Years of Summer: Lily's Story

by Bethanie Armstrong

  Chapter 17

  I knew what he was looking for. I allowed it to come through; I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, with just one small emotion—trust. I knew what I trusted and that was we both had been led down certain paths in life that crossed at certain points. Each one of those points had a significance just for us and the final step would lead to a new beginning. My life had been given to me, saved, and renewed by one man—Dave.

  I looked deeply into his eyes and he saw what he wanted to see. If I could describe the way that felt to me I would, but there are no words. He was mine and I was his for now and forever. He became rather emotional.

  “I love you, Lily, you are the key to my future.”

  I cried as I said something only he would understand. “I love you too, Dave. My life is yours and don’t ever leave me in the swing again to go play with the boys.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it Lily girl. Something tells me I’ll have more fun with you anyway.” We embraced each other strongly and just held on. “Now, Lily I want you to do a couple of things for me. Go take a nice bubble bath or something that will help you relax, hot shower, whatever. Then I want you to find a dress, preferably something like your blouse, because you look so beautiful and I am going to come pick you up in a couple of hours. I want to show you my classroom, where you’re going to be spending the majority of the rest of your summer, and then we’ll go to dinner. I will make reservations for us. Do you want a grill table or a table for two?”

  “Definitely a table for two.”

  “Okay, kiss me and go get ready.” I did and he left. I believe I figured out why he was gone for three hours. He just needed that job and my promise to make his decision.

  I went to start me a bubble bath. It was so relaxing. Sunshine joined me in the bathroom and I started talking to her like she was human. I started getting nervous because I started thinking about what if. “What if I’m wrong about his plans for tonight? I don’t want him to see me disappointed. I am resolving not to be disappointed if what I think about his plans is wrong. As long as we’re together that is all that matters. Right Sunshine.” It was funny, she barked in agreement. “Sunshine, you like Dave don’t you, you miss him too when he’s not here, don’t you?” She looked at me with her deep sparkling brown eyes as she rested her head on the side of the bathtub. I reached to pet her head with a hand full of bubbles. I believed her answer was yes. I stayed in the tub until it started losing its warmth and then decided to get out. I put on my bathrobe and walked to my room to get ready. I had an hour and fifteen minutes.

  As I walked into my room, the summer afternoon sun was streaming through my windows. My room was painted yellow, so with the combination of the sun and my sunny yellow walls, it was like walking into the sun itself. It was warm and inviting. I didn’t close my blinds because no one lived behind us and I didn’t want to shut out the sun. So I was getting ready with my windows wide open.

  Sunshine jumped up on my bed and lay across the sunbeam that was there and the sun reflected off of her blonde-red fur. It shimmered and made her look like a furry angel instead of a dog. She looked up at me with her precious brown adoring eyes. She loved me unconditionally, just like Dave loved me unconditionally.

  I went through my closet; I had the perfect dress in mind. It was a white eyelet sundress that tied around the back of my neck. It was the same material as my blouse I had on earlier. I also pulled out my strappy white heels. That would add about three inches to my height, but still no match for Dave’s 6’2” perfect muscular build considering I was only 5’4”. I put my dress on and started my make-up while my curling iron warmed up. I decided to put ringlet curls in my hair without fluffing them out and pulling a little of it up in a small twist crown with a mini-clip at the back of my head. That took a little while.

  I heard Mom pull into the basement from her workshop she had that day and when she came up the stairs, I greeted her.

  “Hey Mom, how did your day go?”

  “It went fine. Lily, you look beautiful. I take it you and Dave are going out?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Guess what, Dave got that teaching position he interviewed for today.”

  Mom was happy. “Oh honey, that is wonderful news. I know he’s excited and I know you’re excited for him.”

  “Yes, ma’am. He asked me to help him get his new classroom ready over the rest of the summer.”

  “I know you will be glad to help him. Lily, you know how much he loves you right.”

  “That kind of came out of left field, but yes ma’am I know.”

  “Do you feel the same way about him?”

  “Yes, Mom, I do.”

  “Lily, you know all he was waiting on was a job so he could take care of you. You know that too, right?"

  “Yes ma'am, I know that too and I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.”

  “Are you going to let it happen, baby?”

  “Yes, ma'am. I love him.”

  “Please don’t take this wrong honey, but what about Jace?”

  “Mom, Jace is just a memory from my past, one that I will never forget, but never pull forward. The past is the past and should never make it into our future.”

  Mom hugged and kissed me. “That’s my girl. I’m very happy for you.”

  “I’m happy for me too. I love you, Mom!”

  “I love you too honey.”

  Dave must have already talked to Mom and Dad. How else would Mom have known about those things? I wonder when he did though. Oh well it didn’t matter. I went to put on my shoes as I heard Dave’s truck coming down the road. Sunshine heard it to. I went to get her gear and put it on her and waited in my room for him to come in. I heard him jogging up the back stairs and he opened the door.

