Soul Awakening
By Doug Simpson
By Doug Simpson
__________________
If you missed out yesterday's post, catch Chapter Seven here.
__________________
Chapter 9
The Plan
Happy to be home, Dacque abandoned his morning-walk routine for a few days, allowing his wounded knee time to heal. Max had asked if Dani could work on Saturday, and she was delighted to receive an extra-day's pay that she had not anticipated. On Sunday, Dani picked up a few groceries for Dacque and spent part of the afternoon with him. Dani made it a habit to touch-base with Dacque once or twice a day, but did not visit him again until Wednesday after work. She would have loved to make him a home-cooked dinner, but never knew ahead of time whether Max would ask her to stay late, as he had on Monday and Tuesday, so that when she talked to Dacque on Tuesday evening she told him she would buy his favorite Chinese-food selections, and join him for dinner on Wednesday. The only catch was that she had no way of knowing if she would be asked once more to work extra hours, and that she was not prepared to say no to Max, so it could turn out to be a late dinner. Dacque assured her that he would be happy to devour his favorite Chinese-food dinner at midnight if necessary, so he would be ready whenever she arrived. Dani indicated that she would phone him when she was leaving work, so he would be forewarned.
Dani called Dacque on her cell phone, as she walked towards the parking garage on Lemon Avenue, and asked him to phone in their Chinese-food order so she could pick it up on the drive to his place. Fortunately, Max had declared, late in the afternoon, that he refused to work late three days in a row.
Chinese food in hand, Dani arrived at Dacque's apartment before six. They spread the containers out on the kitchen counter, and Dacque handed Dani a plate. "I'm not sure exactly what you ordered here," she said, "so you go first and give me a chance to check out my choices."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Dacque commented, and dug in.
It all looked pretty good to Dani, so she tried a little of everything, but was conservative on the helpings in case something did not taste as good as it looked. Dani joined Dacque at the table.
Appetites more-than-quenched, they chatted away across the table, with Dacque curious as to how she liked working for Max.
"He is a wonderful boss," Dani declared. "Nothing seems to faze him. He never gets angry if I make a mistake. I am so lucky that your accidental tumble introduced me to Max, and led to this brief respite from the unemployment line."
"There are no accidents," Dacque stated, matter-of-factly.
"Oh! So you want me to believe that you deliberately dived face-first into the pavement in front of a spiffily-dressed lawyer so he could provide me with a temporary legal-secretary position, when his secretary's father thought it was a convenient time to have a major heart attack? Give me a break."
"It was all part of a plan."
"Sometimes, Dacque, I think you are just plain nuts," Dani declared, her voice rising noticeably. "What plan?"
"I know it is difficult to accept, but let me give you my take on all of this,'' Dacque responded, unfazed.
"Let's hear it. This better be good!"
"God would know that Sara's father was about to have a heart attack. God would know when Max was on his way to his office. How long were you sitting on the bench in MacDunnah Park that first day we met, before I surprised you?"
"Probably fifteen or twenty minutes."
"And the second day you went there to see if I would come back again?"
"Probably about the same."
"God led me to MacDunnah Park the first day, I believe, and when I walked by and tried to ignore this sobbing young lady on the park bench, I was ordered back to you. On the second morning, I started to walk south, not north, and was distinctly told I was going the wrong way. I was once again led back to the park where you were waiting for me. Waiting for me! Those were not accidents. There is a plan in place here, which has required me to put you in touch with Max. I really have no idea why, but we will eventually find out."
"And your swan-dive onto the sidewalk?"
"I guess God had to think of something to get Max's attention."
"If you and God are such good buddies, why did He bang up your knee so much?"
"Well, if I was not hurt, and Max just helped me to my feet and we both went on our merry way, then you two would have never met, right?"
Dani sighed. Dacque made it sound so plausible it was difficult to argue with him. If God sends him messages, she reasoned, then why could He not set all of these events in place. A plan. Who would have imagined it?
