"Heya boy," Grandpa said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAuzUdJOe8If
"Hey Grandpa, how have you been? Are they taking good care of you over there?," I asked.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAHaUXafmugf
"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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAsUz0GMHgvA
"How was it?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANA9dbRiyiI4d
"Well you know your Aunt Gracie."
226Please respect copyright.PENANAx5Sesdpl3R
We both chuckled.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAKWsR16DIcz
"She tries her best," I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAXavNhzjCrT
"Yes, she does. I miss your grandmother's cookin'."
226Please respect copyright.PENANAATv4MzGSNb
"Ah her huge breakfasts!"
226Please respect copyright.PENANAOGXlDlkgKD
"Yeah. Bacon 'n eggs, grits, you know the deal," he said. "You read that thing I wrote in your journal?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANAWKWcbofw5o
"No. I forgot to unpack it from the box."
226Please respect copyright.PENANAu0YMNopEkU
"Don't worry about it, you've probably just been busy with the move. You guys are coming out in June right?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANAz6EFCL3gD5
"Yeah," I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAg00SNQDT2m
"Okay. I'll see you then, my boy," he said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAHgLd2cEXfR
"Okay. See you then grandpa," I said and hung up the phone.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAQOnlab5L8k
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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANA1JRdDS5McT
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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAGDyzvQSwdS
"If they never tell you the truth, write your story here."
226Please respect copyright.PENANADrSaUo3hLH
Why would grandpa write that? What was its meaning?
226Please respect copyright.PENANAxqaOcuLtbg
226Please respect copyright.PENANAcK0RRQpUpM
~~~
226Please respect copyright.PENANA73V4YQHkSr
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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAnrChxQrGCD
"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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAWVcYtspTVk
"She had a doctor's appointment," Naomi said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANALPOwdsCgMQ
Marley took the earphone out of her ear and coughed.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAcRVAGq7lRf
She responded, "Yes, yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and Naomi was at the diner covering for my Grandma."
226Please respect copyright.PENANAgAe58KxRhy
"You have a lot of doctor's appointments," I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAwddhHnEce3
"Yeah...about that...," Naomi said to Marley.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAXUdoOP8P5F
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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAqbY40YPfgr
Naomi's attention went to Alan. She was watching him walk by.
226Please respect copyright.PENANATvbn7vXD8l
"You should talk to him, Naomi. He looks sad," Marley said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANA0oJQzS4MWk
"What happened?" I asked.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAlw88tjEo4L
"Well, they..."
226Please respect copyright.PENANAFMvh2i0tWd
"We broke up, that's what happened," Naomi interrupted her.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAix0CTqtkxF
"Sorry," I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANA7vQAEbPuwR
"I say go over there and talk to him, you guys always make up," Marley said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAIFsKz4058i
Naomi ignored her.
226Please respect copyright.PENANA6gjOJMgWEB
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?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANAbJwIBdUtmc
Marley looked sad. She got up from the table and walked away.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAPKjoDrjbG1
"I think she's just trying to help," I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAugXz5IYdxc
"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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAUWlJYIJmj9
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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANANm3dmZ3jqV
"I'll be right back," I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAy91ISK0kzJ
I went to the milk freezers where I saw Marley standing there.
226Please respect copyright.PENANALNcLPa4Q5p
"Not sure whether to pick chocolate or regular?" I asked.
226Please respect copyright.PENANARqkdvwqBz1
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.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAjcgSWb4pUQ
She grabbed a milk, "Chocolate," she said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAbvOsCwdsoV
I grabbed one too. "Chocolate is also my usual choice.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAJVUB09hhYp
"Can I ask you a quick question?" I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANA2Hhft3sVFg
"Yeah. What's up?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANAOkMQkJpnqq
"How exactly did God tell you that I would help you find your father?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANAKi6Lf3N9Lu
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."
226Please respect copyright.PENANA5UxGgZEpaC
I was blown away. I had no idea if I believed everything she had just told me or not.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAo5nDp1L94F
"Do you believe in God, Ben?" she asked me.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAHkOskdcjog
"No. My parents never really talked about God. They don't believe in that stuff," I said.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAqs51OXrTWK
"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."
226Please respect copyright.PENANASilcwE370T
"How do you seek God?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANAKOF9wwrjzm
"Pray to Him, ask Him to show you that He is real. Literally go after Him with all of your heart!" she said happily.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAe3Exw9F5bh
"Can I ask you one more question?"
226Please respect copyright.PENANA5TmF2VM3SW
"Sure."
226Please respect copyright.PENANAbEjj5n5kT6
"Naomi doesn't believe in God does she? Like you?" I asked her.
226Please respect copyright.PENANAj9UXy5mO1P
"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."
226Please respect copyright.PENANAgv8BP97Jaq
She seemed really sad about it all.
226Please respect copyright.PENANA4x7nVKDYZK
226Please respect copyright.PENANAElQoDocrHD