A Husband for All Seasons (17 page)

None of them had gotten more than a few hours of sleep the previous night. Vicky hadn't gone to sleep until long after midnight, and she was already awake when Erica tapped her on the shoulder before six o'clock.

Except for the contractors, Keith and Alvin, who were used to construction work, the other men and women who had helped remove the debris of the old church and pour concrete foundations for the new building slumped over their plates. Every move they
made brought a grimace of pain to their faces. Although he had felt a twinge of pain, following his surgeon's advice, Chad hadn't done any lifting, but he had already worn holes in one pair of gloves, and he showed Vicky the blisters he had on two of his fingers. And his day hadn't been as difficult as many of the others for he had taken Vicky shopping.

Erica decided that she needed to be cooking all day so Floyd had asked Chad and Vicky to go to the market in Saint-Marc and buy any fruit and vegetables they would need for a few days. Pierre smilingly agreed to go along as their interpreter.

At his direction they had visited three markets buying mangoes, papayas, avocados, oranges, tangelos, sweet potatoes and shallots. Vicky had hesitated but finally bought two pumpkins, wondering if she and Erica could possibly come up with some kind of pumpkin pies. She had also bought some typically Haitian products that Erica needed for the native dishes she intended to prepare.

They purchased a dozen loaves of fresh bread from a bakery, and Erica sliced half of the bread right away to serve with the canned beef stew she had warmed for their lunches. And although it had taken most of the morning to bake, she had baked three box cakes in the antiquated pans they'd found in the cabinets which they had scrubbed and sanitized. Erica's face expressed complete astonishment when she surveyed the tables at the end of the meal.

“I thought surely there would be some cake left for an afternoon snack,” she confided to Vicky as they carried the empty pans back to the kitchen.

“Let's serve potato chips and Kool-Aid for their snack.”

“You take care of it when it's time, and I'll start making a pot of chili with the fresh meat you bought.” She sniffed the red peppers. “Wow! That opened up my sinuses!”

“Shall I cut up some of the fruit into a salad?”

“Yes. As soon as I have the chili simmering, I'll stir up several boxes of corn bread. With the small oven and its low temperature, I can only make one pan of bread at a time.”

 

Although the first few days were difficult, their bodies acclimated to the rigorous regimen. The volunteers worked all day and slept well each night. Chad noticed that everyone was so immersed in the work at hand that they didn't tell time by the calendar but by the progress they were making on the church.

After the nightly devotional, Chad and Vicky always walked to the beach. Most of the time, they were accompanied by some of the others, who found it more pleasant to bathe in the ocean than in the small shower stall which provided only a trickle of water most of the time. Chad was frustrated that he and Vicky couldn't find time to be alone. Would he have to wait until they returned to the States to tell her what was in his heart?

O
n a Saturday fifteen days from the time they'd arrived in Haiti, Chad climbed down from a ladder and laid aside a paintbrush. La Peti Ville again had a place to worship. He stood back and admired the church's original sign he had just nailed in place—one of the few things not destroyed by the hurricane. He had used the brush to touch up a few of the spots on the sign he'd scarred when hanging it.

L'église évangélique

Pausing for a rest between kitchen tasks, Vicky stopped by to compliment Chad on his work.

“Evangelical Church,” she read. “You guys have done an excellent job. I can't wait until tomorrow when they have the dedication service.”

“Have you and Erica put the finishing touches on the dinner we're going to share with the whole congregation?”

“We'll see.” She arched her eyebrows and shook her head. “Erica is determined to serve some Haitian food.
I argued that the way we prepare their dishes probably won't look or taste the same as if the natives had prepared them. But we're going to have Labouyi Banann and Conch Lambi whether we want them or not.”

Chad laughed richly. “Will you tell me what the ingredients are so I'll know if I want to eat them?”

