Ten hours later, I’m home.
Yes. Ten hours.
The boys at the orphanage now know the basic rules and fundamentals of soccer, and they can all kick a foul shot.
When there isn’t a goalie.
I take off my shoes outside and slowly inch open the door.
Trying to be as quiet as possible, I quickly tiptoe to the stairs that lead to the basement, but voices stop.
I take a small step toward the hallway, eavesdropping.
“Why is this happening?” Caleb asks in a calming voice.
“Because God wants it to,” Tesa’s voice cracks as she breaks into sobs.
Caleb steps forward and wraps his arms around Tesa.
“For what purpose?’ Caleb continues to ask.
“For His purpose,” Tesa answers, obviously reciting a line they often say to each other.
“Yes, for His purpose.”
Tesa’s shoulder’s start to shake as her cries echo through the hallway.
What is going on? Tesa never cries like this.
Caleb wraps his arms around her and stands calmly, letting her sob into his shoulder. He starts to sway slowly with the song, allowing Tesa to lean into him.
Caleb might be a terrible brother.
But he is an awesome husband.
And one day, an awesome father.
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The next morning, I take my time getting ready while coming up with a coaching strategy to teach the boys soccer.
A Light knock on the door distracts me from conjuring up plays.
‘Come in.”
Caleb opens the door slowly, reaming in the doorway.
“Where are you going?” he asks, noticing my shoes and jacket.
“I’m going to teach some boys how to play soccer,” I tell him while tossing my cleats into a gym bag.
Caleb nods shuffling awkwardly in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” I ask skeptically. “Is Tesa all right?”
“Uh…” Caleb trails off.
“Tell me, Caleb.”
Caleb takes a deep breath and then lets it out slowly. “We lost the baby.”
I drop the shirt I’m holding. “What?” I whisper.
Caleb bites his lip. “Teas is broken. I don’t know what to do.”
I stand there in shock trying to comprehend what he is saying.
“So yeah. I took the day off work to be here for her. Just thought you should know.” Caleb steps back into the hallway the disappears around the corner.
I run my hands through my hair.
I can’t believe this!
My family- gone. Camri’s family- gone. Now Tesa’s baby- gone.
What is God trying to prove?
Or does he just enjoy watching me break as he takes everything away?
I quickly zip up my gym bag and sling it over my shoulder, leaving the house as fast as possible.
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I pull my car into the orphanage driveway, replaying what Caleb said over and over again. It was just too hard to believe.
Pulling my bag out of the trunk, I scan the lawn, looking over the boys.
I walk up to Miss Paula, who was once again sitting on the porch with Lily on her lap.
“Uh, Miss Paula,” I rub the back of my neck. “What’s going on with the boys?”
“What?” She glances out over the boys, scanning them. “Do they look sickly?”
“Not exactly,” I turn back to the group of boys. “It’s just there’s a lot of them. Like a lot.”
“Oh.” Miss Paula relaxes. “Most of the boys were inside when you stopped by. This is all of them, though.”
“Uh,” I scan the boys. There had to be at least thirty of them. All between the ages of six and thirteen.
There was no way I could do this by myself.
Then I had an idea.
“Hold on, Miss Paula. I’ll be right back. “I run back to my car, quickly starting the engine and pulling out.
I knew exactly where my destination was going to be.
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