A Time to Love (6 page)

Nolan and Adrienne shook their heads but didn’t know what to say.

“Lewis gave me such a convincing line, with all the talk about wanting a Christian home like his had been, and like ours is. It was all a lie. Why? Why did he deceive me?” Her voice grew louder. “Why all the lies … lies … lies?” Again she started sobbing and wailed, “Oh, I wish I could die! I wish I could die!”

After a few minutes, she gained control of herself and said, “I appreciate your trying to help me, Mom and Dad. And Aunt Beth, too. And Pastor and Doris. Thank all of you for caring. But I need to be alone for a while.”

“All right, honey,” Adrienne said. “We understand. But Daddy and I want just a few more minutes with you first. Okay?”

Linda nodded.

“We’ll let ourselves out,” said the pastor. “Doris and I will come by tomorrow to see how she’s doing.”

“I need to get home,” said Beth. “I’ll come by tomorrow, too.”

When Nolan and Adrienne were alone with Linda, Adrienne said, “Honey, your daddy and I are very concerned that you keep saying you want to die. You mustn’t feel that way. You have plenty to live for. Please don’t even think like that.”

Linda was weeping silently, her hands covering her eyes.

Nolan looked at his wife and said meaningfully, “Adrienne, I think I should go get Dr. Kurtz. He can give her a sedative to calm her and help her to sleep.”

“No! Please, Daddy. I don’t want our family doctor to know about this. I’ll be all right. Please.”

Adrienne laid a hand on her husbands arm. “It might do her more harm than good if she has to face Dr. Kurtz in her present state of mind.”

Nolan studied on it a moment. “All right. You may be right, dear.”

To Linda, Adrienne said, “Daddy and I will give you a little time alone, honey. We haven’t had anything to eat in several hours. I’ll go fix something for the three of us.”

“I’m not hungry, Mom.”

“Well, maybe you will be by the time I get it ready. You just lie there and talk to Jesus. He can help you better than any of us.”

When her parents had gone, Linda shut her eyes and said, “Lord Jesus, why did this have to happen? Why was Lewis such a hypocrite and a liar? Why would my own sister do this to me? Why?”

Linda was unaware of how long it had been since her parents had left the room, but it seemed like only a few minutes had passed when the door opened again and her mother came in, carrying a tray.

“I’ve made some of your favorite tea, honey,” Adrienne said. “And here’s some toast for you. Come on. Sit up. You feel any hunger now?”

“No.”

“Well, you need nourishment anyhow. Lets see what you can do with this.”

Linda rose to a sitting position and leaned back against the head of the bed. She eyed the steaming cup of tea and the buttered toast. “I’ll try, Mom, but right now my stomach is in knots.”

“Well, let’s see what you can get down.”

Linda took a few sips of the tea and nibbled at a corner of the toast as Adrienne looked on. Finally she said, “That’s all I want, Mom. Thank you.

Worry etched itself on Adrienne’s face. “A little more tea would help you to sleep.”

“Okay. I’ll drink some more.”

“That’s a good girl,” Adrienne said, taking the tray from Linda’s lap. “I’ll go see to your father now.”

Adrienne returned to the kitchen and laid the tray on the cupboard. Nolan was seated at the table, drinking his own cup of hot tea.

“She only ate a little toast, Nolan, but she downed most of the tea.”

“You know what I’m afraid of?” he said. “I’m afraid Linda will pull into a shell and withdraw from her friends, the way she’s talking.”

“Me, too. And if she does, it may be that she’ll even withdraw from you and me …”

Nolan’s features were drawn and pale as he reached for Adrienne’s hand. “Come sit down, honey. Let’s take this to the Lord in prayer right now.”

Linda moved like a sleepwalker to the washstand. She tipped the water pitcher and poured some of its contents into the basin, then splashed her face with cool water, holding it to her swollen eyes.

