A Short story

*I had to write a short story in Creative Writing (which of course I am now posting on my blog so hopefully I don't get marked for plagiarism on my own story). I hope you enjoy this and see the hope that we have in Him!* 

And she was Born

June 8, 1990, 5:48am: “She’s coming!” Evangeline screams to her husband upstairs, “Finneous, Grab the bag and let’s go! I’m not having this baby in the walkway of our home!” He runs down the stairs nearly missing the last steps, as he rounds the corner he almost collides with his wife. He passes her and tosses the bag in the car taking a moment to breathe, realizing that he isn’t the track star he once was. “Finn!” Evangeline yells as the pain of each contraction distorts her spine into a question mark. The punctuation is made with the sweat that trickles off her forehead striking the ground to make a non-existent thud in her ears. He grabs her arm and eases her into the car thanking God that the hospital is less than ten minutes away. As they pull into the parking lot of Andalusia Regional Hospital he looks her in the eyes as if she held the world within them; she was just as beautiful as the first day he met her.

 

            Evangeline Mae, the apple of every guy’s eye in Clarke County High. She had curly brunet hair that twirled down her back like the soft fingers of a small child drawing in the sand. Her voice was as soothing as her soft honey-colored eyes that were complemented by thick eyelashes that naturally curled; something that all the girls envied. When she would smile she would form three dimples: one right below her right eye and one on either side of her cheeks. Finneous studied her like an astronomer during a gorgeous meteor shower. “You don’t stand a chance!” his friends would remind him, which would snap him back into reality. He knew he didn’t, after all, he still hadn’t hit his growth spurt and stood at 5’ 5” at sixteen when the other guys were well over 5’ 9”. He wasn’t anything to look at. His hair flopped like an overly cooked mushroom and his face was covered in deep brown freckles that sat just below his enormous glasses. His family was known to go to church twice a week, sometimes three times, and she was known to go to parties those days. They lived in completely different worlds. Until the night he found her, stumbling down the road barefoot and stained in tears.

 

            “Come on, baby! Just one more push and she’s he—.” Before he could utter his final word he heard what he had been longing for over the past four years of marriage and two miscarriages: the sound of his baby girl. The doctors handed his newborn daughter to Evangeline as a tear rolled down his face, “Ev, she’s as beautiful as you. She has your eyelashes, and thank goodness she doesn’t have my nose!” Evangeline laughed through her tears of joy. This is what they have been praying for, and today that prayer was finally answered. She scooted over on her hospital bed and patted it gesturing Finn to sit beside her, he laid next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder. “We did it, Finn, we finally have her…” Evangeline whispered as the tears subsided, “…what should we name her?”. Finn didn’t think twice, “Francesca. Francesca Rose Tinsley. We can call her Franki for short.”, “I love you…” Evangeline said, “… Franki Rose.”

             Francesca let out a loud cry, Evangeline rolled over to check the clock, 4:15am. She smelled of exhaustion and spit up, it was night five that she was up with Francesca. As she rubbed her sleepless eyes a tear rolled down her face, “You asked for this, Evangeline. You asked for this for four years.” Something she would repeat every time Franki was hungry in the middle of the night. She was right, her and Finn prayed deeply for a baby. They even put it on the prayer list at church. When Finn and Evangeline got married, she didn’t know why she couldn’t get pregnant, and after a year of trying they decided to go to the doctors. “You have endometriosis…” the doctor said, “…now this doesn’t mean that you will never have a baby, but it makes the chances far less likely.” After a long silence Evangeline said the words she never thought she would, “So you’re saying that I might not ever be a mother?” Those bitter words hung on her tongue like acid. She flashed back into distant cries, cold floors and motherhood.  Franki was her precious gift, her miracle baby, her answered prayer. Evangeline picked up her beautiful daughter, sat in the rocking chair and started feeding her. In the softest whisper she started singing, “You’re a good good Father. It’s who You are, it’s who You are, and I’m loved by You… You are perfect in all of Your ways to us.” As she continued Francesca’s eyes started to get heavy, and before Evangeline knew it she was fast asleep in her arms. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Franki, she was perfect and everything that she had prayed for.

