"Heya boy," Grandpa said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAB1AZRRbe3
"Hey Grandpa, how have you been? Are they taking good care of you over there?," I asked.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUg5akujxJb
"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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaX2oAF4vp
"How was it?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcCvN5Xt6u
"Well you know your Aunt Gracie."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosIkTohX34
We both chuckled.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprFj3Cx9Lh
"She tries her best," I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFqSsK0mLq
"Yes, she does. I miss your grandmother's cookin'."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFCs5OnC0x
"Ah her huge breakfasts!"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeiQVoCxbL
"Yeah. Bacon 'n eggs, grits, you know the deal," he said. "You read that thing I wrote in your journal?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFamaY6t00g
"No. I forgot to unpack it from the box."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DuBfMuaxl
"Don't worry about it, you've probably just been busy with the move. You guys are coming out in June right?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL79NZJOhTd
"Yeah," I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrV4lM7aBjv
"Okay. I'll see you then, my boy," he said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9Rfs7ZkZy
"Okay. See you then grandpa," I said and hung up the phone.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMr6NQFqeyl
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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCaaE7pIc0
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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOLiPmpvzv
"If they never tell you the truth, write your story here."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPsT27BoKN
Why would grandpa write that? What was its meaning?
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnFBTEA2Gq
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTM79Ua66Rl
~~~
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxJZwcEQvj
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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2W4u5pz9Sp
"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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0QqIDS1fk
"She had a doctor's appointment," Naomi said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwuJbBJRyU
Marley took the earphone out of her ear and coughed.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmJop5NutW
She responded, "Yes, yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and Naomi was at the diner covering for my Grandma."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqwaEX7XXd
"You have a lot of doctor's appointments," I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnB4KEAn5WJ
"Yeah...about that...," Naomi said to Marley.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUV37FUYLRa
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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsDDVjSx04
Naomi's attention went to Alan. She was watching him walk by.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7FJQyvnVO
"You should talk to him, Naomi. He looks sad," Marley said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheOLLbTQ82
"What happened?" I asked.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjaoysDvrr
"Well, they..."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfYud1UZXb
"We broke up, that's what happened," Naomi interrupted her.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwQNHwyMDF
"Sorry," I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFJadSd0jU
"I say go over there and talk to him, you guys always make up," Marley said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwE2ZmFRPH
Naomi ignored her.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhT1AblzNn
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?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNdBawXlIX
Marley looked sad. She got up from the table and walked away.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsI4gRSvVS
"I think she's just trying to help," I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64h22aFKou
"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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6tvSsRokr
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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGoJnfWIMA
"I'll be right back," I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vyxbYJZ12
I went to the milk freezers where I saw Marley standing there.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2ox6F1Lhf
"Not sure whether to pick chocolate or regular?" I asked.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqZwqbmbEc
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.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvLqNRF0Lz
She grabbed a milk, "Chocolate," she said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcq5xGvua5
I grabbed one too. "Chocolate is also my usual choice.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTcj16wO3z
"Can I ask you a quick question?" I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwffpmgshHH
"Yeah. What's up?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87ha1vyqNq
"How exactly did God tell you that I would help you find your father?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRomIDng5vb
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."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4gv1zXDOw
I was blown away. I had no idea if I believed everything she had just told me or not.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtXNLFGfVT
"Do you believe in God, Ben?" she asked me.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsR0cMK1iUZ
"No. My parents never really talked about God. They don't believe in that stuff," I said.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKBPdbZgPs
"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."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsifAq2vpXC
"How do you seek God?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3i9WreWrmB
"Pray to Him, ask Him to show you that He is real. Literally go after Him with all of your heart!" she said happily.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZiWEkITFn
"Can I ask you one more question?"
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwqg01NskN
"Sure."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1AMaPsejt
"Naomi doesn't believe in God does she? Like you?" I asked her.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKVZnNzMqJ
"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."
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3yeiSjTk1
She seemed really sad about it all.
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHLrg72b5D
51Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgzDRqA6Ag
