To Love, Honor and Cherish

by Timothy Paterson

  Chapter 12

 

  In early March, Joe’s lawyer told him that ‘Francisco’s; one of the best restaurants in San Francisco was for sale and that it would be a good investment for Joe. Joe agreed and signed the papers to purchase it.

  Joe told the manager that he could stay on as manager and the staff could stay while he had a chance to evaluate the operation. He asked the manager to keep his name out of the press and only the manager and his lawyer would know that Joe owned the restaurant. The manager agreed and signed an agreement and it was finalized.

  When Sarah and Becca were one month old, it was time to have them baptized. Betty asked Joe if he would be their Godfather. Joe said he would be honored. Pastor Jacobs approved it. On the Sunday morning of the baptism, Betty and all of her eight children were dressed in their best clothes. Joe took some photos of the family at the house before they went to the church.

  As Joe stood in the church holding one baby in each arm, with Betty and her children all around him, he truly felt like part of the family, like he belonged.

  The weeks passed quickly, and soon they were back in the church for Mary’s confirmation. Mary looked beautiful in her new white dress with lace trim. Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit as she stood at the front of the church and was confirmed.

  Two weeks later, Mary graduated from middle school. She had the fourth highest grade point average in her class. Mary had studied even harder during the last couple of months.

  With school out for the summer, Joe had more time to spend with the kids. Mark and Luke were playing little league and Joe was their assistant coach. Joe and Betty encouraged Mary and Matt to get part time jobs during the summer. Matt started doing yard work for the neighbors and Mary got some babysitting jobs. Joe was taking some college courses during the summer, so that he could graduate in December.

  Mary’s birthday was June 20th and Betty had been planning special day for her. When Mary woke up on June 20th, she told her mother that she did not want to do anything that day. “Just forget it’s my birthday, ok?” said Mary.

  Joe had heard them talking and asked Betty why Mary was so upset. Betty told Joe that Mary’s father had left on Mary’s 13th birthday, just one year ago, and it had ruined Mary’s celebration.

  Joe could understand how that could make her so sad. He was not feeling so hot himself, as June 20th revived bad memories for him as well.

  Joe told Betty that he knew how to cheer up Mary. He told Mary that he wanted to take her to a fancy restaurant that night. It would be just the two of them.

  At first, Mary did not want to go, but after a little coaxing, she finally agreed. Joe told her to be ready at 5pm that evening.

  Joe told Betty that he had to see to some personal business that afternoon, but that he would be back in time to take Mary to dinner.

  At 4pm, Joe returned home looking very upset and Betty thought that he had been crying. When Joe saw Mary, he forced a smile and went to get ready for their dinner.

  Joe told Mary that he was taking her to one of the fanciest restaurants in San Francisco. It was the restaurant that Joe had bought and this was one way to see how the restaurant was being run.

  Mary was wearing a very nice dress and Joe wore a suit. On the way to the restaurant, Joe tried to get Mary to open up by engaging in small talk, but Mary was not in a talking mood.

  When Joe and Mary walked into ‘Francisco’s, Mary seemed to perk up a little bit. The place had a wonderful atmosphere and was very elegantly decorated. They ordered iced tea and appetizers.

  Once again, Joe engaged in small talk to try to get Mary to say something, but she just stared into her plate. Finally, Joe got right to the point. “Mary, your mom told that your dad left on your thirteenth birthday. I understand how you must feel,” he said.

  Mary got a little angry and said; “You don’t know how I feel, Joe. At thirteen, I was supposed to be starting my teenage years and do you know what my present was? My present was that my dad left us and took all of our money out of the bank and left us with a pile of bills that we could not pay. My birthday present was that we lost our house, because he had not paid the mortgage for three months before he left. How could you possibly know how I feel?” Mary was very angry now. She felt like walking out of the restaurant.

  Joe sat there quietly for a moment, and then he took out his wallet, handed Mary his driver’s license, and told her to look at his birth date. Mary saw that he was also born on June 20th. Then Joe handed her a well-worn newspaper clipping. Mary read the article. It told of the automobile accident in which Joe’s mother and father were killed. Mary saw that they were killed on June 20th, on Joe’s 17th birthday.

  Mary suddenly started to feel very bad. Mary looked at Joe and said; “I am so sorry, Joe. Can you ever forgive me for being angry with you?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive,” said Joe. “You have a right to be angry. You are still hurting and you needed to get your anger out of your system, so that your heart can start to heal.”

