The Promise (14 page)

Marilyn put her cell phone back in her purse after receiving a text from her good friend Charlotte back home. “Well,” she said, “how'd it go?”

Jim gave her a hug. “Pretty good, I think. He listened, and now he's heading off to find Amanda. Not sure how she's doing right now, but I think he's in a better place. If he does what I said, who knows?”

“So, you don't think we have to spend our last two days avoiding each other?”

“I hope not.”

She hugged him again. “I'm so proud of you.” As they walked toward the cathedral next to the Leaning Tower, she wondered how much this happy mood would change if she brought up the topic Charlotte had texted her about a few moments ago.

 25 

F
or the next hour and a half, Jim and Marilyn leisurely toured the two other historical buildings next to the Leaning Tower, the cathedral and baptistery. All the while holding hands. The buildings were magnificent architectural works in their own right, but obviously the Leaning Tower was the thing. She couldn't take her eyes off it whenever they were outside. It was just such an icon; she'd seen it in so many movies and magazine pictures throughout her life. It was hard to imagine she was actually standing there, seeing it with her own eyes.

As they walked, it became clear to Marilyn that Jim was relieved at how well his time with Brian had gone, like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders and now he could enjoy himself again.

She wasn't surprised; Jim had always been an effective communicator in his business and social settings. But during their small group meetings in their new church back home, Jim rarely shared his thoughts out loud. She'd get to hear him on the car ride home and tried to encourage him to share more often. She didn't know if his reluctance was due to feeling out of his element talking about spiritual things, or if he still felt unworthy talking about marriage issues.

Whatever it was, she kept praying God would build up Jim's courage so that he'd feel comfortable initiating conversations with their two sons back home. Both needed him in their lives, especially now that Jim was becoming the kind of husband she had always wanted him to be. Although she continued to have concerns about Doug, it was Tom who especially needed his father now.

“Are you okay?” Jim asked as they walked out of the baptistery into the bright sunlight. “You seem a little distracted.”

Marilyn still wasn't used to this, Jim being perceptive enough to ask about her shifting moods. She liked it, but it still caught her off guard. Instinctively, she reached for her cell phone in her purse and thought about Charlotte's text. Should she bring it up now? “I want to tell you, but I'm just not sure this is the right time.”

“Well, now you have to tell me, because I'll be totally distracted until you do. Is it something bad? I saw you looking at your cell phone as you walked across the field. Is everything okay back home?”

“Everything's fine back home. It's just . . .”

“Just what?”

“I got a text from Charlotte.” Marilyn paused, not sure what to say next. Initially, after she and Jim had reconciled last summer, Jim was a little skeptical about Marilyn's friendship with Charlotte, since Charlotte was the woman Marilyn had stayed with when they were separated. But after he'd gotten to know her, Jim liked her a lot.

“So, what did it say? Was it bad news?”

“How much more time until we have to meet up with the group?”

Jim looked at his watch. “We have about twenty minutes.”

“That's perfect. Let's go over to that little café, and I'll tell you about it over a cappuccino.”

When they were seated at a little round table, Jim said, “Guess this is kind of a big thing, considering all the buildup.”

“It's an in-between-size thing,” she said. “It's something I've been wanting to talk to you about for a few weeks, but we were so busy getting ready for the trip it never seemed like the right time. Charlotte's text just kind of pushed it to the front.” Back home, she'd have never imagined the right time would be sitting here in Pisa, sipping cappuccinos in view of the Leaning Tower.

“So I don't need to feel tense anymore?” Jim said.

“You feel tense?”

“A little.”

“I'm sorry, you have my permission to stop feeling tense.” She reached across the table and took his hand, hoping what she was about to say wouldn't cause his tension to return. “Did I mention to you that Charlotte started volunteering for a crisis pregnancy center they opened in River Oaks?”

“There's a crisis pregnancy center in River Oaks?” Jim asked.

“I guess I didn't mention it. Yeah, it opened a few months ago. Several Christian churches in the area have gotten behind it. Ours is one of them. I've been seeing something about it in the announcements several Sundays in a row.”

“Where is it located?”

“It's in a little storefront on the edge of the business section downtown.”

“Doesn't seem like the kind of thing folks in River Oaks would go for,” he said.

