Who Do I Talk To? (46 page)

I stared at Jodi.
Just go get it?

Jodi blew her bangs off her damp forehead and grinned. “Want me to round up another moving crew?”

chapter 46

The rented U-Haul truck driven by Josh Baxter backed into the service lane of the parking garage at Richmond Towers and lined up with the wide doors leading into the security area. Mr. Bentley wasn't on duty on Saturday, but he showed up to make sure everything went smoothly getting the truck into the garage, letting the moving crew into the security area, and up the elevators to the thirty-second floor.

Penthouse.

I had arrived an hour earlier, let myself into the penthouse that had been my home for a mere two and a half months, and marked the furniture and items to be moved with large, lime-green sticky notes. I felt uncomfortable being there without Philip's knowledge and permission, but God knew I had tried.

I'd called his office Friday morning and asked to speak to Philip Fairbanks. I had planned to tell him—not ask his permission—that I was coming Saturday with a moving crew and taking enough stuff to make my apartment functional. I had no plans to rob him blind, just take a fair share.

But it was Henry Fenchel who came on the line. “He's out of town, Gabby,” his partner said flatly. “Didn't tell me where, just said he was taking Friday off, and he'd be back in the office Monday morning. But I can guess. He—”

“But it's very important that I get hold of him, Henry,” I interrupted, not really wanting to hear another rant from Henry Fenchel.

Henry snorted in my ear. “Well, you can try his cell phone, but I've tried that on weekends, and he usually turns it off when he's gaming. I tell you, Gabby, something's not right. First he dumps you, dumps his own kids, and spends nearly every weekend in Indiana at the Horseshoe. The accounts aren't adding up here in the office either. I'm calling in an accountant to—”

I'd hurriedly said good-bye and hung up. Philip siphoning business monies to support his gambling? Did he have debts he couldn't cover? No, no, I wasn't going to believe that about Philip . . . though there were a lot of things that had happened recently I never would have believed about Philip.

I did try his cell phone, got his voice mail, and left my message.

I never got a call back.

Now the volunteer moving crew—Denny and Jodi Baxter, Josh and Edesa Baxter, Estelle Williams and her housemate, Leslie Stuart, and Carl and Florida Hickman and their two husky boys—hauled in boxes, packed up the boys' rooms, and moved out the things I had marked. Everything from the boys' bedrooms, including their small TV. My bedroom dresser and mirror and an upholstered reading chair. Some scatter rugs. I left the master bath as it was, but I cleaned out the powder room and the second bath—towels, cleaning supplies, shampoo, and lotions. I put neon-lime
Take Me
notes on the square kitchen table and its four chairs, leaving the expensive dining room set and the bar stools in the kitchen for Philip. I'd brought a lot of kitchen stuff from my mom's house already. The only piece I took from the living room was another upholstered chair—now the boys and I all had a place to sit. I left Philip's office untouched, except for the family photo albums and children's books I'd collected over the years. Those went in a box and out to the truck.

Mr. Bentley stayed out of the penthouse, doing no more than directing traffic on the lower floor. Maybe that eye was bothering him more than he let on. Still, it was for the best. I didn't want Philip or anybody else to make him lose his job over “conflict of interest” with a resident. But his grandson DeShawn wanted to be where the action was, especially since the older Hickman teens, Chris and Cedric, were doing a man's job hauling chairs and boxes, and kept saying, “Hey, DeShawn, you take that end” or “Get that box, will ya?” The youngster beamed.

“What about the big bed, Gabby?” Denny Baxter asked, standing in the master bedroom.

I shook my head. That was my marriage bed . . . and right now I didn't have a marriage. Sleeping in it alone would be too painful.

My throat tightened. Would Philip and I ever sleep together in that bed again—husband and wife . . . lovers . . . friends? Or was it really over?

Denny must have seen me brush tears from my eyes because he quickly left the room, but I lingered a few moments longer, picking up a framed photo from the top of Philip's dresser. The four of us two years ago in a candid snapshot, arms around each other, wide grins. Philip's dark head was next to my “mop top,” as he often called it, the boys laughing as if they were being tickled.

The way we were . . .

I slipped the framed photo into my backpack.

“All done?” Jodi said as I came into the kitchen, where Estelle had managed to produce lemonade and paper cups. “Should we swing back by the shelter to pick up Dandy?”

I shook my head. “I, um, gave him to Lucy yesterday. Just couldn't bring myself to separate them. There are enough bags of dog food left at Manna House to last her at least six months. I made her promise that she'd take shelter in the winter—Manna House is probably the only shelter that's going to let her come back with a dog. And if she couldn't take care of him, I'd take him back.” I grimaced. “Don't know if it was the right thing to do. She and Dandy disappeared last night. Her bunk was empty and her cart was gone. Dandy's bed too.”

“Oh, Gabby.” Jodi gave me a hug. “What about Paul?”

I shrugged. “I'll get him another dog, maybe a puppy. It'll be okay. But speaking of Paul, could you excuse me a minute? I'll meet you downstairs. I have a call to make.”

The moving crew tromped through the gallery and out into the foyer, chatting with each other as they waited for the elevator. And then all was quiet.

