Fatal Deduction (39 page)

Tonight was our last night in Aunt Stella’s house. Mark and Tim across the lane had introduced us to a professional couple who worked with Tim, and they were delighted with the chance to buy the house.

Both Tori and I had decided not to invoke Andrew’s escape clause, which amounted to him, as executor of the estate, having the authority to declare the co-tenant restriction invalid. Instead we thought we should abide by Stella’s will since it spelled out her final
wishes for her daughters. It was the one thing we could do for her. But now my sister and I were equally glad to be going our separate ways. The six months had been difficult for both of us. We were so dissimilar, and proximity hadn’t healed the many rifts of thought and principle. Rather it had spotlighted our diverse opinions on almost everything.

“Sleep with the man, girl,” she kept telling me, one of our biggest areas of disagreement. “You’re going to drive him away with this little virgin business.”

“He’s a Christian too, Tori. His position on sex is the same as mine. After marriage, like the Bible says.”

She snorted. “Ben didn’t say so, you know. He had an illegitimate son.”

“Ben is someone Drew studies, not someone he emulates, especially when what Ben says or does is contrary to Scripture.”

She’d roll her eyes and rush out to meet Carl and Ruthie at the limo.

When Ruthie first started riding back and forth on Tori’s Atlantic City runs, Tori had tried to be nice. At least that’s what she said. Since she and I define
nice
differently, I wasn’t quite sure what she meant. Whatever, the niceness didn’t last long.

“The woman is certifiable,” Tori declared. “She should be medicated.”

“You should ask her if she’s taking her pills.”

Tori seemed horrified. “Not me. Do I look like a nurse? I just put up the privacy window and make believe she’s not there.”

We also disagreed on how to react to Andrew. I had spent time with him, had him to dinner frequently. In fact, the four of us—Drew, Chloe, Jenna, and I—were to meet him for dinner at his favorite restaurant tonight at eight.

“I don’t want to know him,” Tori insisted. “He abandoned me for thirty years. Why should I forgive that?”

“Why shouldn’t you? He’s a nice man. Lonely. He needs us.” I didn’t add that he needed Jesus, because I knew she’d have a fit. But he did, and he let both Drew and me talk about issues of faith. He’d even stopped being embarrassed that we were so naive as to buy into faith. In fact, he was beginning to ask intelligent questions, and I had high hopes for him.

I couldn’t say the same for my twin.

“It’s so much more than ‘You say
to-may-to
and I say
to-mah-to,’”
I told Drew as I huddled close in an effort to keep warm in the frigid January chill.

“Well, it’s almost over.” He slid his arm across my shoulders.

“The one thing I’m really going to miss is having you across the street.” I meant it. Not seeing him every day would be hard with me at home and him up in northern Pennsylvania.

“I’ve got my E-ZPass all mounted on the front window, ready to cross into the wilds of New Jersey as often as I can manage it.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’m just glad it’s only for seven months.”

The first Saturday in July was to be our wedding day. I felt the unfamiliar bulk of my engagement ring under my glove. I’d been wearing it exactly—I glanced at my watch—eighteen hours and fifteen minutes, having received it at midnight as the New Year broke. Drew and Sam Pierce, the jeweler, with help from the girls, had put the small, beautifully wrapped ring box inside a shoebox stuffed with lots of little beautifully wrapped empty jewelry boxes, then wrapped them all with the
Inquirer’s
Sunday comics.

When Drew handed me the gift, I knew the shape immediately. “They never found the jewelry,” I said sadly. “Whatever Eddie did with it, it’s gone. And he’s not talking.”

“Well,” Drew said, “at least I can guarantee that the contents of this box are not stolen.”

The right box was the tenth one I opened, and by that time I was laughing and crying so hard I could barely see his face when he said, “I love you, Lib. I came to Philadelphia to learn about Ben, but I found something much better. I found my second chance provided by the gracious hand of the Lord. I’d like to be your second chance. Will you marry me and let God make all things new?”

I don’t know how long it took him to come up with that speech, but it was all I’d ever longed for and more.

“Finally!” A voice floated from the second-floor landing. “Now we can come down and get something to eat?”

“Did she say yes?”

“What do you think?”

Giggling and almost as excited as Drew and me, our daughters came streaking down the stairs.

They were the main reason we were waiting the full year to marry. We wanted them to see that time is needed to test a relationship even between committed believers, because marriage is a covenant that should be entered into with great care and not be broken. We also wanted to give God time to confirm ever more strongly that our commitment was wise and right. On this latter point I had no doubts.

I watched my breath plume and dissipate as “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers” filled the air once again. I leaned against my golden future and smiled.

D
EAR
R
EADER
,

Have you had the faith-building experience of having God care for you and provide for you even though you didn’t realize at the time that He was working? It’s fascinating to see the end result of situations that seemed hard or bad at the time but which ended up leading to rich and wonderful outcomes.

Libby sees this phenomenon in her life when she realizes that being raised by Jack and Mimi might have been hard, but it allowed her to meet Madge and, through her, the Lord.

One of my personal situations that seemed like the end of the world as I expected it to be occurred when I was twenty-six and had to have a total hysterectomy. As a result I would never be able to have any children. Yowzah! What was God doing?

Into this hard situation came Chip and Jeff, our adopted sons. God was providing for them as well as for Chuck and me, though at the time of the surgery, it didn’t look like it.

God is ever faithful, having plans to prosper us and give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Our responsibility is trusting God even when things seem hopeless. One of the blessings of getting older, whether a year or a decade, is that we can look back and see how God has been there for us in the past. His previous faithfulness in things both large and small is a great assurance that He will be there for us in our current situations. “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” becomes even more real (Hebrews 13:5). Once again we can place our fragile faith, our lives, our hopes in His loving hands.

May you rest in Him today.

Gayle Roper

1. One of the hardest persons to deal with in Libby’s life is her twin. Why is it so often family that causes some of our deepest conflicts?
   

2. For a moment, Libby considers abortion for her unwanted teen pregnancy. Why do you think this procedure is so often the automatic response? Do you consider it a viable solution? Why or why not? What should be our response to those who have gone ahead with the termination of their pregnancies?
   

3. What do you think are three things that enabled Libby to rise above what could have been crippling circumstances when she became pregnant at such a young age?
   

4. What are some of the things Madge did that made her such a pivotal person in Libby’s life? Has there been anyone like that in your life? How can you be that person to another?
   

5. What are some of the things besides twin sisters that try to lure our children from us and from the Lord? How do we protect our kids?
   

6. Do you have close contact with someone who is bipolar? What are some of the difficulties you have experienced as a result? Have you found any solutions to making life easier for everyone?
   

7. When Drew reacts strongly to the streak of color in Jenna’s hair, Libby cautions about picking your wars. What does this mean? What are wars worth picking?
   

8. What is your reaction to the life choices Tori made? What do you think about her getting away with theft?
   

9. Have you or someone you know had experience with the short-term paycheck loan shops like the ones Luke owns? Is it ever appropriate to use one? How does using one fit in with the concept of good stewardship?
   

10. Both Chloe and Jenna live with hurts inflicted by the choices of others. Has this ever been your experience? Or have you ever caused hurt to others by your choices? Does the application of 1 John 1:9 (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”) fix all these hurts?
    

Solution to Are You Next

Solution to You Are Overdue

Solution to Pay Up or Else

Solution to Last Warning