A Husband for All Seasons

Mrs. Lashley stood aside and they entered a wide entryway that ran the length of the residence. Coming inside out of brilliant sunlight, they were plunged into semidarkness. Wooden shutters covered windows that were curtained with white lace panels. Mrs. Lashley flipped a switch and a chandelier spread light on the stairway to the left of the hall. She walked sprightly up the wide walnut treads. Chad counted thirteen steps as he held on to the sturdy, carved handrail and slowly followed Mrs. Lashley and Vicky to the second floor.

“The apartment only takes up half of this floor,” Mrs. Lashley explained. “I have a daughter and grandchildren who visit from time to time. I keep the other rooms for them.”

At the top of the stairs, the hallway extended the length of the house as it did on the first floor. The two rooms on the left had been turned into a comfortable apartment, and Chad thought at once that it was the kind of retreat he needed. A partition divided one of the rooms into a bedroom and a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, a shower stall, a large marble pedestal sink and a toilet. The other room was a combination living room and dining area, with a small kitchenette off to the side. The rooms were sparsely furnished, but they suited Chad’s present needs.

Chad asked the price, which was less than his Pittsburgh apartment. Motioning Vicky to one side, he asked, “What do you think of it?”

A flash of humor crossed her face. “I’d snap it up in a hurry if I could afford it. You won’t find anything better than this unless you want to move into an expensive condo.”

He shook his head. “No, I think this will suit me just fine.”

He turned to Mrs. Lashley. “I’ll lease the apartment, and if I leave before the six months is over, I’ll pay you the full amount.” She had stipulated that he would need to pay two hundred dollars to hold the apartment until she checked his references. He took the money from his wallet and handed it to her and gave her the names of his lawyer, his accountant and his pastor in Pittsburgh.

“I’ll call in a few days to see when I can move in.”

Driving away from the Lashley home, Vicky said, “You made a good choice. The rooms are comfortable, and you’ll have an interesting landlady.”

Chuckling, Chad commented, “She seems that way. And this location will be perfect for my needs. The doctor doesn’t want me to drive until I see him again, so there’s no need to rent a car. But they told me at the hospital that the bus service is good, so I can explore Columbus while I recuperate.”

“The Lanham Taxi Service operates daily, too,” she suggested with a sly grin in his direction.

“I figure I’ll be calling on that service often, but I’ll try not to make a nuisance of myself.”

Vicky had learned the hard way not to push her company on a man, so when she left Chad at the hotel, she didn’t make any comment about seeing him again. Any overtures of friendship would have to come from him. She didn’t look back as she drove away.

Chapter Four

After three days of loneliness, anxiety and indecision, Chad finally called the manager of his NFL team.

“How are you, Chad?” the manager asked. “Your father notified us when you were released from the hospital, but he didn’t have a phone number for you.”

“I didn’t feel like talking when I was in the hospital and I’ve only been released a few days. And thanks for the roses—they sure brightened up the room.”

“We wanted you to know we were thinking about you.”

“Well, what’s the bad news?” Chad asked, pacing the floor but trying to sound nonchalant. “I think I know, but I’ll make it easy on you and ask.”

The man hesitated, and the seconds seemed like hours to Chad. “It’s the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life, but we have no choice except to release you from your contract.”

Bile rose in Chad’s mouth, and he felt as if a mule had kicked him in the stomach. He had feared this decision was inevitable, but hearing it from the manager’s mouth drove the final nail in the coffin of his dead hopes. He wasn’t a crybaby, so he forced himself to say cheerfully, “Well, it was a great life while it lasted. And I’m thankful that you guys gave me the opportunity.”

“I’ve never understood why bad things happen to good people, but somewhere down the road, we’ll know the answer.”

“That may be true,” Chad said, and he couldn’t hide the bitterness in his voice. “But I’m going to need some answers before I regain the unquestioning faith I used to have.”

Chad laid aside the phone and leaned against the wall. He couldn’t even envision a life without football. But now that he knew with finality that he would never play pro ball again, he had to come to terms with the future. He paced the floor of the room, annoyed because he kept dwelling on his bad fortune rather than on the many things he had going for him.

Financially Chad was worth several million dollars so his livelihood was no problem, but he wasn’t comfortable with so much money. He was heavily insured, so no doubt the expensive surgery wouldn’t cost him anything. And if he remembered, the insurance company would be responsible for compensation for several months after his operation. His father managed a grocery store, and his mother had stayed home to look after her son. They couldn’t afford any luxuries for themselves or for Chad. If he wanted anything extra he had to make the money to buy it. How well he remembered his teen years when he had worked one whole summer to earn enough money to buy a bicycle! Then he received his NFL signing bonus. Suddenly, he was rich.

