A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.

Chapter 7: The Tightest Embrace

Many changes took place over the next twenty-eight and a half years. The Holy Spirit did a massive work in Rose's life, and within a matter of months, she went from being the town slut to being a classy and respectable woman of God. Many people were downright floored when Rose actually worked up the courage to approach the vicar's wife and ask her forgiveness for all the times she tried to make romantic advances on her husband. It took a bit of time, but when Rachel saw for herself that Rose was sincere and saw how very much she truly had changed, she was able to forgive her. The two women even became good friends. And when Onslow saw Rose both dressing and acting respectably, and especially when he saw the friendship between her and the vicar's wife blossom, even he had to admit that there was a God, because only the Almighty God could do a work like that, and he, too, came to faith in Christ.

Rose also became a big source of comfort and healing for Emmet after the loss of Elizabeth, and she did not try to exploit Emmet's vulnerable state in order to hit on him like she would have done in the past. She became a true friend to him, and she really was there for him whenever he needed a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. They remained close friends for the next two years after Elizabeth's passing, and it was only then that things began getting romantic between them. But this time, it was the Holy Spirit who was in the driver's seat, and they only started seeing each other after they realized that it was He who was leading them to do so. And a year and a half later, Emmet and Rose were wed in a simple but lovely ceremony in the church hall, and Rose moved in with Emmet, who was now the owner of Elizabeth's house, since her husband had chosen to remain in Saudi Arabia and Gail had returned to her apartment in New York.

And as for Hyacinth, she stayed true to her word to Elizabeth, and she always kept an eye on Emmet and her sister Rose, and she became a very loving and caring surrogate mother to Gail. Now without a mother, the young lady soon came to appreciate Hyacinth's deep concern for her very much, and it wasn't long before Gail became the daughter Hyacinth never had. Although Elizabeth had taught Gail about Jesus and the gospel, she never took it too seriously until her mother passed. Gail had seen for several years how obnoxious Hyacinth was before she left for university, back when Hyacinth was still known as "The Bucket Woman," so being so completely embraced by Hyacinth's warmth and love had a tremendous impact on her. Like with Onslow and Rose, Gail knew that only the hand of the Almighty God could transform someone like "The Bucket Woman" into the generous and warm soul that Hyacinth became, and she, too, came to faith in Christ, as did Sheridan and Violet for much the same reason.

In the year 2000, Sheridan, who'd become a fairly successful painter, finally came to faith in Christ after seeing how deeply and profoundly Jesus had changed his mother. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, he was able to leave the homosexual lifestyle behind. Five years later, Gail returned to the West Midlands area and moved into a nice flat that was actually in the same apartment building as Sheridan's. And the rest, as they say, is history. They got to know each other quite well, and they really hit it off together. They had a natural chemistry, and they had many things in common, including their love of the arts. They began dating just a few weeks after Gail moved into the apartment building, and just over two years later, in June of 2007, to Hyacinth's tremendous delight, Gail and Sheridan got married. And she was even more delighted when Gail gave birth to twin daughters, Elizabeth and Emma, in August of 2008. Nothing gave Hyacinth more joy than being a grandma.

But of course, her joy was not complete without the presence of her best friend. Even though Hyacinth's granddaughters gave her joy beyond words, it still tore her up inside that Elizabeth wasn't there to share in the joy of their grandchildren. And it tore her up even more so that it was, at least in part, her own fault that Elizabeth had died. While Hyacinth tried to forgive herself and move on, she was never able to. Not completely. Every morning she woke up, she still had to deal with the fact that she had played a role, a significant role, in her best friend's death.

While most of the world refused to believe in a God who would punish people forever in hell for their sins, after Elizabeth's death, Hyacinth came to understand why. When Hyacinth was blabbing to Colonel Ashbury about Elizabeth in that restaurant that day, defying her God-given gut instinct, on the surface, it sure didn't look like it was a very serious sin. It seemed to be a very minor thing. But that supposedly "very minor thing" played a big role in getting Elizabeth killed. It wasn't until after Elizabeth's death that Hyacinth began to truly understand that there was no such thing as a "minor" sin. Even things that seem so small and insignificant, in this cruel and fallen world, can result in utterly disastrous consequences in other people's lives, and in the lives of a person's own descendants for generations.

As the years flew by, Hyacinth took great joy in her granddaughters, and she became a true pillar of the community, someone people liked and admired, but more importantly, someone they knew they could turn to in times of trouble. She even took driving lessons and learned to drive, and she eventually took over Elizabeth's volunteer work at the women's shelter, and drove many women and children away from their abusive homes to safety. And she found far greater fulfillment in living a life of service for others than she ever did living for herself. But even so, Elizabeth's absence still hurt Hyacinth's heart greatly, and her life just wasn't the same without her best friend. And even though Hyacinth did live a Godly and fulfilling life helping others, as the coronavirus pandemic hit and life on earth became crazier and crazier, she found herself yearning more and more for Christ to return for His church in the Rapture. And as she began to see end times Bible prophecy unfold before her eyes, she tried to warn everyone she could about the nearness of Christ's return, but most, sadly, wouldn't listen. Hyacinth tried her best to warn the people around her, but unfortunately, many of them wrote her off as a crazy old Bible thumper, and they refused to hear her or heed her warnings. Even many of her Christian friends were too in love with the world to really hear what she was trying to say.

But in the summer of 2024, when Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un entered into an alliance together, a number of Hyacinth's friends, especially those closer to her age, began to wake up and realize that she was right, including her sister Rose and her brother-in-law Emmet. They and Hyacinth and Richard were all standing around in the Buckets' front garden one afternoon discussing this very thing, as a matter of fact, and Hyacinth was right in the middle of a sentence, when all of the sudden…

…it happened. It finally happened. There was a shout and the voice of the archangel, and a trumpet sounded, and the dead in Christ rose first. Then Hyacinth, Richard, Rose, Emmet, and all their saved loved ones who were alive and remained were caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

After being instantly transported by God in the flesh, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Himself, into heaven, they all worshipped Jesus in person and experienced a level of pure love and pure joy they had never known before. And Elizabeth, who already knew all about her beautiful granddaughters, held them close to her and relished in their embrace for the longest time. And finally, she let them go and turned to Hyacinth, and Hyacinth didn't need to say a word. Elizabeth already knew how indescribably sorry she was for the role she had played in her death, and she already knew how much she loved her and missed her, and how much love she had lavished on her daughter and on their granddaughters all these years. And as both Jesus and Elizabeth pulled Hyacinth into the tightest embrace, they all cried tears of joy, and Elizabeth's and Hyacinth's hearts were overwhelmed with gratitude to Jesus, knowing that thanks to Him, this joy that surpassed what human words could describe would last forever.

The End