The Plan
Happy to be home, Dacque abandoned his morning-walk routine for a few days, allowing his wounded knee time to heal. Max had asked if Dani could work on Saturday, and she was delighted to receive an extra-day's pay that she had not anticipated. On Sunday, Dani picked up a few groceries for Dacque and spent part of the afternoon with him. Dani made it a habit to touch-base with Dacque once or twice a day, but did not visit him again until Wednesday after work. She would have loved to make him a home-cooked dinner, but never knew ahead of time whether Max would ask her to stay late, as he had on Monday and Tuesday, so that when she talked to Dacque on Tuesday evening she told him she would buy his favorite Chinese-food selections, and join him for dinner on Wednesday. The only catch was that she had no way of knowing if she would be asked once more to work extra hours, and that she was not prepared to say no to Max, so it could turn out to be a late dinner. Dacque assured her that he would be happy to devour his favorite Chinese-food dinner at midnight if necessary, so he would be ready whenever she arrived. Dani indicated that she would phone him when she was leaving work, so he would be forewarned.
Dani called Dacque on her cell phone, as she walked towards the parking garage on Lemon Avenue, and asked him to phone in their Chinese-food order so she could pick it up on the drive to his place. Fortunately, Max had declared, late in the afternoon, that he refused to work late three days in a row.
Chinese food in hand, Dani arrived at Dacque's apartment before six. They spread the containers out on the kitchen counter, and Dacque handed Dani a plate. "I'm not sure exactly what you ordered here," she said, "so you go first and give me a chance to check out my choices."
"You don't have to ask me twice," Dacque commented, and dug in.
It all looked pretty good to Dani, so she tried a little of everything, but was conservative on the helpings in case something did not taste as good as it looked. Dani joined Dacque at the table.
Appetites more-than-quenched, they chatted away across the table, with Dacque curious as to how she liked working for Max.
"He is a wonderful boss," Dani declared. "Nothing seems to faze him. He never gets angry if I make a mistake. I am so lucky that your accidental tumble introduced me to Max, and led to this brief respite from the unemployment line."
"There are no accidents," Dacque stated, matter-of-factly.
"Oh! So you want me to believe that you deliberately dived face-first into the pavement in front of a spiffily-dressed lawyer so he could provide me with a temporary legal-secretary position, when his secretary's father thought it was a convenient time to have a major heart attack? Give me a break."
"It was all part of a plan."
"Sometimes, Dacque, I think you are just plain nuts," Dani declared, her voice rising noticeably. "What plan?"
"I know it is difficult to accept, but let me give you my take on all of this,'' Dacque responded, unfazed.
"Let's hear it. This better be good!"
"God would know that Sara's father was about to have a heart attack. God would know when Max was on his way to his office. How long were you sitting on the bench in MacDunnah Park that first day we met, before I surprised you?"
"Probably fifteen or twenty minutes."
"And the second day you went there to see if I would come back again?"
"Probably about the same."
"God led me to MacDunnah Park the first day, I believe, and when I walked by and tried to ignore this sobbing young lady on the park bench, I was ordered back to you. On the second morning, I started to walk south, not north, and was distinctly told I was going the wrong way. I was once again led back to the park where you were waiting for me. Waiting for me! Those were not accidents. There is a plan in place here, which has required me to put you in touch with Max. I really have no idea why, but we will eventually find out."
"And your swan-dive onto the sidewalk?"
"I guess God had to think of something to get Max's attention."
"If you and God are such good buddies, why did He bang up your knee so much?"
"Well, if I was not hurt, and Max just helped me to my feet and we both went on our merry way, then you two would have never met, right?"
Dani sighed. Dacque made it sound so plausible it was difficult to argue with him. If God sends him messages, she reasoned, then why could He not set all of these events in place. A plan. Who would have imagined it?
____________________________________________
Soul Awakening is part of the 12 days of Christmas feature here at Downright Fiction. Every day will see a new chapter excerpt on the website. Come back for Chapter 10 tomorrow!
_______________________________________________
Doug Simpson is a retired high school teacher who has turned his talents to writing. His magazine and website articles have been published in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France and India. Soul Awakening is his first novel. Read more about Doug at dousimp.mnsi.net!
_______________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment