When there was no reply, she glanced up. She almost dropped the eggs in surprise.
“Mitch.”
“Jaena.” He sounded as miserable as she’d been.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came last night.”
She’d heard a car as she was drifting off to sleep, but hadn’t realised it had stopped at their house.
“That still doesn’t tell me why you’re here.”
He ran his hand through his hair and then stared at her intently. “The Gallagher men only fall in love once in a lifetime, and when they do, they do it so thoroughly and so properly that nothing – and I mean nothing – can ever destroy or diminish that love.”
Her heart started beating wildly and her hands shook. She set the eggs down on the counter afraid that she was about to drop them.
“Debbie?” she squeaked out.
Mitchell moved closer. “Another thing about the Gallagher men: they only kiss the women they intend to marry.”
He bent his head and his lips brushed hers. Jaena felt her whole being flood with joy.
He lifted his head and gazed at her. “I haven’t got a ring, but we’ll go choose one next time I’m up.”
“I haven’t said I’ll marry you,” she replied tartly.
He smiled. “But I know something about you that tells me you’ve already made up your mind.”
“What’s that?”
He kissed her again. “The Hamilton women don’t let a man kiss them unless they’ve already decided to marry him.”
She punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Not fair. You know me better than I know myself.”
He shook his head. “No, Jaena, I don’t know you well at all. In fact, I’ll probably never understand you. But Marcus does – and Madi too, I suspect.”
“Marcus? What has he got to do with this?”
“I told him last night that I loved you and wanted to marry you.”
“And what did he say?”
“That I’d feel better today than I did last night. He was right.”
“He usually is.” She smiled and then turned to the eggs. “Help me with breakfast?”
“I’d love to.”
It seemed to take twice as long as usual to prepare the first meal of Christmas day, but finally they were all seated at the causal dining table adjacent to the kitchen. Marcus bowed his head and prayed a blessing on the food and then they all began serving themselves and eating.
“You’re welcome to stay and share Christmas dinner with us if you’d like.” It was Madi, hospitable as always.
“Thank you, but no. I need to get on home. If I leave soon I can make it in time for dinner.” He glanced at Jaena. “Since it will be my last Christmas as a single man I think I should spend it with my family.”
Jaena spluttered over her coffee. “We haven’t even set a date yet.”
“But I know you don’t believe in long engagements.”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
He looked towards Marcus and Madi who were smiling indulgently. “Two months wasn’t it?”
“It was indeed,” Madi agreed.
“Mum! Whose side are you on? We can’t possibly plan a wedding in two months!”
“I can remember when you thought differently. However, I tend to agree with you.”
“I don’t care what date you pick as long as by next Christmas you’re my wife.”
“Uncle Marcus?” Jaena appealed to her stepfather.
He laughed and cut into his bagel. “I’m staying out of it although I will say that I think a year is long enough.”
Jaena shrugged helplessly. “What choice do I have?” But everyone around the table knew that she was secretly thrilled.
Regretfully, she saw him out. She would’ve loved to have shown him off to her family – to introduce him as her fiancé – but it would have to wait. She understood why he felt the need to go back home and just hoped that his family weren’t worried about him.
At the front door he kissed her once more.
“We’ll get the ring and make it official when I come back.”
“I want the biggest diamond in the store,” she teased.
“Merry Christmas, Jaeney-honey,” he said, delighting in the feel and sound of the pet name her family used as it rolled off his tongue for the first time.
She smiled broadly. “Merry Christmas, Charles Mitchell Gallagher.”
*********
“Mitch, where have you been? We were about to start without you.” His mother was into her customary full-blown Christmas flustered state.
He bent and kissed her cheek. “I’ll tell you later.”
He took his seat at the table and they all held hands. In his family it was traditional to go around each member of the family and ask them to share what they were thankful for from the past year. It had begun after his parents had spent time in America and had enjoyed a Thanksgiving celebration while there. His mother had come back with plans to celebrate it at home, but it had proved impractical. But they had adopted this part of the tradition and it had quickly won the family’s approval.
He was near the end of the table, but there were a few younger cousins after him, so when it was his turn, he asked if they could come back to him.
“Oh Mitchell, haven’t you even one thing you’re thankful for?” His mother was almost whining and he realised that single-handedly preparing a meal for twenty-five people had taken its toll on her.
“I have,” he replied calmly. “But I’d like to go last if that’s okay.” He didn’t want his cousins to miss out. They were thankful for the obvious: summer holidays, no more school, getting their driver’s license. They had just said grace and were about to serve themselves when his mother remembered.
“Wait! Mitchell hasn’t been thankful yet.”
He waited until everyone’s eyes were turned his way. It was an effort not to smile and give his secret away.
“Well, I’m thankful that this is my last Christmas as an unmarried man.”
It had the effect he’d anticipated and more. Everyone started talking at once and asking questions. He tried to answer them as best as he could.
