Altar Call by Hope Lyda

Author:Hope Lyda
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736960441
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.

Definitely Fall

The window to my room opens reluctantly. A summer paint job has nearly sealed the cracks, but with persistence I free the window and allow a cool morning breeze into my small space.

I shudder. Not from the temperature but from the realization that fall is here. My life in Tucson seems so distant, even with the trips back and plenty of phone conversations with the girls. While I have told everyone I feel so fortunate to have two homes, a more honest answer would be that I feel I have no home.

The urge to run away is overpowering. Fall does this to me. There is a longing to go away to school or to follow the season through the Eastern states. I will settle for a breakfast at Locals’ Landing, the corner café.

Excited, I dress in a pair of jeans, trail shoes, and my first sweater of the season. I keep my hair down and let the slight natural wave from a night’s sleep fall where it may. Hoping to sneak out unnoticed, I place most of my weight on the handrail and tread lightly on the stairs. As I set my gaze on the back door, the floorboards announce my arrival and everyone at the breakfast table turns to look at me.

Marcus is, of course, the one to comment. “Mari, you are supposed to sneak out after curfew, not at nine in the morning.”

“Hey,” Dad scolds and flicks a wadded up napkin at him.

“Sorry.” Marcus turns and addresses the kids. “Nobody should ever consider sneaking out after curfew because our security system is very sophisticated.”

Mom pipes up with, “And because it is unethical—which is the better reason.”

I point toward the door, which stands between me and temporary freedom. “I was just heading out for a walk. It’s fall.”

No more explanation is necessary for my mom. She nods and smiles.

Dad waves and says, “You won’t recognize the place. Take the route past the school too. The playground has been renovated; you’ll love it.” He knows right where I am headed.

Josiah makes a gagging sound. “School. Yuck.”

I cannot help but smile at strangers on my way down the street. The mixture of colorful houses, large brick apartment buildings, and small businesses seems a testament to the efforts my parents have made to bring revitalization efforts to this community. There were years when I was not allowed to walk or ride my bike home from school without an adult, though the two-story brick schoolhouse was only a few blocks away.

When I see young professionals sipping coffee at bistro tables outside the café I have to double-check the sign above. Only inside do I see the faces of the old neighborhood seated at regular booths and torn, red vinyl stools at the bar.

Since the place seems busiest outside, I decide to occupy an indoor booth. Most comfortable as an observer, I choose the corner table and sit facing the street. Nobody seems to notice the girl seated alone, not even the waitress.

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