Finding Hope Read Online Free

weak voice. “I need a drink of water.”
    Hope walked into the musty room with a glass of cloudy water saying, “How you feeling sweetie? It’s nice to see you moving around a bit.”
    Julian was looking thin and frail, a paler version of his former self. Julian was a wonderful child. He was a true product of Hope’s amazing parenting. She spent so much time teaching him about life, strength, and the virtues of being human. It was a long standing joke among those who knew them that Hope parented as if she had something to prove. Hope once sat quietly and watched Julian ignore his friends on the playground to help the Cleary’s boy who had been paralyzed from the waist down since birth. Despite the teasing and unkind words of children, Julian spent his time patiently helping the boy. This warmed Hope’s soul and reminded her of the strength her father once had.
    “We still need to get food in you. Are you hungry?” Hope asked gently, caressing Julian’s cheek.
    “No, just thirsty,” Julian said pulling the blanket up below his chin. “Where’s Daddy?”
    “He went to get more food. He’ll be back in a couple hours. Get some sleep now. I need to get some work done, but I’ll be just in here if you need anything,” Hope said quietly. “I love you so much.”
    “I love you too,” Julian whispered as he fell back asleep.
    Hope walked back into the room where her piles of torn and worn out garments were waiting for her. She sat down and began. Carefully stitching perfect rows of thread, she expertly conducted her craft. Like an artist, she’d perfectly backstitched her seams and then tacked them for reinforcement. Her workmanship was well known in her little community, and people from all around would bring her items to repair. Her fingers had become so nimble and could untangle any knot. Years of experience and deep sense of patience delivered the highest level of quality in her work. She’d get lost in her thoughts while impeccably mending anything in front of her. Although she enjoyed the speed and simplicity of sewing machines, she truly loved to hand stitch because she could maintain the purest accuracy. Aside from guitar and the music of her father, there was nothing Hope enjoyed more than sewing and repairing the tattered fabric.
    Thomas arrived home just before three pm. A wonderful surprise was waiting for him right outside the hardware store.
    “Tommy boy, you son of a bitch! How ya doing,” shouted a deep a friendly voice. “Get over here!”
    Thomas looked up and saw his lifelong friend Gabe Winter. “Gabe, I can’t believe they still let people like you into town,” Thomas said embracing his old friend in a firm, warm hug.
    “You boys gonna just stand there and ignore me like I’m some sort of leper,” Faith, Gabe’s beautiful wife, said in a sarcastic but loving tone.
    “Faith, I could never ignore you. I’ve been waiting for Gabe to die off so we could slip away for years now,” Thomas said as he winked and put his arm around her thin yet muscular shoulders. “Hope is going to be so happy to see you two. Are you here for the social?”
    “No, we’re here just to see you and enjoy your sparkling personality,” Gabe said sarcastically while messing up Thomas’s greasy hair. “It’s so great to see you and good to be back,” Gabe said planting a forceful, wet kiss in the middle of Thomas’s dusty forehead.
    Gabe and Thomas had been friends since they could remember. Growing up next door to one another, their stories number in the thousands. They shared everything, including all of their life experiences. They played baseball together when they were just children. They went to the same schools, shared the same friends, and even shared each other's families. Even when Gabe met Faith, Thomas was a fixture in their lives. Several years ago they moved to a neighboring town forty-five miles away to work his father’s old farm.
    “It’s been s o long since we’ve seen you two.