  “Lily, are you ready?”

  “Coming.” I called back. As I walked into the den he saw me. His eyes sparkled beautifully. They reminded me of the sun going down over the water.

  “Wow . . . You look beautiful.” He had changed out of his shirt and tie and into a short-sleeve summer button down that was yellow and light blue plaid. He took my hand and right when he did someone snapped a picture. I wasn’t sure whether it was Ally or Mom, but I didn’t care either.

  “You ready to go Lily?”

  “Sure let’s go.” He took my hand and led me down the deck stairs carefully. I climbed in and then Sunshine jumped in next to me. We headed off.

  First stop was Jones Valley Elementary. Mr. Handley had even given Dave a key to the school so he could come in and out to work on his classroom as he pleased. Evidently Mr. Handley had a lot of confidence in Dave to give him that much freedom that soon. But why not, he was more trustworthy than anyone. He walked me back to his classroom and everything had been taken down off the walls and stored in boxes. Each box was labeled with what was in it and marked “donate to school”. Sunshine sat down without being told and I just started walking around looking at everything. I felt like I was dreaming, but it was his dream. I was so happy for him.

  “Lily, I feel like I’m dreaming, but instead of just dreams, it’s coming true. So what do you think?”

  I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck and looked deep into his eyes holding his gaze so he could see my heart. “I believe with all my heart that your students are going to be talking about you and saying what a great teacher you were to them for years to come. That is what I think. This is where you belong in all aspects.”

  “Do those aspects include you?”

  “As long as you want to keep me.”

  “How does forever sound?”

  “Better than anything I have ever heard.”

  “I know you mean that and I have something for you, but I will understand if you’re not ready for it now, I know you will be one day. Hold out your hand.”

  I held out my hand and in it he placed a blue velvet box. He was teary-eyed. He pulled his desk chair around from his desk and sat down.

  I let that little box sit there i
n my hand. I couldn’t open it. Tears came into my eyes and the fear came back. Am I going to lose Dave too?

  The fear came back with a force I wasn’t expecting. I couldn’t fathom losing him; he means more to me than Jace ever did. He cares about me. He’s not just out for himself. He’s more genuine than my Dad possibly. It was crazy the way he knew me so well. He knew my fear would come back when he gave me the box, and I didn’t. He loves me. He knows every aspect of who I am. I love him, why was this so hard. The next thing he spoke, it was like he read my mind, right down to the definitive mark.

  “Lily, I don’t know when forever is, but I do know you cannot live your life scared of it. I know you have to make the most of the forever you have. I want to do that with you. Please open the box.”

  My hand shook as I listened and did what he asked. It was beautiful.

  “Oh, Dave . . . it’s so beautiful.”

  “Just like you, but do you see anything different?”

  I reached to touch it, but didn’t. “Lily, it’s not going to bite you.”

  As emotional as I was feeling right then he made me laugh and I wanted to be mad at him, but I couldn’t be.

  “Okay, I’ll pull it out.”

  He pulled it out of the box and then separated the two rings that only looked like one. Then he explained their meaning to me in his own words.

  He held up the engagement ring. “Lily, this one with the pretty sparkly thing on top of it is only temporary. You are marked by ownership with this one alone and I have seen more than one of my friends end up getting it back or giving it back and it means nothing basically until you add this one to it.”

  He held up the wedding band. “However, when you add this one too it, it becomes a symbol of forever and that you belong to someone who loves you more deeply than his own life. Lily, I love you more deeply than my own life and I made sure I placed them together in the box so you would have your forever, knowing I plan to be a part of that.”

  The wall around my heart fell completely away. The tears I cried were nothing but happy tears. He promised me forever and I fully trusted that he would be there, because he said he would. He is true down to his very soul. “Now, will you be my wife, trusting that I will never go back on my word and living forever with me?”

  “Forever is a big promise, Dave.”

  “Lily, that’s all I have. Will you accept it?”

  “Yes, I will be your wife and belong to you, knowing that forever awaits us. I have a question though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Could we throw a few kids in there too?”

  “I think we might be able to manage that, right along with the three-bedroom house and the white picket fence, and we already have the golden retriever for the backyard.” Sunshine perked up her ears. “How does that sound?”

  “Better than perfect. I love you, Dave!”

  “I love you to Lily girl! Will you wear the engagement ring since you know you have the forever that goes with it? Speaking of that, read what I had engraved on the wedding band.”

  I held the wedding band in the light where I could see it. “Now to forever—LGA to DJJ (David Jordan Jameson). Oh . . . Dave, that is so perfect. Wait a minute. It takes like a week to have wedding bands engraved, how long have you had this set?”

  “Well, first of all it’s not a set. It just happened to work with the wedding band.”

  “You bought the wedding band first? What if I said no?”

  “Then I would have had a beautiful reminder of what we had and I never would have married anyone else.”

  “You’re serious.”

