Miracles Exist

Miracles Exist Their old, wooden house had sat in the middle of an open pasture. Water dripped through the patchwork of rusted out tin, and there was molded wood covering the sides of the structure. Cara remembered the one sole window in the four-by-four kitchen that her mommy could never see to scrub the dust from. The single bathroom could barely fit a person, and the floor was low in some spots where the foundation lacked. The lone bedroom contained two cots that barely held any weight. She could see her daddy sitting in his chair, staring at the letter from the water company. Cara had only been five, but she could read the letter saying, “FINAL NOTICE.” Her daddy would sigh, and throw the letter on the table. They had one kerosene lamp in their shack. The light danced against the darkness inside their home, and Cara remembered seeing her daddy’s concerned face. It was only later in life that Cara learned that the old farmhouse had never been Tommy and Emma Lee’s ideal home, but it had been the cheapest lot on the local bank’s foreclosed list. The cabin had almost never had running water, and it would have cost too much money to run electricity that far out of town. It would have even cost more to fix the mildewed, rundown stack of plywood than it would to tear it down and start over. She always wondered why her daddy never burned it to the ground and just started over, but would then remember that they barely had food on the table. He had been a strong, prideful man and would have never burdened his family in that way. She remembered he had been struggling with hours at work. The factory had cut its budget and was slowly letting employees go. The one thing she would never forget about her childhood was the night their lives got turned upside down. On a cool, March night her daddy, Tommy, stood on the porch after supper to watch the rain. A purple lightning bolt broke across the jet black sky. The rain stopped and the humidity had slowly increased. Another streak of lightning flashed across the sky, immediately followed by a deafening crack of thunder. The wind began to take over. The howling seemed to become louder and louder as the circling mass came closer, uprooting a large oak tree in the middle of the field. The lightning lit up the sky again, revealing the large, brown tornado. It was rapidly making its way toward their old shack. She remembered her daddy had his hands on his hips and was just watching the storm. He had appeared to be intrigued by it’s destruction, but also by it’s beauty. “Tommy! Come inside!” mommy yelled with her hands cupped around her mouth. Tommy turned and sprinted into the rundown country home. Cara remembered being grabbed by her mother and drug into their house’s only bathroom. It was tiny, with barely enough room to turn around. Her mother picked her up and placed her in their yellow bathtub. “Lay on your stomach,” mommy sternly commanded. Daddy busted into the bathroom. “Em, in the tub. Now,” he said. “What about you?” she asked. “I’ll be okay. I care more about your safety. In the tub. Now,” he said. Mommy hopped into the bathtub and laid down on top of her. As soon as she laid down, the house began to shake and the circling mass of destruction broke through the bathroom and down the center of their 1858 home. Cara remembered screaming, thinking it would never end. In a matter of seconds, it was over. She was now crying, and mommy continued to lay there until it was okay for them to come out. “Em?” daddy asked. “Is it safe Tommy? “You can come out now,” he replied. Mommy crawled out of the tub and looked around. The decaying house, that they once called their home, was in pieces. The only rooms that were left standing were the bathroom and the kitchen, and they were on their last leg. Cara sat up and wiped the tears from her face. She looked at her mommy and then peered around her mother’s figure to catch a glimpse of her daddy. Her mommy covered her mouth with her hand and began to cry. Her parents exchanged concerned looks to each other. “Mommy. Don’t cry,” Cara said as she tried to get out of the bathtub. Emma turned to look at Cara and flashed her a forced smile. She then helped Cara out of the broken bathtub and held her in her arms. Tommy stood there, in what used to be the doorway, where he hadn’t moved since the storm. Cara could see the worry in his eyes, the hurt on his face. She could hear him mumbling that he had nothing left to offer them. He walked over to his girls and pulled them into a tight hug. “We will get through this,” he whispered. “Where are we going to go? We have nothing and no where to go. There is no way we can afford a new house,” she said. Cara remembered her daddy being speechless. He kissed her mommy’s forehead and led them out of the house that seemed as if what remained standing would collapse at any given moment. Sure enough, as soon as the small family stepped foot onto the soft, green grass, the remaining portions of the shack collapsed. Emma looked at Tommy and then at Cara. “Well, I guess we should start the walk into town in the morning and see if we can figure something out,” daddy said. “That’s five miles. Cara can’t walk that, honey,” Emma replied. Cara remembered thinking that she was a big girl and that she could too walk that far. Tommy didn’t reply. He looked past Emma and down the long dirt road that led to what was their home. A 1964 Ford pickup was making its way down the drive, followed by a cloud of dust. The truck pulled up in front of them and the driver emerged. “Tommy? Ya’ll doing alright?” Mr. Bates asked. Tommy walked over to Mr. Bates to have a more confidential