Nila's Hope (19 page)

Faith looked at her husband, and a line appeared between her brows. “Maybe we should stay home. I've been looking forward to this party, but what if…?”

“Nothing will hurt our kids. Nila and Will are going to take good care of them. God will, too.” He pulled her close. “You need this break, and we aren't going to let that jerk ruin our plans.”

Faith leaned into his hug. “Fine. I guess you're right. I hope so.”

Will clenched his jaw. He hoped so, too.

 

****

 

“Good morning, sweetie. How are you feeling?” Lydia handed Nila a steaming cup of coffee.

Nila smiled her thanks as she took the cup. “Pretty good. Woke up a lot because of my arm, but I got some sleep.” She took a careful sip. “Um-mm, this is good.”

Lydia sat across from her at the table, and something in her gaze put Nila on alert. “I'm glad. But when you're ready, I need to tell you something.”

Nila's throat tightened. She sipped her coffee and swallowed with difficulty. Last night's phone call. It had to be about that. “Go ahead.”

“Constable Roth phoned,” Lydia said.

Nila closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced herself to look at Lydia. “What did he say?”

Lydia glanced toward the window and the dark, frozen backyard before turning back to Nila. “He said the store's security cameras couldn't prove that Nick was there. Too many people in bulky jackets and hats. And since the paint chips are free, they didn't bother putting a camera there.”

Nila's heart sank to somewhere near her navel. “So now he really doesn't believe me. Does he think I hurt my own arm?”

Lydia sipped her coffee before answering. “He didn't say anything about that. But he did say he couldn't locate Nick, so he talked to his parole officer. Apparently Nick got permission to go to La Ronge to visit his father for Christmas. He left two days ago.”

Nila sputtered. Her mind whirled. That couldn't be right. He'd never go there. Not with good intentions, anyway.

Lydia tilted her head, her eyes shining with compassion. “You may have heard Dave raise his voice last night. That was when Constable Roth suggested you may be reacting to stress by hallucinating or even trying to frame Nick. Dave didn't take kindly to that.”

“I—I heard him yell,” Nila said, “but I hoped it wasn't my fault he was upset. I'm so sorry.” She shook her head and leaned forward. “But Lydia, Nick would never go visit his father. That man used Nick as a punching bag from the time he was little. He hates his father. Besides, he
was
at the store.” She scooted her chair back and pushed herself upright. “Excuse me. I have to go.”

“Nila, wait.”

She ignored Lydia's plea and hurried to her room. Nila's mind whirled as she paced her small space.

Constable Roth didn't believe her. Dave and Lydia still did, she hoped, but her problems were disrupting their lives. What was she supposed to do? She put her hand to her forehead and sat on her bed. Was she going crazy? Was it possible she'd imagined Nick's threats and attack?

She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. A jolt of pain in her left arm reassured her. No. Nick had been there. He'd injured her. She wasn't crazy. But she felt so alone. So hopeless. She couldn't depend on the police or anyone else for protection. That left God. Only He could help her.

Was God there? Did He see her?

A name swam into focus: Hagar. Nila got her Bible and flipped through the pages of Genesis until she found Hagar's story in Genesis 16. Hagar, Sarah's maidservant, had been used and abused by her mistress and was running away. She remembered the feeling of kinship the first time she'd read that chapter. Hagar and she had a lot in common.

She read on until she found what she was looking for: the name Hagar gave to God.
El Roi, the God who sees me.

She placed her open palm on her Bible and lifted her face upward. “Thank You, Father God, for seeing me. You know what Nick is doing, and You know his plans. Help me, please, to trust in Your power. Fill me with Your mighty Spirit, so I don't have to be afraid. I've been too tangled in Nick's web of fear to listen to You, but I'm listening now. To You, not Nick.” As she sat with her eyes closed, she felt peace wash over her from head to toe. It wrapped her like a comforter, and she breathed deeply, filling her lungs and body with tranquility.

After several minutes, she opened her eyes. Was this how Lydia felt behind her serene smile? She felt lighter somehow, as though the weight of fear had been removed.

