"Heya boy," Grandpa said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VIX0yBLKJ
"Hey Grandpa, how have you been? Are they taking good care of you over there?," I asked.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmOvMcMJjq
"I've been good. Just tending to the garden your grandmother left me. James, Gracie and Nathan came over yesterday. Gracie made dinner," he said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T469UYBYf
"How was it?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcokePymfV
"Well you know your Aunt Gracie."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjB56ex7lvC
We both chuckled.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDvoUnwOqx
"She tries her best," I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDd3QvZLjiq
"Yes, she does. I miss your grandmother's cookin'."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlhbJxek6d
"Ah her huge breakfasts!"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMB7MpWFai
"Yeah. Bacon 'n eggs, grits, you know the deal," he said. "You read that thing I wrote in your journal?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjaowXnNE9
"No. I forgot to unpack it from the box."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUoKpIoJn3
"Don't worry about it, you've probably just been busy with the move. You guys are coming out in June right?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qrFvhUQJR
"Yeah," I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNOmDLEPkYc
"Okay. I'll see you then, my boy," he said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqo8pUKcbA7
"Okay. See you then grandpa," I said and hung up the phone.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSofHCt5Ea
After our call, I went looking for the journal. There was one last box sitting in my closet that I had not unpacked yet. I found the journal there along with some sweaters.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ141uJqmDet
I rubbed my hands across the leather cover. It smelled brand new. I grabbed a pen and opened it to the first page. Surprisingly, there was the note from Grandpa.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGoGIbkYu6
"If they never tell you the truth, write your story here."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQDkS7Pzmp
Why would grandpa write that? What was its meaning?
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCgmnbdsh6
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOCHs2HIgi
~~~
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBINkKAtyGd
Marley and Naomi still hadn't gotten a call back from their Uncle Marcus. They told me that they had tried giving him a call, but he never picked up.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc328Q9Rvs1
"Where were you guys yesterday?" I asked Marley and Naomi as I walked to their table. I asked them since I hadn't seen them at school.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyJ4hzvgpd
"She had a doctor's appointment," Naomi said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HXMa9B02A
Marley took the earphone out of her ear and coughed.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qe3oVAOq1
She responded, "Yes, yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and Naomi was at the diner covering for my Grandma."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72t2ErNgrI
"You have a lot of doctor's appointments," I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKu5qdvzTp
"Yeah...about that...," Naomi said to Marley.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvBd4UdlOV
She was hinting at something but I couldn't tell what. I sipped down my chocolate milk, as I pretended to mind my own business.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGaW9apKaV
Naomi's attention went to Alan. She was watching him walk by.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDI7lXFdqn
"You should talk to him, Naomi. He looks sad," Marley said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HjmK5vcOf
"What happened?" I asked.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgFT09YtAW
"Well, they..."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGqEpcFwRI
"We broke up, that's what happened," Naomi interrupted her.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAP15Xkbq7s
"Sorry," I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoivmQoSsfN
"I say go over there and talk to him, you guys always make up," Marley said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhkeg11Nuhf
Naomi ignored her.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPag7lmHcs9
Marley tried once more to convince Naomi to go talk to Alan, but Naomi snapped at her, "Marley, instead of trying to get in everyone's business, why don't you tell Ben why you always have so many doctor appointments?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkgx4iLDcs
Marley looked sad. She got up from the table and walked away.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoVwgqVZQP
"I think she's just trying to help," I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8v4IfN9ga
"I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have said that," Naomi said and took a deep breath. "You know she's always telling people's business," she shook her head irritated.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2T5VeJEpwB
I didn't know whether to feel bad for her or Marley. I could tell that she had a bitter side. Marley did say she wasn't the same ever since their father had disappeared. Maybe Naomi was different; she must have been nicer before it all happened.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp02FDYWLJp
"I'll be right back," I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5nFRw3CKE
I went to the milk freezers where I saw Marley standing there.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oQVqemVoA
"Not sure whether to pick chocolate or regular?" I asked.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZjg3UVvQD
She was wiping her eyes with her sleeves. She looked like she had been crying. Her puffy hair was in her usual side ponytail and she was wearing a pink long sleeve shirt and jeans.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuypuwR7qgF
She grabbed a milk, "Chocolate," she said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFuctYaGsB
I grabbed one too. "Chocolate is also my usual choice.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9x5MqD6frV
"Can I ask you a quick question?" I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2Yl910XaY
"Yeah. What's up?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQoWOWOC31
"How exactly did God tell you that I would help you find your father?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTRrAGeSXq
Marley's sad expression disappeared. "Well," she said happily. "One night I was praying and asking God to please help us find my father. I've been asking for this for a great while. Then, when I saw you at the diner with your parents that day, I heard Jesus say, 'He will be the one to help find your father and solve his disappearance'. Truthfully, this made me hopeful that my father was still alive. It also made me question, why hadn't He just told me where he was. But instead, I just chose to trust God on this. I know he's right and what He said will come to pass. So yeah, that's what happened."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwaiR2bkNX
I was blown away. I had no idea if I believed everything she had just told me or not.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIBlhdNVvJ
"Do you believe in God, Ben?" she asked me.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17b63kfW6V
"No. My parents never really talked about God. They don't believe in that stuff," I said.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwk4SEMrdc
"My parents didn't believe God existed either. But, God is real. The Bible says, If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him! I did."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUr0VgZ9BV
"How do you seek God?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vBrsApKNr
"Pray to Him, ask Him to show you that He is real. Literally go after Him with all of your heart!" she said happily.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9X7WYN4to
"Can I ask you one more question?"
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnELCTmhzXN
"Sure."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlFoLe64CH
"Naomi doesn't believe in God does she? Like you?" I asked her.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtx6yNgVye
"No. She doesn't. I do pray though that she will turn her heart to Jesus. Sometimes she just falls apart. Jesus can help her, He can save her, but she doesn't believe. She thinks I'm crazy."
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbcAZXTMfQ
She seemed really sad about it all.
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkrIp5W1zg
174Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4z5ulOwOa
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.