conversation. Cara looked up at her ma, and tugged at the hem of Emma’s tattered shirt. Emma looked down at her and flashed her a tired smile. She then looked back up at her husband and Mr. Bates Cara remembered her daddy motioning for them to get in Mr. Bates’ truck. Her mother seemed hesitant, but they went to the truck. Mommy slid into the middle seat of the truck and Cara sat on her lap, Tommy climbing in behind her. He hung his arm out of the window as they headed back down the road. Mr. Bates’ house was the first house down Tommy and Emma’s road. Honestly, it was the only other house down the road. Mr. Bates pulled up to his two story house with a white picket fence that stood out in the dark night. Daddy opened the truck door and hopped out. He then helped us out of the pickup. Emma handed Cara off to Tommy. Jess was always so good to their family, especially Cara. She baked her chocolate chip cookies and let her play with dolls. Mr. Bates opened the red front door and ushered the family inside. The paneled walls were covered in pictures and paintings. There was an old grand piano sitting in the corner of the room. Tommy put Cara down and she went into the kitchen to find Jess. Jess was waiting for her in the kitchen. “Well hey there honey. Ready to bake some cookies? Maybe a cake or a pie too?” Cara grinned from ear to ear and shook her head in agreement. She could hear her parents talking with Mr. Bates, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. She knew everything was going to be fine. Her daddy was a hero. He was her hero. She knew he was strong enough to build them an even bigger and better house. Jess and Cara baked and baked until Cara was convinced that the ovens would break. Just about that time, her mommy walked in and said, “Cara, sweetie, it’s time for bed.” Cara grabbed her mother’s hand and they walked up the stairs to the room where Cara was to sleep. “Is this room all for me?” Cara asked. “Yes baby.” “I’ve never had a bed or a room all to myself,” Cara exclaimed she had never been so excited before. She looked at her mommy, who had a solemn look on her face. Cara became worried that she had upset her mother. She knew that they didn’t have much, but what they did have was a strong family relationship and that was all that really mattered. “Mommy? What’s going to happen?” Cara asked. “Just pray baby,” Emma replied. Emma then kissed Cara’s forehead sweetly and tucked the covers under the sides of her body. The next morning, Emma assisted Jess in making a gourmet breakfast. Cara’s eyes widened as she sat on the barstool about to topple over. “Mommy that’s so much food!” Cara exclaimed. “I know. Mrs. Jess has just done a bug.” “Now, Jim should be back before noon. He set out early this morning hoping to catch the mayor before he got busy,” Jess said as she flipped a piece of sausage. “I really appreciate the both of you for taking us in. Tommy doesn’t like to ask for help, but we really need it,” Emma said, scrambling a pan full of eggs. “Mommy, what are ya’ll talking about?” Cara asked. “Honey, some really nice people are helping us build a new house. You’re going to have your own room all to yourself. Did you pray last night?” “Of course mommy. I prayed and I prayed and I prayed until I just couldn’t pray no more.” “Then all of your praying brought these generous people here to help us. God sent us a miracle because you, little bug, have so much faith.” Emma kissed Cara on the forehead and began to clean up breakfast dishes. Cara ate until her stomach was bloated and then she went out to play in the yard with her dollies. While Tommy was outside trying to find something to do, Mr. Bates pulled up to the house about half past ten with documents in his hand. Her daddy jogged over to him. They spoke for a moment, but Cara couldn’t make out what they were saying. She saw her daddy hug Mr. Bates. Her daddy picked her up and carried her into the house, Mr. Bates trailing him. “Honey?” Tommy said. “Yes?” Emma replied “They start construction tomorrow. And the mayor is looking for me a new job.” Tears began to stream down Emma’s face, and Tommy held her while they both cried together. Cara remembered feeling warm inside. She went to bed that night the happiest she could ever remember being. The next morning, she woke up and couldn’t find her parents. Cara ran down the stairs in a frenzy. “Where’s my mommy and daddy?” Cara asked, tears welling up in her eyes. “Oh honey, they went to go help with the construction. Eat your breakfast and then we will go fish in the pond.” Cara lapped up her breakfast, dressed, and was ready to go. Jess grabbed the poles and they were on their way to the pond, hand in hand. Right off the bat, Cara caught a small sun perch. “Jess, look! I got one!” “Look at you. You’re such a little fisherwoman. Let’s get it off the hook and get you back out there.” Jess replied. The two sat there for a while, enjoying the peaceful countryside. Cara had questions for Jess, and she figured now was as good of a time as ever to ask. “Ms. Jess, what happened to our house?” “A tornado went through it honey. Thankfully ya’ll are okay,” Jess replied. “Daddy always talked about how he wished we had more and that he felt like a disappointment. But shh. I wasn’t supposed to know that. I heard him and mommy talking one night while I was supposed to be sleeping.” Jess paused for a minute. “Cara, sometimes adults go through rough patches in their lives. Some kids even do. Your dad didn’t have much growing up, and neither did your mom. I remember the rumors when they got married. No one thought they would amount to anything. Your dad may have problems with