Jane and Michael are restored

Jane and Michael had always known that they would get married since they were young. But when they did get married, everyone was astonished, even though everyone had anticipated it. What shocked everyone really was the simplicity of their wedding. Jane's parents were wealthy and had bequeathed their only child a large portion of their wealth.

"I do not need it mum, please tell dad to give it to charity," she had protested when her parents had announced they would name her the sole recipient of the wealth. "God is providing for us, we do not really need all that money. What would we do with it?"

Jane's mum had cried on the phone for three minutes and protested at the injury their child was doing them. "Your dad will be heartbroken… Honey, don't do that to him, his poor heart will fail him."

When her dad heard it, he had not talked to her for a week. When he did, his voice was pained, distance, "I do not like to see you and Michael living like peasants Jane honey…"

"We are not living like peasants dad. You taught me to live frugally, simple and way below my means," she said wryly.

"Yes, I remember," he replied, regret evident in his voice. "We did not have anything then, but now we do, we have much. It can take care of you and your children's children. Please take the house at least…"

"I would like to dad, but we are comfortable where we are. Besides, we are happy dad. Give it away, you said you would give away half of your wealth dad, now you can give it all away." This had marked the end of the conversation.

The wedding was done in the garden of their Jesus Lives Church. It took just over an hour, and was sparsely attended. The couple had invited the church members and family and friends. Few people turned up though, citing the weather and other reasons. But Jane and Michael were happy to 'consecrate their union before God and man'. They would spend their honeymoon in a log cabin 20 miles north of their home. They were beyond joy to be together alone.

**********************************************************************************

"Honey, should I wear the grey or the navy blue suit?" Michael called across the hallway. He was holding up both suits to the light, as if measuring them for iridescence against the sun's rays.

"Shhhhh… don't wake the baby. Wear the blue suit with the checked shirt," Jane said entering the room.

"Ok," he whispered, smiling wryly. He returned the grey suit to the closet and began wiping his shoes. "Don't just stand there, help me brush my suit. Wives submit yourselves to your husbands…" he teased.

"Husbands, love your wives…" she replied, picking up the lint brush.

"Just as Christ loved the church," they finished in unison, laughing heartily. They joked that one day they would be taken up in the Rapture as they quoted the Scriptures.

"I think you should be able to knock them out with your charm; just remember, be yourself and answer the interviewer questions with confidence. No need to be cocky, just confidence." She said, straightening his jacket. It was the first 'real' job interview since he had been laid off from the lumber factory three months ago during a massive job cut. They had prayed fervently for an opportunity, while he did odd carpentry jobs at the County offices. Now the Lord had made an opening at the local drug store. If he got the job, Michael would be in charge of a team of ten people who distributed drug prescriptions to seniors in the community. He was ecstatic.

"I get to have my own team!" He had shouted when he read the responsibilities of the new job. Now he had made through four stages including written tests to make one of the three finalists.

Michael kissed his wife and then kissed the sleeping baby on the forehead as he picked up his folder to leave. "See you later honey, pray for me."

"As always." She said closing the door behind him. She prayed that he would get the job. They had been struggling financially and this had put a strain on them. They were not starving, but it had been difficult for them. They had cut out everything from their lives, but the bare minimum to survive. This job would bring in almost three times what Michael had been making at the factory.

She heard the car engine shudder as it always did, before roaring to life. It needed to be replaced, but for now it did the job. He hooted twice as he always did, and drove off.

"Oh Lord, help him," she whispered.

"Haven't I always?" She heard His voice reply. She smiled and began preparing a meal for her baby.

****************************************************************************************

The phone rang and startled Michael from his afternoon nap. At first he was not sure what had woken him. When it rang a second time, he got up and groggily walked to the kitchen counter clearing his voice.

"Hello…" he let out a weak greeting. Noticing, he cleared his voice again and said, "Hello, Kane residence…"

"Yes, hello… Am I speaking to Michael Kane?" the female voice on the other end of the line enquired. Michael thought he recognized the voice, but his mind was still in deep slumber.

"You are, who am I speaking to please?"

"This is Laura from NepLife Services…"

"Oh hi Laura! From HR right?" His interest piqued, he had not expected to hear from them so fast.

"Yes, right! Mr. Kane, we are pleased to notify you that you got the job of Assistant Manager of Delivery…" she trailed off as he cut in excitedly.

"Oh thank you so much for this great news! When do I start?"

