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Pigtails and a Tool Belt

By Janetta Fudge Messmer

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CHAPTER ONE

Samantha taped the next-to-the-last box shut for her move back to Hummingbird, Colorado. Even though she’d gone on digs as a geologist to exotic places, returning to her hometown rated as her biggest adventure to date.

Her dad had hinted at retirement, and Sam jumped at the chance to take over her father’s business to work with her hands again. This time it’d have nothing to do with rocks, lava or sediment.

However, the move meant she’d leave her job behind, the small contemporary flat downtown she adored, and her boyfriend of two years. A temporary inconvenience. Nathan promised he’d follow her in January.

During their conversation the night before, he’d assured her, “I’m counting the days until Christmas Eve when I’ll see you. Less than four months away. We’ll spend the holiday weekend together. Just the two of us.”

Samantha reminded him, “No, Nathan, it’ll be you, me and my dad. We’ll do stuff without him, but Christmas…it’s tough for him, and me, since Mom died.”

“I understand, Sam, but I want our time to be special too.”

“It will be. You’ll love my dad.”

Samantha ended the call and the excitement for her upcoming move faltered a little. “Am I doing the right thing?” It took Sam a nanosecond of contemplation before she shouted, “Absolutely.”

And today, as she finished packing, her resolve held. “Nathan, we’ve talked about this move and we agreed it’s the best plan for me. We’ll have plenty of time to make memories when we’re together. Hummingbird might not be Aspen or Vail, but it’s special in its own way.”

Sam carried the final box to her coffee table and opened the flaps. The photos, school paperwork, and letters from her past filled the cardboard container. Tears stung her eyes. And it holds the letter which changed everything.
~~~

Sam searched through the box and found the envelope. Her heart told her to leave it at the bottom of the pile, not reread the hurt and betrayal her fiancé sent from the deserts of Afghanistan.

A tear dropped on the single page she’d taken from the envelope and unfolded. Again she repeated the phrase she’d spoken so many years before, “Isn’t a ‘Dear John’ letter supposed to come from me?”

Sammy:

Been out on patrol seems like 24/7 since we landed. Long days. Two buddies got killed. An IED. I’ll spare you the details, but where we’re at is a hellhole.

Samantha, I can’t do “US” anymore. You’re all I think about and it’s not good. As of today, I’m breaking off our engagement. Go live your life. Marry. Have kids. Move on.

Zach

As hard as anything she’d ever done, Samantha had taken her ex-fiancé’s advice and moved on. She’d gone as far away from her hometown as she could get without landing in the Atlantic Ocean. Her choice of colleges – Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Where she now sat, reliving a broken promise from another time and place in her life. Lord, is it truly Your will for me to leave Providence and go back to Hummingbird?

“It is, and I have to finish packing.” Samantha threw the letter back into the box and sealed it with packing tape. In big red letters, Sam wrote – DESTROY CONTENTS. She’d do it later and enjoy burning her past. The time had come to move on with Nathan Sherman.

“And it’s time for me to go to bed.”

Samantha snuggled under the blanket and almost dozed, but a ping from her phone woke her. Laughter filled the air when she read Nate’s text. “Forgot to tell you. I’m looking forward to meeting your dad.”

“I’ve officially moved on.” Sam sent Nathan a dozen emojis of hearts and hugs in her return text, along with, “Talk to you tomorrow.”
~~~

During the five days it took Samantha to drive across the U.S.A., she’d chatted with her dad and Nathan. Mostly at pit stops when her behind screamed, “Stop and go for a walk.” She’d take a stroll at the rest areas. Cute dogs, in all shapes and sizes, scampered about on their outings.

Each morning of her trip Sam checked the weather. Storms of any kind stayed away. On her final night on the road, Samantha stopped in Limon, Colorado. The following day, in less than three hours, she’d arrive in Hummingbird and be able to hug her dad.

Since sleep eluded her most of the night, she jumped out of the hotel bed at dawn and ventured to the truck stop next door for a hearty breakfast. On the way, her phone rang. “Hi, Dad.”

