Daniel was in his room gathering his things when Elizabeth knocked lightly on the door. “Come in,” he said, hoping it was Michelle. But Daniel was just as glad to see Elizabeth. He cared for her deeply and felt she had gone out of her way for his benefit while he had been a guest in their home.
“I hope I’m not interrupting ...” Elizabeth’s voice trailed off as she walked into the room, closing the door slightly behind her.
“No, not at all,” said Daniel. He threw the last of his clothing into his small duffel bag and turned to look at Elizabeth. He couldn’t get over how beautiful this woman was. He was not attracted to her physically in any way, but he was drawn to her inner beauty, her grace. He felt a maternal bond of sorts with her because she had so freely and unconditionally accepted him into their home and their family.
“Daniel,” Elizabeth walked to the other side of the room and fiddled with the knickknacks on the dresser. She kept her head down but lifted her eyes to look at Daniel in the mirror as she spoke. “I’m so glad you came to stay with us, we all have enjoyed your company so much.”
Daniel sat on the edge of the bed and looked back at Elizabeth’s reflection. “Thank you Elizabeth. I have had a wonderful time and have enjoyed getting to know all of you too.”
Elizabeth turned slowly, leaning her long body against the dresser. She looked straight at Daniel with nothing but respect and love in her eyes. “And I’m sure you can tell that my daughter really likes you too.”
Daniel squirmed a little, glad to know that he wasn’t the only one sensing that. “You are very lucky to have a daughter as nice as her. I think Michelle is a very special person,” Daniel said, trying to keep his true feelings concealed. He ran his fingers across the white line on his ring finger where his purity ring had been. He had stuffed it in his pack after saving Michelle and hadn’t bothered to put it back on.
Elizabeth fidgeted again. “Well, you know we will be sad to see you go. But if you ever decide to stay in Hawaii, you will always be a welcome part of our family.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Daniel said, keeping his eyes fixed on her. There was something about her, something so loving that made him want to be honest about his feelings for Michelle.
“I’m sure your fiancée Kimberly will be very excited to see you when your return.”
Daniel’s body stiffened and his eyes darted to the side as he spoke with tight lips, “Yes, I’m sure she will.”
“You know,” Elizabeth began, strolling casually around the room touching the curtains and the wall hangings as she spoke. “Larry hasn’t always been so grumpy. When I first met him, he was the kindest, gentlest man I’d ever known. He was a ranch hand here, and Lilo boarded one of her horses here. I met him when I was just 17. He was shy, kind and hardworking. We got to know each other right here, on this ranch.”
She got a wistful look on her face as she went on, “I remember when we knew,” she said.
“Knew what?” Daniel asked, still trying to imagine Larry as gentle and kind.
Elizabeth spun around and faced Daniel. “Knew he loved me, of course. We were walking from the stable to the house. Larry was going to get us some lemonade. The sun was just beginning to set, and we were holding hands. And right there,” Elizabeth pointed out the window to a large Banyan tree in the center of the pasture. “Right there he stopped, turned and looked at me with a twinkle in his eye. And we knew, we both knew that we were in love.”
A twinkle, thought Daniel? He had seen daggers in Larry’s eyes but couldn’t even begin to imagine a twinkle in there. “Really?” Daniel said, quite interested in this part of the family history.
“Uh-huh,” said Elizabeth. “Larry was quite dashing. Did Michelle tell you how he proposed?” Elizabeth’s face lit up while she talked.
“No, she didn’t mention that.” Daniel wanted to know more.
Elizabeth paced back and forth in front of him like a child waiting for Christmas morning. “It was a Friday night. I remember because we had just gotten back from the movies. They used to have a drive-in theater at the north end of Haleiwa beach. Oh boy was that some fun.” A look of mischief came over Elizabeth’s face as she giggled like a schoolgirl.
“Anyhow,” she went on. “We were walking back over the hill and when we got to the crest, Larry reached above my head and grabbed a bright red hibiscus off of a tree and he dropped to one knee in front of me. I could see the ocean and the beach lights on one side and the lights from the ranch on the other. And right in the middle knelt my Larry, young, handsome and so romantic.” She giggled again with a faraway look in her eyes.
“You see, I thought he was just being silly. We had just seen a romantic movie about a proposal and we were only eighteen. So when he held the flower out in front of me, I thought he was just kidding around. And I went along, and, of course, said yes.” Elizabeth paused, catching her breath as a tear welled up in her eye. “And then, he lifted the flower out of his hand and revealed the ring he had been hiding in his pocket the entire night. He placed the flower in my hair,” Elizabeth’s fingers unconsciously touched the side of her head. “And the ring on my finger. And from that moment on I was his.”
Daniel sat staring at Elizabeth in awe. He didn’t think she could be any more radiant that she was at that moment. He was mesmerized by her story, and the way Larry had proposed. But more than anything, he was enthralled by the love she still had for Larry that was clearly evident in her eyes.
“Wow,” was all Daniel could say. “That was amazing, like something out of the movies.”
Elizabeth sat down next to Daniel on the bed. “It isn’t always that magical. But it doesn’t have to be as long as you both love each other.”
“Yeah,” Daniel said, slowly, keeping his head down. “I’m just, it’s just, I’m just not sure that what I feel for Kimberly is true love.” Daniel went on. “I’ve dated other women, and I know I care for Kimberly more than any of them. But true love ...”
Elizabeth patted Daniel’s hand. “Marriage shouldn’t be taken lightly. It takes a lot of work. It helps if you’re truly in love with the person you marry.” Elizabeth winked at Daniel and squeezed his hand. She went on. “I can see in your eyes that you’re not sure about your feelings for Kimberly. All you can do is follow your heart. Trust God and listen to the still small voice inside of you, and you will know.”
Elizabeth squeezed his hand again and then reached over and gave Daniel a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll miss you. We’ll all miss you very much.” Without another word, she slipped out of the room and closed the door, leaving Daniel to his thoughts.
Daniel fell back against the pillows and closed his eyes. He knew he had to get back to California, to Kimberly, to the engagement dinner, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to. His head filled with thoughts of Michelle and his heart beat heavily in his chest. His heart was torn. He closed his eyes and prayed to God to mend it and give him guidance.