Part 19
It was busy season at work and Anna’s load was increased because one of her co-workers had surgery and was at home recuperating. Anna had to pick up part of her tasks too. The house was wonderful! Each day when she got up to shower and prepare for work, she thanked God for the well-built, strong shelter that she called home. She had a night light in the kitchen and its glow welcomed her on the dark mornings before the time changed. Sitting at the counter drinking a cup of coffee before leaving was just great for Anna.
The weeks melted away in a flurry. She had marked on her calendar when she might expect the CPA results, but the time had gone by so fast that she was really surprised when she got the mail one day and there was an envelope that looked a lot like the results. Anna had been calm getting the mail but when she saw that envelope, her hands started shaking. She had become quite competitive as she grew older and would not accept anything less than her very best work.
She put on her relaxing clothes and set the mail on the counter, then got something cold to drink. She opened up everything else except the one envelope and just let it sit there for a moment. She said a prayer – “Thank you, God, for giving me all of these opportunities. Thank you for being there with me over these last months and for helping me be strong during the test. I accept whatever results are in this envelope with a grateful heart.”
Then with the peace that surpasses all understanding, her hands calmed, and she opened up the envelope. It had the usual greeting but down farther on the page she saw a table with four columns, one for each section of the test. She looked at her scores for each of the boxes and she had passed! All four parts! She was now a Certified Public Accountant! Before calling her aunt in California, Anna paused again and thanked God for his help and she asked him to help her know what to do with this new credential.
In the newspaper that evening was an article about the new center that was being built. It gave the name of the person heading it up and she wrote it down on a scrap of paper. He worked at a nearby office building from Anna’s so she knew she could locate his phone number.
Only a couple of people at work knew that Anna sat for the CPA exam. She kept it that way because anyone working in her company would know that Anna was thinking about leaving at some point. She didn’t want to burn a bridge if she still needed it. Sometimes thin-skinned people take getting a CPA as an indication that an employee is unhappy or disgruntled, and it causes problems for them. So only those few people who knew she took the test found out she passed it.
She wishes so much she could share the news with her mother. Not knowing what heaven might be like, Anna often thought about where her mother was, what was she doing, who was she seeing, what God was like, and did her mother know what was going on down on earth? Anna’s faith was still new after an eight year absence.
The day after the CPA results, Anna went to get some more dishwashing detergent from underneath the sink and she noticed a very tiny pool of water. She got a towel and covered the wet area. She called John because he was the first person she thought of, even though John was not a plumber per se.
Surprisingly, he came right over.
“I was just finishing up at a job a few blocks away when I got your call, figured I’d come and check it out. Sometimes the sealant isn’t perfect, because if it were a big problem, you’d be flooded out. Must be something small and it might be hard to find,” John said.
He got a flashlight from Anna and took a look. He found a wet pipe so he knew where the water was coming from.
“Would it be okay if I came tomorrow? It shouldn’t take long. I can come after work again, and I’ll bring the stuff I need to fix this,” he said.
“Sure, that’s fine. I’m glad I noticed it. It didn’t do any damage at all,” Anna said.
“No, it should be fine. The place looks great, all of the little woman’s touches you put out. The kitchen is so nice. I bet you really enjoy it,” he continued.
“You have no idea. It’s like an oasis for me at night, and I often sit here and read the paper or go over work stuff,” she said.
John smiled. He was a younger man, probably around 33, Anna thought. He was a hard worker and honest.
She walked him to the door and said she’d see him the next day.
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