When she had put on a nightgown, she blew out the lantern and crawled beneath the sheets. She knew she wouldn’t sleep, but maybe if her parents saw no light under her door, they would go to bed and get some rest themselves. She was sorry her parents had to be hurt so deeply, and she didn’t want to worry them, but right now all she could focus on was her own pain.

In spite of the fact that Linda had put out the light, her parents came in to check on her. When they found her awake, they prayed with her for a few minutes, then went to their room.

After her parents left, Linda lay in the dark, thinking about Lewis and Janet, trying not to hate them. She wondered how long they’d been seeing each other on the sly. The thing that puzzled her the most was why they went so far as to attend the wedding practice last night.

That was when the urge to hate them rose the strongest in her breast. If they had run off together even last night before the rehearsal, it wouldn’t have been the embarrassment it was with a church full of wedding guests. They must have planned it this way to hurt her as much as possible.

She gritted her teeth. Why would they want to hurt her so? She wondered how it got started between her sister and Lewis, and then her thoughts went back to a Saturday about a year ago. Yes. It was the third Saturday in June last year. Janet had made one of her infrequent visits to the Forrest home on Friday evening, and her parents had asked her to go along with them and Linda the next day for a picnic on the shore of Boston Harbor….

The family was sitting around the kitchen table, drinking coffee. Janet brushed her blond curls back from her forehead, and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do the picnic with you. I have plans all set to go somewhere
with a bunch of my friends. Maybe some other time.”

As Linda watched her sister, she noted what a hardness had overtaken her. It showed in her eyes especially.

Linda knew Janet didn’t mean it when she said “some other time.” She’d made it quite apparent that she detested being with her family. But they continued to invite her because they loved her and hoped to see a change in her life. They couldn’t influence her in the right direction if they didn’t spend time with her.

With a heavy heart, Adrienne said, “You know we want you with us as much as possible, Janet.”

“Sure, Mom. I know.”

The next day, as the Forrests drove away from the house in the family carriage, Linda sat between her parents. It was a beautiful day with a clear sky. Perfect for a picnic on the harbor shore.

“I sure wish Lewis had been able to come,” said Nolan, guiding the carriage around a corner.

“Me, too,” Linda said. “He seldom has to work on Saturdays, but he said his boss really needed him today. Some big shipment coming in from England. He said he’ll be thinking about us enjoying all this food, and him having to carry a lunch bucket so he can grab a few bites while unloading the ship. He’ll be right there on the docks all day.”

They had gone a few blocks when Nolan said, “Oh! I almost forgot. I’ve got to swing downtown and make a stop at the hardware store. I can’t fix that leaky water pipe in the cellar without the proper wrench.”

Adrienne laughed. “Well, let’s not forget the wrench, husband dear. I’m afraid the bucket that’s catching the water from the pipe is about to spring a leak, too!”

Soon they were downtown, pulling up in front of Kruger’s Hardware. The women stayed in the carriage while Nolan went into the store to make his purchase.

Mother and daughter sat silently for a few minutes, just watching the people pass by on the street. Adrienne broke the silence by saying, “Well, honey, a year from now, you and Lewis will be husband and wife.”

“Mm-hm-m-m-m!” Linda said, smiling happily.

“One of the many things your daddy and I appreciate about Lewis is that he wanted to get some money put aside before he took you as his bride. That shows he has character.”

“Oh, he’s so wonderful, Mom! We’re going to be so happy together!”

“That’s what Daddy and I want for you, sweetheart. And we couldn’t have picked a better young man for you to marry if we’d gone on a hunt ourselves!”

Nolan returned with a paper bag and tossed it on the floor in front of the backseat. “Okay! Now, the pipe can get fixed … but before that happens, we’re going to have us an enjoyable day.”

The carriage swung out on the busy street, and Nolan aimed it eastward toward the harbor. They were passing an intersection when Adrienne suddenly pointed to a group of people standing on the corner. “Look! There’s Janet!”

