. Sounds yummy to me.”

  + - + - + - +

  Denise is another one of Donna’s closest friends at the shop. “Yes... ” she says, one Friday during lunch. “Honestly, I’ve never felt anything like this ever before in my entire life. It’s the real deal, man. I mean, you know my past, I’ve had my share of highs, but this is the real thing. Jesus makes me high and then He never lets me come down. Just come with me tonight. You’ll see what I’m talking about. Really. It is so so wonderful to know Him. So fantastic!”

  “Alright, Ok... I’ll go,” chuckles Donna, as she takes the last bite of her sandwich. “I never really thought about it too seriously, but something sure has been watching over us and smiling down on our lives. I came out of hell in Oklahoma and into heaven here... so, if God is the one Who did all of that for us, then I guess I should at least go and find out how I can thank Him for it, right?”

  “Cool,” says Denise. “Oh, I am so happy you are going to come with me. You’re going to love it. I just know you are going to love it. And, bring Charlie and Cassie, too. It’s for the whole family. It’s God’s family. It’s God embracing His family. God reaching out His ever-loving arms and embracing His family.

  “Seven o’clock, alright? Over at First Presbyterian Church, in the fellowship hall. Everyone will be there. It will be so cool. Oh, Donna, I am so happy you’re coming. You’ll see... ”

  “Ok, Ok, already,” smiles Donna. “We’ll see you there tonight, after dinner.”

  Campus Crusade for Christ holds regular meetings at the church to reach out to the UC Berkeley students. But recently, a sizable contingent from the hippie crowd has regularly attended the meetings as well, and is wholeheartedly embracing the message of love through Jesus Christ.

  First Presbyterian looks to Donna like any other church when she and the children walk up to it. But when they enter the fellowship hall, it simply looks to her like a large open dining area with a stage at one end. It does not seem like it is going to be any type of a church service she has ever attended before. There are no stained-glass windows or candles or statues or anything religious looking at all. And the music is upbeat and inviting and joyful. She can feel the energy and the love in the room as she looks around at everyone singing from their heart and swaying slowly from side to side. Their arms are raised in the air and their fingers are outstretched as if to conduct an invisible energy source.

  The next song is more up-tempo, so the people start to clap their hands and move with the music. They are smiling and talking to each other and laughing. The whole environment seems like one big family reunion.

  Denise finds them standing at the entrance of the hall and then escorts them over to where she is sitting. She smiles and happily introduces them to some of her friends, “These are my good friends, James and Jess, and their son, Jacob.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” says Donna. “I’m Donna, and these are my two children, Charlie and Cassie.”

  They then all continue to let the music assist them into an attitude of worship.

  ‘Denise was right. This really is something cool,’ thinks Donna. And Charlie and Cassie are also enjoying it. Everyone at the meeting is friendly and welcoming, and they make the new little family feel at home with the rest of the crowd.

  The music finishes up and the people joyously applaud as they sit down in the rows of chairs that work their way from the stage to the other end of the hall by the entrance. As the musicians put away their instruments, a man carrying a Bible walks up to a lectern in the center of the stage. He is not wearing a robe or one of tho
se weird white collars. He looks like any average person off the street.

  He puts his Bible down on the lectern and opens it up. Then he looks out at the audience, smiles and speaks into a microphone, “Thank You, Jesus. We praise Your holy Name.” His tone is not preachy at all. He sounds as though he is actually speaking to someone in the room, so Donna turns her head and looks around behind her to see if someone is there.

  He continues, “Thank You for being here tonight. Thank You for being right here in our midst and blessing us with Your abundant grace. Speak to us tonight, Lord. Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us. We thank You. We praise You... ”

  Donna feels a little weak and trembly, as though she is close to fainting. She feels an entirely enveloping warmth flow all over her. From the inside, she feels like she is being bathed in love. She closes her eyes and feels overcome with a feeling of deep peace. She begins to slightly sway from side to side in her seat.

