Tom's Treasure

CHAPTER SEVEN

  Olivia had a spaghetti sauce that was just out of this world. She had kept fiddling with her mom’s recipe until she hit on a combination that she really liked. Bad thing about it was, everybody else seemed to like it as well. Even though she tried to protest that she had no ‘secret’ ingredient, no one believed her. She even offered to let them come and watch her cook it but none of them even dared. People sure could be funny sometimes.

  None of them except the pastor’s wife, that is. Elaine Wallace loved to be around Olivia at any time she could. But, being a pastor’s wife, her time was consumed with the needs of the church. There were always ladies that thought they should have a special place beside her. There were also ladies that felt they needed to ‘keep the pastor’s wife up-to-date on what was happening. You know, gossip. And, there were ladies that sincerely needed counseling. Elaine was always a good listener and very compassionate in her advice.

  So, who does a pastor’s wife go to she needs counseling? Why to Olivia Hollis, of course. Elaine was short in stature, only 5’ 2” tall. But she could be one great big barrel of fun when she wanted to be. And, when she and Olivia got together, that was the time that Elaine Wallace knew she could step out of her role as pastor's wife and just be herself for a while. Unfortunately, with her busy schedule, the only time she could write everything off of her schedule and write in Olivia was when the church was having some kind of social. She would tell everybody that it was her duty to be by Olivia’s side when she had to fix all of the spaghetti that people expected her to bring. And, folks Olivia and Elaine both thrived on finding some reason to have a social event about. It was the only time that the two ladies were able to let their hair down.

  Their husbands had long ago learned to just go fishing while the ladies were cooking. That custom came from the very first time Elaine came over to help. Ryan and Jim went out on the back porch to sit and chew the fat. They could hear the ladies just a talking. Every now and then a roar of hysterical lady laughter would ring out. After the fifth outburst, the men thought that they would go inside to see what the fun was all about. When they stepped inside to see if they could join the fun, they ladies quit talking except for conversations about the cooking.

  After an awkward silence, Ryan finally got the courage to ask, “Ladies, just a few minutes ago, y’all were hysterical with laughter. What were y’all talking about?”

  Olivia and Elaine looked at each other with sly smiles until Olivia finally burst out with, “You two.”

  The two men looked at each other with silly grins while the ladies had to hold onto the kitchen counter to keep from falling on the floor with laughter. After the third wave of hysteria, Jim looked at Ryan and asked, “You got a boat?”

  “Yep,” Ryan replied as he turned toward the door.

  And that my friends bonded Elaine and Olivia together. They cooked and laughed their troubles away. Whatever was bothering them at the time seemed to melt under the love and fellowship that they shared with each other.

  Today was one of those days that Olivia wished with all that was within her that Elaine could be there. Turmoil brewed inside of her just like the ingredients did in the pot she was stirring on the stove. And there were just as many different things as there were different ingredients, too. There was joy at the possibility of finally seeing her grandfather. There was the nagging fear that he wasn’t. Yes, she did have to face it. Fred could be wrong and he might be Tom Baxter. She might be getting her hopes up too high.

  What if he WAS Tom Dandridge, but wanted to STAY Tom Baxter? What if the trauma was so bad that he didn’t want to come out of his new identity? If he was her grandfather, why had he stayed away so long? He came back in 1954, why didn’t he stay? Oh, the operations, that’s why. Why DIDN’T he come back again?

  She stopped cutting the onions. A new idea began to be birthed inside of her. What was the reason that Tom Baxter wanted to come to Tom Dandridge’s home town? Unl-e-e-s-s-s, Tom Baxter was really Tom Dandridge and he really wanted to be known as……….Tom Dandridge……..BUT was too embarrassed or to ashamed……. Somewhere down inside her, way down where you know stuff is really true, a blossom of an idea began to emerge. Tom Dandridge is afraid that his family will be mad at him and just possibly never want to see him again.

  She was so engrossed with this new idea that was being formed that she did not notice that her husband had walked up behind her. He reached up and placed his hands on her shoulders and asked, “Honey, is everything alright.”

  It scared Olivia so much that she dropped her knife. She danced away to keep the knife from hitting her foot and fell into Ryan’s waiting arms. She turned and threw her arms around him and gushed, “Honey, the most wonderful thought just hit me. But it’s scary at the same time.” As she slid her arms around his waist, she thought, 'It is so good to be in the arms of my man right now. So good.'

  Ryan was amused at her double-stuffed emotions and asked, “What can be wonderful and scary at the same time. Something wonderfully scary?”

  Olivia chuckled with him, “No, silly.” She gave him a peck on the lips and continued, “I was thinking. If he IS Grandpa, but he’s going under another name, why would he come back home if it wasn’t to find out if he has any kin left? And, he’s afraid of letting everybody know who he is because he’s afraid we’ll be mad at him for staying gone so long.”

