Sharon was back at Abull’s Burgers, picking up her usual takeout order: Number 6, no onions.
“Thanks, Mr. Abull. You make the best bacon cheeseburgers in town. They’re heavenly!”
“God is good, Sharon, God is good,” responded the white-haired proprietor.
“Yes, He is, Mr. A.”
She turned from the counter, almost colliding with a tall, dark, handsome man wearing jeans and a black parka.
“Finally! I thought I’d never see you again! I’ve been looking for months!”
“Excuse me?”
“When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink.”
“What?”
Their eyes met again.
She gasped. “The Number 12!”
He grinned and nodded.
“But that was last summer! And how…”
“I had flown into town the previous night. I had a job interview with a company in the Bosco Building, across the street from the park. I took an Uber from the hotel to the interview that morning and used Apple Pay.”
“After the interview, I couldn’t find my wallet. I didn’t know it had fallen out of my pocket onto the car floor. I was hungry, thirsty, and in a new city hundreds of miles from home. I didn’t have any cash or identification. My hotel was a couple of miles away, so I crossed over to the park to regroup.”
“You were alone on the bench. Your head was down, and your eyes were closed. I didn’t know if you were napping or praying, so I just sat quietly on the opposite bench.”
“You looked up, came over, handed me the bag, and left. You seemed to be in a hurry, so I just said thank you.”
“I had dozed off and was about to be late for work,” Sharon said. “But how…”
“The bag had the restaurant logo and phone number on it. Mr. Abull said you come in often but not on any schedule. I’ve been checking here every week for seven months since then, except when I’m out of town for work.
"I had almost given up hope, but I heard a still, small voice say, ‘Go again.’ So I did. Perfect timing.”
“Wow…” Sharon said softly.
"I’m Josiah Portman, deputy chief design engineer for Troubadour & Dancer Construction. My office is in the Bosco Building. The interview went well.” He smiled.
“I’ve got to get back to work, and I don’t want to delay you, Sharon.”
After taking a deep breath, Josiah continued.
“Since you like beef, may I take you to dinner at Capital B’s Friday night? They serve the best steaks in town. Heavenly.”
It was Sharon’s turn to smile.
“Thanks, Mr. Abull. You make the best bacon cheeseburgers in town. They’re heavenly!”
“God is good, Sharon, God is good,” responded the white-haired proprietor.
“Yes, He is, Mr. A.”
She turned from the counter, almost colliding with a tall, dark, handsome man wearing jeans and a black parka.
“Finally! I thought I’d never see you again! I’ve been looking for months!”
“Excuse me?”
“When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink.”
“What?”
Their eyes met again.
She gasped. “The Number 12!”
He grinned and nodded.
“But that was last summer! And how…”
“I had flown into town the previous night. I had a job interview with a company in the Bosco Building, across the street from the park. I took an Uber from the hotel to the interview that morning and used Apple Pay.”
“After the interview, I couldn’t find my wallet. I didn’t know it had fallen out of my pocket onto the car floor. I was hungry, thirsty, and in a new city hundreds of miles from home. I didn’t have any cash or identification. My hotel was a couple of miles away, so I crossed over to the park to regroup.”
“You were alone on the bench. Your head was down, and your eyes were closed. I didn’t know if you were napping or praying, so I just sat quietly on the opposite bench.”
“You looked up, came over, handed me the bag, and left. You seemed to be in a hurry, so I just said thank you.”
“I had dozed off and was about to be late for work,” Sharon said. “But how…”
“The bag had the restaurant logo and phone number on it. Mr. Abull said you come in often but not on any schedule. I’ve been checking here every week for seven months since then, except when I’m out of town for work.
"I had almost given up hope, but I heard a still, small voice say, ‘Go again.’ So I did. Perfect timing.”
“Wow…” Sharon said softly.
"I’m Josiah Portman, deputy chief design engineer for Troubadour & Dancer Construction. My office is in the Bosco Building. The interview went well.” He smiled.
“I’ve got to get back to work, and I don’t want to delay you, Sharon.”
After taking a deep breath, Josiah continued.
“Since you like beef, may I take you to dinner at Capital B’s Friday night? They serve the best steaks in town. Heavenly.”
It was Sharon’s turn to smile.
