Previous Challenge Entry
Topic: hope (03/29/04)
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TITLE: Unwavering Hope By Faithaline Stanislaus 04/01/04 |
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“That stuff’s not good for you,” he would say as he took it out of the grocery bag and stored it in the cupboard.
“Yes it is,” she would reply. Then she would turn her nose up in the air and add sassily, “Fruits are good for you and coffee is a fruit.”
He would then smile, give her an affectionate kiss on the forehead and say, “Show off.”
Elana placed the mug onto a matching saucer and pulled her bible closer toward her. After breakfast, it was her custom to have her morning devotions at her kitchen table along with a cup of coffee.
Elana was engrossed in the text, and therefore jumped when she heard a knock on her front door. She stood up and went into the living room. From one of her front windows, she could see that it was her neighbor, Nelly Parker. Elana drew her brows together into a frown.
“Oh brother, not nosy Nelly.” she thought.
Elana opened the door and found Nelly standing on her front porch, her wispy dull brown hair blowing in the morning breeze.
“Hello Nelly. To what do I owe this visit.?”
“Good morning Elana. How are you this morning?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
Nelly raised her chubby hands a little higher, and Elana could see that she held something in a brown paper bag. “I just came by to drop off a tuna casserole for you. That’s all.”
“Sure it is.” Said Elana under her breath.
Aloud she said, “How nice of you, Nelly. Thank you. Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?”
“Well thank you for offering. I would love to!”
Elana led the way into the living room, and after ensuring that Nelly was comfortably seated, she took the proffered dish from her and went into the kitchen. She soon returned with two steaming mugs on a tray. She sat down opposite Nelly then handed her a mug of coffee.
“Any news of Eric?” Nelly asked in a hushed whisper, as she leaned towards Elana.
“No, nothing.” Elana replied flatly.
She knew that that was the reason for Nelly’s visit. She had come to see what tidbit of information she could gather so that she could pass it on to the other bored housewives in the neighborhood. Elana wondered how some people always seemed to find the time to discuss other people’s affairs. You would think that they would have enough going on in their own lives to worry about.
Elana had not seen her husband Eric for three weeks. He left for work one morning, but never came home that afternoon. She knew the rumors that were going about. Many were saying that Eric had left her for another woman. However, only Elana and Eric knew how laughable that idea was. Eric was her best friend—her soul mate. His loyalty to her and to their marriage was unwavering. Others said that he must have met with some mishap and was dead, but unless she saw a body, she was not going to give up hope that he was alive.
“Mrs. Jules down the street said that her niece in Las Vegas thought she might have spotted Eric there.” Nelly added her bulging eyes bright with expectation as she studied Elana in order to gauge her reaction.
“Oh.”
“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?” Nelly could not hide her disappointment.
“I’m sure Mrs. Jules and her niece mean well, Nelly,” said Elana as she stood up, hoping that Nelly would take the hint. “However I doubt very much that Eric is all the way in Las Vegas.”
“Well yes, I’m sure they meant well,” Nelly shook her head vigorously and stood up next to Elana.
“Thank you so much for the tuna casserole,” said Elana, leading the way to the door.
“You’re welcome,” said Nelly as she stepped outside. “And don’t hesitate to call me if there’s anything that I can do to help.”
Elana returned to the kitchen to resume her devotions after Nelly left. Gazing down at her bible, her eyes fell on a particular passage of scripture. It was in Romans 15:13 and it read: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Elana’s eyes brimmed over with tears. She lifted her face and looked up at the ceiling.
“My hope is in you God, and I also have hope that I will see Eric again some day. If not on this side of heaven….” Elana paused, then gulped before she continued. “Then on the other side.”