“Labouyi Banann is sort of like a pudding. It's made of bananas and plantains with milk and lots of spices. It's good. And the Conch Lambi is made from shelled conch, which took a lot of work to clean and skin. Then we added onions, shallots, tomatoes and spices. I think our people will like the different dishes, but I'm convinced the Haitians would have preferred pizza or hamburgers. Erica and I compromised, though. We still have quite a few potato chips, boxes of cookies and packages of Kool-Aid and that's going to be dessert for everybody.”

“I've missed talking to you,” he said, and she nodded understandingly.

“It won't be much longer until we're home and we can talk as often as we want to.”

“I feel as if I've been here half of my life,” he said.

“I understand that. Time could have been standing still as far as I'm concerned. Do you realize that we haven't heard a newscast or a weather report for two weeks?”

“And strange as it seems, I haven't even missed it.”

Chad's gaze traveled over her face and searched her eyes and she felt wrapped in invisible warmth. He reached for her hand, and her pulses suddenly leaped with excitement. Fearing her reaction if she stayed any longer, Vicky turned away. “I must go help Erica. We'll have supper before long.”

 

The bell had been salvaged when the hurricane struck, and Alvin Cross had hung it in the new steeple the day before. The volunteers were almost as excited as the Haitians when Pierre rang the bell calling the faithful to worship the next morning. The Americans were given a place of honor in the front of the church, which meant that many Haitians had to stand.

Which also meant that the church was too small, Vicky suggested to Floyd quietly, although he assured her that the normal congregation wasn't usually so large. “Many friends and relatives from other villages have come for the dedication of the church,” he whispered.

Vicky listened to the pianist's spirited rendition of familiar songs while the worshippers settled into the available pews or stood around the walls. Again she had reason to be proud of Chad—if it hadn't been for him, there wouldn't have been any musical accompaniment.

A week earlier when Chad learned from Floyd that the church's piano had been destroyed, he insisted on replacing it. Pierre borrowed a truck from the owner of a sugar plantation a few miles away to take Floyd and Chad to Port-au-Prince. A used spinet piano was found, purchased and installed in the completed church. The pastor's wife proved to be a fairly good musician, and Vicky thanked God silently that He had given Chad the opportunity to use his money to provide for the village.

Most of the volunteers sang with the congregation, singing in English for the hymns were familiar ones. Vicky was content to sit and listen to the soft cadences of the Haitian language as the natives swayed to the
sound of the music, some of the young women as supple and graceful as palm trees stirring in the wind.

The pastor stood behind a beautifully crafted podium that Keith Cross had finished yesterday. It was amazing how God had taken the talents of all the volunteers and blended them together to provide this building. Vicky could only pick up a word or two of the pastor's message, but she worshipped as readily as if she understood every word. The spirit of God was present, making all of them as one people.

In their last nightly get-together, Floyd asked for individual impressions of their mission involvement. Smith Baxter, with a roguish look at his wife, said jokingly, “Today was the best day we've had. I've never been hugged and kissed by so many women in my life—at least not in one day.”

Everyone laughed at his comment for the natives had included the Americans in their normal customs of worship—all of which were more emotional and jubilant than the stateside people had experienced.

“How many of you would volunteer for another mission tour?” Floyd asked.

As one, all of the hands were lifted.

“It's especially meaningful for me,” Chad said. “I came here expecting direction for my life, and I've received it. I'm not ready to share details with you right now, but this tour has changed my life. In fact
I
don't know all of the details, but God has shown the next two or three steps I'm to take. That's enough for now.”

After the meeting Chad and Vicky started toward the beach. He was pleased that everyone else had decided
to pack and get ready for their return trip to Port-au-Prince the next day, for he wanted to talk to Vicky alone. He took her hand as they strolled, savoring the breeze from the ocean.

“It's going to be different going back to Columbus and the hot, humid weather after we've been here for over two weeks,” Vicky said.

“When Floyd went to his office in Port-au-Prince yesterday, he had e-mails concerning the weather. Most of the Midwest is having extremely hot temperatures.”

