Casting Down Imaginations Read Online Free Page B

be sleeping in your bed, and Karen, you
will be sleeping in yours.”
    Kevin sat
back down. We both knew when our parents were serious. They didn’t know it yet,
but Kevin was starting to pick up on all of the fights they’d been having, even
though the rest of us pretended that everything was fine in front of him.
    “That’s
just what she said, Daddy,” I told him. “You know me. I’m not trying to start
any trouble.”
    “No, no,
no,” he said to me, standing up. “Don’t worry about your mama. I’ll take care
of her.”
    I didn’t
smile, but I wanted to so bad. I loved it when Daddy took up for me. He was my
protection; my knight in shining armor, coming to save the day… And my back
from sleeping on that hard floor.
    “I’ll
help you pack, okay?” he said.
    I nodded
as he leaned over and kissed me on my forehead. I was going to miss him so
much. My daddy was the business!
    He walked
over to the other side of my bed and began to fold a pile of T-shirts and put
them in one of the suitcases. He stopped after two, just like I thought he
would.
    “Let’s
pray, baby,” he said to me.
    Kevin
jumped up and ran over to us, grabbing us by the hands. “I want to, too.”
    “You
will,” Daddy told him. “We’re gonna pray for your sister, okay? She’s about to
leave tomorrow and we won’t see her for a long time. We’re going to pray that
the Lord keep her and protect her and bring her back home safely to us, and
that while she’s away she’ll learn a lot of things and become an even better
person. Okay?”
    Kevin
nodded and smiled at me, already having faith that God was going to do
everything Daddy just said. I smiled to myself, grateful to My Heavenly Father
above for allowing me to have two such special people in my life who loved me
enough to pray for me. I am truly blessed.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    three
    KAREN
    “Come on
Karen, you’re gonna be late!” Daddy called from downstairs.
    “I’m
coming!” I yelled back.
    I always
waited until the last minute to pack. I should have just left everything in my
bags when the school called and said there had been a mix up with the dorm
rooms and that I didn’t have one anymore. The good news was that I would be
staying in the school hotel free of charge until things could get straightened
out. I saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with my family before I
left, so I stayed a few more days. I took Kevin to the park and to a movie, and
then Daddy and I went to dinner last night. I hadn’t realized how much I had
taken out of my suitcases until this morning when I was trying to get
everything back in them.
    Kevin
burst through the door and jumped on top of me.
    “Kevin!”
I rebuked him, but laughed anyway. “Not now little brother, I have to finish
packing. Daddy’s gonna be mad at me.”
    “He’s
waiting on you at the bottom of the stairs. He says hurry up.”
    I
stuffed the last shirt inside of the suitcase and squeezed the zipper shut.
Kevin stopped me.
    “I don’t
want to you go, Karen. Can’t you just stay one more day, please?”
    Water
began to tear in my eyes. “Come on now, Kevin, we’ve been through this. I have
to go to school.” I moved him aside and dragged the last suitcase to the door.
    “I hear
them fighting,” he whispered.
    I turned
back to see him sitting on the bed with his head down. We always heard Mama and
Daddy fighting, even though in front of us they pretended that everything was
okay. It was beginning to take a toll on Kevin. He was too young to know
anything about a dysfunctional home, but he did.
    I walked
over and gave him a hug. “It’ll be ok,” I told him. “I tell you what. Daddy has
my new cell phone number. Anytime you want to call me, no matter how late it
is, you can, okay?”
    He
nodded. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was all I could do at the moment.
    “Kevin!”
Mama called from downstairs. “Come on baby, you gotta go to school!”
    Kevin
looked up at me, crying unashamed.