Brian Canfield watched as Alex Hobbs painted his pinecar body that Mac
Davenport cut for him not too long ago while Julie Benson was already
putting the decals on hers. She had a new VW Beetle shape not unlike
the old model racer Dawn Canfield had though Julie created her own
template. Julie liked the Beetle shape as well as Dawn.
Brian also noticed it and said to her, "Julie, I have some spare eyes
which you could use as headlights, just a thought."
"Thanks," Julie replied enthusiastically, "That'd be cool."
Across the table from Brian, Dawn, Julie, and Alex the
twin boys, Toby and D.J. were attempting to apply the wheels to
their cars when Toby nearly jagged himself using a nail axle when
attempting to put it on.
Brian looked over just in time to stop Toby from poking himself
as he tried to insert the axle into the pre-cut slot on the body block.
"Toby", Brian called out as he quickly walked around the table,
"Don't do that. You'll poke yourself. Let me help you with that."
"I can get it!" Toby insisted when his father stepped in.
"Toby," his father said firmly, "Let Brian help you with that. He's
right, you'll hurt yourself."
"Yes, sir," Toby said meekly.
Mac was cleaning sawdust from the scroll and band saws and
saw how Brian was quick to react to save the boy Toby from
hurting himself. It confirmed that he made the right choice of
allowing Brian to supervise the car assembly activity.
It reminded Mac of his pinewood derby days at the church
when he was Brian's age and he, like Brian, was asked to
supervise the pinecar assembly activity. He was glad to
have kept two of his old pinecars as keepsakes. They
served as an inspiration to the children in the activity
at present.
After gathering all the sawdust and depositing it in a
receptacle kept next to the work table, he decided to
step outside for some air.
As Mac opened the door and stepped out into the
parking lot he saw a black and white Dodge Charger
patrol car bearing the Newberry Police Department
markings pull in to the lot. Mac watched it as it pulled
in and slowed toward where he was standing.
Mac, on seeing the police car, immediately started
to guess as to why it pulled in.
Let me guess, Mac thought uneasily, Their mom got
arrested.
The Dodge pulled up next to Mac and Mac saw that it
was Officer Frank Hunt getting out of the cruiser.
Mac started with, "Yes Frank? What can I do for you?"
Frank answered with, "Would you happen to have two kids
by the name of Julie Benson and Alexander Hobbs here?"
"We do, Frank," Mac replied, "Is their mom in trouble?"
"I'm afraid so, Mac," Frank answered sadly, but before
Frank could go any further Mac held up a hand.
"Frank," Mac said, "I'll go in and get them. It might go
easier on them if me or someone else here tells them about this."
"I quite understand," said Frank and then he asked, "Would any
one here be able to look after them?"
"I know of one who might be able to," Mac said, "Please stay there
and I'll tell them."
"Thanks, Mac."
Mac headed toward the door of the fellowship hall, his stomach almost
in a knott over what he had to do.
Officer Hunt watched Mac head back inside and as he went in Hunt got
back into his cruiser and looked back up at the picture of his eight-year-old
son clinging to the sun visor as his son seemingly smiled down on him. He
wanted to remind himself that he was a father while getting into any
incident that involved children.
Mac made his way to the table where Julie and Alex were working
on their kits along with the other children. But first he went over to
tell Gary about what had just transpired, talking low enough so no
one else, especially the children, would here. He didn't want to
alarm them.
"Oh, no," Gary gasped softly, doing his best to keep it low, "I had
a bad feeling about this!"
"I got Officer Hunt outside now," Mac said, "I thought it best that
I came in and went out there with them. It might make it less stressful
for them."
"I'll go out there with you, Mac," Gary insisted, "They know me as
well as they do you."
"Alright. We both go out with them, then."
Mac then went over to where Julie and Alex were and spoke with them.
Julie and Alex followed Mac and Gary outside.
Brian watched as Julie and Alex went outside with Mac and his father
and suddenly got the feeling something was up. Dawn also suspected
a similar feeling and turned to Brian and said, "I think something's wrong,
Brian. Dad and Uncle Mac looked kinda serious."
"I think so, too, Dawn," Brian said, "But Uncle Mac and Dad will handle
it. And besides," he went on, "We're needed here."
