It took forever for Tuesday morning to come around, but it had finally arrived. Sophie’s palms nearly dripped as she stood in the Rileys’ living room and waited for the car to appear. Her appointment was scheduled for 9:30, so she had been able to work a few hours around the house, but at the moment she couldn’t have told anyone what she had accomplished.
She knew her agitation and excitement showed because the kids had looked at her oddly a few times over the breakfast table. Sophie wanted very much to tell them what she was about that day, but the fear of failure was too great. If no one knew what she was doing, she would feel no shame if it was a disaster. She had written to her grandmother, but she knew the only thing she would hear back from her was encouragement.
In the midst of these tempestuous thoughts, a blue car pulled to the curb. Sophie wasn’t certain if she should go out to the car or wait inside, but she was too tense to stand still. The man who emerged from the car was only part way up the walk when Sophie clutched her purse and went out the front door. The man looked surprised, but Sophie assumed it was over her sudden appearance.
“Are you Sophia Vel—”
“Velikonja,” Sophie supplied. “Yes, I am Sophie.”
“Great. I’m Brad Marshall.”
He held out his hand, and Sophie wished she had taken time to dry her palm on a handkerchief before they shook. His look was kind, however, and since he was very businesslike, Sophie soon forgot her nerves.
“I’ll have to have you fill this out, Sophie, and please print. Be sure you read the paragraph at the bottom of the form and understand the statement before signing your name. By signing your name, you agree to pay me the hourly fee when I bring you back.”
“All right.”
Sophie took the clipboard he handed her and read carefully. She filled in the blanks as she went, needing at one point to get some information from her wallet. Brad Marshall stood quietly by until she returned the clipboard and application to his hand. He took a moment to check over what she had written and made a few notes himself.
“I think we’re all set. Go ahead and climb into the driver’s seat and we’ll talk about how to start.”
“I will drive today?”
“Yes.” He saw her wide eyes and smiled. “We probably won’t go far, but we’ll get you started.”
Sophie’s purse nearly slipped from her hands as she led the way to the car. It was a neat, blue four-door—not fancy, but more than serviceable and very clean. Brad began to speak the moment they were inside.
“Your seat is separate from mine, so you go ahead and adjust it to wherever you want. The lever is below the front of the seat.”
Brad’s legs were definitely longer than Sophie’s so she fiddled with the bar until she had put herself in the proper place.
“How much driving have you done?”
“Not very often.”
“All right, but you have driven some?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
The lesson began. Brad was patient and clear in his explanations, and he often asked Sophie if she had questions, gently reexplaining anything that wasn’t clear. They had talked for the better part of 20 minutes when he said, “Okay, start ’er up and let’s give it a try.”
Sophie’s hand shook, but she did as she was told, unaware of Brad’s close scrutiny. He had never met a woman he was so attracted to so swiftly. She was on the round side—not plump, but sturdy; yet, she was almost elegant-looking. Her hand gestures, walking, and even her head movements were a study in grace. And her skin! It was as clear as a child’s.
Brad sensed her anxiety, but also saw that there was nothing rushed or frantic about her. Tranquil, serene—these words best described her, and Brad could only hope that the absence of a wedding ring on her left hand meant she was free.
“What way?”
Brad came out of his haze in time to see that she had pulled around and brought them to the stop sign at the end of the court.
“Go right.”
Again Sophie promptly obeyed, and Brad determined to keep his mind on business. They didn’t go far since Brad instructed her to make many turns and they took quite a bit of time with parking, but the lesson was very satisfactory to both. Sophie found her own way back to the house and turned to him with a pleased smile.
“I did well?”
“Yes, you did. I think you’ll be on your own in no time. Now my watch says that we’re a little over an hour, so let me see what this total will be.”
It was a lot of money to Sophie’s way of thinking, 44 dollars, but she had known ahead of time what the hourly wage would be. Since she didn’t know if she would have this opportunity again, she felt peaceful about the outlay. When the transaction was complete, they both climbed out of the car. Sophie was on the verge of thanking Brad when he said, “Did I see you at Middleton Bible Church on Sunday?”
“Oh, yes.” Sophie was naturally surprised. “I was there.”
“I thought it was you. I was in the Life-style Evangelism class, too. Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes, much. I learned very much.”
