What if?

Amelia was pleased when her daughter Marleigh sniffed the air as she walked in with her daughter Kinsey.

“Chicken and noodles?” asked Marleigh.

“Yes,” said Amelia.

“I like chicken and noodles,” said the four-year-old.

“Your mother is letting me babysit you until tomorrow morning,” said Amelia.

“Good,” said Kinsey. “Can I go see the cows?”

“Ask Grandpa to go with you. He’s in the barn.”

Kinsey ran out of the house to find him.

“Look what I brought you,” said Marleigh. She held up a vegetable print bag with a pouch and tie straps. “It’s called a garden bag. For picking vegetables.” She opened the pouch. “See?”

Amelia looked in to see whether she liked it. “It’ll squish my tomatoes.”

“But it’ll be perfect for cucumbers or zucchini.” Marleigh started to tie on the bag. “I’ve used it to pick up Kinsey’s doll clothes…Can I pick cucumbers for you?”

“They’re not ready yet.” Amelia stirred the noodles. “If you have a few minutes, go to the basement and see how many quart jars I’ll need lids for.”

“Yes, I’ve a few minutes,” said Marleigh who took off the bag.

Returning from the basement, Marleigh said, “You have 5 dozen. I didn’t count the empty ones on the shelves. And, you are out of tomatoes.”

“I wanted to know how many canning lids I needed. I’ve got a pretty good idea of how many are on the shelves.”

“I’m going to take Kinsey with me to the grocery store.”

“I’m going to find the menfolk,” said Marleligh. “And pressure them that we need to leave.”

***** at the grocery store *****

Kinsey liked to push the cart.

With one hand on the front of the cart, Amelia aimed the cart down the baking aisle where she knew the canning supplies would be. She stopped before she got there. Where the sugar should have been, it was empty.

“Why are they out of sugar? They were out of sugar last week, too.” She looked at Kinsey. “No sugar today.”

“No cake?” asked Kinsey.

“No. No cake.”

At the end of the aisle was what she really wanted: canning lids. No wide mouth lids, so she picked up the remaining regular canning lids. She spotted a sign that said they would no longer carry canning supplies.

“I don’t understand it. No sugar. No lids. How will I make pickles? And can tomatoes? I heard about shortages,” said Amelia to Kinsey. “I don’t want to go hungry. Or pay top dollar for basic supplies. If I don’t find what I need, all my tomatoes will rot.”

“Will we go hungry?” asked Kinsey.

“Not right away,” Amelia told Kinsey and herself. “I still have last year’s food on the shelf, meat in the freezer, and garden coming on. Let’s go pay for what we have.”

At home, Amelia complained to Rowan, her husband. “When I find what I need, I’m going to buy all that is there. I’m not going hungry and I’m not buying Del Monte tomatoes.”

The child ran to Rowan and climbed on his lap. “Grandma says that if she doesn’t find what she wants, we will die of hunger. Are we going to die?”

“Grandma complains and worries too much. We haven’t gone hungry yet, have we?”

Kinsey relaxed on Grandpa’s lap.

Amelia pinched her lips together. “I am not exaggerating. The local news reported that the crop of wheat was down 45%. Where am I going to get my flour? Honey is hard to find because bees are disappearing.”

Kinsey was listening. She clung to Rowan and cried.

“See what you did?” said Rowan. “You made her cry. Kinsey, would you like to go see the new baby calves?” Both went outside hand in hand.

“I am not exaggerating. I’ve got to be prepared.”

That night, Kinsey and Rowan slept good, but Amelia had a fitful sleep.

Amelia heard a noise outside. Always suspicious of strangers, she peeked out a window shade. A truck was parked on the road with no one around it. What are they going to steal? thought Amelia.

She pushed on Rowan. “Someone’s trying to steal something. Get your gun.”

Rowan rolled over and mumbled. “We’ve been through this before. We’ll check it out in the morning.”

“They might be stealing gas and a catalytic converter,” said Amelia. “Or did they want to take Kinsey for sex trafficking?” Amelia’s eyes opened wide. “What if he is a serial killer?”

Amelia jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. She stood still and remained silent.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” came a muffled voice from the other side of the door. “But my battery died on the truck. I work the night shift and need to call my company to send someone.”

Amelia hadn’t turned on any lights.

