A Future and a Hope by David Mathews

Author:David Mathews [Mathews, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young adult Christian Fiction
Publisher: Ambassador International
Published: 2018-01-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

FULL OF SURPRISES

“WHERE DID THE TIME GO?” Caleb posed the question to Ellie one evening while the two were sitting on their favorite swing.

It was a warm Saturday in early May, and they had just completed their shifts at the Pet Palace and were enjoying some take-out burgers from the Dairy Shack they’d picked up on the way to Miss Cora’s house.

Their senior year of high school was rapidly drawing to a close, and the semester had blown by to the pair like a bullet train to a couple of passengers standing stationary on the platform a few feet from the tracks. It was hard to believe that graduation was just around the corner. The entire second semester seemed to be compressed into a few short weeks, but a lot had transpired in that time.

In addition to his work hours at the pet store, Caleb picked up a half-dozen lawn mowing jobs to help pad his college savings account. Yet he still managed to find time to participate on the Baxter boys track team, where he competed in the 400-meter and 400-meter relay with a satisfactory measure of success.

Ellie continued to grow in her newfound faith, and not a youth meeting passed where she didn’t come prepared with a list of questions for Tony or Amanda. In March her federal student aid application was approved, which, when coupled with the partial art scholarship she had received in January, completely covered her tuition and room and board at UGA.

On top of that good news, and out of the blue, Mrs. Sinclair informed her that an acquaintance of one of the art professors who had judged Ellie’s entries in the art competition had seen her work and had been very impressed with her talent. He wanted to commission her to do a number of water color and ink drawings for the lobby of a large hotel he owned in downtown Atlanta. The amount he was offering to pay for her artwork was more than enough to purchase a new wardrobe for college.

Even though they were busier than ever, they still had time to spend with each other. Whether it was with the gang at Edwards or the Dairy Shack, or just the two of them alone on a date, they enjoyed every minute they were together.

It was becoming rather apparent to all their friends that there was something special going on between them, something wonderful developing in the relationship, something magical. They were falling in love.

Two weeks before graduation, Ellie was surprised to learn that she had been named class salutatorian, losing out to Monica Stedwell for valedictorian by only two hundredths of a grade point.

To celebrate this honor, Caleb took her to a fancy restaurant in Dothan the following Saturday night. The two enjoyed a delicious meal and a romantic walk in a nearby park.

“Thank you for planning such a wonderful evening,” Ellie said, as they strolled hand in hand down the path. “You told me on my birthday that you weren’t any good at planning things like this.

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