Whispering Hope (9 page)

O
n Wanda’s back were six round red scars, each about the size of a dime.

“Oh, Wanda!” was all Skye could say.

“There are more on my legs, too.” Wanda put her sweatshirt back in place. Her beautiful brown eyes flooding with tears, she looked at Skye.

“How did you get those scars?” Skye felt her own eyes grow moist, and tears blurred her vision.

“They’re…they’re…cigarette burns.”

“Was that some kind of initiation into the Blades, or what?”

Wanda glanced away, tears streaming down her cheeks and dropping freely unto the bed. “They’re from my father,” she cried. “That’s why he’s in jail, and I hate him.”

Skye wasn’t sure what was worse, having a parent who did something like that or not having any at all. All she knew at the moment was that she felt awfully bad for Wanda and desperately wanted to help her.
But how?

Wanda sniffled and struggled to speak again. “Mom died a few weeks after they took my father away. Maybe
she died of a broken heart. How’s that for major heart trouble?”

“Wanda, I’m so sorry,” Skye said. “I know you’re hurting, and there’s only one person who can help you get through this.”

“Who?” Again with tear filled eyes, Wanda looked at Skye.

“God,” Skye said. “I’m telling you that he’s there for you. All you need to do is ask.”

“I’ll think about it,” Wanda said with a forced smile.

“That’s cool,” Skye said. “And if I can help you with anything, just ask me, too. I really want to be your friend.”

“Got it,” Wanda sniffled. “And Skye?”

“Yep?”

“Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

“No problem,” Skye said, smiling.

Friday evening at the Chambers’ supper table, the chatter was filled with excitement about the picnic the next afternoon. The weather report predicted a perfect first day of June with blue skies, warm sun, and a gentle breeze.

In charge of the menu, Morgan had found some new recipes for barbecued chicken sauce and toppings for baked potatoes. Skye had been helping Mr. Chambers groom the horses and polish the tack so that the horse part of the activities would be raring to go. Mrs. Chambers and Wanda were busy making the two bathrooms in the house and the restroom in the barn presentable for the day of the teen invasion. But the highlight of the discussion centered around Wanda.

Mrs. Chambers had the biggest smile on her face that Skye had seen in quite a long time. “Wanda, would you like to tell the family what happened during counseling this afternoon?”

Nibbling on a chip, Wanda looked like a bashful child who had just been praised for a job well done. Her dark brown eyes glanced at everyone while they stared, waiting.

“Well, Wanda,” Mr. Chambers wiped his mustache with a napkin, “what’s the great news? Don’t keep us in such suspense.”

“Yeah,” Morgan added. “I’m always ready for some good news.”

Wanda glanced at Skye and when their eyes met, Wanda’s whole face lit up with a smile, something that Skye was sure she had
never
seen before.

“I’m on the edge of my seat, and I’m about to fall off,” Skye joked. “C’mon, tell us.”

“I accepted Christ as my Savior at Maranatha this afternoon,” Wanda said, sheepishly.

“You did?” Mr. Chambers said.

“She did!” Mrs. Chambers proclaimed.

“Wow, that’s awesome,” Morgan said.

Beaming her own smile, Skye simply nodded at Wanda and gave her a thumbs-up.

Mrs. Chambers sipped a cup of coffee. “Wanda has come to grips with a lot of things in her life these past few weeks. I think she’s starting to see how God can help her with all of her problems.”

“Well, that’s great,” Mr. Chambers said. He relaxed into his chair and folded his arms. “This is the best news I’ve heard since our rebel Mustang got himself straightened out. Wanda, we’ve all been praying that you’d allow God to work in your heart. What made you decide to accept Christ?”

“It was something Skye said to me earlier this week when we were shooting pool and talking. She said God could help me not hate my father. Mrs. C. had told me that too, but I guess it’s just starting to sink into this rock on my shoulders.” Wanda tapped her head with her index
finger. “I also saw how all you guys are so happy all the time. Even when you’ve got problems, you don’t wanna go and throw yourself off a cliff. You’re different from anybody else I know. I figured that’s because you all have God in your life. I have a long way to go, but I think I’m on the right track.”

“God will help you with all your problems,” Morgan said. “You’ll see.”

“That’s what I’ve been hearing,” Wanda said and nibbled on another chip. “But there’s one problem that I think
Skye
can help me with right this minute.”

