The Matchmakers (2 page)

“You should have drunk it earlier like I told you.” Judith smiled and shook her head at her friend. Then she said, “So what are you going to do?”

Cynthia stood, indicating it was time for her to be off. “I’ve no idea,” she said with another sigh. “I know I won’t chance hurting Daddy. Even if he decided to move in with me and the boys. He’s been so sweet. I guess we’ll just keep on  …”

“You mean do nothing?” Judith said as she stood, picked up her purse, and reached inside for her billfold. It was her turn to pay. “That doesn’t sound like much of a solution.”

“Maybe there isn’t a solution. Maybe I don’t even need a solution. Maybe I should be just plain thankful that I’ve got a daddy who cares. Who looks after me and the kids. I don’t know. Maybe I’m unappreciative. Restless. Selfish.”

“You’re none of those things and you know it.”

“Maybe it’s a stage one goes through. I don’t know. I’m so confused.”

“Have you talked with Pastor?”

“Pastor Lawrence must be tired of my face. I spent so much time in his office that first year. It’s time to let someone else benefit from his counsel. Surely  … surely I should be ready to  … to—”

“Don’t rush—” Judith stopped when she remembered she had already said that. But Cynthia didn’t seem to notice and picked up on the word.

“Rush?” she repeated. “I don’t know the meaning of the word. Seems I have been dragging my feet the whole way but now—”

“Now you are ready … for a little space,” Judith added encouragingly.

“I  … think so. I need to  … to discover who I am since  … since all this happened. See if there is still a person in there somewhere.”

“You’re going to have to talk with him, Cynthie.”

“I can’t. I just can’t.”

“Then just keep on praying. I’ll pray, too. Something will turn up. God does have an answer.”

“And even that thought scares me,” Cynthia said, drawing on a glove. “I don’t  … don’t want Him to take Daddy from my life entirely.”

Judith’s soft chuckle sent her eyes to sparkling. Cynthia looked uncertain, but then joined in. “I know,” she admitted sheepishly. “I’m just plain silly. God has been with me even when I didn’t know it. I need to trust Him with this too.”

Judith nodded and tried again. “There is a solution.”

“Like?” The laughter had faded from Cynthia’s eyes. She busied herself with pressing each finger firmly into the glove of her right hand with the fingers of her left.

“I don’t know. Maybe marriage?”

“Marriage? I’m not ready for marriage.”

Judith looked at Cynthia evenly as she shrugged into her denim jacket. “Maybe not,” she said with a teasing twinkle. “But what about your dad?”

“Oh, Jude! That’s preposterous!”

“Hurry. We’ll be late,” eight-year-old Todd called out to his brother, his voice filled with concern.

Cynthia sighed. It was Friday, and the morning had been typical—Todd fussing and six-year-old Justin dawdling. She wished, as often, that she had a better match in her pair. Todd was such a perfectionist, so impatient. Justin was easily distracted and plodding. It was not a good mix for tranquility.

“We’ll be late for sure,” Todd was pronouncing in his prediction-of-doom voice.

Justin slowly reached for his other boot. Halfway there his hand changed its mind and somehow ended up holding a small Matchbox car instead.

“Justin,” Cynthia was forced to intervene. “We do need to hurry. Leave the car until after school.”

Obediently the young boy set aside the car and took up the other boot.

With a shake of her head Cynthia turned back to gathering her gloves, purse, and car keys. She wished they didn’t have to go through this little ordeal every school morning.

Her next thought brought a smile to her lips. Just like their parents, the two of them. When she and Roger had first married, their two different personalities often meant discord. She had been the impatient one, always standing, shifting from one foot to the other, trying vainly to hurry him. He had only smiled, teased her a bit, and continued to take his own sweet time. They had needed to work it out. They talked it over, and she tried to slow down. Roger worked ahead to gather those things he would need when leaving the house so there wouldn’t be any last-minute delays. It mostly had worked. Harmony was restored.

After the babies arrived, she was the one who held up their departures, but Roger came through again and assumed the roll of gatherer. While she bundled little ones, he stuffed diaper bags with all the miscellaneous items that babies and new mamas seem to need.

Cynthia stirred from her reverie and turned back to her sons. Justin was finally zipping up his jacket. Todd was standing with the door held open, even though the morning held a sharp chill. “We’ll be late,” he said again in a dull voice, impatience causing a deep frown to crease his forehead.

“Never been late yet,” responded Justin.

Todd scowled. “You would be late lots of times if I didn’t make you hurry.”

Justin shrugged his shoulders and grinned.

Finally they were out the door and in the car. Cynthia felt that the worst part of her morning was over. Dealing with customers at the bank where she worked was easy in comparison.

“Is Grandpa Paul comin’ for dinner?” asked Justin.

“’Course. He always does,” responded Todd before Cynthia could even open her mouth.

“I hope he got my watch fixed.”

“What’s wrong with your watch?” Cynthia had heard nothing about a broken watch.

“He broke it going down the slide backward,” put in Todd.

“It caught when I fell,” Justin said simply.

The watch had been her father’s idea. With a timepiece to make the boy more aware of fleeting moments, Justin might realize that there were times when hurrying was perfectly in order. It hadn’t worked. But Justin loved the watch. It was his prized possession.

“What broke?”

“Just the strap piece. Just a little bit. Grandpa Paul will fix it.”

Yes, thought Cynthia. Grandpa Paul will fix it. Grandpa Paul fixes everything  … well, just about everything.

Cynthia’s eyes teared up. What on earth was she thinking? What ever would she do without her father?

