Chapter 6: Reunion

After Emuna hugged her loved ones for a while, she joyfully looked at them. "I give praise to Elohim for guiding me here, even from a train wreck! I couldn't have done it without Him at my side!"

"Oh, you can say that again, sweetie!" Her grandma cried. "We were glad our prayers were answered. We were worried about you."

"Yeah!" Her grandpa agreed. "Were you okay back there? Did you get hurt?"

Emuna shook her head. "No, I didn't get hurt and I was totally fine, grandpa."

"Oh, thank Elohim for that!" Her grandpa exclaimed. "I'm glad He kept you safe!"

"So what did you do during and after the train wreck, Emuna?" Yudia asked.

Once Emuna explained to her loved ones what happened, Lazarus crossed his arms. "Ah, I see. So that's how Elohim led you to safety."

"Yep, pretty much," Emuna responded with a smile on her face.

"Got ya!" Lazarus said, grinning back at Emuna.

"So are you glad that school's over?" Zaboulon asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Emuna exclaimed, raising her fists underneath her chin. "I'm definitely glad that school's over, and I can't wait to do some ministry work!"

"Yeah, me too!" Zaboulon exclaimed, then curiously turned to Emuna's grandparents. "We're doin' the ministry work tomorrow, right?"

"Yea, we sure are," Emuna's grandpa answered, pulling his smartphone out of his pocket, looking down at its clock. "Oooh…it's goin' to get dark. It's already 17:00 (5pm). Shouldn't y'all be goin' home now?" He said to Emuna's friends, putting his phone back into his pocket. Theoterra didn't have Daylight Savings Time, nor will they ever practice it like the rest of the nations were throughout Ara.

"Oh, it's that time already?!" Yudia asked with her widened eyes.

"Yeah," he said.

"Oh…" Zaboulon closed his eyes and scratched his head. "Ha-ha-ha! Well, I guess we better get goin' then, huh?"

"Yep, we sure do." Lazarus agreed, closing his eyes, turning his head to Zaboulon with a sweat coming out of his forehead.

"Bye, Emuna, Mr. and Mrs. Jardine," Yudia said, waving her good-bye at Emuna and her grandparents while leaving the bus station with Lazarus and Zaboulon. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, good-bye, Emuna, Mr. and Mrs. Jardine," Lazarus said. "Take care."

"Good-bye, Emuna, Mr. and Mrs. Jardine," Zaboulon said. "Have a good night and see y'all tomorrow."

"Good-bye, y'all!" Emuna's grandma said, waving back at Emuna's friends with her husband and Emuna. "Take care now."

"Good-bye, you guys," Emuna's grandpa said, "See y'all tomorrow morning!"

"Yeah!" Emuna agreed. "Good-bye now!"

Once Emuna's friends left the bus station to return home, Emuna's grandma returned her attention to her granddaughter. "Alrighty then. Since Elohim had already led you here safe and sound, are you ready to go to our house?"

"Oh, yeah!" Emuna exclaimed, closing her eyes, raising her fists underneath her chin. "Totally! I haven't been at your house in such a long time."

Her grandpa grinned. "Well, that's good to hear, Emuna. Let's go then, shall we?"

Emuna shook her head. "Mhn! Let's go!"

Emuna and her grandparents began to exit the bus station. Emuna looked around and saw some people just sitting there and chatting with their loved ones. A portion of them talked to local reporters, and others left the bus station like her and her grandparents.

-Wow, I'm glad Elohim saved people's lives and brought them here safely, not just me. And I'm very happy for them. Praise Elohim. He deserves a thankful song for this.

Turning to her grandparents, Emuna exclaimed once more, "So, when we get to your house, can we sing a song of a thankful praise for Elohim since He saved me and other passengers from the trainwreck and brought them here?"

Her grandparents turned to one another and smiled before returning their attention to their granddaughter.

"Why, sure thing, Emuna!" Her grandma responded, grinning at her granddaughter. "We'll be glad to do it!"

"Yeah!" Her grandpa said with a smile as he, his wife and his granddaughter finally left the bus station. "Our Elohim deserves a song of praise for this!"

****

Walking towards what appeared to be a decade old car, Emuna and her grandparents entered the car. Emuna sat in the back seat, her grandma sat in the front left seat, and her grandpa sat in the driver's seat. After putting on their seat belts, Emuna's grandpa immediately drove away from the Xenopolis Bus Station to his and his wife's house. Then her grandma pulled out her smartphone and made a phone call. Her grandpa curiously looked at his wife in the eye a little bit, then concentrated on the road back and forth at the same time.

"Uh, honey?" Her grandpa asked, "Who are you callin'?"

"I'm callin' Emuna's mom right now," her grandma responded, looking at her husband back.

Emuna sat back and looked out from the window. Then her grandpa looked at her through the car mirror while he focused on the road.

"Oh, hi there, baby girl…" her grandma said on the phone. "Oh, stop that now! You're always gonna be my baby girl, no matter how old you are!...Anyway, how is your baby sister doin'?...Oh…I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope she's cured from stroke and gets discharged from that hospital soon enough…"

When Emuna first heard that, believing that her grandma was talking to her mother back in Kesaf, she quickly turned to her grandma and expressed her sad face.

-Oh, man! Looks like my aunt's health condition must not be good!

She looked up at the ceiling and raised her hands up in the air. "Dear Lord," she whispered, "Please use the doctors back in Kesaf to deliver my aunt from her worsening stroke, and have her be healed quick enough to be discharged from the hospital there. In Yeshua's name, Amen."

