Lambert's Pride

by Coleman, Lynn A.

  “What can I do to help?”

  “Nothing. Just a sec. . .” Elizabeth massaged her eye with her fingertips, trying to move the circular plastic piece. “I wear gas permeable lenses. And if it moves off the pupil, it really hurts.”

  She tried one more time to move the lens, just wanting it out of her eye. Suddenly the lens slipped into place, and Elizabeth popped it out of her eye with a quick blink. Ah, relief. Just as the lens hit the palm of her hand, the evening breeze gusted through the covered bridge.

  Kavan laughed. “It’s like a wind tunnel.”

  “Don’t move!” Elizabeth commanded. “My lens dropped out of my hand.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Kavan said, frozen in place, shining his flashlight around their feet.

  “I thought I heard it hit.”

  They looked for over half an hour before realizing the lens must have slipped through one of the cracks on the bridge floor.

  “I’m sorry,” Kavan said, making one last sweep with his light.

  Elizabeth looked at him, one eye pushed shut. “I appreciate your help.”

  He ran his forefinger tenderly over her lensless eye. “Do you have a spare set?”

  She shook her head. “One of the things I didn’t get to between graduation and coming up here.”

  “How are you going to see to drive or work?”

  “I have a good pair of glasses here. I’ll have to go to Boston to get new contacts.”

  “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

  Elizabeth walked with Kavan to his truck. He opened the passenger door, and she paused before climbing in.

  “Thank you for being so patient and kind.” Without contemplating the implications, she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

  Ten

  After church the next day, Elizabeth started for Boston. She rolled the window down and propped her elbow on the door. The sun burned warm on her bare arm. She beeped the VW’s horn good-bye to her grandparents, who stood in the driveway, waving. Grandma’s apron billowed in the breeze.

  On the passenger seat, a fresh-baked loaf of banana bread filled the entire car with the sweet smell of all that is good in life.

  At the bottom of the drive, she turned left, heading for the bridge and the road toward Boston. Just as she crossed the covered bridge, she saw Kavan’s truck parked in the shade.

  She steered her little car next to his big truck. Kavan still wore his Sunday shirt and tie, but the tie hung loose about his neck. He propped his hand on the steering wheel and leaned out the open window.

  Her heart fluttered. “Surprised to see you here.” She ignored the excitement stirring within her.

  “I wanted to say good-bye again.”

  His tone caused a funny feeling to bubble up in her middle, and she squirmed under his intense stare. “I’ll only be gone a few days.”

  He shrugged. “I know, but I’ll miss you.”

  Miss me? She didn’t know what to say. While growing to appreciate and value Kavan’s friendship, it hadn’t occurred to her that he would miss her. She pushed her glasses up on her nose and said the first thing that came to mind. “We can go to Giuseppe’s when I get back.”

  “You’re on.”

  She shifted the tiny car into gear. “Bye, Donovan.”

  “Bye, Lambert.” He grinned, flashing white, even teeth.

  Driving away, a strange sensation crept over Elizabeth, a picture of Kavan fresh in her mind.

  ❧

  “Mom? Dad? Anybody here?” Elizabeth hollered a few hours later, walking through the front door of her parents’ house. She tossed her overnight bag on the bottom step of the front staircase.

  “Welcome home,” her mother called, approaching from her office, arms wide.

  “Hi, Mom.” Elizabeth fell into her embrace and breathed in a scent like spring roses.

  “Dinner’s waiting in the oven. Your dad and Jonathan are washing up.”

  In the next instant, her brother bounded down the stairs and grabbed her in a big hug. “Lizbeth, you’re home.”

  She laughed as he swung her around. “Put me down, you big lug.”

  “Good to see you, Kiddo.” Her dad greeted her with a kiss.

  “Good to be home, Daddy.”

  Dinner was a lively event with Chinese takeout. “I was too swamped at work this week to do the grocery shopping,” Elizabeth’s mom explained.

  Her dad added, “We’ve been eating out every night, and it’s costing us a fortune.” He reached over to pinch his wife’s cheek.

  Jonathan regaled them with a lifeguard story from his summer job at the pool and announced to his sister his plans to be All-State after next year’s football season.

