A Mother's Love

“Margaret? You look more like a Maggie,” he joked, trying to put her at ease as he opened his truck door.

She lifted astonished eyes to him.

“You are a Maggie.” Jake laughed, knowing he’d guessed right, and her gaze softened for just a minute.

“I’m sometimes called that,” she finally replied. She turned her back on him and climbed into the cab.

He wished he’d brought his car, but he’d had to do some errands for the church. Though his congregation ran just over one hundred now, it didn’t seem as if he ever had enough help.

Going around, he hopped in the driver’s seat “Well, Maggie, where can I take you?”

“My car is about two more miles down the road. I need to stop and see if I can figure out what’s wrong. If you’ll just drop me off there…”

He looked at the hat—the one with the familiar logo—she was wearing on top of her sodden curls as he pulled back onto the highway. “You work at the fast-food restaurant about five miles back?” he asked.

“Umm-hmm,” she said, staring out the window, not meeting his eyes.

So, she didn’t want to talk. But Jake couldn’t let it go. He was concerned. She shouldn’t be out walking the streets, especially in a rainstorm. “You on your way to work?”

Another sigh escaped her, and then he saw it. One lone tear slipped from her eye and trailed down her cheek, mingling with the wetness already there.

Uh-oh, he thought. Help me, Father.

Very softly he said, “You want to talk about it?”

She shrugged.

He didn’t push her but waited.

Finally, she said, “I was at work, but they let me go.”

He drove along the bumpy road, doing his best to avoid potholes. Jake wondered if she saw the green trees lining the highway or if she was simply looking inside herself at something he couldn’t see. He was almost certain it was the latter.

“You were late because of your car?” he prompted.

She shrugged. “That was only an excuse. It doesn’t matter,” she added, suddenly sounding stronger. “I don’t need anyone. I’ll find another job.”

They arrived at a broken-down, rusted-out yellow compact. She started to get out. Jake touched her arm to stop her but wasn’t prepared for her reaction.

She jumped and jerked her head around. Fear flashed through her eyes, before warning replaced it.

He immediately pulled back, giving her space.

“I’m an old hand at working on cars. Let me have a look at it.”

“It’s not necessary—”

“Think of me as a knight in shining armor,” he teased, smiling at her. “My mama would come back from her grave and tan my hide if I left a lovely woman like you stranded with a broken-down car.”

The first smile he’d seen cracked her lips. It transformed her face, made her eyes look even greener.

Oh, boy, he thought, stunned by her effect on him.

He quickly exited the car. Going over to the compact, he popped the hood and looked under it. “Uhhuh, here’s your problem,” he said, fingering a belt “I have a friend who owes me a favor. What say you let me have your car towed to your house, and I can fix this for you?”

She stiffened. “I don’t think so. I’ll take care of it myself.”

Puzzled by the sudden anger in her eyes, he wondered what he’d said. “I’ve got a cell phone in the truck. Just hang on….”

“I can’t pay for the repair,” she finally confided, lifting her chin haughtily.

Realizing she was embarrassed, he smiled. “There’s no charge. Like I said, he’s a friend and I’ll put the belt on for you. The belt is only a couple of dollars.”

“I can’t ask you—”

He strode back over to her, touching her shoulders. Her arms felt small through the slicker.

When she stiffened again, he immediately let go. “You aren’t asking me for anything. But there’s no way on this earth I’m leaving you out here in this downpour to get soaked.”

He turned, swiped a hand at the rain pouring down his face, then went back to his truck to make a call. By the time he was done, the rain had almost quit.

And Maggie was again looking nervous. When he walked up she surprised him. Instead of trying to talk him out of helping again, she offered a tentative smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Your friend doesn’t mind getting out in this?” she asked, looking up at the sky.

He smiled. “Nah. He’s a good guy.”

She had the front of his truck between them, and he allowed it. After all, he was a stranger. It was only right that she be cautious. He wanted to reassure her but wasn’t sure how to put her at ease. The road was deserted, lonely. She had a right to be wary.

“Am I keeping you from something?”

He smiled, trying to help lessen the tension. “No, ma’am. As a matter of fact, I was just on my way home.”

“Do you need to call your wife or something?”

His grin widened. “No wife or something. No relatives at all.”

She ducked her head.

Interesting.

He sidled over to front of the truck. “Have you lived here long?”

She shrugged. “Two months.”

“I bet you live in the trailer park about two more miles up the road.”