Jack looked up and caught his mom and dad standing in the window of the kitchen. Her head rested against his chest, his arms locked protectively around her. Her face showed concern, even from the distance. After all that happened, she fretted more over him, than her own plight. He could almost hear their conversation regarding him; perceive the anxiety in their voices. He thought of her words . . . I came through half a century . . . by some miracle . . . I could never find a more perfect man. She had a way of finding the silver lining in everything. He envied her that. His entire life, he’d dismissed her . . . Perhaps all sons do that in some respect. He’d been given a rare glimpse into the heart of his mother. A new respect and admiration grew that had not been there before.
She gave him a tentative wave from the window. He smiled and returned the gesture with a bittersweet laugh. His mother appeared relieved. Her face brightened. She snuggled closer to his father as they turned to give him privacy.
He marveled at the simple look of joy. She’d already found some inner peace. The verse from John 32 popped into his head: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Would he allow this newly discovered truth to hold him in bondage?
He’d been looking to help a sweet nineteen-year-old girl. The image of her wild hair, dark and flowing down to her waist, appeared before him. She’d been a scared doe who needed protecting. Now that young lady had grown into this beautiful woman fortified with strength and maturity forged from the hardship she’d endured. Maybe she’d found a way to forgive . . . could he?
Consumed with the past, would he turn his back on everything he knew, let hatred of a man he’d never met make him bitter? Could he too find a way to forgive and not allow his past to affect his destiny?
His cell vibrated, startling him from the negative thoughts. He dug into his pants pocket, extracted the phone, and glanced down to see a text from Sam.
Where are U? You haven’t forgotten me, have you?
He laughed at the irony and timing of the words. “No, I haven’t forgotten you, sweetheart.” He texted a quick reply, stood up, and walked toward his future.
Epilogue
Fifteen months later
Leaves skipped across the ground as we made our way to the small white church. The sky overhead was a cloudless blue, a perfect day for a November wedding. Sam and I bustled up the sidewalk, careful not to drag her gown. My heart beat with anticipation as much as it had for my own ceremony. I followed her, noting how beautiful her copper-colored curls looked in a neat coiffure. Long spirals, soft, and wispy, trailed her shoulders.
Aiden and Jack had driven to the nursing home earlier to pick up Bill Bishop so he might share in the big event. Our first meeting after all those years had been rather awkward—on my part anyway. I’d worried I would give the poor dear heart failure. But for him, as well as for myself, the truth, once revealed, was easier than the speculations. Besides, he confided, he’d already determined long ago that the events were too much of a coincidence, and he had always been a science fiction buff.
Since Aiden and I had decided to move back to Lynchburg to be closer to Jack and Sam, we visited Bill often. I’m not sure if we adopted him into our family, or if he adopted us. Regardless, it was unthinkable to celebrate the special day without him.
Sam and I followed the feminine lilt of voices to the small nursery that the church provided for brides to change. Several of her bridesmaids had already arrived and were in various stages of dress. Some were running around in slips and bras, some were fully dressed and working on their hair. Cindy sat bouncing a fussy chubby-cheek Addie on her knee.
“Janie!” Cindy’s eyes lit up when we entered.
I nodded, having decided to stick with the name Aiden gave me. Jewel was part of my past, and I was ready to live in the present.
“Thank goodness you’re here.” She hardly waited for me to hang up Sam’s dress before passing the baby off to me. “I need to get dressed, and she won’t stop crying. I think she’s teething. You have such a way with her.”
I smiled and accepted the child. She shook her tiny fists, gulping in several quivering breaths before giving me a smile through her tears. As much as I loved Jack, I regretted that I’d been unable to give Aiden more children. My heart had always longed for a daughter. I cuddled Addie’s namesake—dear Addie.
