Hope in Our Hearts by Lydia Proffitt

Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future

- Robert H. Schuller

Since their camping trip, Lucy and Jason's love only grew deeper and richer. Thanksgiving decoration was taking the place of pumpkins on people's doorsteps. The leaves were either a bright orange or were brown and withered on the ground. Fall was in full swing, and autumn was definitely Lucy's favorite time of the year.

Lucy's life now seemed to be less stressful in parts, and she was grateful for that. Jason helped with Kale, and he fixed things in the house that needed to be updated. Rebecca even took care of Kale when Jason and Lucy wanted a night out. Everything at home seemed to be falling into place and everything seemed perfect. However, the children at school always seemed to keep Lucy stressed and reminded her there was always work to do.

By this time in the year, the kids were used to their routine. However, one student, Caleb, seemed to be finding his way into trouble every day. When Caleb got frustrated, he would burst into a fit of tears. He was struggling compared to the other kids, and Lucy could see he was falling behind. Lucy attempted to fix everything herself, but she finally decided to call his mother one day to figure out how to help Caleb catch up with the others. However, she found to her horror Caleb's home situation was rough to say the least.

It didn't take Lucy long to realize his mother was drunk on the other end of the phone. It was the middle of the day, and the woman couldn't even say a complete sentence. Her words were mispronounced, and it made Lucy cringe. Lucy found to her dismay, Caleb's mother couldn't care any less about him. It reminded Lucy that you never know what someone is going through, and to learn a seven-year-old was going through that alone broke her heart.

At lunch, Lucy talked with Rebecca about her concerns. Rebecca was able to tell Lucy who Caleb's mother was and tell her what she knew about the situation. Lucy remembered his mother from school. They were never in the same classes or anything, but it was a small school, so it wasn't a shock to Lucy that she knew who Caleb's mother was. Lucy remembered Caleb's mother was kind to everyone in the school, but she tended to get in trouble because she ran in the wrong crowd. Rebecca gave Lucy some advice, and Lucy decided she had to do something.

Lucy ended up calling Caleb's mother back, and she asked if it was okay for her to tutor Caleb at her house after school. Caleb's mother was able to say she didn't care what Lucy did with him and hung up before Lucy could say another word.

Lucy couldn't imagine how Caleb was treated at home, but she tried to not let that affect how she treated him––especially compared to her other students. Lucy pulled Caleb aside and asked him if he wanted extra tutoring after school. When she told him he was could come to her house, he seemed eager to change up his routine. He just nodded and a smile took over his face, and Lucy realized she didn't think she had ever seen him smile in her classroom.

Caleb was silent the entire way to her home and barely moved a muscle. Kale was in the back seat beside him and Lucy could see them both watching each other. Lucy wished she could have tutored Caleb at school, but she didn't want to ambush anyone with Kale so last minute. She thought it was amusing the way they were looking at each other, but she didn't say anything. When they pulled into her driveway, Caleb got out and stood beside Lucy while she unbuckled Kale from his seat.

"Caleb, are you hungry?" Lucy asked.

Caleb's eyes lit up, and he nodded his head. Caleb grabbed a hold of the rail as he walked up the front steps. Lucy placed her right hand on his back while holding Kale on her left hip. Lucy was trying to think of what to she had in the kitchen to cook really quick. She went to the store the other day, but she couldn't remember everything she got.