Page 47 of Loving Decker

He nodded and sat back down, but he couldn’t stay in his seat. “Mama, how are you so wise? And why couldn’t I see it before?”

“Well, we all have trouble seeing things from other people’s perspectives. Isn’t the goal that we all see with our heart a little bit more and a little bit better?”

“Yeah, that would be great if we could do that.” He was thinking he’d already epically failed. How would he improve? “But especially for her, I want to see how I can be there for her better.”

“Well, we know the Bible says to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. But add to that all the examples of Jesus Himself helping people in the ways they most needed it. Isn’t that really His way? He knows us, and He reaches out to us in just the ways we need. He helps us grow and helps us feel loved and teaches us all along the way.” Mama smiled, and the room lit with hope. “I know you can do this, son. You have a lot of potential to bring joy into that deserving woman’s life.”

A sense of comfort joined the hope, and he started making plans to be more and do more for Faith Haws. “So you don’t think it would be too much too soon if I just tell her how I feel and my goals for us?”

She laughed. “Oh, Decker. No. It would not be too much too soon. That girl has been in love with you since the fifth grade.”

He was floored. “Ma. She has not.”

“She really has. And I can’t wait until she tells you all about it.” She grinned again. “But at any rate, she needs you. And I love that little lady so much it’s time you showed her all the people in her life who would do just about anything for her.” She lifted up a family picture. “She fits right here.” She ran a finger in the space next to Decker. She was holding the last family picture they had taken when his dad was still alive. “He loves her, too. Do you know what he said one time when she was helping muck out the barn?”

“What?”

“He said, when Decker’s ready, I want you to make sure he knows what a special lady that is. With Faith at his side, there is nothing our son couldn’t do, nothing in this whole world.”

Decker teared up immediately. “He said that?”

She nodded. “He did. And of course I wasn’t gonna tell you unless you actually fell in love with her, but I think it’s time you know.”

“Fell in love.” The dazzlement of those words struck him. Was he in love?

“Tosh. I shouldn’t have even said that. People don’t fall in love. They grow in love, and they stay in love with work. Love is a verb. But that’s a conversation for another day.”

Decker stood. And then he leaned down to kiss his mother on the top of her head. “You are a giant of a woman. Thank you, Mama.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, and son, I hope you get to spend some time out in those big buildings you like so much, but you’re gonna have a devil of a time convincing Faith that anything in the world is better than what we have right here.”

“I know, Mama. I know.” He had had that exact same thought. But the opportunities stayed in his mind, and the draw to give it a shot never left. He couldn’t help but think that maybe God was in those opportunities too.His hand is stretched out still.

Chapter Seventeen

Faith woke up with tears on her cheeks. Her pillow was wet. And her memory was hazy, but she had a strong sense that she’d just spent time with her grandpa. She sucked in a breath. And that he was trying to say goodbye.

She shook her head. “No, Grandpa.”

But then parts of the dream came back, his ready smile, his laugh, his loyal presence at all the high school things that mattered. She closed her eyes and saw him standing, shouting her name when she received her high school diploma, and then the same again when she received her college diploma. He held her while she cried about her parents. He held her while she laughed. They figured out how to cook food together. And he suffered through many of her burnt attempts. A flash of good, happy thoughts filled her mind and wiped away the pain of her earlier realization. Was it time to say goodbye to Grandpa? She was going to the hospital to see him. She had to.

She got ready slowly, thinking, wondering. What happened to a person when they died? She knew they did not stop existing. She hoped they went home to God. She hoped they were happy and at peace. She knew that he would be better off than lying in a hospital bed unable to speak or move.

But was it her place to decide?

“Help me know what to do.” Her whispered prayer felt loud to her ears. “Please.”

As soon as she was ready, she grabbed half of a bagel and her keys and opened the front door.

Decker stood there with a huge teddy bear.

She jumped. And then laughed. “What are you doing?”

He held it up. “Remember Grumby?”

“How could I forget Grumby? Where did you find him?”

“Well, turns out, he was in my attic.”

---