When Linda’s gaze flicked that way, her eyes widened. She saw her sister in the middle of a group of people. The women had the same hard look Janet had taken on. Everyone in the group was about Janet’s age. But Linda’s attention was drawn to a man standing next to Janet with his back toward the street. Her glimpse of the man was brief, but his size and shape were very familiar.

Linda swallowed hard. The man standing next to Janet strongly resembled Lewis. She couldn’t be sure. She had barely gotten a look at him.

As the carriage moved on toward Boston Harbor, Linda said nothing to her parents. She closed her eyes and tried to picture the man in her mind. He certainly was built like Lewis, and he looked to be exactly the same height. And the hat he wore was very much like one of Lewis’s.

After a few minutes, Linda dismissed it from her mind. Of course it wasn’t Lewis. For one thing, he was at work on the docks. And for another, Lewis was a Christian. He wouldn’t run with the ungodly crowd Janet hobnobbed with.

And another thing. Why would Lewis be with Janet? It was simply a man who resembled Lewis….
Lying there in the darkness, Linda clenched her teeth and said in a hissing whisper, “It
was
you, wasn’t it, Lewis! So your little affair has been going on for at least a year!”

She trembled with anger as she said a bit louder, “Why didn’t I see what was going on? Sure, I had to dismiss the scene on the street corner because I didn’t get a good enough look at you, Lewis. But there must have been some other hint of some kind … something I was too love-blind to see—Wait a minute! The locket! Yes, the locket!”

Her mind flashed back to one day in early March, a little over four months ago….

Linda and Lewis were leisurely strolling along one of Boston’s downtown streets on a Saturday afternoon. They had been window shopping when they came upon Laster’s jewelry store. A display of gold and silver lockets and necklaces lay on black velvet in the window.

The sun was at just the right angle to strike the display with its bright rays, and it caught Linda’s eye.

“Oh, Lewis!” she said, stopping to look in the window. “Look at this! Do you see those beautiful lockets?”

“Mm-hmm. They really are nice.”

“I know we’re putting away money for when we get married,” she said, “but someday when we’re well off, I’d like to have a locket to put your picture in. You know, so I can have your likeness with me when I wear it.”

Lewis smiled. “And if you could pick one of these lockets, which one would it be? I realize all of these will be sold by the time I can afford to buy you one, but if I have some idea what you like best, I’ll be able to come close, maybe.”

Linda’s eyes danced as she ran her gaze over the display of lockets, pausing at those that most caught her attention. “I see it!”

“Which one?”

Pressing the tip of her forefinger against the glass, she said, “Third row from the left, fourth one down.”

The gold heart-shaped locket hung on a delicate gold chain. It had an intricate design of dainty flowers etched into it.

“Oh, yes,” said Lewis. “That’s a pretty one. I’ll have to keep it in mind so I can come as close as possible.”

Linda’s thoughts shifted to March 22. The last time Janet had come by to see the family—on Christmas, so she could pick up her presents—Adrienne had told her she would prepare a special dinner on her birthday. Since Linda and Lewis were engaged, Adrienne had invited Lewis to the meal and to Janet’s little party afterward.

The aroma of baked chicken and hot bread filled the Forrest house when Janet arrived that evening for the dinner in her honor.

Linda ran to her, saying, “Happy birthday, big sis!” and hugged her.

Janet reacted coolly and didn’t return the hug. Nolan and Adrienne came into the parlor and wished their oldest daughter happy birthday.

“Take your coat off, dear,” Adrienne said. “Dinner’s about fifteen minutes from being ready. Lewis should be arriving any minute.”

When Janet had removed her scarf and coat, light from the lamps in the parlor glistened off a gold locket that hung on a delicate gold chain around her neck. Linda was surprised to see that it was exactly like the locket she had pointed out to Lewis in the window display at Laster’s.

Curious, Linda said, “What a beautiful locket! Where’d you get it?”

Janet hung her coat and scarf on a nearby clothes tree, lifted the locket with her fingers, and said, “One of my boyfriends gave it to me this morning for my birthday”

“Oh? Who was that?” Adrienne asked.