  As he held her, Ryan could tell from the quivering tone of her voice that her emotions were wreaking havoc with her. “Well, I don’t doubt that that idea has a lot of merit,” Ryan agreed. “The question is, how do we find out? You can’t just come out and ask him, can you?”

  “Nope,” she said with a smile, “but if all things do work together for our good like the Bible says, then we just need to be prepared vessels of His. Let Him lead us to the answer.” Olivia began to relax a bit as she spoke the promise of God's Word.

  However, that smooth and easy feeling was short lived. The phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was Fred. “Hello, Fred. Is everything alright?”

  “Well, yes and no,” he began. “Yes, I feel everything is under control right now, thanks to your son Arthur. Somewhat no, because Tom had a terrible flashback while he was here in the bakery.”

  “Oh, my gosh. What happened?”

  The peace that was working itself into his wife's demeanor was suddenly gone. Ryan watched her face turn white and could only guess at the conversation that she was having with Fred.

  “Well, Frank told me that it started when he stood up to introduce Tom as being a war hero. Something that the two of them spoke about began to set the memories freshly ablaze in Tom’s mind. Big Ed said that Tom just sat there staring out the window, mumbling stuff and moving his arms every now and then. Nobody around him could understand a word he was saying. Then I guess, he must have lived the explosion again because he screamed real loud.”

  “Oh, dear God.”

  Fred continued, “Several of us held on to him to keep him from falling over. But, he thought that we were the enemy soldiers trying to take him captive.”

  “Oh, Fred, Arthur didn’t see any of it, did he?

  “Yes, he did. He came in about the time Tom started screaming. Tom was looking at us like a wild man. BUT, when Arthur called his name, he began to come out of it. He settled right down and finally realized we weren’t the enemy. If Arthur hadn’t come in when he did and called out to him, there’s no telling what would have happened to Tom’s mind. I’ll never forget the look on his face. It was fear and panic all rolled into one.”

  “Oh, my gosh, Fred, what are we going to do? None of us have had any training in anything like this,” Olivia said as her hands began to tremble and the tears came back. “I thought that, perhaps he was trying to find some way to come back to himself.”

  Fred agreed, “There’s no doubt about that. I just get the feeling that if my best friend………..” Fred had to pause to gain his composure before he went on, “Lord Jesus, help me to talk about
this now. I sure don’t need to have a break down when I’m trying to help Tom. I’m OK. I’m OK, now. Olivia, this is what I DO know. Men in these cases have to be lead and not pushed. They might want to come out or back or whatever, but if someone starts pushing, they retreat. And then it could be worse. Now there is something else I know. He has a special attraction to Arthur and Arthur absolutely idolizes him. I believe that the more we could let those two be together, God could very well use Arthur to bring him out.”

  “You mean, the more he was around Arthur the more he would want to be Tom Dandridge, my grandfather?” Olivia asked as if they might have found the key to it all.

  “That’s the way it comes to me.”

  “But, does he have any clue that he could be related to Arthur?”

  “None that I know of. The small amount of time that we had to talk, he never mentioned anything about anybody. The way I figure it, he has no clue that any of his kin are anywhere around. Remember, there is no one in town named Dandridge. What I do know is that he and Arthur have become best friends from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Now, don’t you think that God must be up to something? Who would have ever thought that an eighty-two-year-old guy and an eleven-year-old little whipper snapper would become the best of friends in a moment’s time?”

  Olivia pondered that last statement as she snuggled her way back into Ryan's arms, “That’s about what I was telling Ryan just before you called. If God’s in the middle of this thing, then all we can do is wait for His moments. He’s the one that knows how sensitive Tom, uh, Grandpa is. Oh, dear God, that felt so good to say that. E-e-e-w-w-w-w, my gosh. You don’t know how…….”

  Olivia took a few seconds to pull herself together as Ryan sneaked a kiss on to her forehead. “Ok, I can talk now. Whew! Wow! Maybe I can……..OK. Let’s make it a point to love on him. The Apostle Paul said that love NEVER failed and if he’s my grandpa I sure want to put that promise to the test.”

  “Amen to that. Now let me get back inside before they get spooked,” Fred said. He took a glance at Tom and Arthur through the big glass window. They were both laughing at something somebody said. “Oh, my, Olivia……..you better get ready to greet your grandpa. Those two characters in there have everybody in stitches. They are like two peas in a pod. That’s Tom Dandridge alright. And, he’s fixing to come out and meet his family. Somehow, I just believe God’s gonna do it.”

  The trickle of tears that slipped down Olivia's cheeks turned into a downpour as she began to sob uncontrollably. She handed the phone to Ryan to go somewhere to regain her composure. “Hey, Fred, it’s Ryan. Olivia had to slip away to try to get all of her crying out.”

