FIRE ON HIGH
“Fire On High” is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. All characters and settings © Tigermark 2003-2005 unless otherwise noted. Request permission before using them, please.
The characters of Anatol Altaisokova and Melinda Altaisokova are my names for characters © Max Blackrabbit. They appear in this story with his permission. The characters of Brandy, Maxwell, and Tonya are also © Max Blackrabbit and appear here with his permission. Events and information relating to Tonya, Anatol, and their family are presented here, but are not to be considered canon to those characters or any other story but this one. Matt Barstock and Intermountain Charter © Silver Coyote. See their story HERE. Capt. Jonathan “Jedi” Foertsch is © his player.
CHAPTER 20
Keep the Home Fires Burning
Tia looked up from the book she was reading. Out the window, she could see that her mother had returned from her job interview. Tia had spent the time while Jenna was gone tidying up her room, working out, (She’d need to be in top shape to fly jets in the Air Force, she’d told herself), and reading a book from the library on the history of flight.
She went to open the door for her mother, who had gathered a stack of what looked like manuals to carry in.
“Hi Mom, what’s all this? Did you get the job?” Tia stood back as Jenna maneuvered her burden through the door.
Jenna managed a smile around the stack of books. “Hi Tia. Boy, did I! Penny set me up! She’d already convinced them to hire me, so instead of just applying, they showed me around, and now I’ve got homework! I’m so behind on the software changes.”
Tia smiled, a bit ruefully. “Well, it looks like I’ve lost you.” She gave an exaggerated sigh and laid the back of her paw against her forehead. “Whahtevah shall I do? My deah mothah is sooo busy, she has no time for me now.”
Jenna dumped the load of manuals on the living room table and turned to look at her daughter, paws on hips and her tail flicking back and forth.
“I know that was mostly joking, but please, you know I wouldn’t do that. I’ll only be working four hours a day, three to four days a week. Jeremy, my new boss, was very understanding about keeping a flexible schedule. Besides, you were all for the idea of me getting out and being with grown-ups more.”
“Yeah, I know,” Tia replied, looking away for a second. “That’s what I remember the chaplain saying, that after a while you would need to be among adults more. I’m happy for you Mom, but I’m still gonna miss you. Cubby, ah, Andrew would say the same.”
“And I’ll miss you two, as well, but I feel like it’s time I was more back into life, y’know?” Jenna placed a gentle paw on Tia’s shoulder as she said this. Tia looked at her mother, and after a few seconds her ears perked up, her tail waved up behind her, and her eyes took on a mirthful sparkle.
“Maybe you’ll meet some cute guy, huh?”
Jenna giggled along with Tia. “Now now, let’s not rush things.”
But in the back of her mind, Jenna thought, “Who knows, maybe I will,” and for the first time, she didn’t feel guilty.
# # #
Billy had arrived home a bit earlier than normal. They’d had no aircraft due back until the next day, so he’d decided to knock off early and surprise Penny by being there when she got home. He’d showered and made a pitcher of tea, and now was contemplating taking his wife out to dinner to celebrate Jenna coming to work with her, if indeed things panned out the way Penny had thought they would.
Just then he heard a car door shut, so he got up and ambled over to the front door, still wearing only the robe he’d thrown on after his shower. He looked at the monitor above the door and admired his lovely tiger-fox as she made her way up to the front door. Just as she made to put her key in the lock, Billy pulled the door open.
“Hey! How was your day?” he said enthusiastically.
Penny blinked a second, and then turned as if to leave. “Sorry, wrong house,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“What?” Billy exclaimed, confused.
Penny stopped, arched her back and angled her head rather seductively, and looked Billy up and down.
“At my house, my husband remembers to close his robe before answering the door,” she quipped slyly.
Billy looked at her a second, gauging whether or not she was teasing before he looked down. A sudden slight breeze caused the robe to flap briefly, confirming Penny’s observation.
“Yipe!” he exclaimed as he quickly jumped back out of the doorway and gathered the robe to tie it.
“Oh, don’t do that on my account,” Penny giggled as she turned and walked back toward the door. “I was enjoying the view!”
