Healing Grace

By Kym Forrest

Justin Jureau walked into Spring Training anything but focused. Grace, his wife of only three months, was at home in San Fransisco. As for Grace, who had lost her first husband at the age of 22, she didn't think she would ever love again. She told God it would have to be a man who literally took her breath away.

Grace wondered if her love

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kym Yrulegui
• Release date: Mar 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087963921

Kym Forrest

Kym Forrest is an incredibly creative, imaginative, and outside-the-box thinker who looks at life from a different, refreshing perspective. She has a diverse skill set, and a caring heart. She is a wife, mother, caretaker, and an entrepreneur. Her curiosity and creativity drive her to create some pretty unique and inspiring stories for all to enjoy.

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Dedication

To all those whom have been rescued from sex trafficking and seek healing. May the God of the universe give you all comfort and peace, and may you give your life into His capable hands.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Lisa Hudleson and Sharon Rudolph for your input and editing expertise. Thank you Sharon Rudolph for reading the transcript and giving valuable feedback on the storyline and pacing. Thank you to Kayla Ridley for the amazing cover artwork. Thank you to my family for your unwavering support and to all who have journeyed with me in this adventure: John and Dorene Amstutz, Brenda and Dan Myers, Glen and Debi Burton, Elena Hammerschmidt, Kerri King, Joan Seaman, Larry and Beth Briney, Noriko Warnes, Nancy and Bill Gorton, Janina and Gary Meissner-Frisk, Diana Norris, and Lucy Ruiz for your encouragement and support. Finally, thank you to Jesus, for the story and the imagination. None of this is possible without you.

Prologue

Life married to a professional baseball player is a whirlwind of activity. It all starts with Spring Training when all of the players gather in a location away from their homes so focus is ensured, and distractions diminished.

Justin Jureau walked into Spring Training anything but focused and quite distracted. Grace, his wife of only three months, was at home in San Fransisco. He wanted so much to be with her, but he hadn’t been successful in talking her into coming to Phoenix with him.

Grace insisted that staying in San Fransisco was vital to their daughter, Madeline’s, sense of home and security. Getting a new step-father was already a huge change in Maddie’s life. Moving to a new state and school, having to make new friends and leaving everything she had known, up until now, would be destructive for her.

As for Grace who had lost her first husband at the age of 22, to a Grand Mal Seizure, she didn’t think she would ever love again. She told God it would have to be a man who literally took her breath away before she would ever marry again. Every time Grace laid eyes on Justin, she literally couldn’t catch her breath and her palms tingled.

Grace wondered if her love for Justin would be enough to get them through the long periods of separation because of his work. Would she always feel second to baseball?

1

I don’t like the idea of you and Maddie here in the city on your own. I know you’ve been living here long before we met and doing just fine, but now that I’m involved, I just don’t like it. Justin and Grace met when Maddie was three-years old. She had taken to him instantly. At one point she even called him Daddy because he was around so much. Most of her pre-school friends had mothers and fathers so her three-year-old mind concluded that Justin must be her Daddy.

This mistaken identity embarrassed Grace to no end and she apologized profusely to Justin, her face flushed and heated. Justin didn’t mind. He understood Maddie’s confusion.

Justin had lost his wife and both children when they had been involved in an accident on the freeway, caused by a drunk driver. It was the reason he chose not to drink alcohol, well that and the two DUI’s on his record. Grace warmed easily to the abstinence. She had given up drinking when she became pregnant with Maddie and had chosen not to resume after her birth.

Three weeks later, Justin landed in Phoenix, Arizona for Spring Training – alone. He checked into his new home for the next several weeks and began to unpack. It didn’t take long. He picked up his phone and punched Grace’s number to video chat.

Grace answered on the second ring.

Hi Baby, did you get all settled in?

Yes, it’s a furnished apartment, designed for extended stays, so I have a full kitchen and everything. We start training tomorrow at 7:00 a.m..

Why so early?

Arizona doesn’t participate in daylight savings time so they simply adjust with the sun instead of changing their clocks.

Hmm, I didn’t know that.

