A Fine Mess (22 page)

“It’s good to see you, too, Maddie.”

“Well, sit down. Paul called and told me he’d recruited you to baby-sit while he stopped at the store.”

“I don’t consider it babysitting,” he said, dropping into the chair. “I consider it a privilege, and another opportunity to visit with my favorite mother-in-law.”

“You are a very sweet young man.”

“I am that, aren’t I?” he asked, blowing on his fingernails,
then
rubbing them on his chest. Maddie laughed.

“Ian, I can’t tell you how glad I am that Annie married you.”

“I’m glad she did, too.” He meant that sincerely. “So what are you knitting?”

“Actually I’m crocheting. And it’s a blanket for my grandchildren. I figure I probably won’t be around when they start arriving so I’d like them to have something I made to hug them when I can’t.”

Tears burned in Ian’s eyes, and he cleared his throat roughly.

“You okay?”

“No. How can you talk about this so casually, Maddie? Like it’s no big deal?” She set the blanket in her lap and turned to face him.

“Don’t get me wrong here. I’d love to be able to live another thirty or forty years. I’d love to hold and spoil every grandchild I’m blessed with.
Maybe even a few great grandchildren.
Actually I’d be happy just to have many more years with Paul and Annie, and to get to know you better.

“But if it’s the Lord’s will that I have a shorter life than I’d like, I have two choices. I can
either fight
it, be miserable, and make everyone around me feel bad. Or I can accept it, be at peace knowing that He knows what’s best for me and know I’ll be with you all again someday.
For eternity.”

“How can you know that?” he asked, wanting badly to believe what she believed.

“Because I just do.
It’s hard to explain, and yes, Paul finally owned up to knowing that you’re not saved.
Yet
.
But when you finally do accept Christ as your Savior, Ian, your life will change.”

“Did yours?”

“Dramatically.
My folks were killed in a car accident shortly after Paul and I
were
married. They’d been Christian’s their whole lives, but I was kind of rebellious and stopped going to church as soon as I graduated.

“After I lost them, I started going back because I needed something. I didn’t know what at the time, but I was hurting bad and I had no peace.”

“So getting saved gave you peace and made the pain stop?”

“I didn’t get saved for probably a year after I started back. And then it still took me awhile before I realized what I‘d received.”

“What did you receive?”

“A Father who cares about me.
Maybe He didn’t have skin like my earthly father, but when I started giving Him more of my time and attention, actually listening for Him to speak to me when I prayed, my life changed in so many ways. I got the peace I was looking for. Eventually even the pain I felt at losing my parents faded, and I had the assurance that I’ll be spending eternity with them. That’s a very comforting feeling.”

“Wait a minute,” Ian said, having zeroed in on something that had bugged him for some time now. “How,
exactly
, does God talk to you? Because I’ll tell you what, it would probably freak me out to hear some big, booming voice coming out of nowhere.” She laughed again.

“I’ve never heard a big, booming voice, if it makes you feel any better. Sometimes He speaks to me through His word.
The Bible.
Sometimes it’s kind of like a voice in my head. Other times, it’s like I’ll be praying for something and someone will say something, or something will happen, and I’ll just know that was God telling me what I needed to hear.”

“It’s all really confusing,” he mussed.

“Did you ever go to church when you were growing up?” She picked her crocheting back up and resumed whatever it was she was doing with the weird little hook.

“My mom took me a few times.
Just at Christmas and Easter.”

“Why did she stop taking you?”

“She died in a car accident when I was ten.”

“Oh, Ian.
I’m so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” he said, brushing her sympathy off.

“So we have a lot in common, you and
I
. We know what it’s like to lose someone quickly and without any warning.”

“Pretty ugly thing to have in common, isn’t it?”

“Well, I would rather it be something more along the lines of loving old Doris Day musicals, that’s for sure.”

“Maddie?”

“What?”

“I was reading in that Bible you gave me and-”

“You’re reading the Bible?” she asked in surprise.

“I read it every day, actually,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Why?” She stopped crocheting and glanced at him quickly. “Don’t take that the wrong way. I’m glad to hear that you’re reading it. I’m just curious why you would if you’re not saved yet.”