  “Let not your heart be troubled,” continues the man on the stage, reading from his Bible. “Believe in God. Believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. And, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself. That where I am you may be also.”

  Donna hears these words as if they are being spoken from inside her head. She hears the voice of God.

  The speaker continues to read, “Then Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going. How do we know the way?’ Jesus said to Thomas, ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

  Donna is then washed over by a sea of voices, saying, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise You Jesus! Oh, praise You Jesus!”

  The man looks up from his Bible, and says, “Let not your heart be troubled, my friends. Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life!”

  Someone at the piano starts to quietly play. Donna feels like she knows the song, but just can’t quite place it. The atmosphere in the room becomes calm and soothing as everyone quiets down and listens to the simple piano music. Then a woman walks up to the microphone and begins to sing, slowly and tenderly,

  “Why should I feel discouraged?

  Why should the shadows come?

  Why should my heart be lonely,

  and long for heaven’s home?

  When Jesus is my portion,

  my constant friend is He.

  His eye is on the sparrow

  and I know He watches me.”

  Donna begins to sob.

  “I sing because I’m happy.

  I sing because I’m free.

  For His eye is on the sparrow.

  And I know He watches me.”

  Donna drops to her knees and hugs Charlie and Cassie tightly. She is smiling and laughing and crying all at the same time. She remembers Lucy way back in Oklahoma telling her that His eye was on the sparrow. She found her Lord. She found the One Who is watching over her, the One Whose eye was on her the entire time. She found Jesus. She found the Lover of her soul. It was Him all along, the entire way through. It was Him. His eye was on this little sparrow, and she knows that He is watching over her.

  + - + - + - +

  Donna becomes ravenous for the Bible. She wants to find out as much as she can about this Lover of her soul. She wants to know why He did it, why He would die for her, why He even cared about this one insignificant little sparrow who was pecking and flitting around out in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma.

  ‘Why me?’ she wonders. ‘Why does He love me so much that He was willing to die for me?’ She reads. She studies. She goes to small gatherings of people and talks to them about why they are also so crazy about this Jesus, and why they are so driven to figure out what this wonderful new relationship with Him is all about.

  The more she learns, the more overwhelmed she becomes. It is all so perfect and so wonderful. ‘I was drowning and He simply reached out His hand. I put my hand into His hand, and now He leads my way. Oh, what a great great joy...’ she ponders as she closes her eyes and worships her Lord.

  Donna then goes back in her mind and wonders why no one ever told her about Jesus before. All she ever saw was church after church lined up on the streets, and Sunday after Sunday, just a bunch of people going in and out of them. But this is so much more! She is in love! She feels as though she is going to burst with joy, as she thinks, ‘The Ruler of the universe, the Creator of the universe is in love with me! Oh, what joy! Oh, what peace! Oh, what great great joy!’

  + - + - + - +

  “I hear you are from the hospital in Kisangani, in the Congo?” says Donna. “That you are the one who developed the polio vaccine?”

  “Yes, well, it wasn’t actually me,” says James. “I didn’t develop the vaccine. It was some of the locals who showed us a natural cure that came right out of the jungle there in Africa. I couldn’t believe it. Right, Jess?”

  “Yes. It was amazing,” says Jess. “The entire hospital was in an upheaval, and then right in the middle of the storm, one of the local workers in the hospital showed us a natural cure that one of the women in his village had come up with.”

  “And, not only did I not come up with source of the polio vaccine, but instead, our development process there at the hospital created a new problem that was just as bad... or could have even turned out to be worse,” adds James. “Somehow in my attempt to develop the vaccine, I unleashed a strange other virus, which attacked the immune system of some of the patients in the hospital who were exposed to it. And sadly, Jacob was one of them. It was terrible.”

  “But the woman had a cure for that virus as well,” says Jess. “It was amazing. It was so amazing to see God work in that situation. But I mean, He created this whole world anyway, right? So, it makes sense to me that He would provide the cure for all of the diseases in the world. I guess we simply have to be diligent enough to seek His guidance and go out and look for them, instead of trying to fix the problems ourselves.”

