It is Friday and time for Part 2 of this year’s story. If you’d like to read part 1, you will find the link here (along with links for all of the Christmas stories).
As Joey and June walked to town, it began to snow. Although they both gazed at the big wet flakes with delight, they shivered in their threadbare coats and began to walk faster. Joey looked up at the overcast sky, “I wonder how much it’s fixing to snow? We’d better get to the store and right back home again,” he said to his sister.
June remained quiet at his side, her short legs trying to keep up with her brother’s quickening pace. Soon they were at Lambert’s General Store. A little bell jingled over their heads as they opened the door to notify Mr. Lambert of entering customers.
But it wasn’t reticent Mr. Lambert who greeted them. Instead, they saw a woman they had never seen before. She was pleasantly round with graying chestnut-colored hair held in a loose bun. Her warm brown eyes lit up as she offered a friendly smile to the children as they walked through the door.
“Good morning, children! Welcome to our store,” and she proceeded to tell them a detailed story about how she and her husband had recently purchased the store from Mr. Lambert who had gone to live with his daughter in a different state. She finished her story with, “my name is Mrs. Bell. What are your names?”
Joey was about to answer, when June piped up, “I’m June and this is my big brother, Joey.”
“Well, so nice to meet you, June and Joey,” she said, smiling, “and what can I get for you today?”
“We need some food,” June stated matter-of-factly. And then she continued before her brother could stop her, “our mom left us a few weeks back and we haven’t seen her since. And now we are out of food. But we found some money in the cabin so we came here to buy food. Joey says we will have to be very careful so that the food lasts for a long time because …” At this point Joey gave his sister a small kick and, looking at him with surprise, she stopped talking abruptly.
At June’s confession, Linda Bell’s face grew more and more concerned, “your mom hasn’t been back? And it’s been how long?”
Joey finally spoke up and told an outright lie, “we are just fine, ma’am. She will come back soon. Maybe even tomorrow. She went looking for work and didn’t need two kids tagging along. We just need a little food to get by.”
“Hmmmm,” Linda looked doubtful, “your dad? Where is he?”
“He left right after I was born. I haven’t even met him,” said June. Joey’s face grew red and his discomfort grew as his sister so readily gave this stranger such personal information.
Linda’s face looked thoughtful, “well, would you mind telling me where you live? Sometimes we get clothing donations at the church and I could keep my eye out for your sizes. We are always looking for good places for that clothing to go to. And it would just be for now, you know. ‘Til your mama returns,” Linda had a way of making it feel like they were helping her instead of the other way around.
She quickly scribbled down the information on a piece of scrap paper as the children turned to look around the store. She helped them gather some food items that would last a while. As she placed their selections in a bag, she tucked in a few extra items and told them that the cost “was just exactly what they had”.
As the children walked out the door, arms full, Linda was already deliberating on ways she could help them. She also wanted to confirm that the children’s mother did return. And she just might give her a piece of her mind, if she did! Why, the nerve of a woman leaving her children all alone in the winter without ample food or money. Some people, she thought with disgust. God was already answering the simple but heartfelt prayer of the children for help through the kind-hearted store owner.
As the bell rang upon the children’s departure from the store Linda’s husband, Martin, returned from the storage room, “Who was that?”
Linda gave a troubled sigh as she shared as much as she knew. Their conversation was cut short as the door jangled again and another customer entered.
A few hours later the two of them sat in the spacious, homey rooms above the store talking and enjoying hot tea and biscuits covered with jam.
“I just cannot get those children out of my mind,” said Linda.
“Well, there’s not a whole lot we can do,” said her practical but kind-hearted husband, “we don’t really know their situation and we don’t want to put our noses where they don’t belong,” he continued, winking at her. His wife did have a tendency to do that and it had gotten them into trouble a time or two.
“Oh, I know,” she said softly. But when she went to bed that night, her thoughts were on the children who had no mother to care for them and little food. She listened to the howling wind outside and wondered if they were staying warm.
The following morning, the children continued to be on her mind and she couldn’t stop talking about them to Martin as the two ate breakfast.
Martin just sat and listened, but as they finished eating, he stood up and looked fondly at his wife, “let’s open the store and then later on this morning, I’ll go check on them.”
Linda face broke out into a huge smile of gratitude, “you’d do that?”
“Of course I would. I want to make sure those kids are okay and I want to keep you happy,” he said with a teasing grin.
“Oh, you…” she laughed and then her face grew serious, “but thank you.”
Whew! Glad they are checking on the children!