making enough money for bills, but he’s a great man.” “My daddy is the best man. He’s a superhero and has magical powers. He can make me smile even when I don’t want to. I loved our house,” Cara said. “I know honey. It may have not been much, but to you guys it was the world.” Jess put her arm around Cara and held her for a moment. Cara remembered feeling a pit in her stomach, like something was missing but she couldn’t tell what. “Jess, I’m hungry.” Cara said. They walked back to Jess’s house and ate some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “How about we go see mommy and daddy?” Cara smiled and said, “Yes!” The dynamic duo walked the five miles down the road to where Cara’s house had once sat. To their amazement, there were already four walls up and the tin roof was almost finished. All hands had been on deck, and Cara had never seen so many people at one time. There were men and women scattered over the property. Some were building the roof; others were nailing the remaining pieces of siding down. “Mommy!” Cara screamed. Cara ran over to her mommy and jumped into her arms. “It’s such a big house! What are we going to do with all of this room?” Cara asked. “We aren’t going to just have a house now. We’re going to have a home. A good home. One that won’t burden us,” Emma replied. Cara hugged her mommy so tight she thought that she was going to squeeze the life out of her. It was moments like this that Cara would forever cherish. The family walked hand in hand back to the Bates house for their final night there. Cara dreamed about the room she would have. She saw pink walls and princesses everywhere. And a bed just for her. She couldn’t help but hope there would be heat so that she wouldn’t get so cold during the night. There had been countless nights where she had laid in bed shaking, wondering if she would ever be able to feel her hands again. Her parents woke her the next morning. They energized with a hearty breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, and homemade biscuits, then headed back down to their new house. The sun rose just above the forest of evergreens, painting the sky a fuchsia pink and neon orange. The grass was greener than ever and was almost tall enough to be cut and bailed into hay. Tommy walked over and put his arms around Emma’s stomach. Cara could never remember a time her parents had ever been mad at each other or never loved each other, not even through the tough times and all the heartache. “Honey? Have you noticed these tulips before?” Emma asked, looking down where a tree had once been. “Now that you mention it, I don’t think they were there before. Maybe they just came up,” Tommy replied. “I’ve never seen those, mommy. And I notice everything.” Cara stated professionally. “It’s a miracle. This place finally has something beautiful,” Emma exclaimed. Her parents smiled at each other, and her daddy kissed her mommy. Cara knew that they had all known that the house had been an eyesore, but it had been their eyesore. The workers had worked throughout the night to make sure the Lee’s had their home back. The rest of the day seemed to have flown by and the keys were handed over to Tommy at dusk. “Here’s your new home, Tommy,” the mayor said. Tommy cried and hugged the mayor. “Thank you so much, sir. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.” Jess and Mr. Bates joined the Lee’s for their first dinner at their new home. They had a lively dinner filled with smiles and laughter. It had been a long time since they had all been able to laugh and have fun. They had no worries anymore. Cara laid her head down on the table and fell asleep. Cara never knew what had taken place after she fell asleep, but she rememberd waking up the next morning in her own full sized bed in her own room decorated with princesses. She could never in her life remember a time she felt so happy and alive. All of her dreams had come true. She had her family, and her family had what they needed. She rushed down the oak stairs to her parents, who had been busy preparing breakfast. Her daddy shoveled a plate full of food into his mouth before rising and saying, “Welp, I better go. I’ve got a long day ahead of me at my new job.” Cara had never seen her father smile so big. She gave him a hug and a big kiss before he went on his way to work. Those times in that house had been the happiest times of her life. Cara reminisced on the memory as she stood in front of the house. She wanted to be there, but not under the circumstances. Walking into the house, she noticed not a thing had changed since she left for school. The house looked just like it did the day it was finished, only everything was older. The floors were scratched and the cabinets were dirty. There was dust in all of the nooks and crannies of the house. She found her mother sitting in a recliner, a pile of tissues next to her. “Mommy?” Cara asked. Her mother looked up at her, gave her a tired look, and opened her arms, welcoming Cara home. “Cara honey, he tried to wait for you, but he just...he gave out,” her mother sobbed. Cara held her mother until she fell asleep. She moved her mother off of her and walked back outside to the front porch. The house had remained a beauty over the years, but the weather had taken a toll on the siding. The porch had loose boards in some places and the rocking chair squeaked. Cara walked over to the spot where they found the tulips. A tree had grown back, but right in front of it were a mess of tulips. She smiled at them and a ray of sunshine shone down on her and the flowers. “Hey daddy,” she said, and smiled while looking up at the sun in the sky. “Welcome home.”