“Very funny, I’m sure you were, but ol’ Mrs. Bailer, the marmot across the street, would have a coronary,” Billy said sheepishly. “Besides,” he continued with a wink, “I wouldn’t want you to think I was easy.”
“Nah, you’re not easy. Cheap maybe, but not easy.” Penny purred as she ran a paw gently across the curve of his muzzle.
“Thanks a lot,” he replied, grinning. “So, how did Jenna do?”
Penny smiled warmly. “She did very well. Jeremy is pleased with her attitude, and Sari is pleased with her skills and willingness to learn. Plus, it turns out Andrew and Sari’s son Sal are friends. It also doesn’t hurt that Jenna is a beautiful young tigress. Jeremy has already said he wants her to do some acting in our commercials and training videos.”
“Oh? Do you think she’ll do it?” Billy asked as he closed the door and went to the table to pour Penny a glass of tea.
“I don’t know. She didn’t seem too keen on the idea, but I think she’d do fine. Jeremy might need to do a lot of convincing, though.”
Penny sat down and eased her shoes off, flexing her toes and expressing her toe claws.
“Have you heard from Alex since his great uncle passed away?” she asked as she took the glass Billy offered and sipped.
“No, I don’t know if he’s back from Nellis yet. If I don’t get a call from him by the weekend, I’ll see if I can track him down,” Billy replied as he sat down beside his wife. Penny giggled again as his robe parted of its own volition.
“If you keep doing that, we’ll be late making dinner,” she said as she gave him a speculative look.
“Well, I was going to suggest going out to celebrate Jenna’s success, but I’ll need to get dressed first.”
Penny ran a paw down across Billy’s chest. “No need to hurry, then,” she purred.
“No need at all,” Billy replied as he leaned over and kissed her soundly on the lips. “No need at all.”
# # #
“Ahhh,” Alex sighed as he pulled out of the parking lot at the 412th FS headquarters building. While the squadron had a rest, he’d been hard at it ever since the Tigerkahts had arrived back at Langley, so the weekend arrived none too soon for him.
“I swear, I think I’m going to drown in paper,” he mused sourly to himself. Scatcat Higgins had always told him about the endless reams of reports, reviews, requisitions and requests a squadron commander had to slog through, but he had thought it to be in part just grousing. If anything, though, the lion had understated the administrative side of the job.
“Ah well, at least we got a really good rating on the Green Flag.” The squadron was in good shape, and Alex had survived the Great White Wave of paper for his first week. Scatcat had said that things should be quiet for the rest of Alex’s time with the Tigerkahts. The squadron was on stand down until Tuesday to allow everyone some rest after the exercise, but as Alex now well knew, the CO’s paperwork waited for no fur.
Since they were on stand down, Alex had decided to head for West Virginia for the weekend. He’d left his cell phone and pager numbers at the Orderly Room, where Stick had pulled the Charge-of Quarters duty for the weekend. He would be heading to his home on-base shortly, but he’d be on-call in case an emergency came up for anyone in the squadron. It was now mid-afternoon, and Alex had packed an overnight bag and brought it in with him that morning. He’d changed into civvies before leaving, and only had to stop by the gas station to fill up before leaving town.
As he made his way through the streets of the base, Alex’s thoughts centered on his father and his great uncle. Anton had told him, at different times, various facts and stories about their family. Now Alex couldn’t remember all the details, and as he pulled in at the mini-BX and gas station, he wondered what to do about it. He stopped at the proper pump and filled the big truck up with diesel fuel, and then went inside to pay. On his way to the counter, he noticed a display of micro-tape recorders and tapes. He smiled and picked up one of the devices and a pack of tapes. He noted it had an AC adapter, so he only grabbed one pack of batteries for it.
Alex paid for his fuel and purchases, and then went back out to the truck. Once there, he opened the recorder package and removed the device and the instructions. He glanced through the manual, and then opened the batteries and installed them. He loaded a tape, and then pushed the record button and spoke into the area marked “Mic.”
“Test, test, one, two, three.”
Alex then stopped and rewound the tape. He pushed play and heard his test message resonate tinnily from the small speaker. Despite its small size, the device produced a clear reproduction of what he’d said. Satisfied that he had a solution to his earlier thought, he put the recorder away and left the BX.