  The images of James and Jess Lomas that Daniel recorded in his mind when he had assumed the identity of Dance did not match their real appearance very closely at all. It took him quite a while to alter the mental images he had previously formed of them to match this wonderful couple who are sitting and chatting with Donna.

  James and Jess are very helpful to Donna in her endeavors to grow as a new convert to Christianity. They are more mature in their faith, so they take her under their wing and teach her all of the basic Christian doctrines. Thankfully, their lives match their teaching and Donna is able to watch and learn, and start her faith with a good solid footing in the truth of God.

  Their son, Jacob, is now a young man. Daniel’s memories of him as a sick boy struggling with a mysterious disease in a hospital deep in the heart of Africa now seem long ago and far away. And he still simply cannot figure out why all of these things are happening to him. He does not know what he is supposed to be doing. He struggles with the disparity between the two entirely different worlds -- the African Congo and Berkeley, California. He feels there could not be two more different places in the world -- the African jungle and the concrete jungle. ‘What is the connection?’ he wonders.

  ‘They are about as far away from each other as any two places could possibly be in so many different ways, but then again, maybe they are not that far away from each other at all,’ thinks Daniel. He realizes there is the one profound unifying concept: Dance met the Master Jesus when he was a young boy growing up in the African jungle; and Donna met Him while trying to survive in one of the major concrete jungles of the U.S. Either way, it did not matter at all where they each were because the result was the same -- they had each surrendered their lives to His salvation, and then they had each submitted their lives to His Lordship.

  + - + - + - +

  One Wednesday evening, Donna comes home from a Bible study group meeting. Charlie and Cassie are upstairs with their neighbor friends who live in the sam
e apartment building. “I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free,” she sings, as she comes into the lobby, opens up her mailbox and takes out the daily mail.

  She notices the Jesus literature she always leaves on the lobby counter needs replenishing. So, she reaches into her purse and puts a few more copies of it down on the counter, and continues singing, “For His eye is on the sparrow... ”

  “Donna,” breaks in a voice from her past.

  “Oh!” she says, startled and turning around to see who is there.

  Ice fills her veins and terror strikes at the core of her being as she looks over and sees Jared standing in the lobby.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” says Jared, quietly. He looks old, very old, like he has been through a war.

  Donna is dumbstruck. She goes quickly back to feeling terrified by this man. From the core of her being she instantly feels each of the beatings all over again.

  “I’m sorry, Donna. I am so very very sorry for what I did to you... and to Charlie and Cassie,” says Jared.

  The air is sweet with new spring growth. The sky is filled with billowy white clouds. ‘Liquid sunshine’ is inevitable -- it is only a matter of time. An old Asian woman walks along the parallel rows of her rice paddies, weeding here and there and sorting plants neatly next to each other.

  “I came to make amends for what I have done to you all,” continues Jared. “I was a horrible... a horrible beast to you. I am so so very sorry, Donna.”

  Donna is still stunned and transfixed by what she is seeing and hearing.

  “I stopped drinking,” continues Jared. “They helped me to stop. I’m sick, Donna. I’m sick. I’m an alcoholic. But, I’m working at getting better. I’m sober. It’s been most of the last year now, 301 days. And, I’m not going back. I’m not going back to that life.”

  Jared pauses and takes a deep breath, and continues, “I don’t need you to do anything. I don’t expect anything. I just came to make amends. It’s part of my program. I can’t move forward if I don’t...” Jared looks down and shakes his head. Then he looks back up at Donna, and says, “I am so very very sorry, Donna.”

  The old Asian woman goes into her farmhouse and then, after a few moments, comes out and snaps a cloth up and down to shake out the dust. A beautiful white heron flies above her. She looks up and drinks in every moment of its majestic flight over her. It is as if she is the heron, free and gliding over the rice paddies.

