Summer of Joy

by Ann H. Gabhart

  Jocie glanced over her shoulder at Aunt Love. “I know who it is. It’s DeeDee.”

  Aunt Love’s frown got deeper, but Jocie didn’t wait for her to say anything. She just reached over and pulled open the door again.

  Her mother was still smiling. Not a big smile. Not a particularly happy smile. More a whatever-happens-keep-on-smiling type smile. “Hello,” Jocie said.

  “Are you Jocie?” her mother asked.

  “I am.”

  “I’m—”

  Jocie jumped in front of her words before she could say she was Jocie’s mother. She wasn’t her mother. She didn’t have a mother. Had never had a mother. “I know who you are. You’re DeeDee.”

  “Yes,” her mother said, the smile still firmly on her face. “I thought you might not recognize me. May I come in?”

  “It’s not really a good time,” Jocie said.

  Behind Jocie, Aunt Love was whispering a Bible verse. “ ‘I will have mercy on her that had not obtained mercy.’” But Jocie wasn’t feeling merciful. Just worried that DeeDee showing up at the door was going to ruin everything. Make the happiness in their house drain away.

  DeeDee put her hand flat against the door to keep Jocie from shutting it. “I drove all the way from California.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wanted to.” DeeDee’s smile got a bit larger. “Is your father here? And Tabitha?” DeeDee’s eyes pushed past her to search the room behind Jocie.

  Aunt Love stepped up beside Jocie and took hold of the door and pulled it open wider. “Of course you can come in. You must be tired from your trip. Can I get you a glass of tea? Maybe something to eat?”

  “The tea would be nice. You’re Lovella, Mae’s sister, aren’t you?”

  “That’s right,” Aunt Love said.

  “You look different,” DeeDee said.

  “I am different. It’s been a lot of years since you saw me,” Aunt Love said.

  “It’s more than just being older. You look changed.” DeeDee studied Aunt Love for a moment before she went on. “Maybe it’s the smile. I never remember you looking happy.”

  “‘This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.’”

  “Scripture, I suppose. I do remember that about you. How you quoted Scripture at me whenever you came around.”

  “You just laughed at me,” Aunt Love said.

  “Did I? Oh well, I probably laughed at everybody then. Things aren’t so funny these days.”

  “I’ll get your tea. Please sit down.” Aunt Love headed toward the kitchen before Jocie could offer to go instead and escape standing there alone with her mother.

  Then her father and Leigh still holding Stephen Lee came out of her father’s room to look down at them from the top of the stairs. Her father’s smile disappeared, and just as Jocie had feared, the happiness seemed to drain away with his smile. Leigh looked puzzled, then worried. Jocie had no idea what to say or do. Neither from all appearances did her father.

  Tabitha pushed past them and came running down the steps. “DeeDee! Is that really you? I heard your voice, but I couldn’t believe you were really here. Oh my gosh! Why didn’t you write and tell me you were coming?” She grabbed her mother in a hug. “Did you see Stephen Lee? He is so precious. You won’t believe.”

  36

  Leigh watched Tabitha embrace her mother and felt as if the house was collapsing around her. Her hopes and dreams were crystallizing in her mind and then shattering into a million pieces. Had the Lord just been playing a game with her, letting her get her hopes up, only to bring David’s first wife, his first love, home to show Leigh how foolish she’d been? Thinking a man like David could love her. Imagining being married to such a man. Even dreaming of having his babies.

  Tabitha ran back up the stairs and grabbed Stephen Lee out of Leigh’s arms. The baby laughed when Tabitha bounced back down the stairs with him.

  Leigh struggled desperately to hold on to her smile as she looked at David who was staring down at the woman at the bottom of the stairs. He looked stunned. Stunned by her return to his house. Stunned by her beauty.

  Leigh made herself look at the woman again. She was reaching long, graceful arms for Stephen Lee and the baby was reaching for her. Stephen Lee loved everybody and was used to being passed around at church. Still, Leigh felt somehow betrayed by the smile the baby was bestowing on this woman, this person who was really his Grams. Not just a pretender the way Leigh was.