  “Yeah, I’m kinda having the problem myself,” Fred admitted.

  Ryan said, “Oh, while I’m thinking about it, remember when you and Liv were talking earlier this afternoon?”

  “Yes.”

  “Arthur saw her crying and called me all upset. Olivia concocted a story I need to tell you about just in case he says something at the bakery. I don’t want anybody to get the wrong idea.”

  “Alright.”

  “This is the way Olivia explained it to Arthur. She told him that it was ‘possible’ that she could be pregnant again. She did not say she was. And, it’s the truth. She’s healthy and it is possible that she could be pregnant. She just isn’t. But she had to explain her emotions some way without letting Arthur know about Tom until we find out the truth.”

  “So if he has let any cats out of any bags then I need to be the Humane Society. Is that right?" Fred asked with a chuckle.

  Ryan chuckled, “That’s one way to look at it. I’m going to call the pastor and have him praying for us and I’ll make sure that he knows that we need a nice quiet evening.”

  “Good thinking, Ryan,” Fred commented. “Tell Liv to give me a call when she puts the noodles on. I’ll bring everybody over there.”

  “I’ll do it. Call you in a bit.”

  “OK.”

  Fred put the phone back in his shirt pocket. He opened up the front door of the bakery and saw some folks lined up at the counter. No, they weren't waiting to buy anything. They had already bought. Their breads and cupcakes were boxed up nicely and sitting on the counter. They were all facing the direction of Tom and Arthur.

  You see, Tom told one story about boot camp so Frank and Bobby moved over to their table so they can spin their old worn out yarns on two new ears. It was almost like watching re-runs of M.A.S.H. Arthur had been laughing so much that he had only eaten one half of one of the doughnuts. The folks at the counter had heard these stories at least a dozen times in the past 20 years, but shucks, Arthur was only eleven. They were brand new to him. They really weren't laughing at the stories, as much as they were laughing at the way Arthur reacted to them.

  Fred caught Big Ed's eye and held two fingers straight up and then turned them down and swirled them a time or two. Ed waived 'Ok' and went over to prepare two more Fred specials. The two fingers down and swirled meant to bring some extra cream and sugar.

  Bobby commented, "Hey, Fred's here. Does that mean that we get to start all over?"

  Fred waived his hand at him and said as he walked to their table, "Bobby, I really wish you wouldn't."

  The crowd roared with laughter. Really, now, it wasn't funny at all. But, when you're in the groove of laughing at everything that's being said, you don't really stop to judge how funny something really is. If it is ALMOST funny, it gets a good laugh.

  "Yeah, yeah," Bobby backed off, "I know that they're nothing compared to times you had to crank the Army tanks by hand but they're funny none the less. I'd better get little Chauncey home and tell his momma how much she loves me."

  Fred acted a little huffy, "Now, Bobby, we did no such thing. Everybody knows that we jump started them by hooking a team of mules and pulling 'em. And, as far as your wife loving you, that's not what it said on the bathroom wall."

  "I've been in the bathroom just after I came into the bakery and there was nothing of the sort on those walls," Bobby struck back.

  Fred sat down, folded his arms on the table, leaned toward Bobby just a bit, "That's because it's written on the bathroom walls in the MEN"S room................Lieutenant."

  Boy Howdy, you should have heard the hoots that went up on that one. Some of the guys stood up and gave Fred a standing ovation. Of course, Fred half-way stood up and nodded his head at the folks in a measure of "Thanks."

  Bobby grinned, hoisted Chauncey into his arms and stepped over to Tom and Arthur. "Tom, my friend, in the short amount of time we've had to talk, I've come to really, really like you. So let me leave with some parting advice." He put his free hand on Tom's shoulder, looked over at Fred and gave this warning, "Don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, get into a match with Fred. He is the town champion, hands down."

  As he turned to go out of the bakery, guys moved out of the way for him and his son to pass. Sensing that the "yack" session was over, they all wandered back to their seats. Folks at the counter had nothing else to watch so they picked up their packages and left for their homes.

  Fred said, "Olivia's got everything she needs to make spaghetti, guys. All she said was for us to bring some hungry stomachs. I told her that I did not think that that was going to be a problem as far as I was concerned."

  Big Ed was coming up to the table with fresh coffee, cream and sugar when he heard what Fred said. "I'll tell you what she ain't got," he countered. "She ain’t got a couple of fresh loaves of garlic bread right out of the oven. But she will before you guys leave. And, it's on the house, too. Anytime you gents can generate this much business at my place by putting on a comedy show like this one, Big Ed's gonna pay some commission. I'll have some ready for you on the counter. I'll keep them in the bread warmer until y'all leave. That way they'll be nice and tasty when you set them on Olivia's table."

