"Heya boy," Grandpa said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCYNV5xkqE
"Hey Grandpa, how have you been? Are they taking good care of you over there?," I asked.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Lr2H4MN7u
"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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFaoxJtaqT
"How was it?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7HpJhjTyH
"Well you know your Aunt Gracie."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgbNOMjxbX
We both chuckled.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFvtf0PkRTZ
"She tries her best," I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJigD4pxjs
"Yes, she does. I miss your grandmother's cookin'."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzENuMT8HdH
"Ah her huge breakfasts!"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2IN6yuqoq
"Yeah. Bacon 'n eggs, grits, you know the deal," he said. "You read that thing I wrote in your journal?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjqrro9Q0V
"No. I forgot to unpack it from the box."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspT3Ithy54
"Don't worry about it, you've probably just been busy with the move. You guys are coming out in June right?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77BLYxqPi7
"Yeah," I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2yau9Ojrl
"Okay. I'll see you then, my boy," he said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8Po76DseD
"Okay. See you then grandpa," I said and hung up the phone.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfPWZBf2bf
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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcPngL7S7VP
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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSRvi930pr
"If they never tell you the truth, write your story here."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZkX0Rrz96
Why would grandpa write that? What was its meaning?
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlY09IXw4vU
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OABFEjQUY
~~~
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXRmgGwLYU
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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTPLQkJFrv
"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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2nUqVvmmF
"She had a doctor's appointment," Naomi said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQAu3AGqso
Marley took the earphone out of her ear and coughed.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEo61VWVf1w
She responded, "Yes, yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and Naomi was at the diner covering for my Grandma."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6NvDXvIe7
"You have a lot of doctor's appointments," I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PpwQ5XxSy
"Yeah...about that...," Naomi said to Marley.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJFa6B3DEk
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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvM7PQVLFOw
Naomi's attention went to Alan. She was watching him walk by.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTH04euwmQ
"You should talk to him, Naomi. He looks sad," Marley said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuJK1XaAwg
"What happened?" I asked.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlpNWBoBy8
"Well, they..."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKPJ0n0212
"We broke up, that's what happened," Naomi interrupted her.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuYVIP6eWq
"Sorry," I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdlUJU74hi
"I say go over there and talk to him, you guys always make up," Marley said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGWrd06KAQ
Naomi ignored her.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Yvmw0FTTa
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?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA25xWvMfJV
Marley looked sad. She got up from the table and walked away.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjp9HiCJI9S
"I think she's just trying to help," I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJG3TeFu9R
"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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDBp6MpnD7
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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaBvP1UOfP
"I'll be right back," I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQdnhE7k4T
I went to the milk freezers where I saw Marley standing there.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPo71iwc4H
"Not sure whether to pick chocolate or regular?" I asked.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2hcDtQzlQ
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.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ERMOS7bi9
She grabbed a milk, "Chocolate," she said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPZN9epEOE
I grabbed one too. "Chocolate is also my usual choice.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jZdTMzS1Z
"Can I ask you a quick question?" I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7jz02VTBw
"Yeah. What's up?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gyq0hF6Jx
"How exactly did God tell you that I would help you find your father?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqRMVBCzSc
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."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXw3sMqAMl6
I was blown away. I had no idea if I believed everything she had just told me or not.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjap16nKdWT
"Do you believe in God, Ben?" she asked me.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZtWquMorc
"No. My parents never really talked about God. They don't believe in that stuff," I said.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpVh1iESYg
"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."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKvYF4jdYj
"How do you seek God?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzUmXueOkU
"Pray to Him, ask Him to show you that He is real. Literally go after Him with all of your heart!" she said happily.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2pcJbqfNE
"Can I ask you one more question?"
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCjlGWDmMh
"Sure."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLMN3nX8yI
"Naomi doesn't believe in God does she? Like you?" I asked her.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxHxw0Em0m
"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."
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtVujp6fJ5
She seemed really sad about it all.
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HraB4RXq5
161Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbswnPqg4XD
