Chapter Twelve
Holly
“Morning, my angel,” my father said as I woke up that morning. He handed me a cup of tea and toast, and I smiled sleepily at him.
“I could get used to this, you know. I might just end up staying here forever if you keep waking me up like this.”
“That’s the plan.”
I chuckled. “Thanks again for letting me stay here while I sort my life out again. I thought I’d feel like a failure but to be honest, I’m starting to enjoy the feeling of being relaxed for a change.”
He grinned. “That’s exactly what I wanted you to feel. Stress is not good. You’ll find a great job soon enough. For now, it’s good to just relax and enjoy yourself. You’re too young to be stressed. Trust me, I speak from experience. These years are going to go by so fast, so don’t waste them on worrying about things that are out of your control. Just trust in God, and everything will fall into place. Now, speaking of God, do you want to come to the church with me this morning? I’ve been telling everyone that you’re back and they all want the chance to see you again. If we don’t go there, they’re probably all going to hang around snooping until they see you.”
I laughed. “I’m like an animal at a zoo or something. I’m not that impressive to look at. But yeah, that sounds great, Dad. I’ll definitely come along this morning. I’d love to see everyone.”
“Wonderful!”
I finished my breakfast and tea and then got ready for a morning with my father. It was a Tuesday so the congregation wouldn’t be there, but the church office was always brimming with workers. It was a big church, and the people that worked there were like one big family. I hadn’t seen them since I’d left, so it would be nice to see them again. I had promised myself that I would join a church in my new city, but I’d always been too busy to attend. For the past few years, I had brought home work with me almost every weekend. And when I didn’t have work, I would be too exhausted to do anything else but catch up on some well-deserved sleep. I went to church three times during the entire time I had been away, but it never felt right. It simply didn’t match up to the one from home, and without my father talking, I didn’t feel the same. My father was an incredibly good speaker. He was a reserved man in his usual life, but as soon as he got up to speak at the church, he became a new man. Everyone loved him because he was energetic and positive, and he preached in a way that made you feel like you could relate to him. He was born for this job.
My father and I made our way to his office to drop off a few things, and he took me around to see his secretary, who squealed with delight when she saw me. Polly was a sweet old lady. She was nice to everyone, but she had a soft spot for my father, whom she had always treated like she did her own children. Because of that, she had always looked at me as her granddaughter. She’d always taken great delight that her name was Polly while mine was Holly, saying that the two of us were simply meant to be in each other’s lives. When my mother died, she was the sole reason that we continued to eat well every night. She made sure that she brought casseroles around every night so that the family got fed. For someone her age, she was very impressive in her energy, and the moment she saw me, she jumped right out of her seat and came to embrace me. She hugged me tightly, kissed me on both cheeks, and then stood arm’s length from me to assess me.
“Holly! Look at you. You’re a sight to behold. I always knew that you were going to grow up to be so beautiful. A late bloomer, that’s for sure. My daughter was the same. When she hit her mid-twenties, she suddenly turned into this absolute beauty. You are just absolutely wonderful to look at.”
I blushed. “Oh, Polly, I’ve missed you. Thank you so much. I’m sure I’m just the same as when I left, though.”
“No, you have blossomed. Although, you could use a little fattening up. I’m simply going to have to bring over a casserole one of these days.”
I grinned. “I have no problem with that. I’ve missed your cooking.”
“It’s good to have you back. The place is just not the same without you, and your father is not the same without you. Look at how happy he is to have you around.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll get sick of me soon enough. But I’m making the most of being home for sure.”
“Good. You must. You youngsters always work yourself to the bone, and it’s just not good for anyone to work that hard. Will we be seeing more of you?”
“Absolutely!”
“Good. Oh dear, there’s my phone. See you soon, lovely Holly.”
I chuckled and walked over to my father.
“Oh, I’ve missed her. Is she still as energetic as before? She certainly seems to be.”
“She is. She puts all of us to shame. If there’s anyone that loves life, it’s her. Come on; let’s take you to Theresa. She’s been dying to see you too.”
Theresa was another office worker that had worked at the church for a very long time. She was a tall, rather large woman, with a smile that never seemed to fade. It made me feel sad that I had worked at a place that had taken mine away for so long.
“Holly! Look at you! All grown up.”
I chuckled. Did I really look so different? Everyone seemed to be so surprised when they saw me. I hadn’t left that long ago, and I was sure I still looked the same. Sure, I didn’t have those dorky glasses on anymore, and I probably held myself a little more confidently, but people were treating me like I was a brand-new person.