He headed off base and picked up Magruder Boulevard and down to the Hampton Roads Center Parkway, and then on to I-64 West. As he watched traffic and noted old historic Williamsburg pass by, Alex looked forward to the weekend and a nice visit with his father. He hoped the old tiger felt good this time so they could talk and maybe go fish a little in the Elk River over behind the street Anton lived on. As his thoughts ran to growing up in the small community of Elkview, the time passed fairly quickly. Soon he was passing Richmond.
He stopped to take a restroom break and get a quick bite to eat as his route took him on a short section of I-81 near Staunton, Virginia. From there, it was a very scenic run through the mountains of Virginia and eastern West Virginia before meeting up with the West Virginia Turnpike just south of Beckley. There his route turned north and he picked up the valley that Paint Creek runs through on its way to Cabin Creek. The Turnpike was the conduit for both I-77 and I-64 through this part of the state, and even though it was interstate grade, the hills were steep and the curves sharper than normal for an interstate. Alex kept a safe speed and let the smaller cars go on by without a thought. Before too long the way turned west as the interstate followed Cabin Creek to where it emptied into the Kanawha River.
As he approached Charleston, Alex’s thought turned to the namesake of the bridge he would cross just before entering the city. The Yeager Bridge was a large, green, arched-superstructure affair, made up of actually two bridges, one for the lanes going in each direction. Urban Legend had it that the famous cougar it was named after had actually flown an aircraft under it when it was dedicated. Alex always smiled at that. Chuck Yeager had been one of his heroes growing up. He’d actually met the famous cougar during his Thunderbirds tour. “West Virginia has sure made some good pilots,” had been the comment General Yeager had put in Alex’s logbook after the show they’d put on at Oshkosh that year.
Soon the gold-domed capitol building came into view, and Alex chose to take the exit and head north toward Elkview on the two-lane state route 114 instead of going up I-79. He enjoyed the green hills and the glimpses of the river along this route.
It was nearly dark, in the long twilight of summer, as Alex pulled up in front of his father’s house. He parked, got out, and walked up on the front porch. Anton was sitting in a rocking chair, reading a book by the light coming from inside the house through the front window. A pitcher of iced tea and two glasses, one empty, the other three-quarters full, sat on the small table beside him.
“Hi Son.” The older tiger smiled in the gathering gloom. “Nice truck.”
“Yeah, it’ll do. How are you feeling, Dad?” Alex pulled up a chair so he and his father could talk. It was a warm evening, and he could smell the citronella candle his father was burning on the small table by the swing on the other side of the porch.
“Pretty good, actually,” Anton replied. “The doc gave me something to help build me up a little, so except for being pretty sick right after my last treatment, I’m feeling a lot better.”
Alex looked at his father carefully. Anton was still gaunt, but the hollow look around his eyes was gone. His fur had regained some of its luster, and a bright twinkle showed in his eyes.
“You look a lot better. How’s Aunt Talia?”
“Dour as ever, but she is finally letting the Lord soften her heart a bit.”
A question immediately came to Alex’s mind, but he decided to put it in the context of the more general idea he’d had before he left Langley that day.
“Dad, I know you’ve told me a lot of family history over the years, but in bits and pieces, and I can’t remember a lot of it. I have a tape recorder with me. Would you be willing to talk about the family and our history and let me record it?”
Anton looked askance for a few seconds. “Why, you think I’m going somewhere?”
“No Dad,” Alex replied, looking down as his tail laid out flat on the porch floor. “I’d just like to get it down, for Tia and Andrew, and any cubs I might have someday.”
“Humph, the way you’re going, Tia and Andrew will be my only grandcubs. Still, it sounds like a good idea. We gonna play twenty questions, or do I get to tell the story as a whole?”
“However you want, Dad. Let me get the recorder and we can start right now, unless you’d rather have dinner first.”
“I already ate. I wasn’t sure how late you’d be, so I didn’t wait. You’re welcome to eat, though. There’s plenty in the kitchen.” Anton poured tea into the second glass for Alex as he spoke, and handed it to him. Alex took a good long drink. He’d eaten on the way across Virginia, but he was thirsty. He set the glass down, and decided to strike while the subject was hot.