Yah, I don’t know why they bother with an apartment with a kitchen because we get most of our meals during meetings anyway.

Well, you know how I feel about multi-tasking during meal time.

"Yes, I know, ‘a meal should be enjoyed in a leisure environment conducive to savoring the flavors, the company around the table, and allowing for relaxing digestive processes.’ I admit that eating with you has brought more peace to my digestive system."

Justin tried his best to keep the conversation casual. He didn’t want to dwell on the fact that he wished Grace was there in Arizona with him. Grace tried not to dwell on how much she missed him already.

Grace and Justin talked for thirty minutes before ending the call. Grace’s heart ached. She understood the situation very well. This was Justin’s job. He was a ball player when she met him. She knew how much his job took him away from home and how much he loved baseball. She also knew that it would be disastrous to try to hope Justin would find baseball related work closer to home.

Justin was home about half the year, and on the road the other half. It wouldn’t be fair to expect that to change just because they were married now.

The idea of home-schooling Maddie had been brought up by Justin many times with the hope that the two of them would go on the road with him. Grace knew from her past modeling days what it was like to travel constantly and barely land at a home base for a day or two at a time. She didn’t want that life for their daughter.

Being on the road with Justin would make having consistent friendships difficult for Maddie. Grace herself had very few close friends. Mostly it was her and her twin sister, Kaelynn. They never talked about, or saw, any of their friends from their school days.

Justin, on the other hand, was adamant that Grace and Maddie would make lasting friendships with other teammates spouses and children. Grace noticed that there were very few baseball families that home-schooled much past the elementary education level. What would happen then?

The subject of going on the road with Justin was an ongoing dialogue between them. Grace tried hard not to bring it up when they were on the phone, but Justin found a way to weave it into their conversations. She would comment on missing him and he would take off on the benefits of traveling with him.

Sometimes Grace felt like Justin just wanted to have the entire cake and eat it too. In Grace’s experience, life just didn’t work that way.

2

The first three months of their life together was amazing. Justin continued to do his morning workouts which lasted about three hours. Then he would spend the rest of the day with Grace and Maddie. They went to the zoo, to museums, art galleries and shopping, whatever was on the days agenda they spent it together.

When February came around Justin started getting ready for spring training. He increased his workouts to four hours each day adding intense batting practice with a hitting coach. But the remainder of the day was still reserved for family.

Spring training loomed on the horizon. The date Justin would leave for two months to get into shape for the regular season that would start in April. Grace had gone to every home game the prior season and learned a lot. But she still didn’t understand the whole baseball world.

Grace was dreading the day Justin would leave. All of the old abandonment issues from her parents leaving her at sixteen came flooding back. In her conscious mind, she knew this was very different: Justin was not "leaving" her, he was going away for a couple of months.

None the less, Grace was struggling. She was irritable and snappy with Justin. She could feel herself pushing him away to try to protect herself. She couldn’t make her sub-conscious and her conscious mind reconcile with each other. She didn’t know what to do.

Grace tried to talk to her husband about her feelings, but he couldn’t understand. He kept trying to rationally explain that he wasn’t leaving her, to no avail.

Justin was nervous enough about Spring Training himself. It was the time when all the new, young players also tried out for the team. Justin explained to Grace that no ones position was guaranteed from one season or even one game to the next. New players were always being evaluated and veterans constantly watched with a keen eye.

Many draft recruits would start the season in the Big Show, the professional goal of all baseball players. But most would start in the Minor Leagues, playing against other teams with the same level of players.

Almost all players recruited out of High School or College started in the Minor Leagues. Once in the minors, a player would work hard on their basic skills to hopefully one day make it up to the Major League.

Spring training was one of the biggest opportunities to move up. A player could prove his worth and earn a spot on the Major league team.

The Minor league also served as a place for an injured player to recover and work his way back to the position he vacated. The Minor Leagues were invaluable to the Major League system.

Justin worked harder than most players. He had a gnawing sense that if he let up, even a little bit, that he would be replaced by a younger, better player. His work ethic was second-to-none.

