Simple Gifts (29 page)

It was a good thing I was already sitting down. I don't know what I'd thought Aunt Ingrid would do with her money—truth be told, I hadn't really thought about it.

“Eugene left Herman a large trust.”

“Eugene? “I frowned. “Did he make that much as a salesman?”

“Don't be ridiculous. His family had old money. Eugene didn't have to work a day in his life, but he loved adventure. Always said he couldn't sit still.” She lifted her tea for a sip. “That's why Herman chose to stay with me when Eugene left. He might have been simpleminded, but he knew he'd never have a real home with his father. After Herman died, and I followed his wishes to have the animal shelter built and give a large grant to the public library, I set up a trust where the remainder of your father's estate, as well as mine, would go to you upon my demise.”

“I don't know what to say.”

Another wave of the hand. “No need to say a thing. We're family. That says it all.”

So it did.

I eased back in my chair, my mind returning to a day thirty years ago—the day Herman found God.

The sunny June morning stood out in my mind as clearly as if it happened yesterday. Ingrid, Beth, and I had left the church and headed for the car when we heard Herman burst from the side entrance, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Good news! Good news!”

“Marlene, go get him and tell him to hush! “Ingrid snapped.

I bounded out of the car and headed for him. He spotted me, his face lit with an angelic glow. “Marly! Good neeeeews! Good neeeeews!”

He raced across the lawn, shouting, stumbling over his two big, too-awkward feet. His usual mismatched pants and shirt looked even more out of place this morning. Heads turned. Smiles turned to scowls.

“Stop
shouting
, Herman! Ingrid says for you to get in the car!”

He reached me, eyes bright, his grin spreading from ear to ear. “Good news, Marly! Jesus
loves
me!”

Jesus loved Herman
. Even now, the sheer euphoria on his face brought joy to my soul.
Good news! Good news! Jesus loves me!

That day, Herman got what some geniuses failed to get their whole life. So who was truly mentally challenged?

I smiled at my aunt. “Herman understood what was important. He understood that he was special because God loved him. We'll rebuild the shelter; we'll make it even larger so when we look at it, we'll be reminded of the size of my dad's heart.”

Ingrid reached to wipe tears. “I didn't give birth to him, but I loved him like my own—maybe loved him more than my own. When Eugene left and Herman chose to remain with me—why, he was all I had. I had to protect him, to shelter him from the world.”

“Oh, Aunt Ingrid. Haven't you realized it yet? Herman was an
angel
. You didn't need to shelter him. He was sent to deliver a message of a deeper meaning to life, to enable us to sort through what counts and what doesn't. That was Herman's mission, and he performed it well.”

It might have taken all these years for his lessons to sink in, but I finally got it. Ingrid was about to. I leaned over and squeezed her hand. “Good news! Good news! Aunt Ingrid, Jesus loves you.”

Late that afternoon I borrowed a neighbor's cell phone and called Lana. I knew that she worked at the local bank, which the storm most likely had damaged, but she might be around to help with the cleanup. The bank had one of the few landlines in operation. When I told her about Vic and the accident, she immediately volunteered to drive me to Columbia, where she dropped me off at the emergency entrance.

“Tell Vic I hope he's better real soon.”

Surprised, I turned to look at her. “Aren't you coming inside?”

“No.” She offered a look that only two women in love with the same man could understand. “We both know Vic Brewster wouldn't know I was in the room if you were there.”

“Oh, Lana.” She knew. She knew that an irrevocable bond held Vic and me—and she'd just given her blessing.

The moment I walked into Vic's hospital room, Joe discreetly excused himself, saying he was going to the cafeteria for a bite to eat.

Vic motioned me closer. When I reached for a chair, he patted the space beside him and smiled. A weak one, nevertheless, a living, breathing smile.

“You look considerably better than the last time I saw you.” I moved IV tubing and sat down. His color, though pasty, had improved. They had just given him pain medication and he had the look of giddy oblivion.

“Little Marly.”

“Big ole Vic.”

