Tracie Peterson (14 page)

The aching in her heart threatened to pour out into a sob. Sherry buried her face against the pillow.
Never let them see you cry
. This was her own self-imposed rule. Tears suggested weakness. Weakness suggested vulnerability. And that was the one thing Sherry could not afford to be. Vulnerable people got hurt. Vulnerable people suffered at the hands of the strong.

Sherry forced herself to draw even, slow breaths.
I won’t be weak. I won’t let them hurt me
.

“God loves you.”
The voice sounded again in her memory.

Shaking her head from side to side, Sherry buried the thought. Thinking like that could only cause her trouble.

CHAPTER 14

“I’m glad you could have lunch with us,” Tess told Sherry. They had just finished placing their order and Tess felt an eagerness to get the conversation rolling. “I feel there are so many questions you must have for us. I also figured you’d feel a whole lot more comfortable doing it here where we could just be casual.”

Sherry maintained a look that wavered between indifference and minor curiosity. “I guess so.”

“So do you have some things you’d like to ask?” Tess pressed.

The girl played with her water glass for a moment before answering. “What’s Miami like? Does it ever get cold there?”

“Not really. Not like snow and winter weather. We have a pretty moderate temperature through the winter months.”

“We get a lot of tourists,” Brad interjected, “because you can go to the beach just about any time of the year. Why, Tess and I went swimming last February and the water was wonderful.”

The comments on the beach seemed to interest Sherry. Tess saw the momentary spark of life in the young girl’s eyes. She made a mental note to look for that more often.

“How far do you live from the beach?”

“We live basically on the beach,” Tess answered. “Our high-rise owns a private beach area, as well as swimming pools. Do you like to swim?”

“I guess so,” Sherry replied. “I used to swim quite a bit. One of my foster families had a pool.”

Tess tried to promote the interest. “That’s great. Swimming is good exercise and you shouldn’t have any problem with the pregnancy interfering in that kind of fun.”

Sherry shrugged. “So what else goes on around there?”

Brad jumped in. “We’ve got a gym, tennis courts, and a
golf course. There are also malls and movie theaters close by and all sorts of nautical activities, such as scuba diving, boating, fishing—you name it. If it has water involved, we’ve probably got it.”

The waitress appeared with their appetizer of potato skins along with their drinks. Sherry had ordered a lemonade, to Tess’s surprise. She didn’t know why, but she had pegged the kid for a die-hard cola fan.

Tess waited until the waitress had finished serving them before asking Sherry to continue. “You’re bound to have other questions. Please just feel free to ask them. But first, could we have a moment of prayer?” She looked at Brad rather hesitantly. They’d never worried overmuch about such traditions, but the idea met with his immediate approval. He nodded and closed his eyes, leaving Tess to look to Sherry for some sign of acceptance.

“I used to think saying grace was just an action of habit—one I got out of when I left home, but now I’d like to get back into it.”

Sherry shrugged and bowed her head. “Whatever,” she muttered.

The prayer was simple and to the point. Tess asked blessings on the food and on their meeting. But lastly, she asked God to bless Sherry and her baby.

“Father, I ask that you make yourself real to Sherry. Please show her how much you love her.”

When the amen sounded, Tess noticed that Sherry’s complexion had paled a bit. She hoped the girl wasn’t suffering morning sickness.

“Are you all right?” Tess questioned.

Sherry watched her almost warily. “I’m fine.”

Tess smiled and decided to leave well enough alone. “So what else would you like to know?”

Sherry nodded and looked to the potatoes Brad was offering her. She picked one of the skins off the plate and right before taking a bite asked, “What would my room be like?”

Tess nodded. “We’ve already started converting the spare bedroom into a nursery. We did that because we wanted to be ready for whatever God sent our way. It’s not complete, however, so you and I could probably spend some time finishing that task. There’s a queen-size bed, and we thought it might be nice to put in a television and VCR.” Again, Tess noted Sherry’s interest.

“There are bound to be times when you just want time to yourself,” Tess continued. “We thought if you had your own TV to watch, it might be easier for you. Then there’s the issue of a wardrobe. We would want to take you shopping as soon as possible so that you could have comfortable clothes throughout your pregnancy. Obviously you aren’t all that big now, but the time will come.”

