Hatti’s Not Ready
This original story was written by Mark L. Acker, who is
from Springfield, MO. The way he describes it, the story was
inspired by the Holy Spirit. He sat down and practically
wrote the story all in one sitting. A few months later, his
father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In just a very
short time, he lost his biological father, his best friend,
and his greatest mentor. He has since looked back at the
story and sees the lesson he feels was sent to him through
the story....God has perfect timing. Mark is now happily
married and serving the Lord with gladness. Read more about
Mark
http://www.midnightangel308.com/marks_testimony.htm and
his personal relationship with God, or e-mail him
MarkLAcker@AOL.com
anytime.
I’m taking Bob out for a walk, Dad,” Hatti yelled on her way
out the door.
Daniel Cooke laid his morning paper on the table and turned
just in time to see the screen door slamming behind the
exuberant eight-year-old girl. “Don’t be gone long,” he
said, knowing she probably didn’t hear him.
He had been trying for some time to get her to stop carrying
that frog in her front overalls pocket, but he had finally
given up. “He likes riding around in there,” she would
protest. He felt a degree of sympathy for the poor frog, but
wasn’t about to break his little girl’s heart for its sake.
And he would rather she spend her time playing with frogs
than not play at all.
When Hatti’s mother died, Daniel wondered whether he would
ever be able to give Hatti an adequate home life. After all,
how could he raise a two-year-old girl and still take care
of his farming duties? Although farming was becoming more
difficult every year, he thanked God every day for what he
had. And mostly, he thanked God for the gift of a daughter
like Hatti. He couldn’t imagine life without her.
Hatti ran as fast as she could while still keeping Bob from
falling out of her pocket, her uneven red pigtails flailing
behind her. She didn’t care for her pigtails one bit. They
only served to keep her hair out of the way. She had often
pleaded with her father to cut her hair short, but he always
refused. “I won’t have my little princess looking like a
boy,” he would say.
Hatti made her way past the barn and out into the cornfield.
She loved to run through the tall cornstalks where the rest
of the world seemed to disappear. It was here that she would
stay for sometimes hours at a time, talking to Bob and
telling him all her secrets. Of course, her secret list
being very short, Bob usually heard the same secrets every
day. And every day she would grab his little webbed foot and
have him pinky swear not to tell anyone. He always obliged.
Hatti knew her daddy would be sad if he ever found out her
biggest secret. But she had to tell someone, and Bob was the
only one she could trust. He never talked. Hatti didn’t want
anyone to know that she was angry. Mainly, she was angry
with her mother for leaving. “Your mommy loves you very
much, sweetheart,” Daniel had said to her. “And one day
we’ll get to see her again with Jesus.” Hatti wasn’t sure
how her mother died. Hatti remembered her father telling her
about it.
“Your mother was very sick. We prayed that Jesus would make
her well. But He doesn’t always answer our prayers just the
way we want him to. But Jesus did answer our prayers for
your mother. He took her to a place where she will never be
sick again.”
She was only six at the time of the conversation, but she
still noticed the tears forming in his eyes as he spoke.
Hatti wondered why he was so sad if the place Mommy went to
was so great. That question renewed her anger and
frustration as she wiped a tear from her eye, still sitting
with Bob in the cornfield. Bob gave a little croak as he sat
in her hands looking up at her. She held him to her cheek as
she managed, “Oh Bob, if Jesus ever asks you to go with him,
just say no.” “Hatti!” she heard her father yell.
“Coming, daddy,” she replied as she jumped up and made her
way back out of the corn. When she reached him he was
opening the barn door.
“Listen, sweetheart, I’m going to be out in the field for a
while. Stay close to the house so you can hear the phone,
okay? And be watching for Aunt Sarah. She said she was going
to be bringing by some of her homemade apple pie later.”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Princess,” he said as he knelt down and hugged
her.
“I love you too.”
"You are still my little princess, right?”
“Yes, daddy.”
“Are you still my sweetheart?”
“Yeah,” she said burying her head in his chest.
“Are you still my sugar bear?” he asked, grinning from ear
to ear.
“Dad, stop it,” she said blushing and giggling despite
herself.
“I’ll see you in a couple hours,” he said as he turned for
the tractor parked in the barn. He stepped onto the front
tire and sprayed ether into the top of the old tractor, to
assure a clean startup. He climbed up into the spring-loaded
seat and turned the key. After a growl and a puff, the huge
engine roared to life. Hatti stood by the door as the
tractor moved by. Daniel turned to give his daughter a wink
and then he was gone.
By mid-afternoon Hatti was starting to get impatient. She
didn’t mind making herself a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich for lunch, but she hadn’t liked eating alone. Now
more hours had passed and it was still just her and Bob. She
kept stepping out into the yard and listening for the
tractor, but she never heard it. At three o’clock, Aunt
Sarah showed up.