“Oh?” Mrs. Chambers said while everyone raised their eyebrows. “What’s that?”

Again, Wanda glanced around the table and focused on Skye. “I’d like her to show me how to dress and act like a Christian girl.”

“I wanna look real nice today ‘cause I wanna tell everybody that I have Jesus in my life,” Wanda said as she sat at Skye’s dresser and stared at the mirror.

“You’re off to a good start,” Skye said, bending over Wanda and glancing at the mirror, too. “Now, with your new spike job with just the right mousse, your just-theright make-up, and just-the-right threads, you’ll make a grand entrance at the picnic today.”

“What time are the church kids coming?” Wanda asked.

Skye glanced at her watch. “They’re supposed to come at four o’clock.”

“Skye,” Wanda said as she stared at her own reflection, “Chad’s not your boyfriend, is he?”

I sure hope someday,
Skye thought as she stood next to Wanda and played with some tangled necklaces in her jewelry box. “Ah, no. We’re too young to date,” Skye
said with some hesitation. “But we’re real good friends. Why?”

“I’d like him to be my boyfriend,” Wanda said. “Will you help me?”

You have got to be kidding.
Skye felt her face flush, and her brain had no idea what to tell her lips to say next. “Ah—ah—” Skye stammered, “Mom and Dad won’t allow any of us, even Morgan, to have boyfriends. We’re all too young yet.”

“Oh!” Wanda seemed startled. “My boyfriend, Wheels—you know from the gang?—we were a number for a couple of years. But he’s been sent up, so as far as I’m concerned, we’re history. He was no good for me anyway. Chad would be good for me.”

Skye felt her heart nosedive into the pit of her stomach, and she thought she was going to be sick.
Chad and Wanda together?
“Well, I know Mom and Dad won’t let you date Chad or anybody.”

“Hmm.” Wanda stared at the mirror. “At least I can let him know I’m interested for when we
are
older. I want to look so pretty today that I’ll knock his socks off when he sees me.”

I’d like to knock your block off right now,
Skye grumbled and then gave herself a lecture.
Stop it. He’s not interested in any girl, and he won’t be interested in Wanda either.
Skye refocused and went back to the task. “Wanda, I’m thinking about how nice you looked in that pink blouse you wore awhile back. I believe pink is your color.”

“I can wear that blouse today,” Wanda said.

“Nah, that’s too fancy for a picnic,” Skye said. “Do you have any other kind of pink top?”

Wanda sat a moment, thinking. “I know. I have a pink pullover with short sleeves. That should be just right for today.”

Skye held up a small gold heart necklace with one small rhinestone in the middle. “And if you wear a touch
of jewelry to complete your new look, you should knock everyone’s socks off.”
Minus Chad’s,
Skye determined.

At four o’clock sharp, the church bus rolled in to the Keystone Stables parking lot, and about a dozen teens and Mr. and Mrs. Salem, the chaperones, piled off.

Mr. Chambers and Skye had five horses tacked and lined up at the fence in the pasture, ready to go. Although Rebel had been doing fine with his training, Mr. Chambers decided that a dozen rambunctious teens might be just a little too much, so Rebel got the day off just watching the action from the training corral. Mrs. Chambers, Morgan, and Wanda were busy at the picnic grounds getting the grille going and setting the tables. At the house, the game room door had been propped opened, inviting all to partake in the fun that waited inside.

Skye stood petting Champ’s neck and studying the bus as it emptied. As soon as she saw Chad, her heart did a double flip, and she yelled out to him.

“Chad, over here!” She waved and Chad looked her way.

“Be there in a sec, Skye!” he yelled. Then Skye noticed Chad saying something to a boy standing right next to him. Skye didn’t know the other boy.

Chad and the boy, along with five girls, headed toward the pasture where Skye and Mr. Chambers waited with the horses. The chaperones and other teens headed toward the pavilion.

“Step right this way, ladies,” Mr. Chambers said to the girls who approached the fence with a round of giggles.

“Can we ride now?” one asked.

“Sure,” Mr. Chambers said. “Slip in through the rails and we’ll get you mounted. You can ride in here.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

When one of the girls climbed on Champ, Skye gave her a crash course in riding and loosed the horse’s reins from the fence. After all the girls had mounted, Mr. Chambers walked to the center of the field and threw out instructions to the girls who started to ride in a large circle around him.

Skye then turned her attention to Chad and the new boy. “Hi, Chad,” Skye said.