“Well, at first it was because I didn’t want you to know. So I figured the best thing I could do was read a little of it so I could actually sound like I knew what I was talking about sometimes.
When we were talking about God and all that stuff.
And then I was kind of uncomfortable going to church and feeling really stupid because I didn’t understand
so
much of what everyone was talking about.”

“And now?”

“Now- I guess I keep reading because it really is interesting.” He watched her grin, practically from ear to ear and felt glad that he’d put that kind of smile on her face.

“Ian, that’s the Holy Spirit drawing you to God’s word. God is calling you and you’re listening.”

“You think so?” he asked hopefully.

“I do. Now the question is
,
do you believe what you’re reading?”

“I want to.”

“That’s God again. He’s putting that desire in your heart. You’ve come a long way in a couple of months. I’m so proud of you. It took me over a year to get to where you’re at today. Actually, given that I grew up in the church, it took me closer to twenty years to get there!”

“So this is good?
Even though I’m not a Christian yet?”

“It’s wonderful!”

“Maddie?”

“Yes.”

“What I was going to say before-”

“When I interrupted you?”

“That’s okay. I’m glad we talked about this. But there’s something else.” He was truly uncomfortable bringing it up. “I read in the Bible about some things not coming out but by prayer and fasting.”

“Matthew seventeen, verse twenty-one.”

“So you know it.” he said, dejected. If she knew it, she’d probably done it.

“Yes. What did you think about it when you read it?” she asked casually.

“I just wondered if all of us fasted, if that might help. Because I was also looking some stuff up on the internet. A lot of websites say that cancer cells thrive on glucose. You’d be surprised how many of foods we eat turn into glucose in our blood streams.”

“I almost think I remember hearing something about that,” Maddie murmured, as though trying to recall what it might have been. Then she shook her head and asked, “Did you make any conclusions about what you read?”

“I did. If I was ever diagnosed with cancer, I’d go on a distilled water and organic protein fast. I’d also be popping vitamins and herbs all day long.
For at least two weeks to see what happened.
I’d probably pray like crazy, too.”

“Hmm. Ian, you know what? I’m going to pray about that.”

“You will?”

“I will. And if God doesn’t tell me no, I may give it a try.”

“If you do, I will,” he promised. “And I’m pretty sure Annie and Paul will, too.”

“You know
,,
Ian, Maybe God brought you into our family for a reason.”

“You think He would have done that?”

“I think it’s a distinct possibility.”

“Maddie?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think God hears prayers from people who aren’t saved?”

“I think He does.”

“But He probably listens more to people who are, right?”

“Probably.”

Ian mulled that over for a few moments. Then they heard Paul’s key in the lock.

“You let me know if you decide to give it a try,
okay?
”

“I promise.”

~~~~

Ian sat the tray containing Annie’s supper on her nightstand, and then helped her sit up comfortably by propping a couple more pillows behind her back.

“You know, I could have come downstairs,” she sighed, as he placed the tray over her legs.

“But it’s much nicer this way. Admit it. You like being pampered.”
 

He stood there like a little boy waiting to be praised for a job well done, so Annie obligingly picked up her spoon and took a bite of the soup.

Something wasn’t right.

It
tasted
like cream of chicken soup, but it sure didn’t
feel
like cream of chicken soup. It felt like cream of chicken
pudding
.
Which could only mean that he’d neglected to read the directions on the can.
The directions that would have instructed him to add water or milk.
Or a combination of both.

She smiled weakly and forced herself to swallow the lump of soup that was on her tongue.
A
entire spoonful of it. That went down like she imagined a worm might.

“Mmm. Thank you, Ian. This was so thoughtful of you,” was all she could manage to say.

He beamed with pleasure.
And just stood there.
Was he going to wait for her to finish the whole bowl? Oh she hoped not, because it had been all she could do to get the first bite down without gagging.

Frantically she sought for a way to avoid eating anymore and her eyes were drawn to the tray. He hadn’t brought any crackers! She was saved from insulting him!

“You know what would be wonderful with this?” she asked sweetly.
“A few crackers.
Do we have any?”

“Yes,” he apologized with a frown. “I’m sorry, Annie. I forgot. Hang on.” With that he quickly left the room.

She took the opportunity to pour some of the milk from her glass into the bowl, quickly stirring it. Unfortunately she couldn’t add all it needed or it would have spilled over the edges, but at least it was thinned down to the consistency of gravy now. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice that the bowl contained more soup than when he brought it up.