  Adrienne didn’t look like a grandmother. She didn’t look all that much different than she’d looked in the picture that used to sit on David’s piano. Leigh looked at the piano. The picture wasn’t there now. But the woman was. She was still beautiful. Exotic almost. And very, very slim. Suddenly Leigh felt like a cow. An awkward, stupid cow. She wished she were closer to the door so she could just slip outside and drive away.

  “What in the name of heaven is she doing here?” David said.

  Leigh wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or to her. She didn’t have an answer anyway. Not a good answer. But she found her voice and said, “I don’t know. Maybe you should ask her.”

  David looked over at Leigh almost as if he had forgotten she was there. Then his face softened as he said, “It’s okay, Leigh. Everything will be okay.”

  “Okay,” Leigh repeated.

  “Adrienne always did have an almost uncanny sense of timing,” David muttered as he moved past Leigh to head down the stairs.

  Leigh followed him down. What else could she do? She couldn’t just stay there at the top of the stairs watching the family reunion. Halfway down the stairs, Leigh looked over at Jocie. She looked as confused and unsure of herself as Leigh felt.

  David could hardly believe Adrienne was standing there in his living room. He had long given up her ever returning to Hollyhill. He wasn’t happy to see her there now. She would have a reason for coming. And whatever that reason was, it would mean trouble for him. He didn’t want trouble this week. He wanted to simply rejoice in the gift of love the Lord had presented to him and feel joyful as the days passed until his wedding next week. It would have been better if his past had stayed on the other side of the country.

  “Hello, David,” Adrienne said as she swept her eyes up and down him. “You’re looking good. Very good.”

  “Thank you. So are you,” he said.

  “You never were a good liar,” she said.

  He let that pass. Truth was, she didn’t look good. She was too pale. Nothing but skin and bones. She looked sick. Was that the reason she’d come home? To find someone to take care of her? He mentally shook his head. This wasn’t her home. She’d deserted it years ago. She couldn’t just show up and decide it was home again. She wouldn’t just show up and decide it was home again. Not Adrienne.

  “Jocie says I’ve come at a bad time,” Adrienne said with that smile he’d once so dreaded seeing on her face. The smile that meant she was glad to be causing him problems.

  “A busy time,” David said. “We have a wedding shower out at the church in a couple of hours.”

  “A shower? Who’s getting married?”

  Before David could answer her, Jocie jumped in. “Dad’s getting married. Next Saturday.”

  Adrienne didn’t look at Jocie but kept her eyes on David. “You? You’re getting married again?” She let out a laugh. “Oh, this is too much. After all these years and then I show up just in time to wish you well. Or perhaps not to wish you well. Who’s the lucky lady? Anybody I know?”

  “No.” David reached back to put his arm around Leigh and pull her up beside him. She felt stiff, unwilling, in spite of the smile plastered on her face. It took David by surprise to realize she was worried about Adrienne standing there in front of them, but hadn’t he told Leigh how much he loved her, how much he wanted to be married to her? He smiled at her to remind her of that, but her eyes were on Adrienne. He tightened his arm around her as he said, “This is Leigh Jacobson, soon to be Mrs. David Brooke.”

 
“How do you do,” Leigh said and held out her hand toward Adrienne.

  “You’re kidding?” Adrienne said, not bothering to acknowledge Leigh’s greeting. “She looks almost as young as Tabitha.”

  “DeeDee!” Tabitha said. “You’re one to talk about somebody being too young for you. What about Eddie?”

  “Ah yes, dear sweet little Eddie. Vanished into Canada ahead of the draft. No Vietnam in his future.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t follow him north,” Tabitha said.

  “Too cold up there.”

  “In other words, he didn’t ask,” Tabitha said.

  “There were complications.” Adrienne pulled Stephen Lee up closer to her and dropped a kiss on his cheek. The baby started screaming as if Adrienne had pinched him instead. She looked truly distressed as she let Tabitha take the baby from her arms.

