Leaving Yesterday (12 page)

“Really? What did she say?” Carleigh leaned forward.

“She was asking me about the verse that talks about God removing our sins as far as the east is from the west. It’s amazing that God can do that, even for someone with Kurt’s past. Isn’t it?” Enthusiastic nods all around. Wouldn’t that change if they realized the context in which she’d used that verse?

“Well, I think it’s time to get back to work, everyone. We are so happy for you, Alisa.” Ken nodded and walked back into his office.

I was thankful for the way the morning had gone. I managed to keep my brave and Christian face here in front of my co-workers, and that’s what was required of me now. The time for questions, doubts, and otherwise stumbling about was for my private prayer time alone.

When I walked into my office, there was a bouquet of a couple dozen roses sitting on my desk. I turned and looked at Jana, who was smiling broadly. “What are these?”

She shrugged. “They were delivered about an hour ago.”

I walked slowly to the desk and opened the card.

As you said, a girl can never have too many flowers.

Dinner last night was wonderful. Thanks for being the voice of hope, for giving us all a reason to believe again.

Love,
Rick

Fifteen

On Saturday afternoon, Caroline and I drove north a couple of hours to the little town of Templeton. Once pastoral and open, it had been steadily growing more developed, with new houses and restaurants popping up all over the place. Its proximity to Paso Robles and its ideal climate for cultivating vineyards had made it a popular spot for wealthy outsiders to buy land and try their hands at opening a winery. Many such places dotted the beautiful hillsides here.

I had thought briefly about waiting a little longer before taking this trip, make it look like I was certain that everyone there had it all handled. But two days was as long as I could hold off without seeing everything for myself. I needed to know what was happening with my son, and besides, he needed his clothes.

I pulled up the long gravel driveway that led to the hundred-year-old farmhouse. When Jodi and Monte bought the place three years ago, we all thought they were crazy. Now, after three years of Jodi’s touch, the once dilapidated pile of rotting boards and peeling white paint was a cute little yellow and white farmhouse, with white shutters and a screened-in porch. I hoped that she would be able to help my son continue with his own interior renovations, and to be honest, I knew that there was no one more qualified than my sister. If ever a woman possessed strength of spirit that was contagious, it was Jodi.

I slowed my car and looked beyond the house at the thirtyfive picturesque acres of rolling hills, olive trees, and a winding, usually dry creek. I paid special attention to the rows of olive trees, searching for the slightest hint of movement, hoping to catch just a glimpse of my son’s tall, thin frame. I saw nothing but green.

Jodi was out the door and waving from the front porch before I came to a stop. She wore her usual combination of long flowing skirt, Birkenstock sandals, and scoop-necked T-shirt. Her long ponytail, gray for the last ten years, hung loosely across her right shoulder and fluttered with her vigorous waving.

Caroline raced from the car and launched herself into Jodi’s arms. “Aunt Jodi!” She wrapped her arms around my sister’s neck and squeezed. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too. How is fifth grade?”

Caroline leaned back and rolled her eyes. “Boring.”

Jodi laughed and looked over Caroline’s shoulder toward me. “You’re just in time. I’ve been trying a few new recipes and I need a taste tester.”

“New recipes?” Caroline licked her lips and looked toward the house.

“Yes, I’m thinking I might print a
Stevens Farm Olive Oil
Cookbook
for the gift shop. I mean, if people are going to buy our olive oil, they need to know what to do with it. Right?”

“Right.” Caroline’s voice had definitely lost some enthusiasm. “Any cookies you need me to test?”

“Well, I haven’t thought of any cookie recipes yet, but I’ve made some dipping spices for bread, and pesto, and some oven-baked French fries that will help your taste buds soar, even if I do say so myself.”

“Ummm, where are Kurt and Monte?” Aside from the fact that Caroline was dying to see her brother, her taste in non-cookie food was limited to plain pasta, cheeseburgers, and perhaps the occasional banana. Just the mention of Jodi’s olive treats was enough to send her fleeing.