  Donna is still frozen in her place and unable to move.

  Jared looks down at his watch, and says, “I have to catch the bus. I can’t be late to work.” He reaches into his jacket pocket and takes out an envelope. He steps forward and reaches out his hand to give the envelope to Donna, but she instinctively recoils in fear.

  Jared backs off, and says, “I’m... I’m sorry. I... I understand.” He holds up the envelope, and says, “This is just an envelope with my new address on it... and a stamp. I really just want to know how you and the kids are doing. If you could just let me know... how... ”

  Jared stops talking and lays the envelope down on the floor in front of him. He then slowly turns, walks out the lobby door and down the steps to the street. The air seems to return to the room as he walks away down the street.

  Donna feels like she has been holding her breath. She exhales a few short quick bits of air through her nose and then finally begins to breathe normally.

  She slowly takes a few steps forward and bends down to pick up the envelope, but her hand passes right through it. The lobby becomes hollow sounding and Donna’s body begins to tingle all over. She straightens up, looks around slowly and then fixes her gaze on the laundry room door at the other end of the lobby. Through it she sees a rustic room filled with rudimentary handmade furniture.

  Daniel realizes this existence has now come to an end. It is time for him to move on. He takes a deep breath and walks through the laundry room doorway.

  + - + - + - +

  “It was just so frightening, Jess. I was terrified. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe,” said Donna. “But then it was over, just as quickly as it started.”

  Jess merely shook her head in amazement.

  “But honestly, the other thing was I knew the Lord was standing right there with me,” continued Donna. “In the terror of the moment I also knew the comfort of the Holy Spirit’s presence. He was right there. I know He was. There is no way I could have done it without Him. He is real, Jess. He totally is the real thing. I’m telling you.”

  “That is so powerful, Donna,” said Jess. “Wow. It gives me the chills.”

  “I know,” agreed Donna.

  “What are you going to do?” asked Jess.

  “Well,” thought Donna. “I mean, it was weird. It was really like it wasn’t even him. He looked so haggard and broken and... ”

  “Sounds like the Lord has been working on him,” inserted Jess.

  “Yes, totally,” agreed Donna. “Anyway, I think I will just write him a letter and put it in that envelope he gave to me, to simply let him know how we are doing. I don’t think it will be a problem. Really. I think it was the real deal. He was not the same cocky self-centered Jared at all. He was busted. Just flat busted.”

  “Yes, well, keep me in the loop. I want to walk with you through all of this, alright?” said Jess.

  “Are you kidding!” said Donna. “Why would I stop now? You have been such a great great sister to me. I praise God above for bringing you into my life. You and James have both been so good to us. I have learned so much about the Lord from you... so much about life from you.”

  “And I from you, my dear little sister,” smiled Jess. “You and the rest of our little Berkeley flock have been such a wonderful part of our life. I am so glad James took the research position here at the university. Wow! We have been so very blessed since we came back here from Africa.”

  Donna smiled, as Jess continued, “And Charlie and Cassie are like the other little children we never had. I just adore those little teddy bears. So, believe me, you have brought much much joy into my life as well.”

  Donna smiled and took a sip of her tea, and then asked, “And how are you doing with Jacob’s enlistment into the Army?”

  Jess sighed heavily, and said, “Not so great, to be honest with you. But, I get it. I know it is just him being the man God made him. He’s always been the hero. He’s always been the one to fight for what’s right. Probably from growing up in Africa. We definitely saw our share of injustice over there.”

  “But this whole Vietnam thing is so sad,” said Donna.

  “I know, I know,” agreed Jess. “But, if anyone can make anything right about it, Jacob can. He has the heart of God.”

  “And he will have the hand of God protecting him, right?” said Donna.

  “Yes, as you so powerfully know, yourself,” agreed Jess. “His eye is on the sparrow... ”

  Donna joined in unison, “... and we know He’s watching us.”

