Sophie's Heart (22 page)

“I’ve given money to Rita, and I think it will cover things. But I want you to take this if they run short.” He handed Sophie a 50-dollar bill. As he then handed her a 20, Alec said, “And use this to take the girls to lunch. The mall has a good food court, and there are several restaurants spread around the parking lot. Have fun.”

Sophie was still taking it all in when the phone rang. Alec moved to answer it. He wasn’t long, assuring someone that he would be arriving in an hour. When he hung up, he called to Craig. Just moments later they were saying their good-byes.

Looking summery in shorts and lightweight shirts, the girls came down 20 minutes after that, both talking at once.

“Did Dad talk to you, Sophie?”

“What time shall we go?”

“The stores open at 10:00, and since it’s Saturday it’s going to be busy.”

“You can shop, too, Sophie. We’ll go wherever you want.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. She had never seen them quite this excited.

“I have to wait for this cake to come from the oven,” Sophie said.

“Oh!” Both girls wailed their disappointment, and Rita walked over to check the time.

“Still 20 minutes to go.” She sounded very let down.

“Well,” Sophie said briskly, “that will give you time to eat.”

She smiled when both girls looked surprised. In their excitement their stomachs had been forgotten.

The cake was barely out of the oven when Rita and Tory rushed Sophie out the door. Sophie was glad that she had taken time to use the bathroom and get her purse since it didn’t seem that the girls would have given her a moment for either. Tory gave Sophie the front seat and took the second seat for herself.

“We need to get the van washed while we’re out,” Rita commented as they came to the end of the court.

“Did Dad give you money for that?” Tory wished to know.

“Yes, but he said it might be busy, and if it was too crowded to do it next week.”

“Where are we shopping?” Sophie now asked.

“At the mall,” Rita told her. “We can always find what we need there.”

“Your father gave me money to take us to lunch,” Sophie now informed them and was met with cries of delight from Tory.

“Where are we going?”

“It is your choice, Tory. Wherever you and Rita wish.”

“Chili’s,” the girls said simultaneously.

“I have not heard of this.”

“You’ll love it, Sophie. They have the best salads in the world.”

It was something to look forward to, no doubt, but little did Sophie know that she would be shopping for hours before she could pass judgment on the restaurant.

“Okay, Tory,” Sophie spoke tiredly. “Are these the ones?” Sophie was holding out some socks, and Tory was inspecting them with a keen eye.

“I think they’ll be all right, but I really wanted pink.”

“Well, these are pink.” Sophie pointed to another pair.

“They’re not the right shade.”

Sophie was ready to give up. Mr. Riley had made it sound so easy. Rita had left them numerous times to do some shopping of her own. Sophie tried to help Tory, but clothing was not Sophie’s thing. She had not been fashion conscious at home, and she certainly wasn’t now. She liked clothes, but they were expensive in the United States. They were expensive in Czechoslovakia, too, but the quality was much better. Sophie had a hard time laying down her hard-earned cash for something that didn’t look like it would last six months. Her entire wardrobe was over two years old.

“How’s it going?” Rita suddenly appeared at their side, and Sophie breathed a sigh of relief.

“Tory cannot make up her mind,” she explained.

“What’s the deal, Tory?”

“I don’t like this color.”

“I don’t either,” Rita had to agree. “I saw some pink ones at Penney’s. Why don’t we try there?”

“All right.”

“But first,” Rita said, her eyes alight with pleasure. “I have something for you to look at, Sophie.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Come on.”

Rita led the way back out into the mall and down four stores.

“This is a great price on these jeans, Sophie,” Rita spoke when they were inside. “They have lots of sizes, too.”

“Jeans?” Sophie looked dubious, and then realized in one blinding flash that her appearance was an embarrassment to the girls.

“They’re nice, Sophie,” Tory chimed in, both girls missing Sophie’s hurt. “Try some on.”

Sophie swallowed back her humiliation and looked slowly through the rack. Rita said the price was good, but 22 dollars for jeans seemed a small fortune to her. She had another driving lesson coming up and was quickly doing sums in her head to see if she could manage it.

“I don’t know, Rita,” she finally said.

“Oh, well.” Rita sounded so disappointed that Sophie never wanted to be seen in public again. “They really are a good price, and they would be so much more comfortable for you when we go skating.”

Sophie’s head snapped up. “This is reason, Rita? This is why you want Sophie to have jeans?”

Rita nodded her head, not realizing the burden she had lifted from the housekeeper’s shoulders.

Suddenly Sophie was looking through the rack with a vengeance. Guessing at the odd sizing, she selected several pairs and started toward the dressing room. She wanted to hug Rita, but knew the time and place were all wrong.

Once inside the changing room, Sophie climbed into a pair of jeans. She was checking things out in the mirror when she heard Tory’s voice.

“Let us see ’em, Sophie.”

Sophie opened the door and was surveyed by both girls.

