Sophie's Heart (66 page)

“Here,” Alec spoke and sat at the kitchen table. “Read it to me.” Sophie flopped in a chair herself and quietly translated the letter. Alec spoke when she was through.

“There’s a plea for your understanding in there, Sophie.”

His fiancée frowned at him. “I did not read that.” Her eyes went back to the letter.

“About halfway down. Read that part again.”

Sophie scanned the page. “You say I
need
to come, but don’t you see how wrong this is, my Sophie? It is a parent or grandparent’s greatest task to put himself out of a job. I do not need you to need me. To see you would be joy untold, but you will be fine without me.”

“That’s more than just words for you, Sophie,” Alec spoke when she was through. “She’s also saying them to herself. You’ve got to stop pushing her. You’ve got to accept her decision.”

Sophie’s shoulders slumped with defeat. “I want her here so badly. I want her with me, Alec.”

“I know, honey, but think of how frightening it would be for her. You told me her English is not good. How scary it would be to pack up bag and baggage and move 5000 miles away, or even come to visit. I’m sure the thought alone terrifies her.”

“What am I to do?”

“You keep on praying and accepting. Make sure she knows you understand and that she would be welcome to visit or live here, and then leave the decision in her hands.”

Sophie rubbed her forehead as though she had a headache. Tears filled her eyes. “I think I am a little angry at God that He has not stepped into this and put us back together.”

“So you would be willing to move back to Prague?”

“No.”

“It’s the same for her.”

Sophie cried then, but her heart was finding acceptance. Alec came over and hugged her and then pulled a chair close and held her hand. They prayed together and talked until Alec remembered he was going to be late for an appointment. He had to dash off, but the time together had been helpful. Sophie sat and did just as Alec had told her. She wrote to Kasmira and lovingly told her of her acceptance of the situation, but that she would be welcome.

Sophie closed by saying, “Have no fear. We will take rolls of pictures, and you will feel as if you had attended the wedding.” She sealed the letter with more tears in her eyes, but she knew she had done the right thing. It was still very painful, but her heart was at peace. She was able to ask that if it be God’s will and not her own, He would bring them together again someday.

The next two months flew by, and before Sophie could catch her breath, her wedding was a week away. She had found the dress of her dreams, on a clearance rack no less, and Alec had come through time and again to help with the expenses. Neither one was a spendthrift, but Sophie was a little more reticent about putting hard-earned money on the table, and Alec had coaxed her into having what she wanted on a number of occasions.

The wedding party was all set with Rita as maid of honor, Tory as bridesmaid, and Craig as Alec’s best man. David would walk Sophie down the aisle before standing in as Alec’s other groomsman. Janet said she would be happy to sit in the front row and lead the crying section. David told Alec on the phone that cry was all Janet had done since they called with the good news.

Gladys had graciously offered her home to visiting family members, and the Fraziers were staying there. Ben and Kay Riley were at the house with Alec and the kids, where they would stay while Sophie and Alec honeymooned. David and the family were staying with some friends in Madison.

As the day approached, Alec and Sophie were the only people staying calm. Tory was a bundle of nerves, and Craig kept starting sentences and never finishing them. Rita debated right up to the last minute over what to do with her hair, but by May 25 at 1:00 in the afternoon, everyone had turned out in fine form.

Sophie grew a little nervous as she waited in a side room for her walk down the aisle, but David and Rita kept up a lighthearted flow of chatter meant to soothe and comfort. By the time she walked that long path, her heart was pounding in her chest. But Alec was waiting up ahead, and she soon forgot everything but him.

He was incredibly handsome in a black tux and snow-white shirt and tie. Sophie placed her hand on his arm and wanted to laugh when he had the audacity to wink at her. While not overly long, the service was lovely and with everything they had wanted. The couple had memorized their vows, but Pastor Baker had a copy in case they needed cuing. Sophie was proud of herself that she didn’t cry when she pledged her life to the man she loved.

The reception was a delight in Gladys’ yard with wonderful food and a gorgeous cake. Sophie couldn’t think of anything they had missed. It was the wedding she had imagined. Their bags were all packed, so after the reception Sophie only needed to change into her traveling clothes and meet Alec, who had changed as well. Family and friends stood at the curb in front of Gladys’ house to see them off. When Alec finally pulled away from the curb, Sophie’s sigh was deep and heartfelt.

She knew they were headed to a small place in northern Wisconsin called Bayfield, but she didn’t know how far they would travel that day. Sophie laughed at Alec’s conspiratorial look when he took them to a beautiful high-rise hotel right in Middleton. While checking in, they were treated like royalty. Alec and Sophie finally stood alone in their hotel room, husband and wife, alone and in love.

“Hello, Mrs. Riley,” Alec said softly.

Again Sophie sighed. “You are my dream come true, did you know that?”

Alec slipped his arms around her and kissed her passionately.

“I bought a pretty nightgown,” Sophie told him when she came up for air.

“I’ll look forward to seeing it,” Alec told her, but then he kissed her again.

Sophie had every intention of changing, but somehow right then it didn’t matter. Alec wanted her in his arms, and Sophie could find no good reason to leave. It was where she remained until dawn, when they rose and started again on their trip.

Bayfield was 350 miles from Middleton, but they didn’t rush. They arrived there at the end of the day, and it was as lovely as Alec had described. In the seven days they were gone, they traveled all over northern Wisconsin, heading into the upper peninsula of Michigan and coming home by way of Lake Michigan. They stayed in bed and breakfast inns and also grander locations with built-in pools and health clubs. By midweek they’d grown tired of restaurant food and attacked an occasional grocery store in search of fresh fare.

