Steppin' into the Good Life by Tia McCollors

Author:Tia McCollors [McCollors, Tia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8024-7792-7
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2011-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 35

I’d promised God that I wouldn’t miss a Sunday service once my car was repaired, but I hadn’t promised that I wouldn’t be late. Thank goodness. I rode through the front parking lot of Grace Worship Center, even though I knew the chances of finding a close space were slim to none. I’d always thought churches were more packed during the summer because the winter hibernators came out of their caves once the hot weather settled in.

In the wintry months it had been hard for me to convince my body that it wanted to crawl from under my down comforter so that I could go to church. Now, I don’t think a blizzard would keep me from being there. I’d ski to church if I had to. After the Travis fiasco I needed to get my mind and actions on track.

I parked Lexie then strapped on my heels. That’s when I noticed Eden a few rows away. She was talking into a car that had made its own parking space in the grassy area off to the side. She wore a grimace that made me want to watch—wait and see if she was okay. I wondered what had made her so upset. The driver’s side door opened, and I didn’t have to guess any longer.

Although Eden hadn’t said a word to me about the man I’d first noticed at the bookstore, I knew he had to be her son. I knew a mother’s unconditional love for a son when I saw it, because I’d seen it in Mama’s love for Devin.

His face and hair looked like they’d been recently washed and groomed, but his clothes still needed some tender loving care. Eden tried to pull him down so she could give him a strong embrace, like her hug would transform him into the loving son she had once known before he had been snatched by whatever had a hold on him.

His arms hung limply by his side, but Eden didn’t let him go. After a moment, he let his arms rest on her back. His head drooped. His shoulders bowed. Then he pulled away.

Eden had a handkerchief in her hand. She used it to blot her cheeks, and then wiped it across his forehead. Down both of his cheeks. Across his chin. Her son got back into the car and rolled down the window, but he wouldn’t let Eden kiss his head. He gently grabbed her wrists as if her touch and prayers were torturing him.

My eyes welled with tears. Watching them made me understand why my mother tolerated Devin. I didn’t like it … couldn’t support it … but I understood it.

Eden stood in the parking lot and watched the car until it pulled out onto the main street. Her lips were moving, and I knew she was praying for her own strength and for her son’s. I didn’t want to intrude on her moment so I waited until she turned and started heading back toward the church before I opened my door.

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