The truth was there was a lot of fear in Justin. He was already kicking himself for taking time off to get married and go on their honeymoon. Not that he regretted any of it, quite the opposite, he wouldn’t change any of it. But the time off,… it gnawed at him. Would he be good enough this spring? Consequently, he too was irritable and cranky. The couple had all the ingredients for one hell-of-a fight.

Grace was learning a lot about Justin’s fears and insecurities. She had seen hints of them before they got married but now she was seeing the full blown impact on him. It seemed odd to her.

Justin had a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He knew all of the textbook tricks and tools to handle his anxiety and fear, but still couldn’t overcome them.

Grace talked Justin through the pre-season jitters during her first pre Spring Training. After going over the same conversations and advise three and four times, she finally suggested that they pray together over it. This was something her husband had never thought to do before.

What a novel idea, he said, take it to God.

They began to pray together every day. They prayed for each other and their children. They prayed for their relationship and protection over their marriage. Justin confided to Grace that it was making things a little better, but he still felt anxious. Grace suggested it was fear of the unknown, and wouldn’t subside until Spring Training was well underway, and the team roster was forming. Perhaps it even spurred him on to work harder.

3

Spring Training began February 14, Valentine’s Day. But Justin made sure he sent his wife red roses. He didn’t want to blow this opportunity to reassure her of his love and devotion even though he wasn’t at home.

The flowers arrived and warmed Grace’s heart. They were beautiful. She arranged them into a vase and placed it in the middle of the dinning room table. Every time she passed the room their pungent aroma filled her with a sense of love.

Justin waited until after dinner time to call Grace. Then the four-year-old Maddie would be playing, and Grace would have time to talk. They chatted for twenty minutes, both trying not to mention how much they missed each other.

Justin approached the subject of Grace and Maddie joining him in Arizona for the weekend.

It would give you an opportunity to meet some of the other wives and families.

Justin, we’ve already had this conversation.

I’m just talking about the weekend. I have the apartment and there is plenty of room for all of us.

I’ll think about it, responded Grace. She really did miss her husband, and it would only be a weekend. It’s not like she would end up staying longer or anything.

Grace and Maddie landed at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., Justin was waiting at the gate when they disembarked. Maddie ran to him when she saw her daddy waiting.

Justin grabbed both of his girls into a warm embrace. Oh how they had all missed each other.

Let’s go get your luggage, said Justin.

Oh, we only have this carry-on. I know how to travel light.

They got settled into the apartment in no time. There were two bedrooms separated by the only bathroom. Both rooms were small but adequate. The kitchen, dining and living rooms were all one big area. The kitchen barely qualified as such as far as Grace was concerned. The oven and refrigerator doors could not be open at the same time.

Justin had already eaten dinner, but Grace and Maddie had only a snack on the plane and were hungry. Grace found bread and cheese and made them each a grilled cheese sandwich with some tomato soup she found in the cupboard.

It had been an eventful day for Maddie and she went to bed without any fuss. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her parents kissed her head and closed the door behind them. Only minutes later they were in the other bedroom in each others arms heading for their own bed.

The following morning, Justin was up and gone by 6:00. He ran the distance from the apartment to the stadium where conditioning was in full force. There was stretching, sprinting, running, and switching directions at the blow of a whistle, batting, and throwing.

Grace and Maddie ate breakfast, then used Justin’s rental car to make their way to the stadium. They found a shady place in the stands and watched for a while.

They had only been there for thirty minutes, when another woman with two little girls approached them.

Hi, you must be Grace, Justin’s wife. My name is Abigail, Andrew’s wife. These are our daughters, Annie and Abbie. I think our daughters might be about the same age?

Hi, Abigail, I'm Grace and this is Maddie. She is four.

Our girls are five. Said Abigail. Please call me Abby.

Abby sat down and introduced the girls to Maddie.

Would it be all right if your daughter went with my girls to the playroom?

I didn’t know there was a playroom. Umm, I guess so. Maddie, Do you want to go play in the playroom?

Maddie snuggled closer to Grace and hid her head behind her arm.

Abby jumped in Let’s all go together it’s starting to get way too hot out here. It will be an hour or two before they close the dome.

