A Stranger in Paradise

           An attractive blonde woman in her early twenties limped along a gravel road. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes appeared filthy from the swirling gusts of wind the followed her path like demonic phantoms circling in wait of her demise.

           Up ahead, she noticed a blue sign riddled with holes from what seemed to be shotgun blasts. The faded white letters on the sign read, “Welcome to Paradise. Population 985”

           Now nearing exhaustion, the girl picked up her pace as best as she could. A few minutes later, she spotted a small bungalow with pale yellow wood siding. A white picket fence surrounded the front yard, and colorful flowers brightened up the garden along the front of the house. She walked up the cobblestone walkway that led to the front entrance and rapped on the screen door.

           Moments later, a scruffy-looking elderly man with white hair combed over to hide a bald spot, answered the door. The screen door squeaked loudly as he opened it a few inches. The old man looked the girl up-and-down before grunting his disapproval.

           “Can I help you out?” he asked. “Which way did you come in?”

           The girl stepped back with a look of fright mixed with disgust at the man’s insulting mannerism. Another hand pushed the door fully open and a tall brunette woman in her mid-forties stepped forward pushing the old man back slightly.

           “Just ignore my father,” the woman said. “He’s just a grumpy old coot that woke up on the wrong side of bed for the past ten years.”

           The man grunted again then turned and walked back inside. The woman asked the girl, “Hey there, darlin’. What can I do for you?”

           “My name is Madison, but my friends call me Maddie. I was just hoping for a place to rest a bit before I continue on my journey. Maybe splash some water on my face, or something too. I don’t want to bother you though.”

           “Nonsense, Maddie. Come on in!”

           The woman held the door wide open and stretched out her arm welcoming Maddie into her home. Maddie walked inside and looked around. The home was decorated with a rustic feel in mind. The furniture looked old, but well made. Pictures decorated the hallway wall with portraits of what Maddie assumed were relatives. The smell coming from the kitchen caught Maddie’s nose off-guard and caused her hungry stomach to grumble loudly enough for her host to hear.

           The woman giggled slightly and said, “I’ll tell you what, why don’t I get you some clean clothes and a towel, and you can get washed up before dinner?”

           “Oh, no, I couldn’t impose,” Maddie stated.

           “Nonsense! I have plenty of food to go around and plenty of old clothes that I don’t wear anymore. By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Jennifer, but you can just call me Jen. Most people do.”

           “Thank you so much, Jen. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

           “Think nothing of it. We don’t get many strangers around here. What brings you to Paradise, darlin’?” Jen asked.

           “It is a bit of a long story. Would you mind if I got cleaned up first and we talk later?”

           “Sure thing, Maddie. Let me show you the way.”

           Jen led Maddie down the hall to the bathroom. She grabbed a towel and face cloth from the linen closet and set them on the white Formica vanity top. She asked Maddie to hold on while she hurried into the room across the hall. When she returned, she had a yellow cotton skirt and a lime green blouse that she handed to Maddie.

           “I’m pretty certain that these will fit you. I hope they are okay.”

           “Oh, yes,” Maddie replied. “They are beautiful. Are you sure you can spare them? I don’t have much cash, but I can pay you what I have for your hospitality.”

           “Don’t even think about it, girl. You are doing me a favor by taking them off my hands,” Jen responded with a smile on her face.

           Jen gave Maddie a wave goodbye as she closed the door behind her. She then shouted through the door, “Don’t get scared if the pipes start knocking. This is an old house, and it makes plenty of noises. You get used to them after a while.”

           After her shower, Maddie followed her nose back to the kitchen where Jen was in the process of setting the table. Four plates had been set. Jen’s father was already seated, and she asked Maddie to have a seat as well before excusing herself.

           Jen walked down the hall to the back bedroom and returned soon after with a young boy. His pale face was more boldly expressed by his dark, black hair. He walked with some difficulty on two cane-like devices wrapped around his arms for support.

           “Maddie, I would like you to meet my son, Jeremy.”

           Maddie held out her hand to the boy before realizing her mistake and gently pulled it back. Her face reddened from embarrassment.

           “I’m sorry,” she said. “That was rude of me. It is nice to meet you, Jeremy.”

           The boy smiled and said, “That’s okay, it doesn’t bother me. It is nice to meet you too, Maddie.”

           Maddie guessed that Jeremy was around nine or ten years of age, but according to his mother, her son was fifteen. He developed Polio at a young age. The doctors determined that he contracted the virus after swimming with his friends in a dirty pond. They said that the water was polluted with fecal matter from animals and Jeremy had accidentally swallowed some of the water. By the time he was nine, he was no longer able to walk unassisted.

           They sat together at the table and Maddie felt her stomach wanting to growl once again. She looked around the table at the feast before her. There was fresh, homemade bread still steaming from the oven. There was a turkey, glazed to a golden-brown color. Corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and steamed carrots were the side dishes, and fresh-squeezed lemonade to wash it all down. Maddie was about to reach for the turkey when Jen began to speak.