“Her name is Jaena Hamilton and she’s someone I met at Uni. I’m hoping to bring her down next week to meet you all.”
“Why haven’t we met her before now?” His mother was obviously hurt. He could also see that she was concerned. She probably knew that he hadn’t slept in his bed last night and would be thinking the worst. He would have to reassure her.
“Pop’s met her.”
“Yes,” the old man nodded as he forked a piece of turkey onto his plate. “Lovely girl. Very pretty and a great smile – even if she knows next to nothing about chess.”
That was another bombshell and generated even more questions. His grandfather could have enlightened the family, but he was placidly tucking into his Christmas turkey. Mitch would’ve liked to have been able to eat his own dinner, but he was too busy satisfying the family’s curiosity.
Then his father spoke. “Son, if you believe this is the girl God has put aside to be your wife, then we’re very happy for your. For you both. But we’d love to meet her and are curious as to why it’s been such a secret.”
He sighed. “I didn’t know for sure until this morning that she felt the same way about me as I feel about her.”
“This morning?” His mother’s eyes were wide with shock.
“It’s all right, Mum. I did stay at her place last night, but her parents were there. She didn’t even know I was there until this morning. I told her how I felt – I discovered that she felt the same – and we’re now engaged.”
“And Dad you knew about this?” His mother turned on her father-in-law.
“No, not all. I just met the girl because she’s the granddaughter of my closest friend: Stephen Johnstone.”
“What!!!”
Mitchell wasn’t sure whether to laugh at their reaction or to take offence. Years of m
ultiple misunderstandings were not about to be cleared up in a few seconds. He might as well give up any idea of eating Christmas dinner. His family had other plans. They wanted their questions answered and they wanted them answered now.
*********
The food had been eaten, given away, or put into containers in the freezer; the extending table had resumed its usual size and the chairs returned to their everyday sites; and the floor beneath the tree was devoid of all presents and showed no evidence of the happy paper ripping and gift opening ritual that had taken place a few hours earlier. His aunts and uncles had gone, taking their offspring with them, and his two younger brothers had taken their computers and were trying out their new computer game. It was just Mitch, his parents, and Pop left in the living room.
“I still don’t understand.” It was his mother talking and she was still hurt from having been excluded from what was undoubtedly one of the most important decisions of his life. Not that she wanted to make that decision for him – he understood that – but she was hurt and perhaps even a little angry that he hadn’t consulted her or at least given her some inkling before he had sprung the news on the family.
“What don’t you understand?” He was trying to be patient, but he thought he had explained everything fully already.
“How you could let yourself get mixed up with Stephen Johnstone’s granddaughter when you knew what the family were like.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw his Pop about to speak, but Mitch held up a hand.
“For a start, why should Jaena be judged just because of her family? Even if they had been wrong, does that make her wrong? And for another thing, we were wrong about the family. Pop knows that now and I thought I’d explained it.”
“But how can you be sure that she’s telling you the truth?”
He felt his blood boil, but Pop saved him from answering. “She’s telling the truth. I’ve heard her side of the story and it fits with everything that I ever knew about Stephen Johnstone. I was wrong – wrong to judge and to assume the worst. You,” and he looked at his son, “ … you tried to tell me once when it all blew up. You said I might not know the whole story and you were right. I should have known from the type of man that Stephen was that he would not condone sin – even in his own family. But I was stubborn and proud. Mitch is right, too. Should we judge the girl based on her family – on what we knew about her family or thought we knew about her family? People change and even if I had been right there’s no reason that Stephen and Jaena’s mother could not have changed. Don’t we preach a redemptive gospel? Are there no second chances?”
It was a long speech for Pop and for a moment Mitchell’s mother looked contrite, but then she turned on Mitchell. “But why so secretive? Why did you exclude us? Are you ashamed of your family?”
“Not at all. And I didn’t exclude you – not intentionally. I’ve already tried to explain all this. We didn’t get off to a good start. She distrusted me and I was influenced by what I thought I knew about her family. And I guess I was afraid, too. Afraid that if I mentioned her name that what would happen would be exactly what is happening now.”
“Mitch.” His father spoke warningly and Mitch knew that he’d stepped dangerously close to showing his mother disrespect. It was something his father had always been firm about and he wasn’t going to let Mitchell get away with it now.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. But I was afraid that you wouldn’t accept her for who she is – that you’d have a whole lot of preconceived ideas about her – that you’d be prejudiced against her. I guess I wanted to spare her and myself that – especially if it didn’t come to anything.”
“But to remain quiet for so long!” His mother was still struggling to come to terms with the news.
“We’ve barely spoken over the past few months. You remember Debbie – Grant’s sister? Well she called in to see me one day at Uni on her way through and Jaena saw us together and got upset. We argued and that was that. I didn’t know if it was ever going to be sorted. It seemed kind of pointless to tell you about Jaena when it didn’t look as if we were going to have any future together.”
“But now you’ve sorted it all out.” It was his father and it was not a question.
