Summer of Joy (16 page)
“You’re glowing, all right. A perfect glow.”
“Hush, you’ll make me start crying again.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know why people are always saying there won’t be any tears in heaven. What about tears of joy?”
“I don’t know about tears, but the Bible promises joy. Greater joy than anything we can imagine.”
“Then I’ll have to cry.”
“The Lord will understand. He always does.”
“He does, doesn’t he? When I was just out of high school, I wondered why I couldn’t fall in love. Why no one wanted to marry me when all my girlfriends were getting married. Now I know.” Leigh looked up at him. “The Lord was waiting for the time to be right. He knew I was going to find you.”
“I’m glad you did,” David said. “And I’m glad he knocked open my eyes so I didn’t miss out.”
“You might have to thank Zella on that one.”
“The Lord sometimes works in mysterious ways,” David said. Elvis had stopped singing some time ago, but Leigh had fixed the record player right and the needle had lifted off the record. Now a peaceful quiet settled around them.
“She’s going to be surprised,” Leigh said, holding out her hand to admire the ring again. “I’m surprised. Really surprised. I figured I’d have to keep chasing you awhile longer.”
“I quit running weeks ago.”
“I’m glad.”
“Do you want to pick a date?” David asked. “Or do you want to talk to your parents first? I guess I should have waited until after they met me to see if they approved before I gave you the ring.”
“No. I’m not a child.” Leigh’s voice sounded a little tight all of the sudden. “I approve. That’s what’s important. And they’ll be happy for me once they get to know you.” She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself more than him.
“So you want to get married next week?”
“You’re kidding?” She leaned forward to stare straight into his face.
“Only a little. I’m not getting any younger, you know.”
“June,” she said as she sat back. “I’ve always wanted to be a June bride. And that will give the church time to have showers for us. You know they’ll want to be in on it all.”
David groaned a little. “It’ll be like having fifty extra aunts and uncles at the wedding.”
“No, more like fifty brothers and sisters, but it’s going to be so much fun.”
“Did you ever hear a voice telling you to be a preacher’s wife?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I have.”
David was surprised by her words. David believed being a preacher’s wife was a calling, but he hadn’t really expected her to say the Lord had actually spoken to her to say she should marry David. “You have?”
“Of course. Just now when you proposed. The very voice I most wanted to hear.” She laughed and gave him a little hug. “Jocie is never going to believe you played Elvis as background music.”
J
ocie was surprised the next morning. Not just by the Elvis music, but by the ring. By everything. But she was glad Leigh showed up on Christmas morning. Leigh’s nose was still red and she had tissues tucked up the sleeves of her sweater to keep them handy, but she wasn’t sneezing so much. She wouldn’t pick up Stephen Lee even when he reached for her. Jocie figured Leigh might as well go ahead and love on him because Jocie’s dad wasn’t staying away from the baby. And it was pretty evident by the way her father kept looking at Leigh with that goofy grin on his face that if there were any germs to exchange, they’d been exchanged already.
After the flurry of present opening, they sat around and ate the sweet rolls Aunt Love always made for Christmas morning. Jocie had practically camped in the kitchen while they were baking to make sure Aunt Love didn’t forget and let them burn. It wouldn’t be Christmas morning without Aunt Love’s sweet rolls. She only made them Christmas and Easter. They were for special times.
And it had been a special morning, extra special even for Christmas. When her father had read the Christmas story out of the Bible, Jocie had almost been able to see the wondrously clear sky and hear the angels singing the good tidings. They sounded something like Myra Hearndon in her head. Jocie had smelled the hay and straw in the stable and heard the donkey braying. She’d shut her eyes and imagined how Mary must have traced the eyes, nose, and mouth of her baby with her finger and been amazed afresh at the miracle of his birth. And over the stable the new star had shone so brightly in the sky, it had surely cast shadows off the camels plodding across the desert to bring the wise men and their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
While everybody settled down to quiet talk, Jocie got out her new ink pen and notebook. She could write and listen at the same time. And she wanted to get on paper some of what was happening, some of what she was feeling. It was a funny thing about feelings. Things happened that a person thought she’d never forget. Then something else would happen, something not half as important, but it would just jump in a person’s head and push the other right out. Not all of it, but sometimes the best parts. Jocie didn’t want to forget the best parts.