“Nah, I already ate, too. Why don’t we go a bit before time for bed, okay?”
Anton nodded, and Alex went to his truck and brought the recorder, along with his overnight bag, up on the porch. He sat the bag down to one side and plugged the recorder’s AC adapter into the outlet under the front window, and set the controls. He spoke into the device’s microphone, recording the day, time, and that the ‘interview” was with his father, Anton.
“Well, so formal,” Anton teased.
Alex smirked and said, “It’s to help keep it organized. Now, are you ready?”
“Yup, ask away.”
“Okay Dad, I want to know about our family. I guess the place to start would be anything in general about us. Where we came from, where our ancestors lived, how we got here.”
“Ah, well, I’ll start back as far as I know. Our family originally came from Siberia, in the old Soviet Union. Heh, I’ll get to how we came to be named O’Whitt later. Anyway, Alexi, your grandfather, and Anatol his brother grew up there in the thirties. I never heard them call their parents by name, only mama and nana, which means daddy in Russian. They were both learning a trade when the Great War started. Even though Anni was only in his early teens, he went with Papa and they fought for the Motherland. That’s how Papa talked, remember? ‘The Motherland, ach, what Stalin or Kruchev or whoever was running the place, is doing to her!’ Anyway they both survived and returned to their home in Yakutsk. Things went well, and Papa married Mama in, oh, 1946 or so. Her name was Tiana, and Tia is named after her. I don’t remember her maiden name.”
Anton paused for a breath, and then went on. “By this time, Stalin’s purges and oppression were in full swing, and Papa and Anni began to fear for their lives. The political bears of the Communist Party had started persecuting tigers, calling them a danger to the state. Papa, Mama, and Anni fled Yakutsk and started making their way to the West. They dodged and hid and finally made their way all the way to
Alex nodded. Part of the discipline of Panjitsu was learning to become nearly invisible when the need arose. His natural camouflage made it even more effective for him. Anton then continued. “When they got to
Anton paused, and Alex looked over at him. The older tiger was working his jaw as if it were sore.
“Are you all right, Dad?”
“Not used to talking so much. Can we take a break?”
“Sure, it’s about time to head inside, anyway,” Alex replied as he switched off the recorder. Anton shook his head, and Alex could barely see his smile by the dim light on the porch.
“Let’s sit out here awhile. I like to hear the crickets and night birds. If we’re really quiet, we might even hear the whip-o-will that lives up in the woods across the main road.”
Father and son sat and sipped their tea, enjoying the night sounds and the companionable silence. Blake the kaht came prowling around the side of the house, intent on his own nightly patrol. He looked up and seemed to note that Alex was there. Alex nodded and the kaht seemed to nod back, and glided on silent paws across the yard and around the other side of the house. After a bit, the distinct call of the whip-o-will echoed down from the hillside across US-119 from Anton’s street. Alex and Anton smiled to each other, and then the older tiger gave a great yawn. They nodded to each other, and without a word stood to go inside. Alex grabbed his things as Anton opened the door. Blake appeared out of nowhere and scooted inside. Once everyone was safely in, Anton shut the door and he and Alex got ready for bed. As Alex made to settle in for the night, he heard his father say, “Glad to have you home, Son.”
“Sure thing, Dad. Love you. G’night.”
“Love you too, Son. G’Night.”
As he drifted off to sleep, Alex had to agree. He was glad to be home, too.
# # #
The sun was bright and the morning already warm as Jenna pulled her minivan into the parking lot of the Winchester East Community Church. The building was a fairly small, brick and vinyl affair with a metal roof and a small white steeple on top. The church had an “L” shape, with what appeared to be classrooms and a fellowship hall branching off the main building. She parked in one of the spots along the side and she and Tia and Andrew got out.
Jenna had worn a nice vest and skirt outfit with a white blouse, and minimal jewelry. Tia wore a light blue summer dress that matched well with her eyes, and Andrew had grudgingly worn a white dress shirt and black dress pants. Jenna hoped they weren’t underdressed, but as she saw several other cars parking, and noticed the dress of their occupants, she relaxed. One older beagle wore a coat and tie, and his wife wore a nice dress, but from the pickup next to them emerged a large brown bear in a plaid shirt and bib overalls.
