Hometown Promise Read Online Free PDF

the whole mess of his life would come out in that conversation. He might as well accept the inevitable.
    Was it God’s plan that everyone should know about his former behavior? Maybe that was the way it was supposed to work. Like that scripture about carrying each other’s burdens. Christians were supposed to help each other, but Lukas still had trouble trusting people to do that.
    Stopping his car in his grandfather’s driveway, Lukas noticed that his grandfather had shoveled the snow from the drive and the sidewalks. The man was going to kill himself with overwork. Lights shone through the window in the front room. As he approached the porch, he could hear the TV. Grandpa was watching TV again with the volume turned on high. He slipped the key into the lock and opened the door.
    Lukas glanced around as he entered the living room. His grandfather lay sleeping in his recliner while the TV blared at a deafening decibel. Lukas walked across the room, grabbed the remote and shut off the TV.
    As soon as the screen went blank, his grandfather satstraight up and waved a hand at Lukas. “Why did you turn that off? I was watching my program.”
    Lukas tried not to laugh as he raised his voice so his grandfather could hear. “Grandpa, you were sleeping.”
    “I just had my eyes closed,” his grandfather said, his heavy German accent obvious.
    “Okay, whatever you say.”
    “Why are you here?”
    “Just stopping by to see how you’re doing.”
    “I am fine. See?” Ferdinand held his hands out in front of him. “Turn the TV back on, and let me watch my show.”
    Lukas braced himself as he punched the remote. When the TV blared back to life, he quickly lowered the volume.
    “Turn that back up.”
    Pressing the pause button on the remote for the digital recorder, Lukas turned to his grandfather. “I’ve paused your show, and you can watch this with the volume as loud as you want after I leave.”
    “You can do that anytime.” The older man scowled. “I didn’t ask you to come here. I was getting along fine until you came to town. Now you are in my face all the time.”
    Taking a deep breath, Lukas bit back a nasty retort. He understood that his grandfather didn’t like feeling as though he needed to have someone to watch after him. He was a proud, brave man, who had risked his life to find freedom on the other side of the Berlin Wall. Lukas had taken too long to realize what his grandfather had done and to appreciate the courage he’d needed in his escape from East Berlin and communism.
    “I know you didn’t, but I love you, Grandpa. This is a chance for us to be close again. Now that I’ve turned my life around.”
    Ferd pushed himself out of the recliner. “Yes, and I am glad for that. But that doesn’t mean you need to take care ofme. I can take care of myself. Make my own decisions. Watch my programs as loud as I like.”
    “We can get you fitted for hearing aids.”
    “Why do I need hearing aids, if I can turn up the volume?”
    “Then I won’t have to shout or repeat myself when we talk.” Lukas laid a hand on his grandfather’s shoulder. “It wouldn’t be so bad to give them a try. What do you say?”
    Letting out a long sigh, Ferdinand gave Lukas a resigned nod. “I suppose you are right. I will try them just for you.”
    “Thank you, Grandpa. I’ll arrange an appointment for you.” Lukas handed the remote to his grandfather. “Now I’ll head home, and you can watch your show.”
    “Don’t forget I go to the senior center on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, so don’t make an appointment that interferes.”
    “I’ll try to avoid those times.” Lukas walked to the door, then turned back to his grandfather. “Is there anything you need?”
    “No, I am fine.”
    “Okay, see you tomorrow.”
    Before Lukas shut the door behind him, the TV blared again. He almost expected the windows to shatter from the volume. As he drove the short block to his own house, he wondered whether he’d