Up at the top of the first page, she wrote
Christmas Morning
1964
. Then she placed her hand flat on the blank page for a moment as if she could just transfer her thoughts to the paper without using ink. She looked around at everybody still sitting around the Christmas tree. On the couch, her dad had his arm around Leigh. Leigh kept sneaking looks at the diamond shining on her left hand. Aunt Love was feeding Stephen Lee his bottle, and Tabitha was yawning behind her hand. She didn’t usually get up so early. Wes caught Jocie looking at him and winked.
Jocie didn’t know where to start. So many good things to write about. So many Christmas blessings. She put the point of her pen on the paper and started forming letters. Her hand could hardly keep up with the words spilling out of her head.
This is the best Christmas ever. I know. I’ve been saying that every year. At least the last few years and I did think they were best. Well, not the Christmas after Mama Mae died. That one was the worst. The one when I was eight. Lots worse than the one after DeeDee left with Tabitha. Although that one wasn’t so good either.
I missed Mama Mae. Mama Mae was Christmas. I guess when Mama Mae died, so did Santa Claus. At least for me. But another Christmas came around and another and now I’m old enough to know Christmas is more than what’s under the tree. More even than who’s sitting around the tree with you. Although, boy, am I glad this year for who’s sitting around the tree with me. Especially Wes. After that tree fell on him back in July this could have been another worst Christmas ever like the one after Mama Mae died. A person just can’t keep from missing people they’ve lost at Christmas.
I said a prayer for Miss Sally today when I woke up since she lost Mr. Harvey last September. But she told us at Sunday school last week not to worry about her or be too sad about Mr. Harvey. That he would surely have the best Christmas a Christian could ever have up in heaven this year. I wonder do the angels sing up in heaven every year the way they did on that first Christmas when Jesus was born? Of course, Miss Sally won’t really have time to be too sad since she’ll be having Christmas with the Hearndons. The twins and Cassidy will keep her more than busy. Eli and Elise are sweet as they can be, but they’d try to climb the Christmas tree if you didn’t watch them.
But back to my best Christmas ever. Last year there was just me and Dad and Aunt Love and Wes. That was good, but we’ve almost doubled our number this year with Tabitha here and baby Stephen Lee and Leigh.
I’m so happy I’m about to burst. Of course I’m not as happy as Leigh.
Jocie stopped writing for a minute and looked up at Leigh. She was laughing at something Wes was telling her. If a girl had to have a stepmother it was good to have one who laughed. The wicked stepmothers in the fairy tales never laughed except for that evil witches’ laugh. But then again, no way could “wicked” and “Leigh” go together.
Dad popped the question. To Elvis music. To “Love Me Tender.” Can you believe that? Me either. I guess, as Tabitha keeps telling me, there’s more to a dad than meets the eye.
They’ve already set a date. The first Saturday in June. Leigh wants to be a June bride. She followed me into the kitchen awhile ago when I went to get Wes some coffee to make sure I wasn’t upset. I don’t know why everybody thinks I’m going to be upset about Dad being in love. I’m happy Dad’s in love. I know how much love Dad’s got in his heart and there’s plenty to go around. I mean someday when I’m all grown up I might meet somebody and fall in love.
I can’t imagine that happening right now. Boys are mostly just yucky. Paulette says I’m weird, that she loves boys in general and Ronnie Martin in particular. She says they’re going to get married when she graduates in four years. But who knows with Paulette? Of course Ronnie has lasted longer than most of her boyfriends. Three months now. And Ronnie’s not quite as obnoxious as he used to be. We even speak to each other sometimes when Paulette’s not around.
But anyway if I ever do meet a boy who makes me go gaga the way Paulette is over Ronnie, I won’t stop loving my father. I could never stop loving Dad. Ever.