"We need you to come by the office before the 31st of this month for pre-employment procedures. Your work officially begins on 6th of next month."

"Can I come today?"

"Sure…" she suppressed a chuckle. "Come by any time you are available Mr. Kane. Have a good day."

"And you too Laura. Thank you and see you soon. Bye…"

"Bye…"

He kept holding the receiver for a full minute after she had hung up. He could not believe that he had gotten the job even with his little experience in human services. His competition had worked in such positions that he could only dream of. And yet he, the most unqualified had gotten the job.

"And you know why?" the Lord asked him.

He went to his knees and praised God and thanked Him for allowing him to get the job. He entered a moment of worship and God spoke with him.

"I dedicate this job to you Lord… May it bring glory to you my Lord."

"Stay close Michael, lest the enemy steals this joy from you."

"Ok Lord. Thank you Jesus."

Just then, Jane opened the door and pushed in the stroller, looking haggard.

He got up and rushed to her and hugged her deeply while kissing her on the cheek. She looked taken aback.

"guess what!" he teased.

"What!" She asked, looking flustered. And then realization came upon her face and she broke into a smile. "The job… You got the job?" She sobbed.

"I did honey, the Lord was faithful as He had promised. HR called and said I can begin on 6th." Michael was in tears.

They sat on the floor as she continued to rock the baby who had been woken by their conversation. They held hands and prayed thanking God for His faithfulness and provision.

"Hear that Jamie?" Jane talked into the opening of the stroller. "Daddy got the job, we got the job that we prayed for. God has done it for us. Yes, 'We were filled with laughter and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, "What amazing things the Lord has done for them." Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!"

The next few days were filled with a lot of excitement. They went by so fast, and on the 6th of March, Michael began his new job. He had a great team who appreciated the energy he brought into the group. Delivering medication to seniors had never been so much fun and exciting. The team came up with new ways to make the encounters with the elderly memorable for 'clients' as they referred to them.

"Mrs. Gardener loves roses, perhaps I can buy her a rose and deliver it with her prescription." said Jorge with a huge grin.

"Great idea Jorge! Anyone else?" encouraged Michael, looking around. "Come on Fatima, you look like you have something…" She looked unsure, as if struggling with her idea.

"Mr. Gallagher loves chicken wings, I know this because he keeps telling me how he wished his son was around to buy him his favorite wings. I am not sure it'd be proper, with his heart…" Fatima trailed looking concerned.

"Mmmmhhh… that's an interesting one. What do you all think of this? Should we let poor old Gallagher have chicken wings with his condition?" The team shook their heads. "I'm sure we can find another way to put a smile on his face, besides delivering his medication. Anyone else…"

This was Michael's aim, to humanize delivering the drugs by increasing contact with the seniors. The team was reluctant at first, but one after another, they came back with good reports. They had a quota of medications to deliver per day, and even though they worried that spending a few minutes to chat with their customers would decrease their daily drops as they called them, they had found new ways to make up for it. Each of them had voluntarily cut their lunch break by half an hour at first, and by a full hour later.

This shift in way of thinking had paid off. The team grew as more and more seniors called in to change who delivered their medication, they all wanted NepLife Services. This meant more business for the company, and more employees were hired. The original team of ten had become a team of fifteen then thirty and now was close to seventy. It had been split into ten groups, with each of the original team members leading a team. Michael coordinated all these teams, and now had the title of Manager Delivery Division. He was beside himself, happy, contented and making a meaningful contribution.

At home, things were better. A year into the job, they had bought a new car and retired Mr. Robertson, their old Honda Accord. They now drove a sleek Ford Explorer. Their needs were taken care of, and they opened a savings account for Jamie's education. They were happy and filled. There was even talk of buying a new house along the Potomac.

"If dad saw us today…" Jane wryly said as they flipped pages on Homes Weekly, pointing at homes and admiring. Their humble one bedroom house looked plain and inadequate in comparison. They shelved the idea when their monthly car insurance premium went up after Michael had a small collision with another car. Thankfully, no one had been injured, but the insurance company had insisted on bringing this to bear on their monthly payments.

*************************************************************************************

"Those lights are not meant for us, are they?" Jane asked looking in the side mirror of the passenger side.

"What lights?" Michael asked absent mindedly thinking she was referring to something they had discussed at dinner. They were stopped at the lights a block from an expensive restaurant the just ate at and his mind was doing calculations to see how depleted their account would appear. It wasn't too bad, they'd be fine.

