Now and Forever 5, Love's Journey (29 page)

“She promised me,” Sam muttered, “she
promised me she wouldn’t break his heart. She lied.”

* * * *

Johnny and his father had stopped speaking.
Jakub moved into Marcia’s house after Jay’s funeral. He missed the
grandchildren but was happy with Marcia. He went to work for the
landlord across town, and Marcia made his breakfast and packed his
lunch every day.

Jakub made more than enough to pay the rent
for the house. In December, he handed a glowering Johnny the rent
money, and sent best wishes to Rebecca and the children. He missed
them; Johnny was angry and wouldn’t let anyone see Grandpa but
him.

Every night Jakub and Marcia watched sports
together, sometimes eating popcorn and cuddling up on the warm,
comfortable sofa. The white walls made the living room feel cool in
the winter, so Jake often built a fire. Marcia crocheted a gold
blanket to keep the chill off. It kept them warm as they stretched
out in each other’s arms. Sometimes lovemaking started there and
continued upstairs.

Everything wasn’t smooth all the time
between Jakub and Marcia. From time to time they’d quarrel. Jakub
would swear at her in Czech and she’d swear back in English or
they’d give each other the silent treatment. But they always made
up by bedtime.

Jakub made love to Marcia frequently, proud
he could keep her satisfied. Marcia’s complexion took on a rosy
glow, she put on weight and her good health returned.

Christmas was coming, depression swirled
around Marcia who missed all the old traditions. She longed for the
return of the good times with Jay and his family. The big box of
ornaments in the attic taunted her with memories so she considered
throwing it out. Jakub convinced her to keep them.

“Someday you look back…and remember.” He
dusted off the box.

She wished the holiday would be over
soon.

Johnny relented when his children begged to
visit Grampa. Jakub brought the grandchildren to spend the night a
few days before Christmas. Marcia decided not to have a tree or
decorations, but she had fresh-baked gingerbread men ready for them
when they arrived. Joey took two cookies and bowed when Jakub
introduced him to Marcia. Annabeth looked at Marcia with suspicion
and didn’t touch the cookies. Jakub was embarrassed by Annabeth’s
cool hostility toward Marcia who put her hand on Jakub’s arm and
smiled her understanding.

The children played in the snow with Jakub,
had hot chocolate and listened to stories read in Czech by Jakub
and in English by Marcia. They watched a movie and then it was time
for dinner. When Jakub cooked, everybody cooked. He commanded his
team of three, handing out assignments to each of the children and
Marcia too. They worked side by side in the kitchen.

“Joey, you wash beans, Annabeth, set table.
Marcia, make pasta.” Jakub barked orders in a friendly voice while
preparing the meat dish.

Dinner was a mixture of Czech and American
dishes. Jakub talked about the American food Marcia made. The
children listened to him attentively. Joey gave Marcia a big hug
after dinner, but Annabeth was still distant. Marcia cleaned up in
the kitchen while Jakub put them to bed in the guest room with a
bedtime story.

Jakub and Marcia turned in early too, as
they were tired after such a busy day.

“Thank you,” Jakub said to Marcia, kissing
her.

“For what?”

“For the children, nice cookies, story,
everything.”

“They are nice children.”

“Annabeth is angry. I don’t know why.”

“She’ll get used to me. Give her time.”

“All right. I try to be patient.”

The next morning Marcia made a breakfast of
chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. When they finished, the children
helped in the clean-up, carrying in dirty plates and wiping down
the table. Marcia was washing the silverware when Annabeth spoke to
Jakub in Czech.

“
Miluješ ji
?” she asked Jakub,
looking at Marcia.

“Speak in English when Marcia is here,
please,” Jakub said, bending down to speak directly to the child.
“You asked me do I love her?” Jakub translated, pausing to look at
Marcia’s back.

She stopped, turned off the water in the
sink, and stood completely still.

“Yes, I do, Annabeth,” he said, looking at
Marcia.

Marcia dropped the silverware in the sink
with a loud clang. She turned around and looked at Jakub with tears
in her eyes.

“Joey, why don’t you ask her if she loves
me?”