“Are you here yet?”

“I’ll be driving in about 10ish.”
“You be safe, sweetie.”

Hearing his voice made Samantha want to forego breakfast and head back to the truck to break all speed records to get home. Sam hated to admit the exact time of her last visit – almost two years.

Her father had called and she’d rushed home to spend time with her mom before she passed into Jesus’ arms. Today, as she strolled into the restaurant, a tear threatened to fall when Sam remembered her mom’s last words, “I will never be too far away.”

Like Jesus.

Samantha swept a tear away and took the seat closest to the door. A waitress hurried to the table and took her order for a Denver omelet. The menu stated the meal came with coffee and the woman poured Sam a cup before she had a chance to ask for one.

Sam took a sip, after the waitress left, and she rated it as the strongest cup of coffee she’d ever tasted. And bitter. Samantha toyed with a container of cream and ended up pouring more of it on the table than in the cup.

“Happens all the time.” The waitress wiped up the mess and sat Sam’s breakfast in front of her. “Need anything else, dear?”

“No, but I won’t have to worry about falling asleep on the final leg of my trip.”

“Where you headed?”

Samantha gave the waitress the shortened version of her story and ended with, “I can’t wait to see my dad. It’s been way too long.”

“I’m glad you’re going home.”

“So am I.”

Samantha finished her omelet and paid the bill, leaving her waitress a generous tip. Savings and a 401K gave Sam a little freedom to bless others. Might not be in the cards after she became a business owner, but for now she’d have fun with it.

While driving the remaining miles to Hummingbird, ideas for a new name for the established business skipped around in her head. It got so bad at one point, she pulled to the side of the road and found the app on her phone she used to record her voice and let it run.

“How about Ponytails and Pliers? No, I have it. She’s at Your Service.” Samantha nixed it the second it left her lips. “Okay, there has to be a name out there where people won’t envision me as a lady of the…I’ve got it. Pigtails and a Tool Belt. I love it. Dad will too.”
Pikes Peak loomed in the distance. Her foot pushed on the accelerator to get home faster, but the compact, rental truck traveled as fast as the company set the governor to go. In the case of this vehicle, speed ranged from between fifty-eight to sixty miles per hour.

Eventually, Samantha made her way through Colorado Springs and into the mountains leading to Hummingbird. She turned down North Elm and parked in front of her dad’s house. His smiling face welcomed her home as she exited the truck.

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Sweetie, I’m so glad you’re here.”

Her father gave her a big hug, which of course lasted longer than normal since they hadn’t seen each other in a while. Samantha allowed it to go on, but after a time reminded him in a muffled tone, “Breathing is overrated, but I’d like to continue doing it.”

“Sorry. I’m happy to see you. I still can’t believe you’re moving here for good. It does an old man good when their long-lost daughter returns home.”

“Such dramatics and for your information, I’m not the prodigal. The Lord and I are on a first-name basis. How do you think I traveled all these miles to get here? He stayed with me all the way.”

“Your prayers and mine kept you safe. Don’t want to talk about work right away, but we have lots to do. I’ve scheduled Mr. Flynn for his new hot water heater tomorrow. The next day, we’re stripping wallpaper off Philip Harrison’s bathroom walls.”

Samantha marveled at her father’s energy at sixty-seven. But the day came, three months before, when he finally admitted, “It’s time for me to retire. Can’t get up and down the ladder like I use to. I was wondering, Sam, have you ever thought of doing this for a living?”

After lots of prayers, lengthy discussions with Nathan, and finally giving her notice at work, Samantha made the decision to return. And today, she listened to the list of jobs they’d do together and announced, “Let’s get started, Dad. I’m here to help.”

“I have another one you might be interested in. Want to help me finish the interior of the tiny house I told you about?”

“Why not? Don’t have anything else to do.” Samantha winked at her father. “But first, let’s unload the rental truck into your garage so I can return it? Appears we’ve got work to do.”

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