Shelter from the Storm. (Chapter 13)

At the Williams' house Neva was checking the oven to see

how the roast was coming while Karen set up the dining

room table. Richard was seperating the dinner rolls

and putting them in a serving basket.

 Richard looked at his watch and said,  "Mac should be

here any time now."

 "It'll be a few more minutes on the roast, dear," Neva

replied as she closed back the oven door.

 "Table's all set,"  Karen called from the dining room.

 Just then the doorbell rang.  Karen knew that it was Mac

and called back toward the kitchen where her parents were

with, "I'll get it!"

 Karen looked down at her front and realized she was still

wearing her apron that she wore while helping her mother

in the kitchen.

 "OOPS!" Karen gasped, "This isn't presentable!"  She

reached behind to undo the apron strings while heading

toward the kitchen and quickly laid it over a chair by the

kitchen table.  She quickly fluffed her hair as she made her

way back out of the kitchen and toward the front door.

 Richard and Neva watched as Karen quickly went in and

out of the kitchen and noticed how she quickly laid her apron

over the kitchen chair and then fluffed her hair.

 When she had gone Richard and Neva looked at each other

in amusement and smiled.

 "You know something, Richard?"  Neva spoke up first.

  "What, love?"  Richard acknowledged.

 "I think our Pumpkin really likes Mac."

 I think she does, too"

 Mac stood on the front steps of the Williams' house as he

waited for it to open. He looked to the right and saw above

the wall-mounted mailbox the black metal italic-style lettering

that read  The Williamses.  Mac liked the way it was titled.

It has a hospitable, down home charm to it, he thought.

 Mac immediately took his gaze off the lettering and to the

door when he heard it click.  The door swung open and

Mac beheld Karen standing at the door with her trademark

warm and bright smile. Mac noticed she was wearing a rose-

-colored stretch velvet dress.  Seeing that made Mac realize

he made the right choice by wearing his dark blue blazer over a

dark blue and white polo shirt. Of course Mac never had a problem

with formal or even semi-formal. It went with being a church greeter

and the way he was brought up.

 "Good evening, Mac,"  Karen greeted, "Please come in. My mom

and dad will be right out."

"Thanks, Karen,"  Mac replied, "It's a pleasure to be here."

As Mac followed Karen in to the living room, he caught the aroma

of a roast roasting and reminded him of family dinners with his
adoptive parents.

Just then Richard and Neva walked into the living room with

Richard the first to come foreward towards Mac.

 "Mac,"  Richard called out, holding out his right hand, "Glad

you could come this evening. "Welcome!"

"Thanks for having me, Richard,"  Mac answered, taking Richard's

  hand.

 Neva followed right behind and held out her hand as well which Mac

also shook. 
"It's so nice you could come," she said,  "Can we get you

something to drink?  We have coffee, hot cider, and iced tea."

As soon as Neva mentioned hot cider, he began to smell the
sweet aroma of it along with the roast.

 "Hot cider, please."  Mac requested.

 Before Neva could answer, Karen said, "Coming right up, Mac."

Karen headed toward the dining room entrance, turning her head

back and smiling at Mac as she dissappeared into the dining room.

 "Have a seat, Mac," Richard said, extending his hand toward the

sofa  that he was standing in front of.

 "Thank you,"  Mac replied, taking a seat on the plush hunter green

sofa. He noticed that the living room had colors of green and brown,

the same earthy colors he liked as well.

 Just then Karen called from the kitchen.

 "Mom? Dad?" she called out, "Can I get you anything while I'm at it?"

 "I'm good, dear," Neva called back.

  "I am, too,"  added Richard.

  Mac continued looking over the living room decor when Neva said

  to Richard,  "I think the roast should be ready now. You two relax

 while I get things ready, okay?"

 "Anything I can help with?"  Richard offered.

 "No, dear,"  Neva said,  "Keep Mac company until we call you." 

 "Okay, Neva."

 Richard and Mac watched Neva leave for the kitchen with Karen

passing her as she came back into the living room with Mac's hot

cider.  She was holding a dark green insulated coffee mug with

both hands, one under the cup and the other on the handle as she

carefully handed it to Mac.

 "Careful," Karen cautioned Mac, "It's hot."

 "Thank you, Karen,"  Mac answered.

 "You're very welcome, Mac."

 Karen smiled down at Mac as she turned and headed back to

the kitchen and after she had gone Richard opened up the

conversation.

 "Karen told me there was some kind of trouble with the mother

of two kids who attend the church,"  Richard started,  "She got

arrested for drunk driving, wasn't it?"

 "Yes she did,"  Mac answered, "It was her third offense, too."

  "I see.  Aren't the two kids the ones Gary and Vera pick up

on their church bus route?"

"Yes they are," said Mac,  "In fact, they have temporary

custody of the children right now."

 "That's good to know. I take it they have no other close

 relatives?"

"Not that I can tell.  Children's Services was very gracious

in arranging custody with the Canfields."

"I'd say they were."

In the kitchen Neva donned her oven mitts and opened the

oven door of the range and lifted out the roast with Karen

assisting. They placed the roast on the counter

"Karen," Neva addressed,  "Would you please go and tell Mac

and your father dinner is ready?"

"Okay, Mom,"  Karen turned and headed to the living room,

fluffing her hair again as she did before greeting Mac at the

front door.

 Neva watched as Karen left and noticed that she fluffed her

hair again as she exited the kitchen.

 Neva thought, She really likes him.

