Chapter Seventeen
On our way to meet up with Ryan and Danielle in Iowa City, Noah repeatedly reassures me that he can handle my brother’s test. If I wasn’t gripping the steering wheel so tightly, my hands would tremble. But the anxiousness of that short drive has nothing on the moment of our arrival.
Ryan and Danielle are out the door before we’ve fully exited the car. We’re not halfway up the sidewalk when they meet us.
Noah greets Ryan with a handshake.
“Faith,” Ryan says, “Noah and I are going to head back inside for a sec. A little pre-road-trip chat.”
“We’ll go start the car,” Danielle says, and before I can object, she takes my arm and leads me to Ryan’s SUV.
Danielle tries to make small talk. And I respond, I think. But I’m shaking a little, at least on the inside, and I’m not sure my answers make sense, since I don’t fully comprehend words at this point.
“It’ll be okay,” she says and reaches to the backseat to put her hand on my knee, probably just to make sure I realize she’s talking. Wise move. “It’s Ryan, remember? King of the Softies?”
“But he’s— And I don’t want Noah to be—”
“Noah’s a good guy, right?”
“Yeah. He is. But . . . the big brother thing . . .”
Finally, after eternity has come and gone and come back around, my doctor brother and my actor boyfriend emerge, smiling.
They’re both smiling.
I can breathe.
Ryan slides behind the wheel. Meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror, he gives a slow nod. “He passed,” he whispers before Noah is fully in the car.
One growly teddy-bear-of-a-brother down, two fire-breathing, fine-arts-mocking parents to go.
It takes a little over two hours to reach the Des Moines Civic Center. Ryan parks in the parking garage, and after a relaxed dinner at a nearby restaurant, we walk the short distance to the venue to find our seats.
Even though I’ve seen the film numerous times, I am absolutely enraptured by the passion of the live performance.
From the overture’s opening note to the tear-jerking, triumphant end, I experience an unparalleled range of emotion that has me grinning and laughing one moment and taking Noah’s offered tissue the next.
Noah squeezes my hand as we follow Ryan and Danielle out of the Civic Center. “I don’t need to ask if you liked it, but . . . what was your favorite part?”
“I loved it all.” Awe infects my words. “So much.” No bit of film could ever convey the poignancy felt from that stage.
“I can’t believe how emotional it was when Javert jumped off the bridge.
I hated him for what he did to Jean Valjean, but in that moment, I felt sorry for him.
And it looked so real! And when Eponine died in Marius’s arms!
Oh!” I grip Noah’s arm, coming to a dead stop on the sidewalk.
“And then, when Fantine’s ghost sang to Jean Valjean .
. . ? Gah! I’m so glad you thought to bring tissues! ”
“I had a feeling you might need them. A benefit of having seen it before, I suppose.” Noah smiles.
“Seeing you see it for the first time was just . . . cool. It brought back the wonder. I think my reaction was the same the first time. I’ve seen it on stage three times now, and the movie several times, of course.
But it never gets old. Thanks for inviting me. ”
“Who else would I ask?” I wrinkle my nose, imagining Jenna’s boredom. “Besides, Ryan wanted to meet you.”
“Your brother’s pretty cool. I wasn’t sure what to expect. You made it sound like I was in for a modern version of the Spanish Inquisition.”
“Was it horrible?” My voice almost squeaks on the last word.
“Uncomfortable, yes. Horrible, no. I’m a pretty straightforward guy, and I don’t have anything to hide about, well, about the things he asked me about.” He pauses, and a dry chuckle exits through his little cringe. “I’m not gonna lie. It got pretty personal, pretty fast.”
Considering Ryan grilled me about sex last weekend, I can only imagine the sort of questions he posed to Noah.
“I am so sorry. Consider me mortified on your behalf.”
“He really cares about you, Faith. Sure, it was a little awkward—okay, a lot awkward, there for a bit. And I’m not sure he believed me about . . . everything, but I survived, and he let me come with, so . . .”
“Ryan has no patience or use for liars, and he can smell a lie a mile away. He told me you passed his test. Trust me, he believes you about . . . whatever. Everything.”
“Good. The subject of purity is very important to me. And I’ve talked about it before, with friends, in youth group, and stuff, so I’ve given it a lot of thought over the years. But it’s a lot different when you’re put on the spot by your girlfriend’s big brother.”
I try not to react visibly to the fact that he just referred to me as his girlfriend. He’s never said it aloud before. Not to me. “I bet.”
“Yeah.” He chuckles. “Enough about that. I’m over it.” Noah gently tugs my hand. “Wait. The ‘Don’t Walk’ light just came on.”