The O’Whitts filtered into the Sanctuary, the large room that worship services took place in, and found a seat in the fourth pew from the back on the right side. The church was not large, with only about fifteen pews from back to front. Another row of pews was on the left side, with the offering table and pulpit (The podium the pastor preaches from) at the front, with a set of small pews for the choir behind that. There was a small baptismal pool at the very front. More folks were coming in from doors on either side of the front of the room. These had been the in the back attending Sunday School, and now were coming out for worship service. Most everyone smiled and said hello, stopping to shake paws and ask their names, and introduce themselves.
There were furs from most every species Jenna would have expected to find in Kentucky, and she was glad to see that diversity seemed to be well accepted. She’d been to a few churches that got really species-oriented, such as Feline-only or Canine-only or some such garbage, but the folks here seemed to revel in their differences. The age range was nice, too. She’d seen too many civilian churches near the bases she’d been with Jason that only changed membership totals when someone died. She saw kits-in-arms all the way up to elderly gray-muzzled folks so far at this church.
The beagle she’d seen in the parking lot stepped up. “Hello there! I’m Charlie Corling.” He extended his paw to shake as he looked to his side. “And this is my wife, Sara.” The beagle femme beside him extended a paw and shook as well. Both beagles had a lot of gray shot through their muzzle fur. Jenna guessed them to be in their sixties.
“Hello, I’m Jenna O’Whitt, and these are my cubs, Tia and Andrew.” Tia and Andrew both nodded politely, but remained silent as they looked around curiously.
Charlie was about to launch into the usual get-to-know-you questions when a voice came from behind him.
“Don’t hog the new folks, Charlie. Let everyone have a chance to say hello.”
The beagle looked around, and then smiled. He stepped aside with a quick, “Talk to you later. Again, welcome.”
The brown bear in bib overalls she’d seen in the parking lot stepped up. Jenna had thought him large, but now she could see he was absolutely huge! He stood at least six foot five, and probably half that wide. He extended a paw that completely engulfed Jenna’s and, surprisingly gently, shook her paw.
“Ma’am, pleased to meet you. I’m Ray Bruining.”
“Ah, pleased to meet you too, Ray. These are my cubs, Tia and Andrew,” Jenna replied, still awed by the bear’s size. Tia nodded politely and said, “hello sir.” Andrew stood there with his muzzle slightly open a second or two, and then quickly mumbled his greetings.
“Nice t’ meet you too, kids.” Ray said as he smiled slightly and turned to go find his seat.
Another fur, a gray todd in a suit who looked to be in his fifties, with silver-gray headfur and dark framed half-glasses, stepped up and introduced himself.
“Hi there, I’m Brother Ronnie Goodland, welcome.”
“Hello,” Jenna replied as she shook paws with the todd. “”I’m Jenna O’Whitt, and these are my cubs, Tia and Andrew.”
“Hello Tia and Andrew,” Brother Ronnie replied, shaking paws with each cub in turn. “I take it you got my phone message. Pastor Jackson didn’t do you all credit. I’ve never seen so many beautiful stripes in one place before.”
“Oh Ronnie quit, you’ll embarrass them,” a voice said from behind Jenna. She turned to find another gray fox, a vixen who also appeared to be in her fifties, with bark blonde hair, had come up behind her.
“Jenna, Tia, Andrew, this is my wife Anne,” Brother Ronnie said by way of introducing the vixen. “Anne, this is Jenna O’Whitt and her cubs. She’s the lady Pastor Jackson told us about.”
“Oh yes,” Anne said quickly. “Oh, and please accept our condolences. Pastor Jackson mentioned that you’d recently lost your husband.”
Jenna nodded, her expression taking a sad turn for a moment. “Thank you, Anne.” She let the moment pass, and Tia and Andrew shook paws with the vixen and said hello. Jenna’s expression brightened and she picked up the conversation.
