Second Chances Chapter 23 La Vie en Rose
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A Second Chance - Chapter 57 free porn video
SUNDAY, June 19, 2016
Rachael went down to the nursery as soon as she got to church to make
sure that there were enough staff. There were. Several of the girls
had gotten babysitting jobs the prior Friday or Saturday nights, and
all were eager to meet more parents, and get to be the favorite of
more kids. Rachael headed back up to the church just before service
started.
As she took a seat with Maria, she noticed Jane and Mike sitting in
the back, with the baker holding the former hooker's hand. There were
a few sneers from other women in the church directed at Jane and her
ample bosom, but Mike seemed to be chatting with her and reassuring
her she was welcome in the church. Rachael smiled at the young couple
as she walked past, and Jane smiled back, glad to be welcomed by at
least one person.
Pastor Helen also smiled warmly at Jane from the front of the church,
and then made an adlib change to her sermon, starting off with a
welcome to 'new members' and noting that the church was inclusive to
all, and that it was the sin of pride to feel that you are more
deserving than others. She continued on that theme for several more
minutes, until most of the women who had sneered at Jane became
uncomfortable.
After the short sermon, Pastor Helen announced that there were guest
speakers: three missionaries from Africa. This is the reason that
Rachael was not in the nursery. She felt that as a church board member
who would decide on the donations, she had a responsibility to see how
the congregation reacted to the various speeches.
The first up was a young missionary of about 25 years old. He was
building a church in Angola, and needed money to start construction.
Up until this time he was preaching from the local schoolroom, a
single room building that was empty on the weekends. He felt that it
was important to have a separate building in the community to bring
the people closer to God.
The second missionary was a few years older, and he already had a
church building. He was now trying to raise money for a manse, a
building where he could live. He presently lived in a small hut on the
church property, but felt it was necessary for him to have a more
western home, rather than the type of building all his parishioners
lived in.
The final speaker was a few more years older, perhaps 35, and he
immediately spoke with a passion lacking in the others. You could see
that he considered his congregation to be 'his' people. Joshua
Stillwater was married, to a woman about his age who was a nurse, and
ran the only clinic for 80 miles around from their home. Even though
they had been in Zambia for much longer than the younger men, they
weren't looking for a building. They had already spearheaded the
building of a local school, and the missionary taught all grades up to
Grade 10 during the week, as well as preaching in the same building on
Sundays.
His project was to drill a well for his people in the village. The
women of the village had to walk 15 kilometers to a place where the
stream through a nearby ravine was accessible. He felt that the stream
indicated that there would be water if they drilled, and he wanted a
local source. Many women with young children had to take their babies
with them on the long walk for water. Families with older children
left the young with siblings, but this cut those children out of an
education, although the missionary gave night classes in basic
education to them in the evenings, as well as to the adults who wanted
to learn.
He spoke of another project. The ravine over the stream meant that it
took a 30-kilometer detour down to the watering place and back to get
to the road to the market town. The only bridge over the ravine was
two old ropes strung across. You walked on the lower rope, and held
the upper one for balance. Doing this with a full load on your head
was precarious, and loads, and occasionally people, dropped into the
stream below. Each load lost would represent a week or two of work for
the farmer, who generally had a yearly income of less than $60 in
Canadian money.
The men of the village were almost all farmers, and the main currency
of the village was livestock. There were two small cows owned by the
headman, and many of the villagers had goats or sheep. He noted that
many of his students left school at age 13 or 14, with the girls being
married off, and the boys going to work in the fields. He recounted
the story of a girl of 15 who was incredibly bright, and had potential
to go to university. But her father had set a bride-price of four
goats on her, and as soon as someone came up with the price, she would
be married off. It appeared that either the headman, who was over 40,
or his son, currently a boy of 10, would be the only ones who could
afford the price.
Joshua had gone over the 10-minute time limit by at least 10 minutes,
and Pastor Helen had to call an end to the talk so she could end the
service in time for the next group to come in. She suggested that any
people who wished to talk to the missionaries could do so in the
lobby.
Rachel went into the lobby, and saw that only Joshua had a crowd
around him. She went to the other two missionaries, and congratulated
them on their work, and then moved into the crowd around Joshua. After
several minutes listening to the passionate man answer questions, she
got hers in: "What does a goat cost in Zambia?"