“I’m gonna ask him if we can go ice-fishing tomorrow. Darren’s dad is takin’ him ice-fishin’,” continued Justin.

“It’s too cold for ice-fishing,” Cynthia said as she negotiated a corner, her eyes on the road.

“No, it’s not. You wear your warm clothes—an’ jump an’ run around on the ice to keep warm an’ stuff.”

“I thought maybe you’d like to go with me to the craft show.”

“Craft shows are for girls.” This from Todd who had gender roles well sorted.

“There’s a whole section there for kids,” Cynthia corrected.

“Girl kids.”

“Not girl kids. There are—”

“I’d rather go with Grandpa Paul,” Justin said simply.

“You don’t even know if he’s going anyplace,” Todd reminded him. “He hasn’t said that he’s going ice-fishing.”

“I’ll just stay home with him, then.” The matter was settled as far as Justin was concerned.

“Maybe we can go to the craft show for a few minutes after church on Sunday,” Cynthia suggested hopefully. She wanted some time with her sons but could think of nothing they could do together in the dead of winter.

“Grandpa said he’d help me build my new model,” Todd announced. “He said we’d start right after dinner.”

So the plans for Sunday had already been made as well.

Cynthia eased the car up against the curb. “Get out on the sidewalk,” she cautioned as she always did when she let them out at school.

“Bye, Mom.”

Todd was gone almost before she had completely stopped the car. Justin leaned forward to plant a moist kiss on her cheek. “Bye, Mom.” Then he slowly began to gather his lunch box, reader, mitts, and scarf. “Bye, Mom,” he called again before he shut the door, then stood, belongings dangling, mitts held in his hands instead of on them. “Bye, Mom,” he called again, struggling to wave with hands full of little-boy school items.

He’s going to lose another mitt,
thought Cynthia, shaking her head and smiling at him.
He’s already been through three pairs this winter.

He stood and waited. She knew he would not leave to trudge toward the school building until he had watched her pull away. With a last wave and a thrown kiss, she eased the car back out into the street.
Such a little guy. Such a sweet little guy. And so much like his daddy.

She felt cheated that she wouldn’t get to spend more time with him on the weekend. She had so little time with him anymore, and he wouldn’t be her little boy for long.

“You going to the craft show today?” Judith asked as they sat at the Koffee Kup the next morning.

Cynthia shook her head. “I don’t think so. I had thought the boys might like to go. See some of the models and things.” “They don’t?”

“Daddy took them ice-fishing.”

“Ice-fishing? Isn’t it a bit cold for that?”

“That’s what I thought. But they took a thermos of hot chocolate and lots of sandwiches. If they get cold, they’ll go to the diner just off the lake. They have video games there. Todd is crazy about video games.”

“Why don’t you go anyway?”

“To the craft show?” Cynthia shook her head. “Not much fun going alone. I’ve decided to stay home and catch up on some of my cleaning.”

“Not much fun cleaning alone either,” said Judith dryly.

Cynthia smiled and nodded her agreement. She turned back to the topic of the craft show. “You going?”

“Yeah. Soon as I get home from grocery shopping. Why don’t you come with us?”

Cynthia was uncertain. “Taking the kids?”

“We’re all going. Cal says I just take him along to tote the things I buy, but he does a bit of buying himself. Last year he bought this humongous birdhouse. We could hardly get it in the van. The kids had to sit all cramped in there around the big thing. Not a single bird used it all summer, but it does look cute. Cal keeps reminding me of that.”

Cynthia felt a little twinge somewhere deep inside. It sounded like so much fun to be a family.

“By the way, I asked Cal to sort of… keep an eye out. You know, for a nice widow or—”

“Oh, Jude,” Cynthia gasped. “You didn’t tell him—”

“’Course not. I told him nothing, except that I thought it would be a wonderful idea if your dad found a nice woman—”

“Oh, Jude. I wish you—”

But Judith was looking at her with an impish grin. “Listen,” she said. “If your daddy’s lonely, we need to help fix it.”

A twinkle shone from her eyes. Some of the distress left Cynthia’s mind. Judith always made a game out of life. Crazy Judith. But she had a loving heart. One that sought to take care of friends.

“Well—” Cynthia began, smiling in spite of herself. “Perhaps he isn’t that lonely. Maybe he’s quite happy the way things are.”

Judith reached across the table and took hold of Cynthia’s wrist. She gave it a little shake. “You’re not going to have a life until he has a life,” she said with unusual seriousness.

“I have a life.”

“But not the kind of life that you deserve. Not the kind you are  … wanting. I’ve been thinking about it ever since our talk. I should have seen it sooner. But I didn’t. Cynthie, you are left out of everything. The Couples Club because you aren’t a couple, the Mom’s Day Out because you are working, the Valentine Dinner because you don’t have a Valentine, and it goes on and on.”

“But how will marrying off my daddy change any of that?” asked Cynthia bluntly.

Judith shook her head. “I’m not sure,” she admitted, “but we have to take things one step at a time.”

“Sure. Take away my built-in baby-sitter and I’ll never get out of the house—not even for shopping.”

“You can leave the kids with Cal. He’d never notice he had another two there. I think he just lets them go, anyway, the way the house looks sometimes when I get back home. Good thing it’s a mess to begin with. At least I don’t notice much difference.”

Cynthia smiled again and picked a cherry from her Danish. Judith was not a fussy housekeeper, but her home never looked that bad.

“Anyway, I told Cal to just… sort of keep his eyes and ears open. And don’t ‘Oh, Jude’ me.”

“He  … he won’t say anything to anybody, will he?”