"Michael, did you hear me?" Her voice sounded urgent.

"What?" He growled, turning back to face her. Dismissing his annoyance, she motioned to the blue and red lights that were flashing behind them.

"How long have they been behind us?" he asked quizzically.

"A minute or two, since we turned from Ludwig Street. I think the cop is getting out…"

"Yeah, I see him. Just act cool, yep, he's heading for us. We have not done anything wrong, so just be cool."

"I am cool, it's you I'm worried about…"

The officer stopped next to their car and motioned to him to pull over to the side. Their light had just turned green, and Michael was tempted to just hit the gas and speed off before the cop could get back to his car. He looked at his wife who shot him a 'don’t you dare look'. He sheepishly drove the car to the side of the road and braced himself. For some reason, he felt queasy, like something horrible was going to happen.

The officer walked over to their car and motioned him to lower his window. He did, while asking, "Any problem officer?"

The officer ignored his question and said, "License and registration please… Oh, and insurance card." Michael obeyed and produced the information. The officer walked back to his car and began punching in numbers to his computer. Michael watched from the rearview mirror and waited, his heart was pumping furiously.

"Did you renew insurance?" his wife asked.

"What insurance?" He asked, befuddled. "I thought you renew our insurance." He was raising his voice.

"Shhhhhh… Don’t wake Jamie. Remember last week I told you that I ran out of checks and you would need to renew insurance this time?" She gave him a strange look.

"Oh crap!" the officer was walking back to their car. He stopped and peered into the car.

"Do you know why I stopped you Mr. Kane?" his face looked bored as if he said those words every day, well, maybe he did, Michael thought.

"No sir, I don’t." He was being honest. He did not know why he had been stopped.

"Well, I'm going to tell you…"

"Ok…"

"You did not signal your left turn from Ludwig Street, or your lights aren't working. Which one is it?" Michael sighed. This would just be a ticket and nothing serious.

"I don’t know officer, though I am pretty sure I indicated my turn." He replied genuinely.

"Then your lights are not working, need to fix that, don’t you think?" He continued.

"I'll surely do that sir!"

"Do you know what is even more important though? Your insurance policy is not valid! How about that!" The officer said as a matter of fact.

"What!" Michael shouted.

"Yep, three days expired." The officer remained calm. Michael looked imploringly at his wife to help him; he was losing his nerve. She looked ahead, ignoring the conversation, disinterested. Why was she being like this? Did she think he would do this intentionally?

"Oh! I'm sorry officer, must have skipped my mind. I'll do it tomorrow, first thing…"

"I'm going to let you off with a ticket, next time, you will be towed for this. Understood Mr. Kane?" He looked menacingly at him as he handed him his cards.

"Ok sir, thank you."

"Have a good night, and drive safe." The officer was walking back to his car. Michael breathed a sigh of relief, and put the car in drive. He felt like he had just escaped from the jaws of a lion.

"You are lucky Michael, don’t play such games again." Her tongue was sharp and her look accusatory.

"What games? You think I did this intentionally? Mh?" He was getting tired with her nagging. Who was she to judge? The light turned green and the car sped off into the highway. His mind was still foggy from the incidence with the cop, and his wife's accusations. He did not see the stalled car that was parked on the side of the road.

"Michaaaaaeeeeeeeel…" Jane screamed. He slammed the brakes but it was too late. Their car rammed the stalled car and momentarily stopped, and then swerved into the road, into oncoming traffic. A truck coming out of the corner at a high speed hit their car, sending it crashing into the railing and then into a complete stop. Michael and Jane both screamed, "Jamiiiiieeeee!" the truck that hit them came to a screeching stop in the middle of the road.

They looked back at the car seat where Jamie had been tied(change this word). He was still secured in place, but blood was oozing from his nose.

"Jamie…Hang in there honey…"She tried to undo the seat belt but she was stuck. "Michael, do something!" She screamed. Michael came out of his momentary daze. He pushed his airbag aside and easily undid his belt, as his hands shook. He was bleeding from a gash on his temple, but he did not feel it. He opened his door and rushed to Jamie's door. It was stuck, he pushed and kicked but it did not move. People were gathering around, and he could hear the siren of an ambulance and police car.

Strong hands pushed him aside, and easily opened Jamie's side. "Step aside sir." His head was spinning and he did not know where he was. He struggled to maintain consciousness. He saw his wife whisked into an ambulance, behind a small stretcher of what he assumed was Jamie. O God, this cannot be happening! Please help me! There was no response, just silence. He was ushered into another waiting ambulance and he passed out.

