My God of Second Chances (Part 3)

    I had been right.  It was her.  There were differing stories.  All I knew for sure was that she had been life flighted and I had to get to her.  On the way, I found out she had been shot it the face, but she was going to make it.  As I walked in to the hospital, I will never forget the view as long as I live.  I was met with what seemed like half of our little town in the waiting area.  My Grandmother met me at the door with tears in her eyes.  One of my friends who I'd left in the dust of my destrucion mouthed the words, "I love you," from accross the room.  It was the beginning of my journey back to where I was supposed to be in life.


     By the grace of God, my sister was given a second chance.  And so were we.  We would have never recovered from that loss.  She spent a week in the hospital and underwent surgery and I watched my parent's sheer exhaustion from it all and wondered how on earth I could have risked putting them through such hurt and anguish myself.  And, I felt like my problems that I had been so engrossed in were not so bad.  Not so bad at all.


     So, one week later, I came back to college and realized I was "late."  My best friend made me go to Wal-Mart to get a test.  I never dreamed it would be positive.  We had been so careful!  I burst in to tears and my first words were: "My dad's never going to talk to me again!"  My friend assured me he would and that it would all be okay.  She had just been through the same thing a year ago.  I was living with her and her daughter!  You would think I would have learned a lesson from that!

                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    So, there I sat. On a chair in my parents' living room, listening to my dad lecture me about how I was going to have to focus on school or they were going to make me come home.  And, all I could think was, "How am I going to tell them this??"  I started to cry.  The crying got worse and worse until it bordered hysterics.  My mom looked at me for a minute, then interrupted my dad to ask:  "Are you pregnant?"  Do not ask me how she knew that.  But, those of you who are moms probably don't have to ask!  There are some things we just know!


     I nodded my head.  My dad switched gears in an instant.  "It's okay, Baby.  It's okay.  Everybody makes mistakes.  It's going to be okay.....  Hey!  I'm gonna' be a grandpa!"


     Then, I sat on the couch with my mom on one side and my dad on the other.  None of us saying a word, all starring at the wall....  Two months later I stood with my dad on one side, my mom in the pew beside me, all staring at the preacher, and my future husband.


(To be cont.)