  Their father looked at him sideways, pointing his fork in Jonathan’s direction. “Any plans to keep those grades up, Son?”

  Elizabeth took a sip of water to hide her merriment. Her father’s mock concern didn’t fool her.

  “Ah, Pop, Lizbeth is the brain in the family. I’m the brawn.” He pushed up his shirtsleeve and flexed his muscles. Everyone laughed.

  The conversation switched focus to Elizabeth when her dad asked, “How’s grad school looking?”

  Elizabeth felt like the sun had suddenly burned out. For a split second, she considered fabricating a story about her grad school status. But she knew it would be wrong and only prolong the agony of telling them the truth. “I’ve gotten two rejections.”

  “What?” they all said at once.

  “Michigan and South Carolina.”

  Paul Lambert sat back in his chair, his hand propped on his leg. “Are you sure, Kiddo?”

  “Hard to miss the word ‘denied,’ Dad. It’s in black and white.”

  “Did you apply late?” Mom asked.

  “Mom, please,” Elizabeth replied.

  “Well, of course not. I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” her mother apologized.

  A heavy silence hung over the dinner table. Elizabeth pushed the remains of an egg roll around on her plate. Finally she said, “There are three more schools. . . .”

  “You’ll get into one of them, surely.” Vicki Lambert clicked her long fingernails and smiled. “God has a place for you.”

  The resounding ring of the phone pierced the gloom and sparked the family into motion. Jonathan bounded from the table like he was going for the goal line.

  He smirked and handed the phone to Elizabeth. “It’s for you.”

  She reached for the phone. “Hello.”

  A familiar squeal pierced her ear. “You’re home! How long?”

  Elizabeth smiled at the sound of her friend’s voice. “Hi, Bailey. I’ll be here until Wednesday.”

  “Let’s do dinner.”

  Elizabeth agreed to meet Bailey and several other friends for dinner on Tuesday.

  Later, in the kitchen, Elizabeth helped her dad clean up while her mother read to her from her electronic data assistant.

  “You see Dr. Roth first thing in the morning. His office manager thinks they can get you new contacts by the late afternoon.”

  “Perfect!” Elizabeth stored the leftovers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

  “It was good of Conrad to squeeze you in.” Dad rinsed the dishcloth, wrung out the excess water, and wiped down the table.

  “I set you up with Dr. Geller on Tuesday for a dental cleaning,” Mom said.

  “Tuesday? How’d you get me in so fast?”

  “Told them you were only home a few days.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. If anyone could work a deal, it was her mom. She bundled up a full trash bag and set it by the door to the garage. Behind her, Jonathan dropped a fresh bag into the kitchen garbage can.

  “Don’t forget to take out the trash, Son.” Dad stood propped against the counter, legs crossed at the ankles, hands in his pockets. He regarded Elizabeth. “Grandpa tells me you have a friend.”

  Elizabeth sat at the kitchen table with a cold diet soda and glass of ice. “Grandpa is pra
ctically delusional, Dad. You should really consider checking him into a padded room.”

  Jonathan laughed. “Not Grandpa. He’s too cool.”

  “I don’t see you having time for romance, Darling,” Mom said, still focused on her electronic data assistant. Elizabeth glanced over to see her entering a list of to-dos.

  “Exactly, Mom,” she agreed. “I think all of White Birch has gone berserk with romantic notions. Every time I turn around, someone is trying to link me with Kavan Donovan.

  “By the way, Dad, you never told me your family was so nosy.”

  Her mother laughed. “I told you, Paul.”

  “They aren’t nosy, just interested, caring. . . ,” he defended.

  Elizabeth sipped her drink and sat cross-legged in the cushioned chair. “Don’t get me wrong. I like White Birch. I’m actually having fun, which surprises me. But this whole ‘get the granddaughter married off’ has got to stop.”

  Her father walked over and kissed the top of her head. “You’ll be in grad school in less than two months. White Birch and all the talk of romance and Kavan will be a pleasant but fading memory.”

  Lying in her own bed that night, the silver moonlight illuminating her room, her dad’s words echoed in her head. A pleasant but fading memory.