Sam had been wonderful in tracking down the sweet woman. It seemed she had a gift for finding people. We discovered Addie had made it to her niece’s house in Maryland and lived out her years with her sister’s daughter in peace. To our amazement, she’d managed to snag Jack’s letters to me, smuggle them out, and carried them with her that night. Although we’d never met with the niece in person, she returned them to us by mail, along with a long letter stating Addie’s insistence on the validity of time-travel.
A knock sent the girls into a frenzy in an attempt to hide the bride. “I’ll see who it is.” I shifted my little Addie to the other hip. “Who is it?”
“It’s Aiden.”
“Oh!” I turned, trying to catch someone’s eye. “Can someone take her a moment?”
“Set her down in the playpen. She’ll be okay as long as you’re in sight,” Cindy said, pulling the emerald green dress over her head and smoothing it over her trim figure. “Here.” She took the baby and placed her in the pen with a ring of teething keys.
I slipped into the hall, drinking in the sight of my handsome husband decked out in his tux. His dark suit contrasted with the gray hair and carefully trimmed goatee. I couldn’t hide the smile.
“What?” He asked, with a quick glance behind him to see what I was grinning at.
“You look wonderful, is all.”
“I do clean up rather well.” He smiled, looking pleased with himself. “You, on the other hand, will never do.”
“Me?” I caught the twinkle in his eye and played along. I took a quick inventory of my appearance, twisting this way and that. “What’s wrong with how I look?”
“You’re not supposed to outshine the bride on her special day.”
The cheesy comment made me laugh, despite myself. “I suppose I’m not too bad for an old woman, but I hardly think I’ll outshine, Sam. Oh, Aiden, she’s beautiful, inside and out,” I added growing serious. “I see you have the box.”
“Right here. What do you want me to do with it?”
“We’ll present it to them before they leave for their honeymoon.” The contents were the scattered pieces of my old life, stitched together, and bound in a quilt. It was the blanket I had worked on all those months of my imprisonment, the one I’d labored on in hopes of someday giving it to my child. We’d found it tucked away where Addie had placed it so many years before. I would give it to Jack and Sam, later in private. “Do you have the necklace?”
“Right here.” He tapped his breast pocket.
I glanced at my watch. “It’s getting late. Better finish helping the girls. May I have it?”
He pulled the box from his jacket and handed it to me. “See you in a few minutes.”
I stood on tiptoes, planting a kiss on his warm, full lips. “See you there.” Then I slipped from the hall and back into the room. For a moment I remained watching the girl’s flurry of activity, until I caught Sam’s eye and motioned for her. “May I talk to you alone for a second?” I mouthed.
She nodded, looking stunning in her white, strapless gown. “We can both squeeze into the bathroom.”
We just did fit with the door closed. “I know it’s almost time to leave, but I wanted to give you this. They are from Aiden and me.”
She accepted the box, wearing a puzzled expression. Her cheeks flushed, her hands shook as she unwrapped the gift, and her mouth formed a perfect O. “They’re gorgeous!”
Sam threw her arms around me, and I held her close. I lifted my eyes heavenward. Thank you, Father. My heart was too full to say all that I felt.
“Would you?” She turned as best as she could with the dress taking up most of the space in
the tiny bathroom, indicating she wanted me to put them on her.
As I stood with the necklace in my hand, struggling to fasten the clasp, I couldn’t help but think how my life resembled this strand of pearls. Each gem represented a moment in time. Some were good, some were bad, but each included the sum of who I had become. I’d been given a timeless gift.
Then a more profound thought struck me. I was reminded of the greatest gift of all—treasure in an earthen vessel. Our Heavenly Father provided for all through the death of His Son on the cross. His sacrifice gives life. What we do with our lives are the priceless jewels we will someday return to Him.
The End
About the Author
Born and raised in the heart of Virginia, Michelle Kidd is an author, quilter, and avid reader. Michelle lives with her husband of 25 years, two sons, the world’s craziest cat, and dorky dog. When not writing, she enjoys homeschooling and time with family. A lifelong writer, Michelle strives to weave her faith throughout her stories.
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