“Thank you for inviting us. I’d been meaning to visit a few churches after we got settled, but things have been so hectic. My father-in-law in West Virginia has cancer and is going through chemotherapy, so we’ve been up there a lot on weekends.”
“Oh dear,” Anne said. “Well, we must be sure to put him on the prayer request list.”
“Yes, what’s his name? I’ll announce it when we ask for prayer requests during the service,” Brother Ronnie asked.
“Anton, and thank you. He’s a tough ol’ tiger, but this is taking a lot out of him,” Jenna replied, having to raise her voice a bit as a group of teenagers came laughing and chatting through the door from the Sunday School rooms. Tia and Andrew looked at their mother with expectant expressions. Jenna looked at them and gave a slight nod to the negative.
“Let’s wait until after church so Brother Ronnie can introduce you. I don’t think we have time before the service starts.”
Tia looked disappointed, but nodded yes. Brother Ronnie was speaking again as Jenna turned back around.
“Ah, Jenna, Tia, Andrew, I’d like you to meet our youth director, Jack Lazarus. Jack, this is Jenna O’Whitt, the lady I mentioned earlier, and her cubs Tia and Andrew.”
Jenna looked up into the face of the newcomer, and her eyes went wide. The golden eyes of the gray wolf she found herself face to face with were wide with surprise, too.
“You?” they both said in unison.
Brother Ronnie and Anne both blinked. “You know each other?” the pastor asked, taken aback.
“Uh, sort of,” Jack explained, being the first to find his voice. “We, uh, ran into each other at the supermarket a little while back.”
Jenna almost giggled, but managed to keep it to a short chuckle. “Heh, yes, we did. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack.”
Jack extended a paw, which Jenna took, and gave a firm but gentle pawshake. Both seemed a bit reluctant to let go. Brother Ronnie arched an eyebrow, but then smiled slyly.
“Jack, why don’t you sit with Jenna and her family? That way they won’t feel too lost as we have our service.”
“Uh, oh, yeah, sure,” Jack replied as he shook his head slightly, as though he’d just suddenly woke up. “Uh, hello Tia, Andrew.” He shook both their paws in turn. Andrew was looking a little sullen as he and Tia said hello. Tia had a speculative look on her muzzle, but said nothing.
“Good,” Brother Ronnie said as he turned to go. “Find your seats, I think we’re about ready to begin.
As they sat down, Jack leaned over and spoke quietly in Tia’s direction. “Tia, don’t run off after the service, and I’ll introduce you to the youth group.”
Tia nodded and smiled, and then grinned even broader as she caught sight of her mother’s expression out of the corner of her eye. Jack had leaned across Jenna to speak to Tia, and Jenna felt her breath catch. She chided herself for being silly. It was still too soon after Jason to feel this way, wasn’t it?
“Besides,” she thought, “he’s probably married, or has a girlfriend, or is only being polite.”
But as he leaned back to his side, she noticed him almost jump as the back of his paw accidentally brushed hers. They met eyes for a second, and the wolf gave a warm smile. Before either could think to speak, though, the pianist started playing, signaling the start of the service.
Jenna turned her thoughts to worship, and Jack would lean in and in a low voice tell them what came next. The congregation, which to Jenna looked as though it filled the small church, sang hymns, and listened to Brother Ronnie read scripture from a well-worn Bible. Tia watched intently as a group of the teenagers stood up front and sang a contemporary Christian song to a pre-recorded music track. The music director, an elderly poodle femme named Terra, had called that part “special music.” Jenna could feel a strong spirit among the congregation as everyone either listened or softly sang along.
Then Brother Ronnie stood up behind the podium to deliver the sermon. Before he did, though, he dismissed the young age seven or less for “children’s church.” A dark-haired raccoon femme with striking blue eyes, who’d introduced herself as Sheila, led a procession of cubs, pups, kits, and kittens out one of the side doors. Bro. Ronnie then began the sermon.
Tia and Andrew remained on their best behavior, although Andrew fidgeted a bit from time to time. Jenna tried to listen, but her thoughts kept drifting. The sermon was on leaving the past in the past, and Jenna kept asking herself if it wasn’t too soon to think about dating again. She glanced over at Jack a couple of times. The wolf’s golden eyes seemed to have a faraway look, and she briefly wondered what was pulling him elsewhere, too.
