Part 7 - Anna's Story

(Anna Smithson's life was turned upside down after her boyfriend moved out and then her mother died of cancer.  This work of fiction follows Anna as she climbs out of a pit of sadness.  And Anna is on her way to Kentucky for a mission trip with her church.)

Part 7

 John was rather stunned when Anna told him she was going out of town for a week.

 “Well, who is going to run the shop vac now?” he said, as though that was the first thing that came to his mind.

“I guess either let the dirt build up or maybe one of the guys could help out a little,” she answered, as though he was serious.

Truth be told, Mrs. Parker’s answer that she was the first and only one to call left her a little breathless.  She thought that someone else would have come forward right after Mass and she would be off the hook.  Because the timing was absolutely terrible.  Not once but several times she asked herself, “What was I thinking?”

John continued, “Well, what if I have some kind of question, like we run into a problem and we need some input from you?”

 “My cell phone should be working.  You have the number so just call me on that.  If I don’t answer right away, then I’ll get back with you as soon as I can.  I assume we have our evenings free to some extent,” she said.

“Wow, this is ironic.  I’m fixing your house and you’re going to Kentucky to fix someone else’s house,” John laughed.  “You are very unpredictable.”

“Trust me, no one has said that to me in a very long time,” Anna said.

Once Anna put her mind to it, she got down to the details quickly.  First, she requested vacation for the week, and she figured she might as well take the week after too to finish up things at her own house.  Then she caught up on all of her projects in accounting so things wouldn’t fall apart while she was gone.  Then she started gathering what she needed for the trip, like a backpack, water, and other things that Mrs. Lucci listed for her.  And then she also started packing up her apartment which was very freeing.  It was like putting Jeremy on permanent hold, and shelving all of the memories of him too.  She found some items he had neglected to take, and they went off to the Goodwill.

Finally, she quit going to the house every single day, preferring instead to stop by twice before she left for Kentucky.  On her final stop at the house, she told John, “So surprise me!”  He was still shaking his head when she drove off. 

The church group traveled in a caravan and Anna rode in Mrs. Licci’s van, along with four teenagers and all of their gear.  They were an excited, boisterous group full of enthusiasm and camaraderie already.  They were idealistic and not yet jaded by life.  And they were funny, and they sang songs Anna hadn’t heard in years!!

 “Kentucky, we is off,” she said to Mrs. LIcci as the van pulled out of the church parking lot.  Anna’s car was parked over near the Rectory.  Father Tim waved to them as they left. 

Even in the whirlwind of her preparations and departure, Anna felt a strange sense of wonder and calm, heading into Wildcat country.