Looking For You All My Life Part 60

Maggie filled her in on the recent details of Jed's life and

how things were going in Pine Mountain in general. "The

main reason I'm calling is because another good friend of 96Melody Carlson

your son's has shown up in town recently and I am writing

an article in the paper about him."

"Oh, who's that, someone famous?"

"Not really. Your son helped him out while living in

Papua New Guinea. The young man's name is Michael

Abundi."

"Yes, I do remember that name from some of Stevie's let-

ters. Didn't his parents die when he was a young boy?"

"Yes, and Steven raised him and sent him to school. But

Michael was a little worried that because you and your hus-

band had disapproved of Steven's decision to become a mis-

sionary, that you might be reluctant to discuss all this

Although, I must say, you seem very open to me, Mrs.

Harris."

"Please call me Barbara. And that whole opposition thing

was mostly Stevie's father's doing. He thought Steven was

throwing away his life, and then when he got sick and died

my husband blamed his death on his choice to go live

some 'G.o.d-forsaken foreign country.' My husband died last

winter. Ironically, he also died of cancer."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs.-Barbara. Have you other chil-

dren?"

"No, Stevie was our only one. He was such a dear boy. $

And I'm proud that he lived his life doing what he thought

Iwas important. Oh, maybe I don't completely understand it,

but I respect him for it. His father spent his whole life just

making a lot of money, but it sure didn't seem very worth-

while to him when we lost our only son, or even when he

himself died last year. What good does it do him now, I

t

wonder? You know, I'd trade all that money just to have

both of them back-and speaking to each other again." She

Ipaused as if to catch her breath. "Goodness, I'm sorry to

have gone on like that. It's as if something in me just came

uncorked. I guess I still have my own issues to deal with after

all."

"Well, you sound like a very wise woman to me, Barbara.

And I'm guessing your son was a lot like you."

Looking for You All My Life97

"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. Now did I

hear you right? Did you say that this young man, Michael,

is actually staying in Pine Mountain right now?"

"Yes. Strange as it sounds, he came here because of

Steven."

"How very odd."

I"Yes, it is rather unusual. Michael said that Steven's

Idying wish was to return to Pine Mountain and share his

faith with his friends there. Michael promised Steven to go