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Seeing Beyond

By Kent Wyatt

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For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV)
… And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32 (KJV)



Chapter 1

Tee, it happen’n again.” Janie’s thick lisp formed a worried whisper in the quiet produced by the crowd’s anticipation.
Talisa’s attention snapped from the sky to her sister. Watching for the spectacle about to begin in the Oklahoma night above her, she hadn’t noticed what was taking place two lawn chairs away. Janie’s hand rested on Teddy’s shoulder as she stared at his face with a wide-eyed expression that betrayed the condition her genetic disorder produced—childlike simplicity wrapped in her adult body.
Talisa leaned around her sister and scrutinized Teddy’s expression. The first rocketing firework exploded over Lake Gallant, making her shoulders jerk. The display reflected in Teddy’s deep brown eyes, but they gave no indication that the deafening eruption of color or the exclamation from the other celebrators registered in the brain of Theodore Baskins. Talisa watched the unblinking stare for a moment, captivated as always by the thought that those eyes were seeing beyond the perspective in which she was bound. “Teddy, what do you see?”
Movement in her periphery let Talisa know her friend Kaylee had also abandoned watching the fireworks and pivoted in her chair to be a part of the drama closer at hand. “Is that it? Is it happening?”
Teddy spoke without changing his gaze. “I’m leaving.” His brow furrowed. He whipped a backhanded strike toward his shoulder like he was trying to get someone off him. “Don’t touch me.”
His slap knocked Janie’s hand away. She drew back. A wounded expression flickered across her eyes then she relaxed, and her face turned sympathetic again. The anger wasn’t really Teddy’s and it wasn’t for her.
Falling forward, the young man caught himself with his forearms on his thighs. For a moment he sat bent over. Talisa could tell the vision had ended.
Kaylee stood and moved in a wide arc toward Teddy like she was approaching a creature she feared she might startle. “Is that really it? What’s he seeing? You said he didn’t see things that often, but that’s twice this evening. Do you think it’s something big like a plane crash or school shooting? Maybe someone is using the fireworks to mask the gunshots.”
As if on cue, the sky blossomed again, punctuating her statement with a thundering report that made them all flinch.
Talisa shook off the urge to check herself for bullet holes and glared at her friend. “Don’t do that.” She left her own chair and moved toward Teddy. “I don’t know what’s going on. Give me a minute.” She frowned back at her friend. “It’s 9:30 at night on Memorial Day weekend. How could it be a school…? Let me talk to him a sec.” Talisa placed her hand on Teddy’s back. “Tell me what you saw. Does someone need help?”
Teddy looked up at her. His broad forehead, small wide-set eyes that turned downward at the outside corners and the slight hook to his nose gave him a manly, elfin appearance. “I don’t know. A hand was on my shoulder. I didn’t see them, and all I had time to think was that I was mad and wanted to leave.”
“Mad, but not afraid?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Kaylee leaned in like she was yelling into a cave. “Teddy, it’s Kaylee. Can you hear me?”
A burst of beauty in the heavens lit up Teddy’s confused expression along with the hillside overlooking the marina. The crowd in the parking lot below gave an exclamation of wonder as Teddy blinked his eyes and twitched at the detonation.
Kaylee had positioned herself in front of Teddy, inspecting him. At his reaction, she called as if he was far away. “What are you seeing, Teddy? Do you hear anything like maybe explosions or gunshots?”
Teddy smiled at the embers raining from the sky and nodded.
Talisa gave the woman’s enthusiasm a wave off. “It’s over. He’s not seeing anything now. Let me talk to him.”
Kaylee straightened, looking disappointed. “Really? That’s it?”
Talisa took over the questioning. “Could you tell who you were, you know, the person whose eyes you were seeing through?”
Teddy looked to the side like he was thinking, but his head was already shaking. “It didn’t feel like anyone I know. But it was really quick.”
“What did you see around you?”
“I was in a room. I didn’t recognize anything, so I don’t think it was anywhere I’ve been before. I wasn’t paying attention to what was around me except the door because I wanted to get to it and leave. It seemed like everything was real nice, like fancy furniture and things. I tried to go to the door and someone put their hand on my shoulder, and it made me mad, so I knocked their hand away. That’s all I saw.” Teddy reached over and rubbed Janie’s hand. “Sorry. Did it hurt?”
Janie grabbed his hand in both of hers and smiled as she shook her head, causing her straight blond hair to swish around her slender form.
Talisa frowned. “And you didn’t see who touched you?”
Teddy moved his own wavy, perpetually unkempt, brown hair back and forth. “Sorry, Ms. Tee. That’s all there was.”
Teddy was doing the best he could. Talisa smiled despite her frustration. Figuring out Teddy’s visions was never easy, but this one gave her nowhere to start. Two times in the last few hours—Kaylee was right. It wasn’t like the others. Though they varied in length, it was always one vision, one event, and it was over. And the visions were always about someone in trouble. What Teddy was describing sounded more like a disagreement, nothing warranting divine intervention.
God, what are You trying to show us? Talisa had to believe it was God. Nothing else made sense. She didn’t care what some of the small-minded individuals in Gilead County said about “The Enigma,” as they called Teddy, thanks to her using the word to describe his gift. Those people didn’t understand Teddy and his gentle naïve nature any better than they understood her use of the word that day. They wanted to make Teddy part of the area legends, like the lake monster some claimed to see or the old man at the prison who supposedly had a hidden treasure.
