The Runaway Pastor's Wife by Diane Moody, Hannah Schmitt Page B

well sir, that’ll do wonders for just about anyone.”
    “Okay, Annie, let’s you and I make a list of
what you’ll need,” Bob added, reaching for a pen and paper.
    Annie felt a warm smile spread across face.
“Thank you so much. You all are so kind. I’m really very grateful.”
     
     
    CHAPTER 5
     
     
    Seminole, Florida
    After reading Annie’s letter over and over,
David finally pulled himself together enough to pray. He couldn’t begin to find
the words. Instead, he felt his soul cry out to God, asking for direction, for
answers. He was too stunned to cry, though he felt a desperate need to do just
that.
    Later, when his mother gently tapped on the
door, he lifted his head, got up off his knees and sat heavily on the bed.
    “David? Are you about ready to—” She stopped,
staring at the expression on her son’s face. “David! What’s the matter? What’s
wrong?”
    She shut the door behind her and moved quickly
across the room to sit beside him. He leaned over, resting his elbows on his
knees, burying his head in his hands.
    “Mom, where are the kids?” he whispered.
    “Jessie and Jeremy are downstairs watching
cartoons, and Max is studying in his room. Why?”
    “Annie’s gone.”
    “What? Of course she’s gone. I told you she had
some things to do. Meetings, I suppose. I told you she’d be late, dear. What’s
the problem?”
    David kept shaking his head. “No, Mom. I mean
she’s gone. She took a flight out of town. Only she didn’t say where.”
    “What? But I don’t understand.”
    “I mean just what I said. She’s gone. ”
    Caroline uttered a baffled sigh. “Are you sure?
That doesn’t sound like Annie at all. She wouldn’t just up and leave without
telling you!”
    “Here—read this,” he said as he gathered up the
pages and handed them to his mother. She looked at him, her face contorted with
the urgency of her desire to understand.
    “But I—”
    “Read it, Mom.”
    Cartoon sound effects drifted up the stairs and
under the door. David walked over to Annie’s side of their king-size bed. He
noticed the framed family portrait was missing from the bedside table. So was
Annie’s Bible. He wondered what else was missing from their room.
    “Oh no,” Caroline groaned, her voice cracking
with emotion. “That poor child . . . she’s been hurting so badly and all the
while hiding it—from all of us.”
    “Mom, where could she have gone? Why wouldn’t
she at least tell me? I’ve got to find her. I have to.” He began pacing the
floor. “I’ll call the airlines. Surely one of them will be able to tell us
something. Or maybe I should call Pete Nardozzi at the Sheriff’s office. He
could probably—”
    “No, David.”
    “Pete could help us find her. The airlines would
talk to him if they knew it was a missing person situation and—”
    “Son? Don’t.”
    “What do you mean ‘don’t’?”
    “She doesn’t want to be found. She obviously
needs some time alone. She’s made that very clear. Annie’s an intelligent girl.
She wouldn’t do anything foolish or unwise. It sounds to me as if she’s planned
all this out very carefully for a reason. Sometimes we have to be able to love
someone enough to let them go—even for just a little while.”
    David stopped pacing and leaned against the
closet door. He shook his head, still refusing to believe it.
    His mother continued, her voice soft. “Honey,
when did all this start? What happened?”
    “Not now, Mom. I don’t want to talk about that
right now. All I want to do is find her.” David felt his mother’s eyes on him
but refused to raise his head. Moments passed.
    “Isn’t it just like Annie to be thinking about
all the rest of us even at a time when she’s suffering so much?” Caroline added
quietly. “To think she’s hidden all this from us. And for her to be thinking
about me right now. About the anniversary of Wade’s
death . . . she’s quite a girl, David.” Caroline took a deep
breath.