Sarah Evers was of no relation to the Cookes, which was
fairly obvious by her chocolate-colored skin. She was
pleasantly plump in her early sixties and silver streaks had
begun to dominate her black hair. She was a recently retired
nurse, having worked twenty-six years in the maternity ward
at St. Michael’s Hospital. She was on-duty the night Hatti
was born. During her break that night, she found Daniel
pacing in the lobby of the delivery room. She had seen that
look a thousand times in that lobby, but still felt a deep
sense of empathy every time. She spoke with Daniel and tried
to reassure him of the doctor’s experience who was tending
to Laura Cooke in the next room. She asked Daniel if she
might pray with him before she returned to work and he
didn’t object. Later Daniel introduced Sarah to Laura, and
from then on she had a special bond with the Cookes. They
asked her over to their home often and she never refused an
invite. After Hatti turned one year old, they sometimes
called on Sarah to baby-sit her so they could go on a date.
It was Sarah who introduced Daniel and Laura to God. She
pleaded with them many times to go to church with her, and
when they finally did, it became a core part of their lives.
And now, Hatti was learning about God from Sarah.
As Sarah made her way up the sidewalk with her wicker basket
of goodies, Hatti ran out to meet her with a hug. Sarah
laughed as they embraced and kissed Hatti on the cheek.
“Child, you don’t know how happy your Aunt Sarah is to see
you. Let’s have a look at you,” she said as she pulled back.
“My, my…You must have grown a foot since I seen you last.”
Hatti laughed, “You just saw me yesterday.”
“I know it, I know it, and it’s been too long. Come on,
honey—let’s get these goods in the house before they spoil.”
Hatti sat at the kitchen table while Sarah pulled two pies
and a large zip-lock bag full of muffins from her basket and
searched for a good spot to place them.
“Aunt Sarah, why does Jesus want people?”
“Why, Jesus loves everyone, child. He wants them all because
he loves the mall. From the meanest, grumpiest old coot to a
sweet little girl like you—there ain’t nobody Jesus don’t
want.” “No, I mean why does he want people to go live with
Him?”
Sarah set down her pie and looked at Hatti. “So that’s
what’s on your mind today, is it? Come here, child.” Sarah
pulled up a chair and beckoned Hatti onto her lap, wrapping
her fluffy arms around her as Hatti sat down.
“Hatti, I’m going to tell you something my grandma told me
not too long before she went to be with Jesus. ‘Sarah,’ she
said, ‘not a one of us knows how much time we’re going to
have on this earth. Some of us is here for 10 years, some
for 50 years, and some for 100years, but we’re all just here
a short while. But you see, Jesus loves us a whole lot and
he gets lonesome for us up there in heaven. One day he just
gets tired of waiting and he sends for us. When that day
comes, you ain’t got no choice but to go. And it ain’t
because He makes you go. It’s because when that day comes,
and you go where He is, you’re sure never going to want to
come back. Up there, there’s always enough food on the
table, nobody ever takes sick, and everyone laughs and sings
and dances all daylong.’ That’s what my grandma told me,
Hatti. And it’s what my mama told me. And the older I get,
the more I believe it’s true.”
“But why doesn’t Jesus just come here?”
“Honey, this place just ain’t nice enough. Where He’s at,
the streets are made of gold and it’s never nighttime. In
fact, He’s up there right now, building a mansion for every
one of us.” “When will I go there?”
“Well, that’s the funny thing. It’s a secret, kind of a
surprise of sorts. Ain’t nobody knows when they’re going to
go, child. Not me, not nobody.”
Sarah decided it was time to change the subject. “Hey, are
you going to let me cut your hair today, Honey?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Have a seat right here and let’s see if we can’t do
something about these pigtails.”
Sarah snipped and clipped and combed and sprayed until
finally she had a finished product for Hatti to see in the
mirror. Her hair now curled in neatly just below her chin.
As Hatti gazed into the mirror, sirens could be heard in the
distance.
“Oh, it’s beautiful, Aunt Sarah! You think Daddy will like
it?”
“I’m sure he will, child. I’m sure he will,” Sarah replied
moving over to the window and gazing in the direction of the
sirens. “Lord, send your angels to whoever might need them
out there,” she whispered.
At five o’clock the phone rang and Sarah answered it.
“Hello? Yes, this is Sarah Evers. Uh, huh. You’re going to
have to repeat that for me, Hon. Yes. Oh my, no!” Sarah’s
hand went over her mouth and Hatti noticed the concern.
“Yes, thank you. We’ll get there as soon as we can.” “Is
everything okay, Aunt Sarah?”
“Yes, everything’s fine, child. Go get your shoes on. We’re
going to take a little trip to see your daddy.”
“Where’s he at? He’s supposed to be on the tractor!”
“Hatti, your daddy’s been in a little accident and he’s at
the hospital. We need to get over there as quick as we can
so we can be there for him.”
Hatti grabbed her shoes in her hands and started walking
towards Sarah’s car. Sarah followed her out the door,
praying silently.