           “Let us bow are heads and gives thanks. Lord, we thank you for this food on our table. Thank you for the sunshine and the beauty that surrounds us. Thank you for blessing us with another day with my son, Jeremy and my father, Johnathan. I also want to thank you for bringing us a new friend. Thank you for guiding Maddie to our door this afternoon and bringing brightness to our day.”

           Maddie glanced up through the corner of her eye. She felt her face getting warm and knew that her cheeks were turning a scarlet red once again. Jen finished her prayer with, “Amen. Now, let’s eat., shall we?”

           Food was past around and Maddie, trying not to overindulge, took small portions. Jen insisted, however, that she fill up her plate and her belly. She did so gladly.

           After dinner, Jen got her son ready for bed and tucked him in before joining Maddie in the living room.

           “So, tell me your story, Maddie. I want to hear all about it.”

           “Well, I am originally from a big city in Michigan. The neighbourhood I was from was rough and most people barely got by if they tried to make an honest living. That is why there was so much crime in the area. People had to find alternative ways to supplement their income. Some sold drugs. Some robbed stores. Some turned to prostitution.”

           She paused and took a drink of ice water.

           “It was just my mom and me since I was six. My dad was shot during a robbery. My mom tried her best to raise me. She worked all night cleaning motel rooms and all day as a waitress, but that barely paid the rent or put food on the table. When my mom passed away, I had just turned nineteen. I was left with nothing, so I had a choice. I could either try to make money for rent somehow, or I could leave that city in search of something better.”

           Jen listened intently to Maddie’s story. Her eyes began to water slightly as she felt sorrow for this poor girl. Maddie continued her story.

           “So anyway, I packed an old backpack that I dug out of a dumpster and started walking. I stopped at a few towns along the way hoping to find work. One man who owned a grocery store offered me a job as a cashier, but I soon found out that he had more in mind. The creep cornered me in the storeroom and tried to feel me all over. I kneed him in the groin, and he dropped to the floor. I threw my apron at his head and ran out of the store yelling out for all to hear that the manager had tried to rape me. I left the store and kept running until I was out of that town.”

           “From there, I found a job at a flower shop in a quiet little town, not much bigger than this one. They were looking for temporary help during the Spring and Summer months. I seriously contemplated settling there, but once my job at the florist finished, there was no other steady work available to me, so I was back on the road again.”

           “Yesterday, about ten miles out of town, a pick-up truck pulled over and the man asked if he could give me a lift somewhere. He seemed like a decent man, so I accepted. It turned out that he was just another creep. He asked me to have oral sex with him as payment for the ride. I told him to get lost and pull over. He refused, so I opened the door and attempted to jump out onto the grassy shoulder. The man grabbed hold of my backpack and would not let go, so I slipped my arms from the shoulder straps and pulled away, tumbling hard along the long, dry grass.”

           “The truck squealed to a stop and began to back up. I quickly dashed across a corn field and managed to lose him among the tall stalks. My leg ached from the fall, so I rested a while until I felt it was safe to continue. About two hours later, I ended up on your doorstep.”

           Jen sat silently for a moment, trying to absorb the information that was just presented to her. She stood up, paced back and forth, then said,

           “Maddie, I am so sorry you had to endure such terrible things. Also, please accept my deepest condolences for your mother’s passing. That must have been so hard on you.”

           Jen had gotten choked up thinking about her mother who had passed away a few years earlier. She continued.

           “First off, I would like to offer you a place to stay for as long as you choose to. I have an extra room that you are welcome to. Secondly, I know everyone here in town, and I think I could find you some work as well. The choice is yours, of course.”

           A tear cascaded down Maddie’s cheek at the kindness that was being shown. She had never experienced anything like it from anyone but her mother.

           “Yes, Jen. I am genuinely overwhelmed and surprised by your offer. I’m not used to people being so nice to me. Most people won’t give me the time of day just because of my appearance.”

           “Well, Maddie, I am a church-going, God-fearing woman who has been blessed time-and-time-again, so when I see an opportunity to give back to one of God’s creatures in any way I can, I do it.”

           Jen reached under a table that sat next to her rocking chair and pulled out a leather-bound book. She opened it and scrolled through the pages.

           “Have you ever read the Bible, Maddie?”

           “No, ma’am, but my mother was a believer, and we would sit in the church sometimes and listen to the sermon.”

           “Here it is,” Jen stated as she pointed to a verse on the page. Psalm 109:10. Let His children wander about and beg; and let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.”

           “You, Maddie, are one of God’s children who has wandered far from a home that brought you both joy and pain. You never can tell if the next person you meet is God Himself in a human form, testing those who claim to be His followers. A true believer will try to treat others as they would wish to be treated. This is God’s will.”

           Maddie smiled at the light that seemed to emanate from the eyes of her new friend. She could see that Jen genuinely believed and was sincere in her actions and her words. Maddie reached out and held onto Jen’s hands, saying, “If God can do for me, what He has done for you, then I want you to teach me all you know.”

           Jen smiled and told Maddie that she would be more than happy to help her learn God’s ways. These two people brought together by an unseen destiny, would now have their lives changed for the better. All it took was a little bit of kindness and belief in something greater than us all.