A Heart of Faith – Chapter Seventeen
Time. Some think it’s something of which they have lots. But we never can know how much we do have, until it becomes jeopardized. That’s a lesson the Meltsner learnt the hard way, when just that happens to Eugene Meltsner.
All of a sudden, time seems to be slipping away for him, quicker than anyone could have expected. Will the situation be able to be turned around before time is completely gone for good? Only time and faith will reveal what God could possibly have planned for them—of what use the situation could be. And maybe, as the saying goes, “One man’s loss, is another man’s gain.”
Although the events prove to be a fright for the family, and even their close friends, they are all able to find that they can have Hearts of Faith that God will take care of them and their every need.
Unlike previous days of summer, a light fog had rolled in over Connellsville late that morning. Though, it seemed only they were the ones stuck with the fog—unlike neighboring towns such as Odyssey. Most of the town’s citizens didn’t seem to mind much, since after all, the sun’s warm rays would soon make a return as always. Elizabeth, however, was the exception.
The dreary weather didn’t help her already depressed mood that Wednesday.
Moping on her couch, with her dog Frankie cuddled on her chest, Elizabeth was slowly going through the photos on her cellphone. She lingered on photos mainly of herself with her brother Liam. As she did, stray tears would roll down her cheeks, to which Frankie would promptly lick off her owner’s freckled face.
Of course, there was a reason behind her saddened disposition. Some days prior was when Elizabeth had heard the news. Liam had wound up in the middle of a huge collision that happened on a major highway. The collision had started with a truck driver who’d decided to have one too many drinks before getting behind the wheel. Both her brother and one other person had unfortunately lost their lives. It had all happened so quickly.
Not wanting things to drag on for longer than they had to, Liam’s family had begun with the funeral arrangements. The date was set for the following weekend. In the beginning, Elizabeth had tried to help her mother with some of the preparations that came along with a funeral, but in the end, being so grief-stricken with losing her brother, she began to feel more like a burden than a help. So, she stepped down and simply waited for the day of the funeral to come up. Lazing on her couch, scrolling photos, trying to keep the memory of her older brother alive.
A soft knock sounded at Elizabeth’s apartment door. She sat up, and looked over her should as Frankie jumped off of her. The dog excitedly barked a couple times, her fluffy tail becoming a blur from wagging fast, as whoever was at the door knocked again. Elizabeth turned her phone off, pocketed it, and stood up with a quiet sigh to go answer the door. She opened the door to her now widowed sister-in-law, Marie-Ann Bennet. The woman gave her a smile. “Hi, Liza.”
“Oh, hey Maria.” Elizabeth greeted, using her sister’s shortened nickname. “Uh- Come in.” She held the door wider, allowing Marie-Ann to enter. “Thanks.” Frankie excitedly circled Marie-Ann as she entered the apartment. She briefly reached down to give the dog a small scratch behind the ear as a ‘hello’. Having closed the door behind Marie-Ann, Elizabeth turned to look at her—hiding her hands in her sweater’s sleeves. “So, what brings you here?”
“I wanted to come check on you.” Elizabeth shook her head a little. “You could’ve just like, y’know, sent me a text or something.” Marie-Ann gave her sister-in-law a pointed look. “It’s not the same, you know it.” Elizabeth shrugged. “And anyways, you don’t have to act all tough. It doesn’t hurt to open up, you’re not the only one grieving.” She gave Marie-Ann a brief and small suspicious look, before muttering, “… when pigs fly!” Marie-Ann’s statement about how she too was grieving almost felt like a lie with how she seemed to be handling her husband’s death. Elizabeth really didn’t understand how she, and her own mother for that matter, seemed so calm about Liam’s death. On top of her own grief, it left her confused.
“I also wanted to tell you,” Marie-Ann continued. “That I got a call from Dr. Esmond.” She told, referring to Liam’s doctor, who also helped with the medical end of him being an organ donor. “They’ve found a match!” Marie-Ann reported, her smile growing a bit more. Elizabeth simply gave a small smirk. “Good.” Putting a hand on her sister-in-law’s shoulder, Marie-Ann gently squeezed it. “Come on, Miss stick-in-the-mud, this is really exciting! It means Liam is still able to help someone, even after he’s gone to Heaven.” She noticed Elizabeth’s subtle eye roll. There she goes again… Elizabeth thought to herself, before answering, “Yeah, I know. I’m happy, too.”
With a small sigh, Marie-Ann let go of her shoulder. “Well, I don’t have anywhere to be this afternoon,” She began, crossing her arms. “You wanna go get some coffee up the street?” Elizabeth shrugged, but hummed and nodded in answer. “Sure.” She said, before going about getting her shoes on, and grabbing Frankie’s leash—as the owner of the coffee shop allowed the little white dog as a regular, too. “Great.”