THE ROAD HOME

Chapter 5

"Tisha was a lively young girl and her parents loved her so much. She was like the pride of the family. Her father, my only son, did all he could to make Tisha and her brother happy and comfortable..."

"What of her brother?" Sean cut in.

"Yes, a handsome little boy. His name's Andy...smart kid he was. He and Tisha were so close. They were best friends. The whole family was comfortable. They were happy and comfortable. Andy was doing so well in school; Tisha was even in the choir at our local church. They weren't particularly religious but they did alright. After she graduated from college, my son took ill. He was diagnosed with leukemia, stage four" said Helen.

"Money just kept going down the drain because of chemotherapy and other stuff but he died a year after. It was so devastating for the whole family. Tisha's mama could not stop crying. I remember Tisha praying every day, begging God to bring her daddy back" said Helen. Sean could feel his eyes tearing up.

"What happened to her mum?" he asked.
"Well, a year later, she lost it" said Helen.

A gasp escaped his lips. "When you say lost it, you mean...?" "Yeah, she ran mad. A few months later, Andy followed suit. They were placed in an asylum in Maryland" Helen said.

Sean put his hands over his mouth.
"Oh my God! That's so horrible!" he muttered.
"Yeah, I know. After that Tisha just lost faith totally. That was when my fibroids began so she started stripping to pay the bills for all of us. Lord knows I tried so hard to get her back into the faith but she never wants to hear about God again. She said he abandoned her".

For about five minutes Sean could not speak. He did not expect someone as beautiful and as happy looking as Tisha to have such a gruesome story surrounding her. For a moment he almost frowned in his heart against God.

How could all this have happened to her?

"Hey hey hey now! Stop that! I know that look. Don't you go on asking God questions now boy. You know better. God knows why these things happen. Questioning him will just confuse you" said Helen in a warning tone.

I'm so sorry.
I know.

Helen observed Sean closely. She could see a glorious presence around him, a presence you would only see around someone who had a realy deep connection with God. She noticed something he did often, pausing to listen, like he was talking to someone asides her.

"Does God speak to you Sean? Does he answer you when you talk to him?" she asked.
He smiled and nodded.
"How is it like?" she asked.
"Well, it's kind of like talking to my best friend. We have conversations all the time about different stuff. It's a father-son, yet friend-to-friend relationship. He makes me laugh too" Sean replied.
Helen smiled. This boy was something special, she could feel it. He was what her Tisha needed to find her way back. Sean took her hands.
"Helen, Tisha told me what the doctor said about the remnants in your womb and that he estimated three months before they grow again. Tisha was realy against this but how about we talk to God about those unwanted growths hmm?"
She nodded eagerly and closed her eyes as he began to pray.

                           ****************************

Tisha stood by the door to Helen's ward watching them silently.
She scoffed.

Yeah right.

God didn't answer her when she desperately begged him to save her dad's life or heal mum and Andy. There was no way he was going to answer them now. Why people chained themselves to this stupid religious thing was beyond her. She saw Sean touch grandma's stomach and he was speaking to it. She laughed.
These so-called Christians were so delusional.
When they were done she entered the room with a cup of warm tea and kissed Helen on the forehead. "Thank you for staying with her. I realy appreciate it" she said.