The roof closes? asked Grace.

Yes, they have to have a roof in this heat.

Grace followed Abby up the bleachers into the skybox area. Several of the sky boxes had been opened for spouses, and families of the players to use. There were cold drinks, water and juices along with a spread of cold cuts and sandwich fixings. In the adjoining sky box was a playroom setup with all kinds of activities. There were Lego’s, a play house complete with a mini kitchen, a train track that circled the entire room, and a sandbox with cars and trucks to play with.

Maddie looked longingly at the playroom. Grace nudged her closer along with Abbie and Annie. Soon the girls each took one of Maddie’s hands and the thee of them walked into the room. Before long Maddie and the girls were playing in the kitchen and play house.

Abby took Grace around and introduced her to several of the other wives in the sky box. Grace felt overwhelmed at first, but soon began to settle.

Most of the wives knew who Grace was, but only met her briefly at the wedding a few months ago. Grace did her best to remember names and faces. This was a whole new dynamic for her. She was used to being surrounded by people talking around and over her while dressing her for photo shoots. No one really talked to you as a model. She quickly found that being the center of attention was not comfortable.

The conversation revolved around Grace; how did she meet Justin, how did he propose, how long had they dated before getting married, did they plan to have children soon?

Grace was overwhelmed. Finally, Abby jumped in to her rescue, Hey girls, let’s get to know our new friend a little more before we start meddling into when they are going to have babies, shall we? Grace was relieved and grateful. She took an instant liking to Abby.

Over in Australia, Kaelynn and Jon-Pierre’s business was booming. They had opened a second location and it had reached maximum capacity in just six months. The couple was contemplating a third location. The demand was there, but who would they get to run it was the question.

Kaelynn loved being at home with their two girls, Addie and Jaelynn. They were growing and beginning to express their individual personalities.

Jon-Pierre was having a difficult time turning away walk-in customers. He saw dollar signs every time they turned anyone away. He thought about some of the photographers he knew. Most of them were from the Farini Modeling days. They were all kinda creepy guys who were in the business for the sex they could get. That was not the image he wanted his business to present.

He decided to talk to Lacy Langford, his business partner, to see if any candidates came to her mind. Their mutual friend, Matt Adams would have been sensational, but he had passed away. They still missed him.

Lacy suggested Paul Green, A fantastic photographer over in New South Wales. Jon-Pierre called Paul and talked about the idea of partnering with him. Paul was caught off guard. He wanted to give the offer some thought and talk it over with his family.

That night, Jon-Pierre and Kae were talking the idea over at dinner.

You know, started Kae, maybe you should consider expanding in your current location instead of opening a new location.

Hmmm, that’s an interesting thought, said Jon-Pierre.

Well, you have been complaining that you are turning business away at your current location. Why not hire Paul to work with you and expand the location on Oxford Street first. After that gets up to speed, then concentrate on another location.

"That’s a brilliant idea, Kae, and by the way, this is our business together, not just mine. So we will start expanding the Oxford Street store. I love the idea. Thank you, Baby." Jon-Pierre leaned over and kissed Kaelynn.

Jon-Pierre went to work the next day and talked with the landlord. He found that the tenant in the unit adjacent to the studio had already given notice that he would not be renewing his lease, so the unit would be available in a month.

Jon-Pierre went next door and talked with the tenant who agreed to give him a tour of the unit. It was about a third larger in floor space as their current location. The unit would more than double the size of the Oxford Street location. He was very excited. The timing was perfect the cost was perfect because the owner gave him a considerable discount on the space due to not having to advertise or loose any income while the unit was vacant.

When Jon-Pierre got home that night, Kaelynn was on FaceTime with Grace in California.

Grace, you should do what is best for Maddie. It’s clear that Justin isn’t thinking about that. He’s thinking about having you guys on the road so he won’t miss you so much. That’s what I bet, said Kae.

You probably right, but it’s pretty self centered, don’t you think?

Yes, but Justin has always been wrapped up in himself.

When Kae and Grace ended their call, Jon-Pierre launched into recounting the events of the day with Kaelynn.