The car ride to the hospital was silent and solemn. Sarah
thought nothing good would come of trying to push Hatti to
talk so she left her to her thoughts and continued to pray
silently. When they reached the hospital parking lot, Hatti
crawled out of the car and ran to the entrance as Sarah
followed a little slower.
They reached the front desk and Hatti blurted out, “Where’s
my dad?”
The young woman behind the desk looked at Sarah and said,
“Is this child with you?”
“Yes ma’am, this here’s Hatti Cooke and I’m Sarah Evers.
We’re here to see her daddy, Daniel Cooke.”
The nurse’s face softened. “Yes, I’ll try to reach the
doctor. Hold on one moment please.” Not long after the nurse
got off the phone, a pale-faced man in glasses with a
stethoscope hung on his neck came through some double
swinging doors.
“Ms. Evers, would you come with me, please.”
Hatti tried to follow, but Sarah stopped her. “Hatti, I need
you to wait here for just a bit. Can you do that, honey?”
Reluctantly, Hatti nodded and walked over and sat down on
one of the cushioned seats in the lobby. Sarah and the
doctor went through the double doors. Hatti watched the
doors continue to swing back and forth after the two were
out of sight.
“Ms. Evers, I’m glad you could make it. I only wish I had
something better to tell you. Mr. Cooke has sustained
multiple broken bones and is bleeding internally. He’s lucky
that tractor didn’t kill him instantly when it rolled. Ms.
Evers, we’ve done everything we can do. It’s only a matter
of time now.”
“How long?”
“Minutes. Half an hour at the most.”
“Can I see him?”
“Come this way.”
The Doctor ushered Sarah into the Intensive Care Unit. There
she saw Daniel. He looked better than what she had expected,
but he was very discolored.
“Daniel?” She took his hand in both of hers.
“Hello, old girl.” His voice was weak and he was obviously
having difficulty breathing. But he was easily understood.
“Guess I really made a mess of things this time, huh?”
“There now, little brother. Don’t you start in with that
stuff. Ain’t nobody blaming you.”
“How’s Hatti?”
“Just like any girl her age would be. She’s worried and she
wants to see you.”
“I don’t want her to remember me like this, Sarah.”
“Seeing you here like this ain’t going to make her forget
anything from before now, Daniel. She’s always going to be
her daddy’s girl.”
Tears filled both their eyes.
“Sarah, I want you to take care of Hatti for me. Will you?
“Daniel Cooke, how could I say no?”
“Please bring her to me. Hurry.”
Sarah found Hatti in the lobby and sat down beside her.
“Hatti, your daddy wants to see you. But listen to me very
carefully. He’s very weak and won’t be able to talk much. We
will have to leave soon so he can rest, okay?”
“Okay.”
They made their way into the ICU to Daniel’s bed. Hatti ran
to him and lay her head on his arm. He was just able to curl
his hand and touch her face.
“I love you, daddy.”
“I love you too, Princess. And I have something to tell you.
Something very important."
“When can we go home, daddy?”
“That’s what I have to tell you. I’m going to be seeing your
mother soon, Hatti. Very soon. I want you to know that…” His
voice trailed off.
“No, daddy! You can’t leave yet!”
Suddenly the “blip, blip, blip” of the machine at his
bedside became one steady beep. Nurses flooded in by the
bedside pushing Hatti backwards. Soon the doctor was there
holding what Hatti thought looked like irons in his hands.
“Clear!” he ordered.
“No!” Hatti screamed as she turned and ran out the door.
Sarah followed her to the entrance but then stopped when she
saw her climb into the car and bury her head in her hands.
Best to leave her alone for a bit, Sarah thought.
In the car, Hatti tried to wipe away the tears. She
swallowed hard and spoke between gasps for air.
“Jesus, please don’t take my daddy. You already have my mom.
I can’t live without my daddy. Please don’t take him from
me.”
Sarah began to weep softly and she stared out the window at
the car. Suddenly the nurse from the front desk tapped her
on the shoulder.
“Ms. Evers? I’m sorry to disturb you, but I thought you
might want to know they’ve revived Mr. Cooke.”
“Oh, thank you, ma’am!”
Sarah made her way back into the ICU.
“Mrs. Evers,” the doctor called out stepping away from the
bed, still surrounded by busy nurses. “I’m afraid I’m going
to have to ask you to step back out into the waiting room
for now.”
“No, let her stay, doc’,” came a faint voice from the bed.
Sarah ran to the bedside squeezing between nurses.
“He sent me back, Sarah. He sent me back.”
“What are you talking about, Daniel?
“Jesus sent me back. I saw Him there. It was heaven. I was
there. But Jesus looked at me and said…” He stared straight
into Sarah’s eyes.
“He said what, Daniel?”
“He said, ‘Hatti’s not ready yet.’”
Mark Acker MarkLAcker@AOL.com