Soul Mates (19 page)

“I love my son…” His voice was choked as he turned away. “But I’m having trouble understanding, and certainly relating to, the lifestyle he’s chosen.”

Cassandra reached for his hand and held it while she waited for him to continue.

“It’s being caught in the middle that’s the hardest, though. If I were to speak up…” He had to stop again. “If I were to show my support for the choices Trevor is making, your mother would think I was opposing her. And yet my silence is sending a message, too. I’m sure Trevor takes it to mean that I’m siding with your mother. He’s been here five days, and we’ve hardly said a dozen words to each other.” He shook his head. “I feel like I can’t win, kitten.”

Cassandra felt his pain and wanted more than anything to help. “You know, maybe what Aunt Sophia believes could apply here,” she offered. “She says that our thoughts create our reality, that what we focus on expands to become what we experience in our lives.”

“I’ve heard her say something similar, but how do you think it applies in this situation?”

She was glad her father was willing to listen. Sophia’s advice had come to her for a reason, and maybe that reason was to share it with others who needed it. Her newfound wisdom could help her family; Cassandra was convinced of it, and she was eager to put it to the test. It might be what they all needed.

SOPHIE SEEMED especially cheerful as Jace drove her to the market. He had to admire her spunk. She was well into her eighties and showed no signs of slowing down. Her mind was relatively sound, and she was happy. He felt honored to know her, to have the opportunity to learn from her. She brought out the best in him, and he decided to tell her how he felt. “I really appreciate all that you’ve been telling me, you know.”

“I know,” she nodded. “I can see the change in you.”

“Really?” Jace knew he felt different but didn’t realize others could see the change. “In what way?”

“You’re more confident. You know more clearly what you want, and you know what steps to take to get there. Remember what was missing in your life when we first talked?”

So much was missing in his life then, and for the most part much of it still was. He had to ask what she was referring to.

“Control,” she replied. “You wanted to feel like you were in control.”

“You’re right,” he exclaimed. “I’d forgotten about that.”

“And don’t you feel like you have more control over aspects of your life now than you did back then?”

“Yeah, I do,” he smiled.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” She sounded pleased, and her expression oozed with satisfaction. “A good feeling always means you’re heading in the right direction.”

Jace
was
heading in the right direction; he could feel it. Not much had changed in respect to his financial situation, yet he was on the right path. If he kept going he’d make it. “Sophie,” he grinned, “what would I do without you?”

“You’ll do fine, dear.” She patted his arm. “You needed someone to remind you of what you’d forgotten, that’s all. You’ll be just fine.”

He frowned at her response. It sounded as though she wasn’t planning to be around much longer, and it left him with a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach. When he glanced at her again, her eyes were closed, and she looked content. She nodded as if agreeing with her own thoughts and then murmured, “She’s found what she’s looking for, too.”

She?
Jace didn’t know who Sophie was talking about. She was acting peculiar again, but he let it go, smiling as he thought about the gossip that circulated about this once-wealthy socialite. She wasn’t crazy; he knew that for a fact. She was his friend, and given his fondness for her, it wasn’t hard to overlook her occasional odd behavior.

CHAPTER 13

“WHAT IF WE could imagine Mother being more open minded about this?” Cassandra began to express the thoughts that were bubbling up within her. “What if we could imagine the four of us together, laughing and talking? Everyone getting along and looking for the best in one another, accepting one another?

“Daddy,” she continued excitedly, “if we could focus on that instead of what’s wrong, maybe the situation could change.”

Her father caressed her cheek. “I believe it could, kitten. It’s a pretty big if, though.”

“Aunt Sophia talks about focus.” Cassandra ignored her father’s last comment. “She says it’s like the hub of a wheel. Our thoughts, our feelings, even our experiences are dependent on our focus. I think I get it now!” The exhilaration increased as the insight unfolded in her mind. “We get to choose. We don’t have to let whatever’s in front of us dominate our thoughts or determine how we feel. We don’t have to let society’s views shape our beliefs. You know…” She paused as another idea called for her attention. “I think that’s why Aunt Sophia is happy. I think that may be the key to what she’s discovered, the secret to happiness!”

Trevor walked by the doorway to the study and stopped to give his sister a puzzled grin. “You’ve found the secret to happiness?”

“I think so,” she laughed.

As Trevor walked into what was deemed his father’s private space, Cassandra could see how unnerving it was for him. She looked at her father and saw the lines in his jaw tighten.
How can I not see this in a negative way?
She longed for her aunt’s wisdom.

“Trevor…” She decided to draw him into the conversation. “You and I have talked about this a little. Do you think it’s possible to control your focus, thereby controlling your experience?”

“I think that’s part of it,” he replied, relaxing slightly. “I believe it’s beneficial to change our thoughts—to look at any situation in a more positive way—but the real power comes when we align our thoughts with the Universe and trust that everything will work out for the best.”

“Aren’t they the same, though?” she argued. “If we align our thoughts with the Universe, it makes sense they’d be positive, uplifting thoughts. And if we’re doing it deliberately, then we
are
controlling our focus.”