“Grandpa, why don’t you ask her yourself?”
Joey cocked his head to the side and put his hand on his hip.

“Ask her, Joey.” Jakub stood up and stared
at Marcia.

“Yes, I do,” Marcia said, looking into
Jakub’s eyes, not waiting for Joey. Two tears escaped and ran down
her cheek. She wiped them away quickly.

There was silence in the room as Jakub and
Marcia stopped and the children stood by watching. Finally, Jakub
crossed over to Marcia, took her in his arms, and gave her a quick
kiss.

“Yuck! Grandpa! Yuck,” Joey said.

Jakub released her, laughing at Joey.

With a very serious face, Annabeth walked
over to Marcia and put out her hand. Marcia took the little girl in
her arms and gave her a hug.

When it was time to go home, Joey gave
Marcia a big goodbye hug and Annabeth thanked her politely with a
smile on her face. It was good enough for Marcia.

* * * *

New York City

On the train ride to New York City Lara
missed Peter already. An empty feeling seeped into her bones along
with the cold dampness of the winter air.

Lara met Andres for dinner; he was chatty
and no longer interested in sleeping with her. She breathed a sigh
of relief. He talked a little bit about a new woman in his life.
She had bewitched him, even though she was not a ballerina. They
talked about the audition and Andres tried to calm Lara down, but
she was too nervous.

She checked into the posh Monroe Regency
Hotel on Park Avenue. They had excellent security and she felt
safer there. Her room was large with windows looking downtown from
the twenty-fifth floor. The colors were neutral and muted, beige
with a chocolate brown bedspread and floor-to-ceiling drapes. Lara
closed the drapes and double locked the door, remembering what
Peter said about her attacker.

She missed Peter. His ready wit, his helping
hand, his kiss, his strong arms around her…everything about him was
larger than life to her and without him there, she felt a void,
like she was lacking part of herself.

The size of the hotel bed increased without
Peter there to take up more than half the space. Before she fell
asleep, her cell phone rang.

“Hi, it’s me. Just calling to make sure you
arrived safely,” Peter said.

“Oh, bear, I’m sorry, I should’ve called you
when I checked in. I’m staying at the Monroe Regency hotel on Park
Avenue. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Good luck tomorrow, honey,
and goodnight,” Peter said.

“Goodnight, bear. I love you.” Lara hung up
the phone.

During the night she rolled over, her hands
searching the bed for him, but he wasn’t there. She longed for his
kiss, his lovemaking but most of all, sleeping in his arms. Until
she was away from Peter, Lara didn’t realize how deeply in love
with him she was. She needed him like the air she breathed. The
image of her attacker still eluded her.
Who was he?
The
thought nagged at the back of her mind. Whoever he was, he was
probably still in New York City.

* * * *

Across town, society photographer, Carter
Wills, picked up the phone with his left hand as he had a cup of
coffee in his right.

“Hey, Carter. Remember that hot rich chick
you used to date?”

“Which one?” A smug smile curled his
lips.

“Very funny. You remember the one, the one
with the great hair…the one who got beat up? What was her name,
Laura something?”

“Something like that.”

“She’s auditioning for the Metropolitan
Ballet today. My girlfriend, Cecily, dances there. She told me
yesterday. Are you going to look her up?”

“Don’t think so, Kevin. Thought she was
blinded, how can she dance?”

“Guess she’s recovered ’cause she’s
dancing.”

“Hmmm. Do you know where she’s staying?”

“Afraid not. Thought you weren’t going to
look her up?”

“You’re right. She’s a loser. Gotta
run.”

Carter hung up the phone.
Did she get her
memory back too? If she did, I’d be in cuffs by now. There’s still
time.

He needed a plan, find out where she was
living and figure out a way to get rid of her before her memory
returned and she remembered him…the beating he gave her…before she
could get him arrested and destroy his life.
If her sight has
returned will it be long before her memory returns too?
He
began to sweat.
Probably not.
He put on his coat and went
out to hail a taxi.

* * * *

Lara had breakfast in her room, dressed, and
left for the ballet hall. Her audition was at eleven and she needed
time to warm up first. Andres was there.

