Tomorrow

by Donna Poole

“Happy New Year, dear.” Ken kissed her cheek, and she rubbed where his rough whiskers had scratched.

Cathy groaned and rolled over. “Do we have to go to that party today?”

“You know Joey will be broken hearted if we don’t.”

“I can’t understand why the pastor would schedule a party on a day when people would rather be home with their families. This is Terry’s last New Year’s with us. Next year he’ll be in college, and Will the year after him.”

Ken patted her back. “Do you suppose the pastor might wish he could stay home with his family today too, kick back, eat a few snacks, and watch football?”

Cathy laughed. “Ken, he doesn’t know a football from a basketball.”

Ken chuckled. “I know. Still, maybe he’d rather stay home. But it isn’t every day when someone turns 100 years old, and everyone loves Benjamin, especially Joey. We should go, but we won’t if you don’t want to.”

She sighed and got out of bed. “We might as well go. Will and Terry will probably disappear somewhere with friends if we stay home. At least this way the five of us will be in the same place for a few hours.”

Random thoughts chased each other through Cathy’s head as Ken made toast. and she scrambled a dozen eggs.

We’ve had barely any time as a family this whole Christmas break. First both sets of parents showed up for a week. I love them, but that was exhausting, especially when my siblings decided we should have family Christmas here. “You have the biggest house. You don’t mind, do you?” Then Janie and Bill asked if their kids could stay with us while the two of them went away for the weekend. Now our kids will be back in school in just a few days and that hectic schedule of trying to keep up with all their activities begins all over again. And soon Terry will be off to college and our family will never be the same again. Ken is hinting perhaps his folks should move in with us, and he’s probably right. His mom fell when they were here. So much to worry about. And money? Oh, don’t even go there, girl!

But she did. She played the numbers game while she flipped the eggs. Ken was older than she was, and his sixty-one years were starting to show on him. She sometimes wondered how long he’d be able to keep working. He’d worked for a small business all his life. He loved the work but had no retirement. Zero. Zip. Perhaps they could have saved more, but looking back she didn’t see how. And Joey, a surprise blessing born when she’d been forty, was going to require long term care. He’d live with them until they died. Ken would probably die long before she did, how would she care for Joey then?

Joey was the first boy down the stairs. “Hi, Mama! Look! I’m ready for the party!”

Tears sprang to Cathy’s eyes at the proud smile on Joey’s face. At six years old he functioned at about age three, and specialists said he’d probably plateau at the functional age of seven and go no further.

“You look great, Joey! Let me just straighten your shirt a bit.”

He’d buttoned only two of the six buttons, and they were in the wrong holes. His shoes were on the wrong feet.

“After breakfast you might want to put on jeans. It’s kind of cold out to wear shorts to the party, honey.”

“Okay, Mama! Do I have to wait for my brudders? I’m kinda hungry!”

Cathy laughed and scooped a pile of eggs on his plate. “You go ahead and pray and eat.”

“God is great. God is good. And we thank him for our food. And we thank him for Mr. Benjamin’s party. Woo hoo! Amen.”

Ken grinned and hugged his son. “You love Mr. Benjamin, don’t you?”

“Yep. We’re brudders.”

“What?”

“Yep. He says Benjamin and Joseph were brudders in the Bible so we’re brudders.”

“Oh, that’s right. And Rachel was their mother.”

“I dunno. But me and Mr. Benjamin are brudders. I’m gonna give him the new coloring book and crayons I got for Christmas. Can I have more eggs, Mama? I’m still hungry.”

Ken looked at the pan and laughed. “Let’s let your mama sit awhile. She’s been awfully tired lately. I’ll scramble some more eggs so Terry and Will have enough to eat too.”

Cathy sighed. I never want the boys to feel hungry, but why do eggs have to cost four dollars a dozen?

Time flew as it always does, and they barely got to church in time for the party. Only after they were there did Cathy realize Joey’s shoes were still on the wrong feet.

The fellowship hall was full. It seemed Ken was right; everyone did love Benjamin, but none more than Joey. Joey grinned and clapped his hands when Benjamin pronounced the coloring book and crayons his favorite gift, and Cathy knew he was telling the truth. It was his favorite, even though the church had collected money and put it in an envelope he’d already opened. He’d thanked them profusely, but the thank you to Joey came with his tears.  

“Benjamin, before you blow out the candles on your cake, would you say a few words of wisdom to all of us?” the pastor asked.

Cathy sighed inwardly. Here it comes. A too cheerful speech from Mr. Pollyanna. Just what I don’t need today.

Benjamin got to his feet with a little help from bystanders. “I want you all to know I’ve had a hard life, a very difficult life full of terrible things.”

He paused and Cathy stared at him. The rest of the crowd sat in stunned silence. This was not what they’d expected.

“Yes, indeed, folks, terrible things, but ninety-nine percent of them never happened.”

Then he slapped his hands together and roared with laughter. “You see, I spent a lot of time worrying about things that might happen that never did. Then when I was a kid of about sixty or so I decided to face the future with faith not fear. I discovered tomorrow is none of my business, so I’d let God take care of it. He hasn’t let me down yet. Now, it hasn’t been all sunshine. It was terribly hard when I lost Helen. Other things have been difficult too, but my life has had so much joy. Yours can be too, if you face the future with faith and say goodbye to fear.”

Benjamin sat down and smiled at the sheet cake shining with one-hundred candles. “I need help blowing out these candles before we set the place on fire! Where’s my little brother?”

Joey ran to his side, his shoes still on the wrong feet. “I’m right here, Mr. Benjamin!”

Cathy thought she’d never forget the sight of the two faces pressed close together, the wrinkled old man and the little boy. And she’d try to remember. Faith, not fear.

“Ken, tomorrow really isn’t any of my business, is it?”

He laughed and hugged her. “Happy New Year, dear.” And then, right there in church, he kissed her. But no one noticed. They were all clapping for the two brothers blowing out one-hundred candles.

The end

***

These blogs are now available in book form on Amazon:

Backroad Ramblings Volume One: Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter

Backroad Ramblings Volume Two: Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter

Backroad Ramblings Volume Three: Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter

Backroad Ramblings Volume Four: Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter

I have six other books on Amazon as well, four fiction books in the “Life at the Corners” series, and two children’s Christmas picture books.

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