An Aussie Christmas Angel (2 page)

The bed turned out to be a top bunk in a room that slept ten. It stank, and he didn’t feel safe leaving his new case there, but the unsavory place was better than pulling it around the streets with him.

Beggars can’t be choosers and this is better than the streets. I’m sorry for sounding ungrateful, Lord. I’m really not.

He did have another option. He pulled the folded piece of paper from his wallet, shook his head, and slid it into his shirt pocket. No, that was a last resort. He wasn’t the type of bloke to call a total stranger, even if his sister’s friend had said it’d be OK.

He set the case on the bunk and packed his new clothes and a few other bits into it. He locked it and then grabbing his rucksack, headed out to find a beach and a payphone to let his parents know he’d arrived safe, even if his case was still on the other side of the country.

****

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Jo Heyward closed her Bible and glanced over the small yard. The leaves on the trees moved in the breeze as the sun blazed from a cloudless blue sky. The words she’d read ran through her mind. Hebrews chapter thirteen and verse two—
angels unaware
. For some reason she always quoted the King James Version, even though her Bible was one of the more modern translations.
Angels unaware
sounded more romantic than
angels without knowing it
.

People thought the notion of romance in the Bible farfetched. But in her mind, it was full of romance—the greatest love story ever told.
For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Love didn’t get any better or romantic than that.

She got to her feet and flung open the window. Heat rushed in like a furnace, and she smiled. In her mind she could hear her housemate, Pip, complaining she was running the air-conditioning with the windows open. She loved Pip to bits, almost as much as she loved living in Sydney. She loved her job, the people, and the city with its bright lights and long stretches of amazing coastline. Only one thing would make it perfect. She dropped to her knees by the window.

Lord, I’m thirty-one. Sometimes it would be nice to have someone to share my life with, to spend my occasional evening off with other than Pip. And she’s spending more and more time with Rob now as they plan their wedding. Being single is hard, and if it’s what You want for me, then I trust You to give me the strength to use my singleness for Your glory. If, on the other hand, You want me to marry, then show me who the man You have set aside for me is. And I don’t want to sound impatient, Lord, but soon would be nice. I’m not getting any younger.

Listen to me. I should be thanking You for this glorious, albeit very hot day, praising You for Your mercy and love, and here I am complaining about being single…

Tears rolled down her face as she prayed. She knew that she would serve God, no matter what. Being single was hard when all her friends were married, getting married, or involved with a guy. Something she so desperately wanted for herself.

Half an hour later, as she got to her feet, the front door slammed shut, and Pip called her name.

“Jo? Are you even out of bed yet, sleepy head? The day’s a-wasting and almost half over.”

She smiled. “Yeah, I’m up.”

Pip opened the bedroom door and bounced inside. She tossed Jo a pair of running shoes. “Come on. Aren’t you ready yet?”

Jo caught the shoes. “Ready? Oh, yeah, tennis.”

“Yes, tennis. You’re making up the fourth today.”

Jo wrapped her tennis skirt over her shorts and slid her feet into her shoes. “I must be mad playing in this heat. And this had better not be
another
of your blind dates.”

“Oh, you wound me.” Pip laughed, pressing her hand to her heart. “As if I would do something like that to you. It’s a tennis match. Jackson’s wife is sick, so I volunteered you to play.”

“That’s fine.” Jo stood, wriggling her toes within the canvas shoes. “Just remember, if God wants me to marry, He’ll find me someone. Just like He found Rob for you.”

Pip laughed. “Can’t I help a little?”

“Nah. He can manage. If need be, He’ll import him. I know Mr. Right is out there somewhere. I just have to hope he turns up before I’m old and grey.”

“It’s too late for that.” Pip chuckled, playfully elbowing her friend. “Now come on or we won’t have time for a full game before I have to go to work.”

****

John stared at the harbor. Small boats floated lazily on the water’s surface, sunlight sparkling on top of the waves. Above him seagulls soared and wheeled, screeching mournfully to each other. The afternoon sun shot rays of gold across the slowly bobbing water. It sure was beautiful here. He’d spent the day on the beach, walking and admiring the beauty of God’s creation. Tomorrow he’d climb the harbor bridge and maybe take the ferry over to Manly.