“What’s up, Skye?” Chad said. “I want you to meet Pete Gellito. He just moved here from Pittsburgh. He started working part-time at Culp’s. That’s where we met. Pete, this is Skye Nicholson. She lives here at Keystone Stables.”

“Hel-lo, Skye Nicholson!” Pete immediately shifted his charm into overdrive.

“Hi, Pete!”
Whoa!
The young man had the blackest, waviest hair Skye had ever seen. His dark eyes set off a handsome face with a defined nose and square jaw. He reminded Skye of a picture of a Roman statue in her history book.
Not as cute as Chad,
Skye determined,
but close. Awfully close.
“How come you moved to these parts?” she asked Pete.

“My dad’s corporation downsized, so he had a choice. He could either move to the satellite company here or lose his job. Big choice, huh?”

“I think you’ll like it here in central PA,” Chad said. “There’s lots to do, and lots of nice kids to do them with.” He winked at Skye, and her heart took off.

“I’m finding that out already,” Pete said, staring at Skye. “The girls in this part of the country are something else.”

Skye felt her face flush as she stared back into Chad’s eyes.

“I want to show Pete around,” Chad said. “I think we’ll—”

“Hey, Chad ole’ buddy! How are ya?” Wanda came charging across the lawn like a runaway train and slapped Chad on the shoulder. “Are you ready for a game of pool?”

Indeed, Wanda did make a striking appearance with her Skye-directed makeover, her pink top and delicate gold necklace. One thing Skye realized immediately was that she had failed to tell Wanda how to “talk” to boys. But with Chad in the center of the picture, Skye wasn’t sure she was ready to do that.
I’d rather have Wanda be Chad’s “ole’ buddy” than his girlfriend,
she reasoned.

“Hi, Wanda,” Chad said. “This is Pete Gellito. He just moved here from Pittsburgh. Pete, this is Wanda Stallord. She’s a foster kid from Harrisburg. She stays here at Keystone Stables.”

“Well, hel-lo, Wanda Stallord!” Pete said. “Where have you been all my life?”

“Double whoa!” Wanda parked her hands on her hips and studied Pete from head to toe. “Pittsburgh’s loss, our gain. What grade are you in, hotshot?”

“I’m in tenth.” Pete gave Wanda the once-over and seemed as though he thoroughly enjoyed her attention.

“I’m in eighth,” Wanda chimed and never looked away from Pete. “But I’m homeschooling right now.” In her next breath, she said, “I just accepted Jesus into my life. Are you a Christian, Pete?”

“Well, I go to church,” Pete said.

“Not good enough,” Wanda informed him. “You need Jesus in your life. I’ll tell you about it later.”

“I’d like to hear what you have to say,” Pete said sincerely.

This is very good,
Skye thought.

Chad tried to get a word in. “I’d like to show Pete around and—”

“So, Pete, have you ever shot pool?” Wanda interrupted.

“Pool’s my game!” Pete said. “I even have my own cue stick. I was in a junior billiard league back home. Chad told me you had a pool table here, and I would have brought my cue, but it’s still packed somewhere in a box
at our new house. Guaranteed, the next time I come here, I’ll have it with me.”

This is super good!
Skye thought as she and Chad exchanged smiles. “The pool table is just sitting in there waiting for us,” Skye announced. “Why don’t we make it a foursome?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Chad said, glancing at his watch. “We have time for a few games before supper.”

Wanda grabbed Pete by the arm and turned him toward the open door of the game room. “Well, hotshot, let’s see if you can put your money where your mouth is. Nine Ball’s my game.”

“That’s my game, too.” Pete released a hearty laugh. “Double or nothing, ball in hand on a foul, gorgeous.”

As Wanda and Pete headed across the lawn, Chad and Skye started to follow a short distance behind. Skye glanced back at the field to make sure Champ was in good hands. He was. Her gaze drifted to the training corral where Rebel stood with his neck arched out over the fence as he watched the other horses. Skye took an extra long look at the horse that had caused her so much trouble, but now he looked like he was almost smiling.

“Skye, ole’ buddy…” Chad’s words brought Skye back to his dimpled smile as he gently slapped her shoulder in mock-Wanda style. “It looks like we’re going to have a great time here today.”

“Chad, ole’ buddy…” Skye beamed her most radiant smile at one of her best friends in the whole wide world. “…I’m already having the greatest time of my life.”