****************************************************************************************

Michael woke up with a start. His head spun and he was in a lot of pain. His eyes struggled to open, and he immediately regretted opening them as a pang of sharp pain enveloped him. He closed them and waited for the pain to subside. His whole body felt numb. He tried to open his eyes again, and this time was much better. He was on a hospital bed, that much he could tell from the whiteness of the room. Next to the bed, was a chair, in which was lying someone he could only imagine was his wife.

"Honey…" He whispered. She opened her eyes and immediately stood. "Thank God you are awake…" she said. She looked fine.

"Where's Jamie? Where did they take him?" He asked weakly. She turned away from him, tears streaming down her face.

"He's in surgery…"She muffled a cry as she blew her nose. "It's been an hour. Oh Michael, what happened…" She trailed off.

He closed his eyes and tried to replay the event. His mind was blank, he could not recall it. "I don’t know honey, I don’t know… I'm sorry…" He said getting up and out of the bed. His body throbbed but he ignored it. He inched to her and tried to hug her, she pushed him away.

"Don’t you dare! After what you have done… I am not forgiving you for this Michael, I am not!" she inched away from him.

Just then, a doctor walked in, followed closely by two nurses. He looked deathly and pale. His label read 'Geoffrey Jones MD. Pediatrician.' "Are you Mr. Kane and Mrs. Kane?" He asked.

They looked at each other as if they did not recognize those names. They nodded.

He continued, "I'm sorry to inform you that Jamie did not make it…" Jane shrieked, a scream so high pitched that the entire hospital went silent. She threw herself against the wall and began banging her fists on it. Michael was numb and did not move, time stood still as the realization of what the doctor had just said hit him.

The nurses rushed in and tried holding Jane so that she would not hurt herself. They gave one another that look, 'this is going to be a rough night'.

*************************************************************************************

"There's no greater pain on this earth than a parent losing a child; Oh Lord may you strengthen this young couple, Jane and Michael." The pastor stopped suddenly and looked at the couple seated next to him, Jane sobbing silently. He took out his hankie and mopped his brow, he was sweating in the heat of the summer afternoon.

The bagpipes began playing, 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound' as the coffin was slowly lowered. Jane's sobbing turned into a wailing. The pastor continued, "… till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." He threw earth into the grave and invited Jane and Michael to do the same. Strong hands helped them up, their parents held them up and guided them to the side of the grave. Jane was beside herself. She wailed until she was gently guided back to her chair where she settled into sobs and sniffles.

The pastor said the last prayer and the small crowd began dispersing. They passed by their chairs and gave them a gentle shoulder squeeze and left with their heads hung low. It was a sad affair. Michael sat through it all silent, holding his wife when she needed comforting. But his mind was elsewhere, the night of the accident. Now that his brain was clear, he clearly remembered what happened. It was all his fault, yes he was to blame. He could not shake that thought.

"Should we wait with you?" It was Jane's mom. She looked over them with great concern.

"No mom, we'll be fine," replied Jane wiping her eyes. Michael noted that they were swollen.

"Are you sure honey? Let's drive you home at least. I don’t like to leave you guys alone…" She insisted.

"It's fine Mrs. Cooper, we'll be leaving soon as well…" Michael replied kindly.

"Ok, remember to call if you need anything, anything at all…" She turned around and left with her husband. She could be heard saying, "They would not listen to me Andy, you know they are two stubborn kids…"

"Let's go," Jane said suddenly.

"What? Are you sure… We can stay as long as we want…" He replied.

"I know, let's go." She rose and tucked a rose in the mound of soil that covered their little Jamie's body. She brushed her hair to the side and straightened her dress. Michael tapped his phone to hail a taxi. It would pick them in three minutes. His wife was staring at him strangely. They walked to the curb where their taxi was just arriving. They got in without saying a word.

"Michael?" The taxi driver asked.

"Yes," Michael replied.

"Where to?" He continued. Michael mentioned their address. "Ok". The driver confirmed the address in his phone and tapped the GPS. "Turn left into Trent drive and drive for a quarter of a mile…" The lady on the GPS instructed. The 30 minutes' drive went without a single word exchanged between them. They were in different worlds, but on the same night. She was thinking, 'Why could he not just get the insurance on time? If I was not so argumentative that night, maybe he would have paid more attention to the driving. No, I am not to blame, he is! He did not renew the insurance, and was absent-minded! Why couldn’t he just drive well! And now Jamie was gone, they had no car, and they had to pay up the damages to the two other cars!'