  "Thanks, Big Ed. And my momma and daddy will say 'Thanks,' too," Arthur beamed.

  The smile faded a bit on
Tom's face. It was more of a nervous and apprehensive smile. "Fred, I wish she wouldn't make a fuss over me......"

  "Her words to me were," Fred interrupted, "that she HAD to meet the person who brought so much excitement to precious Arthur. Besides, Arthur kept saying that you knew about Ninja stuff and she and Ryan had bought all the books they knew to buy. I think they're hoping you'll answer some of the questions that he has been stumping them with. Oh, yes, and they'll probably be glad to pay for any lessons you can come up with."

  Arthur's fire was lit now as he prodded, "Oh, please, please, Mr. Tom. Can't you stay around for a while and show me some stuff. Nobody around here knows anything but that fake professional wrestling."

  All of a sudden a couple of the tables close by got real quiet. Several heads turned. Some were smiling, some were not. Arthur had seen enough of his mamma's angry frowns to know that he had said the wrong thing. He got that wide-eyed look on his face as he admitted, "I guess I must have said something wrong." Then he leaned over to his hero and whispered, "It IS fake isn't it?"

  Fred and Tom chuckled at him. Tom lowered his voice, too, as he answered, "All of us here at this table know its fake, but to some people it's just as real as it can be." He paused for a moment before he continued, "Arthur, to everybody here at this table Jesus is just as real as this cup of coffee or that butterscotch creme filled....gooey thing. But, to a whole lot of people that have not received Jesus Christ as their Savior, Jesus is a fake. So, it's up to us Christians to live our lives in such a manner that Jesus becomes real to them."

  "Isn't that for the preachers to do?"

  "Do you think that those people who think Jesus is a fake are just gonna come running into church and ASK to get saved?"

  Arthur smiled and replied, "No, I guess not. At least it doesn't happen at our church. A lot of my friends at school go to our church and they have never gotten saved. And, our preacher preaches real good, too."

  "You see. You just answered your own question," Tom pointed out. In all of his years of dealing with kids and teenagers, Tom had learned a few things about engaging them in life changing conversations that led to life changing conversions. He answered Arthur's questions just enough to get him to ask another one and then another one. A hungry mind asks questions that they WANT answers to. Tom knew that he was leading Arthur into asking questions that Jesus wanted him to face. Like the next one.

  "Well," Arthur drawled, "How do we.....I mean.....they need Jesus but they won't come to the altar. So,........how do we......."

  Tom asked the question for him, "How do we lead them to a decision to come to Christ?"

  "Yeah, that's it."

  Tom looked at Fred with a little smile. Fred returned it knowing that he was sharing the table with one of the best witnesses he had seen in years. Yet, Fred was about to see a technique that Tom had devised that would engage young Arthur in a life changing relationship with Jesus. Tom answered by saying, "Arthur it's simple. You just go around running and screaming "Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you." all day long. Especially to those you would like to see saved."

  Oops! That one was a curve. "Say, what?" Arthur asked with the most puzzled look on his face. "Everybody would think that I was crazy as a loon. They would run away from me as soon as they saw me if I did that."

  Fred had watched as Tom set the trap right in front of young Arthur. He knew where he was going with this line of talk. Arthur had unwittingly opened up and asked his way into learning something about witnessing. What was that Bobby called him? The champion? No. Fred was watching a real champion at work right here. Tom might not make the headlines on this side of heaven, but he was still one of life's real champions. And, he was sitting right here at a table in Ed's bakery in little old Elmhurst, Georgia.

  Tom leaned over to Arthur, looked him straight in the eye and reached over to lay his hand on Arthur's as he answered, "Son, you yell at them by the way you treat them every day. If they know that you're a Christian, then what you say and do around them either says, 'Jesus loves you, or Jesus hates you.' It takes a while to develop a heart for reaching the lost, but when you do, His love pours through you. You begin to treat people like Jesus did, just as if they had never done anything wrong. You treat them as if they are your best friends even though they might not be right then. You keep on loving them with your actions and conversations and then, pretty soon, they begin to fall in love with the same Jesus that you fell in love with. Just because your actions and attitude yelled and screamed 'Jesus loves you.' every time you came around him."

  Bingo! Arthur's mind flipped back to that moment with Ramon. "Hey. I did that last week. This guy Ramon wanted to beat me up and I treated him as if he was my best friend. And, he stopped acting mean. You know what? I think he really wants to be on the football team. And, today he helped me put the water cooler in the van and……."

  Tom reached over and tapped him on the shoulder with the back of his hand as he finished for him, "There ya' go. Yellin' and screamin' again."

  "Huh?" Arthur asked. Tom caught him off guard for a moment until it dawned on him what he was talking about. "Yeah, yellin' and screamin'." Wouldn't you know it? There came out another Arthur giggle. Wendy would be proud of him.