Romance for Matthew (9 page)

"How often do you ride horses?" she asked Matthew as they rode along.

"I try to go out once a week at least. Nat takes them out with Alicia sometimes, and Ollie and Sarah will go also to exercise them." He sighed. "Listen, Bethany, what's going on in the house there?"

She knew what he meant. "The man just makes me nervous. He's creepy. Keeps looking at me like he wants to eat me for breakfast."

Matthew laughed at that. "I don't want you to worry. There's always someone within shouting distance, you know. So, you're safe."

"Yes. I guess I hadn't thought of that."

They were silent riding along together while the sun shone on them.

"Matthew, I just am curious and you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I was wondering why you are blind. Whatever happened?"

He smiled. "It's called ROP, Retinopathy of Prematurity. I can just barely say it much less understand it. Before my parents died, they told me I had a few operations to try to fix my retina after I was born, but they didn't work. So, unfortunately for me, it's irreversible."

"Doesn't it just make you mad?" she asked before she could stop the words. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"Yes, actually it does. It's very frustrating for me. Especially colors, which I wish I could see. I know hot and cold, red is like hot, blue is like cold, and purple somewhere in between. It's all a jumble in my mind sometimes. And babies, like Jacob. I would just like to see him once, get a picture in my mind."

"Oh he's just lovely," Bethany said softly, "such an expressive little face. He just lights up when he sees you. I think he can feel your warmth."

"Thank you. That's very nice."

They rode along what she thought was his property line, a wide swath of trails, until Mutty led the horses back to the barn.

"That was wonderful," she said to Matthew after she dismounted somewhat awkwardly. "I'm not sure if I'm a horse person, but I did have a great time. Now I have to go back and face the beast," she laughed.

But the agent, although acting well in the house, was right in her face again as she opened her back car door at the end of her day to throw in her briefcase.

"Would you like to go for a drink?" he asked, standing entirely too close to her.

"No. Thank you." She moved quickly to the driver's side door and slid in.

Unfortunately, her car window was all the way open and he leaned on it now. "Sure? I know of this really nice place. We could have dinner."

She decided she'd had enough of this and enough of him. "I'm sorry, but not only am I in a relationship," she thought of Matthew then, "but I also have home commitments. Now, you'll excuse me." And she rolled up her window fast, before he could comment, and drove home.

Matthew and Nat stood at the window. "What's happening?" Matthew asked his friend.

"She got rid of him. Not to worry. Now he's driving away."

"Good. Do me a favor and check on her from time to time tomorrow would you? I've got that meeting in town and I can't miss it. She really doesn't like him at all, does she?"

"I don't think so, my man. Go ahead to your meeting. I've got you covered."

But, as she came into the den the following day, Bethany was dismayed to find Matthew gone. Sarah told her about his meeting, and she calculated about three hours at least for going to and from and the meeting time.

Donny was badgering her now, he seemed in a hissy mood, and finally she just started telling him he'd need to wait for Matthew for the information he was requesting.

"What if I don't want to wait?" he said, moving behind her desk.

"Sarah!" she called quickly. The woman popped her head in, and Bethany said, "Can you bring me some
juice please?"

"Of course. Be right back."

And Bethany was alone with the obnoxious man again. He didn't move, and she spun back her chair to get away from him.

"Why won't you go out with me?" he asked quietly.

"Because I don't want to. I don't owe you any explanation."

"You're bad for a guy's ego, you know that?"

"Only if it's teeny-tiny," she replied. "I'm sure there are plenty of women who would jump at the chance to go out with you."

And she realized she'd hit a chord with that one. "Well, I have one who keeps calling me all the time," he said proudly. "But she's not as pretty as you are." His eyes started roving over her again, but he did move aside while Sarah brought Bethany's juice.

Sarah looked at him curiously. "Can I get you some coffee or tea?" she asked.

He returned to his seat. "No, thank you."

Bethany thought she heard him say, "Must be nice to be rich," under his breath.

After that, Nat seemed to come in about every half hour, cracking jokes and breaking the tension in the room that the obnoxious government man caused.

"We're almost done," Donny said finally, after Matthew arrived from his meeting.

He told Matthew his bottom line figures, which of course, differed from his income tax returns which would have to be amended by a new accountant's office.

After Donny left, Matthew sat at his desk and rubbed his eyes. "What to do with Dena?" he asked, referring to the pilfering bookkeeper.

"The total is thirty thousand. Not a huge amount, but
certainly
enough for prosecution," Bethany replied, tapping her pencil on the desk.

"We'll work out a five year repayment plan for her. I know she has kids, she told me one time," he said. "She must have needed the money."

"But, she needs to know that stealing it is wrong. Think about that too."

"Tell you what. Let's confront her at church. I think that would be a very effective way of letting her know she was wrong."

"Yes. I suppose so."

Chapter 7

Bethany drove to Matthew's house the following Monday, thinking that the day before had been such a nice day. Her mother packed them a picnic and they'd gone to the park around the corner, just she, Matthew and Jacob, after church.

He seemed to love the baby, and never tired of his cries or giggling noises.

Smiling, she let herself into the house, then to the den.

Nat came in just then, and she whirled around to smile at him, but her face fell just at the look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He brought her over to the sofa and they sat. "He's had another fall," Nat said seriously.