Jodi pointed toward an all-terrain vehicle parked out by the trees. “See the quad sitting way out there at the back of the old orchards? Monte and Kurt are out there thinning trees. You can walk on out if you’d like. I’m sure they’d love it if you gave them a hand.”

“Thanks.” Caroline tore off across the dirt path without a backward glance. Her blond curls bounced in time with the dirt puffs her running feet liberated from the dry ground.

“Monte’s been feeding his brain on the proper methods of olive farming. Apparently, there’s a lot more to doing it right than just giving the trees water and fertilizer.”

“Who knew?” I looked at my sister and laughed. “I still can’t believe you two did this. When you sold everything and moved up here, I figured it would last a year or two. And now look at you, making it all work in spite of the fact that I still think you were crazy to do it.”

She shrugged. “We felt led, that’s all I can say.”

I’d been involved in the church for all my life, I’d believed in God, His Word—all of it—for as long as I could remember. But I had no memory of ever having such a conviction that He was speaking to me about something that I would set aside everything I’d ever known or planned. Even my writing. I loved it, but if I was called to it, why had it taken an editor’s voice and not God’s for me to get started? Had I ever moved into the unknown, just because I “felt led”? Not that I could remember. Did Monte and Jodi have more faith than I had, or was Rick right when he said they simply had less common sense? Whichever was true, today I found myself beholden to both of them for the decision they’d made.

This was the perfect place for Kurt to get back on his feet and reestablish himself as a productive person. Here, he was close to family, and Monte and Jodi would give him the best of guidance. He was also far enough removed from his old friends to keep him away from trouble. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

“You know what, before I tempt your palate with all sorts of delicious yummies, why don’t I give you a quick tour of the beginning of the gift shop?”

“Sounds great.” Besides, I was hoping our tour would lead me close to where Kurt and Monte were working. More than anything I wanted to see him.

Jodi loaded me in her Prius and drove me to where the work had already begun on the foundation for her planned gift shop. “I’ll have a small storage area here.” She pointed at one of the corners. “Then this will be the main gift shop,” she said as she made a sweeping gesture that covered an entire half. “This corner will have a little sampling area, and I’m thinking of a small stove for cooking demonstrations.” She stared at the corner for a moment, and from the look on her face I knew that she was no longer seeing the bare concrete that I saw. She was already visualizing hardwood floors, shelves bursting with merchandise, and the crowds of people she was certain would soon fill the place.

“It looks wonderful.” It wasn’t a complete lie, just an inaccuracy. To me, it didn’t look like anything other than a rectangle of concrete on the ground, but it did
sound
wonderful. I supposed that was close enough. I walked around the frame and waited until I thought an acceptable amount of time had passed to ask the question that I really wanted answered. “How is Kurt doing?”

As I knew she would, Jodi stared into space and thought through every bit of what she was about to answer. “He’s working hard, of course. Kurt always was a worker. He’s spent a lot of time talking to Monte about what he wants to do with his life, how he wants to stay clean and move on.” She twisted a strand of her long gray hair around a finger.

“But?”

She looked at me and cocked her head to the side. “What makes you so sure there’s a but?”

“You’re my sister. I know you.”

“Yes, you do.” She reached out and took my arm. “Come, let’s walk toward the orchard while we talk.”

“Sounds good.” I congratulated myself on how normal my voice came out.

Jodi shielded her eyes against the late afternoon sun. “Maybe we’ll catch a glimpse of our men at work.” She giggled and said, “I’ll bet by now, Caroline’s got them all straightened out.”

“I’m sure.” I continued to walk toward the trees, listening for any sound of work in the orchards, and waiting for my sister to continue. I’d begun to think she wasn’t going to.