  “Sorry. He’ll hug you all day, but he’s not much on kisses.” Tabitha held the baby close and rubbed her hand up and down his back.

  “Smart kid. You shouldn’t let just any strange woman kiss on you,” Adrienne said, but she looked sad as she dropped her hands down to her sides and pulled her eyes away from Stephen Lee. She glanced around the room. “Some things never change.”

  “And some things do,” David said.

  “Right. You’re getting married.” Adrienne looked at him with that smile again. “Am I invited?”

  “The wedding isn’t until next Saturday.”

  “Oh yeah. The shower’s today. Well, don’t let me make you late for the fun. It’ll take awhile to open all those dish towels and act happy and pleased. Been there. Done that. Don’t envy you a bit on that one. But I was driving through so I thought I’d stop in for a minute. Could be my minute is up.”

  “You can’t leave already, DeeDee. You just got here.” Tabitha looked from Adrienne to David. “Tell her she can’t go yet, Dad. Please.”

  David looked at Tabitha. Of course the girl would want to see her mother more than five minutes. And Adrienne had driven all the way across the country to see Tabitha. She could say she was just passing through, but Adrienne never did anything she didn’t want to do. He couldn’t exactly chase her away without giving them the chance to visit, even if that was what he wanted to do. He shut his eyes and said a quick prayer for wisdom, for charity, for understanding. Then he looked at Adrienne and said, “Maybe we should talk alone for a minute.”

  “Just like old times. Your place or mine?” Adrienne smiled and raised her eyebrows as she peered at him. “Your bedroom or my car? Of course my car might be a little warm. Then again so might your bedroom. Too warm.”

  David had never felt much colder in his life, but he wasn’t about to start playing games with Adrienne. “The back porch will do,” he said. “The rest of you finish getting ready. We’ll need to leave in a half hour.” David put his hand on Leigh’s arm and said, “Don’t worry, Leigh. It will be okay.”

  She blinked and echoed him. “Okay.”

  He wanted to put his arms around her and make sure she understood that he could never love anyone the way he loved her. That he had never loved anyone the way he loved her. And he needed to talk to Jocie too. She looked just as mixed-up as Leigh did. But first he had to find out why Adrienne was there. What she wanted. He led the way to the back porch and shut the door after Adrienne stepped down into the room.

  “This hasn’t changed either,” Adrienne said. “It’s as if I left yesterday instead of years ago.”

  “Jocie’s changed.”

  “True. I barely recognized her when she opened the door. She didn’t want to let me in, you know.”

  “Jocie has sort of had a rough year.”

  “Yeah, haven’t we all?” Adrienne said.

  That too was the same Adrienne. Not worrying about anybody’s trouble but her own. She’d certainly never spent any time worrying about Jocie. Or him. David made himself push that thought aside. That was past and gone. He didn’t care anymore what Adrienne did. He just wished she’d get in her car and drive away. He closed his eyes and tried not to pray that.

  “Are you praying?” Adrienne asked. “I was always good at enriching your prayer life. Giving you something to pray about, wasn’t I? One of the Lord’s little unexpected blessings, I suppose.”

  “What do you want, Adrienne?”

  “Why do you think I want something?”

  “You’re here.”

  “I am, aren’t I? Actually I’m almost as surprised as you are. Not quite since I did deliberately turn north in Arkansas. I was headed to Florida. My mother’s still living down there, you know. In a cute little retirement trailer. At least she says it’s cute. Who knows with Mother? That probably means it’s got pink ruffles on all the curtains and a plush rug.” Adrienne seemed to be having trouble holding on to her smile. She looked away out the window. “I never liked ruffles, you know.”

  “I remember.” But he didn’t want to remember. He wanted to forget everything about this woman standing in front of him. Even if she was sick. Even if she obviously needed help. Even if she was the mother of his daughters. He mashed down the resentment rising inside him and made himself tune into what the Lord might want him to do. The Lord didn’t say to be kind and caring to everybody except his ex-wife. Perhaps the Lord had turned her car toward Hollyhill for a purpose.

