Wendell had known nothing of this. “You wanna catch me up?”
She angled her pretty face. “If you wanna listen.”
“Of course.” He moved to take her hand, and then stopped himself. He had to be careful not to blur the lines. Never mind the ache inside him, or the way it hurt to sit this close and not reach out for her. He folded his hands and waited. If he’d known about Jack’s threats, he would’ve been there for Alicia in a heartbeat. They’d missed out on each other’s lives, and Wendell regretted it.
He didn’t blink, didn’t look away. “I still care, Alicia.”
He stopped short of telling her how much he had thought about her. Nothing good could come from that. Not now.
“I know.” A quick half smile tugged at her lips. “Thanks, Wendell.” She drew a deep breath and then she began to tell him all he’d missed. She filled in every detail. How back then she couldn’t afford to lose her job because she had lived beyond her means for Jack. But no longer. She was paying off her debt, but there was one purchase she’d had to make.
A new Bible.
When she was finished, Wendell had just one question. “How are you? Really?”
Alicia nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving his. “Better. I’m still on the medication, but I’m coming off it. I just feel, I don’t know . . . stronger.”
Hope ignited in Wendell. His prayers for the past year had been answered. “So Jack . . . he’s the reason you took so long to come see me?”
“Yes.” She hesitated. “Wendell, I didn’t want to mess up your life again. I figured you deserved someone braver than me.” She faced him. It seemed like she might have more to say, something deeper about her feelings for him. But instead she lifted her eyes to the horizon and then turned back to him. “What happened today . . . it changed everything.” Her eyes held his for a long time. “It made me realize . . . we have no guarantee of tomorrow.”
He imagined her telling him she still had feelings for him. How his heart would have loved that. Like it had been given a second chance at life.
Instead Alicia looked at him. “I talked to Jenny Anders.”
Wendell nodded. Jenny was a history teacher at Hamilton High. She was a regular attender at the Raise the Bar meetings. “Jenny’s been a big help.”
Alicia squinted against the glare of the clouds. “She told me how the kids are improving here. In every possible way. How things have changed.”
Was Alicia really just finding out now? He kept his tone gentle. “You could’ve asked me. Things started changing as soon as we began the program.”
“It’s God. It has to be.” Alicia shook her head and her eyes filled with awe. “I can’t believe no one’s called the school district or the police.”
“The police?” A breeze drifted off the baseball field and brushed against his face. Wendell made sure he had the right words before he continued. “It’s not a crime to tell kids about God, not if they’re interested. Not if they’re coming of their own volition, Alicia. You know that, right?”
“It . . . it seems like a crime.” Clouds gathered in the distance. “You’re still risking your job, Wendell. The jobs of teachers like Jenny Anders.”
He nodded slowly. “We understand that.”
Alicia looked beyond him to the football team practicing in the adjacent field. “The changes here at Hamilton . . . Jenny tells me more students attend your club every week.”
Wendell’s heart swelled with the reality. He held up the report he’d brought from his office. “The numbers just came in. Every measurable area at Hamilton has improved.” He kept his joy at bay, mindful of the heartache she was carrying from the losses that day at her own school. “You’re right. It’s all God. He’s the difference.”
“Yes.” She made a sound that was more disbelief than anything. “No other explanation.”
A deep joy took root in the soil of Wendell’s heart. Alicia was growing in her faith. Not just in knowledge but in belief. He was glad for her, glad for his answered prayers.
He handed her the report, and waited while she looked through it. When she was finished she handed it back to him. “Every school in America should see these results.” Her voice fell. “Including mine.”
“They’re about to . . .” Wendell could feel the thrill in his heart. “I’m sure of that.”
The wind played in the trees overhead and Alicia stood. “I have to go. We’re having a vigil at school tonight.” The courage in her eyes was unmistakable. “I’m doing the opening prayer.”
His heart was full as he stood and faced her. God had worked a miracle in her, too. “Proud of you, Alicia. Really.”
She looked at him, deep into his eyes. “I’ve missed you, Wendell. I’m sorry for how I treated you. Sorry I wasn’t brave like you.”
Wendell let that sink in. He pulled her close and hugged her. Longer than he should have. The spark was there for both of them. Wendell spoke words he hoped she would take with her. “You are now.”
She smiled and they walked back to the main part of campus. When they reached his office, Alicia looked at him one more time. “Thank you. For what you said about me being brave now.” Her eyes were softer this time, less troubled. “God’s doing that, too. I can tell.”
Then, with only a single glance back, she walked down the hall and out of the building. When she was gone from sight, Wendell exhaled. After his wife died, she was gone for good. There were no second chances, no way to see her again or look into her eyes once more.
But with Alicia there had always been hope.
And maybe it was still that way. Wendell allowed the possibility to linger. No . . . he was wrong. Today wasn’t a beginning, it was an ending. They’d lost their chance. But at least this was a better ending than the one they’d shared a year ago. He felt the ache of missing her again. With everything in him he wanted Alicia back in his life.
Wendell tried to focus again on the parent assembly tonight. In just a few hours he would reveal at least some of the incredible changes at Hamilton to the parents. Because God hadn’t only asked Wendell to trust Him and to teach young people about His ways and His truth. God had also asked him to share the proof of His power at work.
Which was just what Wendell was about to do.
Only Cami and Jordy and a few other students from the Raise the Bar program would be there tonight. Otherwise, the gathering was for parents only.
If parents chose to be critical of the Bible study and prayer times the kids and Wendell were having twice a week, they’d have a hard time saying so in the face of the students’ stories.
Wendell settled in at his desk again. Sometimes he felt like the apostle Paul, a man bound for chains and prison because of his public support of God Almighty.
But whatever the price, he would pay it—all in an effort to obey the Father.
Wendell sorted through a stack of papers and found the report that had started it all. The one he’d put together two summers ago.
The one titled “In This Moment.”
His football from Les Green still sat on the top shelf of his bookcase, the words crying out to him every day, every time the Raise the Bar club met. What good can I do in this moment? Wendell smiled. Yes, he had answered the call, and his mission remained the same. To love the students at Hamilton High. And live up to the job duties he’d agreed to when he was hired. To establish a schoolwide vision of commitment to high standards and ensure the success of all students.
A text message flashed across the screen of his cell phone. He glanced down and saw Alicia’s name.
I’ll be praying for you tonight. You’re doing the right thing, telling those parents about the good news at Hamilton. So glad you’re being bold for Jesus!
Wendell’s heart skipped a beat. Alicia . . . you still care. Thank You, God, for this. Wendell texted his reply. Thank you. That means more than you know.