“We have. I had no idea this time yesterday when I left that things would be completely turned around in such a short time. But I’m not sorry they are,” he hastened to assure his parents.
“So when are you planning on marrying?”
“I don’t know yet, Mum. We’ve agreed that we’ll only be engaged a year, but other than that, we’ve not made any plans. I haven’t even had a chance to tell her about the job offer I received a week ago. I’ll have to soon because I’m thinking I’ll accept it – but that could make a difference to our plans, too.”
“I just wish you’d confided in us. We could have been praying for you.”
“I know. And I appreciate that. But we’d appreciate it if you’d pray for us now.”
“I hope you’re not planning on leaving it too long before you introduce us to our future daughter-in-law?” His father winked and Mitch knew that at least one of his parents had forgiven him. He was sure that once his mother met Jaena that he would have her forgiveness also.
“As soon as possible, I promise. I’m hoping to get up again in a week’s time for the New Year, but I’ll see if she can come down the following weekend. Will that suit?”
“I can’t see why not.” His mother answered this time and he sensed that she had also forgiven him. Not that she would ever tell him in so many words.
“Thanks, Mum.” Mitchell glanced towards his father who pushed his glasses up onto his head and closed his eyes; Pop gave him an encouraging smile and leaned back in his recliner; and his mother sighed and reached down for the bag that contained her cross stitch, signalling the end of the conversation. For the first time that afternoon, Mitch allowed himself to relax. It was going to be all right. In fact, it was going to be better than all right. A smile played on his lips as he dreamt about the future.
*********
He hadn’t meant to do it without Jaena by his side. He didn’t even know what had possessed him to enter the jeweller’s shop when he was in the city. But once he saw the ring he knew he had to purchase it. It wasn’t the biggest diamond in the shop. In fact, the diamonds were only chips surrounding the biggest, bluest sapphire that he had ever seen. It reminded him of sunny days and picnics by the river and Jaena. He had to have it. Only later did he doubt that he’d done the right thing.
Chapter Fifteen
Madi was alone when the doorbell rang. Quickly putting down the scissors she was using to cut fabric for a patchwork quilt she was making as a wedding gift for Jaena and Mitch, she crossed to the hall and opened the front door.
“Mitchell! Come in. Jaena isn’t here, but I’m to give you directions where to go. You can take your bag up to your room if you like. It’s the one you stayed in last week.”
“Thank you.” But he didn’t move.
“Is everything all right?” She looked at him then – really looked – and saw that he was troubled.
“I’ve made a big mistake.”
“Jaena?”
Mitchell nodded and Madi put her hand to her chest. This wasn’t what she’d expected of this young man … but then she hadn’t expected Damien to act the way he had either.
“Tell me,” she said as she moved over to the nearest chair and sat down.
“I said I’d take her shopping for a ring when I came up, but I was in the city last week and saw one and I bought it. I can always take it back if she doesn’t like it – perhaps I should anyway – maybe that would be best – I don’t know.”
“I thought you meant you’d changed your mind about marrying Jaena.”
Mitch was raking through his bag and didn’t look up. “What? No, I wouldn’t change my mind about that. Here.” He stood up and held out a box and opened it to reveal a ring. “What do you think
?”
“I don’t think it matters what I think.” Madi was amused. She reached for a piece of paper and began writing. “I’ll write down directions to Jaena’s grandparents’ place. And you might want to take that with you,” she added when she saw him go to place the ring back in his bag.
He straightened and tucked the box into his pocket where it bulged against the fabric. He took the directions from her and studied them. “Thanks.”
“I’ll be looking for that ring on my daughter’s finger when I see her tonight,” was Madi’s parting comment as she closed the door on him.
*********
“Oh my.” Her grandmother was standing at the kitchen window looking out. Jaena stopped from where she was setting out the cutlery for dinner and glanced at her grandmother curiously.
“There’s a handsome young man standing in my driveway and I don’t think he’s here to see me.”
Jaena went to stand beside her grandmother and then flew out the door.
“Mitch!”
He caught her and spun her around. She laughed and then took his hand. “Come on in and I’ll introduce you.”
“Wait. There’s something I have to tell you first.”
She looked into his face and her smile faded. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
“Of course not!” He shook his head. Why did these Hamilton women think he was fickle? He could understand it if there’d only ever been Damien, but they’d known Marcus and they knew that there were men who were trustworthy and who stood by their word. “No, it’s something I want to give you.” He reached into the car and pulled out a box. “Open it.”
She opened it and squealed with delight. “Put it on! Put it on!”
“I know I said I’d take you shopping, but I saw this one and it seemed like it had your name all over it. We can take it back if you like.”
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips right there on her grandparents’ front lawn.
“No way are you returning this. I love it!”
“You sure?”
“Of course. Like you said, it’s got my name all over it. It’s perfect.” She took his hand. “Now come and meet the grandparents.”
The Scent of Rain Page 19