 

            That night she wore a short black dress, and had her hair as straight as a pin. Her makeup that was once placed and set perfectly was now running down her face burning holes that started to expose the brokenness she really carried. Finn came to a stop along the road, “Hey… I know you don’t know me, but I---”, “You’re Finneous Tinsley. You’re the preacher’s son.” Evangeline shouted loud enough to knock herself off balance. Finn’s jaw dropped, because not only was he talking to the girl he’d loved since fifth grade, but because she knew who he was. “My mom used to go to church at your dad’s church, but we stopped going years ago.” She started to cry. Finn had never really talked to girls much, let alone a girl he liked. He was awkward, but far more caring than any of the other guy’s at Clarke County High. You know, the one’s that would get girls as drunk as Evangeline was right now and then take advantage of it. Finneous Tinsley wouldn’t dare. “Here, let me help you, can you tell me where you live and then I’ll take you home.” Finn stepped out of the car and lifted her up, she smelled like a hit of vanilla that was doused in alcohol. He sat her in the car and then got in the driver’s seat, “Can we just talk?” She whispered, “I need someone to talk to and I figured the preacher’s son who found me stumbling alone would be my best bet.”

            “What did you want to talk about?” Finn asked as he awkwardly fiddled with his seat belt that was conveniently locked up again. “I’m not who you think I am. I’m not who all of Clarke County thinks I am. I’m not this perfect girl living a perfect life…” Evangeline slumped low in her seat, “…my mom died when I was twelve and my dad is a drunk. We used to all go to church together, your dad’s church. Things were so good then. But when I was twelve my mom got in an accident on her way home from work… she was crushed beneath the car and an oak tree. There was nothing they could do and when my dad heard about it he cursed God up and down and swore we would never step foot in a church that would worship a God that would allow something so cruel. A week later I found him passed out on the couch clutching a flask in one hand and a picture of her in the other… At that point I knew I lost both parents…” Evangeline locked eyes with Finn, “…the craziest part of it all is I couldn’t hate God, because for some reason I never have felt nearly as whole as I did when I was at church. With those people. And yet, for the past five years, I’ve been trying to fill that void. To cover it with the numbness of being drunk or one-night-lovers. And every morning I feel shame, so the cycle continues.” Finn looked at Evangeline, and for the first time he didn’t see the girl she made herself out to be, but saw the broken girl she truly was. One who was burdened with sorrow, “I’m so sorry…” Finneous began, “…there truly isn’t anything I could say that could make anything better…” he looked at the ground, “…you said that you have never felt as whole as you did at church. Have you ever thought of asking your dad to take you again?” Evangeline laughed, “Oh, many times, but he won’t and it’s too far for me to walk to.” Finn’s heart started beating so fast that he thought she would have to perform CPR, “Well, if you’re still interested… We can take you.” She looked at him and smiled, “I would love that.”

 

            Francesca looked in the mirror, the year was 2007; her face had turned from a sweet babe to a rebellious seventeen year old girl. Just like Finn, she had freckles that sat on her cheeks and eyes as blue as ice. Her hair was a deep red like cooling lava, which would cascade down her back and danced a Balancé de Côté as she walked and would settle into an Assemblé Soutenu as her body came to a rest. She was as beautiful and captivating as her mother at seventeen, and just as destructive. The clock read 1:20am as she slipped on her low rise skinny jeans and shirt, she climbed out of the window and into her boyfriend’s 2005 Cavalier. “I can’t believe you did it again without being caught…” he kissed her hard “…dang, baby, you get hotter and hotter each time I see you.” Francesca laughed, “Go, Fitz, before I get caught and the only hot thing about me is trying to break me out of my room after I get grounded for life.” As they pull up to the house they can hear the thud of loud music resonating outside the walls. Francesca stepped out of the car and grabbed Fitz’ hand, she was still much shorter than him even with her heels on, which is one thing that she liked most about him. He was built, his shoulders were broad, his body was chiseled and he had deep brown hair that was combed back into a pompadour. He caught every girl’s eye, but he was mad about Franki, and every girl knew it. As the door flew open the sound that were once thuds turned into lyrics of another raunchy party song. “Franki! You made it! I can’t believe you sly devil slid past the pastor yet again.” A voice called. Franki knew that she would have to make up an excuse to not go to church the next morning, but she refused to think of one now. Someone handed her a drink and without hesitation she threw it back. The taste burned her throat like a fire that was put out by Fitz’ lips.