"Thirty dollars," Joshua said. "For most families that is a half year
of pay. Some girls have bride-prices of only a sheep or two, which
cost $10 each. They tend to marry younger than Lullana, the girl I
mentioned."
"So if I raised $120, I could pay her bride-price, and she could stay
in school?" Rachael asked.
"No, I don't think that would work. If no husband appeared to take her
home, then another man with the bride-price would make an offer, and
she would have to go with him."
"What if I brought her here? Like an exchange student? Would that
work?" Rachael asked.
The missionary appeared to think for a moment, and then had a big
smile. "I never thought about an exchange student. Although it would
not be an exchange, since there is nothing for a student from here to
gain in Kasaka. But if Lullana could be brought here, and get a
Canadian education, she would be able to bring so much back to her
people."
"Don't be so sure there can't be an exchange," Gary said from the spot
he was listening in. "Maybe not a teenaged student, but one or two of
the Hobo Army have experience in construction and could help you build
your well and bridge. And you might want to contact the nursing school
in London. Some of their students might want to spend a summer helping
your wife."
"Wow. What great ideas," a pumped up Joshua said. "Can we talk later?
I see that the other missionaries are speaking to the second service,
and I should get ready for my spot."
Rachael stood at the back of the church and watched the three
missionaries repeat their presentations. Joshua seemed even more
charged up than the first time, and at the end of this service Pastor
McNaughton allowed the men to answer questions in the church itself.
There was an even bigger crowd around Joshua this time. Finally, a
half hour later the Deacon came forward and asked the missionaries to
join them in the boardroom, which Gary had hastily recreated from the
Sunday school room it had been a half hour earlier.
Rachael accompanied Joshua in and then showed him and the other two
missionaries seats just outside of the room. The board took places
around the table, and quickly a short discussion ensued.
"I think the way is clear," the deacon said. "The mission in Zambia is
clearly doing more for the community and needs our support. The
others, building a church, or worse, a manse, are doing little to make
the lives of their people easier. It is more a case of making their
own lives easier. But this Joshua fellow seems to be a real firebrand.
So the question is: what, if anything, do we give these gents?"
"Well, even the two deserve something, having come out from Toronto to
talk to us. I think they should get at least $500 each," Pastor Helen
said.
In the end, two men were called in, and offered $1000 each for their
missions. They both left with big smiles on their faces. Most churches
were donating a hundred or two.
Then Joshua came in and was invited to sit down. He was grilled about
costs for his various projects. He said he was aiming for $15,000 for
both the well and the bridge, but noting that he would be doing one
per year, and a two-year contribution would be most helpful.
"I think we are prepared to do that, in a single payment," the Deacon
said. "In fact, we would like to make a continuing commitment to
Kasaka. Think of it as an unofficial twining of Ingersoll with your
village. We will help you now, and we will help you in the future. We
can't be sure of our recent financial luck continuing, but we will
support you with what we can spare."
"And the Hobo Army has some funds of our own," Gary said. "I haven't
asked, but I suspect we can send two men to help with your projects.
When will you return?"
"With this kind of support I can cut short my fundraising," Joshua
said. "I think I will return in two or three weeks. I like the
suggestion of talking to the nursing school, and want to make time for
that."
"And I want you to buy four goats for me," Rachael said. "I want to
pay the bride-price for that girl, and bring her to Canada to go to
school. I only have half of the $120, but I will get the rest before
you leave. I don't know how we can get her here though."
"The parish will pay for her flight," the deacon said. "And a return
flight each year she stays here, so she can go home and visit her
family."
"And I will personally pay the other $60 you need," Gary said. "You
were the Angel who saved me. Let me help you be an Angel for this
other girl."
At this point Joshua broke down sobbing. He cried for several minutes
before he could apologize for his actions. "It is just so wonderful,"
he said. "You don't know how much you are doing for my people. There
are 200 families, 1000 people, and you will transform their lives.
When we got to Kasaka 10 years ago, 150 children of 1000 failed to
live to their first birthday. With my wife's help, that number is now
down to 40, although she still cries over each one she loses. A
pregnant woman walking 80 miles to the clinic is not ideal, but slowly
we are making a difference. Now, with your help, we will change that
'slowly' into a 'rapidly.'"
After the board meeting ended, Rachael went next door to see Mrs.
