Read Gladioli in August for Free Online Page B

the present.
    He sighed. “Is that a good thing?”
    “You can be so pleasant at times. When I needed your help, you were there. You did what I asked, no questions asked, even if you didn’t want to. Yet you can be so off-handed and just plain rude with me and everyone else at times.”
    Micah shrugged. “Just blame my father and the lack of parental love and affection.”
    She shot him a half smile. “Then maybe you should copy your Heavenly Father instead.”
    He focused his gaze out of the window. Why had he brought up his father? He tried not to think about him. His fingers whitened on the controls as his mind filled with the sounds of a slamming door, footsteps on the stairs and a man calling his name.

4
    Micah jerked awake. The same nightmare had bothered him for over a week now. Ever since that tiny, two sentence conversation with Jael about his father. At least she hadn’t asked any more questions—not yet. He looked at the clock and groaned. Only midnight. He’d barely dropped exhausted into bed an hour ago. The constant tremors every few hours made sleep hard enough as it was. Small earthquakes were common here, but the quakes had increased of late.
    He’d been concerned enough to radio the USGS. They’d said there had been some movement in the magma chamber of Gunung Berapi, but nothing to worry about, as it was normal. They were keeping tabs on the mountain from Portland. Right now the tremors were tectonic in nature, but at the first sign of a harmonic tremor they’d put the island on alert.
    Pushing to his feet, Micah grabbed his Bible and headed outside. Crossing quickly to the small chapel, he let himself in. Perhaps if he played the organ, then read and prayed for a while, it’d fill his mind with something other than his father and earthquakes and enable him to sleep.
    He slid inside quietly and lit a couple of candles for light before sitting at the instrument. He ran his fingers over the keys and closed his eyes. Without the need for music, he began to play hymn after hymn, ranging from old ones such as “Sovereign Grace O’er Sin Abounding” to the newer ones like “Bless the Lord.”
    Gradually he became aware of someone standing behind him. He glanced around.
    “That’s lovely,” Jael told him. “I can’t play with the music, never mind without.”
    He shrugged, dropping his hands into his lap. “Just something I can do. I couldn’t sleep,” he added quickly, feeling the need to explain why he was there.
    “It’s fine. I wasn’t coming in to complain. And I didn’t mean to disturb you. I just wondered who else was still up. Well, good night.” She turned to leave.
    Micah looked at her back. He craved company. And for some reason he couldn’t fathom, he wanted her company. There was something about her that lit a tiny spark within him. “Don’t go, Jael.”
    She glanced back. “Are you sure?”
    He nodded, patting the seat beside him. “Come sit a while and listen to me play. What’s your favorite hymn?”
    “I have several.” Jael sat, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “But I do like ‘When the Lord in Glory Comes’.”
    He smiled. “Rachel calls that the Not Hymn, because almost every line starts with the word not.”
    She nodded to the ring on the chain around his neck. “Girlfriend?”
    Micah shook his head. “No. She’s my sister.” He had no intentions of explaining the ring to anyone. Instead, he turned his attention to the organ and began the piece of music.
    Jael pulled across a hymn book and sang as he played. As they finished she glanced at him. “Just play anything and I’ll sing it.”
    “That’s dangerous,” he said. He thought, then winked and launched into ‘chopsticks.’
    Jael elbowed him and giggled. “Anything that’s in the hymn book. Unless you want me to make up a song about Micah the pilot that goes to that tune.”
    He chuckled. “I’m good, thanks.”
    Five hymns later, a door slammed somewhere to his left. He jumped and