Michael was on the same night as well, 'Why could she not stop arguing and nagging me? Why was I so absentminded anyway! But she is to blame, she did not remind me to renew the insurance. And when did the indicator light stop working anyway?'

"We are here…" the driver announced. "Have a good day Mr. and Mrs. Kane," He called after them. They did not reply. They quickly walked to their door in the sweltering heat. They had a lot of mail, 'Colleagues and friends gloating, no doubt', Jane thought coldly. She pushed the bunch to one side and unlocked the door. Michael collected the mail and came inside after her.

"I'm going to bed," she announced without looking back at him.

"You should have something to eat before…" Michael suggested. She banged their bedroom door with finality.

Jane did not get out of bed for a week, but to go to the bathroom and get more water. She did not eat a thing. Michael was worried. She did not talk to him, she just cried and glared at him any time he walked into the bedroom. Michael himself ate only once a day and was rapidly losing weight. He slept on the couch and watched TV during the day. They did not answer their doorbell and they disconnected their phone. The house was a mess, but neither could care less. They just relived the events of that night until each was convinced that the other was to blame.

After two weeks of living like this, Michael had to go back to work. He ignored all the bills they had to pay, and they piled up. They were behind on their mortgage and they had received collection notices to pay for the damages to the two cars that had been wrecked. Their own car was  totaled, and could not be salvaged. Total late expenses amounted to fifty thousand. They had survived over the last two weeks from Jamie's savings account which was now below minimum balance by bank rules. Jane was unconcerned. Michael knew he had to do something. Maybe he could go to her father and secretly ask for help. Surely he would understand. He shook the thought and resolved to face the issue on his own.

Michael's return to work was uneventful. One of his colleagues drove him to work. Before he left, he kissed his wife on the forehead as she lay in bed. She barely acknowledged his presence and he left feeling worse than before. He vowed to stop trying to cheer her up. He was hurting as much as she was, why should he be the one to comfort her? Why could she not comfort him for a change?

"Are you alright?" Jorge asked as they walked to the office. He had noticed that Michael's face was contorted in a grimace.

"Yeah, I'm ok, thanks Jorge," Michael tried to sound cheerful.

When Michael came home from the second Monday of his return to work, he met his wife up and about. The house was neat and organized. She had made dinner.

"Honey?" He expected to see her burst in joy. But she looked sullen. She was staring at the place on their table where she used to feed Jamie from when they had dinner. Michael sat down quietly and looked at her. She looked much better than he remembered her. But she was sad, and he wondered whether he should do anything to comfort her. He rose as if to go towards her. She motioned to him to sit. He slumped back in his chair.

"How was your day at work?" this was good, she was talking.

"It was ok honey, how was yours?" He asked interested.

"Oh, it was …" she trailed. Her look turned from sad to angry. He was startled. "It was you!" She shouted. "You did this Michael! You!" She was on her feet and was pointing an accusatory finger at him. He slumped deeper into his chair.

"Are you not going to say anything?" She queried moving closer to him. "You think you can escape this by being silent?" She reached for his collar and shook him. Michael closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, but she was in his face.

"what kind of man are you that you cannot stand and talk to a woman?" She taunted. She spat at him and began walking away from the table. He grabbed her hand and rising suddenly, struck her face so hard she was stunned. She stopped in her tracks and looked at him, unable to utter a word. Then she composed herself and struck back, but he easily parried her fists. Getting angrier, she reached for the water pitcher on the table and threw it. He skillfully avoided it and it crashed on the wall behind him. Before he could turn around, she smashed a plate onto his side so hard, she thought she heard some bone crack. He crashed into a heap on the floor and she dashed into their bedroom and locked the door.

Michael lay on the floor for a moment before he regained his bearing. He was bleeding. Damnit Jane! He got up and staggered to the bathroom where he dabbed his face with wipes. The stitches had come undone. His anger welled up in him and he tried to calm himself. How had they gotten here? He did not recognize himself, or Jane. He could not face her like this, he knew he would strangle her with his bare hands. One way to solve such a mess he thought to himself. He had vowed never to do it again, but he did not know what to do. His shirt was bloody. He removed it and threw it on the floor. He grabbed his jacket and walked out into the cool night.

