Hope for Tomorrow
Chapter 16
Page 46
Dr. Scholl opened his dental office Saturday morning for a few emergencies of toothaches and chipped teeth. Word was slowly getting around that Dr. Scholl was also a dreamy crooner that had the ladies in town thrilled to have him in Hope Valley. For months he had survived in his little dental practice and kept the other side of him under wraps, but now his secret was out. He was wondering how he would manage the new interest in him. He truly enjoyed singing and he knew it was his passion.
His father was a strict physician and raised his children to follow in his footsteps, seeking a worthwhile, respectable, professional vocation. When he told his father he wanted to pursue singing, he was told outright he would receive no help or financing if he pursued his crazy dream. So, dutifully James went to dentistry school to make his father proud of him and to be in his good graces. James applied himself with the best he had in him and graduated cum laude. As he was handed his diploma, his father cheered and boasted, "that's my son, my boy"! James had succeeded in gaining his father's respect. That also meant that he could be employed with no problem, as his father being a highly regarded physician, had many connections and James began his new career as an associate in a thriving practice in Hamilton. His salary was far more than his experience deserved.
How then did James find himself in Hope Valley? After working in the swanky Hamilton professional dental practice, and bringing home enough money to buy his own home and move out of his parent's house, he accidentally found out that his father was involved with the deplorable tactics of the elite. While his father played golf and owned a luxury boat, it was only because of his overcharging patients and adding fees to his practice that made him a wealthy man. James being a man of integrity, couldn't stand what his father was doing, and that caused him to quit the prestigious dental office to leave town without saying goodbye to his father.
He didn't want to leave though without saying goodbye to his mother. She was not aware of what her husband was doing, and he didn't have the heart to tell her. All James could say was that he wasn't the man she married two decades earlier. She was shocked, so he gave his mother a long tender hug and told her he'd be in touch, then walked out the door. That was just after Christmas last year. Leaving the city of Hamilton and the rich lifestyle and winding up opening a business in Hope Valley was very similar to Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton.
He hadn't known her in Hope Valley, but when she brought in her little boy, Jack, he was intrigued. She was a very concerned mother and seemed genuinely a lovely, sweet lady. They only talked about Jack, but he was interested in getting to know Elizabeth the lady, especially when he learned that she too had left Hamilton. He had recognized the Thatcher name from the wealthy part of that city. But, he noticed she was with Mr. Malone at the Hope Valley Family Festival.
When he saw her at the nightclub last night, he was very nervous. That was strange as he barely knew her, but he realized that singing with Dianna Star and the band there was no hiding his secret any longer. The whole town now knew.
He also was attracted to Mayor Fiona, he had to admit. When he had gone to Nichols and Dimes he enjoyed her positive outlook and her friendly demeanor.
While she cut, she talked, and he learned more about the town folks, but he also enjoyed watching her. She was indeed beautiful and yet didn't seem to know that herself as she saw beauty in just about everyone. That's what made her such a good mayor.
Being next door to the dental office, Fiona was bumping into James on the boardwalk often. He was always so polite and a suave well-polished dresser. Fiona had hoped he'd ask her out sometime, but not for want, as she often had either Mike or Kevin asking her out to eat. She would think, don't men know a woman likes to do more than just eat!
As Christy came to work she asked, "How did you enjoy the bridal shower party last night?"
"Oh Christy, what a night it was! I have so much to tell you!" Fiona winked.
"What happened?"
"Remember I told you that we were taking Molly to the Nightclub in Clearwater? Well, it was lovely inside, the food was delicious, there was a jazz band and singers! We recognized one of the singers, and you would too!" Fiona told her excitedly.
"What! Who?" Christy stood there waiting for the whole story.
That's when Fiona told her about Dr. Scholl which led her to go on about Mr. Landis playing the piano too.
"But that's not all, the men showed up at the same place! We saw them sitting on the other side of the room. Then Flamin Mamie came out and she tantalized the men in the audience and even sat on one of Bill's friends, a retired Mountie!"
"Oh my, what did Pastor Joseph do?" Christy asked.
"You could tell he was not happy, but Nathan left to go to the restroom and so did Dee at the same time. They saw each other and Nathan told Dee he would ask her to dance and when he did the rest of the men laughed, got up, walked over, and joined us!" Fiona laughed.
"Really! Wow! Sounds like you all had a great time!" Christy smiled. "I can't wait for the wedding!"
Hope for Tomorrow
Page 47
Sunday, Luke brought his friend, Trevor to mass with with him, although he really didn't want to go. Trevor had not gone to mass ever since he returned from war. Although a devout Irish Catholic before, he was still struggling with so much anger at God for allowing this senseless war that caused so much pain and death.