He also wanted to walk from Bondi beach to Coogee as the guidebook suggested. Maybe he’d do that later in the week when it was supposed to get a little cooler. He was yet to find a church. Maybe the hostel could suggest something.

Slowly walking back to the hostel, he noticed how the area had changed in the few hours he’d been gone. A lot more girls strolled by, and cars tooled down the street. John cringed as a car slowed and after a brief conversation, picked up a girl.

It looked even seedier in the dark than in the daylight. He started walking quicker, soon reaching the hostel. He went inside and strode up to his room. Several of the other occupants sat on the side of their bunks, reading or sleeping. Stale smoke hung in the air.

John smiled. “Hello.”

A couple of people responded without warmth. Shrugging slightly, he crossed to his bunk and hoisted himself up, his rucksack knocking the adjacent bunk.

Fear surged through him as he realized the lock on his new case was broken. The things he’d transferred from his rucksack were missing, though his clothes were still there, but no longer in neat piles. Bile rose in his throat. He knew he’d locked it.

Closing his case, he lowered himself to the floor. He couldn’t stay here another minute—couldn’t afford to if his things were getting stolen and broken. He couldn’t afford yet another new case. Maybe a padlock would keep it secure until he got home.

He grabbed his case and left. He’d go to the airport and get a standby flight to anywhere. Right now home seemed a great idea.

On his way down the hallway, he passed a phone. The paper in his pocket crinkled. He paused. It wouldn’t hurt to try. She could only say no, right? In which case, he’d be no worse off than he was now.

He slid his card through the phone and dialed the number. It rang twice.

“Hello?” a very warm and feminine voice answered.

John took a deep breath, not sure about asking for a place to stay from a stranger. He wasn’t impulsive and never made a decision without praying about it for several days first. “Hello, my name’s John Connington. Is Pippa there?”

“I’m afraid she’s not. I’m Jo, her housemate. Can I take a message? I can get her to call you back.”

For a moment, John was tempted to hang up, and he wiped his damp palm on his jeans before he slid his free hand into his pocket. “Not very easily, I’m afraid.” Something prompted him to speak. “I’m calling from a pay phone. I was given Pippa’s number by a Christian friend of hers—Sandy Franklin. She works with my sister, Emma, in the UK. The short story is I was told if I needed a place to stay in Sydney, that I should ring Pippa, and she’d put me up.”

Silence echoed before the voice stammered. “I—I see. Well, like I said, Pip isn’t here right now. She should be back in an hour or so. Call back then.”

His heart sank. “All right. I’ll do that. Goodbye.” He set the phone back on the wall.
What do I do, Lord?

Gentle feelings touched him that he should go on faith and just leave the hostel.

No room at the inn, yet they found a stable. I will provide.

John nodded to himself, headed down to reception, and checked out.

He’d walk back to the station, wait there, and if Pippa said no, he’d get on a train to the airport and start queuing for a standby flight. He couldn’t blame her housemate for being so cagey. She didn’t know him from Adam.

****

Jo stood looking at the dead phone in her hand. As Pip came through the front door, she glanced at her house mate and then back at the phone.

Pip crossed the room, put the shopping bags on the floor, and took the phone from her hand. “Jo. What’s wrong? Did you get a prank call?”

“I don’t know that I’d call it that. It was a weird one, tell you that much.”

“Let’s go make some tea and you can tell me.”

Jo grabbed one of the bags and followed Pip to the kitchen. She perched on the bar stool, unpacking the shopping. “Some English bloke called for you. And he had the most cock-and-bull story I’ve ever heard.”

“Did he have a name?”

“John Connington. Said a Sandy Franklin, who’s a friend of yours, who’s also a friend of his sister’s, gave him this number and told him he could stay here if he needed to.”

Pip looked at her and smiled. “Yeah, I remember. Sandy mentioned him when she rang a couple months ago. You know Sandy; she now works in a maternity ward in England. We trained together.”