  + - + - + - +

  It did not take Jacob Lomas long to work his way up through the ranks of the U.S. Army. It was quickly evident to his commanding officers he was an up and coming military career man. And it was also clear to his fellow soldiers during the first few years of his service, that Jacob Lomas was the one who could be counted on to do whatever it took to get the job done, and then get everyone back to the base safely.

  When Jacob was promoted to a position where he was leading troops into battle, he also realized, without question, that he was in it for life. The Army was where he was meant to be. His courage and leadership in battle saved many a fellow soldier’s life, and he quickly became greatly admired and respected.

  Jacob did not love the war, but he did love the Army. As far as he was concerned, he was committed to make it work as properly and as honorably as possible. He found himself often contemplating the gravity of the fact that human life was put under his care. He took that aspect of his job very seriously and was completely dedi
cated to serving every one within his sphere of influence as effectively and meaningfully as possible.

  He also highly honored the Vietnamese people and did everything he could to help them. His exposure to African culture when he was young gave him a larger view of the world. He knew down deep he was much more than an American soldier over in a foreign land trying to help fix someone else’s annoying problem. He treated all of the nationals with the respect they deserved, whether they were prisoners of war or civilians.

  + - + - + - +

  “There you go, Cookie,” said Jacob, as he placed the box of groceries down on the kitchen worktable.

  “Oh Jacob, you are a Godsend,” smiled the cook. “The men have no idea what you do for them.”

  “What good is a bunch of malnourished soldiers?” said Jacob. “I need them to be strong, not wasting away from eating Army rations.”

  “But you’re an officer. You should send one of them muckeys out there to get the goods,” said the cook.

  “Are you crazy!” scoffed Jacob. “They have no idea what good produce is. And besides, I’m doing it for myself. I like to eat well, too, ya know.”

  “We’re lucky to have you,” said the cook.

  “Leadership is all about serving those under your command,” said Jacob. “That’s what my father always taught me. He said a leader is only as good as the people under him.”

  “Well, let me get these prepared,” said the cook. “We’re going to eat well for the next week or so, thanks to you.”

  The following week, Jacob was back at the market and he saw her again. He had noticed her there several times before, and had admired the great care with which she selected her market goods. She seemed to know how to get the best products that each of the sellers had to offer. And he also noticed they seemed to have a great respect for her as a result of her ability to know and appreciate their wares.

  Jacob moved in as close as he could without causing any suspicion, and followed her in order to learn as many of her secrets as he could. Unfortunately, after a while, his cover was blown.

  She suddenly turned toward him, and said, “Why you watch me?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” said Jacob, startled. “I didn’t mean to... I was... ”

  But, before he could finish, she turned and quickly walked away.

  + - + - + - +

  A short while later, Jacob saw her again. This time it was at one of the local restaurants in Da Nang. She was serving tables.

  Jacob walked up to her, and said, “Hello.”

  She turned, and said, “Hello.”

  “I apologize for bothering you in the market,” Jacob continued.

  The girl nodded.

  “May I talk to you when you have a moment?” asked Jacob.

  “I have break in one hour,” answered the girl. “I talk then.”

  After the hour, the girl took off her apron and nodded to the restaurant owner. She then nodded to Jacob and the two of them left the restaurant and walked down the street.

  “I watch you, too,” said the girl. “You not like other soldier.”

  “My name is Jacob. What is your name?”

  “My name Singh,” said the girl.

  “How am I not like the other soldiers?” asked Jacob.

  “You not funny. You not think this big joke,” said Singh.

  “I don’t think what is a joke?” asked Jacob.

  “War,” answered Singh. “They think war is joke.”

  Jacob nodded his head and then looked at her, and said, “You see things differently, don’t you.”

  “You see different, too,” said Singh. “I watch you.” She frowned slightly, and asked, “Why you watch me?”

  “I’m sorry,” said Jacob. “I was trying to learn from your buying skills in the market. You are always able to buy the best products.”

  “It not skill,” said Singh. “It... it... it feeling. I get feeling from food.”