Originally he enlisted in the Canadian troops as the USA was neutral in the beginning. He did this out of honor and wanted to stop the Central Forces who were fighting the Allied forces to take over land. He lost one of his closet friends in a trench right next to him. Bobby had been like a brother to him having grown up together best friends. They both enlisted at the same time. Coming from Detroit and joining in with the Canadians they were welcomed and were lucky to be able to be in the same unit together. Both of them worked as mechanics on the tanks. When one broke down they were part of the team that worked immediately on the tank to get it up and running. If they weren't able, they had to run as fast as a roadrunner to dive into the closest trench.
One of those horrible times, Trevor and Bobby were both together running and ready to dive into the trench when Bobby was hit over and over with machine gun fire mutilating his body. As Bobby fell into the trench, he fell on top of Trevor his blood soaked body spurting blood all over him. Trevor held his buddy in his arms rocking him and trying to assure him, he'd be all right, but he felt his body go limp and heave with his last breath. Bobby's last words were, "tell my family I love them." Trevor couldn't let go of Bobby as he kept rocking him and sobbing hoping he'd wake up, as hot tears flooded down his cheeks. His unit leader came over to them and forced Trevor's hands to release Bobby so they could put him on a stretcher and take his vitals. His leader just shook his head and prayed a quick prayer, then they left with Bobby.
The war was virtually unprecedented in the slaughter, carnage, and destruction it caused. Trevor stayed in the same place for what had to be an hour as bullets whipped outside of the trench all around him. He was numb and didn't feel anything, not even his broken ankle.
As he sat there rocking himself his thoughts were angry. Why would God allow this? He had been so faithful to God all his life and now He let him down. He was also angry that this senseless war was not worth fighting in. He remembered how proud he and Bobby were when they told their parents what they were doing. Both parents were upset with Bobby and him, but they laughed it off. They felt honorable and patriotic. This was a noble cause! No, no it wasn't! How stupid they were. It was demonic. The devil won and God lost. How could he respect and love God anymore? Not when he witnessed hell firsthand.
The medics came back for Trevor to have him checked, but Trevor wanted nothing to do with them. "I'll go. I don't need anyone to care for me," he foolishly said.
When Trevor went to get up the pain from his broken ankle seared like fire as it traveled up through his leg and he immediately crashed back down to the dirt floor. Trevor was already in shock and nearly passed out. The medics placed him on the stretcher and scrambled as best as they could out of the trenches to the first aid tent. Here, the wounded were sorted, depending on the severity of the casualty.
Trevor needed surgery for his ankle and was tended to with a tight dressing and painkillers as he waited for transportation to a hospital at one of the Allied countries. He watched as more soldiers came in wounded and now a new strain of influenza was causing sickness and death. It was the worst time of his life. Now in a foreign country without Bobby, his alone time seemed endless and it was filled with the memory of Bobby's death.
He couldn't pray. His heart wasn't in it. Even though a Catholic nun came to pray with him, it didn't matter. He was in a deep depression and lost all his faith. It didn't stop the sweet Sister Mary Elizabeth from visiting him and some others in his hospital unit. She tended to him, bathing his torso, wiping down his face when he spiked a fever, helping him to eat, and praying. She had kind eyes and a caring smile that never went away even when he spoke angrily about God. She often times would read the Psalms to the men, tell them that God loved them, and prayed for them when they couldn't do it themselves. When she was with Trevor, she placed a rosary on his side table next to his glass of water. He never picked it up, but she wouldn't give up. She would sit quietly in a chair next to him and pray it out loud. The rosary was soothing to him and often times he would relax and fall asleep with a faint smell of roses.
One day, the nurses had him sit on the side of the bed and do exercises. The doctor wanted to see how his ankle was healing. As he stretched his foot in different directions it smarted quite a bit, but he had to strengthen his ankle so he could stand on it. Once he could stand, he began more physical therapy, each day getting stronger. He was determined to go home and get out of this hell hole.
One day Sister Mary Elizabeth came and saw how much better he was doing and cheerfully said, "Praise God!"
Trevor looked at her sharply and snapped, "God had nothing to do with this. You hear me? I have been doing my exercises. He left me the day Bobby died!"
Sister took his words and let them bounce right off her. "God has Bobby in His arms Trevor. He's in a much better place than either of us. He loves you."
Trevor's face was filled with his blood coursing through his body. He was fighting his faith with all his might. He shook his head, "Well, I don't love Him, not anymore!"
Sister Mary Elizabeth put her hand on his shoulder and quietly said, "He'll be waiting for you. He's always here," and with that she told him, "Goodbye Trevor, God be with you," and left.
Trevor left the next day for home. He carried two intense memories back with him, one of deep, unrelenting loss, and one of a sweet servant's face of Jesus.
