The Shift

Was that blood? 

Everyone in the crowd had stopped cheering for the match. Joshua was on the floor, his face looked like something was wrong. Her son didn’t look like himself. 

There was an audible gasp in the stands.

His teammates rushed towards him. Marcus was beckoning the coach to come. Her son’s best friend seemed frantic. Ada felt like her breath was starting to simmer. Her son didn’t look like himself. Her strong boy was in pain. 

“Coach! We need a medic!” Marcus screamed now.

The coach came closer and when he saw Joshua he ran to the bleachers calling out to the medic. Ada started walking towards the field from her place in the stands. 

In a few moments, an ambulance was there and Joshua was being piled in. 

Ada got to them just in time.

“Wait, wait! He’s my son!”, she jumped in before they closed the doors.

“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

“Ma’am it looks like his leg is completely broken. We don’t know the extent of the damage but it looks pretty bad. It also looks like he might have some internal bleeding.”, the medic responded.

Internal bleeding?

 “Joshua, Joshua, can you hear me?” Her son wasn’t responding.

“I’m here baby. Please stay with me”.

Dave was a principled man, but this morning he was contemplating the one thing he didn’t think he ever would. He was thinking of ending his marriage. He didn’t know how else to end the loneliness he was starting to feel on the inside. Nothing seemed like it used to and his wife didn’t seem to notice. Like any good woman, she took care of her family, loved him and tried to meet his needs, but he couldn’t explain it. He just didn’t care for her like he used to. Now he needed to do the needful. The boys were gone to soccer practice and it was just the two of them at home. There was not going to be a better than now.

He stood up from his seat on their porch and decided it was going to have to be now or never. 

“Ada, can I talk to you?”, Dave said to her.

“Yes baby, go ahead. Let me just get these chickens turned over.”

“Ada you’ve been everything to me the last 17 years. We’ve built a solid life together and our boys are thriving, and I owe it largely to you. You’ve been our rock. You’ve loved us deeply and held us together in the toughest times. I know I can be quiet and distant sometimes and you’ve rode with me in spite of it.

I just wanted to thank you for that.”, Dave said to his wife.

“Dave, you know I’ll do anything for you and the kids”, Ada came closer to give her husband a hug. He wasn’t always so emotional so this was a welcome change.

“Ada, I just… I want to say… I..I.. I think we should get a divorce.”

Ada froze. Her hands slowly fell off from him.

“I’m sorry, what?”, Ada responded, shocked.

“You deserve better Ada, and I’m not happy. The kids are older now and…”, Dave paused.

“I just want us to have a shot at true happiness.”

Ada was stunned and completely silent. Dave didn’t know what to do. He walked away and retreated to the porch. 

“Ma’am, ma’am, you can’t be here.”, the doctor said to Ada.

“Joshua! Joshua! I’m right here baby!”

Her son was being wheeled into surgery. It was worse than they thought. They needed to stop the bleeding ASAP.

She didn’t know how to describe the day she was having. Suffice it to say it was relentless. Everything was happening at once and she had no control whatsoever. She looked around, so much chaos as she stood in the emergency room, yet she never felt so alone.

Should she call Dave?

No, not right now. It was too much.

She found an empty seat and just sat. Her face was a wet mess. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

Did she make a mistake? Choosing all this?

She loved her children to pieces but in moments like this she didn’t know if she made the right choice. If she chose the right life.

It was weird but she was remembering her time in Newport. Southern California was always so beautiful this time of the year. Her youth, full of life and buoyant strength. Everything seemed so good. Yeah, she partied too. Rich girl, rich home, rich family. What more could a kid in Orange county ask for. 

Ah and Brad. He was the cream of her youth. They were going to get married. 

She was happy. 

But then there were the drugs. Southern California was everything, but the drugs. She didn’t know how to stop them in that environment and Brad didn’t help. Her parents had tried everything. It wasn’t until her third time in rehab did she meet the one who changed her life forever. Her roommate at the time, Marlin. Ah, Marlin. Marlin and her didn’t keep in touch much over the years but she would never forget Marlin. Marlin introduced her to Jesus. It was one night when she was about to give up. Her body had been in intense withdrawal for 48 hours and she didn’t think she would make it this time. Running into a wall kept getting more appealing by the hour. Marlin could sense the shift in her that night, so all Marlin did was talk. She wasn’t much of a talker but she just said, “you don’t have to do this alone”, and that was all Ada needed. She told her about Jesus and how He was helping her get better everyday. At that moment, Ada couldn’t explain it but it was like a balm came over her. Marlin told her how to speak to this Jesus and she spoke to him for the first time. All she knew was that when she surrendered her heart to him, it was like the symptoms completely disappeared. Jesus gave her the reprise she needed in that moment and every moment after. When she got out she didn’t struggle with drugs anymore. She was whole. She learned more about Him when she got out and found a bible believing church. It was in that church she met Dave. Her husband.

In six months, Dave and her knew they were meant for something more. So on a faithful evening after bible study, he took a knee and proposed to her, and she said yes. That kicked off the rest of her life.

As much as Southern California felt like a breeze and joy at the moment, she couldn’t forget what happened to her and where she was coming from. It hurts that nothing makes sense right now, but she wouldn't regret her life. Jesus has given her a new life, though part of it included Dave, it was still a life of salvation. In so many ways. Without it, she wouldn’t be free from drugs. Without it she wouldn’t have her boys. 

It was Missouri, it wasn’t Southern California. The shift from these two places that seem like two completely different time periods was a marriage proposal. But she would never trade where she was now for where she was coming from.