“Thank you, Jesus,” she whispered.

She looked around her cozy room, and the hunger she'd tamped down so many times flared again. She was free from fear, but she craved more. She wanted more freedom and more responsibility. She needed a home of her own. She nibbled her lip. Did she dare? Was it time?

She grabbed the newspaper from the family room and eagerly searched the “for rent” ads. Nothing clicked. She tossed the paper onto the coffee table. She didn't know why, but she felt certain those ads wouldn't lead her to her new home. Hope dimmed.

She bowed her head, and the memory of another ad materialized. Her head lifted, and hope displaced her disappointment. God promised to watch over her. Had he also prepared a new home for her?

 

 

 

 

21

 

By the time the sun began its ascent in brilliant strokes of color, Will felt as though he'd put in a full day's work. Even though it was barely nine o'clock.

He'd sanded and primed the basement walls, and now paint and plumbing fixtures for the bathroom rode in the back of his truck. He scowled as he recalled how many times he'd checked behind him as he'd picked up his supplies.

Too bad that creep hadn't shown his face. He would have jumped at the chance to teach him a lesson. He'd worked so hard to tame his temper, but now he wished he could release it. On Nick.

He squinted as he turned east onto his street. The rising sun hit his windshield, blinding him. His eyelids closed to slits, and his breath whooshed out as he drove into the dim light of the shop. He rubbed his eyes. Spots still danced every time he blinked. He grabbed the paint and plumbing supplies and headed to the house.

By noon, he'd painted the first coat and plumbed in the bathroom fixtures. Will wiped sweat from his brow as he climbed the stairs.

He hoped Nila liked that off-white color for the bathroom. He wondered if she'd be all right with helping him choose more paint. Maybe at a different store. He'd call her after lunch.

While his canned soup heated, Will opened the living room drapes. Sunlight created diamonds on the snow, nearly blinding him again. But extra flashes of light across the street caught his eye. He stepped closer to the window and peered at the scene.

What was on his mom's driveway
?

He heard the bubbling sound first and then smelled his lunch boiling over onto the stove. He ran to the kitchen, pulled the pot off the burner, and set it aside. He looked out the window again.

Something wasn't right. He decided to check it out while the soup cooled.

Bundled into his heavy work boots, parka, and mitts, he crossed the street to the driveway he'd kept scrupulously clean. Unlike his own.

When he got to the curb, he stopped and stared. And groaned. Shards of glass littered the driveway, reflecting sunshine in dancing sparkles that mocked him.

For half a second he considered phoning the police, but he realized that would just convince them that someone was after Daniel. Will knew better.

Nick
.
It had to be him. Nila had said something after the store incident about an accident. Nick had threatened him. Not his mother or Daniel. So why?

Will groaned again. The stupid creep must have thought he still lived over here. No wonder he'd been snooping around this house. He wasn't as smart as he thought.

He went back to his home and grabbed a broom, shovel, and dustpan. As he scraped and swept up Nick's mischief, another thought hit.

What if Nick saw the bed and thought Will had made it for Nila? Did he dare trust the security system?

 

****

 

Nila hurried into the living room, “Lydia, where could I find the church newsletter from last month? Did you keep it?”

Lydia lowered her knitting needles. “I think so. Check the basket on the kitchen counter.”

Nila found the paper with the ad she'd remembered. Her heart beat faster. Why hadn't she followed up on this before?

She made a phone call, and as she asked questions and jotted notes, her excitement grew.

She leaned against the doorway to the living room. “Dave, Lydia, could you come in here for a minute? I need to talk to you.”

Moments later, Nila studied the faces of her landlords as they sat at the table. She loved them so much, and she knew they loved her. Would they understand and support her move?

She took a deep breath. “I've made a decision. The time is right, and I'm ready to move to a place of my own.”

“But…” Lydia injected.

Nila held up one hand. “Wait. Please hear me out. You two have been wonderful. You've given me a home and made me feel like a real daughter. You'll never know how much that means to me.”

The love shining from their faces nearly undid her composure. She inhaled a shaky breath and clasped her hands together in front of her.