Winchester. Rachael had not helped her pack as much as she wanted, due
to school and her busy schedule, but she had brought Miriam Brown over
to help. Miriam was the older woman that ran the house of ill repute
that Constable Steve had shut down, and she quickly bonded with
Myrtle, helping the older lady pack her goods.
Rachael had promised to help Myrtle move, and spent the next hour
getting her to her new house in the nursing home, where Miriam was
already busy unpacking boxes. Rachael continued for a while, until her
family appeared in a strange vehicle. She hugged Myrtle, and wished
her happiness in her new home, with a promise of a regular visit.
Miriam stayed to finish the unpacking, and Rachael got into the recent
model car, buckling into the back seat next to Bobby.
"Did you buy a new car, Dad?" she asked.
"No, it is just a rental," Geoff said. "Although we will be needing a
second vehicle soon. Now that your Mom drives, the bakery van isn't
going to be enough."
"Although maybe not for a while," Maria said. "Mike stopped in as we
were getting lunch, and asked if he could get an advance of $10,000 on
his salary. He has really fallen for Jane, and wants to help her get
her surgery. I have a feeling she might be living above the bakery
pretty soon."
"That's wonderful," Rachael said. "I saw them in church and they make
such a lovely couple. Although it looked like some people didn't think
so."
"Mike told me that after the service some of the people who had glared
at her came up to apologize. Apparently Pastor Helen's message hit
home for some of them. And the lady who runs the auxiliary came over
and invited her to join. She wasn't sure about that, but did agree to
start attending the 'Learn to Cook' classes."
"Moooom," Bobby whined. "You said when we picked up Rachael, you would
tell us where we are going."
"Yes, and she hasn't even had lunch," Maria scolded, handing a wrapped
sandwich back to her daughter. "And you haven't eaten for nearly an
hour, so I suppose you want one too?"
"Yes please," Bobby said, eagerly taking the second sandwich offered.
"Bottomless pit," Maria quipped.
"Conveyor belt," Bobby retorted, with a giggle.
Rachael had to explain, and by the time she was done, Bobby had
devoured the sandwich.
"This is where we are going," Maria said, handing an envelope back to
Rachael.
Rachael opened the envelope and saw a series of tickets. On top were
four tickets to the Toronto Blue Jays game against Baltimore that
night. Then inside were tickets to the CN Tower, the adjoining
Ripley's Aquarium and also tickets to the Royal Ontario Museum further
uptown.
"Do you know what this is?" Rachael said, holding up a ticket with the
Blue Jays logo on it. Bobby stared for a second, and almost whispered
the words "Blue Jays." Then he worked it out. "We're going to see the
Blue Jays? In real life? Yippee," he shouted, bouncing around in his
seat as much as possible with a seat belt on.
"And that's why we didn't tell you until we had your sister available
to keep you in check," Maria said. "The seats are in the outfield,
just off the first baseline. Not the best seats in the house, but near
the ground level, not the nose bleed sections."
"You are the best mom in the world. And you are the best dad ever. And
Rachael is the best sister ever," an extremely hyper Bobby raved.
Rachael pointed out to him the line on the tickets that said the game
went to 7:10. It was now almost 3, and Ingersoll is over two hours
outside of downtown Toronto, so they should arrive well before 6 and
still have an hour to get to the Rogers Center.
"The other tickets are for Monday," Rachael noted. "Are we staying
overnight?"
"Yes. Your Dad got us two rooms in the Sheraton. We can park there,
and then take a streetcar to the ballpark. Dad and Bobby will sleep in
one room, with us girls in the other," Maria explained.
"Nope," Rachael said. "Bobby and I will share a room, won't we Tiger."
The boy nodded. "He is still young enough that I don't mind sharing
with him. It will give us a chance to catch up on some reading ? oh,
did you bring any books?"
"Yeah, Momma told me to bring the Harry Potter we are reading," Bobby
said. "We can read till we fall asleep."
"We always read 'til you fall asleep," Rachael laughed. "But I bet you
will be worn out after the Jays game."
"You can read in the morning," Maria said. "Give your Dad and I a
chance to sleep in. We want to go to the CN Tower at 10, and then the
Aquarium until 2 or 3. Then we will take the subway to the Museum."
