Page 21 of Wish You Faith (Christmas Sweethearts #1)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
F amily matters called Evan home abruptly two days after he had claimed Rosie’s hand in public at the tree farm, and that left her lonely in Savannah.
She couldn’t complain about it because Evan had to fill in for his older brother whenever he skipped work to stay home and take care of his pregnant wife on bedrest and to solve some family quarrels between their parents.
Rosie kept busy the rest of the week during this Christmas season and hardly had time to miss Evan?—
Not!
She missed him so much—his warm hugs, his gentle kisses, his company. The way he rubbed her arms and held her hands. The way he whispered in her ear and told her all the right things.
She missed spending time with him, carpooling to church with him, seeing him at work all day, having lunch with him in the tree farm cafeteria.
Chatting with him on video calls wasn’t the same as being with him in person. And she knew that he felt the same way because he’d told her.
She missed Evan so so so much that by Friday, she found herself feeling weepy at random times and at odd hours. She cried herself to sleep and woke up too early in the morning, thinking of Evan.
How could a man preoccupy her mind day and night?
However, by Sunday morning, after a good dose of church sermon from Pastor Flores about focusing on the Christ of Christmas, Rosie snapped out of her pining and yearning.
She was beginning to think that all that lovesickness was unbecoming of a thirty-year-old supposedly mature Christian career woman.
The weekend came and went, and Rosie was busy again at the Christmastown Tree Farm on Monday. She kept her phone on full volume in her apron pocket, just in case Evan texted. And texted her, he did—although not as frequently as Rosie would have preferred.
Evan’s timing was off. Today he’d texted her when Rosie was busy in the greenhouse. Wearing gardening gloves covered with soil, she was unable to reach for her phone.
She didn’t get to his message until three o’clock in the afternoon when she finally made it back to her office.
It was lunch time in Seattle. Evan had left her a short message.
He’d described his morning as mundane. He missed her too, and that made Rosie feel a little bit better that it was two-sided.
When the phone rang, Rosie immediately picked it up, thinking it was Evan.
Nope. It was Roger Patel of the Savannah Senior Living Resort on Tybee Island.
“Good afternoon, Dr. Patel.” Rosie realized it must be pretty serious for Roger to call her himself. Usually matters of SSLR applications were relegated to his assistant.
“Your mom is the new recipient of our Honor Scholarship,” Roger said.
“Wow! For real?” Rosie nearly jumped out of her tattered office chair. “I thought you already announced the winner back in October.”
The Honor Scholarship was SSLR’s own. They managed it with funds contributed by private individuals, some of whom remained anonymous, and local businesses who wanted to give directly to the retirement community.
Sometimes they earmarked recipients. Sometimes they let SSLR pick the best candidate from the waiting list. Every October, five finalists were selected, and one would win a full scholarship to move to SSLR for the rest of their lives. Mom did not win.
“As you know, the Honor Scholarship is quite competitive,” Roger continued. “However, last week we received new donations. The anonymous donor wants to give scholarships to the remaining finalists who didn’t win in October. Since your mom was in the top five, she is now also a recipient.”
“Bless the donor.”
“The lawyer who called me last week told me that his client was impressed that the Honor Scholarship is based on Ephesians 6:2.”
Rosie knew the verse by heart. Read it as a child. Memorized it somewhere along the way. Taught it to her third-grade Sunday school class every year.
“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise.
Rosie quickly thanked God for providing the scholarship. She wanted to say it was unexpected, but then in her life as a Christian, she had learned not to underestimate God.
“Tell me more about what Mom is receiving, please.” Rosie’s brain clicked into gear.
If there wasn’t enough scholarship, there was still some life insurance money from Dad.
She had decided that if she had to sell their family home, she would.
Mom might oppose it. If she was totally against it, then Rosie would have to find another job that pays more than being a manager at the tree farm.
“Yes, I forgot to say. It’s a full scholarship.”
“Whoa. A full scholarship. Give me a second to process it.” Thank You, Lord.
“I know you and your mom have been waiting for this.”
“Yes, we have.” Rosie sniffled. “So this full scholarship… Is it for a year or something?”
“For two years each person.”
“No way. For real?” Did people really have that much money to donate to charity? Rosie’s small piggy bank could not comprehend.
“Yes. No penalty for early cancellation.”
The last sentence caught Rosie. If Mom died while she lived at SSLR, there would be no penalty.