“A size smaller,” Rita declared and moved back toward the rack.

“You’re gonna look nice in jeans, Sophie,” Tory told her, and Sophie’s eyes swung back to the mirror. She wasn’t certain that she agreed, but now that her heart was determined to please these girls, she was ready to try anything.

Rita suddenly thrust another pair of jeans into her hands, and Sophie shut the door to give them a try. The girls voted for these after just one look, and Sophie thought she could swing the cost if she was very careful. They also tried to talk her into a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, but Sophie had to say no.

From there they bought Tory’s socks. She had to settle for white, since the perfect shade of pink was not to be found, and then they were finally off to eat. Sophie sank down into the booth feeling as if she’d been on her feet for days. The food was wonderful and the rest reviving, but before the day was over they had shopped for another three hours.

Sophie literally fell into bed that night and overslept her alarm the next morning. By the time she awoke, she’d missed the early service. If she hurried, she would make the late one, but Sunday school was out of the question. Sophie did hurry and made the late service with time to spare, but her disappointment over missing Mr. Parman’s class was keen.

Eighteen

I
didn’t see you on Sunday” were some of the first words out of Brad Marshall’s mouth on Tuesday morning. It was said with just a hint of rebuke, but Sophie didn’t notice.

“I overslept,” she admitted without guilt as they walked toward the car, and Brad frowned. Sophie’s mind was already on the task of driving and, with her back to her instructor, she didn’t notice his troubled countenance.

Brad’s mind was distracted as well, but his was wholly taken up with Sophie. It concerned him that she would sleep in when she should have been in church. It took him a moment to notice that Sophie was standing by the car, watching him and waiting for instructions. She looked very lovely, and for a moment Brad didn’t speak.

“Go ahead and get in, Sophie,” Brad said softly. He could not think straight when he was with this woman and wondered if maybe someone else should be teaching her. His mind was off in another direction then, and he pondered the fact that if he was not her teacher he could ask her out immediately, rather than wait until she had finished all her lessons. It was something to consider.

“Now,” Brad spoke as he sat beside Sophie in the front seat of the same car, “I’m sure you had a chance to look through the manual I gave you, so let’s talk a little about it.”

Sophie looked at him very blankly and he asked, “You did read the manual, didn’t you, Sophie?”

“Manual?”

Now it was Sophie’s turn to stare.

“Didn’t I give you a book last week?”

Sophie shook her head, looking very uncertain.

You are really losing it, Brad,
he said to himself.
You’ve got to get a grip.

“I apologize,” he said shortly. “I should have. You can’t get your license unless you pass a road test as well as a written test, and to do that you need to know the laws.” He reached into the backseat at that point and brought forth the book to which he had been referring. Sophie took it from his hand and then looked at him. She suddenly sensed his uneasiness and waited to see what he would say or do next.

“This book,” he explained, “tells you everything you need to know. For example, you must signal 100 feet ahead of turning, and it also tells you what to do if more than one car arrives at the stop sign at the same time.”

Sophie’s face cleared. She had not been certain what he was talking about. This she could understand.

“I understand now, Mr. Marshall. I must study rules.”

“Right. It would have helped for today, but we can still get some time in. Go ahead and start the engine and we’ll drive for a time. Don’t forget to buckle up,” he added, finally relieved to hear his own voice sounding normal.

The lesson went very well, but by the time they returned to the house, Brad’s thoughts had wandered again.

“I did not do well, Mr. Marshall?”

“On the contrary, Sophie, you did fine. I was just thinking.”

Sophie thought he would share what was on his mind, but when he remained quiet she simply reached for her purse, preparing to pay. She had the feeling that things hadn’t gone as well as the time before, but couldn’t put her finger on the exact problem. For the first time, she was reluctant to question her instructor.

Brad noticed her actions and swiftly figured out her total. He had been looking forward to this day for a week, and now he’d made a complete mess of things. If the look on his pupil’s face was any indication, he had confused and upset her as well. His belief was confirmed when the transaction had been completed and they both stood on the sidewalk.

“I will read this and try to do better next time, Mr. Marshall.”

“You did very well, Sophie,” Brad tried to reassure her. “It will help if you can go over the book, but you’re doing fine.”

She looked a little bit relieved so he said, “Did you want to schedule again?”

“Yes, I will do this.”

Brad opened his book. “Will 10:00 be all right for next week?”

“Ten o’clock is fine. I will be here.”

“All right, I’ll see you later. Have a good week.”

“Thank you. Good-bye.”

It was the end of the lesson, so Sophie moved to the house, completely unaware of the way Brad watched her until she was inside.

“I need to speak with you a moment, Sophie.”

This came from Alec Riley just an hour after her driving lesson. As always, Sophie was surprised to see him home in the middle of the day. However, she set everything aside to give him her full attention. She had been cleaning the upstairs hall, and she now set her dust rag aside.