Hometown Promise by Merrillee Whren Page B

members he’d left behind. With my mother gone, he felt no reason to continue living here.”
    “How did you feel about that?”
    “I was on my way to college. I had my own life to live.” Lukas shook his head. “I was selfish, only thinking of myself. As long as my father paid my college tuition, I was happy.”
    While Juliane listened to Lukas tell his story, she wondered whether something tragic in her father’s life had led to his drinking. She’d never considered such a possibility before. “But you weren’t really happy, were you?”
    “True. In the beginning I used the drinking to be cool, but when my mother died I used it to blunt the pain. Grandpabegan to notice, but I didn’t listen to anything he said. The more he tried, the harder I pushed him away. So he pretty much washed his hands of me.”
    “I noticed there’s some tension between you. Is it still because of your drinking?”
    Lukas sat up and looked at her. “No, no. He knows I’m sober now. The tension you see is all about him wanting his independence. He thinks I’m encroaching on it by my constant attention. But as you see, he needs it.”
    “And he’s fortunate to have you.”
    “Thanks. I appreciate your saying so.”
    “If it’s any consolation, the way you take care of him has made me see you in a more positive light.”
    “That’s good to hear.” A slow smile brightened Lukas’s face. “I didn’t mean to go on and on about all this, but I didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot in this town. I wanted you to understand.”
    “But you still haven’t told me how your former boss helped you.” She couldn’t believe she was asking him to continue when only a little while before she’d been desperate to leave. Yet she couldn’t help but want to hear the rest of his story.
    Lukas’s shoulders sagged. “You really want to hear more? Are you a glutton for punishment?”
    “I guess I am. I really do want to hear about it.” She opened one of the candy bars and took a bite.
    “I used my one call to phone Bill Martin. For some reason, I still had his card in my wallet.”
    “How did he react?”
    “He told me he’d help me however he could but under one condition. I had to go into rehab.”
    “Did you agree?”
    “Not right away. I had to sit in a jail cell overnight. When I sobered up, I figured it was my best way out.”
    “So going to rehab was the answer?”
    Shaking his head, Lukas smiled wryly. “Not hardly.”
    “But I thought you said he helped you.” Juliane frowned.
    “He did, but the rehab didn’t work until I finally realized I had to turn my life over to God.”
    “So how did that happen?”
    “I was in and out of rehab three times but after the first two times, I started drinking again.”
    “Why?”
    “I was relying on myself. And when things didn’t go right for one reason or another, the temptation to take a drink was too strong. I had nothing to help me resist, and I couldn’t do it on my own.”
    “But I thought you said your friend—your boss—was a Christian. Didn’t he tell you how Jesus can help?”
    Lukas nodded. “Yeah, he did, but I never bought into the whole religion thing, at least not the first two times I was in rehab even though the counselors there also tried to teach me about relying on God. That was for weaklings, and I was no weakling.”
    “How long did all of this take?”
    “Three years. Every time I came out Bill helped me get a job, but I always got fired because I started drinking again.” Lukas’s voice trailed off, and he sat in silence for a moment with his head bowed. Then he looked up. “But Bill didn’t give up on me, even after I failed.”
    Juliane had to strain to hear Lukas’s words, and she was almost sure she saw tears welling in his eyes. A lump formed in her throat, and for a few seconds she couldn’t speak as his testimony about his friend and Lukas’s obvious gratitude touched her. “So what made you finally decide to