“Would I get to pick out the clothes?” Sherry questioned.

“Sure, within reason,” Tess replied, picking up one of the potato skins.

“What does that mean?”

Tess spread sour cream on the potato before answering. “Well, it means that we can’t have you dressing too provocatively.” She looked at Sherry and refused to worry over whether this detail and others, like the issue of church, might cause the child to reject them as parents for her baby.

“Justin’s sister told us that you tend to dress too . . . mature for your age. We couldn’t allow that. We obviously don’t want to dress you like a nun, either. There has to be a balance. Tasteful shorts and skirts, slacks, dresses—that kind of thing is just fine. Even a maternity bathing suit for swimming and such is completely acceptable, just no bikinis.”

This actually made Sherry smile as she replied, “Like I’d be caught dead in one now.”

Tess couldn’t help but smile as well. “So you could pick things out, but if I felt they were too short or low cut, I’d have the final say.”

Sherry nodded. “I guess that’s okay.”

They chatted about the weather, school, and just about
anything else they could think of until their sandwiches finally arrived.

They ate in silence for several minutes until Sherry looked up at Tess and startled her with a question.

“Do you really believe God cares whether you bless the food or not? Are you afraid it will make you sick if you forget to pray over it?”

Tess smiled. “I never used to think it was a big deal. Routines seldom have the meaning that people assign to them. I mean, how many times do you hear people say ‘I love you’ and you can tell it’s just a saying to them? I guess if we’re being completely honest with each other, I would say that I want to pray over meals because my heart has changed. I think God cares that I acknowledge Him and what He’s provided.”

“How do you know what God thinks?”

“Well, the Bible tells me what He thinks. At least part of what He thinks is there. No one knows the whole mind of God,” Tess answered.

“So what does the Bible say about people like me?” Sherry asked, surprising Tess.

Tess had just reached to take a bite of her sandwich, but stopped with it midway to her mouth. She had the overwhelming feeling that this question was somehow more important than any of the other questions they’d discussed up until now. Maybe even more important than any of the other questions that would follow.
Please, God, let me say the right thing
, Tess prayed.

“I guess . . .” Tess began slowly, “no, I take that back. I
know
that if I were to sum up God’s message to you from Scripture, it would have to be that He loves you.”

The color drained from Sherry’s face so quickly that Tess thought for sure the girl was sick. The stunned expression on her face did nothing to relieve Tess’s concern.

“Are you all right, Sherry? You got all pale like this earlier. Are you sick?”

The girl shook her head. “I’m . . . I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” Tess questioned. “I don’t want you to sit here if you’re ill. We can leave. The food isn’t that important.”

Sherry shook her head and appeared to regain her composure. “I’m fine. Let’s just eat.”

Tess nodded but watched the girl carefully. Something about her answer had upset Sherry, but for reasons beyond her, Tess couldn’t figure out why. Usually, whether they accepted Christianity or the Bible or anything religious, people didn’t seem to mind someone telling them that God cared about them in a personal way.

****

The next day, Tess nervously paced her Miami condo. Justin had promised he’d call with any news about Sherry, and the wait was killing Tess.

“You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” Brad said as she made yet another pass through the house.

“I can’t help it. I can’t concentrate on anything but waiting for Justin to call.”

Brad nodded. “I know. I feel the same way. Look, I’ll be playing racquetball with him in about an hour. If we don’t hear from him before I leave, I’ll be sure to drill him at the gym.”

Tess crossed and uncrossed her arms. “I know I shouldn’t be so anxious. I’ve prayed and everything. But I just want to know what’s going on.”

Brad put down his newspaper and came to where Tess stood. She had dressed casually in jeans and a sleeveless white blouse, and she smiled when Brad ran his hands up her bare arms. His hands were warm against her cool skin, and his touch seemed to transfer strength to her weary heart.

“We’re in this together, don’t forget,” he said softly.

“How could I,” she grinned. Just then the telephone rang and Tess jumped a good six inches off the floor. “Oh, that must be Justin!”

