Part 38 (1/2)
I clasp the key around my neck
and wonder if the time is yet.
If I unlocked the gate today,
would you come in? Or run away?
Christy sat mesmerized by Tracy's words. ”You wrote that?”
Tracy nodded. ”Kind of bold, huh?”
”I think it's beautiful.”
”Well, when I gave it to Doug three years ago, I guess I freaked him out. He ran away. He remembered it though,” Tracy said, the dreamy look returning. ”That's why today he said if I unlocked the garden gate this time, he would come in.”
Christy sipped at her hot tea and pondered Tracy's words. ”This is so hopelessly romantic, I can't believe it. Why did you let me stand between you all this time? I had no idea!”
Tracy leaned forward. ”If I had told you about my feelings for Doug, you would have pulled back and never dated him.”
”That would have been okay.”
Tracy shook her head. ”No, don't you see? It had to follow its natural course. Doug had to decide for himself if there was anything between the two of you. You had to see if there was anything there. Doug is so pure-hearted and sincere. It wasn't hard to wait. Well, up until last night it wasn't hard. Then after we sang together, I thought I was going to burst!”
The two friends sat sipping the remainder of their tea. pondering the events of the past few days, months, and years. ”Katie is right,” Christy said. ”G.o.d is so weird. His way of doing things is bizarre.”
A smile crept across Tracy's face. ”And I wouldn't want G.o.d to be any other way.”
”Will you promise me one thing?” Christy asked.
”Sure. What?”
”If, or should I say when, you and Doug get married, can I be a bridesmaid? I want a front-row view of when he kisses you for the first time.”
Tracy let a nervous bubble of laughter explode a little too loudly, and the older women across the room gave them a look of mild disapproval. Tracy quickly drew her white linen napkin up to her mouth to m.u.f.fle her chuckle.
”You really are a true friend, Christy. And if we ever do get married, yes, of course I'd love to have you stand with me as one of my bridesmaids. As long as you promise me that I can be a bridesmaid at your wedding too.”
All Christy's feelings of contentment and awe drained from her. Christy couldn't imagine herself ever letting her feelings grow for another guy again. But she could picture herself standing at the gate of her heart's garden, making sure the gate was locked tight. She felt like swallowing the key.
”Hallo, girls!” Mrs. Bates's cheerful voice called out from behind them.
”Oh, is it time to go already?” Christy asked, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner. ”I hope we haven't kept you waiting.”
”Not at all. I have to arrange a few things in the boot, so I'll meet you at the car when you're ready.”
Tracy and Christy figured out how much they owed for their lovely tea and paid at the cash register. Out front they noticed Mrs. Bates was busily rearranging a variety of boxes and parcels like a jigsaw puzzle in the car's trunk.
”Do you need some help?” Tracy asked.
”These bundles won't quite fit here in the boot.”
”The boot?” Christy asked. ”You mean the trunk? I thought you were talking about the boots on your feet.”
Mrs. Bates looked up. ”No, the boot. This is the boot. The front of the car is the bonnet. Why? What do you call it?”
”The trunk and the hood.”
With s ripple of laughter. Mrs. Bates said. ”Well then, I can't seem to fit these things in the trunk.”
”I can hold some things on my lap in the backseat,” Tracy volunteered.
”Actually, it's my turn to sit in the back,” Christy said. ”I'll hold them.”
”Brilliant!” Mrs. Bates shut the trunk, or rather, the boot, and handed several packages to Christy for her to balance on her lap once she wedged herself into the already half-loaded backseat.
They drove down the country lane, with Mrs. Bates and Tracy chattering all the way. Christy kept silent in the backseat bene.ith her packages. She felt this was where she belonged, taking a backseat to Tracy, who for years had taken a backseat to her. It was a humbling experience.
At the castle Christy and Tracy hurried to prepare everything for their early morning departure to Noelsbury.
”Should we pack a change of clothes?” Christy asked.
”We're supposed to be back here tomorrow night,” Tracy said. ”I think all we need is a jacket and our materials for the outreach.”
”I don't know how to pack these huge puppets and all these craft materials,” Christy said. Then she had an idea. She forced everything into her suitcase and zipped it shut. With the pullout handle and wheels, she was sure it would be easy to get on and off the train.
”Brilliant!” Tracy said, eyeing the suitcase.
”*Brilliant,'” Christy repeated. ”Isn't that the funniest word? Everyone around here says it. We better watch out, or before we know it, Doug will be replacing his *awesome' with brilliant.'”
Tracy sat on the edge of her bed and pulled a brush through her hair, checking her reflection in a small oval mirror she held in her hand. Christy thought how pretty Tracy was, how sweet and kind and perfect for Doug in every way.
Christy's talk with Doug on the bridge seemed a decade ago. So much had changed in her feelings after the talk and after she understood about the garden in Tracy's heart.
However, one thing hadn't changed-the deep, hollow ache right in the middle of her stomach. The ache of loneliness.
”It would be pouring rain,” Christy muttered. She stood inside the small train station with her other teammates, waiting for their host pastor to arrive and drive them to the church for their Sat.u.r.day outreach. The train ride had taken a little more than two hours, and although it was almost nine in the morning, it still felt like the middle of the night.
A bright red minivan pulled up in the parking lot, and a man in a black raincoat got out and ran inside. ”You're here!” he said when he spotted the group. ”Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Reverend Allistar.”
Doug shook hands with him and introduced everyone.