For the next hour and a half Rachael kept Bobby enthralled in the back
seats with a description of what they would do. After the ball game,
he was most interested in seeing dinosaur bones at the museum, seeing
whales at the aquarium, riding a train that went underground, and
being in the tallest freestanding building in Canada (once in the
world).
"You know," Geoff said from the front. "Whenever I drive to Toronto I
always play a little game, to see who can see the CN Tower first. We
are getting close enough that someone might be able to see it."
About 15 minutes later the tower was in view. Both Maria and Geoff saw
it from the front seats but said nothing, and a few minutes later
Rachael saw the tower, and pointed it out to Bobby.
"I saw that a minute ago, but didn't know what it was," the hyper
little boy said.
"Well then you win the contest," Rachael said, not wanting to take any
glory from her bother.
"What do I win?" Bobby asked excitedly.
"You mean other than tickets to the Blue Jays, Aquarium, CN Tower,
museum and rides on streetcars and subways?" Rachael laughed.
"How about a Blue Jays cap from SkyDome," Geoff said.
"What is SkyDome," Bobby asked.
"Oh, that is the old name for the Rogers Centre, where the team plays.
I keep forgetting the new name," Geoff said.
"A really, truly Blue Jays cap, just like the players wear?" Bobby
said. "The boys at school will be so jealous when I wear it to play at
recess."
The family watched the CN Tower get bigger and closer as they neared
the city. Soon they were on six and eight lane expressways, and the
kids kept quiet to allow their parents to drive and navigate the big
city.
Bobby had never seen so many cars at once, and Rachael felt an odd
sensation. The shrinking Ron part of her had driven in Toronto many
times, but those feelings were fading. Now she had a large dose of
Rachael memories also finding everything new and different.
Finally they found the hotel and pulled in. They all carried luggage
up from the parking garage, and Maria got them checked in. Then Geoff
led them up to their adjoining rooms, which had a connecting doorway
between, which the Bellhop unlocked. Bags we just tossed on the beds,
as they needed to rush off to the ball park.
------- ----- --
Back in Ingersoll Pastor Helen and Steve were just finishing their
evening prayer at the painting. They stood up to find Gary in the
lobby, looking concerned.
"Let's talk downstairs," he said. A few members of the Hobo Army were
having their supper, but they found a quiet table away from them. Gary
pulled out his phone, scrolled to a photo, and handed it to Steve. "We
had men out cutting lawns after the church services ended. With only
four working lawnmowers, we like to keep them going as much as
possible. Normally the men cut the city-owned strip of land between
the road and the sidewalk, and then go ask the owner if they want the
rest cut. Most do."
"The men found a house that was a real mess: grass nearly a foot
high," he continued. "They couldn't get an answer at the door, and
noticed that all the windows were covered in aluminum foil. They
walked around the house, and when they came to the power service at
the back, they saw that." He pointed to the photo.
The picture showed the electric meter, but a hand pulling back a leafy
vine clearly showed that the meter was being bypassed with a crude
handmade connection.
"Was the meter moving at all?" Steve asked.
"Not a bit. And every window in the place was covered with foil. But
in a few places there were tears, and you could see bright lights
inside," Steve said.
"A grow op," Steve said. "Don't let any men near that place. And
please send that picture to my phone. I want to show it to the chief
first thing Monday morning."
"I think the guys have finished up that street," Gary said. "Let me
know if there is anything we can do."
----- - - ------- --- -
Rachael and her family waited less than five minutes at the streetcar
stop outside the hotel. On a game day, service was good.
The streetcar went direct to the park, and was filled with people, so
the family had to stand. Soon they were at the massive domed stadium
and had to walk almost half way around to find the gate they were to
enter at. A few minutes later they were inside, and found their way to
their seats.
"I have to pee," Bobby said.
"So do I," Rachael said. "I'll take Bobby."
She did so, telling him to wait outside the ladies washroom for her
when he was done. She knew that boys don't take as long as women, and
had heard horror stories of lineups in the ladies rooms in stadiums.
But they were early enough that there were no lineups, and Rachael was
out in only a few minutes. As predicted, Bobby was already done, and
was waiting, a little scared at seeing more people then he had ever
seen in his life, all streaming this way and that through the hall of
the park. He held Rachael's hand tightly as she led them back to the
seats, where Maria was waiting.