The idea of expanding the Oxford Street location was definitely from God because the unit will be available by the end of next month, said Jon-Pierre.

That is great news! exclaimed Kae. We should start having plans drawn up now, don’t you think?

Yes, we should. I’ll get ahold of the contractor tomorrow and get the ball rolling. In the mean time, maybe we could pencil out a preliminary floor plan tonight. What do you think?

As soon as I get the kids into bed. I’ll do that while you clean up from dinner?

Sounds good said Jon-Pierre.

An hour later they were at the kitchen table drawing the layout for the new, expanded studio. They were both excited at the prospect. The wardrobe people had been asking for more space and the makeup crew had been complaining about too much time between clients. The larger space was going to resolve those issues as well as allowing for more walk-in clients. The Laurent’s were thrilled with the preliminary floor plan.

4

As Spring Training progressed, Grace got to know many of the other wives; at least those who had children. What struck her was the automatic division that seemed to be in place.

If you had children, you were part of the families with kids group. If you had elementary children you were part of that sub group. As soon as your kids completed elementary education and went into grade 7-12 it seemed you moved into another sub-set of families with children.

The wives who didn’t have children rarely interacted with the ones who did. Apparently it was an unspoken rule or something.

Grace stayed in Arizona for 4 weeks then decided to go home to San Fransisco for a while. She had noticed Maddie picking up little sayings from the other children. Not that she was saying anything that she shouldn’t, it was more of an attitude that she wasn’t fond of.

She told Justin that evening over their dinner of her plans to head home.

I’m going to fly home after the scrimmage game tomorrow night. I’m not thrilled with some of the attitudes Maddie is picking up from the other children. And when I talk with her about it the other moms chide me for being too strict with her.

Oh, they’re just trying to help you settle into the routine of things. That’s all.

"Telling me how to raise my daughter is supposed to help me settle in?"

Sure, the wives know what you should tolerate and what you should let slide.

Excuse me but I don’t care for the way those children speak to their mothers. It’s rude and disrespectful and I will not tolerate our daughter doing likewise.

Okay, setting that aside, what do you think of the wives and the school set up they have?

Grace was angered that Justin would casually dismiss her feelings on raising Maddie.

We’ve been here four weeks and there has yet to be any school work accomplished that I am aware of.

Well, I’m sure they’ll get rolling with it this next week.

Is this how it was with your two children?

I guess so, Cassy took care of all of that.

So you played no part in your children’s education? Cassy did it all herself?

Yes, that’s how it is with all the guys.

Then what is the point of being here instead of at home?

The point is that we get to be together as a family.

Six out of seven nights you have dinner with part of the team for some sort of a meeting. We don’t see you at lunch time because the team eats together and the coach talks to you all. Then you come home around nine or nine-thirty and are ready for bed so you can get up at 4:30 the next morning and do it all again. At least that’s how it has been this past four weeks.

That sounds right.

By the time you get home, Maddie is already asleep. And she is still asleep when you leave the following morning. I feel like I saw you more when we were dating than I do now.

Grace continued, I want Maddie to have a stable home life. One where she can expect the same routine.

This is a routine, replied Justin and this way she knows that I am here if she needs me.

Really? If we needed you for a, let’s say, a broken arm, would we see you then?

Probably not, a broken arm is pretty routine. You go to the doctor and they set the arm and put a cast on. It’s not a very big deal.

Really? What if we were in a car accident, would we see you then?

Probably, it would depend on how bad the accident was. If it was just a fender bender, then no, but if one or both of you were hurt and taken to the hospital, then of course I will be there.

Justin, I didn’t marry you so that I could be single 95% of the time. How are we supposed to make this work when we can’t really be together?

By you staying with me on the road, then we have opportunity to talk things out in the evenings. If you have a concern about Maddie we can talk it over before we go to sleep.

Hmm, that’s not likely. You’re asleep as soon as you turn over. You’re exhausted from a full day of workouts and a game.

"Im in a place of reconditioning. Spring Training is when we build up our stamina again for the season’s demands. It will slow way down once the