“Theresa, it’s so good to see you again.”
“Oh, it’s so good to see you too. What a sight for sore eyes you are. Rick, you must be so proud of your little girl.”
My father beamed. “I am.”
It was nice to be surrounded by such happy people for a change. I hadn’t felt this good around a group of people in a very long time. I forgot how good it felt to be in such positive company. I spent some time talking to Theresa and telling her about what I had been up to for the past few years. My father kept boasting about the things that I had achieved, and I realized how lucky I was to have a father who was so proud of me.
“Now, are you dating? I’m assuming a girl like you has the men just running after her.”
I laughed. “Nope. I’m single.”
“You are? Well, that’s good, then.”
“Why is that good?”
“Because I have just the man for you. My son Ryan just got back from a job overseas. He’s a fine young man, and I definitely think that the two of you would get along just great. Now, would you like me to set you up?”
I laughed. Theresa was not the type of woman that beat around the bush. She always told you exactly where she stood with things. The question was so direct that I didn’t even have the chance to feel embarrassed by it.
“Theresa, we have to get going. I’m sure Holly will think about your proposal, but the poor girl has just arrived. Let’s give her time to breathe.”
“You’ll think about it at least?”
“I sure will,” I said as I followed my dad out.
The moment we were out of earshot, my father rolled his eyes and looked at me. “Theresa is a great girl, but she’s always trying to set that boy up.”
“Is there something wrong with him?” I asked.
My father shook his head. “No, he’s a good guy, but he has a very large ego, which, as you know, is not something I’m very fond of.”
I chuckled as I remembered my father’s words from when I was younger. “Ego is just Edging God Out,” I said as the words came back to me.
My father beamed. “You remember!”
“How could I forget? So corny.”
“Well, corny or not, you remembered, so I’m obviously doing my job well.”
“You are doing your job well,” I said.
“Holly, I don’t mean to spring this on you, but one of the ladies called me this morning to say that they were a staff member short in the children’s wing. Is there any chance you can help out for a few hours? This was not the reason I brought you here though, so if you can’t, I do understand.”
“Are you kidding? I’d love to help.”
“Thanks, my girl,” he said and took me over to see the children.
Geraldine, one of the newer staff members that I hadn’t yet met, came over to introduce herself to me and took me around to meet all the kids. They were delightful, and I was more than happy to spend some time with them. I used to help out in the children’s wing a lot when I was younger, and I’d always found myself connecting to them. They’d asked me once to work for them full time, but I didn’t want to give up my dream of becoming a civil engineer. I was still happy with my choice in life, but I wished now that I had at least made more time to help out in my spare time. Being here with these kids made me realize just how good it felt to give something back to those less fortunate.
“You’ve got a great way with them,” Geraldine said to me a little later that morning.
“You think?”
“Oh yeah. Not everyone can do this. I’ve seen so many people come and go. It always amazes me to see these super confident people that work so well with adults feel completely intimidated by the children. But you’re very soft-spoken, and the children definitely seem to flock to you in a way I don’t often see.”
I smiled. “Thank you so much. That’s nice of you to say. Well, I’m staying with my father for a while, and I’m in between jobs, so if you ever need me to help out, I’d be more than happy to.”
She grinned. “I might take you up on that offer. We need someone like you here.”
I stayed in the children’s wing longer than my father had asked me to. He kept coming to see if everything was okay, but I think he could see that I was more than happy to help out. The kids were unbelievably sweet, and they left me with such a happy feeling inside my heart.
I felt on top of the world when I got home. A full day surrounded by my church family was just what I needed. I smiled when I saw that a text from Andrea was waiting for me. I’d been meaning to call her, so I was glad that she had gotten in touch.
Free tomorrow night? I’d love to see you. How about we go out dancing?
I chuckled at the message. There was no way that I wanted to go out dancing. I might have felt confident with the children today, but I was not nearly as confident when it came to hanging out with adults.
Not sure about dancing, but I’d love to catch up over a beer.
Deal!
I was surprised at how excited I was at the prospect of spending a night out with my old friend again. I had spent most of my evenings in the past year just sitting at home watching TV or catching up on work. It would be nice to finally go out and do something for a change. I wanted to be a little less like Holly and a little more like Polly. She was so much older than me, but she certainly knew how to live.