*****************************************************************************

Jane was worried. She paced the room and wondered whether to report the matter to the police or call her parents, or both. Michael had not been home for two days. Was he alright? Where was he? Perhaps at Jorge's home. She did not know what to think. At first, she had worried he would appear and attack her or even kill her. She had not slept for the last two nights. She was afraid of sleeping. When she had tried to lay down, she dreamt that he appeared and strangled her while she slept. She vowed not to sleep a minute until she found him. But where would he be?

Just then, the phone rang. It's sound was alarming, she had not expected and thought it was still disconnected. Then she remembered she had reconnected it when she did cleanup. She grabbed the receiver and before she knew it, she shouted, "Hello!" it was Jorge. He was calling to find out if everything was fine with Michael because he had not shown up for work for yesterday and he was not picking up his calls. She did not know what to say to him.

"We had an argument," she said finally.

"Is everything alright Mrs. Kane?" He always referred her as Mrs. Kane.

"Yes… No, everything is not ok Jorge! We had a terrible fight and I don’t know where Michael is, I really don’t. help me Jorge." She pleaded.

"Ok, calm down Mrs. Kane. Have you notified the police?" She had not, neither had she notified her parents. He was the first person who knew. He promised he would call back after making some enquiries. But they did not find Michael. The police could not track his phone or usage of his credit card.

Ten days later, Michael turned up at the door looking haggard. He was in the same clothes he had worn the day he left. He smelled terrible, his breath reeked of alcohol. Jane was ecstatic. She cleaned him up, and prepared him dinner. He barely ate and did not say a word. He shook terribly, signs of withdrawal from alcohol. Jorge came by to see him the following day. He was looking better and even ate. The police came by and asked a few questions and closed the case. That evening, they had another argument. Michael did not like the way she had prepared the soup. Too salty he had said. She cried in the bathroom.

Jane's parents suggested they visit a marriage counsellor. Michael had acquiesced, but the sessions had been useless. They had argued through the sessions, and the counselor had refused to take them after two sessions. He suggested they both see psychologists.

He returned to work but could barely get anything done. He was disorganized and gave conflicting orders. He began falling behind. He was relieved of his managerial position and it was taken by Jorge. He was called into Laura's office and he had been sternly warned that he risked facing disciplinary action if he did not do better.

"I hate to see you like this Michael," she began when he was seated. "We have a lot of concerns and the teams are complaining that you are causing confusion. Have you been seeing your counselor? Do you need a few days off?"

"I'm fine," he said without looking up. His breath smelled of alcohol. She ignored this.

"Michael, this is the last final warning; the next one goes to your file." Laura said solemnly. He sheepishly smiled a thank you and left.

Three days later, Michael was seating before a disciplinary panel. He had come an hour late to his shift without explanation reeking of alcohol. He had abused a female colleague. Laura had plead for his case, for leniency but the board was insistent that Michael was now a liability. They had recommended and immediate termination. Laura hoped the committee would be more  indulgent.

Now seating across from him, she felt great pity. She knew the burden of losing a child, the disillusionment that sets in the marriage and the indulgence into alcohol. Michael's case had played like a script, a repeat of his great uncle Tom. She shook the thought of him and concentrated on the proceedings. Michael was trying to explain what had happened; he had no chance. The committee tore him apart. But he did not expect any rash decision; Michael after all had been their star employee for two years now, and had helped their business pick up and defeat their competition. He was shocked to hear the words of the chair.

"Seating from here, Michael, I must say it pains me greatly to see what is happening to you. Coming in, I thought you would apologize and repent your actions, but you seem oblivious of the position you have put us in. I don’t think you will do better, I don’t think you care." Michael was silent. He stared at the clock and pursed his lips as if trying to prevent himself from saying something.

He stood suddenly. He gave them all grin and said, "Let me make it easy for you. I resign!" Without another word, he walked out, never to return. They were stunned. No one had expected this.

Without his work, Michael avoided going into town. He hang out at the closest liquor store. He also avoided going home. There was nothing there for him. When the checks stopped coming, things became dire. Jane thought of leaving him and going to stay at her parents' house. The house was empty as she began selling their stuff to buy food. She sold their TV and the furniture. Michael was avoiding her, and so she felt she was on her own. She would survive on her own, she thought to herself. At night, she cried until she fell asleep. They had been so in love, and everything had been going so smoothly for them. Where had they gone wrong?!

*****************************************************************************************

The knock on the door startled Jane. She walked gingerly and expecting to see her husband at the door. She was surprised to see two men in suits and a bunch of papers in their hands.