Ryan and Danielle have already crossed the intersection and are nearing the parking ramp. They look back at us, and Danielle sends us a little wave. I point at the light, and she gives a thumbs-up.
“I like your brother.” Noah’s breath fogs the chilly night air.
“As soon as he came out of the apartment building in Iowa City, even before you said anything, I knew that had to be him. I’m pretty sure he talked to me after the final show last weekend, but I didn’t put it together that he was your brother.
Now, I don’t know how I missed it. You two look so much alike.
Same big brown eyes, same cinnamon-colored hair.
I would never guess Gretchen could be your sister. ”
“We take after our dad’s side of the family. Gretchen is more like Mom, all blonde and bombshell-y. Gretchen could walk onto a cover shoot for People Magazine, and everyone would think she belonged there.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He nods. “Gretchen is really pretty, I guess. If you’re into that blonde, bombshell-y sort of look.” He shoots me a cockeyed grin. “I’m not, by the way.”
Warmth surges through me.
“I have a thing for brunettes. One in particular.” He groans.
“Wow. That was maybe the cheesiest thing I’ve said today.
But seriously, that bombshell thing is so .
. . I dunno. Not my thing. Your beauty goes deeper.
What’s inside your head and your heart comes through with more clarity.
Your beauty is intelligent and natural. Does that make sense? ”
“Thanks. But Gretchen knows how to work the helpless blonde angle pretty well.”
“Boy, does she. I went to high school with her, remember?”
“Yeah. But she’s smarter than you think. She can actually get pretty deep sometimes.”
“Oh, I know she’s smart. Gretchen was the salutatorian of our class, after all. But I always wondered what she would have been like if she would have used her powers for good instead of . . . well, whatever she used them for.”
“Yeah, really.” I laugh, shaking my head. “Every once in a while we see glimpses, so there is hope, I guess. Hey, the light is blinking.” As it changes, we leave the curb. “So, enough about my sister. Tell me, what was your favorite part of Les Mis?”
“I know it’s dorky, but I love the scene when the priest lies about Jean Valjean stealing the silver and then gives him more silver.
I think it’s a great portrayal of the way God gives people second chances.
” Noah takes a breath. His smile drops a few degrees.
“And speaking of second chances, I need to—”
“Speed it up, you lollygaggers!” Danielle calls back. “It’s chilly out here!”
“What were you going to say?”
“Later,” Noah whispers as we reach the parking ramp’s elevator where Ryan and Danielle are waiting. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“So are you guys ready to head back to my mom’s,” Danielle asks, “or do you want to go grab a bite somewhere?”
“I could handle a snack,” Ryan offers.
“You can always handle a snack. Your stomach is a black hole.” Danielle lightly punches his gut. “I was asking Noah and Faith.”
“I’m open to whatever you guys want,” Noah says. “Faith?”
“I was too excited to eat much for supper.” Even though the music still rings in my ears and my heart, hunger isn’t too far behind it. “Let’s go eat.”
“Awesome.” Ryan grins and pulls the car keys from his pocket. “So, Faith, did you like the live show as much as you liked the movie?”
“Did I?” I let out a little squeal. “I loved it! I never knew just how passionate the story would be in person. Thanks, Ryan. Thanks, Danielle. And thanks, Danielle’s Mom, wherever you are!”
“Brenda.” Danielle laughs, shaking her head. “Her name is Brenda.”
I throw my arms open and angle my face toward the cement ceiling. “Thank you, Gracious Brenda, mother of my future sister-in-law, for your magnanimous gift of theatre awesomeness!” My voice echoes through the parking ramp.
“See?” Ryan grins at his fiancée. “All the world is a stage for my little sister.”
“But seriously, those seats your mom scored were awesome, Danielle. I think I actually felt somebody’s sweat fling on me!” I’m almost embarrassed by my voice, which is in a higher range than normal and sounds nearly as giddy as I feel.
“Eww.” Danielle wrinkles her nose. “I’ll be sure to tell my mom how much you appreciated the flinging sweat.
I, for one, would’ve rather been back a few more rows.
Mom won the tickets in a contest at work, but she was already scheduled to be out of town this week, so she offered them to me.
My only worry was that your mom wouldn’t let you come with us. ”
I make an almost-snort sound in my throat. “I was lucky. If I had asked her myself, I’m sure she would have said no. But since Ryan asked, it was a shoe-in. He’s the favorite.” I shrug and come close to rolling my eyes. “Except, of course, when Gretchen’s around.”