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Authors: Kathryn Alexander
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her.”
Nick. Rob's friend who had died, Micah recalled. The link between the man Rob is now and who he used to be. She put down the fork. “What happened?” she asked quietly.
“She died with him in the accident” Rob stared into his coffee cup, and Micah knew he was avoiding her gaze. She sat silently, uncertain whether or not to pursue the subject. Finally, she offered, “You still miss him.”
And Rob met her eyes, the stern look Micah glimpsed suddenly softening. “I always will.”
Micah nodded. She understood how that pain felt. “Always” could be a very long time. She placed her hand around the warm cup, hoping Rob would continue. And he did.
“Nick and Rachel had gone to hear a missionary they both knew speak in Cincinnati. They started home after the service. It had been raining…the roads were slick. And, in the dark, in the drizzle… he missed a curve.”
Micah's heart ached for the loss. Rob's. Nick and Rachel's. She watched him avert his gaze to look out the nearby window.
“They hit a tree and died. Just that quickly, Micah. He made a mistake, and they both died.”
She listened without comment…and waited.
“Nick is…was the finest Christian I've ever known. He didn't deserve to die so young…and not like that. What a senseless loss.”
“Yes, it is,” she agreed softly. “I don't know why so many things happen that we don't understand.”
Rob glanced back into Micah's eyes with a critical look. “Neither do I. At the funeral I asked the district superintendent how something like this could happen. To Nick of all people. He loved the Lord and tried to serve Him how he knew best. And yet, he was dead. So, what do you suppose the D.S.'s answer was?”
Micah gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I don't know.”
“That's it. ‘I don't know,’” Rob gave a harsh laugh. “‘I don't know,’” he repeated, running a hand through his hair in a restless movement “What kind of an answer was that for the deaths of two good people?”
“An honest one.”
“An inadequate one,” Rob retorted. “And I knew I was about to plunge into a world of inadequate answers…a lifetime of them.”
“That's what faith is all about, Rob. None of us will get very far in this life without it.”
“I didn't have enough. Not then, not now.”
Micah weighed her words carefully. “Nick was your best friend. He wouldn't want his death to cost you your relationship with the Lord. I think it would break his heart to know that about you.”
“Knowing Nicholas Alsmore the way I did, I'm sure you're right.” Rob's eyes flashed an angry glance, and he signaled for their check.
“Alsmore? Of Alsmore, Barlett and Maine? Your law firm?”
“One and the same,” he responded, pulling several bills from his wallet. “Nick was the son of Taylor Alsmore, the senior partner. He had planned to become a lawyer.” Rob rose from his seat in the booth and held out his hand to Micah.
She took the hand extended and stood up to leave with him. “And now you work with Nick's dad…in place of Nick….”
“No one can replace Nick,” Rob remarked while opening the door to exit the restaurant “But, yes, I work with his dad.”
They stepped out onto the brick sidewalk and began to walk the several blocks to Micah's apartment, hand in hand, and Micah couldn't remember such a simple pleasure meaning so much. She walked silently by his side, knowing she could have held his hand forever, through lack of faith, loss of friends, days of thunder and lightning or sunshine. Forever. And the thought terrified her. She needed to think about something else. Anything else. Maybe Rob would talk more about his past.
“Do you work with Alsmore because you want to, or because you think you should?” She asked the question that nagged at her.
“The shoulds and the oughts make a lot of demands on us, don't they?” he replied and squeezed her hand. “It's a good job, Micah. The money is great, the future
Nick. Rob's friend who had died, Micah recalled. The link between the man Rob is now and who he used to be. She put down the fork. “What happened?” she asked quietly.
“She died with him in the accident” Rob stared into his coffee cup, and Micah knew he was avoiding her gaze. She sat silently, uncertain whether or not to pursue the subject. Finally, she offered, “You still miss him.”
And Rob met her eyes, the stern look Micah glimpsed suddenly softening. “I always will.”
Micah nodded. She understood how that pain felt. “Always” could be a very long time. She placed her hand around the warm cup, hoping Rob would continue. And he did.
“Nick and Rachel had gone to hear a missionary they both knew speak in Cincinnati. They started home after the service. It had been raining…the roads were slick. And, in the dark, in the drizzle… he missed a curve.”
Micah's heart ached for the loss. Rob's. Nick and Rachel's. She watched him avert his gaze to look out the nearby window.
“They hit a tree and died. Just that quickly, Micah. He made a mistake, and they both died.”
She listened without comment…and waited.
“Nick is…was the finest Christian I've ever known. He didn't deserve to die so young…and not like that. What a senseless loss.”
“Yes, it is,” she agreed softly. “I don't know why so many things happen that we don't understand.”
Rob glanced back into Micah's eyes with a critical look. “Neither do I. At the funeral I asked the district superintendent how something like this could happen. To Nick of all people. He loved the Lord and tried to serve Him how he knew best. And yet, he was dead. So, what do you suppose the D.S.'s answer was?”
Micah gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I don't know.”
“That's it. ‘I don't know,’” Rob gave a harsh laugh. “‘I don't know,’” he repeated, running a hand through his hair in a restless movement “What kind of an answer was that for the deaths of two good people?”
“An honest one.”
“An inadequate one,” Rob retorted. “And I knew I was about to plunge into a world of inadequate answers…a lifetime of them.”
“That's what faith is all about, Rob. None of us will get very far in this life without it.”
“I didn't have enough. Not then, not now.”
Micah weighed her words carefully. “Nick was your best friend. He wouldn't want his death to cost you your relationship with the Lord. I think it would break his heart to know that about you.”
“Knowing Nicholas Alsmore the way I did, I'm sure you're right.” Rob's eyes flashed an angry glance, and he signaled for their check.
“Alsmore? Of Alsmore, Barlett and Maine? Your law firm?”
“One and the same,” he responded, pulling several bills from his wallet. “Nick was the son of Taylor Alsmore, the senior partner. He had planned to become a lawyer.” Rob rose from his seat in the booth and held out his hand to Micah.
She took the hand extended and stood up to leave with him. “And now you work with Nick's dad…in place of Nick….”
“No one can replace Nick,” Rob remarked while opening the door to exit the restaurant “But, yes, I work with his dad.”
They stepped out onto the brick sidewalk and began to walk the several blocks to Micah's apartment, hand in hand, and Micah couldn't remember such a simple pleasure meaning so much. She walked silently by his side, knowing she could have held his hand forever, through lack of faith, loss of friends, days of thunder and lightning or sunshine. Forever. And the thought terrified her. She needed to think about something else. Anything else. Maybe Rob would talk more about his past.
“Do you work with Alsmore because you want to, or because you think you should?” She asked the question that nagged at her.
“The shoulds and the oughts make a lot of demands on us, don't they?” he replied and squeezed her hand. “It's a good job, Micah. The money is great, the future
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