Instead of going on a spending spree, he went to a reputable investment broker for advice. He invested the majority of his signing bonus. He put a million dollars in an account for his parents, enabling Mr. Reece to retire from the store with a good income over and above his Social Security. Chad’s lifestyle didn’t change that much. He knew what was important in life—and it wasn’t material possessions.

He made more money on his investments than he ever spent. So why couldn’t he be thankful that he had no financial worries instead of fretting over his disrupted plans? In twenty-five years he’d had more opportunities than most people did in a lifetime. So what was his problem?

He could find work without any trouble. But was it right for him to take a job that another man probably needed to support his family? Would it be more charitable to invest his money in a business that would employ other people? There were lots of questions, Chad decided, but no satisfactory answers.

One major question filtered through Chad’s mind. After it seemed that God had offered him life on a silver platter, why was it suddenly snatched away? Was he mad at God? Chad feared that this was the root of his present dissatisfaction. Even admitting the possibility of such an attitude lowered his self-esteem and Chad’s faith was stretched to the breaking point. This was an issue that could only be settled between him and God.

In the meantime, he had a life to live. He called a taxi and rode into the center of Columbus’s business district on High Street. He got out of the cab in front of the capitol, wondering why the dome was so stubby. Had the founding fathers of the state run out of money before they completed the dome? He sat on the stone wall that surrounded the capitol’s lawn, watching and listening to the steady drone of traffic along the city’s main thoroughfare.

After living for two years in Pittsburgh, Chad still wasn’t accustomed to big cities. His small Alabama town could be set down in the space occupied by Columbus’s large financial district, but he didn’t feel as crowded here as he did in most cities. Chad felt no urge to do anything, but eventually he stirred, walked a half block and crossed the street.

He went into a bank—the same corporation that he used in Pittsburgh and arranged for a transfer of funds.

From an ATM machine, he withdrew some cash for his immediate needs. He walked a block to a department store, using his credit cards, purchased a jacket, two knit shirts, slacks, a pair of dress shoes, heavy socks and running shoes. With the sweats and the underwear his mother had purchased, he could manage until he decided what to do with his personal things in Pittsburgh.

He caught a taxi back to his hotel, where he found a message waiting from Mrs. Lashley. He could move into the apartment at his convenience. Seeing no reason to pay another night’s hotel bill, Chad dialed Vicky’s number.

When three days passed, and Vicky hadn’t heard from Chad, she started wondering if she would ever see him again. She didn’t recognize the number on her Caller ID when the phone rang.

“Hello,” Chad said. “Is the Lanham Taxi Service operating today?”

“It is until noon when the proprietor has to go to work.” She laughed. “Where do you want to go?”

“To my apartment. Mrs. Lashley left word that it’s ready.”

“I’ll pick you up in an hour. Can you be packed by then?”

“I’m packed. I bought some new things today, and they’re still in the plastic bags. I bought a duffel bag for my other clothes.”

“What about bathroom and kitchen supplies? Since you probably don’t feel up to shopping, I’ll pick up some towels, soap and other things you’ll need. I’ll get some bread and milk for you, too.”

His cheerful laugh thrilled Vicky. It was a good sign that he was starting to heal emotionally as well as physically. “I hadn’t given that any thought. My housekeeper kept my Pittsburgh apartment supplied, but I intend to get along without a housekeeper now. It would be great of you to buy those things. I appreciate it.”

“OK. Then I’ll see you soon.”

Vicky had been moping around for several days, but the surge of adrenaline she received after Chad’s call turned her into a dynamo. She quickly gathered the things she would need for work and hurried out to the car.

“God,” she whispered before she turned the ignition key. “Am I really getting the opportunity to help Chad Reece? He’s a famous, wealthy man, and when he’s well again, he’ll probably go back to his old friends and forget all about me. I must not expect more from him than he’s willing to give.”

Was God calling her to serve Chad? She started to think this might be so when the tense expression on Chad’s handsome face relaxed into a smile when he saw her.

With an answering smile, she asked, “Anybody looking for a taxi?”

“Yes, one poor vagrant.”

“Let’s go then.” She picked up his duffel bag. “I’d better take this.”

“It embarrasses me to have you carrying the heavy items, but I think the duffel bag weighs more than I’m allowed to lift for another week.”