Lockdown 201

Lockdown Day 201 - 13 October 2020

A Story of hope Part 3. 

Ellie sensed the Spirit was preparing her for a rough time ahead. She bowed her head and softly prayed, "Your will in my life Lord, I shall follow You through the fire." Just then, she felt the breeze brush her hair aside, and she knew He was there.  She was just about to ask for the bill when another patron was ushered into the nook just in front of Ellie. They couldn't see her, nor she them, but she heard the waitron speaking softly and leaving to get whatever order was taken. 

A cellphone rang softly and she heard a barely audible female voice answer , "Hi my love, where are you?" Something clicked in Ellie's Spirit, realising it has been 3 years since she and Guy have spoken to each other in that way. She found herself straining to hear the rest of the conversation. The woman was saying something about missing the person on the other side of the phone and suddenly something else clicked very deep in Ellie's soul and she foud herself thinking, "No....can it be?" 

After listening some more she got very excited and was just about to jump up to greet a friend from the past, when she heard her say, "Oh Guy, I can't believe I won't see you today, can't you invent a reason to come to town so Ellie won't suspect anything?" 

It was as if Ellie was pushed back into her chair  by an unseen hand. She was blinded with shock and horror, completely numb and her tongue felt like a rubber spatula too big for her mouth. Her heart felt like it was a runaway train and she saw her hands shaking uncontrollably.  

The last thing she thought was "Can it really be her?, before she lost consciousness, slipping into a hot air balloon, drifting through the sky.......when suddenly she was awake, lying on a bed in the tea garden's office. Before the waitron could call Candice, the owner, Ellie found the strength to jump up and ran into the garden nook where the woman was. 

The waitron followed her, Ellie spun around upon seeing no-one, grabbed the waitron at the shoulders, asking, "Where is she? The woman who sat here?" "She left an hour ago, when we found you passed out in your chair! You told us you would call us!" , she exclaimed.  Ellie inhaled deeply and asked the waitron if they got her name. She said yes, she would write it down for her. Ellie gathered her things and wet to pay for her tea. The waitron softly put a folded post-it note into the palm of Ellie's hand and ushered her to her car.

Ellie drove to the grocer with the note clutched in her hand, stuffed it into a secret pouch in her bag. 15 Minutes later she was on her way home. She felt as if someone else was driving. Her mind went wild.  It was her. Amy. The woman who lost her husband. The woman they supported before moving to another state. She picked up her phone as she passed the 20km sign to their turnoff, and dialled the only person she knew she could trust. "Dave, hello. Look, I don't have a lot of time. Please see if you can find the address for Amy Lane. But don't text or call, I'll call you for details, and don't tell anyone. And Dave, it's important."

Driving into the barn to park her car, Ellie noticed Guy's pick-up was gone. She breathed a sigh of relief, unpacked the produce in the kitchen. She walked to her cupboard to put away her things. Then she pulled out the folded post-it, walked out to the garden swing, sat down and looked up. "Oh God, let me be wrong, please." Ellie opened the post-it. Staring back at her was a name. Amy Lane. 

She felt her heart starting to run away again, but something inside of her got up and she rose, a completely determined woman. She went to their study and called Dave again. "4 Hill street", he said and hung up. She then called Guy. When he eventually answered she said, "Where are you?" He said, "Sorry Ellie, I saw you come in from the turnoff, but a pipe broke at the mountain hut and decided to drive straight to town for a replacement." "Liar", she thought, but said, "Okay, what time will you be back?" "Don't wait up for me, we have a farmer's meeting at the Ox Table I have forgotten about." 

Ellie looked at the clock. It was 15h30. She grabbed her keys, called out to the farm hand who was fixing the water pump that she would be back soon. She pushed the car past the speed limit, knowing she had to keep it together. 

To be continued....

#Ggt.