  David pushed away thoughts of Leigh in the next room worrying about whether his love for her was strong enough. He pushed away thoughts of Jocie who had looked betrayed by this woman in front of him. Who had been betrayed by her. He pushed it all away. He was a man of God and this person in front of him was a child of God. It was that simple. And that hard.

  He pulled in a deep breath and prayed without words. “Would you like me to pray for you?”

  “A simple run-of-the-mill prayer won’t be much help. You’d have to pray for a miracle. My doctor says that’s what I have to have to make it to another year. A bona fide miracle.”

  “What’s wrong with you?” He tried to care. He asked the Lord to help him care.

  Adrienne licked her lips and then pushed out the word. “Cancer.”

  “They couldn’t treat it?”

  “Oh, they treated it. Sliced off my breast. Turned me into an invalid. Left a hideous scar.” Adrienne eyed him. “You want to see it?” She reached toward the buttons on her shirt.

  “No.”

  She dropped her hands and shrugged. “I just thought it might help your girlfriend out there not feel so threatened. I’m sure she has two beautiful, ample breasts.”

  David’s voice turned cold. “We’re not talking about Leigh.”

  “Sorry,” Adrienne said. “Just trying to be helpful.”

  “I thought you were the one who needed help.”

  Adrienne’s wicked smile disappeared. “All right, David. I’ll be straight with you. There’s no reason not to be. I didn’t come here to get you to pray for me. I’ve been past prayer too many years to expect your Lord to look on me with favor now.” She held up her hand to stop him from saying anything. “And I don’t want to hear about it never being too late. I didn’t come here to be preached at either. I came for one reason and one reason only. To see Stephen. Tabitha’s been sending me pictures.”

  “I see.”

  “No, you probably don’t. But that’s okay. You don’t have to understand. Just let me stay a couple of days. Let me play with the baby. Let me look into his eyes.”

  “You never wanted to play with a baby before.”

  “I was never dying before.” Adrienne looked straight at David. “It’s not a big thing. Just the gift of a couple of days out of your life. I realize it might not be the best time, but it’s the only time I have.” When David didn’t answer right away, she went on. “And I’ve given you gifts. You’ve said so yourself. Think of Jocie.”

  “You didn’t want to.”

  “But I did. She’s standing out there in the living room hating me, but loving you. I spent nine miserable months making that possible
. All I’m asking now is a couple of days. Then I promise to disappear from your life forever. Finis.”

  He had to let her. What else could he do? “That’s not the promise I want.”

  “Oh? What promise do I have to make?”

  “That you won’t tell Tabitha you’re dying.”

  She stared at him a long minute before she shook her head sadly. “You’re afraid that will make her want to go with me. Poor David. You always did try to hang on to what can’t be held. Tabitha is an adult. She can go where and when she wants. You can’t hold on to her any more than you could hold on to me.”

  “Just promise me.”

  “All right. I promise.” She made a cross mark over her heart.

  It probably wasn’t much of a promise, but it was the best he could hope for. Adrienne was right. He couldn’t hold on to what didn’t want to be held. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t pray the ones he loved would make good decisions and stay where they were loved and safe.

  David looked at his watch as he went back into the living room. He’d tell Tabitha she could stay there with Adrienne if she wanted to, but the rest of them were going to have to move. It was almost time for them to meet Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson out at the highway. They were supposed to follow David and Leigh to the church. He didn’t want to add being late to their list of his faults.

  The living room was too quiet when he came into it. There was no chatter. No smiles. No Leigh. “Where is Leigh?” he asked. “Did she go on to meet her parents?”

  “I don’t think she was thinking about her parents when she left,” Jocie said. “I think she was thinking about her.” Jocie nodded her head toward Adrienne who had followed David back into the room.

  David’s heart sank. “What did she say?”

  “That some things were too good to be true,” Jocie said. “I followed her outside and told her to wait. To talk to you. I told her DeeDee being here wouldn’t make the first bit of difference. But she said she couldn’t talk. That she had to go.”