Sophie's Heart

by Lori Wick

  "Dad?"

  "Go back to sleep, Tory. I'll take you to bed."

  "I have to talk with you."

  Alec looked down to see her eyes wide open.

  "It's late."

  "I know, but I have to ask you something."

  Alec relented, placing her back on the bed and sitting down on the edge.

  "Okay, Tory, but make it fast. I'm tired and you have school tomorrow."

  She nodded. "Is my furniture my own?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, can I do anything I want with my furniture?"

  "Within reason. I take it you want to change your room around?"

  "Not exactly" was as much as she would say, and Alec frowned.

  "Tory, what is this about?"

  She sighed. "Well, I never have anyone stay the night anymore."

  "But you can," Alec cut in. "Just let me know and you can haveafriend over."

  110

  "No, I don't want a friend over."

  Alec's hand went to the back of his neck. His patience was deserting him. For several months after Vanessa's death, Tory had woken up with horrible nightmares where she screamed and cried in terror. For this reason alone she did not want friends over, nor was she willing to go to anyone else's house for the night. So what, his mind asked, was going on here?

  "Then I don't understand what we're talking about, Tory."

  "Well, I don't use my trundle, and I'd like to give it to someone."

  "I think that's a very nice gesture, Tory, but you're not going to give any of your furniture away."

  "Well, could I just loan it to someone?"

  "Who?"

  "Sophie."

  "Honey, Sophie has a nice apartment. I realize the stuff isn't new, but I'm sure it's fine and-"

  "But she doesn't, Dad. I was up there today, and she doesn't have hardly any furniture!" Tory's voice was adamant.

  "Tory."

  "No, Dad. She just has a table and chairs. I saw it."

  "Tory, that's ridiculous. Those old pieces from Aunt-" Alec stopped speaking and just stared. Tory heard him whisper, "Oh, good night, I completely forgot!"

  The next thing Tory knew, she was being held by her father. He had lifted her back against his chest and just held her tenderly.

  "You're a wonderful person, did you know that, Tory?"

  "I don't feel wonderful."

  Alec shifted so he could see her face. There were tears in her eyes.

  "I feel awful. I have two beds, and Sophie doesn't have any. Couldn't we please give her my trundle, Dad? Please."

  "Yes, Tory, that's exactly what we'll do. I completely forgot that we'd cleaned the apartment out. If you want Sophie to have one of your beds, we'll take it up to her."

  "Craig has an extra dresser, and there's a chair in the basement."

  Alec smiled at the way she had been thinking this over. "We'll get everything she needs. I'll stay in the morning until I've talked to her. You can go to sleep now and not worry about it.''

  "Please carry me."

  111

  "You bet."

  Five minutes later Alec was able to climb into his ownbed, but sleep didn't come. He wasn't thinking about Vanessa tonight, although she was never very far from his thoughts, but about Sophie. He had thought her proficient, but not even his mind had gone this far. She had been sleeping on the floor! They had enough beds in the house to hold a dozen people, and their housekeeper had been sleeping on the floor!

  He had known Sophie was younger than he was, but he didn't realize how much. If he had been forced to sleep on the floor at his age, he wouldn't be able to walk in the morning.

  Alec reached over and reset the alarm. There was no reason to get up so early if he was going to wait and talk to Sophie. He fell asleep much the way Tory had done earlier, his mind walking through the house and picking out furniture for Sophie.

  ***

  When Sophie entered the kitchen the next morning at around 6:30, Mr. Riley was waiting for her. His look was serious, and Sophie knew that her trial period had come to an end. She wasn't sure what she had done to lose her job, but it was clear that he was going to fire her. Sophie's first thought as she shut the door behind herself was regret that Gladys was out of town and she would have no place to go; her second was for the children.

  "Hello, Sophie."

  "Good morning, Mr. Riley. Would you like I start coffee?"

  "No, Sophie, I want to talk with you."

  Her worst fears were confirmed, and her palms were so damp that the chair she pulled out from the kitchen table nearly slipped from her fingers. Alec waited until she was seated and facing him.

  "About five years ago our church set up a missionary home- a place where the missionaries we support could come while they're on furlough. The house had to be completely furnished, and my wife thought of the furniture in the apartment. We hadn't had anyone living up there in years, so we decided to donate that furniture.

  "Until last night I completely forgot about it. Tory came to see me and said you didn't have a bed or anything. I know she tends to exaggerate, but I would like to say that I'm sorry and tell you that Craig and I are going to carry a bed up for you this morning. We also have an extra dresser that we can probably get to you sometime on the weekend.

  112

  "Again, Sophie, I'm sorry that you've had to sleep on the floor."

  "Oh, Mr. Riley, is not matter. I have no care." Sophie was so relieved that she stumbled all over her words. "I am think you tell me to leave," she finally admitted quietly. "I not worry for the bed."

  "No, Sophie, I'm not telling you to leave. If there was a problem, I would talk to you first, not just fire you."

  "Thank you. Uh, Mr. Riley?"

  "Yes?"

  "I do not wish to take advance, but-"

  "Advantage?"

  "What is word?"

  "Advantage. I think you're trying to say you don't want to take advantage."

  "Yes, this is word. Advantage."

  "I'm not worried about that, Sophie. Just ask."

  She took a deep breath. "May I please take Tuesday mornings off? Not all morning, one, two hour, maybe."

  "Sure," Alec agreed easily and forced himself not to ask why. She was entitled to a life of her own. He knew there were women's Bible studies that met during the week. Maybe she was headed to one of those.

  "You said yes?" Sophie asked, her body bent forward tensely.

  "Yes, that's fine."

  Sophie was so pleased that she forgot to thank him. He had said yes, and that meant she would learn todrive.For the moment all other thoughts were pushed from her mind. Without even asking if he was done with her, she rose and began to make breakfast. Alec watched her for a moment and wondered at her funny reaction. However, he didn't linger. He rose as well and went to wake Craig; they had a bed to move.

  ***

  The whole family joined the moving party that took place that morning, and it nearly made everyone late for school. Rita grabbed sheets in case Sophie didn't have any, and Tory even dragged an extra pillow from the closet.

  "Goodness, Sophie, you don't have any furniture."

  "This view of the street is so cool since the Murrays' house is so pretty."

  "What have you been sitting on? These kitchen chairs are horrid."

  113

  And such were the comments until Rita looked at her watch and ran to take the van to school. Alec told Craig and Tory to jump in the truck so he could run them over to their school. However, even after they left, he hesitated in Sophie's apartment. She stood by the door and he in the center of the living room.

  "Tory told me that all you had was a table and two chairs, but I thought she must have missed something."

  Sophie did not know how to reply to this, so she remained silent as Alec walked back into the bedroom and then joined her again in the great room.

  "I thought we'd left a little more up here, but I guess not."

  "I am fine, Mr. Riley
."

  "I'm sure you are, Sophie, but we have enough furniture at our house to make you much more comfortable." He started toward the door. "I'll see to it tomorrow."

  "Thank you, Mr. Riley."

  "You're welcome, Sophie. We'll see you tonight. I plan to eat with the kids."

  Sophie followed him out, locked her door, and then went down to the kitchen door. There was a comfortable chair in the family room, and for a moment she allowed herself to sit down. She had feared that Mr. Riley was going to fire her, but it was not so. She had asked God to provide a way for driving lessons, and He had said yes. Sophie found she had much to thank God about, and could think of no better time to do it.

  114

  It took forever for Tuesday morning to come around, butit 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."

  115

  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.

  116

  "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."

  117

  "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?"

  118

  "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.