CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“You don’t need your dad’s permission, Lily.
You’re a grown woman who is making her own way in life. You can do
what you want to do,” Sandy pleaded with her. He’d been driving for
an hour or more along the dimly lit highway and they hadn’t spoken.
The steady drone of the car engine was the only noise he’d been
hearing and Sandy couldn’t take the silence any longer.
Tears had long dried on her cheeks, but not
in her voice. “I know that, I know that. It’s just…”
“What, sweetheart? Talk to me, please.”
“I can’t believe he never told me any of
this. I wonder if Mother knew. She never said anything about any of
this business.” Lily glanced over at him, shaking her head. “ And
how could he turn you down when he said yes to Ron.”
“…Your dad approved your marrying Ron?” His
tone was unbelieving. “A man he knew wasn’t right for you and told
you so?”
“I think he’s cracking up or something. I
just don’t know what to think.”
“This is insane. None of it has anything to
do with us. I feel like you’re Juliet and I’m Romeo.”
“Please let me have some time to sort this
out, Sandy. I just can’t do what either of you wants me to do just
now. My head’s a muddle and I need quiet.”
“I would give you anything you want and need,
sweetheart. Remember that always.”
With that, Sandy fell silent. He drove on
through that terrible night, while Lily fitfully slept. He was glad
she could finally escape her misery for a little while. He wished
he could too. It was a long, five hours to the airport in Reno. He
turned in the rental car and made Lily comfortable in his car
retrieved from the parking garage. They still needed to drive home
to Naples. She dozed again on the short drive to her place and woke
up when he stopped the car.
“How are you feeling, Lily? Are you warm
enough?”
“Sandy, you are kind and thoughtful and
wonderful and every great adjective I can think of. But you’re
going to have to give me some space.”
He got out to get her bag and opened her
door. Before she got out of the car, she looked up into his worried
face. “I do love you, but give me some time. Please…. I’ll call you
when I can.”
Sandy’s response sounded strangled and he
watched her as she walked to her cottage. Was she leaving his life?
He decided to pray, “If there’s a God in Heaven, please sort this
mess out.” At the front door, she turned to wave at him and then
was gone. The porch light went out… It turned out the light in his
heart as well. He gloomily drove home, scarcely noticing the
winding road, or paying much attention to traffic.
Home.
Bed...
No sleep would be coming tonight. Sandy
didn’t even bother to change out of his clothes. The dogs jumped on
the king-sized bed with him so it would be a two-dog night for
sure. He could have used twenty. That ache in his gut was going to
be around for a while and with that cheery thought, Sandy dozed
off. His sleep was jumpy and short… When he woke, it was still dark
and the clock said he had slept for twenty minutes.
This what I have to look forward to?
He and the dogs got up. He fed them and made some coffee. Might as
well.
Meanwhile, across town…
Once in her house, Lily crumbled to the floor
like a broken flower.
How could so much go so wrong so fast?
Two days ago, they were on the verge of
getting married and now it was all soured milk. She couldn’t
believe her father’s reaction. Sandy had been nothing but a
gentleman throughout the whole ordeal. Mr. Darcy had nothing on Mr.
Johnson.
Where’s my bed? Should I undress?
Too many decisions. Lily fell into her bed
exhausted, pulling covers over her head. No more thinking. Sleep
was what she needed. She glanced at the clock in her bedroom. 3:00
a.m.?
What do I do about Sandy? God,
Sandy…Just remembering how angry he was at her father was enough to
make her stomach roil.
What was Dad thinking? Remembering the
crushed look on her father’s face during his confession had Lily
rushing to the bathroom to throw up.
After rinsing her mouth, she looked in the
bathroom mirror and saw a distressed, miserable woman looking back
at her. Lily crawled back to bed and finally fell asleep, just to
awaken minutes later, desperately needing to know how Sandy was.
Probably no better off than she was… Interesting that her thoughts
always came back to him.
Need…to…sleep…She dozed again. At five her
phone rang somewhere in the house. She staggered out of bed to make
a cup of tea. Might as well get up. That bed’s useless…
Sipping tea calmed her and she began to
think. Suddenly, she had an “aha” moment! It wasn’t a great one,
but when your head’s in the toilet, literally and figuratively,
action is called for. She looked around for her purse, plucked out
her phone and called Information. She needed a phone number. “Yes,
operator, I need an out of state number.”
