Eye of the Beholder (40 page)

O
n the following Sunday morning, Guy Jones stood in the balmy October breeze following the church service, his hands in his pockets, and watched the palm fronds swaying as Ellen chitchatted with her friends. For the first time in a long time, it felt good to be home.

“Hi, Guy,” Billy Lewis said. “How are you do-ing?”

“I’m fine. How about you?”

“I am won-der-ful. God is good.”

Guy noticed Lisa Lewis clinging to Billy’s arm, that same disarming grin on her face. He reached for her hand. “Hi, Lisa. You’re looking lovely this morning.”

“Thank you.” Lisa’s cheeks flushed with pink. “Bil-ly picked out my dress. He likes me in pur-ple.”

Guy didn’t miss the adoring look in Billy’s eyes and wondered what he saw in this woman that caused him to love her so. Lisa was anything but attractive. Her pointed glasses were out of style and much too heavy-looking for her face. Her body type was stumpy, her skin sallow. And she hardly ever uttered a word. Then again, when had Guy ever tried communicating with her?

He looked over at Ellen who was standing with friends, holding Sarah Beth Hamilton on her hip, and then turned to Billy. “So what have you and Lisa been up to?”

“We a-dop-ted a lit-tle girl! El-len helped us.”

Lisa gave an emphatic nod, a twinkle in her eyes.

Guy moved his eyes from Lisa to Billy. They couldn’t be serious.

Billy pulled his wallet out of his pocket and showed Guy a photograph of a tiny black child with beautiful dark eyes. From the way she was dressed, Guy guessed her to be African.

“Is this the little girl?” Guy said.

Billy stammered, seemingly beside himself, and then the words came pouring out. “Oh, yes! Her name is Ly-di-a. She is five-years-old. She lives in U-gan-da.”

“We will write to her,” Lisa said. “She will learn about Je-sus.”

Ellen glanced over and saw Billy holding up the picture. She excused herself and came over and stood next to him. “Did Compassion send you information about your child?”

“Oh, yes!” Billy gave her the photograph. “Ly-di-a!” He went on to tell Ellen everything he could remember about the little girl.

From the expression on Ellen’s face, one would have thought it was her grandchild they were making a fuss about. She slipped one arm around Billy and the other around Lisa. “I’m thrilled for you—and so proud. I know what a sacrifice it is for you to find the extra money to support a child. God will bless you for it.”

Guy was struck by the couple’s generosity and couldn’t think of a single time when he had given sacrificially.

The Hamiltons came over and joined the circle. “Hey, what’s all the excitement about?”

Billy repeated the details, and the Hamiltons exchanged hugs with the Lewises and offered their congratulations.

“You know what?” Guy said. “This calls for a celebration. How about all of us going to Gordy’s for lunch—my treat?”

“That’s sounds great.” Ross Hamilton glanced over at his wife. “We’d love to come.”

Billy and Lisa’s heads bobbed in unison.

From out of nowhere, Blanche Davis appeared and squeezed in next to Ellen. “What’s all the commotion about?”

“Billy and Lisa sponsored a child through Compassion.”

Blanche brought her hands to her cheeks. “How wonderful!”

“We’re on our way to Gordy’s to celebrate,” Guy said. “Why don’t you come with us?”

“Oh dear, I wouldn’t think of intruding.”

Guy smiled.
Sure you would
. “Come on, the more the merrier.”

Guy sat with Ellen, enjoying his third cup of coffee and feeling surprisingly let down after the last of the guests they’d invited to lunch had gone. He hadn’t realized until now how much he missed the friendships he and Ellen had enjoyed in Baxter, and how little time and effort he had invested in building new ones since their move to Seaport.

Ellen reached across the table and put her hand on his. “Thank you. This meant so much to Billy and Lisa.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I should be thanking you.”

“For what?”

“For being an example of how to look for the best in people. I don’t know that I really
saw
the Lewises until today. Their slowness always turned me off, and I didn’t think I could relate to them. But the way Billy nearly burst his buttons when he held up the picture of that little girl made me realize he’s not really that different.”

“He’s really not. And he and Lisa are so cute together.”

“How did you come up with idea of them sponsoring a Compassion child?”

“I read about it in a magazine and sent off for information. I think we should consider it, too. It’s surprisingly inexpensive.”

“All right. I’ll take a look at the information.”

“Guy, why do you keep smiling?”

“Can you imagine how exciting it must be for Billy and Lisa to feel on some level as if they’re parents? That has to fill a big void in their lives.”

“I’m sure it does. But I also think bridging the gap with ‘normal’ people is equally important to them. It’s not often they feel
as if they fit in or have anything valuable to contribute. Thanks for making this day special for them … and for me. I was so proud of you.”

Guy paused until he was sure he wasn’t going to get emotional. “I’m starting to realize something about myself.” He looked into Ellen’s eyes and knew it was safe to say it. “I’m not a loving person.”

“Yes, you are. We’ve had our problems lately, but you’re a wonderful husband—
and
father.”

“You don’t have to defend me, honey. That’s a pitifully small outreach, considering there are billions of people on the planet. I doubt if your old buddy Ned would give me even an
E
for effort. I’ve thought about him a lot since we bought that painting. It still amazes me how radically your attitude toward Ross and Blanche changed after you took his advice and started praying for them. Yet I still don’t do it.”

“Even when I pray about it, I don’t always find it
easy
to love every person.”

“Then how are you able to be so nice to people I would gladly pass by?”