“I hope for our sake it is,” Brad declared. “I don’t think we could take too much more of this waiting.”

Tess hurried away from her husband and answered the kitchen phone on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hi, Tess. Is Brad there with you?” It was Justin.

“Yes, Justin, we’re both here.”

Tess motioned for Brad to join her. “So what did she say?”

“Well, it seems you made an impression on our little gal,” Justin replied. “She wants to go ahead with the plan and allow you to adopt her baby.”

Tess let out a squeal of excitement as she turned to Brad. “She said yes!”

“I kind of figured,” Brad said, laughing.

“When will she be able to come here?” Tess quickly asked.

“Within the week. Barbara is going to push through all the paper work and red tape. She says this is a rather unusual situation, but that she’s owed plenty of favors and is ready to cash them in to see Sherry down here with you and Brad.”

“That’s wonderful news. Oh, thank you, Justin. Thank you for talking us into this.”

“I’m sure God has His hand in it all,” Justin replied. “I’m just the go-between guy.”

“Well, you handled your part admirably. Let us know as soon as possible when Sherry will be flying down.”

“I will. There’s the normal reams of paper to be filed and approved with the state. Technically you and Brad will be listed as a foster home—at least, that appears to be the way things will be handled. You’ll be Sherry’s guardians.”

“I hope there won’t be any snags,” Tess said, drawing a deep breath. “I know if you and Barbara have anything to say about it, things will go off perfectly.”

“That’s the plan,” Justin said confidently. “Now you two go and celebrate.”

“Maybe this evening,” Tess replied. “Brad has promised some friend of his that he’ll come and play a Saturday game of racquetball.”

“Oh! I forgot all about that. Good thing I called you,” Justin exclaimed. “Tell him I’ll be about ten minutes late but that I’m on my way.”

“I will. Talk to you later.” Tess hung up the phone. “He’ll be about ten minutes late but said he’s on his way.”

“Good enough. I’d better get going, too, or I’ll be late.” Brad took her into his arms and kissed her lightly.

Tess pulled back and smiled. “It seems like all of this is a dream. I’m just so happy. I only hope we can make a difference in Sherry’s life. I think it would be so wonderful if she were to have a change of heart and soul by the time she leaves us. Wouldn’t that be perfect?”

“It would indeed,” Brad replied. “Why don’t you get us some reservations for dinner tonight? Someplace special. We’ll get all dressed up and celebrate.”

Tess nodded enthusiastically. “I think I can arrange that.”

“Good. I’ll see you later.” He gave her another quick kiss before heading off to meet Justin.

Tess sighed and looked around the kitchen. She’d been so scatterbrained all morning that she’d forgotten to wash the breakfast dishes. Now that she had her good news, the task seemed to practically do itself. She had the kitchen cleaned and back in its pristine state within ten minutes.

She tried to busy herself next with some client work, but that couldn’t hold her attention. What she really wanted was to work on the nursery. After all, there was plenty yet to do.

Walking into the spare room, Tess opened the sliding blinds, allowing the sunlight to floor the room. Tess smiled. This would make a lovely nursery. Across the room and away from the window, Tess and Brad had set up a sweet little wooden crib. The clerk had assured them it carried all the proper safety standards and was one of their more popular models. Tess could understand why. With its soft white finish it seemed perfect for the innocence of new life. Tess had found this particular model appealing for the dainty artwork along the top of each end of the bed. There, sealed under a
glossy finish, were little figures of puppies, kittens, lambs, and bunnies. These were accompanied by a garden of colorful flowers and emerald green grass. It was sweet and delicate and only needed a baby to make it complete.

Tess lightly fingered the white afghan she’d purchased weeks ago. The soft folds were carefully draped atop the crib. Thinking that she really ought to put it away, Tess went to the closet for its box but found herself distracted by the doorbell.

“Who could that be?” she wondered aloud as she went to open the door.

The visitor proved to be none other than her friend Kim. She looked to be at least fifteen pounds thinner, and for a woman who had no need of losing weight, it caused her face to appear gaunt and drawn.