  Tears stung in her eyes. She actually missed White Birch and Kavan. Did she really want it to end in two months?

  She rolled over onto her side. Truth be told, Elizabeth didn’t want Kavan Donovan to be a fading memory.

  ❧

  “Okay, Rick, stop. We’ll unload the lumber here.” Kavan unlatched the tailgate on his pickup and hopped into the bed. Rick joined him, hauling boards to the Division of Forests and Lands’ Fourth of July exhibition site in the center of town.

  Kavan paused to look around. The town square buzzed with holiday preparations. He rubbed his hands together and faced his lanky partner.

  “Let’s get this booth built,” he said, pulling plans from his shirt pocket.

  “What’s Travis Knight on your case about?” Rick asked, taking the plans from Kavan.

  “He claims my refurbishment budget for the White Birch tower is way overdrawn.”

  Rick shook his head. “Interesting.”

  “Yeah, I bought this stuff with my own money just to avoid the hassle.”

  “Doesn’t seem right,” Rick muttered.

  “No, it doesn’t.” Kavan smoothed out the construction plans on the ground. “It’s a simple frame booth, Rick.”

  For the next hour or so, the two worked on the fire safety booth for the Fourth of July celebration.

  “Whatever happened to those poachers you chased down?” Rick asked, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “Never heard the end of that story.”

  “They got caught, did a few hours of community service.”

  Rick dropped his hammer in the toolbox. “They’ll do it again.”

  “Or worse,” Kavan concluded.

  “Afternoon, gentlemen.” Matt Lambert walked up to the display.

  Rick and Kavan each shook his hand.

  “Need some help? Woodworking is my specialty.”

  Kavan nodded in recognition. Indeed, Matt Lambert’s craftsmanship bordered on legendary. “We’re about done, Sir,” he said. “Besides, we’re just tapping together a few boards. Nothing fancy.”

  “Nevertheless, I should have strolled by sooner.”

  Kavan saw Rick peek at his watch. Dinnertime neared, and Rick had a new baby at home. “Why don’t you go on, Rick. Grandpa Matt can help me finish up.”

  Rick thanked Kavan and dashed off toward his truck. Grandpa took up a hammer. “Elizabeth comes home tomorrow.”

  Kavan stretched the canvas across the back of the booth and grinned. “Is it tomorrow?”

  “Yes, tomorrow.” Grandpa tacked a nail into the canvas.

  “Hmm,” Kavan muttered.

  Grandpa chuckled. “She won’t be easy to catch, but it’s possible.”

  Kavan moved to the side and held up the canvas. “Elizabeth doesn’t want to be caught.”

  “Oh, she’s caught all right,” Grandpa said, nailing up the canvas for Kavan again. “She just doesn’t know it.”

  Kavan shook his head. “I don’t know, Grandpa.”

  Grandpa placed his hand on Kavan’s shoulder. “Her whole life, she’s set a goal and achieved it. Falling in love wasn’t on the list. She’s a lot like her sweet mother. Vicki is a very practical businesswoman. She wouldn’t marry my son until he finished grad school and saved up several thousand dollars. That was a lot of money in the seventies.”

  Kavan gave a low whistle. He moved to the front of the booth and covered the bottom half with more of the canvas.

  Grandpa continued. “Elizabeth has this notion that falling in love is trivial, a waste of time. She’s seen her friends lose focus on their careers and education because men tell them they are beautiful.”

  “Can’t see Elizabeth doing that,” Kavan said.

  “No, she won’t let herself.”

  Kavan stopped working and faced the older man. “Elizabeth has a lot of pride in her pursuits.”

  Grandpa nodded. “Won’t deny it.”

  “I can’t see her giving it all up for me or anyone.”

  “Maybe not now, but someday, my boy, someday. Be patient. Be her friend.”

  Kavan resumed work. “That’s the plan, Gramps. That is the plan.”

  ❧

  On his back porch, Kavan sat in his rocker, gently swaying back and forth, the light of day evanescing. He sipped a cold bottle of soda and listened to the song of the breeze.

