The Wedding Promise

by Thomas Kinkade

  Liza felt a quiet thrill at his words. She had given him strength to do something important today, and he had missed her. He didn’t want to end their relationship.

  Suddenly the truck cab seemed far too small a space to contain the happiness and hopeful feelings rising up inside her.

  “Why don’t we go down to the beach and take a walk? I need to clear my head a bit,” she said.

  “Good idea.” They hopped down from the truck and Daniel came around to her side. He took her hand and they soon found a path down to the shoreline.

  Though it was a hot day, there was a strong breeze off the ocean that felt immediately refreshing.

  Daniel glanced down at her. “No more questions for me?”

  Liza shook her head, determined not to push. After what they’d just been through, she was happy just to walk with him like this and just . . . be.

  If he wanted to be closer to her, he would have to come in his own way, in his own time. If he wanted to open his heart, he was the only one who had the key.

  “Well, I have one for you,” he said. “How have you managed to put up with me? I was defensive and hurtful to you, disappearing and not being honest. You didn’t deserve that, Liza. I’m truly sorry for acting like that.”

  Liza was surprised by his apology. “Thank you for saying that. But it’s all right now, honestly. In fact, I have a feeling you don’t want anyone else to know what you told me, that you’re a doctor. Don’t worry. I can keep a confidence.”

  “I’m sure you can. You’re the only one on the island who knows,” he told her. “I’ve never told anyone, not even Reverend Ben. It’s hard for me to talk about. There are things that happened I’d rather forget,” he added.

  Liza had guessed as much. She glanced at him but didn’t reply.

  “I did think about telling you, Liza. A million times. I even wrote you letters—but ended up throwing them all away.”

  He stopped and turned, gazing out at the water. “The problem was that I was always afraid that once you heard the whole story, you might not think that well of me anymore.” He turned and looked at her. “I’d like to tell you now. I want you to know, but . . . ”

  Liza understood. He was still afraid that the truth would drive her away. She answered the only way she could. “I think you have to take that chance, and give me a chance to try to understand.”

  Would she think less of him? Would the story diminish him in her eyes? She truly hoped not but part of her was truly afraid to finally hear what he had to say.

  Once you’ve found love, you want to protect it, Liza realized. Even if it means being less than honest with the one you cherish. But then it isn’t authentic. It hasn’t stood up to the tests. So how can you really say you love that person? she reminded herself.

  Because she did believe now that she loved Daniel. Or could love him. If she knew all of him, not just what he chose to show her.

  “All right . . . here goes,” he started. “I did go to medical school and earned my degree. But I wasn’t lying to you about working construction jobs while I was in college, that part was true,” he added. “Anyway, I put myself through med school and became an emergency room doctor at Mass General, in Boston. It was hard to be in a serious relationship while I was in training, but once I finished my residency, I did start dating and got engaged. But a few months before we were supposed to get married, it started to become clear to me that I had rushed into this commitment and we really didn’t see things the same way—or want the same things in life. We were arguing all the time. It was taking a toll on me. It was hard to concentrate on my work. I wanted to go into counseling, but she wouldn’t do that. She insisted that it was all my problem—my long hours and the demands of my job. She wanted me to leave the hospital and start a private practice. . . .

  “Well, one night we had our last argument. A real blowout. I knew it was over and I just walked out. All I wanted to do was walk. I walked for miles. I must have walked around the entire city that night. I walked until I was completely exhausted. I got back to the apartment after midnight. My fiancée—or ex-fiancée, actually—was gone, along with a lot of her stuff. That hit me hard, too, and all I wanted to do was just drop down on the couch and sleep. But I realized that I had never checked my messages, and when I did, there were a few from the hospital. They needed me, right away. A multicar accident.” He paused and took a breath. Liza could see how hard it was for him to tell this part of the story.

  “I knew my judgment was totally off, but I went in to the hospital anyway. ‘Hey, I’m a doctor,’ I told myself. ‘I’ve trained for situations like this. I can handle it.’ You know, the real macho code. But I couldn’t handle it. I had no focus, no mental clarity.” He drew in a long breath, then went on. “I was treating one of the accident victims and ordered the wrong procedures. The man went into a coma for three days. Fortunately, he survived. But there was brain damage, a loss of faculties. There’s no telling if the outcome would have been the same just from the accident, or if the treatment was the cause. But I knew that what I’d done was wrong. It was selfish and self-indulgent. I should have just admitted I wasn’t capable of being a doctor that night, but at the time, it felt like a terrible humiliation on top of everything else I’d been through that day. My ego was too big to stand back.”

  Liza could hear the deep regret in his voice, his self-disdain.

  “Did you get in trouble afterward? Is that why you left?” she asked quietly.

  “Amazingly . . . no, I didn’t. Though I should have. But you know how doctors stick together,” he said with a note of bitterness. “The family filed a complaint, but they never filed a lawsuit. My performance was reviewed by the board and I was reprimanded. But my job was never on the line and I never lost my license. I had to mete out my own punishment. I knew in my heart that I’d made a huge mistake. It was a weak moment and another life was damaged. I couldn’t continue practicing. I tried, but I just couldn’t. I left the city and I came out here—at first, just to take a break and pull myself together. After a while there didn’t seem a reason to leave.”