I stood a few feet back from the wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out—not down—at Lake Michigan sparkling a deep azure blue in the midday July sun. Lake Shore Drive was bustling and alive . . . but silent up here behind the thick windows. To the south, Chicago's skyline rose into the air, a thousand stories walking the streets. And now, my story was one of them.

Strange.
I would not miss this penthouse. Most of the memories here had been painful ones. But Chicago . . .

I pulled out my cell phone, made the call, and waited until I heard the voices of both my sons on the phone. “P. J.? Paul? It's Mom. It's time to come home.”

Reading Group Guide

A note from the author . . .

Okay, okay! I've heard from enough faithful readers who were disappointed that
Where Do I Go?
(Book #1 in the
Yada Yada House of Hope
series) ended on a “cliff-hanger” without a clear resolution, that I feel compelled to share some background . . .

After including the Manna House Women's Shelter in the last two books of the
Yada Yada Prayer Group
series, I realized I knew zilch about homeless shelters or why people become homeless, so I began volunteering once a week at Breakthrough Urban Ministries women's shelter here in Chicago (www.breakthroughministries.com). I learned there are numerous reasons people end up homeless, and I began to feel a burden to tell some of these stories—and the fictional Manna House was the perfect segue.

But Gabby Fairbank's story got so deep, I found it impossible to wrap everything up nice and tidy by the end of the first book. I don't blame you if you were distressed over the ending. But my primary purpose was to bring Gabby to a place where she realized that when her whole life felt as if it were falling apart, she could turn to “the Rock” of her salvation, just as the song says—
even without the promise that life would turn out rosy
.

But I share your pain! I'm a person who wants hope and redemption in my stories—which is why Gabby's story picks up right where it left off in this second installment. I'm delighted that you've hung in there with the
House of Hope
series and read Book 2,
Who Do I Talk To?
So let's dig in and talk about it!

1. Even though Gabby Fairbanks' situation might seem extreme, what kind of life situations/experiences/ circumstances can create that “end of the world” feeling? Even though your circumstances might not be the same, have you or someone in your family experienced a life-altering event where it seemed that nothing would ever be the same? What were the initial feelings you had to cope with?

2. What were the seeds of hope that Gabby clung to as this book opened, even though everything looked hopeless? What are the seeds of hope you or your family clung to when faced with a seemingly hopeless situation?

3. In Gabby's case, her anguish was exacerbated because someone deliberately “did something” that caused her pain (as opposed to an accident or natural disaster).
Read Psalm 37:1–17.
What phrases stand out to you that might give
comfort
in such a situation? What
guidance
does the psalmist give to help deal with hurts caused by other people?

4. A number of people come alongside Gabby during this crisis, but in different ways. What role does each of the following play in helping Gabby to stand up and be strong?
Edesa . . . Mabel . . . Estelle . . . Harry Bentley . . . Lee Boyer . . . Lucy . . . Sarge . . . Mike Fairbanks . . . Jodi Baxter.
(Anyone else?) What (or who) do you think was most helpful to Gabby in changing her perspective?

5. How does Dandy the Hero Dog impact this story—and the various people in the story—beyond just stopping a nighttime burglar?
(Gabby? Her mom? Lucy? The shelter women? Any others?)
Why do you think dogs or other pets often play an important role in times of emotional stress and difficulty?

6. How do you feel about Gabby's difficult decision to leave her boys in Virginia (chapter 12)? Can you think of any other alternative? What does this show about Gabby's character?

7. In Book 1, Mabel Turner said she thought God had brought Gabby to Chicago and to Manna House “for a purpose.” How does that “prophetic word” continue to impact Gabby in Book 2? What do you think that purpose is? How does knowing (discovering) God's purpose for our lives impact how we deal with our particular life situation and the people around us?

8. In what ways do you see Gabby growing and changing in this book? In what areas do you still want to shake her and tell her _________________________ ?

9. The death of Gabby's mother—Martha Shepherd—seemed to also be the death of Gabby's patchwork plan to get an apartment and get her boys back. First Estelle, then Jodi says, “God must have a better plan.” Has anyone ever said that to you when things fell apart with your own plans? How did it make you feel? Was it true? Or did it seem like “spiritual mumbo-jumbo”?

10. Philip Fairbanks . . . we all hate him. (At least you've told me you do!) Why do you think he showed up at Martha Shepherd's funeral? How did you feel about that? What do you think is going on with Philip? Is he redeemable? What do
you
think is going to happen with Philip? Why? How?

11. How realistic is Gabby's dream to create a “House of Hope”? She's well-meaning but . . . is she equipped? Is this the right time? What problems do you foresee? How do
we
know when to let go of our unrealistic dreams, and when it's important to hold onto those dreams?

12. Gabby muses at the end Book 2, “There are thousands of stories walking the streets of Chicago—and mine is one of them.” Why is it important to realize that every person we meet “has a story”—even the homeless person or panhandler we meet on the street? How might that change how we relate to that person?

P.S. To my readers . . .

Wish I could be a fly on the wall to hear your discussion! Thanks for being such faithful readers of the
Yada Yada House of Hope
series. I appreciate each one of you! Hang on for the next episode in Book 3,
Who Do I Lean On?
coming out in June 2010.