Before too long, the gray fox brought the sermon to a conclusion, and extended an invitation for anyone else who wished to say anything. Jenna remembered that this would normally be when anyone who wished to officially join the church would stand and say so, and also the time when anyone wishing to make a public statement of Faith would do so. After a moment went by with no one standing to speak, Miss Terra, as they called her, led the congregation in a couple verses of a hymn. When it seemed no one was going to come forward, she ended the song, and Bro. Ronnie gave a closing prayer and a short benediction.
As everyone began to mill about gathering their things and talking, Jenna was impressed to see that very few furs were in a hurry to leave. The folks at this church seemed to genuinely enjoy and like each other, and appeared glad to have the chance to visit with each other. Jack nodded to Tia and beckoned her to follow him.
“C’mon, Tia, I’ll introduce you to the teenagers. Sorry Andrew, but my guess is you’re still a year or two too young for the Youth Group. The cutoff is twelve.”
Andrew shrugged and meandered over toward a couple of young rabbits who appeared near his age.
As Tia eased past her mother, she said quietly, “He looks like quite a catch, Mom. Want me to find out more about him for you?”
Jenna, still lost in thought, gave a small gasp and looked at Tia, unable to answer for a second. By the time she found her voice, Tia had already followed Jack over to the teenagers, who stood talking and playfully jostling with each other.
For the next half-hour, various folks came by and introduced themselves, welcoming Jenna warmly. She watched Tia talking animatedly with Jack and several of the teens as they smiled and laughed and commented in return. Slowly the church emptied out. Andrew returned and flopped down on the pew behind Jenna, indicating that he was ready to go. Jenna caught Tia’s attention and motioned for her to come back. Brother Ronnie and Anne walked in from the door to the Fellowship Hall, where they had been making sure everything was closed up.
“So Jenna,” he said as they walked up, “hope we didn’t scare you off or anything. We’d love for you to join us every Sunday.”
“Actually, I was going to ask if we had to do anything special to join. We’ve been active with the military base chapels everywhere we’ve been, but I remember most civilian churches have guidelines for membership that have to be met, and rules to follow on membership,” Jenna replied.
“Oh no, nothing like that. Our church secretary maintains a list of those who attend regularly, but we’re an interdenominational church, so we don’t have any church hierarchy to answer to, except God. All you have to do is show up. We have a service tonight at six, uh, eighteen hundred. It’s more of a Bible study, conducted by me. Wednesday nights at nineteen hundred we have a prayer meeting.”
Jenna smiled broadly. “Thank you. You sound like you were in the service, too.”
“Yes, I was a boom operator on KC-135’s. Retired, let’s see, fourteen years ago now, and surrendered to the call to preach.” Brother Ronnie replied.
“Well, small world. I really enjoyed the service, and the folks here are very friendly. I think we’ll be back, at least next Sunday. We’ll try and make Sunday School, too.”
“Great! We’ll look forward to seeing you,” Brother Ronnie said.
“Oh yes, please,” Anne added.
Tia had returned, so Jenna smiled and said, “And we to coming back. Thank you all again. We’ll see you."
With that, Jenna led her cubs out toward their minivan. Tia noticed the slight, faraway look in her mother’s eyes and couldn’t resist.
“Y’know Mom, he’s a widower.” Tia gave a sly look, knowing that she had again caught her mother lost in thought.
“WHAT?” Jenna said, a great deal louder and a bit more eagerly than she’d intended. Tia collapsed into the minivan in a giggling fit as Jenna opened the doors. Andrew climbed in as well, and Jenna started the engine and pulled away toward the entrance to the lot.
As Jack and Bro. Ronnie stood on the church’s side porch and watched the O’Whitts leave, Jack thought he could see the blush under Jenna’s cheek fur from there.
“It matches yours,” Bro. Ronnie said. He walked back inside chuckling, leaving the wolf open-mouthed. Jack finally shut his muzzle and gave a slight grin.
“Maybe so, maybe so,” he said to himself as he turned to go.
END OF CHAPTER 20