It saddened her when Teddy told her how his family had to leave the last place they lived because people didn’t like them. And it wasn’t about the visions. They didn’t start until he moved to Gilead County. How could humans be so cruel?
Weariness wound its way around Talisa. As a singer belted out a rousing song paying homage to patriotism and lost loved ones, a finale of fireworks lit the air and betrayed Talisa’s countenance.
Kaylee came to her side. “Hey, you okay?”
“Just tired.”
“Go on up to your house. You’ve worn yourself out with this whole thing. I’ll walk Janie up in a little while and make sure Teddy gets off okay.”
“I told his dad he could sleep in the guest room. I don’t want him driving at night.”
“Okay, I’ll make sure they get up there. Go rest. This has all been too much, too soon. Luke helped your dad organize this event almost as long as you did, plus he’s also the sheriff. He’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Luke. She was almost ready to concede until Kaylee said the name. She hoped her face didn’t betray her feelings.
Too late. Kaylee was scrutinizing her. “You know it’s been a long time since we were in high school. Don’t you think it’s time you let it go?”
Talisa pulled herself erect. “You didn’t spend your junior year being called frog legs.”
“I think he meant it as a compliment. You’re the best swimmer I’ve ever seen, next to…Luke.”
“I’m sure it was his idea of a compliment. That just proves what an idiot he is. And when I told him I didn’t like it,” Talisa gestured with her hand, “in front of everyone, he made a fool out of me.”
Kaylee started giggling. “You have to admit what he said was funny.” Her voice deepened as she mimicked Luke’s accent. “You ever take a good look at a set of frog legs? You put a frog in a skirt and some high heels, and no sir, they don’t even need pantyhose.” Kaylee giggled for a second until she saw Talisa’s face. She brought her eyebrows together in a fierce scowl. “It was awful of him to say that. Next time I see him, I’m going to tell him so.” Kaylee’s eyes strayed to a tall figure in a sheriff’s uniform who stood at the edge of the parking lot, surveying the crowd. “Probably not tonight, though, since he’s busy.”
Talisa glared at the woman. “Our friendship has survived a lot. Not the least of which has been the last few minutes. But if you say anything to him about any of this…” Talisa wasn’t good at threats. “I’ll want back all those CDs I loaned you in high school. Got it? Besides, there’s more to it, but let’s drop it, okay?”
Kaylee forced a smile as her head bobbed in silent acquiescence.
Talisa needed a subject change. “I’m the owner of the marina now. I can’t just leave. Besides, I think the VFW planned a tribute to Daddy. What would it look like if—” When she said, “Daddy,” the words stuck in her throat until she finally had to stop and turn away.
Kaylee wrapped her up in a hug.
Another set of arms encircled her, and she heard Janie’s voice. “It okay, Tee. I’m here wiff you. Rememba, Daddy’s with Jesus.” They held her for a moment. Talisa squeezed her eyes shut, determined to make it through the night without crying.
Keeping her arm around Janie while Kaylee patted her shoulder, Talisa stood to face the music. When it ended, the military speaker the event committee had brought in from Fort Sill came to the platform near the docks. He spoke of remembering loved ones who were no longer with them while the crowd threw flowers into the lake. Janie drew a handful of petals from her pocket and threw them to the night breeze.
The presenter talked of the sacrifice made by EMS, Fire, and Law Enforcement. Along with the rural inhabitants, half the town of Havilah was packed onto the marina grounds for the presentation. A man with a spotlight pivoted it to members of each profession represented in the crowd as the speaker called out their names and also spoke of those who had lost their lives in service to the community. The light fell on Luke who stood at respectful attention. After he spoke of Luke’s service, the man honored Luke’s father who was killed in the opening days of the Second Gulf War. Then the speaker began to name other brave men and women who had fallen for their country.
Gazing at Luke, Talisa remembered what a crush she had on him as they grew up, starting on the playground her first day of kindergarten. The stocky second grader helping her up when she fell in front of him. Luke dashing away to play again, her running after him by instinct, skinned knee forgotten. Heat warmed her cheeks. It still embarrassed her to think what a little Luke tagalong she’d been through elementary school.
When Luke’s father never came home from the war, Talisa’s daddy stepped in to fill the gap in Luke’s life. She squeezed her eyes at the memory of how she thought it was a dream come true when she and Luke were thrown together even more. What a minion you were, Talisa. You made such a hero out of him. If that’s all he had been, it would have been okay. A little girl needs a hero. But as she got older, it was her other feelings that made it hurt like a hole through her middle when he left.
The memories flooded Talisa’s eyes and almost spilled over when she heard her name over the loudspeaker, and the spotlight transfixed her like a butterfly on a pin. She threw on a smile. Talisa hoped she was far enough up the hill for her eyes not to glisten too brightly.
The presenter on stage extolled the former Navy SEAL who began this Gilead County, Oklahoma Memorial Day Tribute fifteen years earlier. How it began at the State Park and moved to the current location when her father bought the marina. A man who had lived his life in service to others in uniform and at home. The orator told of her father’s sacrifices to care for her mother as she was dying of cancer during the previous two years. A man who was the true example of devotion to family, friends, community and country—her father, Michael Hollenbeck.
The parking lot lifted like a wave on the ocean as in unison, the participants stood to their feet and applauded the man whom she still cherished, even though he had struck a devastating blow to her heart.

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