His grin turned into a forgiving smile, which I offered back. At least he was speaking to me.

I'd left him, knowing we'd crossed a bridge onto common ground, but still I'd worried that once the crisis passed, the old tension between us would resurface. He didn't appear intent on a grudge, but right now he wasn't feeling anything but good. Real good.

“Guess I owe you one.”

Shaking my head, I fiddled with the tubing. “We both owe the Lord one. I couldn't have found you without his help.”

He shook his head. “I can't believe how fast the storm moved in. It was foolish to try to outrun it, but I was worried about Dad.”

“Well, God's still in the miracle business.” I checked the thick, heavy cast covering his leg suspended in the air. “Three breaks, huh?”

“That's what they say.”

“What about your practice?” Between therapy and healing, he'd be off for months.

“Dad talked to a fellow vet in Columbia. He's going to cover for me until I can get around.”

My heart twisted. “That will be awhile.”

“Yeah, awhile.” He laced his fingers through mine. “I'm counting on you to help with the therapy.”

The old, teasing Vic was back.
Hallelujah!
But were his good spirits and the teasing glint in his eye the result of medication or amnesty? What I'd done was a serious infraction, one that a few halted confessions couldn't heal.

“Vic—”

He stopped me. “With time we're going to get past this.” His hold tightened around my hand. His voice began to rise. “Right now I'm working through the anger. You've got to know I was furious when I found out that Noel was dead—-had been dead
all those
years! How did you think that made me feel, Marly?”

“Betrayed.”

“Exactly!”

“Don't yell at me.”

“Didn't you trust me to understand?”

“It wasn't just you. I'd deceived everyone; Ingrid, Beth, Joe—and there's something else you need to know. Noel walked out on me when Sara was two.”

“What?”

“He left me and married this—this woman—this psychiatrist, when Sara was two.”

“Noel's not only been
dead
all these years, he wasn't even your husband?”

I nodded, miserable. What had possessed me to think that I could keep this part of my life a secret?

Vic shook his head. “I can't believe this.”

“I know—and I'm sorry, Vic. I'm
so
sorry. I know how lame that sounds for what I've done, but I deeply regret my actions from all these long years.”

“Did you perpetrate this lie to keep me away?”

“Keep you away? You were
married.
”

“I know I was married, and I loved my wife, but when Julie died? What about then, Marly? Nothing prevented you from telling me the truth, yet you still continued the farce. For
years
, Marlene. Were you afraid I would pressure you into coming back here?”

“No, of course not.”

“Pressure you into seeing me again?”

“No, I wanted that more than life itself. Every time we talked, I died a little more on the inside. You have to know that. It's just that…”

“What? Please tell me. Help me understand.”

“I was ashamed. It was my pride, foolish pride, that kept me away, and the lie held me in bondage. My life stank, and you'd made lemonade of yours.”

“I can't believe that you didn't tell Dad.”

“I couldn't face him with the truth, couldn't face his disappointment in me.”

“What about
my
disappointment?”

“That, most of all.” I eased closer until there was a hair's breadth between my lips and his. “Don't you think I've paid dearly for my mistake? When I heard Julie died, I wanted to run to you, to comfort you—to confess my lie, to beg your forgiveness and in time hope that we could begin a new life together. But you were shattered. Then, when you began to move past the tragedy, I'd retreated, believing that what we had was in the past. I was so sure that after letting the lie go on for so long, even if I confessed, I'd never regain your trust. When I came back, I had every intention of disposing of my past—to put you and Parnass Springs behind me once and for all.”

“But God had other plans.”

I sighed. “He always does.”

“Don't you think he's trying to get your attention?”

“Yes.” I bent and lightly kissed him, testing the waters, tracing the corners of his oh-so-familiar mouth with the tip of my finger. “While I'm confessing, I might as well tell you this. I didn't faint the night I knocked that display of Cokes over.”

“You faked
that
, too?”

“I'm not proud of my choices.”

“I hope you've learned from them—please tell me you've learned from them.”