They walked silently until they sighted the ocean. They paused to take in the beauty of the scene as they always did. Vicky thought she could become addicted to living in a place like this. The breeze was balmy, and the moon just peeping over the horizon made the spot seem like a fairyland.

“I believe I've found my mission,” Chad said, interrupting her thoughts.

“In Haiti?” Vicky questioned with a sense of apprehension. Would his mission make a difference in their relationship?

“It's started here, but I'll not know what I can do until I'm home. I want to use the proceeds from my biography to set up a foundation to provide Internet service for remote mission stations around the world. Think what it would mean to this orphanage if those kids could access the Internet for their studies. It will probably involve a lot of red tape, but it must be feasible or I wouldn't feel so strongly that this is what God wants me to do.”

“It will be a big project!”

“That's true. I'd need a lot of expert help, but I do understand the basics of what would be involved to provide internet coverage. Along with my engineering degree, I have a minor in computer science so I'm not a novice in the field. What do you think?”

“It would be a great blessing to many people. You could probably get direction through the mission board of our denomination.”

“I've worked this all out in my mind as I've been working and walking along the beaches. If I can buy Grace's house, I'll set up my office in the front room to the right of the stairway and use the rest for my home.”

“You think she'll sell to you?”

“I think so when I tell her that I don't intend to live there alone.” They were at the edge of the water now and the soft waves brushed the tips of their shoes. Chad had rehearsed over and over in his mind how to propose to Vicky. He was tongue-tied now and he wondered if he would botch the whole thing.

“I suppose you only think of me as a friend, and your former experiences may not have prepared you to love again.” Her lips parted in surprise, and Chad gulped, but he finally found the courage to complete what he'd started to say. “But I hope someday you will learn to love me as much as I love you, and become my wife to share my home and vision.”

So he did love her!
Vicky's pulses leaped with excitement, but she was determined to make Chad see her as she was.

“But I'm not the kind of person you need for a wife. You need someone who is educated like you and Perry
and Lorene. I felt so stupid when they were in Columbus and we had dinner together. I didn't know anything to say to them.”

“You wouldn't feel that way if you knew Lorene and Perry better. But if that's the only barrier to our happiness, you've already taken the right step by enrolling in OSU to complete your education. But I don't want to wait until you've graduated to get married.”

Vicky turned and faced him squarely, holding his gaze with her own. “I've known since Christmas that what I
thought
was friendship for you is really love.”

He pulled her toward him, but she held him at arm's length. “Let me finish. Before I give you an answer, we need to have an understanding about my relationship with Damon. I know now that my reaction to both him and Allen Chambers was a physical thing, not the deep, inner feeling that I have for you. But you must understand that Damon and I didn't have an ‘affair,' as the common term seems to be. If I marry you, I'll be coming to you with a pure body and heart. You must believe that.”

“When you first told me about him, the possibility flitted through my mind, but since I've come to know you so well, there has never been any doubt in my mind. So if that's all that stood in the way, is your answer yes?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes.”

As though Vicky's words released him, Chad picked her up in his arms and swung her around and around, laughing into her eyes.

“Put me down,” she said, “You're making me dizzy.”

He set her feet on the ground, but still held her tightly in his arms. “You've made me dizzy, too. Dizzy with
love for you. Ah, Vicky, my love, we're going to have a wonderful life together. When will you marry me?”

“A month from today,” she promised, “if we can get your widely scattered family gathered by then. And if Mom can plan a wedding in such a short time,” she qualified.

“No ifs about it. We're getting married on that day. Let's make a deal—you plan the wedding the way you want it. I'll plan the honeymoon.”

“Have you decided where we'll go?”

“To Hawaii. When you told me you'd love to go there, I decided it would be the place for our honeymoon.”

His lips came coaxingly down on hers and Vicky returned his kiss. For a moment the thought of Chad's fortune compared to her lack of wealth filtered through Vicky's mind. But she must stop looking for excuses. They wanted each other, and she believed that their marriage was God's will for their lives. But as he kissed her again, Vicky's optimism faded slightly and she marveled that a man like Chad had chosen her.