"Mrs.…." He looked at his file. "… Kane?"

"Who wants to know?"

"We are here to serve you with a foreclosure notice. Please leave the property before the end of the day. The bank has seized this property in accordance with the terms and conditions of the mortgage…" She banged the door in his face and sat on the floor and began crying. Where would she go? She could not go to her parents'. They would laugh at her. No they would not another voice in her head said.

"Oh help me God…" She said out loud. 'What's that?' said the voice in her head.

"Please help me my Lord. I am lost and weak, where do I go? What do I do? Why have you forsaken me God?" she wailed. 'Forsaken you? I have not forsaken you Jane. You have forsaken Me. And even now you accuse me and refuse to see your errors.'

"Oh Lord, forgive me… I have been foolish and bitter and I have refused Your counsel… Have mercy on my poor soul Oh God, what can I do without you?" She sobbed. 'Oh my child. Come to Me, lay down your burdens and rest in Me.' Jane felt herself being lifted even though she could still see she was on the floor where she was sprawled face down. She resisted. 'Let go my child, let go. You need to learn to trust in Me.' she released her clutch onto her body. She felt like she was being raised higher and higher. Down below, she saw her burdens and body. She also saw fiery white beings fighting off dark creatures. 'Those are My angels fighting off demons that have kept you shackled. Do you now see what has been happening to you?' The voice sounded like it was coming from herself, like she was talking to herself, yet she knew it was a different voice. 'Just trust My child. Don't try to understand, just trust…'.

Jane woke up with a start. She did not remember how she had ended up in her bed. She felt different. Then it all came back to her, she just had an experience she could only describe as supernatural. Or had she been dreaming? 'It was not a dream. I carried you into Heaven and gave you My sweet joy. And now you feel unburdened, don’t you Jane?' Yes she felt liberated. She knew she had to leave the house before evening, and yet she did not feel worried. She was at peace, a deep peace she had never felt before. "Thank you Lord!" 'You are welcome My child. Now get up and go where I am sending you. Your husband needs you.'

She took a traveling bag and put in just two dresses and two pairs of shirt and pants for Michael. She left without looking back. Outside, she just barely caught the bus. She told the driver that she had no money but she needed to get to Bethany Church. He motioned her to sit. She quietly sat and stared out of the window and immediately her mind went to her husband. She felt a deep compassion for him like she had never felt before. She began crying but quickly wiped her tears. Oh Lord, I hope he's ok. Oh Lord, help us.

"Miss!" The driver called back at her. All the people in the bus looked at her. The driver pointed at a small brick red building atop a raising. "Bethany Church…"

"oh, thank you," she said as she alighted. She walked towards the main entrance. Her heart sank when she could not open it.

"Can I help you?" She spun round to see an elderly man holding a broom.

"Y-y-yes…" She was unsure what to say. Should she just say that God told her to come to this place? Would that not sound ridiculous. The man waited patiently, studying her intently. "I… my name is Jane and I have a very crazy story." She felt numb and her heart pumped faster.

"How crazy?" he asked, clearly enjoying this.

"Well, God asked me to come to this church because there was something here for me…" She wondered what she was saying, that did not sound like her.

"Something like what?" he walked closer to her and stretched his hand. She gingerly took it and he shook it firmly. She did not reply. He let go of her hand and said, "My name is Wallace, I am a deacon at this church. You don't look so well my daughter, come join us." he began walking towards the back of the church. "Surely one more cannot be too bad," he muttered to himself.

"What did you say?" Jane asked catching up. He stopped to observe her.

"It must be the season of stragglers. We have another one staying at our spare room?" He said beginning to walk again.

"What other one?" Her heart was pounding.

"Come see." He walked with a step sweetly whistling 'God will make a way'. Jane followed closely praying and hoping. They used a back door into the church and came to a hallway with doors on each side. He led her to the last door and opened it. It opened into a basement room, and they climbed down. At the corner, was a bed on which lay a man, reading a Bible under the light of the window.

Jane strained her eyes, and her heart stopped. "Michael, seems we have another one like you. He said motioning to her. Jane meet Michael, Michael meet Jane." the deacon said. Michael could not breath and he let out a muffled cry like that of an animal dying. Deacon Wallace was taken aback, he could not understand why the two people were staring at each other without saying anything. Then he understood, just the same moment Jane dropped her bag and run towards the bed.