  Talking to Grandpa Matt about Elizabeth stirred his longing for her. Though he confessed he would miss her, he’d tried to focus on other things while she was away.

  Between his growing feelings for Elizabeth and the turmoil at work, Kavan made sure he took extra time each day to sit before the Father. Fortunately, Travis had taken the week off as vacation so the brewing trouble over the refurbishment budget was on the back burner.

  Tipping his head back, Kavan took a deep breath. He loved the peaceful sounds of night and the abiding comfort of the Lord.

  Now that his mind’s eye was picturing the curly-haired brunette, he wanted to see her. He wondered what time she would be home and if he would see her soon. He imagined she’d have a full schedule between Lambert’s Furniture and Sinclair’s.

  He reached for his cell phone. Lord, should I call her? He hesitated, punched in Elizabeth’s cell number, but pressed the end button instead of talk.

  Grandpa Matt was right, he thought. Elizabeth would be a hard one to catch.

  He punched in the number again and hit send before he could change his mind. He stood and leaned against the rail. Friends, we’re just friends.

  “Hello,” she said, rather loud.

  “Hi, it’s Kavan.” High-pitched voices and laughter filled his ear.

  “Hello?” she repeated, louder.

  “Elizabeth, it’s Kavan.”

  “Just a second.”

  He could hear her shuffling around. The background noise faded.

  “Wow, it’s so noisy in the restaurant. I had to step outside.”

  He wanted to ask what she was doing, who she was with, but decided to keep his question neutral. “Having a good time?”

  “Awesome.” Her voice rose with excitement.

  He smiled, picturing her face and the pink hue excitement always colored on her cheeks. “Sounds like a fun crowd.”

  “Bunch of engineering nerds.” She laughed. “We’ve been talking shop.”

  Disappointment stabbed him, but he removed it from his voice when he said, “Good for you. Keep your eye on the goal.”

  “No doubt. These guys would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t go to grad school. Never.”

  “I’ll let you go.”

  She suddenly asked, as if realizing Kavan Donovan was on the other end of the line, “Why did you call?”
<
br />   “No reason.”

  “No reason?” She sounded suspicious.

  “Yes. Drive home safe,” he said, ready to hang up.

  She snickered. “Is there any other way?”

  “Guess not.”

  “Night, Kavan.”

  “Night, Elizabeth.”

  ❧

  On the Fourth of July, Elizabeth strolled the White Birch square with Ethan and Julie. While Ethan greeted practically everyone they passed, Julie and Elizabeth carried on an intimate discussion of graduate school.

  “Don’t get discouraged,” Julie said. “You have the right stuff to get into the best schools. But, I remember the anxiety of waiting.”

  “Anxiety is putting it lightly,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle. “It’s just weird that I’ve been turned down and haven’t heard from the remaining three schools.”

  “Come this way, ladies.” Ethan motioned with his arm.

  They followed. Julie gave a final word of advice. “If you don’t hear from more schools, or if you get another rejection, call MIT’s transcript office and have a copy of your transcript sent to you. It could have a clerical error.”

  Elizabeth opened her mouth in surprise. “I never thought of that.”

  Julie laughed. “You’re a true linear thinking engineer, Beth. Gotta think outside the box sometimes.”

  Elizabeth spread out her arms and lifted her hands. “What can I say? Guilty as charged.”

  Laughing, they stopped beside Ethan and the fire safety booth. Kavan came around the corner with a passel of kids. He handed them balloons and candy, reminding them they could prevent forest fires.

  “Hello.” He glanced their way after sending the kids off.

  “Nice display,” Ethan commented as he scanned the booth.

  Seeing Kavan made Elizabeth’s heart dance, and she feared her feelings showed in her face. Why does he affect me this way?

  “Hi, Elizabeth.” He stepped toward her and kissed her cheek in greeting. “Welcome back.”

  “Good to be back,” she said, his touch sparking a shiver.

  Ethan started up a conversation, and the four of them chatted for a few minutes until another group of kids came strolling up, linked together by their hands. Some of them recognized Julie from school and called to her with a sweet chorus of “Hi, Mrs. Lambert.”