Mac and Richard were still conversing when Karen came in

through the dining room and announced that dinner was ready.

"Let's eat, Mac," Richard said as he got up from his chair with

Mac doing the same.

"I'm right behind you,"  Mac replied as he followed Richard and

Karen to the dining room.
Richard motioned for Mac to the seat where he would be sitting
which Mac went over and stood behind it. Richard then went in
to the kitchen to bring the roast out as Karen and her mother
came out to take their places at the dinner table.
 Mac looked over the dining room with its brass chandelier that
hung over the dinner table and the dark cherry wood china cabinet
that stood in one corner of the room.  A bay window framed in
dark wood on the opposite end of the dining room entrance
gave a view of the back yard and the bare trees of late fall.
 Beautiful view, Mac thought to himself.



At the Canfield household dinner time was getting underway for
the Canfields and their two temporary additions, Julie Benson and
Alexander Hobbs as Gary and Vera busied themselves in the kitchen
as Brian, Dawn, Julie and Alex helped set up the dining room table.
Brian then called toward the kitchen, "Mom, Dad, we're all set in here."
"Kids, take your places," Gary called back, "here we come."
  Alex was about to take a seat when Brian placed a hand on his
shoulder and said, "No, no Alex. Wait until my Mom and the girls
take their seats first."
"Oh,"  Alex replied, "laydeez seat furz?"
"Right."  Brian answered back.
 We're in their home now, Alex," Julie reminded her half-brother as
 she patted him on the head, "We must follow their rules now."
 "Alex," Brian added,  "my mom and dad had to remind me several
times when I was your age."
 "Mommy ne'er toh me dat,"  Alex said,  "Ma na' homush."
 It's okay, Alex,"  Dawn put in,  "Just watch everthing Brian and I
do. That might make it easier for you, okay?
" 'Kay,"  Alex answered.
 Just then Gary came out with the main dish, which was meat loaf
with Vera following with the side dishes.
With everything set, Vera, Dawn, and Julie took their seats in which
Gary, Brian and Alex followed.
Gary then asked everyone to bow their heads and then prayed a
prayer of thanksgiving which went like this:

"Father, we give thanks for the food we are about to receive and
also for our quaility time together, but also for allowing us to have
Julie and Alex with us and we all pray for their mother while she is
away and that the incident she is involved in would bring her closer
to getting to know you. We ask all these things in the name of Jesus,
Amen."

 Alex, after hearing Gary say 'amen' repeated the word.  Julie patted
Alex' head again and said, "It's gonna be all right, Alex.  I just have
this feelin' that it will."
 "That's right, son,"  Gary put in,  "God has away of turning something
bad into something good."
"I hear 'dat in Sun' schoo.' "
 "I believe something good has come out of it right now,"  Brian said,
You're here with us!"
That brought a smile to Alex' face which spread to the rest of the
group.
 "That is so true, Brian," Vera added, "And I think they needed to
hear that!"
 "There you go, Alex,"  Gary grinned then said, "Okay, let's eat!"




The Williamses and Mac Davenport bowed in a word of thanksgiving
just as the Canfields had just done with Richard leading.
 Richard Williams prayer went like this:

 "Heavenly Father, we thank you for the food we are about to receive
and also for Mac Davenport for allowing him to be our guest this evening
and most of all for bringing him into our lives and using him to bless us by
adding another saved soul to two others who already know you. I thank
you that I am that additional soul.  Thank you for your mercy and grace
in Jesus' name, Amen."

"That was so beautiful, Dad," Karen remarked warmly, "And so true, too!"
 Karen looked over across the table where Mac sat opposite her and
smiled her thanks and Mac blushed a little in spite of himself.
 Mac sensed where this relationship with Karen was going and he started
thinking that this dinner invitation he received was more than a token of
thanks for saving Richard from near death.  Were they trying also to bring
him and Karen closer together? Mac wondered if this invitation was
Karen's idea.
"Mac?" Karen addressed him from across the table, "Are you all right?"
 "Huh?" Mac snapped from his reverie, "Oh yes, I'm great. I was just
thinking back after hearing your father's prayer."
 "I see."
 "We've all been thinking back on that day," Neva put in,  "We wouldn't
be sitting together like we are now if it weren't for that day."
 Mac then began with, "Though my days as firefighter/EMT were long
gone, I believe God still had use for me as far as the skills were concerned."
"I totally agree, Mac," Richard answered as he carved the roast, "Maybe
that's why I ended up across the road from your house."
"Could be,"  said Mac, "But the bigger picture I think was to bring you
to Christ."
"Again, I totally agree."
"So do I," Karen added, "Totally!"
As plates were being passed around and everyone settled in to dine, Mac
reached for his coffee mug and discovered it was empty.
Neva was the first to notice but Karen was the first to offer Mac a refill,
asked to be excused, and came back with the coffee pot and poured it
into Mac's cup as Mac held it up to her.
"Thank you, Karen,"  Mac replied, sensing the reason for this little act
of courtesy.
"You're very welcome, Mac," answered Karen with a smile.
Richard and Neva noticed how quick Karen was to respond to Mac's
empty coffee mug and how she couldn't keep her eyes off of him while
at the dinner table.
 Richard thought, She's never acted this way toward a guy before, she was
always reserved about dating or courtship.
Neva then thought, She really likes him.
Mac and the Williamses settled in to dine with conversations ranging from
the Canfields and Julie and Alex, to the pinewood derby and each other's
past life experiences.



This concludes Chapter 13.