Jo nodded not liking that Pip seemed to know about this. The whole idea of a bloke who was a friend of a friend of a friend wanting to stay with them was more than a little unsettling. It would have been nice to have been told, but then it wasn’t her house, so she wouldn’t expect to be told everything that goes on. “Yeah, you mentioned her a couple of times.”

“Anyway, she works with this girl whose brother’s a Christian, and he’s doing a tour of the world or something, backpacking, so I said if he needed a place to crash in Sydney to look us up. It isn’t like we don’t have the room here for a third person.”

Jo swallowed hard, her stomach turning. “But you don’t know the bloke.”

“He’s a Christian. What more do we need to know?”

“Or he says he is. Let’s face it; he could be a serial killer.”

“Trust has to start someplace. I hope you said yes.”

“I told him to phone back. For one thing, I’m too busy to entertain strangers. And for another, it’s not my house to invite strange men to stay, and besides, this is the first I’ve heard about him. Maybe if you’d said something sooner—”

Pip held up a hand. “Fair enough. Besides, when I ran the idea past Rob before I made the offer, he said he’ll come and sleep on the couch if we get worried. Just have to hope this bloke rings back.”

Or not... And Rob knew and she didn’t? Things were definitely changing. Time was Pip would confide in her first. Still, she and Rob were engaged, so it was only right he’d come first, Jo supposed. “Yeah, he said he would. Anyway, how was work?”

“Busy. Really hate clinic days, but at least I rotate back to the labor ward next week. And yes, before you ask, I went shopping on the way home, for more than just groceries, and picked out just the right tree. Just because I’m away this year, doesn’t mean we can’t decorate.”

“You’ll have so much fun in England. Just think you may even get snow.”

Pip laughed. “More like rain according to Gran. Really can’t wait to see her, even if I am getting to her house the long way.”

“Pfft, you’ll have fun seeing places on the way up. And you won’t spare a single thought for me. Stuck here, bored, alone...”

“Not true. Yes, you’ll be here, but you know full well you’ll be busy with church and family, and you love Christmas. Look at it this way. You can play carols full volume twenty-four seven without me complaining. Want to give me a hand up the stairs with the tree?”

Despite the sickening feeling in the pit of Jo’s stomach that this stranger might call and end up in Pippa’s spare room for the night, or the next several nights, Jo managed a smile. “Sure. You know me and Christmas trees. It’s never too early to put it up.”

Exactly an hour later, just as they finished the tree, the phone rang. This time Pip answered it. “Hello? Yes, it is. Hello, John.” She waved to Jo and mimed turning on the tree lights.

Jo swallowed hard, nodded, and plugged them in. The colored fairy lights twinkled and she sighed. Another Christmas alone. Yes, she would spend the day with her parents, both sets of parents, one for each meal, but it wasn’t the same. She’d come home to an empty house, with nothing but the tree for company.

Pip shot her a thumbs up and nodded appreciatively at the tree. “No, that’s fine. It’s my house, so Jo wouldn’t have said anything without asking me first. Sure, yeah, I understand. Where are you now? Right, take the bus to Coogee. I’ll meet you at the bus stop on the beach. No, it’s no trouble.” She laughed. “Sure and I’m wearing a red top. See you then. Goodbye.”

Jo moved an ornament. “What’s so funny?”

“He said I’d recognize him by the broken case and brown backpack.” She grimaced. “Apparently, he booked into a hostel in Kings Cross and in the couple hours he was out, someone broke into his case. That’s after the airline lost his luggage and he replaced it.”

“Oh no.” Jo felt a little guilty about turning him away in the first instance. Kings Cross wasn’t the best area to stay in, and having your stuff stolen as well, followed by her less than welcoming phone conversation, would be enough to put the poor bloke off Australia forever.

“Yeah, he was at the station ready to take the first train to the airport and get a standby flight to anywhere away from here.”

“I don’t blame him. If it was me, I wouldn’t have called back. Do you want me to make up the spare room before I head out to work?”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Jo nodded.

Hopefully, John was what he claimed to be. Or was he out to scrounge off them having lost everything? Either way she wasn’t sure she wanted a stranger in the house, never mind a strange man.