“Jim’s a good teacher. I naturally meet a lot of people on my job who need to hear about Christ, so the class has been a real eye-opener for me.”
“I felt that way, too, that my eyes had been closed. I left job in Chicago last month and now my eyes see I could have done better with witness.”
Brad smiled, and Sophie thought how easy it was to talk with this man. She then said, “Thank you for the lesson, Mr. Marshall.”
“You’re welcome, and please call me Brad. Did you want to schedule another lesson right now or call the office?”
“I can do this now, with you?”
“Yes, I’ll just give the appointment time to them when I return.”
“I would like to go again, maybe next week, this day.”
“All right.” He opened the car and took a black pocket planner from the glove box.
“How’s 9:30 again?” he asked as he studied the page.
“Nine-thirty is good.”
“All right.” Sophie watched as he noted the time and shut the book. “Well, I’ll probably see you Sunday.”
“Yes. Good-bye.”
“Good-bye,” Brad echoed. Sophie couldn’t know what it cost him to walk away and not ask her out on the spot. She moved up the walk to the house, but then took the brick path that led around to the side. She could have used the front door, but she had to put her purse away and then get to the kitchen and concentrate on getting some meat from the freezer for supper that night. Beyond that, she had hours of ironing to do.
“Was that Sophie?” Tina asked as soon as the girls hit Rita’s bedroom. She had come to study with Rita and have supper with the Rileys. Her mom would be picking her up later that evening.
“Yes,” Rita said quietly, feeling bad that she hadn’t even introduced them and dreading what was sure to come next.
“She dresses kind of weird, doesn’t she?”
Rita had a hard time recognizing her own preoccupation with physical appearance until she heard it echoed in her friends. With anyone else she would have agreed, but Sophie was special.
“Well, she hasn’t lived here very long,” Rita said in Sophie’s defense.
“Where did you say she was from?”
“Czechoslovakia.”
“They don’t have much fashion sense, do they?”
Rita didn’t answer, but Tina wasn’t perceptive enough right then to catch on.
“Is it kind of weird having her here? I mean, I don’t suppose you can really talk to her or anything.”
“Actually,” Rita said softly, “she’s really easy to talk to. She listens to me and never laughs at what I say.”
Tina was paying attention now. She asked the next question without ever taking her eyes from Rita’s face.
“Does it make it a little easier about your mom?”
Rita sighed. “A little. It’s nice to have someone helping with the housework, but now that I don’t have as much to do, I spend a lot of time thinking. Sometimes that’s bad.”
“You should have joined volleyball again this year.”
“I know, but it was my mom’s favorite sport, and without her there to watch me, I was afraid I would hate it.”
The girls fell silent for a moment. When Tina spoke, she had changed the subject.
“Shawn Smith was looking for you after lunch. Did he find you?”
“Yeah. He didn’t ask me out, but he was really nice.”
“So was Nicole, I noticed.”
Rita nodded, and the girls looked at one another. Both had gotten news that when Shawn heard his cousin had gone to Rita, he’d become furious with her. And if the ingratiating way Nicole was now treating Rita was any indication, it was surely true.
“I think you were kinder to her than I would have been, Rita,” Tina admitted.
“I don’t know” was all Rita could think to say. She was a different person now than she had been a while ago; she was certain of that, but she couldn’t exactly say why. Her mother’s death must have played a part, but Sophie had, too, even though she’d only been at their house for a few weeks.
When the conversation had started out about Sophie, Rita had determined not to do or say anything that would later make her feel ashamed in Sophie’s presence. It was true that Rita thought Sophie could do a lot more with her hair and clothes, but Sophie was one of the kindest, most gentle people Rita had ever met, and doing or saying anything against her was more than Rita could handle. And somehow, her feelings had carried over concerning Nicole.
It was true that Sophie had never even come to mind when Rita had seen Nicole in the hall at school and been kind to her. But here in her bedroom, Sophie’s connection had been very clear.
“Did I say something wrong, Rita?” The silence lengthened, and Tina was looking worried.
“No, I was just thinking. I had reason to snub Nicole. I mean, she was such a snot the other day. But I know I would have felt horrid if I had.”
“But you’re not upset with me about what I said about Sophie?” Tina had finally realized how she must have sounded.