Dave reached his large hand across the table and placed it on hers. “It has been our privilege, dear heart. You've been good for us.”

Lydia nodded.

Nila sat up straighter. “When you offered me a place to stay after I left Nick, you said it would be for as long as I needed. It's been more than a year.”

Lydia opened her mouth, but Nila continued. “Your home has been a sanctuary for me, but it's time I quit hiding. It's time to make a home of my own. Without fear. You taught me to listen to God, and that's what I'm doing. It took a while, but now I know I can trust Him.” Her voice wobbled, but she gulped and carried on. “I think I found the perfect place.”

“Where?” Dave leaned forward, the grooves framing his mouth accentuated.

“You know Carson and Kendra Elliot.”

They both nodded, smiles relaxing their faces.

“Of course,” Lydia said. “Dave married them four years ago. They live just a few blocks from here, don't they?”

“Yes, and they have a basement suite for rent. Her name came to me while I was praying, and I remembered seeing their ad in the newsletter. So I phoned, and it's still available.” She scooted forward on her chair, eagerness radiating from her. “It's furnished, the rent is reasonable, and they said I could come see it today, if I want.”

Dave sighed. “And this is what you want?”

Tears pricked Nila's eyes at the understanding in his. “Yes, I do. I can walk. It's not far.”

Lydia's smile looked wistful as she patted Nila's hand. “Do you need to do this alone, or could we come with you?”

She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. “I would love it if you would.”

When they parked in front of the Elliot house, Nila felt a surge of anticipation. The raised bungalow with large basement windows beckoned her. She opened her door before Dave shut off the engine.

“It looks nice, doesn't it?” Lydia said. “I like those big basement windows. That's something we couldn't do.”

They went to the back door where Kendra greeted them. “Hi, Pastor Dave and Lydia. Nila, I'm so glad you could come right away. We've had this advertised for a while, but no one seems to want to move this close to Christmas.”

She led the way down the stairs. “The outside door is shared, but each unit has its own metal door with deadbolts.”

She unlocked the bright blue door at the bottom of the stairs and stepped aside. “Come on in.”

Sunlight filled the open space, and Nila's eyes widened as she gazed around. “It's beautiful.”

Kendra followed them in. “The kitchen is small, and the appliances aren't new, but it's got all the necessities. We put in new windows when we redid the upstairs, and we upgraded the insulation.”

Nila ran her hand along the counter. The marbled, dark brown laminate wouldn't have been her choice, but it looked almost new. White cupboards and walls brightened the space, as did two wide windows. The fridge and stove gleamed and looked to be in good shape.

“They both work well. We made sure of that.” Kendra answered her unasked question.

The rest of the open room held an older, flowered couch, stacked storage cubicles, and a small wooden table with four mismatched chairs. Nila sat on the couch and leaned back. She imagined relaxing here after work, maybe watching TV. She patted the cushion beside her.

“This is comfortable. I like it. A lot.”

Kendra opened a door. “This is the bedroom, and the bathroom is next to it. The mattress is new.”

Nila stood in the doorway. The bed was nothing more than a mattress and box spring on a frame, but the plush pillow-top mattress brought another smile. Pale blue walls, beige Berber carpet, and a deep, open closet completed the room. She felt herself drawn to the shallow but wide window. Sunshine peeked around the blinds, enticing her. She opened them and faced a snow bank and a fence.

“The view's not the best,” Kendra said, “but in the summer I'll have flowers there. And we meant to get closet doors installed. Maybe we could work out a deal on that, if you wanted to do the work.”

Nila nodded absently as she checked out the bathroom. Not fancy, but clean. She turned to Kendra, Dave, and Lydia. “I love it.”

Kendra's face lit up. “Really? Oh, I'm glad. When you phoned, I told Carson this might be the answer to our prayers. When do you want to move in? We're going to be away between Christmas and New Year's, and we'd hoped to have someone in before then.” She pressed her hand to her mouth. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rush you. But if you do take it before the end of the year, we wouldn't charge rent until January.”