“You’ll laugh if I tell you.”

“I doubt that.”

The corners of Ellen’s mouth turned up. “Yes, you will.”

“I promise I won’t.”

She picked up a spoon and stirred what was left of her coffee. “It’s something I learned from Billy. I admit it sounds simplistic, but it’s had a profound impact on me.”

“Ellen, just say it.”

“All right.” She put down her spoon. “In my mind, I picture myself taking what Billy calls his ‘Jesus mask’ and putting it on the faces of people I have a hard time with. Seeing His face reminds me that whatever I do to the least of them, I do to Him …” Ellen’s voice failed and she looked away, her nose suddenly red and her chin quivering.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“It was just so awesome,” she managed to say.

“What was?”

She wiped a tear from her cheek and paused for a few moments, then lifted her eyes. “I’ve never told you this, but seeing Jesus’ face was the only way I could have reached out to Kinsey. And I’m so glad I did.”

 40
 

O
n Monday morning, Gordy and Pam Jameson raced down the pier to the front door of the crab shack, giant raindrops falling from a gray cloud that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Gordy fumbled to get the key in the lock, then finally pushed open the front door, lifted Pam into his arms, and carried her across the threshold, both of them laughing so hard they could hardly breathe.

“How long can you keep doing this?” Pam said.

“Till I get tired of it … or too feeble to lift you.” Gordy set her down and wiped a water droplet off her cheek with his thumb.

He spotted a new photo hanging next to the 8 × 10 of his parents handing the keys of the crab shack to him and Jenny. He went over and took a closer look, tickled to see a photo of Pam and him holding pies fresh from the oven.

“That rascal Weezie had this blown up.” He laughed. “I love you in that chef’s hat.”

“I have a feeling it’s one of her marketing ploys.” Pam glanced outside and then at her watch. “Think we should call Billy and tell him not to come in?”

Gordy went back to the front door and opened it. “Nah, I see blue sky already. Probably just a scattered shower. If nothin’ else, Billy can dry off the tables and chairs out on the deck. The kid can’t afford to lose a day now that he’s supportin’ Lydia.”

“He just glows when he talks about her.”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen him this excited since he married Lisa. I’ve got paperwork to do. You gonna make pies?”

“I’d better. Weezie’s selling them almost as fast as I pull them out of the oven. If she had her way, I’d have a bakeshop set up in here and would be selling whole pies right and left.”

Gordy studied her face. “Would you wanna work that hard?”

“I’d love doing it. I could easily handle a dozen different kinds of pies. Might be good for business. And the added income couldn’t hurt.”

“Hmm … why don’t you start by addin’ a few different kinds and we’ll see how they do. It’s surprisin’ how many folks are comin’ in just for pie now.” Gordy chuckled. “Weezie told me desserts sales were up seventy percent the three days I was gone.”

The front door opened. Dr. Ali Tehrani walked in, and the moment he saw them, a warm smile claimed his face. “Oh, it is good to see you looking so happy.” He went over to them and took hold of their hands. “I see that being married suits you.”

“How about a cup of coffee,” Gordy said. “I was just gettin’ ready to put on a pot.”

“All right, thank you.”

“Let me get it,” Pam said. “You fellas can visit.”

Ali waited until Pam left then turned to Gordy. “I have something I’d like to run by you. It’ll just take a couple minutes.”

“Sure. Let’s go to my office.” Gordy walked toward the hall and stopped at the kitchen doors. “Pam, darlin’, will you bring our coffee to my office when it’s ready?”

“Be glad to.”

Gordy led Ali into his office. “Sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

Ali sat in the same chair as last time, and Gordy pulled his desk chair next to Ali’s.

“Okay, Doc, what’s on your mind?”

“I’m deeply distressed by the violence, Gordy. I think the threat by those college students to go door-to-door in the Muslim
community, looking for terrorists, alarmed me as much as anything that’s happened. Not just because it’s my neighborhood, but because that kind of anarchy will destroy the freedoms that drew me to this country.”

“Aw, things oughta calm down now that they’ve arrested the two boys who were behind it all.”

Ali shook his head. “Those two teenagers weren’t behind it
all
. They’re merely two misguided kids among many. Do you really think these ethnic killings and the violence won’t spread to other cities? How long do you think it will be before more car bombs go off and more children kill each other, thinking they’re doing the world a favor?”

Gordy sighed. “It’s a cryin’ shame.”

“The real shame, my friend, is the silence of good people who have the power to shape public opinion. The time to prevent misunderstanding is
before
it happens—not when we’re washing our children’s blood off the streets.”

“Yeah, but somethin’ that big is way out of the hands of ordinary folks like you and me.”

Ali lifted his eyebrows, his dark eyes wide and soulful. “Maybe not. I have an idea. If it works, it might start a trend that would spread across this country.”

Will Seevers started to walk out of his office when his phone rang. He winced, then made an about face and picked up the receiver. “Chief Seevers.”

“Will, it’s Gordy. You got a minute?”

“I was just about to pick up a sandwich and head for the park. I think I’m craving solitude as much as food.”

“You think you could get sprung tonight for a while?”

“Probably. What’s up?”

“There’s a group of us who’d like to run something by you.”

“What group?”

“It’s too hard to explain over the phone, but what we wanna talk about is real important—somethin’ that should make a positive difference in the community. I’ll spring for dinner. Why don’t we all meet here in the banquet room at six-thirty? I promise you’ll be glad you came.”