Second Chance Read Free Page A

But had he even once asked her about herself or her family? Sure, she had told her story in the little meeting at New Hope, just like he had. But how was it that she knew to ask for more details, even if just to be polite, and he didn’t? Wasn’t that just like a rich kid to not care about anybody else? She had a bad feeling that she wasn’t going to like this guy very much, despite what they were going through together. Well, she concluded, at least he had asked her to go with him on his errand. That was better than being alone just now.
    Of course, she decided, that was the real reason he had invited her anyway. He didn’t want to be alone any more than she did. Vicki was finally doing a little something for somebody other than herself. She could serve that purpose. She could keep this poor rich kid from being alone during the worst night of his life.
    The tollway to O’Hare was stop-and-go when it was moving at all. Vicki simply didn’t understand where all these people were going. But then, she and Judd were going somewhere, so why couldn’t everyone else?
    The cabby had fallen silent long ago. He kept taking huge swigs from a mug of coffee and opened his window so the cool night air filled the car. Vicki shivered and wished he would shut it, but didn’t say anything. The way he looked, he had probably been driving for twenty-four hours. She was not about to discourage anything that would keep him awake.
    Within a couple of miles of the airport, the traffic stopped dead. With Judd seemingly still more interested in staring out the window than talking to her and the cab driver appearing to concentrate on simply staying awake, Vicki was alone with her thoughts. It was, she knew, time to talk to God. It would be the first time she had done that in as long as she could remember.
    As Vicki rested her face in her hands, she felt movement next to her. She peeked at Judd, who was still turned away from her. His shoulders heaved, and she knew he was sobbing, though he was somehow able to muffle the sounds.
    Vicki was suddenly overcome with an emotion she hadn’t felt in years. She felt desperately, overwhelmingly sorry for this boy. Maybe he was a rich kid, maybe he was insensitive, maybe he was so selfish he couldn’t even be polite. But he was suffering the way she was suffering. She knew exactly how he felt.
    Almost without thinking, Vicki put her hand gently on his shoulder. Judd lowered his head to his hands and sobbed aloud. Vicki saw the cab driver’s sympathetic glance through the rearview mirror. Judd whispered hoarsely, “I was so stupid. So stupid.” Judd moved slightly, and Vicki worried that he might be embarrassed. She pulled her hand away and retreated to her own thoughts.
    Fighting a sob in her own throat, sheprayed silently. “God,” she said, “I don’t even know how to talk to you, let alone what to say. Bruce Barnes said you loved us and cared about us and didn’t want to leave us behind. I hope that’s true because I want to believe in you. I’m sorry for having been such a bad person, and I’m sorry that it took something like this to make me come to you. I wish I could say I would have done this eventually anyway, but I can’t. I had enough chances, but I didn’t want to give you my life. If you can forgive me for that and still accept me, you can have whatever is left of my life. For a long time I hoped you weren’t real and that I wouldn’t have to answer to you someday, but I always knew down deep you were there. And if nothing else convinced me, this mess sure has. I know it can’t be as good to believe now when I have no choice, but if you’ll accept me, I will live for you for as long as you let me stay alive.”
    Vicki and Judd sat in silence for almost another two hours while the cab slowly inched its way toward the international airport. Suddenly the cabby pulled off the road and sat on the