Dawn looked toward the door where Mac, her dad and the kids went out
through, worry in her eyes. Brian, ever the older brother, firmly but gently
clasped his left hand on top of her head and gently turned her stare back
toward the table.
"It's going to be all right, Sis," Brian reassured her and then reminded her,
"Remember how we've always been praying for them?"
"Yes."
"God is in control of this, too. Just wait, they'll be back in here."
Brian continued to supervise the other kids' activities while silently praying
about the possible but unseen incident involving Julie and Alex. He was
also hoping he wasn't being foolish in his reassuring his sister that Julie
and Alex would come back inside. He became uneasy at the feeling
that he may have just made a liar out of himself by giving his younger
sister a false assurance.
I hope I don't have to repent of what I said, Brian thought uneasily to
himself, fighting the urge to look back at the door just as Dawn had done.
This concludes Chapter Eleven.
As Mac opened the door and stepped out into the
parking lot he saw a black and white Dodge Charger
patrol car bearing the Newberry Police Department
markings pull in to the lot. Mac watched it as it pulled
in and slowed toward where he was standing.
Mac, on seeing the police car, immediately started
to guess as to why it pulled in.
Let me guess, Mac thought uneasily, Their mom got
arrested.
The Dodge pulled up next to Mac and Mac saw that it
was Officer Frank Hunt getting out of the cruiser.
Mac started with, "Yes Frank? What can I do for you?"
Frank answered with, "Would you happen to have two kids
by the name of Julie Benson and Alexander Hobbs here?"
"We do, Frank," Mac replied, "Is their mom in trouble?"
"I'm afraid so, Mac," Frank answered sadly, but before
Frank could go any further Mac held up a hand.
"Frank," Mac said, "I'll go in and get them. It might go
easier on them if me or someone else here tells them about this."
"I quite understand," said Frank and then he asked, "Would any
one here be able to look after them?"
"I know of one who might be able to," Mac said, "Please stay there
and I'll tell them."
"Thanks, Mac."
Mac headed toward the door of the fellowship hall, his stomach almost
in a knott over what he had to do.
Officer Hunt watched Mac head back inside and as he went in Hunt got
back into his cruiser and looked back up at the picture of his eight-year-old
son clinging to the sun visor as his son seemingly smiled down on him. He
wanted to remind himself that he was a father while getting into any
incident that involved children.
Mac made his way to the table where Julie and Alex were working
on their kits along with the other children. But first he went over to
tell Gary about what had just transpired, talking low enough so no
one else, especially the children, would here. He didn't want to
alarm them.
"Oh, no," Gary gasped softly, doing his best to keep it low, "I had
a bad feeling about this!"
"I got Officer Hunt outside now," Mac said, "I thought it best that
I came in and went out there with them. It might make it less stressful
for them."
"I'll go out there with you, Mac," Gary insisted, "They know me as
well as they do you."
"Alright. We both go out with them, then."
Mac then went over to where Julie and Alex were and spoke with them.
Julie and Alex followed Mac and Gary outside.
Brian watched as Julie and Alex went outside with Mac and his father
and suddenly got the feeling something was up. Dawn also suspected
a similar feeling and turned to Brian and said, "I think something's wrong,
Brian. Dad and Uncle Mac looked kinda serious."
"I think so, too, Dawn," Brian said, "But Uncle Mac and Dad will handle
it. And besides," he went on, "We're needed here."
Dawn looked toward the door where Mac, her dad and the kids went out
through, worry in her eyes. Brian, ever the older brother, firmly but gently
clasped his left hand on top of her head and gently turned her stare back
toward the table.
"It's going to be all right, Sis," Brian reassured her and then reminded her,
"Remember how we've always been praying for them?"
"Yes."
"God is in control of this, too. Just wait, they'll be back in here."
Brian continued to supervise the other kids' activities while silently praying
about the possible but unseen incident involving Julie and Alex. He was
also hoping he wasn't being foolish in his reassuring his sister that Julie
and Alex would come back inside. He became uneasy at the feeling
that he may have just made a liar out of himself by giving his younger
sister a false assurance.
I hope I don't have to repent of what I said, Brian thought uneasily to
himself, fighting the urge to look back at the door just as Dawn had done.
This concludes Chapter Eleven.
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