  Jacob looked puzzled.

  “Land and farmer work together to make food,” explained Singh. “When harmony between farmer and land is good, then food is good. I feel it. I know when harmony is good.”

  Jacob nodded.

  “When I little girl, I work on farm with... with grandmother,” added Singh.

  “I understand,” said Jacob. “When I was a little boy, I lived in Africa. So, I understand the importance of being connected with the land.”

  “That why you different,” said Singh.

  Jacob chuckled, and said, “Yes, you are probably right about that.”

  + - + - + - +

  It was several weeks later the next time they met. Singh was surprised to see Jacob with bandages on his head, and walking into the restaurant using a crutch. Jacob had acted heroically and was injured in the process of saving several of the men in his unit.

  Singh could easily see he was not the same man whom she had spoken with before. She sensed a cloud over him. The feeling was not the same.

  “May I help you?” asked Singh, as she walked up to Jacob sitting alone at a table.

  Jacob looked up and smiled slightly, and said, “It is good to see you, Singh. I hoped I would see you here tonight.”

  “I stop work in two hour,” said Singh.

  “Yes, that would be nice,” said Jacob.

  Walking was not as easy for Jacob this time, so the two of them found a place nearby to sit and talk. They found a small bench under a large banyan tree that seemed to have as many branches going down to the earth as it did reaching up to the sky.

  “It’s so senseless,” said Jacob, quietly. “Both sides are losing men. And, over what? Is it really worth such a great loss? Why... ”

  After a short pause, Singh said, “We take too much... and not give.”

  Jacob looked at her.

  “We take and take and not give,” she continued. “Then we think it ours and no one must take from us. Then we fight. Then we take more. Then we forget how to give.”

  Jacob began to weep. Singh moved closer to him and put her arm around his shoulders and wept with him.

  + - + - + - +

  During Jacob’s healing period, he and Singh met often. They soon realized they were experiencing a reunion of two souls who had separately been seeking each other for a long long time. As they opened themselves up to each other, they learned there were no real barriers between them, even though they came from different worlds that were far away from each other in many ways. They were sharing at a level that defied language barriers, and social customs, and ethnic differences and political agendas. They were meeting soul to soul and they were falling deeply and completely in love with each other.

  Jacob thoroughly enjoyed helping Singh with her English. The ways each of them butchered the other’s native tongue frequently sent them into hysterics. They shared times of laughter such as those, and they also shared times of sorrow as they talked about the war going on all around them and the people who were being adversely affected by it. There was not a subject between the two of them that did not get contemplated and discussed.

  It was not long before it became clear to Jacob and Singh that they had discovered the person with whom they wanted to share the rest of their life. Unfortunately, Jacob did not have a lot of time he could invest in the relationship. But every moment he did have was spent with his treasured soul mate, Singh.

  + - + - + - +

  As often happens in times of war, Singh found herself waiting to see Jacob long after their scheduled time to meet. This time, however, she knew something was very wrong. Something did not feel right to her. And, what made it particularly difficult was the fact that she was so eager to tell him the happy news -- she was carrying their child in her womb.

  But, Jacob never showed up to their meeting, and he never returned to his base. He had been captured and taken as a prisoner of war.

  Six months later, with still no word or information about Jacob’s whereabouts, Singh gave birth to their son in a clinic that was operated by U.S. M
edical Missionaries. Singh was not able to keep her parents from finding out about her relationship with an American soldier and the birth of their son. They came to the clinic, took Singh and forced her to leave the city and return to their home in the country. The Medical Missionary couple who ran the clinic decided to adopt the baby boy and take him home to live with them in the U.S.

  At the end of the war, Jacob was finally rescued from the prison camp. His life was decimated. He searched and searched for Singh, but was not able to find her. He returned back home to the U.S. a broken man. All of his dreams turned to nightmares. He could not cope. No VA hospital and no treatment plan could help him. He was done. Nothing mattered. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were before the nightmare began.