Come Down Somewhere by Jennifer L. Wright

Author:Jennifer L. Wright [Wright, Jennifer L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Christian / Historical, FICTION / Coming of Age
ISBN: 9781496449368
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 2022-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

Tim left on a Saturday morning.

I hung back as he said goodbye to his parents, feeling out of place. He held my hand as the bus rumbled to life behind him, as the other passengers stowed their luggage and climbed up the dirty rubber steps. We didn’t speak. Instead he kissed me. Right there in front of the other passengers, in front of his parents, urgent and improper. A thousand words summed up in the softness of his lips, both promises and apologies, a boy still clinging to a hope of days to come.

A hope I wasn’t sure I’d ever believe in again.

The days rolled by after he left, and somehow so did I. Teachers still taught; preachers still preached. I walked the hallways, attended church services, prepared for the rummage sale. But I didn’t sleep. I barely ate, except when Grandma scolded. I tried to put on a happy face for her, begging off any attempt at heartfelt discussions with a wave of my hand, an imaginary load of homework, or a masterful redirection about her latest projects like a blood drive at the USO. But the truth was, I existed so far inside myself I barely registered any of the outside world. I was a ghost, walled behind my grief, so strong that not even Jo Hawthorne could break through.

Not that she really tried. Our argument at the tagging session lingered between us. Though not unfriendly (because I doubted Jo could be unfriendly even if she tried), she remained distant. Cordial but aloof. She did not engage. She did not pry.

It was better this way. Or at least that’s what I told myself.

Before I knew it, it was the second Saturday in March, and all the items we had categorized and tagged over the past few months lay spread out on tables in the church parking lot. Large, hand-painted signs reading Help Us Replace Our Window! were hung at the entrance. The morning air was still brisk but the sun was warm, and I found myself sweating beneath my brown sweater as I positioned myself in a chair next to the cashbox. Jo, as always, was flawless. Her long hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and upon her cheeks was a smile as wide as my scowl.

“Good morning, ladies,” Pastor Hamilton said, striding toward us with a clipboard in hand. “Are you ready to get to work?”

“Absolutely!” Jo’s enthusiasm was more than enough for the both of us.

“I’ll leave you two in charge of the cashbox. At least one of you needs to be here at all times, but if necessary, the other can meander about, offering help and answering questions. I’ll be around if you need me.”

As he walked away to meet the first wave of bargain hunters already perusing the lot, Jo stripped off her pink cardigan to reveal a modest white blouse with puffy sleeves. She threw the sweater on the chair beside mine and sighed. “It’s hot already. Are you hot?”

“No.” I stared ahead, keeping my eyes on an elderly lady who was digging through a stack of crumbling books.

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