A Heart of Faith – Chapter Twenty-One
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.
A week had passed since Liam’s funeral. Elizabeth was trying to have a regular day, at home, in her apartment. It would likely be the first one in weeks, if she were being fully honest with herself. And, it wouldn’t truly be regular, anyways. Nothing had been ‘regular’ since her brother’s death, after all. But at some point, one has to continue on with normalcy—to regain a sense of consistency, of stability.
Pulling out her self phone from the back pocket of her dark colored jeans, Elizabeth turned it on. She scrolled through her contacts, looking for her boss’s number. She wanted to give him a call to say she would return to work that week. Before she was able to call him, however, a phone call came in. Marie-Ann was calling her. Pressing answer, Elizabeth held the phone to her ear. “Yeah?”
“Hey, Liz!” Maria greeted, sounding exuberant. “I have great news!” Intrigued, Elizabeth asked, “What is it…?” Her sister-in-law continued. “I got word that the guy who received the heart had the transplant, and it was successful!” Elizabeth’s eyes barely widened. “It’s great, right?” Maria said, still sounding so excited. “Yeah, I guess it is.” Elizabeth agreed, though her tone didn’t hold the same excitement as Maria’s.
Walking over to her kitchen’s pantry, with Frankie at her heel, Elizabeth heard her sister-in-law continue. “I’ve asked the doctor if it’s okay for us to meet him.” Her act of taking a scoop of dog food from the bag inside the pantry faltered greatly. Elizabeth blinked. “You did?” A happy “Mhm!” was heard from Maria’s end. “But, he told me he’s going to have to talk to them about it first.” Still holding the dog food scoop, Elizabeth stood straight again. “Why?” She asked. “Why ‘what’?”
“Why would you ask if we can meet him?” Frankie began running circles around her owner, waiting to be fed her lunch. “I thought it would be nice to see who Liam’s helped.” Marie-Ann explained. “Your mom also thinks it’s a nice idea.” Elizabeth began to frown. Not that Maria could see. “You told my mom first?!”
“Well, yes…” Maria confessed, clearing her throat after. “And, wouldn’t you want to meet this guy?” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Of course not!” She told her. “But, why?” Maria wondered, keeping her own tone calm. “Because- I don’t know, just because!” Elizabeth could hear Marie-Ann’s hum on the other end. “… Because why-?”
“Because, it’s not fair!” Elizabeth blurted. In her brief outburst, she nearby dropped the food scoop—causing a few kibbles to fall to the floor. Frankie happily licked them up, while her own kept talking. “I-I mean, why did my brother have to die?! Huh?! Why didn’t it have to be someone else?!” Maria sighed. “It makes sense for you to be thinking that,” She began. “And that is a very valid feeling.” Elizabeth finally set the scoop down, to cross her arm and lean against her kitchen counter.
“I don’t want to meet this person… because he’ll be a living reminder that it was my brother who had to die…!” Elizabeth told her, trying not to choke up. “Alright, I understand.” Maria said. “How about this, then,” She continued. “Your mom and I will go meet him first. Then, we’ll tell you about him, what he was like, and it’ll be up to you to decide if you want to also meet him.” She offered. “How about that?” Taking a breath, Elizabeth thought for a second. “… Okay. That’s fine.”
“Good. It’s a plan, then.” Marie-Ann stated. “I’ll be in touch. Take care.” Elizabeth mumbled a “goodbye”, before the call ended. Frankie yipped at her owner, still very hungry. Rubbing her eyes, Elizabeth said, “Good grief…” She looked down to her dog. “Okay, you’re hungry. I hear ya.” Frankie’s tail wagging got faster, as she not only got food in her dish, but an affectionate scritch on top of her head. Elizabeth then went to find a distraction. She’d call her boss tomorrow, probably.
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