She knew what he meant. River Oaks was such an upscale community. “They gave us a little trouble,” she said. “The town council, I mean. But after we assured them this wasn't going to be a political thing, that the center's really just there to help young girls who get in trouble, they backed off. Rich girls and upper-middle-class girls get in trouble that way too, you know.”

“Did you say ‘us' and ‘we' just now?”

Oops. She had. Immediately, she felt Jim's hand tense up. “I did, but let me explain.”

“Are you involved with this thing already?”

Was this the old Jim surfacing now? It almost seemed like it. “I shouldn't have said it that way. I haven't really gotten involved yet, but I want to. I've just been talking with Charlotte about it on the phone. I guess I said it that way because I already feel connected to what's going on, through all my chats with Charlotte, I mean.”

Jim's face and hand relaxed. But his reaction made her realize she was right to approach the subject with caution. After their reconciliation, Jim had agreed she could keep her job at Odds-n-Ends, the little gift shop downtown, which was a major growth step for him. But she had no idea how he'd react to the idea of his wife volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center. The old Jim would have said something like, “No way, you're not getting mixed up with those kinds of people.”

“So what do they do at this place?” he asked and sipped his cappuccino.

“Mostly counsel young girls who get pregnant. Their goal, obviously, is to try to gently steer them away from getting an abortion. So they offer free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds and even do some career counseling, if needed. Charlotte loves it there.”

“So that's what the text is about? She's wanting you to sign up.”

“Sort of. Not sign up to join. Not yet. But they're having an orientation class next week, the day after we get home. She texted me because today is the last day to sign up for that. After the orientation class, you can decide whether you want to be a part of it, the kind of things you might do, and how much time you can put in. But I promise, Jim. I won't sign up until I talk to you about it, make sure you're okay with it. Right now, I'm just asking if I can take this orientation class.”

“I don't like the sound of that.”

Oh no, here goes.
Lord, help me to be patient with this residue of the old Jim.
“What do you mean?”

“It sounds like you're asking my permission, like you feel you have to. I can tell this whole thing—talking to me about it—has made you all tense and nervous. I'm sorry, hon,” he said, squeezing her hand tenderly. “I'm sorry for all the years I treated you so harshly, all the times I treated you like a child. You shouldn't have to ask my permission for something like this. We're partners now. Friends. You don't have to be afraid to talk to me anymore, about anything.”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“So, I can text Charlotte back and say yes?” She reached for her napkin and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Of course you can.” He looked at his watch. “But maybe you should wait until we've rendezvoused with the group. We're supposed to be at that spot in five minutes.” He took the last sip of his cappuccino and stood up.

She did the same. Then she walked around the table, put her arms around him, and gave him a seriously passionate kiss.

 26 

J
im and Marilyn gathered at the rendezvous spot with the rest of the group, just beyond the tall castle-like wall bordering the Pisa complex. The bus was running late. The tour guide had asked everyone to stay put, saying the bus should be here within the next five to ten minutes.

“I can't believe our trip will be over in one more day,” Marilyn said. This afternoon the bus was going to take them one hundred miles north to the picturesque seaside town of Portofino. They'd spend the evening and morning there, then head back to Rome tomorrow afternoon.

“Not one more day,” Jim said. “Two more. Don't you remember? I added an extra day so you could drive like a crazy woman on the Autostrada in that BMW.”

Marilyn gasped. She had completely forgotten. She reached over and gave him a hug. “Since the bus is late, I think I'll step over there away from the crowd and give Charlotte a quick call. I could text her, but I'd rather tell her in person, if that's all right.”

“Sure, go ahead. But keep looking over here. Charlotte can be quite a talker. Don't want you to get too distracted and miss the bus.”

Marilyn shook her head. “Now you know that's not going to happen. I won't be five minutes.” Marilyn pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the number and waited through a handful of rings.

“Oh my gosh! Marilyn, is that you?”

“It's me.”

“You're still in Italy, right?”

“I am.”

“I can't believe it. You're calling me from Italy. And you're on your second honeymoon. How's that going, by the way? He treating you right?”

“He's treating me wonderfully,” she said. “I couldn't ask for more.”

“Aww, I'm so glad. So happy for you, for the both of you. I can't believe you're calling me all the way from Italy. I was just hoping to get a text. Is that what you're calling about, my text?”