The man knocked loud and hard enough that Rowan woke up and answered the door. After hearing the man’s story, Rowan said, “I’ve got jumper cables. I’ll put on shoes and meet you at the truck.”

Amelia peeked out the window again. The man returned to the truck and opened the hood. She sighed with relief.

***** Sunday morning *****

Marleigh came early to pick up Kinsey for Sunday School.

Kinsey told her mother things that Amelia had said the day before. And how they might starve.

Marleigh gave her mother a stern look before speaking to Kinsey. “She should’ve been praising and thanking God for providing food in the past. The Psalmist said, ‘I have not seen the children of the righteous begging bread’. Don’t let her worries follow you… Go ahead to the car where your father is waiting.” Kinsey hesitated, so Marleigh added, “We’ll see what story the Sunday School teacher has today.

Kinsey skipped to the door while her mother gathered up the overnight belongings.

“Mother,” said Marleigh, “You told me you repented of your sins and believed Jesus’ death and resurrection. Do you still believe that?”

“Of course,” said Amelia.

“Then come with me to church. And hear some good news.”

Amelia frowned. “People talk about me. They don’t like me.”

Marleigh threw her head back and rolled her eyes. “Have you ever thought, ‘Those are future friends of mine’?”

“I don’t want to take a chance on someone making me mad. Or making someone else mad. No, I’m not going.”

Marleigh picked up Kinsey’s small suitcase. “The offer to come still stands.” She went to the car to go home, then church.

***** returning home *****

Rowan ignored the wind blowing dust in front of the windshield while tornado sirens sounded.

“Don’t you hear those sirens?” said Amelia. “We could be blown into the air.”

“I don’t see anything,” said Rowan. “You worry too much.”

“Stop,” pleaded his wife. “We should get in a ditch like they recommend.”

“See?” said Rowan. “The sirens quit.” They passed the Oklahoma state line into Kansas. “We’ll be home soon.”

“If you hadn’t insisted on going to your stupid gun show, we wouldn’t have driven through tornadoes.”

The afternoon sky shifted from an odd gray-green color to a dark blue.

“Awww. Be quiet. We’re past the storm.”

“We could’ve been killed. And you won’t even admit it,” said Amelia.

“It’s over. You worried for nothing.”

Amelia relaxed, but refused to smile.

At home, Rowan said, “I’m checking on our cows.”

“We could’ve been without a truck,” called Amelia after him.

That night, Amelia couldn’t sleep, while Rowan gently snored.

Amelia tossed and turned before giving up and climbing out of bed. She was about to sit in her recliner when the old Bible on the shelf caught her attention. “Mom resorted to it for comfort.” She picked up the Bible. She started at the beginning but kept flipping pages.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” Amelia read in Exodus 20. “I don’t worship idols. I believe there is one true God.”

She read 2 Peter 3:10. Part of the passage included ‘element shall melt with fervent heat’. “That’s no comfort.” The Bible went back on the shelf. “Calling Marleigh seems like a good idea. I’ll do that tomorrow before she goes to work.”

Amelia called Marleigh early in the morning and told her about driving through tornado sirens.

“Praise God!” is not the response Amelia expected.

“We could’ve been killed,” said Amelia.

“I’ve been praying and trusting all along for travel mercies for you. Not just yesterday, but every day. That was an answer for your life and Dad’s.”

Amelia was dumbfounded. “How do you get answers to your prayers? I’ve prayed and nothing happens.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is that I pray, let go, and trust God’s answer. And do the best I can.”

“And he always answers?”

“I pray so many prayers, I can’t remember them all. I can tell you this. God has three answers. Yes, no, and wait. I spend time recalling answered prayers. I suggest you do the same.”

“Will you pray for me? So, I can go to sleep?”

“Better yet, I’ll pray for you from the Bible. ‘The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious to thee. The Lord lift up his countenance on thee, and give thee peace.’ Mom, if I talk to you anymore, I’ll be late for work.”

Where did Marleigh come up with those sayings? thought Amelia. Are there more? I don’t know where they are. I’ll ask Marleigh tomorrow.

Amelia felt the tenseness leave her body. Her thoughts lingered on the Bible verses quoted. God had kept her alive and now peace was settling on her.

“I can go to sleep now,” said Amelia. And she walked to the bedroom.