“I have. I promise.” I eased closer. “You said you were working through your anger; do you have reason to believe the issue can be successfully resolved?”

His answer? A long, oh-so-thorough kiss.

Later I nudged him. “There's one other thing I need to know while you're working through things.”

Grasping my shoulders, he gently moved me back. “What's that?”

“That you love me.”

His gaze gentled. “Isn't that obvious?”

“Well…no. You've never said you did—”

“Hold on a minute. How many times have I told you I love you?”

“Now? When we're adults?” I asked.

“All the years leading up to adulthood.”

“Oh. Well.” I grinned. “Quite a few.” Too numerous to count.

“Nothing's changed on my part. How about you?”

“Nothing's changed here, either. You have my solemn promise, Vic. I will never lie again, to you or to anyone else. I've learned my lesson. Sin does not pay.”

Gathering me close, he rested his chin on the top of my head. “I love you, Marly Moss. I have from the moment I laid eyes on you, and that has never changed.”

I closed my eyes, savoring his declaration. Only one more obstacle to overcome. What I was about to say might intimidate some men. I wasn't sure how the man I love and planned to spend the rest of my life with would feel. “Ingrid told me this morning that I'll inherit her estate. And that Eugene left Herman quite a sum, which was then left to me in a trust. And then there's the matter of Aunt Beth's estate…” I sighed. “You know Ingrid and Beth lived like paupers, fought like men, and did anything possible to spite the other at times. Would you ever have guessed those two women were sinfully wealthy?”

He stopped me with a long kiss. Afterwards, he said, “What you're trying to say is that I'm in love with a wealthy woman?”

“Very wealthy—”

He frowned. “You don't have a rock fetish, do you?”

I giggled and hugged him tight, delighted to have my old Vic back. “No.”

“Then we don't have an issue.”

I whirled when I heard children's and adult's voices coming down the hallway. I quickly removed myself from Vic's side into a chair as Joe entered the room, trailed by Aunt Ingrid.

The pastor grinned. “Feeling up to more company?”

“Aunt Ingrid—” I struggled to my feet.

“In the flesh. Here. Someone dropped these by the house as we were leaving.” She handed me my lost purse and cell phone. I seized the items; I'd been completely lost without them.

Ingrid grinned. “I also brought company.”

Sara and Pete appeared in the doorway. “Mom! “My daughter flew into my arms, babbling like a frightened four-year-old. “We've been so worried! When I couldn't reach you after the storm, we got in the car and drove all the way to Parnass.” She paused, inspecting me. “Look at you! You look
wretched.
Black eyes, cuts—stitches! Is your arm
broken
?”

I stuck out my bandaged foot. “Sprained ankle too.” I wasn't getting much sympathy these days; might as well milk this for all its worth.

Petey dove into my lap. “Me-maw!”

Emma Grace bucked in her father's arms, clearly wanting some attention. I clasped Petey to my hipbone and reached for Emma with my one good arm. Liquid happiness rolled down my cheeks as I engulfed my family in a wide hug.

“You drove all the way from Glen Ellyn, with the children?”

“Well, we tried, but we had to stop around three this morning. Pete had worked a twelve-hour shift and the kids kept waking up in the car. We stopped at a Holiday Inn Express and slept a few hours, then we were back on the road before dawn.” Sara burst into tears. “Oh, Mom. I was
sick
with worry. Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, honey. Terrific. And Ingrid and Joe weren't hurt. We have much to be thankful for.”

Pete introduced himself and shook hands with Joe. Vic lay in bed, his eyes on the spectacle. Suddenly I realized he'd never met my child and grandchildren.

“Sara.” I pulled my daughter closer to the bed railing. “This is Vic Brewster, town vet and acting mayor of Parnass Springs.”

Sara flashed a grin. “Hey Vic. Looks like you didn't fare so well during the storm.”

Vic focused on Sara; he was clearly drinking in the sight of my daughter. In a way, she was a part of his past—a part he'd never met.