"Michael!" She screamed. She hugged him tightly and began weeping. "Oh thank God you are alright! Oh Michael, oh Michael…"

"Oh Jane, how I have prayed…" He started.

"I know, I know… But how did you get here?" She was weeping in joy. He pointed to heaven and then to Deacon Wallace.

"He found me. I was dead, I thought I was dead, but he found me…" Tears were streaming from his eyes.

"Can I then assume that this is the Jane?" Deacon Wallace asked. Michael nodded. "This calls for a celebration my children." He said jumping up and rushing up the stairs singing 'God is good'.

He explained how he had been drinking and not eating and was on the verge of dying. He had wished to die, but had miraculously survived. He had been walking about after one bout of drinking, and he stumbled into a gutter where he fell and hit his head against floor. He had passed out and had woken up in that same bed. The deacon had found him unconscious and had nursed him to health. Jane explained her miraculous encounter with God when she resigned herself to Him and how she was led to come to that church.

"You two," said Deacon Wallace as he came down with two bowls of steaming soup, "…you two are the cause for great joy in Heaven right now. Let's pray." he set the bowls on the table and they held hands. "Oh Lord, who else is like You? These two were lost to each other, and to You, and yet You saw them. You have brought them out of bondage and given them life. We thank and praise Your name Most High God. May You complete the work You have begun in them O Lord. Amen"

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"What do you think this teaches about our lives?" Deacon Wallace asked the Bible study group finishing the reading of Jeremiah 2:1-37. There were no takers to the question. Michael was shifting nervously. He wanted to talk but was afraid what they would think. He looked at Jane, and she nodded.

"I… I think…" he stuttered. Everyone turned to him. "It is a call to look at our lives and ask for forgiveness, it is a call to repentance. For a long time, I was like the man in the story. God blessed me, He blessed us, Jane and I with everything we had ever hoped for. Yes, we asked for a child, we had a healthy baby boy. We asked for a job, and He provided a well-paying job. But no sooner did we have these things, than we turned away from God." His face was pained.

"We wanted more, we bought the latest car and even entertained the idea of buying a new house when we did not need a bigger place. We had promised God to give more of our time to Him, and more of the earnings to His mission and help the poor. We reneged on that. We had promised to keep in constant prayer. We stopped praying. We had promised to treat one another in kindness and obey the commands of Jesus. We stopped caring and wanted our selfish needs met first."

"God sent warnings, yes He did. More expenses here, a knock there, an illness here. But we did not heed the warnings. We were proud and arrogant and looked at ourselves as having achieved everything we owned. So God took it all away. And even then, we refused to repent. We blamed one another, but never blamed ourselves. We blamed God and accused Him of deserting us, but never repented. Above all, we refused to forgive one another, and so we became bitter and resentful. I hated Jane, I did. It pains me to say it. But she just annoyed and nagged me. We lost our child, then our job, then our marriage and we almost lost our souls." He stopped and nodded to his wife, who picked up the story.

"We asked God, 'When did you send us corrections? When did you talk to us and we failed to listen?' and He showed us the instances when He had prompted us to stop accusing others and gossiping. We had shut God out of our lives and began the worship of money and the things that He gave to us…" She began crying.

"The deacon heard God's call and he helped us come to one another. he has guided us, and now we are restored, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I have even gained some weight," Michael said pinching his cheek. Everyone burst out laughing. "Please keep us in constant prayer. We are now babes in spiritual matters, and we know God will do His will through our lives."

"Amen!" They all shouted. "We really thank the church for allowing us to stay here as we figure our lives out."

"Stay as long as you need to…"Said the head pastor.

The following day, Jane bought the juicer she had planned to buy. They got their first delivery of overripe fruits from the farmers' market and made fruit punch. It was a hot day, and before they could finish setting shop, there were more orders than they could fill. The juice was sold in less than half an hour. They stood back in amazement and remembered the hymnal they had sung in church the previous service 'He leadeth me…' and they began whistling happily.

"Please come tomorrow, we will have some for you," they told disappointed customers. The church had made fliers and made announcements about the juice stand they were opening. In an act of pure grace, the juice business picked up. Michael handled the logistics of buying the fruits, transporting and storing them. Jane juiced and sold at the shop. Before they could know it, they had orders from events across town and from different counties. Despite how well the business did, they kept themselves humble with great contrition before the Lord. And He blessed them greatly and the Bethany Church community.

And that is the story of how God restored back Michael and Jane.