“You’ll be fine, baby. Take it easy.”

“I can’t. This is…I can’t.” Lara paced in
the back of the auditorium twisting the ring her parents gave her
for her sixteenth birthday.

“Peter…” she mumbled his name.

If he were here, he’d make me laugh, make
me forget my nerves. I could perform so much better if he was
here.
Andres was babbling. Then her turn came, time for Lara to
pull herself together.

After the audition, Andres and Lara had
lunch.

“The pirouette…the first one…”

“It was fine, Lara. Please. I wouldn’t let
you go wrong.”

“But it felt off somehow. Not how we did it
at home.”

“It’s over, let it go.”

Lara returned to her room

Lara spent the rest of the day in her hotel
room reading and watching television. She had dinner in her room
and kept the door locked and chained. Her nerves were so frayed she
could barely eat.
Peter could make it all better. But I can’t
call, I don’t have any news…no decision yet.
Her heart ached
and only Peter could make it better.

Lara was afraid to go out of her room even
the next day, almost as if she felt the presence of her attacker
hovering, like a spider, waiting to strike. She ordered room
service, took naps, and dreamed of making love with Peter on the
beach.

She had plenty of time to think about what
she might do if she was offered a spot in the corps de ballet.
Would he wait for me, till the season was over?
He’s so
attractive…he wouldn’t have any problem finding another woman…lots
of other women…to sleep with…to fall in love with.

Why should he wait? She got a cold feeling
in her stomach. Lara kept hoping she wouldn’t get selected…avoid
the decision. Still, to be selected by Madame Fouret was an honor.
Dancing again, able to compete with younger dancers and be welcomed
back in the ballet, her only family since her parents died.
To
be invited by Madame Fouret…so exciting…but at the price of losing
Peter?

* * * *

Lara didn’t see Carter Wills hanging around
outside the ballet hall when she hailed a taxi, but he saw her.
After she left, he went inside. He was sure he could charm the
person in charge into giving him Lara’s address.

Carter sat in the lobby of the Monroe
Regency hotel for two hours, but Lara didn’t appear. Finally the
manager came over and asked him, pointedly, if he could help him.
Carter had to leave. He was frustrated, but he had wheedled Lara’s
home address out of the young woman at the Metropolitan Ballet, now
he needed a plan. Kensington State University was up there in
Willow Falls. There must be some connection. Carter went home and
looked up the school on the Internet. He found a talent show
scheduled for February. The information page said, “The renowned
ballet dancers, Lara Stewart and Andres Volinsky,” from the
Metropolitan Ballet would be performing. Perfect! Carter made
notes.

* * * *

By December twenty-third, Lara was getting
sick of staying in her room. She packed her bag then paced until
room service arrived with her lunch and the phone rang.

“Lara Stewart?”

“Yes.”

“This is Madame Fouret, Lara. It was so nice
to see you again and to see you have kept up your dancing. My dear,
I’m delighted to offer you a position in our corps de ballet for
the next season. Rehearsal schedule is on our website,
metroballet.org. Please be here promptly at nine a.m. on January
second to begin work for our new season.”

Chapter
Nineteen

Christmas festivities were beginning and Sam
faced Christmas without his Patsy and Peter without his Lara. At
four-thirty, Sam went in to his bedroom to rest before the
evening’s celebration began.

Peter was pacing. He had not heard from
Lara. He knew she’d heard from Madame Fouret. She hadn’t called.
She’s probably out celebrating with Andres! Or maybe her
attacker found her?
Peter had no reason to celebrate.

Maybe if he had asked her to marry him, she
wouldn’t have left. He had been kicking himself about that for two
days.
Dad was right. It wasn’t much of an offer to come to South
Africa without marriage
. If only he could do that part over…but
now it was too late.

He sat down at the piano and couldn’t resist
playing their song. At the pause in the middle, he again heard the
train whistle as it pulled out of the Willow Falls station, the
same train that had taken his beloved Lara away. He felt cold, a
chill in his heart or a sudden chill in the room? He played all the
way through to the end of the piece with more heart than ever.