Returning to the window, she switched her face from sad to neutral. She continuously looked out the window, viewing Xenopolis' beauty from the twilight for the rest of the night.

"Oh, yes. Emuna just finally arrived in Xenopolis from that horrendous trainwreck a few minutes ago, and is currently in the car with us…" Emuna's grandma continued on the phone, "Uh-huh…uh-huh…uh-huh…Okay, I'll let you talk to your daughter on the phone then. Have a good night then…"

Emuna immediately turned to her grandma with a joyous smile on her face as her grandma handed her the phone.

"Here, Emuna," her grandma said, "Your mother wants to talk to you."

"Okay, grandma," Emuna exclaimed when she took the phone from her grandma's hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, baby girl," her grandma said, grinning back at her granddaughter, returning her focus to the road.

"Hello…" Emuna said on the phone, "Oh, yes. I'm fine, mom. Really…and I thank Elohim for leading me out of this mess…I will, mom. My grandparents and I will sing a thankful praise to Elohim once we get to my grandparents' house…uh-huh…uh-huh…Oh…that's terrible…okay well, I hope she gets cured soon…I will, mom…Will I talk to dad on the phone before I hung up?...Oh, okay well, tell him I said, 'Hi,' 'goodnight,' and 'I love you'...Alright then, goodnight, mom. I love you too. Bye…"

After Emuna hung up the phone, she looked down below and sadness distracted her heart.

-I knew it! My Aunt's health condition has indeed worsened, and she's currently being taken to her emergency room for her surgery! She needs Elohim's help to overcome her physical sickness.

"Emuna…" her grandma yelled, yet Emuna didn't notice her voice. "Emuna…"

-However, it's too bad my dad went to the bathroom. I wish I got a chance to talk to him on the phone this time though. Oh, well. Maybe tomorrow morning after my ministry work, I'll call him for sure.

After Emuna ignored her grandma's voice the second time, her grandpa screamed, "Emuna…"

Once Emuna heard her grandpa's loud voice, she turned to her grandpa. "Yes, grandpa?"

"Your grandma's calling you," he answered, looking at Emuna through the mirror for a few seconds above.

"Oh…" Emuna turned her attention to her grandma. "Yes, grandma?"

"Can you hand me my phone back, please?" her grandma asked, raising her opened palm hand up.

"Oh, sorry about that, grandma," Emuna said as she placed the phone onto her grandma's hand. "I didn't hear you callin' me. It was my fault."

"It's alright now, Emuna," her grandma said with a grin. "Mistakes happen sometimes. It's just part of life, that's all."

"Now that your mom let you know about your aunt's worsening condition. So when we get home, we're not only goin' to pray for her but we'll also fast, until she recovers from stroke and gets discharged from the hospital," her grandma continued. "Starting tonight-you know what that means, don't ya?"

"Yep, no food and no water until the third day," Emuna responded with her determined face, "If it's what Elohim wants, so be it."

"Oh, that's our baby girl!" Her grandpa exclaimed, looking at his granddaughter through the mirror while her grandma smiled at him. "I knew she would have that kind of faith!"

"I know, right? That's our Emuna we know!" Her grandma cried out of joy as Emuna returned to look out the window for a while.

After a memory of calling Plionay at the train station resurfaced in her heart, she quietly gasped. She widened her eyes, opened her mouth and covered it with her right hand.

-Awe, man! I almost forgot to call Plionay as soon as I returned to Xenopolis! I better call her now, or she'll get angry with me like she did earlier today. I bet she heard the news of the train wreck in Midbar by now, and was worried sick about me.

She searched for her phone in one of her bags and held it in her two hands. Looking at her grandparents while they had a conversation with one another, she said, "Um, excuse me, grandma, grandpa."

"Yes, baby girl?" Her grandpa asked, looking at Emuna through the mirror above him.

"I'm gonna call Plionay and let her know that I'm alright," Emuna answered.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Go ahead, baby girl," her grandpa said.

"Alright then," Emuna said as she dialed Plionay's phone number and called her best friend. "Hi, Plionay!...I'm good. How are you?...I'm glad to see you too…Yup, I made it back to Xenopolis unharmed from that trainwreck, and I'm on my way to my grandparents' house right now…I knew you were worried sick 'bout me…I tried to call you and my grandparents, and I didn't have a chance to call y'all…Yep, and I'm glad Elohim helped me made it out alive. Otherwise, I wouldn't get to reunite with my grandparents in Xenopolis…

"What about you? Did you made it back to Aigialo?...Oh, that's great, Plionay! Did you suffer from the trainwreck too?...Cool! You're lucky you didn't get to experience that, especially in the hot weather, like I did…How are your grandparents, uncle and cousins?...Oh, that's good...

"Well, my grandparents are okay in Xenopolis…My parents are alright in Kesaf. However, my aunt's health condition is much worsen that she's been taken to the emergency room for it…our grandparents and I are gonna fast and pray for her to be healed and discharged from the hospital with Elohim's help…Thanks for your support, Plionay…How are your parents in Kesaf?...Well, that's good to hear…okay well, have a good night then. I'll call you tomorrow night. Bye…"

After Emuna hung up the phone and
placed it back into one of her bags, her grandpa exclaimed, "Whoo-wee! We're almost there, baby!"

She and her grandma continued to enjoy the ride while my grandpa turned right, driving forward on Noton Street.