“I’ll give you that, doodlebug,” he smiled, enjoying the interaction. “But one is active and one is passive. One is working at changing our thoughts in order to change the situation; the other is allowing things to happen and trusting they’ll be in our best interest.”

“Okay, I can feel the difference,” Cassandra nodded. “I’m just trying to understand what exactly Aunt Sophia has found. It sure doesn’t seem like she works at it. She believes that everything will turn out fine and it does.”

“So it’s our belief system, then,” Richard interjected. “Our belief system determines our experience.”

“I’m sure of it,” Cassandra stressed. “And we have the power to change that. Whether we’re aligning with the Universe in an attitude of trust or deliberately focusing in a more positive manner, we have to come to a state of believing that all can be well before anything can change.”

“I think you’re right.” Both men said the words in unison, and Cassandra glanced from one to the other in surprise. No one spoke.

“Maybe I’m not too old to change,” Richard admitted.

Cassandra watched her father. He was gazing at Trevor with love in his eyes and an air of determination on his face.

“I’m proud of you kids.” He looked at them and stressed, “Both of you. I know things haven’t been very pleasant around here, but there’s got to be a way for that to change. Cassandra’s got the right idea, wanting us to be a real family again. I want you to know that I love you both, and I’m going to do whatever I can to make that change possible.”

Cassandra brushed away the tears streaming down her cheeks. She was bursting with pride for her father, knowing how difficult the speech had been for him. Trevor’s eyes were misty as well. She could feel her brother’s joy. As she thought about the change her father spoke of, an image came to mind. She saw her family together, laughing as they had in the past. Suddenly she had an idea. “Daddy, do we still have those old home movies?”

“Sure, kitten,” he replied. “I believe they’re in the basement somewhere. Why?”

“We used to watch them every summer. It might be fun to dig them out and watch them as a family tonight.”

JACE STOPPED by Sophie’s, Saturday morning, to see whether she needed to go out.

“The harbor festival is on this weekend,” she informed him. “I’d like to go down to the waterfront.”

“I made an appointment to get your car serviced this morning. Why don’t I drop you off first? They said it should take less than an hour. I can pick you up when it’s done.”

“That sounds fine, Jace.”

He couldn’t help but notice that she was dressed up more than usual. She had on a pale pink skirt with delicate white flowers all over the pleated fabric, and a white blouse with a lace collar. Her hat was pale pink as well, and the fabric on the band matched her skirt. What really caught his attention was her jewelry. She had on a glittering pendant necklace and matching earrings. They looked old. She had several rings on her fingers as well. He questioned whether the jewels were real.
I doubt it,
he surmised.
They’d be worth a fortune if they were. She probably got rid of the real stuff long ago.

“You look nice this morning, Sophie,” he grinned as he held the car door for her.

“I never wear these anymore.” She held out her hands and studied the rings. “I’d forgotten I had some of them.”

She reminded Jace of a child playing dress-up. On such a petite woman who was always modestly dressed, the jewels stood out and looked somewhat garish when he was used to seeing her unadorned in that way. He decided it was just another way of trying to recapture her youth or pay tribute to what once was—a sincere act that made her even more adorable.

As they arrived at the festivities, they could hear a band playing. People were beginning to gather on the street corners. “Hey, a parade!” Jace almost wished he could stay. Something about a parade brought out the kid in him. Instead, he pulled into a loading zone and got out to open the door for Sophie.

“Thank you, Jace.”

As she smiled up at him, he noticed how radiant she looked. He was tempted to take her picture with his cell phone, but he didn’t want to embarrass her. “I’ll be back in about an hour,” he reminded her. “Do you want to meet here?”

“Yes, that will be fine.”

The dealership was on the outskirts of town in a new auto mall that had been built the year before. Jace parked the car, left the keys with the service technician, and went into the main building. With nothing to do but wait, he got himself a coffee and picked up the morning paper.

When he’d finished his coffee and looked over the entire newspaper, he got up and wandered around the new vehicle showroom. He sat in the driver’s seat of a shiny new Accord, this one metallic gray, and imagined that he was there to buy it. He pictured himself talking to the salesperson, bartering for the best deal, and even getting some extras thrown in. They shook hands after signing the paperwork, and he saw himself pulling away in the new car. Though the feeling was conjured, pride of ownership swelled within him. He’d begun to practice similar scenarios, and being in the showroom added detail to his visualizations. It gave him a real rush.

He glanced at his watch and realized he’d been at the dealership forty-five minutes. The car would likely be done. It would be tight, but if he left right away, he could get back within the hour to pick up Sophie.

“Sorry,” the girl at the desk shrugged, “they’re really busy back there. One of the guys is sick today. They just started on your car; it’ll be twenty minutes or so.”

Jace frowned. He hated making Sophie wait.
I wish she had a cell phone
.
He’d suggested it on more than one occasion, but she’d laughed at the idea, insisting it was unnecessary.