"I have to go too," she said. "Your Dad went for food. He shouldn't be
long."
It was more than a half hour before game time, and the Jays were on
the field warming up. Just as Geoff was approaching with a platter of
food, one of the sluggers on the team hit a foul ball that Rachael saw
tracking towards them. In fact, it was coming right at them. She stood
up in front of Bobby to protect him, and then put out her hands. The
ball hit them, and she felt a sting of pain, but held on to the ball.
"Wow, Rachael, you caught it," Bobby enthused. "You have a real Blue
Jay's baseball."
"No Tiger, you have a baseball," Rachael said, handing the ball to her
brother. She put her hands under her arms to try and reduce the
stinging.
"Good catch, honey," Geoff said as he started dishing out hotdogs and
tacos to the kids. Maria was back a few minutes later, and she
presented Bobby with his official Blue Jays hat, which the young fan
promptly put onto his head. He then told her about the miraculous (to
him) catch that his sister had made, showing her the ball.
"Look Bobby. There is Jose Bautista, the player who hit your ball to
us," Rachael noted when the Jays took to the field for fielding
practice. Go down to the bottom of the steps and see if you can get
him to sign your ball." She handed him a Sharpie.
Bobby stood at the base of the seats for about 15 minutes, calling out
to Jose whenever the player got close to the foul line. Finally, when
fielding practice was over, the ball player trotted over.
"Are you the boy with that cute blonde who caught my foul ball?" the
right fielder asked as he took the ball and pen from Bobby.
"Yes, that is my sister Rachael," Bobby said. "She is the best sister
in the world."
"One of the prettiest too," Jose said. "Too bad I already have a
girlfriend."
"She has a boyfriend too," Bobby said. "Thanks for signing this."
He ran up the steps to the seats after the ballplayer had run towards
the clubhouse to get ready for the game. Rachael turned red as the boy
repeated their conversation word-for-word. She then looked at the
ball, and saw that Jose had written 'For Bobby, best brother in the
world: Jose Bautista.'
"Well he got that right," Rachael said. He had also made a fan for
life with the young 10-year-old. Bobby was on his feet cheering every
time Jose came to bat and then when he struck out (twice) and grounded
out (twice) Bobby would shout "That's okay Jose. You'll get it next
time," as though the player could hear him. Jose had a bad game, going
0-5 (the other out was a fly to deep centerfield that looked like a
home run until the last minute). The Jays lost as well, with Baltimore
scoring three runs in the top of the seventh after the Jays had made
it 8-6 in the bottom of the sixth. That was when fans started to leave
the park. Not the Barrons though. They remained until the last out,
and then wandered out through the stadium, stopping to buy Bobby
souvenirs, including a program (now at a discount that made it
affordable) and a pennant.
Rachael noticed that one of the kiosks had Jose Bautista bobble-head
dolls, and convinced Maria to buy one, in what turned out to be
Bobby's most prized possession for years to come. It would be
displayed in his room, next to the signed baseball, until he went to
college years later.
The leisurely exit worked out well for the family. With most fans
leaving early, and then rushing to the streetcars, when the Barrons
got to the stop, there were only a few dozen waiting, and the family
got a seat easily. Bobby rode all the way to the hotel, and had his
nose stuck to the glass of the window the entire trip.
Geoff got his little family off one stop short of the hotel, where
there was a McDonald's, and they went in for a cheap dinner after all
the expensive food from the ballpark. They then walked to the hotel,
and got to their rooms well after 10 p.m. As predicted, Bobby was
sleepwalking down the hall to their suite, and Maria barely was able
to get him undressed before he was sound asleep.
After Geoff and Maria went into the other room, Rachael kneeled down
to pray.
Dear Lord
Thank you for the best day ever. My family is so important to me. I am
forgetting how it was before I met them. That is a good forgetting.
Bobby will remember today for the rest of his life. So will I.
And I had to work hard to not spend any of my money today. I need to
save it to buy goats for Lullana. I hope she can come to Canada.
Joshua made her sound like a special girl. Can you make that happen
for me? I would really appreciate it.
I am so happy that our church can help all those people in Africa.
Joshua is not giving them handouts, but a hand up. Doing things that
will enable them to enrich their lives. Hopefully they will know that
all good things come from you, Lord, and will honor you as I do.
Amen
Safiya
- 14.01.2023
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