“Not really. I think she could be really pretty, but somehow it’s not that big of a deal. She comes down to the kitchen at about 6:30 every morning, Tina.” Tears were gathering in Rita’s eyes. “She makes bread and muffins, and I always have clean clothes in my drawers and my blouses are always pressed and hung up in my closet. Our bathroom is always so clean, and I think she must vacuum the family room every day.” Rita was crying in earnest now.
“She keeps everything so nice and she makes food we like, but I still miss my mom all the time. I still wish Mom could shop with us or take us to a movie, and just be here for my dad. When I think of my dad being alone when we go to bed, I can hardly stand it. But even if my mom came back, I would hate to lose Sophie.”
Tina was crying now, too. Her parents were both still alive, and she simply didn’t know what to say to her closest friend. Thoughts of her own parents’ death made her tears come even harder.
There was a knock on the door just then, and Tory entered without asking. She stood looking at the two girls for a moment, and then moved like she would leave. Rita was still crying, but managed to ask her what she wanted.
“I was just looking for my markers. I think I left ’em in here.”
Rita reached over and picked them up from her nightstand.
“What’s the matter, Rita?”
“We were just talking about Mom.”
Tory nodded with understanding. She might have stayed if Tina hadn’t been there, but instead she took her leave. She wandered down the hall toward her own room, but instead ended up in the spare room where Craig was sitting at the computer. She leaned on the monitor so she could see his face.
“Can I play when you’re done?”
“No.”
He was in another of his moods, but Tory wasn’t put off.
“Come on, Craig.”
“No, now get out of here, Tory.” His voice dropped now, but he could still be clearly heard when he mumbled, “There’s one good thing about Mom being dead: You can’t run and tattle every time you don’t get your way.”
Craig had even managed to shock himself. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, his eyes shot up to see Tory’s face turn pale.
“Never mind, Tory. Just get out of here,” he said, his voice even lower.
She went this time, her face very sober, her eyes full of hurt. Not wanting to think about the feelings that were overwhelming her all of a sudden, she made her way to the TV. She wasn’t allowed to watch until her homework was done, but today she didn’t care.
“Oh, Tory,” Sophie spoke with pleasure as the young girl moved through the corner of the kitchen. “Would you please taste this gravy and tell me if it’s the way you like?”
“I don’t like gravy. I’ve told you that before.”
Her voice was so angry that Sophie stopped with the spoon in her hand. “I am sorry, Tory. I forgot this.”
Sophie’s kindness was her undoing. Huge tears came to her eyes before she abruptly turned away to go into the family room. Sophie followed her very slowly and stood at the edge of the room.
“What is wrong, Tory?”
“Nothing,” she told her, eyes on the TV.
Sophie had no choice but to retreat. She was puzzled and concerned about it, but there was little she could do. She thought of going to Rita, but then remembered Tina’s presence. Craig was not an option, so Sophie was forced to just pray.
Supper that evening was the most subdued Sophie had experienced so far. Not even her first nights with this family had been so quiet. Had it only been Tory, Sophie would have understood, but all of them—even Tina—were quiet. Sophie might have questioned the children, but Tina’s presence stopped her.
Tina’s mom came not long after they’d eaten, but by then everyone had gone in his or her own direction, and Sophie didn’t think the timing was right. Just 30 minutes later, Sophie climbed the stairs to her apartment. The next day was garbage day, so she had to gather her own. After that she knew she could crash for the evening.
Pieces of furniture had continued to appear her in apartment over the last week. The latest, a huge overstuffed chair, was so comfortable that Sophie had fallen asleep in it twice. She was looking forward to sitting in it again, as she made her way to the curb with her single sack of trash. As coincidence would have it, Alec was just arriving home from work. Sophie waved to him. He waved back and soon came walking down the drive.
“How did it go today, Sophie?”
“I think well.”
Something in her voice caught his attention.
“But you’re not sure?”
Sophie shrugged. “Everyone was little quiet tonight at meal.”
Alec nodded. “Did they say why?”
“No. Tina ate too, and maybe—” Sophie let the sentence hang, but Alec got the gist.
“Thanks, Sophie. I’ll be sure to keep my ears open.”
“Good night, Mr. Riley.”
“Good night, Sophie. Thank you.”
They walked together until Sophie came to the bottom of the stairs where she made a quick ascent. Alec just as efficiently entered the house through the kitchen door.