Patching The Past (The Extended Hobson Family Trilogy: Book 3)

The Quest Part 2

 Andy drives his truck through the side road leading to behind the back of the ranch, completely bypassing the main driveway. I jump out of Andy's truck and run to my boys, scooping both of them up into a hug. I let them go and Ben hands me my next fortune cookie. I split it between my sons and read the note inside.

Hidden somewhere inside these four walls lies the cause of our first major fight.

Danny and I have had many fights over the years, very few major ones though. I want to say that our first major fight was right after his grandpa died and he didn't know what would happen to Lily, Ben, and Gabe. He had wanted to adopt them, but didn't have the finances to do so. I overheard him and Andy talking about it and interrupted their conversation with a suggestion. I offered to give Danny the money to pay for the adoption process; of course he disagreed about the whole thing. He didn't want to be a charity case. We fought for three days on the subject before he finally gave in, realizing that I had already talked to Mira about helping her pay for Lily's adoption.

I rummage about the barn in hopes to find a copy of the adoption papers or something, but come up empty handed. Gabe hands me another fortune cookie.

Boys will be boys, right?

I look at my sons and smile. The answer was right in front of me the whole time; just begging for me to look at it, or them in this case. "You two are the cause of the first major fight Danny and I had." They nod, smiling brightly. Andy hands me the Bible that we have been carrying around this entire quest. I look at it quizzically, not understanding what to do next.

"That's your next clue. Danny said I'm not allowed to tell you more than that." Andy says. I look at the bible and try to figure out where Danny was going with this clue. I think of all the places where a bible is most commonly used and the first place that pops into mind is the church.

"We're going to the church?"

"More specific. A place in the church." I remember that the youth room has scripture verses painted all over the walls.

"Youth room?"

"Bingo."

"Do I have to figure out who we're meeting there before we go this time?"

"Not this time. Danny wanted this one to surprise you." Andy and I walk into the youth room to be greeted by our Uncle Scotty and another fortune cookie.

Look upon these walls and find "the verse".

By "the verse" I assume Danny means the verse that the two of us painted on one of these walls when we went our second ever date. We had started here, being that we both have a set of keys to this building, and painted a verse that we had read that morning onto the wall by the door and then headed to the cafe, where I ended up breaking things off between us. I spot the familiar verse painted on the wall and recite it to my uncle.

""Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up." Ecclesiastes 4"9-10." Uncle Scotty nods and hands me my next clue, a broken paper heart that has been patched with a few band aids. I know immediately who I'm supposed to meet next, and I'm guessing at his house.

"I'm guessing this heart means that I need to meet the person that I loved at one time, got my heart broken by, and then loved again at his house."

"You are right, but what is this person's name?"

"Dylan." I walk into Dylan's house to find him watching yet another movie. "At least you weren't yelling at the movie this time." I wait patiently for Dylan to hand me the next cookie. He hands me the cookie and fixes his attention back onto the movie.