Hope for Tomorrow
Page 48
Flo and Ned Yost offered to bring Luke and his new friend Trevor with them to the O'Neill's for mass. Last week most of the men had worked to hook up a wood-burning stove in the barn, tightened up any loose boards, and replacing missing shingles. The ladies were busy sweeping out the barn and cleaning off any cobwebs, hanging holy pictures on the walls, and setting up a table with a white linen tablecloth to use as an altar. Chairs were put in rows and one of the parishioners made a podium where the Scripture readings were declared. Mary brought two candles for the altar and hung the largest crucifix they had in their house above the altar. There was a kneeler for receiving communion too.
When they walked in they were pleasantly surprised to see how not only functional, but pretty the new 'church' was. Fr. Ricardo blessed the building and all the workers whose work was bearing much fruit.
The Morettis were sitting up front and sang the hymns inviting more to join the choir. They brought their musical instruments and asked if anyone else had any to bring next Sunday. "Please come about a half-hour earlier just to practice. We need anyone who can play or sing. Don't be shy."
That's when Molly spoke up and said, "When you sing, it's like praying twice!" "I'm going to join in. I can play piano, which we don't have, but I can also sing. So, who's going to join me?"
Karen Landoch called out, "I will! Mrs. Grant gave me voice lessons and she says I sing really well now."
"Well if Karen is brave enough, I might be able to muster up enough courage to play my horn if you find a song that I can use it," Jesse spoke up.
A few Lipinski children also volunteered, poking eachother to agree.
"Great, this is a good start folks! Thank you. Gino Moretti will be the choir leader, so please talk with him after mass."
Luke and Trevor sat in the last row of chairs. Luke knew something was bothering his buddy, but he hadn't shared what it was. Trevor never responded to any of the prayers or sang any hymn. When it was time for communion he just sat in his chair and watched. Luke could tell Trevor was very uncomfortable. After mass, Luke usually stayed and talked with the rest of the folks. Sometimes they had a social hour and the ladies brought food to pass.
When Jesse came over with Clara, they introduced themselves and asked Trevor, "How do you know Luke?"
"We were in the service together and trained in the same camp," Trevor explained.
"We didn't see you come back. Are you from here?" Rick asked when he and Christy joined them.
"No, we're from Detroit," Trevor answered.
"We're?" Christy was confused questioning Trevor.
Luke spoke up right away and awkwardly laughed, "Trevor was meaning, he and his buddy Bobby. They enlisted with the Canadian troops, that's where I met him."
"Oh, then where's Bobby now?" Clara asked innocently.
Trevor diverted their conversation. "Look, they're bringing out some food! I'm hungry, anyone else want to go with me?" he looked anxiously at the group and hoped to direct attention to the food.
"Sure, looks great," Rick nodded.
"I swear, this man has a hollow leg!" Christy laughed.
Trevor was relieved that Luke got him out of that awkward situation. He certainly wasn't ready to talk about Bobby, especially to new people. It was hard enough to deal with it when he returned home. Physical therapy was hard and painful, but he was determined to walk again, and not with crutches or being pushed in a wheelchair. His resolve proved fruitful and now he could walk with a slight limp, and some soreness, but he was getting around now on his own.
Trying as hard as his parents could, they couldn't get Trevor to snap out of his depression and refused to talk much about what happened. His orthopedic doctor was happy with his healing, but the family doctor knew he was dealing with more than physical pain. He told Trevor's parents that often times returning soldiers suffered from what they described then as shell shock. He could put Trevor on medicine, but was warned it was addictive, so they refused.
Alcohol was the relief of choice and although Trevor drank too much, he finally found purpose when he enrolled in auto mechanic school. His drinking subsided as he put all his energy in learning the trade. He proved to be one of the best in the class. He never started a day in class without dedicating his work in honor of Bobby.
Once he graduated, he graduated he just couldn't stay in his home town. Everywhere he went he had memories of growing up with Bobby. The schools, the church, the pool hall, the baseball diamond, the fishing hole.
So, he went to see Bobby's parents and he talked to them telling them what happened, pouring his heart out. Bobby's mother and father told Trevor to take the trophy Bobby won when they played baseball together. Bobby was the pitcher and Trevor was the catcher, making them hard to beat in their team. As they handed him the trophy, they thanked Trevor and hugged him tight, "We will miss you Trevor. Please come see us the next time you're in town."
He left them telling them what Bobby last said, "that he loved his family."
When Trevor arrived in Hope Valley he felt a purpose in life. He had bought the gasoline station with a veteran's government loan and hoped to expand with a mechanic shop. For now he was sharing the room at Billees with Luke, sleeping on a cot. The following morning, he went to the gasoline station to check it out.
That's when he ran into Sargent Grant. Nathan looked at him strangely as he had never seen him before. "Good morning!" Nathan nodded.
"Likewise," Trevor answered and kept on walking towards the gas station.
Nathan called after him, "Are you visiting Hope Valley?"
Trevor stopped, turned around, and stared at Nathan. "No. I live here."
Nathan tilted his head, "New here?"
"Yes sir, sorry, I'm Trevor Donahue, your new Hope Valley gasoline station owner and mechanic," and offered his hand.