            She needed something, anything to numb her guilt, so she walked over to the keg and placed the funnel in her mouth, “Chug, chug, chug!” the voices shouted as they were met with a roar of cheering. After an hour or so Franki was wasted, stumbling barefoot around the party. Fitz found her sitting in front of the house tree muttering her adorations for its beautiful leaves. He grabbed her by the arm and led her up the stairs where he found an empty room with two failed tries. The door shut behind them and Fitz placed his hands on Francesca’s waist as he began to kiss her alcohol ridden breath, “No, Fitz.” Francesca said it a soft tone, but he continued without digesting the words that stumbled out of her mouth. “Fitz, I said no. You know how I feel about this. I don’t want to ---” Fitz interrupted with fury, “Why, Franki? We have been together for six months and you’ve been nothing but a prude! You will sneak out of your house for me but you won’t sleep with me? You know I love you!”
“Fitz ---”
“No, Franki! Is this about your dad being a pastor and all that ‘save yourself until marriage’ crap? You seriously are going to make me wait that long? I could have any girl here at this party, but I chose you. But for what? It’s feeling like a waste of time and I’m getting sick of it.”
Franki stood by the door with silence as Fitz paced the room and spewed daggers at her left and right.
“You know what, Franki, you can call you dad and have him pick you up. I’m going downstairs.” He shoved past her slamming the door behind him, shutting her in her own turbulence. She walked over to the bed and sat down, as she slowly dialed the number of her mom. It rang three times before her mom picked up, “Mom… can you pick me up?”

            Her mom pulled up to the still booming party, Franki sat in the seat next to her, “Mom.. I’m so ---” Evangeline cut her off, “I was just like you at your age.” Franki looked up with her stain teared eyes, “really?” she threw the car into drive, “Yep, to a T.  I was your age when your father found me wandering home from a party barefoot…” she looked down at Franki’s feet and noticed that they, too, were bare “…I had gotten in a fight with my boyfriend at the time and he told me to find my own way home. But, I didn’t have anyone to call, so I walked completely drunk out of my mind. That’s when your dad pulled up. He was never the guy I would have gone for, but he was the first to listen as I cried. And then, he invited me to church. Crazy huh? But I went. He picked me up every week for two years, and finally something hit me. We were talking through the price God paid to be with me, how He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place. To cover our sins past, present, and future, so that we didn’t have to…” She looked into her daughters eyes, “…whatever happened back there, you are completely forgiven for. Not only from your father and me, but also from our God…” Franki began to cry. “…That was my reaction too.” Evangeline said. And for the first time in her life, Franki got it.

            She walked into their room, with her eyes still red with tears, “How is she?” Finn asked. “She accepted Christ tonight, Finn, after running for years our daughter has come home.” Finn’s eye’s started welling up with tears, not the big heavy one’s that leak out sorrow, but the slow falling one’s that meet your lips as they raise with a smile. She walked over to the bed and Finn met her with a sweet embrace and a kiss upon her forehead. “Hey, and it didn’t take a nerdy boy on his way home from a late night study session.” Evangeline giggled, “Well, then I guess she’ll have to meet her soul mate some other way. Maybe the cliché way, at a youth conference or church camp.” Finn laughed, “Yeah, maybe.”   

 

Thank you for reading my short story! Please pray for those in my class that don't know Him as their Savior. Pray that this story will give them a hope and an understanding of the God we serve!