Chapter 4

Celia had always attended church with her parents. School, internship, and now work kept her away quite a bit. Still, she had a deep faith in God and thanked Him for the wonderful way her life was going. She realized that of all the times she had prayed, she had not prayed about Amy since she had been gone. She decided to pray that she would find her friend. “When all else fail, pray,” she thought to herself. Then she felt a touch of contrition. She knew prayer should be first on the list … not last. Finding Amy became a major part of her prayers. She made sure, however, not to omit thanks to God for blessing her, for He had blessed her greatly. Trials she had been through had been minor and were soon resolved. Things she learned in school and at work strengthened her belief in God. It made her wonder how so many intelligent people could be atheists. Honestly, the intricate functions of the human body were the result of a “Big Bang”? The term “spiritual blindness” came to mind. These super-intelligent non-believers could not accept God. They were just as puzzled about how someone could believe in God as Christians were about non-believers. One difference was so many atheists thought of believers as ignorant or stupid.

As she mused, she realized that there were not that many women she could think of who had been more blessed than she. Mary, of course. Maybe Joan of Arc? Maybe not Joan of Arc, since she was burned at the stake. Still, during her life, God had spoken to her and led her many times, and she was greatly praised posthumously. Celia didn’t feel a need to be praised if it meant being burned alive. Additionally, Celia thought about how Joan needn’t have been killed had the king of England acted as he should, but apparently, events unfolded as God willed. “God is love”, but he can sometimes be harsh; “tough love” some call it. Celia brought her mind back to the present. To say her mind sometimes wandered was an understatement.

Celia felt positive about finding Amy now, for she trusted God. Maybe her faith was not as big as a mustard seed, but she didn’t need a mountain moved. She just wanted to find her dear friend and know that she was OK.

Since she decided to pray for Amy, it was only natural that she began expecting to find her soon. She didn’t think it would happen immediately, but she began noticing women her age, looking for any resemblance to Amy, being careful to not look long enough to offend anyone. But days, weeks, and months passed without any indication of a reunion between the childhood friends. Finally, she prayed to God that, if it be His will, to please let her find Amy. If it wasn’t His will, please watch over her and keep her safe. With this prayer, Celia all but gave up any hope of ever seeing her friend again.

One Friday, Celia’s workday was over. She sat in the hospital cafeteria and relaxed a few minutes before beginning the drive home. She saw a young, female doctor coming toward her. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Sure, go ahead! You must be new here.” The woman’s nametag said, “M. Stewart, M.D.”.

“Yes, after med school and my internship, I went to work in Dallas. I got an offer to come to Houston and I took it. It’s close to where I lived as a child. I still think of that city as ‘home’.”

Celia began to feel she had seen this woman before. She reached out and shook the woman’s hand. “Glad to have you here. What’s the city?”

“Beaumont, Texas.”

Celia's eyes widened. “Seriously? I lived there until I was in the 9th grade, then my family moved to Houston.”

“Do you recognize me?”

Celia looked closer. “No, I don’t think so, were we in classes together?”

“Oh, yes. Many classes!”

“Well, is ‘Stewart’ your maiden name?”

“It is now.”

“Celia smiled. So you’re an enigma?”

“You might say that. Brace yourself. The ‘M’ on my nametag is for my middle name, ‘Michelle’. When I lived in Beaumont, my name was ‘Amy Michelle Jordon’.”

Celia’s body went numb. She braced herself to keep from falling over. She opened her mouth, but no words came. Tears began to course down her cheeks. Finally, she found her voice, “Oh, Amy it really is you! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” She began to sob.
Amy embraced her. “What on earth! Tell me why you’re sorry.”

Celia calmed down just a bit. “I’m sorry for telling my mom about your parents and causing you to have to have to leave home!”

“Oh, Celia, I’m so glad I found you! You have a totally wrong idea about what really happened! When your mom picked me up at school, she disclosed to me that the police had been watching our house for a while. That’s why you said a friend was in trouble she knew exactly who you meant. The day you talked with her, she discussed the situation with both the police and her supervisors, and it was decided that the situation was so dangerous that I had to be removed from the home immediately. When I was called down to the office, I was not allowed to go home. I couldn’t even pick up any of my belongings. I was taken to a ‘safe house’ that day. That night was when the argument over a drug deal started people shooting. When that happened, it was determined that it might not be safe for me to stay in town.

“I was driven to Houston in an unmarked police car. They didn’t put me on a plane because they weren’t even sure I would be safe in an airport. When we arrived in Houston, instead of going to the police station, I saw that we were going through a very expensive neighborhood.

We pulled up in the circular drive of one of a huge house. Dr. and Mrs. Chad Stewart were waiting for us. Mrs. Stewart took me up on the
second floor to a beautiful large bedroom decorated pink and baby blue. The room was for me! She told me to take a shower and put on a robe, then come downstairs for something to eat before bedtime.

“So, my parents died and I couldn’t even go to a funeral. I had lost all my earthly possessions and all my friends. Well, I lost all my earthly possessions and my friend (singular). I wanted to be mad about the situation, but the Stewarts treated me so good my anger soon was forgotten. I loved my parents, and it hurt knowing I would never see them again, but I realized I was blessed to be taken in by such a loving couple.

“After I had been with the Stewarts for a few weeks, they asked if they could adopt me. I would have had to be insane to say ‘no’!

“They enrolled me in one of the best private schools in Houston. Everyone there was wonderful. I wasn’t teased about being adopted, but there were a lot of questions about what it was like. I couldn’t tell them everything, of course, so I came up with a completely different story. I wanted to call you, but I was told it was too dangerous.

“Dr. Stewart (my dad, now) found that I had a talent for math and science, and told me he could help me get into medical school. He wanted me to go to the school he went to. Guess what school that was!”

“I give up!”

“Harvard.”

“No way!”

“That’s what I said. I had no hope of getting admitted to Harvard Medical School. I didn’t realize my dad’s determination or the connections he had. With the support he had given the school over the years, they would have been hard-pressed to say ‘no’. Of course, I had the grades to get in, but a lot of people with the grades are rejected.

“So you can see that things worked out for me. Back to your promise; you didn’t break your promise. Not only that, if your mom hadn’t pulled me out of school when she did, and I would have been there when the shooting started I would have most likely been killed. Those guys don’t leave witnesses … not even if they have to kill a kid. Celia, thank you for saving my life and making this possible!” She held out her hospital badge.

Celia sat stunned for several seconds. She didn’t trust her voice. She feared another bout of tears. Finally, she composed herself enough to speak. “Amy, my life has been going great. The one empty spot was one only you could fill! I never forgot you; not even close. I could die happy now; knowing you’re all right.”

“Please don’t. We have stuff to do; lives to save and all that.”

“Right, I’ll die sometime in the distant future; hopefully still happy.”

“Good plan. Here’s my cell number. Dial me and we’ll have each other’s numbers. You have to come meet my wonderful parents. They don’t have a rule about ‘no company’, and there are no drugs there. I think my dad has some guns, but they’re locked up. He also has a lot of money, but it’s in banks and he doesn’t make me count it. They know about you, you’re part of my escape story, you know. They’ll be thrilled to meet you!”

The girls stood up to part and hugged. Tears came again as Celia hugged her friend. “Now that I’ve found you, I never want to let you go.”
“I’ll be here, Celia, and thank you again for saving my life.”

The End