* * *
Jeanne brought Jesse home Sunday noon. She
was surprised to find Sandy in the media room watching a movie. She
thought Lily would have been there, but the seat next to him was
empty.
“What are you watching in the middle of the
day? This is all you can find to do and where’s Lily?” Jeanne
looked down the hallway.
“Yeah! Where’s Lily?” asked little Jesse.
“She’s not here right now, son. How about
feeding the dogs for me? I think they’re hungry.” Jesse ran happily
out of the room to do his chore.
Jeanne noticed what was on the TV. “South
Pacific? You’re watching South Pacific now? Why?”
“Mom, sit down. We need to talk and hopefully
without Jesse listening.”
“This sounds bad.” She looked at his serious
face.
“It is.”
“You and Lily didn’t break up, did you?”
“I honestly don’t know right now. It’s all a
big mess.” He picked up a remote to pause the movie.
“Things went badly with Sam, didn’t
they?”
“… Did you suspect they would? Why didn’t you
tell me--us—the whole story about you and Sam Cable?” Sandy looked
her in the eye. “There were so many pieces of information that
would have been helpful to know before I met him.”
“Honey, that was all so long ago, I thought
it was over and done with,” she said reluctantly. “Apparently
not.”
“Well, better late than never. Let’s hear it
now. What’s the story with you and him?”
Jeanne shrugged and sat down next to him on
the couch. She folded her hands in her lap and stared straight
ahead.
“Sam, Miles and I grew up and went to school
together. Sam and I fell in love. We made plans to marry after high
school, but then his family picked up and moved to Sonoma. We tried
to keep in touch but…we were young and the distance was too much.
Our letters stopped.” She paused in her recollection.
“And Dad?”
“Yes, your lovely father was there and helped
me pick up the pieces after Sam left. We grew to love one another
and married. The same plan I had with Sam Cable…and that’s what
happened.” Jeanne reached for his hand.
“If I had had any notion that this would
cause great harm to your relationship with Lily, I would have
spoken up sooner. It just seemed unnecessary.”
“Unnecessary?” Sandy’s voice went up a notch.
“Jeez, Mom… Sam was still destroyed that you broke up with him for
Miles. He said to me and I quote, ‘I can’t bear to lose another
woman I love to a Johnson man.’”
Jeanne gasped, “He said that? After all this
time? My, my….”
“My, my, yes. So it all fell apart in
beautiful Sonoma, California. I’m not sure I’ll drink wine ever
again.”
“That’s great you can make a joke at a time
like this, sweetie.”
“…It’s not a joke. Believe me when I tell you
there is no levity in me right now.” Sandy put his face in his
hands. “I’ve lost her…Lovely Lily. I can’t bear to think of it and
yet I can think of nothing else.” Staring at the floor, he wearily
shook his head.
“Okay, a lot of this is my fault. I’m going
to think how to help you.”
“Honestly, Mom, I think you’ve helped
enough.”
“Enough with the sarcasm. We have to have a
plan… Okay, this is what we are going to do: you finish watching
South Pacific.”
“Mom…”
“And I’m going to make you and Jesse some
lunch. We’ll talk afterward. I’m getting an idea…”
Jeanne went off humming to the kitchen. Sandy
looked after her, shaking his head. Maybe they were all going nuts.
Well, with nothing else to do right now, why not finish the movie?
Sandy shrugged and turned it back on.
* * *
Lily called Terri Nolan, her principal. She
straightened her shoulders with a determined look on her face.
“Terri, I am so sorry to call you on a
Sunday, but this is an emergency.”
“Lily it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. What’s
the problem?”
“I need to be gone for at least two weeks.
I’m so sorry to do this to you in the middle of the school year,
but it can’t be helped.”
“Are you all right? Is it a medical problem?”
Terri’s voice registered concern.
“No, no. I’m fine, well, sort of. I’m having
major personal problems with my dad and….” She couldn’t even say
Sandy’s name for fear of crying.
“I get the picture. I thought things were
going fine for you and…” Terri paused and didn’t fill in the name
either.
“Don’t worry. Mrs. Morrison, our usual sub,
can fill in as a long-term substitute for you. Take the time you
need to sort this out. Please call me if I can help you in any
way.”
“Thank you so much, Terri. Right now, you’re
a life-saver to me.”
A smile spread across Lily’s face when she
finished the call. It’ll be all right…