But back to Leigh and the wedding. She wants me to help her with it. With making plans and stuff. Help her decide on the best dress. The colors the bridesmaids should wear since I’ll be one. That kind of thing. I guess nobody’s going to worry too much about Dad having been married before. I mean people say you shouldn’t have fancy church weddings when you’ve been married before, but Leigh’s never been married before. And it’s her wedding too. Besides we’ve been breaking all the usual rules lately anyway. What with Tabitha not married and her keeping Stephen Lee without even thinking about letting some couple adopt him.
That makes my heart hurt just thinking about it. Not that it isn’t great when people do adopt babies. It is. But we love Stephen Lee too much now. Even if the whole town turns against us, it won’t matter. Stephen Lee is ours. Besides, a few extra requests for gift subscriptions for the Banner came in. Maybe people are going to quit blackballing us and start renewing their subscriptions again. After all, if they want to know what’s going on in Hollyhill, we’re the only game in town. Dad’s been printing extra pictures of the kids at the elementary school. And then he put in a whole section of kids talking to Santa Claus at the parade a few weeks ago. We sold all our extra issues that week. Zella says things will come around, and whatever else you say about Zella, she usually knows how many papers we’re going to sell.
Leigh called her and told her about being engaged this morning before she came to our house. Got her up, but Leigh didn’t want Zella to get mad because Wes found out before she did. I’ll bet Zella’s about worn out her fingers calling people to tell them how well her matchmaking worked. We won’t even have to put an announcement in the paper. Maybe somebody has already told a certain Mr. Somebody who I’m not saying his name until 1965. I hope so. Him and his funeral home red roses. I don’t care if they were pretty. Leigh says she took them and dropped them off at the nursing home this morning. I hope she left the card on them so all the old ladies there will think they have a secret admirer. Maybe I can figure out a way to tell them who so he’ll have to run every time he sees a wheelchair coming.
“Hey, what are you writing about, Jo?” Wes limped over to sit beside her. “One minute you’re frowning. The next you’re grinning ear to ear. If it’s that entertaining, maybe we should put it in the
Banner
to up circulation.”
Jocie looked up at Wes and laughed. “It might be worth a shot. One week I can do a column called Main Street Gossip and the next you can do your Hollyhill Book of the Strange.”
“The first person I’d have to write about would be me,” Wes said. “I’m about as strange as they come.”
“And I’d have to write about Dad and Leigh, and you shouldn’t gossip about your family.”
“And everybody in Hollyhill is family except me,” Wes said.
“That’s not true. You’re family now. My granddaddy, remember.”
“No way in Jupiter I could forget that. And looks like your family—”
Jocie interrupted him by clearing her throat and leaning over to stare right into his face. “Excuse me. Whose family?”
“Oh yeah, I mean our family.” Wes grinned. “Our family is growing.”
“Almost double from last Christmas,” Jocie said.
“And who knows? In another couple of years it might be double again.”
“How’s that? You getting married?”
“No way. That’d take a miracle. Course this time last year I might have said it would take a miracle to get your pappy in the romantic mood.”
“So see, you never know,” Jocie said. “Zella may start using her matchmaking talents on you. She’s been acting pretty funny lately, so she’s bound to have something up her sleeve.”
“Zell always acts funny,” Wes said. “It’s her nature. But if she’s wanting to matchmake again, maybe she can order in a feller for Tabby. Or for you. You’re getting nigh on old enough to set some boy on his ear.”
“Yeah, right.”
“It’ll happen one of these days. But I ain’t rushing you. I sort of like you unattached so you still have time for your Jupiter grandpappy. You start making goggly eyes at boys, then I’ll have to chase after you on my cycle to get you to say hello. And to keep the boys straight.”
Jocie thought about Wes on his motorcycle chasing after her and some yet-to-be-named boy out on a date and laughed. “A lot is going to have to change before that happens.”
Wes was still smiling but something about his smile looked almost sad. “Well, I guess that’s something we can be sure of. Everything changes.”
“What’s going on over there?” Jocie’s dad looked at them.
“We were just talking about how things change,” Jocie said. “And Wes said everything changes. It does, doesn’t it?”
“Maybe not everything,” her father said. “And certainly not the Lord. We can count on that. The Bible says so. Right, Aunt Love?”
Aunt Love looked up from patting Stephen Lee’s back to get him to burp and came out with the Bible verse. “Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”