"Who...Matthew?"

"Yes. I'd been meaning to talk to you about this before, I just couldn't seem to find the right time. And, he doesn't like me talking about it."

"Is he hurt? I didn't realize he'd fallen before." She remembered how well he maneuvered the day before just with her and his cane for guidance.

"He's got a shiner on him, a big one, and a bruised rib. He was carrying the little jug you guys made the other day down those damn back steps. I've been after him to fix them for a long time. I think the worse part for him is that he fell on Mutty and broke the dog's front leg."

He continued, "Mutty's still at the vets. He'll be okay, just like a person he'll need a cast for a while, probably three or four weeks."

Her breath came out in a gasp. "How awful. You said Matthew had fallen before?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. It was about a year ago. He just tries to do so much in his life..." but his voice trailed off and Bethany could tell he was on the verge of tears.

"Well," she said, "I'll just have to go upstairs and see him."

"I wouldn't suggest it right now. He's in bad shape. Last time, it took him weeks to recover and get his spirit back."

With that, he left, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head.

She didn't know what to do next. It just didn't seem at all like the Matthew she knew, just to sit around and feel sorry for himself.

But, he didn't come downstairs that day, or the next. Her only links to him were Nat and Sarah.

Mutty was back
from the vets office
, but confined to the downstairs, so she coddled him with doggie treats and lots of petting.

The third day, she thought she should go upstairs and see Matthew, against Nat's advice.

She hadn't been in the upstairs of the house, and had to search for a while until she found his bedroom, the master suite.

She knocked on the open door, but he didn't respond. He was unshaven, and lay against the pillows with a grim look on his face. The curtain was drawn closed against the light of the sun.

"I came to say hello," she said in a light tone, "since you won't come downstairs."

But he said nothing, just stared straight ahead. His mouth was slightly smiling, but it wasn't a happy smile, she thought. She could see the black eye, now a purple shade, and while his eyes moved with her, she knew he couldn't see anything.

"Nat told me what happened. I don't understand why you don't come downstairs. Just put on your robe and slippers and join me as I toil away down there," she said, in the same light tone, trying to joke with him. "You could listen to your music."

"You shouldn't be here," he said finally, "it's not proper."

"I've been known to throw my fate to the winds at times," she said. "I've just missed you, is all. Don't you get bored up here?"

"No. I don't."

She sighed, and came around his bedside. "How can you just give up like this? It's not like you," she told him honestly.

"You don't really know me," he said softly, "I'm better off by myself."

"Why that's ridiculous. How can you even say that? You have lots and lots of friends, even that Catherine woman."

One side of his mouth quirked up at that.

"And I bring you greetings from Mutty also. Everyone except you has signed his little cast. He misses you."

"He's better off without me. Look what happened."

"For heaven sake, Matthew. It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone. Dogs break legs every day. And, Nat said those stairs were bad to begin with."

But he was still sullen and uncommunicative, giving her one word replies.

"Well," she said finally, "I'll be back tomorrow to see you."

"Don't bother. Please."

When she was home at the end of the day, she broke down and cried to her mother and Kate about it.

"How awful for him," her mother said, handing her a tissue, as they sat on the sofa. "I guess the only way for us to know his pain is just to put ourselves in the same boat, and just imagine. What can we ever do to bring him around? Or, maybe it will just take time. It reminds me of a Psalm I read today, 55 I think it was, where a woman is trying to hide from the storm and questioning the love of God."

They discussed it for a good hour, but could come up with no plan.

"Well, listen you two," her mother said, "can you come and help me at the battered women's shelter tonight? It's just folding blankets and distributing supplies. Would you mind? And in the mean time, maybe we can think of something for our Matthew."

Bethany and Jacob were an instant hit at the women's shelter, as she brought him in with his little helmet on, then sat entertaining the women with his cooing, while they taught him to say "Mama" and "Papa" which, with Jacob's voice, came out more like "Maaaa" and "Paaaa" in a light screaming pitch.

And Bethany was surprised to see Alicia, Nat's girlfriend, c
o
me in to work at t
he shelter a few minutes later.

"I didn't know you worked here," Bethany told her, as they made supply bags for the women and children, filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, combs and even some toys.

"It's court-ordered," Alicia said, as Kate joined them in the back room.

"Oh," Bethany replied, not sure whether to ask her about the details. "Sorry, Alicia this is my sister, Kate."

"It's okay," Alicia said, "I don't mind talking about it. I'm an alcoholic and I was in a car accident. I caused it, and it sent four people in the other car to the hospital." She added, "Thank God I didn't kill anyone."

Bethany noticed Kate had slowed her bagging, and was now listening with interest.

"What happened?" Bethany asked.

"I thought I was okay to drive after I was at a bar for the evening. I was by myself, just rounding a curve, and I'm not sure if I fell asleep, or went into a black-out, but the next thing I heard was the sound of Nat's voice, as he talked to me as they were cutting me out of the car."

"Wow," Kate said.

"How did Nat get there?" Bethany asked.

"He called 911 after he saw the accident. He was a bystander but he's helped me so much since then. I broke my back, and he read The Bible to me, as I recovered. He let me see I could make something of my life. I started back to school and everything. But I still have almost a thousand hours of community service to do. I don't mind at all, though. It lets me see how the other people in the world are sometimes suffering."