Behind Blue Eyes
Copyright© 2025 by DB86
Chapter 23
Robert drove along Main Street admiring the decorated storefronts. Middletown was buzzing with activity.
Year after year, all the business owners tried to outdo each other with their holiday adornments.
Middletown was packed with people looking for a cute small-town Thanksgiving.
Volunteers were getting things ready at the town hall for the Thanksgiving parade. Janice had written about it in the town’s paper. There were building stands that would hand apple cider, hot chocolate, doughnuts, and pumpkin bars to townspeople.
Benji looked at everything in awe.
Since Robert told Janice they were coming to Middletown for Thanksgiving, her life became a happy, hazy blur. She decorated her home for the first time in years.
She decorated her porch with garlands embellished with mini pumpkins and berries. Fall foliage and lit wire pumpkins made her entryway stand out from the crowd.
That night, when Janice went to bed, she said a silent prayer for the first in years.
“Lord, I’m so tired of being alone. I’m so tired of being on my own, I’m tired of having no one to share my life with. I want to be loved. I want a family. Please! Amen”
The next morning Janice woke up early and prepared everything for her visitors. Rain and Rolf came to share breakfast with her, before going to church.
Somehow, Rain had convinced Janice to attend the services.
Janice hadn’t been inside the church except for Christenings, weddings, or funerals so she could write about them in The Gazette. Usually, she would be quiet and sit towards the back of the church.
This was different. Was she ready to face God in His own house?
Janice was angry with God about all that had been stolen from her since she was a teen.
The sound of a car parking outside Janice’s house interrupted her thoughts. Her heart started beating fast in anticipation. As soon as the doorbell rang, she rushed to the front door and found Robert and Benji smiling at her.
She smiled back at them, still trying to catch her breath. “Come in! It’s chilly outside.” She stepped aside but kept her eyes on Robert.
“That’s a lovely dress you have on, Janice.”
“You look like a princess, Mom,” Benji exclaimed.
“Thank you,” she said, twirling around.
The Thanksgiving decorations didn’t stop in the entryway. As they walked through the house, Robert and Benji smiled at the porcelain turkeys dotted around the living room, the colorful cushions, and the bright orange and red rugs covering the wooden floor.
Benji stopped to admire a carved turkey.
“This is truly beautiful, Janice,” Robert said, walking into the dining room. “You have worked too hard.”
“Holidays are a big deal around here. You can’t live in Middletown and not decorate every inch of open space in your home. You might be arrested if you don’t have enough decorations,” Janice joked.
Robert and Benji laughed.
“I see that. I’ve never seen a town celebrate Thanksgiving like this,” Robert admitted.
Janice chuckled leading them to the kitchen. Rain and Rolf were sitting at the counter drinking two mugs of chocolate.
“My sister Rain and her husband Rolf are here,” Janice said pointing at the couple. “Remember them?”
“Of course we do,” said Robert shaking hands with them.
“Good morning, Rain. Good morning, Rolf,” Benji greeted them.
Rain high-fived the boy.
“You have already met Robert, Benji’s father,” Janice said to her sister and her husband.
Rain and Rolf exchanged pleasantries with Robert.
“I’ll sit by Aunt Rain,” Benji pointed at a chair at her side.
Rain winked at the boy. “Would you like some chocolate?”
“Yes!” Benji exclaimed.
Janice handed a cup to Robert and he took it gratefully.
“Delicious,” Robert said, after a long sip. “Just what I needed.”
Janice smiled at Robert and he smiled back at her.
“Would you like to come to church with us, Robert?” Janice asked.
“Can we, Dad? We used to go to the service every Sunday,” Benji exclaimed.
Robert shrugged and nodded. “A bit of religion can’t hurt.”
“Dad used to light a candle for you,” Benji said looking at Janice.
Robert coughed his chocolate, “Benji...”
Janice looked at her son. His eyes were fixed on her. “Thanks. If I’d have been dead I’d have appreciated the candle,” she said with a big smile.
Benji blushed slightly.
Janice still wasn’t sure how she felt about attending formal church services surrounded by a crowd of people who didn’t like her.
“Could you do me a favor while we’re at church, Mom?”
The boy’s overly casual tone caused Janice to look at him sharply.
“Sure, if I can.”
“Would you thank God with me for bringing you back into my life? I’ve been praying for a mom since I was little.”
Janice looked down at her son, and her eyes became blurry and glazed over with tears.
“I can do that,” she managed to say.
The sturdy, square white church was a relic of Middletown’s history. Its row of arched windows had looked upon the town’s growth. They had been saved from the fire that burnt down the first chapel.
As Janice gazed at the temple, an elderly couple approached from the path that led to the lake, walking arm in arm with slow measured steps.
“That could be Robert and me,” she thought.
Janice didn’t dare meet Robert’s gaze for fear her blush would give away her thoughts.
Sunday morning worship at Middletown Church was normally crowded. There was hardly an empty seat in the temple.
The church went silent as Janice walked down the aisle holding her son’s hand. The back of her neck prickled. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see people looking at her and whispering. Every muscle in her body tensed.
They all sat in the front pew. The rich, warm tones of the oak pews were complimented by the maroon carpet underfoot. The tall stained-glass windows glowed with shades of blue, red, yellow, and royal purple. Overhead, heavy support beams arched upward to a wood-clad ceiling that always made her think of a boat.
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