Rosie didn’t want Mom’s cancer to return, but she must prepare for all possible eventualities.
The fact that she had to think about it made Rosie sag into her chair.
She wanted to just cry and let someone else handle Mom’s situation, but she couldn’t.
She was the only child and Mom’s only guardian.
Would Mom live for two years or more?
That would be up to God.
Rosie steeled herself. No worrying about things that God had prerogative on. Her job now was to do her best while Mom was still alive on earth.
“There’s a catch,” Roger said.
“Tell me.”
“Your mom can start coming over here for the daily activities, but we still have no room at the inn. She’s still on the waiting list for either an apartment here or the new ones across the street.”
“I understand. What happens when the apartment is ready, say in a year?” Rosie asked. “She would have used up a part of her scholarship money.”
“We will work out a plan to sync it.” Roger didn’t go into details. “I have to go to another meeting now, but I will explain more tomorrow if we can meet at ten o’clock in the morning in my office.”
“Yes, of course. Mom’s free in the morning.
” Rosie knew Mom’s schedule by heart. She didn’t bother asking Roger how long the meeting would last. It would be close to lunch, and she’d take Mom out to lunch after the meeting.
That meant she’d take half a day off of work.
Her many overtime days since October were paying off now.
Since it would be Tuesday, she might as well leave Mom there at SSLR after lunch for her activities.
“Thank you, Roger. Please say hello to Cheyenne and Priyanka for me.”
“Will do. Have a good evening.”
Rosie replied in kind, said goodbye, and then called Mom.
Mom was baking Christmas cookies with Dottie and Marcella. That meant they were baking batches and batches of cookies. Dottie and Marcella both had grandchildren.
“What did you say?” Mom asked.
“Mom, are you wearing your hearing aid?” Rosie asked.
“Of course I am, sweetie. But I can’t hear you with my loud friends here talking near me. Let me go stand outside. One sec.”
“No rush. Take your time.” Rosie waited. She heard the porch door close. “Is it cold outside? Are you wearing a cardigan?”
“I’m fine. It’s sunny out. Now what was it you wanted to tell me?”
Rosie told her. “You have a full scholarship, but you’re still on the waiting list for an apartment at SSLR.”
“But I got one foot in the door?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good, but…” Mom’s voice trailed off. “I’m going to miss this house.”
“Unless someone dies at the SSLR main buildings or they buy and renovate the apartment complex across the street, you won’t move up the waiting list.”
“So we’ll still live in this house until then.”
“Exactly. Since it’s a full scholarship, we don’t have to sell our house.” Rosie knew Mom didn’t want to pack up forty years of memories.
“When a place is available, do we move the whole house?”
“Maybe not. We’ll just move what we need to take, like your bed and your favorite armchair. Your clothes and your coffee maker.”
“Right. We can’t forget my French press.” Then Mom went all quiet. “Will you go with me?”
“If they let me.”
“You’re my caregiver. They have to let you, or I won’t go.”
“Write down all the questions you have and the timeline of the process, and we’ll ask Roger tomorrow, okay?” Rosie assured her that God would work it out.
“Are you going to work first tomorrow morning and then come back to get me?” Mom asked.
“We’ll just leave directly from the house. I’ll take a half day off.”
“You know Tuesday is the day that I go to SSLR in the afternoon anyway.”
“I know, Mom. You told me you’re joining a new club. Poker or something,” Rosie joked.
“No, no. It’s mahjong. I’m learning to play a new board game.”
“Is mahjong a board game?”
“I don’t know, sweetie. I’ll find out tomorrow.”
Rosie couldn’t help smiling. Mom kept busy. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons were like day care for her at SSLR. It was also a good thing for Mom to interact with other people her age and keep her mind active with games and memory exercises that they provided at SSLR.
The new scholarship meant that she could drop Mom off at seven o’clock in the morning and pick her up at seven o’clock at night, all expenses paid. An adult day care, pretty much.
“We’ll bring some cookies for Roger and Priyanka,” Mom said.
“Make sure to leave some for me, Mom.” She laughed.
“Of course, sweetie. You’re my baby.”
Rosie loved to hear Mom’s voice, whether in person or over the phone. She made a note to herself to record as much of it as possible so that long after Mom had passed away, Rosie could listen to it and play it back for her future children.
Future children?
First, she had to get married.