In the End God brings
No Pain. No Fear. No Darkness. No Hurt. No sadness. No dEaTh!!!!!

Amanda by: Jordyn Jones

26 year old Amanda Hope walked through the dust drawn door of the church where her mother was to be buried.

She looked around for her father but all she saw were crying people, but she felt she just couldn't. She felt her mother deserved to die for what she had done but she still had to come to tell her dad everything was going to be ok.

"Amanda … I was worried you weren't going to show." Amanda's father looked as if he was a bloated cherry waiting to explode. "I was thinking about it, but I cant stay long I have some errands to run after this."

The ceremony moved on as time slowly past and Amanda just wanted to get out of there. She didn't belong there. She didn't belong anywhere.

It seemed forever until finally she couldn't take it any longer she felt she was beginning to feel sorry for her mother who'd done all in her past. "Dad I have to go I'm going to be late." But her father didn't get up he was to caught up in his tears so Amanda just left and dragged her cold heart along with her. She just wanted to leave.

Amanda walked out the door but it made a horrible scratching noise that hurt her ears but she kept walking not turning back.

She walked toward her old Black pickup truck, and saw her little calico cat popping its head out the window.

"Hi Luke Skywalker" Amanda liked the StarWars series and thought she could name a cat after Luke and plus she thought it fit her little calico cat he seemed like a hero to her.

The cat meowed from the heat of old truth or consequence, New Mexico." I'm sorry I was long but when we get home you'll get a nice dinner".

Jessica hopped into the drivers hot seat next to the cat put the keys into the slot next to the wheel and drove off. She did not want to be there at that old church she wanted to be at home eating popcorn and watching TV with her cat friend she loved very much.

She drove past the stores and the homes in the small town and the desert she once lived in. It took an hour to get home. She remembered that Luke Skywalker was out of his nice dinners she got him every once in a while so she had to go shopping her least favorite subject. She hated the idea of spending money, and the idea of shopping in this small town.

"Well Luke you costing me of my wallet and my past" her little calico cat just meowed as if he was talking to Amanda.

She also didn't want to be in the boundaries of truth or consequences.

Amanda saw the old store her and her dad used to go shopping in she remembered those days with her dad.

So she stopped in the parking lot with shade so her Luke Skywalker won't suffocate and rolled down her windows slightly.

"Be right back Luke don't jump out of the truck ok" the only answer she got from the calico cat was a little meow and so she walked toward the old store

Amanda stepped inside and smelled the smell of new items and felt the air conditioner brushing against her face "ah" it kind of felt good being home

Amanda walked over to the cat food and looked around. She found what she needed the best cat food for the best cat.

Ben Read had just come up from Las Cruces New Mexico, to visit his sister Allison Read in truth or consequences because she was graduating high school.

She and Ben were 10 years apart, Allison was 17 and Ben was 27.

Before Ben could do anything he had to get his sister a gift for a happy graduation and a sorry gift because he hadn't told her he was leaving as soon as it was over for he had to take care of his horse and his dog Holly that just had three puppies but one died.

So Ben walked into the store he'd known for what seemed like forever. As soon as Ben walked in felt something in him that was very weird in was a relaxed and comfortable feeling he couldn't take over so he'd thought "I'll just let it be"

Ben started to walk over to the section were the girly stuff was. He grabbed a box with a picture of rubber bands thinking "She loves to put her hair up might as well" while he was about to walk over to the counter he then saw a familiar face. Ben thought "had I seen her in high school?"


So Ben walked started to walk over to the young woman.


Amanda picked up the box of food and lifted her head. She saw a man walking toward her she didn't know him but he obviously knew her.

"Hi" "Do I know you? You awfully look like what's her name... Ama"

"Nda" Amanda butted into his sentence "yeah … is that…you?"

"Yes" Ben's memory was renewed as she said yes and also remembered his betrayal hopefully she didn't remember "I remember you went to the high school down the road with me" "I did? I don't remember" Ben just looked at her remembering how he loved to watch her smile curve into such an angle it melted him inside but hoping it didn't show from the out side

"Uh" they both said at once "so you're buying cat food?" "Yeah my cat is stuck in side the car he loves people I adore him" "Oh… I am buying a gift for my sister Allison she graduates today but then I go back home, I have to take care of my horse and my dog holly and her puppies"

Amanda didn't really want to talk to this Beautiful stranger but apparently he had known her though. She didn't really get it, she'd known almost every one in her small high school but there was that word "Almost" every body

"Oh do you need help because I don't think your sister would like rubber bands"

Ben looked at the box thinking "why was I so stupid not to bring a woman for advice"

"Yeah … I don't think she is going to like it" he and Amanda giggled at his comment and walked over to the clothes racks Bens least favorite subject and also Amanda's

"How tall is she?" Amanda needed to know so she can estimate her size

"She's about 5 inches taller than you" Ben had no clue as a boy should be.

"Here she would like this one" Amanda picked up a dress

Ben just stared at the dress he thought how good it would look on Allison but it would look better on Amanda.

"Ok I'll get that then" and put the box down

Neither one could speak, they didn't really know each other they weren't sure if they even liked each other.

Ben started to say something

"Umm... your m...om …d...e? Amanda wasn't getting this at all

"My what?" Ben's expression on his face did not look really good he looked frightened

Ben looked at the rack of clothes "did girls like these things so much?" he wanted to know if she remembered what him and his mom did to her hopefully not

"Did your mom die?"

Those words mom and die were a relief to Amanda but why did he ask her how did he know what was going on? But then hit Amanda right in the gut why he was asking this question, she had the picture she hadn't gotten out of her head for years it still shown clear in her mind as if it were yesterday.

"You! No it… can't be! No. you look different. How did you find me! " Amanda yelled and ran out the rattled up store and behind her she heard the bells for "Stolen item" going off and saw the store manager yelling at her as well as Ben.

Amanda hopped in her beat up old pickup truck and the manager caught up to her door

"Hey lady we don't want any thief here so either give me the money for the item or give it back" His face was boiling red.

"Oh sorry here" Amanda gave him 10 dollars and say he had a name tag that read BILL

"Sorry Bill" Amanda hoped she would get off the hook before she saw BEN! Running out the store. She had to get out of there.

The manager named Bill wasn't in a too happy mood and decided to leave the poor girl alone looks like she'd already had a bad day enough so he let go of Amanda's Pickup.

Amanda drove off she did not want to see Bens face again!

Ben stopped running after the beautiful woman he thought "man this was my chance to explain now I'll never get it!" Ben went inside the store he was once in and grabbed the dress to pay for it and left with his heart half open crying out to God to find this beautiful woman and lead her to him.


Amanda cried hard. she didn't even know why she cried. She had seen the man that betrayed her in her time of need. She hadn't seen him in years but now she knew

"Everything is fine… I'll… just go home and drink some nice tea" Amanda sounded as if her voice was torn apart and was put back together. "Luke we won't go back to T or C any time soon" Luke Skywalker just looked at Amanda as if she were a crazy woman. "Oh Luke do not look at me like that… here look I've got your food…" as soon as that cat heard food he went crazy! He bounced everywhere in that old pickup. It made Amanda laugh seeing her cat going crazy over food it got her mind off the man in the store. She had to get that Skywalker back home.