  “As serious as I can possibly be, but you didn’t say no, and as you said, forever awaits. I can only imagine what it might hold. Will you wear the engagement ring?”

  “Yes, Dave it’s so beautiful.”

  I held out my hand and he slipped it onto my finger and kissed my hand. It was a white gold band with a single round solitaire diamond. The band matched like it belonged together.

  “It’s beautiful just like you Lily. Thank you, you have made me so happy and my goal in life is to make you as happy as I possibly can.”

  Part 5:

  New Beginning

  Prologue—

  From that moment my life took on a new beginning. There was no more looking back only looking forward. There are some things though that are totally unexpected that amazingly explain many things. Dave and I had been put together in so many situations. Some we didn’t even know about, but there were those working in the background for us that even surprised me.

  I truly had no clue. He did.

  Chapter 18

  Dave’s promise meant the world to me. I was definitely looking forward to the future. I wanted to finish college though and get a job before we were married.

  “Lily, if that’s what you want then that’s what I want. I’m glad you want to finish. I was afraid you wouldn’t. Are you ready for dinner?”

  “Definitely, I am starving.”

  We drove to the restaurant as I sat and admired my ring. “Do you like it?”

  “Yes, very much, but I like the person that comes with it much more. You amaze me Dave. You always know exactly what to say and exactly what to do.”

  “Lily, you do the same for me. You remember that day at the botanical gardens?”

  “Yes.”

  ”Do you have any idea how long I had that on my mind, the question of why I wasn’t in that car? I never put two and two together like you did. You claim that there is a driving force behind us; I have never believed that until you explained things so well to me two days ago. I had totally forgotten everything about Kindergarten. I mean that was eighteen years ago. Everything we had been through together and the fact that I knew there was something special about you the first day I met you in class. Kindergarten never even registered. It was a strange feeling when I saw that picture. By the way, I’m going to put that picture right in the middle of my desk. Thank you for putting it in a frame.”

  “You’re welcome. I thought you might want to keep it. I even made myself a copy of it and put it in a frame on my dresser. I still can’t get over the fact that we were sweethearts in Kindergarten. We were always meant to be Dave or we wouldn’t have started that young.”

  “I will have to agree with you.”

  We made it to the restaurant and had the most wonderful dinner and of course great conversation. Sunshine was just as content as she could possibly be, except when she caught sight of the flames coming from across the restaurant. She jumped, but I petted her until she calmed down and then she was fine.

  After dinner we went to a local park that had a lake in the middle of it. There was a walking track around the lake. I had taken my flip-flops to have a change of shoes if my heels started hurting my feet. It was a good thing too, because Dave decided to go walking around that lake. I took my strappy heels off and put on my good ole standby flip-flops and we walked around the lake in the full moonlight for an hour it seemed. We walked out onto the pier Gazebo and sat on the benches and looked out over the water. The moon was sending shimmery sparkles over the water and they reflected into Dave’s eyes, which were green with a hint of amber in them. Mine were almost exactly the same, except mine had more amber in them. I wondered what color our children’s eyes were going to be. I just smiled to myself.

  “What are you thinking about Lily?”

  “Your eyes and how the moonlight coming off the water is reflecting in them. Dave what do you think our children will look like?”

  “You know what’s funny I have thought about that off and on. I personally hope they look like you. You are so beautiful Lily.” I blushed.

  * * * * * * *

  The next two weeks we spent working in his classroom. Mr. Freeman had taught in that classroom for a while. There were dust bunnies on top of dust bunnies hidden in the corners and shelves and closets in his classroom. We started there and cleaned from top to bottom. Then we took Mr. Clean and a
bucket to wash the desks off on top and bottom. The seats and the book racks on them were cleaned too. Sunshine happily napped on the floor while we cleaned until we pulled the vacuum out. She never liked the vacuum even when I used it at home she barked at it. She would face off with it like it was going to get her. It was actually quite comical.

  Once we finished with the basic cleaning we went to looking through the boxes and decided what to keep and what to give to the school. Dave had such great ideas. His students were definitely going to prosper in his classroom.

  We went back to my house that day and we were both exhausted. It was July 7, 1993. Dave had been rather antsy that day. I guessed he thought I was going to fall apart at any second. It was the one-year anniversary of Jace’s funeral. It had crossed my mind a couple of times I’m not going to lie, but it did nothing more than make me thankful that I wasn’t buried with him on that day. Dave of course couldn’t read my mind, so he finally couldn’t stand it.

  “Lily, honey, are you okay?”

  I answered honestly. “Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

  “Do you not remember what today is, of course that wouldn’t surprise me, but do you remember?”

  “Yes, Dave, it was one year ago today that we were at Jace’s funeral. What about it?”

  “Lily, I know it has crossed your mind.”

  “Yes it has, but I don’t feel like crying about it. It has nothing to do with my future. The only thing that it has made me think is the fact that I am so glad I was not buried with him that day. Then there would have never been us.”