Faith and Hope

Anthony dunks the pan under the water. He allows it to soak for a few seconds, before he vigorously starts attacking it with the sponge. His strong hands makes a quick work of all the dishes, and soon he is busy setting the table.

The chicken pie is taken out of the oven and placed in the middle of the table. The whiskey glass finds its place to the right top of one of the plates. A beer is placed at the other plate.

“Well, not bad.” Anthony stands back and smiles faintly. “We’ve got everything...Except for the grumpy old soul.”

Hopefully this makes up for my rant this morning...He felt really bad about arguing with his grandfather this morning. Especially since it was his grandfather’s birthday, and he completely forgot...And I kept on saying he’s eighty-three...Eighty-four...Man, I’m blessed to still have Gramps.

A quick rap is thrown onto the back door, before a young woman bursts in. She grabs Anthony and starts pulling him after her.

“Hey! What are you doing, you crazy woman?” She chokes, but words fail her. The tears are streaming down her face. She’s really upset about something! He realizes.

“Okay, calm down! I’m coming. Let go of my arm. Just lead the way.”

Steven worriedly glances up, relieved to see Amalie rushing through the door. Anthony follows her shortly after. It takes only one look, and suddenly Anthony is whizzing over the length of the room, but is stopped by Steven.

“Take it slow, man. You can do nothing for him. We’re waiting for the ambulance.” Slowly, Steven drops his arm and frees Anthony to continue.

“What happened?” Anthony chokes out, dropping down to the ground. He slowly intertwines his fingers with the old man’s.

“We were drinking a cup of coffee, discussing business. He just suddenly went pale, and then he fell. Amalie called the hospital, and I tried CPR. Turns out he’s still breathing. His heart is still beating. He’s just...out...” Steven says softly.

“Oh, Grandpa...Why?” The young man starts sobbing, bringing his grandfather’s hands to his cheek. “Please don’t leave me alone...” He whispers.

Amalie takes the seat next to Anthony, silently handing him the coffee and muffin. He takes it, but then places it on the ground, once again folding his hands, while he stares down at the ground.

“Mr. Brown...I know that you are in pain...But you have to eat and drink something. It’s not good to take bad news on an empty stomach.” She quickly realizes what she said, and hastens to fix her blunder. “I mean, it’s not necessarily bad news! I’m just saying...” She sighs. “You will be able to take this more easily with something in your stomach...”

He ‘hmmphs’, but leaves the snack and drink standing on the ground. They sit in silence, each busy with their own thoughts. Amalie takes a sip, a tear slipping down her cheek. Sniffing, she decides to focus her attention on something else.

Noticing the radio on the other side of the room, she rises and makes her way over to it, switching it on. She doesn’t recognize the song that is busy coming to an end, but as she sits down again, one of her favorites comes starts playing. Michael Bublé’s voice fills the room, his song Hold On bringing fresh tears to her cheeks.

Anthony suddenly starts sobbing. He buries his face into his hands. After a little while, he takes his hands away again. He leans back and rests his head against the wall. His lips moving, but producing no sound, he sings along to the end of the song.

“Do you feel better now?” She asks timidly. He smiles faintly, and then bends over to pick up the coffee and muffin.

“Thanks...Amalie, right?” She nods. He smiles again, before taking a bite of his muffin. It disappears quickly, and the coffee follows shortly after.

“There...Don’t you feel much better now?” She smiles, her eyes lighting up again.

“Indeed...Much better...” He sits back again, closing his eyes. “That’s my grandfather’s favourite song...Hold On...Always drove me crazy...I remember listening to it and wanting to smash the CD player to smithereens...It’s deep though...Beautiful...”

“Yes. It is.” She takes another sip, and smiles up at him again.

“What do I do if I lose Gramps? He’s all I have left...I need him...I’m still a kid in here...In my heart...I want to trust that he will help me...I want to believe that he will always be there...It’s selfish to hope he’ll always stay here for me, I know...But...” He sighs. “What if he dies today? And I never get to talk to him again? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself...I still have so much to ask forgiveness for...”

“I understand.” She places her small hand onto his. Mesmerized, he stares down at it. “Unfortunately...If it happens...It will happen. I guess that’s why we have to be careful with what we say to people...We never know when we are having our last conversation with them...” She suddenly blushes, and hastily removes her hand from his. “Sorry...” She then mumbles.

“It’s fine...Amalie...How do you deal with this...fear? This fear of losing him? The fear of what the doctor is going to say when he comes in here?”

“You hope for the best. You pray for the good news. And when you don’t get it, you keep on moving forward.” She looks up and into his eyes. “You have to hope, Anthony. It’s never too late for miracles.”

“Sounds like something he would say...” He mumbles a little grumpily. She giggles.

“It’s never too late?” He nods. She giggles again. “Well, it’s very true. It’s never too late. Never too late to pray, hope, and believe.” She smiles and then stands up. “I have to go now. Will you be okay?”

“Sure...Thanks Amalie...”

“Anytime.” She bends down and squeezes his hand. With a wink, she then leaves the room. He sits there quietly, patiently waiting. Finally, he cannot hold it anymore, and he bends over again, folding his hands to pray.

I don’t have faith in You...But I want to believe that You exist, if You will just give him back to me...I hope...I hope...Oh, grandpa, I HOPE you will be fine...

His head shoots up at somebody’s cough. Surprised, he stares at Amalie. She blushes and then takes her seat next to him again.

“You know...I once watched a movie...The Rescuers, I think...There was a quote that really struck me...Faith is a bluebird we see from far. It’s as real and as sure as the first evening star. You can’t touch it or buy it or wrap it up tight...but it’s there just the same, making things turn out right.” She grins up at him. “Powerful, right?”

“Yes...I remember that movie...What are you doing back here?”

“Oh well...” She leans back, resting her head against the wall as well. “I couldn’t leave you to yourself, now could I? It’s terrible having to go through these things by yourself. So, I decided that I will be here for you.” She grins again, and then closes her eyes. “I might doze off, though...Just warning you.”

“Thanks, Amalie...”