"Heya boy," Grandpa said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp9FAQ3JBk
"Hey Grandpa, how have you been? Are they taking good care of you over there?," I asked.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8eitFwDEp
"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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cluNyeNSv
"How was it?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUn7QQ0oAa
"Well you know your Aunt Gracie."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iXwbHWFgf
We both chuckled.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOZqIuhEM4
"She tries her best," I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E5BbjaeOW
"Yes, she does. I miss your grandmother's cookin'."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSenRzLTws
"Ah her huge breakfasts!"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMB8UeCrzg
"Yeah. Bacon 'n eggs, grits, you know the deal," he said. "You read that thing I wrote in your journal?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94d409IKzU
"No. I forgot to unpack it from the box."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68RRHLAb5v
"Don't worry about it, you've probably just been busy with the move. You guys are coming out in June right?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1eEqhKD6d
"Yeah," I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPc1YFUJd7
"Okay. I'll see you then, my boy," he said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ci7GXsacT
"Okay. See you then grandpa," I said and hung up the phone.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMxFyunD7r
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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67AM6mAw7s
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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8RglWoQ61
"If they never tell you the truth, write your story here."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEB8LuH1Jov
Why would grandpa write that? What was its meaning?
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsswB9ZGMSi
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzLz5f10oD
~~~
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVlYYn3bDU
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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5jUNyCQIV
"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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYe3ygRpFe
"She had a doctor's appointment," Naomi said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTLtMslqED
Marley took the earphone out of her ear and coughed.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIjU4F1AtL
She responded, "Yes, yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and Naomi was at the diner covering for my Grandma."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhmKVoRvJS
"You have a lot of doctor's appointments," I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVSTtnChyA
"Yeah...about that...," Naomi said to Marley.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgaEDUdBW4
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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oGtb4W2QA
Naomi's attention went to Alan. She was watching him walk by.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L4VQjyyRx
"You should talk to him, Naomi. He looks sad," Marley said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4ooO5dn8h
"What happened?" I asked.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55661ZHf4T
"Well, they..."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqx4ywspOc
"We broke up, that's what happened," Naomi interrupted her.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAyyscs8VM
"Sorry," I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWjVqA85tg
"I say go over there and talk to him, you guys always make up," Marley said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATSlg6WNCF
Naomi ignored her.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6byzXtU2k
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?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSzXf3Rmk9
Marley looked sad. She got up from the table and walked away.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwh4EtkREtu
"I think she's just trying to help," I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAHFQLdDEF
"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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzuLiq2jxv
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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmsAElDViY
"I'll be right back," I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgWlbmNpG8
I went to the milk freezers where I saw Marley standing there.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEPl1y1nLE
"Not sure whether to pick chocolate or regular?" I asked.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUBaZ8ztLn
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.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7c1v7XlDH5
She grabbed a milk, "Chocolate," she said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGxwUH4upC
I grabbed one too. "Chocolate is also my usual choice.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0ff4BIgFD
"Can I ask you a quick question?" I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtG2a4StTl
"Yeah. What's up?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIriS1A1MSg
"How exactly did God tell you that I would help you find your father?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA47RkJdsqT
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."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54W2YAPFVX
I was blown away. I had no idea if I believed everything she had just told me or not.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5Jr601SXE
"Do you believe in God, Ben?" she asked me.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8eDnSzoNT
"No. My parents never really talked about God. They don't believe in that stuff," I said.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3tE8xq1xj
"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."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBthnkEmUag
"How do you seek God?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWM3Lt25gIP
"Pray to Him, ask Him to show you that He is real. Literally go after Him with all of your heart!" she said happily.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU897SUAomT
"Can I ask you one more question?"
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUIwTZ0zO8
"Sure."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm6o0zqJhf
"Naomi doesn't believe in God does she? Like you?" I asked her.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRmBBnjokT
"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."
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSneSfGxCb
She seemed really sad about it all.
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQ0ulcvVoW
112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PiU3kccef
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.