  “I know the feeling,” Liza said with a small smile. The ending of his story was pretty much part of her own.

  They started walking again. This time, Liza took his hand. Daniel had made a terrible mistake, a life-altering mistake. But she wasn’t going to stand in judgment of him. Daniel was doing a thorough job of that on his own.

  “You did make a mistake,” she said finally. “Maybe you even hurt that patient. But it doesn’t change the way I think of you. A person is more than a single moment in their life, or a single act. And you can’t let this one mistake define the rest of your life. You’re a good person, Daniel. You do a lot of good in the world. I know that much about you.”

  He glanced down at her. “I appreciate you saying that, but I don’t feel like a good person all of the time. Not when I think about that night. I suppose, living out here, I don’t have to think about it that much. There are no real reminders, not like there would be back in the city. This place is like another world. It’s . . . somehow healing.”

  “It is,” Liza agreed.

  But she also knew at a certain point, the healing is done. Was that what Daniel was trying to tell her when they’d had their serious discussion before the wedding? When he’d said he was thinking of leaving the island?

  “But are you finished here?” she asked. “Are you ready to go back? Or go someplace else?”

  He took a deep breath and stared out at the water. Liza wasn’t sure if she even wanted to hear his answer, but she knew she had to hear him out. She had to know the whole truth.

  “I feel like I’ve come through something. That staying here, I’ve finally worked something out. But I can’t see myself going back to my old life in Boston. That wouldn’t work anymore. Maybe I’ve finally learned that I can’t keep pretending the past didn’t happen. Sooner or later, you have to own up to everything. You have to face it and accept it. And trust some
one else to see and accept the whole picture, too. You showed me that, Liza.”

  “By being so relentless about it?” she asked with a smile.

  “Not exactly,” he admitted. “But men do need to be nudged. We have thick heads. Believe me, I know this. I’m a doctor,” he said, making her laugh. “I finally got the message that you really cared about me—enough to know everything, even if it wasn’t entirely good news.” He paused and turned to her. “As hard as it was to tell you the truth, part of me wanted you to know. Wanted you to know all of me. I haven’t let myself get this close to anyone in a long time. I haven’t wanted to. I thought, what the heck, I can leave here and start over someplace new, no problem. Then I realized I could leave the island, but I couldn’t get away from my own feelings. I’m falling in love with you, Liza. That would stay with me, wherever I ended up.”

  Liza was speechless. She wondered for a moment if she was just imagining this conversation. She’d imagined it so often in her daydreams.

  She didn’t exactly know what to say. But her surprised reaction had clearly pleased him.

  Daniel pulled her close, his strong arms holding her tight. She could tell he was going to kiss her and finally, he did. A long, sweet, soulful kiss, expressing his love as no words ever could.

  When she finally lifted her head away, she felt dazed and overwhelmed. “I love you, too,” she said quietly. “I think I have for a long time.”

  Then words didn’t seem necessary. She felt so close to Daniel now. All the curtains had been lifted, the barriers between them swept aside. Their hearts were open to each other now, and anything was possible.

  Finally, they decided it was time to return. They walked back along the shore, their arms twined around each other. Liza stared out at the blue sea and sheltering sky. “There is something special about this place,” she said quietly. “Something mysterious, even.”

  Daniel pressed his lips to her hair. “It brought us together. That’s special enough for me.”

  This recipe is so easy, even Liza can make it. It’s a wonderful treat in the spring, when fresh berries first appear at the market. But you can whip it up during any season, using peaches, plums, apples, or pears, or a mixture of your favorite fruit. Serve it with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra delicious touch.

  Blessings,

  Claire

  Claire’s Mixed-Berry Crumble

  For the fruit filling: 6 cups berries, a combination of blueberries, blackberries, and

  raspberries (or use just one kind of berry if you prefer)

  2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  1–2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

  2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

  1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  For the crumble: 2 sticks cold, unsalted butter

  ¾ cup all-purpose flour

  ½ cup granulated sugar

  ¼ cup dark brown sugar

  1 teaspoon cinnamon

  ¾ teaspoon nutmeg

  ¾ cup chopped nuts of your choice

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.

  Rinse berries. Let drain and/or pat dry. They’ll give off a lot of juice as they bake, so you don’t want to add extra moisture in this step. Place the berries in a large bowl. Gently toss with lemon juice and zest.

  In a small bowl, combine the white and brown sugars and the flour. Sprinkle over the fruit and toss gently to combine. If your fruit seems extra juicy, add a little bit more flour. Pour the fruit mixture into the baking dish and set aside.

  Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Combine the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Add to the butter. Using your dampened hands, blend until crumbs form. The butter will be stiff at first, but will warm up slightly as you work it with your hands. When all the dry ingredients are incorporated, add the nuts. (If you have family members and/or guests with nut allergies, old-fashioned rolled oats are a good substitution here.)

  Sprinkle crumb mixture over the top of the fruit, squeezing the crumbs together to form clumps as large as you like.

  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the crumb topping is crisp and golden and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.