They surprised Alec’s folks and the kids when they arrived home a day early, but then they had some surprises of their own waiting for the newlyweds.

“Dad and Sophie are home!” Tory shouted as she flung herself toward them, and then the rest of the family gathered around. Ben and Kay hugged Sophie close, and the kids had many questions.

“Sophie, do you remember that I told you we had to order your wedding gift?” Kay asked her new daughter-in-law when there was a lull in the uproar.

“Oh, yes.”

“Well, it arrived.”

Sophie smiled. “Where is it?”

“You should close your eyes,” Tory said suddenly.

“That’s a good idea,” Alec chimed in. “I’ll lead you.”

“But don’t you need to close your eyes?” Sophie asked her husband, thinking she had misunderstood.

“No,” his eyes twinkled at her. “I told them what you would want.”

“But it is supposed to be a gift for both of us.”

“I’ll enjoy it, Sophie. Have no fear.”

She knew she would get no more out of him, so she played along, shut her eyes, and let him lead her to the living room. She could hear giggles and excited whispers and everyone giving Alec instructions.

“Watch that wall, Al. Don’t let her bump.”

“You’re gonna love it, Sophie.”

“It was delivered on Monday, so you just missed it.”

“Oh, now, watch that chair.”

“Okay, love.” Alec’s deep voice was close to her ear. “Open your eyes.”

Sophie obeyed him and gasped. Before her was a baby grand piano with a black glossy finish and a matching bench. The keys, so white and perfect, beckoned to Sophie’s hands, and she sat down. She played her favorite lullaby, her hands trembling slightly before she turned on the bench and looked at her in-laws.

“It is too wondrous. I cannot know how to thank you.”

She went then and hugged them once again before she turned to Alec.

“And you knew about this.”

He shrugged, loving how they had pulled it off. “They asked me what we wanted, and I told them the truth.”

“Oh, Alec.”

He grinned a little too widely, but Sophie did not catch it because the others were complimenting her ability.

“Let’s take our stuff upstairs,” Alec suggested a moment later, and grabbed a suitcase with one hand and Sophie with the other.

As she climbed the stairs, Sophie prayed that the children would not feel a barrier about that room, now that she would be sharing it with Alec, so her mind was not really on where they were going. Alec had pulled her inside, shut the door, and put her case down before she noticed. All the original oak bedroom furniture was gone, replaced by a beautiful cherry set. The bed was flanked by matching nightstands, and there was a highboy and a mirrored dresser, along with a freestanding, full-length oval mirror. The wood was carved and elegant. All Sophie did was stare at it before she turned to Alec.

“How is this possible? I was up here to clean the bathroom the day before we got married. How did you do this?”

“Everything has been at Carl Nickelberry’s.”

“Oh, Alec, it is so beautiful. But you did not have to.”

“This is our room, Sophie. I didn’t want there to be any thoughts otherwise. The kids are pretty used to coming in and out of here whenever they please, and I hope they will still do that and also keep your privacy in mind. But I didn’t want there to be any confusion on their parts, or on yours, as to who lives here. This is Alec and Sophie’s room. This is where Alec and Sophie share a bed, no one else.”

Sophie went into his arms. As soon as her lips touched his, he was a man lost in another world. He had thoughts of locking the door when he heard voices downstairs.

“I want to lock that door,” he admitted, Sophie still in his arms.

“Tonight,” she said and stroked his cheek.

“You’re right. Now is the time to go downstairs and be as normal as possible. It’s what the kids need.”

Sophie couldn’t have agreed more. She kicked her shoes off, not caring where they landed, and let Alec take her hand to lead her down the stairs. It was the wisest thing they could have done. They had all been waiting to see how Sophie liked the bedroom set, but more than that they wanted them back down in order to say that they were going to order pizzas and watch old movies.

Rita’s graduation party was just two weeks away, so there was much discussion about that, and Sophie found herself very glad they’d come home in casual clothes because they were with Alec’s parents and the kids for the remainder of the evening. Over pizza they told all about their trip, with Sophie as naturally as ever describing some of the lovely bedrooms they stayed in, and then the falls they visited in the Upper Peninsula.

Much later that night when Alec and Sophie were finally alone, she lay against his side and listened to him talk.

“I’ve wanted you here with me for so long, Sophie.”

“Here in the bedroom?”

“Yes, but not just here. I would see you in the kitchen or skating with Tory, and think, ‘She looks so right.’ I would ask God for patience, since I couldn’t tell you then.”

“I’m glad you told me now,” Sophie told him with a sigh of contentment. The new bed was very comfortable, and since it was late they were soon asleep. They weren’t as intimate as they’d planned, but there was no urgency. There was a lifetime ahead, making them feel like they had all the time in the world.

Fifty-Eight

T
he summer was in full swing in just a month’s time, and most conversations were centered around Rita’s decision to go to a Bible college in the fall. She had been accepted at the University in Madison, as well as a Bible college in Illinois, but her choice had been a small Christian school in Indiana. She had to report on August 26 for freshman orientation, but could go down as early as the twenty-third and check into her room. Neither Alec nor Sophie had visited the college, but Rita had gone with Kurt Marx and his family. The two young teens were no longer dating, but had remained friends. The whole family planned to accompany her on the twenty-third, and Sophie was already fighting feelings of unreality. Not having Rita with them every day was almost more than she could imagine. Almost daily she had to force her mind back to the things at hand. There was still plenty of summer to be lived, and anticipating a sad event was just a waste of precious time.