Shelter from the Storm. (Chapter 7)

Mac was just finishing carving the body of the model for Alex Hobbs (designed

under the supervision of Brian Canfield) when Wilfred Templar came over.

"Mac?" Wilfred addressed him.

 Mac turned to him and replied, "Yes, Wilfred?"

 "I am going to pick up the pizza now, it should be ready."

 "Good deal. You need someone to come with you?"

 Wilfred was about to reply when Jenny Garrett stepped in to volunteer. 
 "I'll go with you, Wilfred,"  answered Jenny.

 "Are you sure, my child?" Wilfred responded.

 "Yes, Wilfred."

 "Very well, dear Jenny; Let us be off then."

 "Thank you, Wilfred,"  Mac said, "You too, Jenny."

  "We shant be long," Wilfred assured them.

  Mac waved at them both then got back to work carving the pine car blocks

with the last ones being Dawn and Brian's models.  Brian volunteered to

be last in line. Mac took note of that, too.

 You're a fine boy, Brian.  Mac thought.

  Mac began sweeping sawdust off and around the bandsaw when Karen

came over to him and handed him a plastic glass of diet cola. 

 "Here,"  she said to Mac, "I thought you could use this.  You've been hard

at it."

 "Ah," Mac acknowledged, "Thank you, Karen."

 You're welcome."  She smiled at him admiringly, noticing how he worked

with the children and in getting the build night together. 

 Mac took a drink of the diet cola Karen offered him and when he tasted it

he said to her, "How did you know I drank diet pop?"

"Oh, I have my resources," Karen chuckled.

 "I guess you do," said Mac, "Thanks."

 "Mac?" Karen said.

 Yes, Karen?"

 "My dad was wanting to know if you could join us for dinner a our house

Friday of next week."

 "Oh?"

 "It's his way of saying thanks for saving his life and leading him to the Lord."

 "I see." Mac had kind of seen this coming. Not that he was expecting it, but

he found himself seemingly getting close to something of a relationship with

Karen, and he found himself thinking of her more and more. He then replied

to Karen's request with, "I think that's nice. When do you want me over?"

 "Is five-thirty okay for you?"

  "Works for me."

  "Great!  Thanks Mac, Mom and Dad will be thrilled!"

 "Tell them I said thanks."

 "I sure will, Mac and I thank you, too!" And with that Karen turned and

made her way back to the concession table, turning her head to grin at him

as she walked away.

 Mac responded in kind then proceeded with his task at hand. Mac now

realized the relationship was growing yet again with this dinner invitation

by Karen's father.
 Mac thought, Lord, did you send her father my way for reasons other
than just so he wouldn't die lost?

 Mac was getting this idea that the Lord had used her father's near-death

incident to bring Karen into his life.


 Thirty-five minutes later Wilfred and Jenny had returned with the pizzas
with Mac and Gary jumping in to help bring them in. Setting the pizza boxes
on the table which had the drinks on it, Mac began leading a prayer of thanks
and with that done, a line formed at the pizza table with the youngest girls at
the beginning of the line, the foremost being Julie Benson.
 While standing at the rear of the line, Wilfred began speaking to Mac and
Gary.
 "I must say, Mac," Wilfred began, "I heard an interesting story from another
customer at Mr. Tony's while Jenny and I were there."
 "What did you hear?" asked Mac.
 "First, I'll start by being thankful Jenny and I were not out on the motorway
at the time this incident happened."
 "Why? What happened?"
 Wifred went on with,  "The customer I spoke of was talking to the young
 man who was taking his order said something about nearly getting in a
head-on collision with a reckless driver in a beater red Dodge sedan."

 Hearing Wilfred mention a red Dodge sedan, Gary spoke suddenly with,

"Did you say a beater red Dodge sedan?" Gary then cringed a little when

he then realized that Julie and Alex were up front and was afraid they would

hear him.

Glancing their way, he was relieved they hadn't heard him as he saw them go
to an empty table with their pizzas with Brian and Dawn following to join them.
 Wilfred answered Gary's question with, "Correct, Gary. The young man in
front of me said the car was driving somewhat erratically and on the wrong
side of the road when he almost got struck."
 Mac looked from Wilfred to Gay and asked, "Isn't that the same car you
saw leaving the trailer park where Julie and Alex live?"
 I'm afraid it is, Mac."
"Good heavens,"  Wilfred exclaimed, keeping his voice down so Julie and
Alex wouldn't hear what was being said, "Is this by chance the mother of
Julie and Alex?"
 I'm afraid so, Wilfred," Gary answered.
 "Oh, those poor dear children,"  lamented Wilfred, looking over in the
direction of Julie and Alex as they sat with Brian, Dawn, and the twin
boys Toby and D.J.
 Gary leaned toward Mac and whispered, "I'm going to send out an email
prayer request through the church prayer chain. I don't like what I am
hearing one bit."
 "Capital idea, Gary,"  Mac replied.


 The pinewood derby build night went on until nine-thirty PM  that
evening with Julie and Alex being the first to show off their
completed cars. Gary watched them in admiration as they had a
good time despite the lack of love at their home.
A word suddenly came to Gary's mind: foster home.


This concludes Chapter Seven.