“The thing that concerns me—concerns both Monte and me—is that something about him just doesn’t … I don’t even know how to express it fully. Something about him just doesn’t
feel
right. We’ve spent some time talking about it, and we both sense the same kind of disturbed vibe from him. It seems like there is something he is wrestling with, something he can’t quite harmonize with his spirit. I know Monte’s been spending some extra time with him, trying to gain his trust so that Kurt will eventually talk to him about whatever it is.”

“Maybe it’s just guilt or embarrassment at his wasted years.”

She nodded, a little too slowly to be true agreement. “It could be. But … I wasn’t going to tell you this part.”

“Tell me what?”

“Last night he disappeared for several hours. It was after he’d finished up his work, and he was back by around ten. I mean, he’s not a youngster; he can come and go as he pleases. But there have also been a few hushed phone conversations, and it just all feels a little secretive.”

“Have you … I mean, after he disappeared, did he come in smelling like smoke? Look glassy-eyed?”

“No, not at all, and believe you me, we’ve made it a point to look for those things. Maybe it’s just me overanalyzing, but if there’s something that’s eating at him on the inside, well … drugs would offer a quick way to dull the ache from whatever’s bothering him.” She shielded her eyes from the sun and pointed toward the orchard. “There they are.”

I could see feet sticking out from under an olive tree that twisted toward the sky like a proud elder statesman. “What are they doing on their backs?”

“Something about pruning. You lie on your back and look up. I don’t really understand it all, but apparently the two of them do, so I leave them to it.”

The branches on the tree above them moved with more gusto than the light breeze should have produced. I looked toward the rustling limbs and realized that Caroline had climbed up into it. I heard her voice then. “This one right here, I think it’s a problem.”

I made it a point not to laugh as we walked over to the tree. I didn’t want to hurt Caroline’s feelings and I didn’t want the guys to hear our approach. When I got close enough, I nudged Kurt’s foot with my own. “Hey there, Farmer Kurt, how’s it going?”

Kurt slid out from under the tree, wiping dirt and bits of wood chips off his arms before locking me in a hug. “Well, it’s totally rocking now that Farmer Caroline is here. She’s climbing up into the trees and scouting out rogue limbs for us, saving us all kinds of time and effort.”

Monte laughed and stood up. “Yeah, I’m thinking I maybe ought to hire her, too.”

“Please, Mama, can I?” Caroline’s voice resonated with such earnestness it made me smile.

“Maybe you can come up here this summer after school gets out. Maybe we’ll both come up for a day or two.”

“It’s not the same. I want to stay up here with Uncle Monte and Kurt.”

“Trust me, Short Stuff, you’re better off at home.” He pulled away and nodded at me. “You guys are earlier than I expected.”

He’d maybe gained a couple of pounds, and it seemed as though some of the paleness had already begun to wash out of his cheeks. Maybe it was just from working in the sun, but I preferred to believe it was the restored health of a restored family that gave him a better color. “I wanted to get here in time to see you at work. You know, to make certain your Uncle Monte wasn’t sitting back in an easy chair reading a magazine while you did all the labor. I know how he is.”

Monte nodded. “That’s exactly what I was doing until I saw your car coming into the driveway. Watching my afternoon soap operas and eating bonbons is what I do all day. ’Course, I figure somebody’s got to be the supervisor.” His salt-andpepper short-trimmed beard had wood chips in it from whatever it was they’d been up to, and his ruddy face was flushed with exertion. “Truth is, that boy of yours is about to send me to an early grave. My macho pride demands that I try to keep up with him, but I’m just too old and too out of shape.” He patted his belly, which had gained a nice roundness in the last decade. “Tell you what, Kurt, since your mother’s here already, why don’t we knock off a little early, go wash up, and have an early dinner. I know she doesn’t want to make the long drive home after it gets too late.”

“Slacker.” Kurt smiled at Monte and nodded. “I’ll just finish pruning this tree we were on and be right in.
Somebody’s
got to do some work around here.”