His Watchful Eye

Epilogue

One Year Later

Colin walked hand in hand with Henry through Central Park. Finally he would make good on his promise to Georgia, and bring them back to the zoo, so Henry could see the monkeys.

The last year raced by in a blur. Charlie had been declared criminally insane in a court of law and was institutionalized in New York City. Georgia was visiting him now and was supposed to meet them in the Park in a few minutes. During his treatments, her brother made great strides. David was hardly in the picture, and both Colin and Georgia had several opportunities to talk to him about his need of Christ. The last time Colin visited, he was so close; he knew it wouldn't be long before Charlie turned to Jesus.

"Colin, Henry!" Georgia's voice was like music to his ears, and he turned around to see where the sound was coming from. When his eyes fell on her slender frame, his heart quickened its pace. Until he met her, he was unaware it was even possible to love someone as much as he loved Georgia.

Reaching his other hand out, she took it, excitement shining in her caramel eyes. "How did your visit go?" He was curious to see why she was so giddy.

"Better than you could possibly imagine," she squealed like a school girl.

"Tell me about it."

"He did it! Charlie got saved today!" Her eyes glistened with happy tears.

"That's wonderful! It's an answer to prayer!" He hugged her with the arm that wasn't grasping Henry's small hand.

"I'm so happy I think I'm going to burst!"

Taking her hand, they walked together toward the Central Park Zoo. Henry still held his hand but was skipping excitedly. "I can't wait to see the monkeys! Mom said you guys saw the monkeys here once, and now we can see them together."

"That's right, buddy. I promised your mom we would come here with you, and now I am finally keeping my promise." Colin smiled down at him.

He had grown so close to Henry over the last twelve months, and couldn't imagine a day going by without spending time with him. A lump rose to his throat as he thought about the promotion he had been offered at work the day before. Though he hadn't told Georgia about it yet, he knew he needed to tell her sooner rather than later. The promotion would mean a transfer to New York City, and he hoped he wasn't rushing the question he planned to ask her within the next few days. He prayed Henry was ready for a change in his life, as the small, Tiffany blue box with the white bow practically burned a hole in his jacket pocket.

The leaves in the trees overhead were shades of gold, orange, and crimson; some lazily falling to the ground. Feeling a tug on his hand, Colin looked down at Henry who was pointing in the direction of an animal enclosure to their right. "There they are! I can see them!"

"Well, let's head over there."

The chimps were screeching and chasing each other. Henry's face was alight with glee. "Look at them!" He said and pointed when the primates' antics made him laugh.

Colin slipped his arm around Georgia's shoulders and she leaned her head against his chest. "Is something on your mind?" Her voice was low and her breath against his ear sent a hoard of butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

"Why do you ask?" He tried not to let his voice betray him. Now wasn't the time to tell her about the job promotion and the move to New York City, and it certainly wasn't the time to ask her the question gnawing the back of his mind. Not here in public; a quiet place would be much better.

"You just seem a little preoccupied is all," she circled her arm around his waist. "You'd tell me if something was wrong?"

"Of course."