  Joe took a drink and then continued; “When I was first told that my parents had been killed in that car accident, I was numb for quite a while. For days after the funeral, I could not bring myself to think about it. I thought that if I pushed it out of my mind, that it did not really happen. I was almost like a zombie. About a week after the funeral, I just fell apart. I did not think that I could go on living without them. Pastor Jacobs helped me through those next few weeks. It was very difficult for me to cope with their loss.

  I put up a wall around myself and would not let anyone in. I did not want to get too close to anyone. I figured that if I did not get close to anyone, then I could not get hurt again.

  Then, about seven months ago, I saw you and your brother standing out in the rain shivering and I dropped the wall and let you in to my life. When I heard about your father leaving you, I could relate to you because I knew what it was like to lose someone close. The more I got to know you and your family, the more willing I was to let you into my heart.

  I allowed myself to get close to someone again. It was as if God was telling me ‘Joe, you have so much to give. Get on with your life.’ I consider all of you my family now.”

  Mary had tears in her eyes as Joe talked. “This afternoon, I went to my parents’ graves. On the way there, I did not know what I would say to them. At first, I was angry with them for leaving me and I yelled at them. Then, I told them how much I loved them and how much I missed them. Then I told them that it was time for me to let go of all my bad memories and sad feelings, so that I could go on with my new life. I told them that I would never forget them, but that I had a new family whom I loved and who loved me. Then, I sat down and cried for over an hour. All my anger and hurting melted away. I forgave them for leaving and I started a clean slate.”

  By now, Mary was softly crying and Joe pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. Joe took Mary’s hand and said; “Let’s make a pact, that from this day forward, June 20th will be a celebration of life, and our friendship, and that we will always celebrate it together each year. Ok?”

  Mary wiped away her tears and agreed. Joe kissed her on the cheek and wished her Happy Birthday. For the rest of the meal, they were both smiling and laughing and for desert they shared a chocolate cake that was just the right size for two people.

  There was one candle in the center of the cake and they both made a wish and blew out the candle at the same time, both hoping that their wish would someday come true.

  While they were sitting there, a waiter brought over a long box and handed it to Mary. Mary opened it and found 14 long stemmed roses, and a card that said ‘Happy 14th Birthday to the most beautiful girl in the restaurant.’ The card was signed ‘Friends always, Joe’.

  Mary had a big smile on her face and gave Joe a big hug. She told him that she loved the roses.
Then Joe pulled a small box out of his pocket and gave it to her. When Mary opened the box, she saw an antique locket.

  Joe told her that it had belonged to his mother and grandmother and that he wanted her to have it. “Your mother said it was ok to give it to you” said Joe. Mary loved the locket and hugged Joe again. “This place needs a dance floor and music” said Mary. “I’ll suggest it to the management,” said Joe.

  When they arrived home, Joe went to the basement to check on something and Mary went to show her mother the flowers and locket that Joe had given her. Betty saw that Mary’s face was glowing with happiness, something that she had not seen in over a year, since her father had left.

  Mary apologized to her mom for being in such a bad mood and for not letting her mom plan the day for her. Then Mary told her mom about Joe; “Mom, did you know that Joe’s birthday is today also, and that his parents were killed on his 17th birthday?” Now, Betty knew why Joe had been crying that afternoon. Mary told her mom about the evening and let her mom know that she was going to be fine.

  They both heard music coming from the basement and Joe yelled upstairs; “Mary, Are you ready for that dance now?” Mary went downstairs and she and Joe danced for over an hour. Afterward they sat on the couch, listening to music and talking for another hour.

  After Mary went to bed, Betty asked Joe if they could talk for a minute. She asked Joe if he was doing ok. Joe replied that he was fine then Betty said; “Joe, I know that you miss your parents, and I know that I am not your mother, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I am here, and I am a good listener.” Joe thanked her and said that he would remember that.

  In July, Both Betty and Joe took a week off work, and the family went to Disneyland. Joe and Matt went on all of the roller coasters and they even talked Mary into going on one of them. Mary was so terrified, that she refused to go on anymore of them. Everybody had a blast and nobody wanted to leave when it was time to go home.

  As the summer ended, Mary was getting nervous about starting high school in the fall. Her mother tried to reassure her that it would turn out fine and she would adjust quickly.

  Matt was looking forward to starting 7th grade, because he planned to join the basketball team. Mark was going into the 4th grade, Luke was going into 2nd grade and John was starting kindergarten. Paul would be going to pre-school 3 days per week. As for Joe, he only had one semester of college left.