Marilyn smiled. Each time Charlotte said “your” or “for,” her Boston accent shined through. “It is. But I'm just so excited about how the conversation with Jim went, I thought I'd call you instead.”

“So he said yes? You can go to the orientation meeting?”

“He did, and it wasn't even a difficult conversation.”

“I thought for sure he'd turn you down flat. I never thought he'd go for this.”

“I was pretty surprised, pleasantly surprised, how well he responded. So go ahead and sign me up.”

“I will. I'll call them as soon as we get off the phone. Oh Marilyn, this thing fits you like a hand in glove. I'm doing the whole RN bit, of course. But I think you'll make a great mentor. You have such a way of talking, and you're such a great listener. And you have an amazing relationship with your daughter. These girls down here are going to be so blessed once you get trained and plugged in.”

“I hope so.” Marilyn had never done any counseling before. But Charlotte said they weren't looking for a professional, just someone with a caring heart and a listening ear. Most of these girls came from broken families, and many didn't have good relationships with their mothers.

“You just treat them like you treat your daughter,” Charlotte said, “and you'll do just fine. So where are you right now?”

“I'm standing about one hundred yards away from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”

“No way.”

Marilyn walked a few steps over to where she could see it through the big stone arch. “I'm looking at it right now.”

“Really? Wait a minute. I'm on my computer. Let me do something.”

Marilyn heard a bunch of clicks as Charlotte typed on the keyboard. “What are you doing?”

“I'm Googling the Leaning Tower. Wait a minute, there it is. I'm using Google Maps, you know, the camera view, the one that puts you right there on the street. I'm looking at that arch right now. It's through this big castle wall, right? And you can see the Leaning Tower right through it?”

“That's the one,” Marilyn said. “I'm standing right there.”

“What's it like? Seeing it up close?”

“It's unreal. But the whole trip's been that way. Every time I see one of those famous landmarks, it's the same feeling. The Colosseum, the Vatican, Ponte Vecchio in Florence, and now this.”

“Ponta-what?”

“Ponte Vecchio, it's that fancy old bridge with all the little shops built right on it. Didn't you see the pictures I put on Facebook?”

“Oh yeah, that's right.”

“Well, look, the bus just arrived and Jim is waving at me. I better go.”

“I guess you better. It was so nice that you called. You'll be home in a few days, right?”

“Don't remind me. I don't want this trip to end.”

“Well, I'll pray that your last few days go by real slow then. You and Jim have a great time, and I'll see you soon.”

Marilyn hung up and threaded her way through the crowd to join Jim. After they boarded the bus and began to drive off, Marilyn took one last look at the Leaning Tower, which she could see just over the stone wall.

So unreal.

An hour later, as the tour bus drove northwest along the coast, Jim and Marilyn and the rest of the group were treated to a spectacular Mediterranean sunset. Jim turned to Marilyn and said, “Do you realize where we're going?”

“Portofino, right?”

“Yeah, but this is the
real
Portofino. Remember that little boat ride we took at Universal Studios CityWalk? That fancy Italian hotel we stopped at?”

Marilyn remembered. How could she forget? Their new church had created a small group for couples who wanted to work on improving their marriages. One of the first things their group leader talked about was the need for them to commit to a date night each week. He strongly recommended the husbands take the lead on making this happen. Jim took this totally to heart. Except for a few occasions, they hadn't missed a single week. “That was our first date after we got back together,” she said.

“Well, that fancy hotel—which Universal called Portofino—was modeled after the place we're going to this evening. I've seen some pictures of it. You're going to love it. The real thing is
so
much better.”

“I can't wait.” Marilyn looked across the aisle. She whispered to Jim, “Do you see that?”

“I've been watching them for the last few hours. They seem to be doing much better.”

Brian and Amanda. Not only were they together, they were talking in gentle tones, smiling on occasion, and right now they were actually holding hands. “Thanks to you,” she said.

“I don't know about that.”

“Well, I do. I'm proud of you for taking the chance. And look, the Lord rewarded your courage.”

Jim smiled and squeezed her hand. Seeing the Holbarts gave Marilyn hope for Tom and Jean. Maybe Jim would get similar results, if she could only convince him to follow through and get together with Tom when they got home.