by Emma Easter
She looked up and her heart soared as Audrey, Trish, Faizan, and Ken approached them. She stood and rushed up to them. They all took turns hugging her, and then they all went back to where Bryan was sitting. Sienna planted herself in between Trisha and Audrey while the men sat facing them.
After everybody had ordered food and drinks, they all sat, chatting and eating.
Trisha suddenly said, “I just realized we won’t be there when you have your baby, Sienna!” Her eyes were huge as she spoke.
Sienna winced. It was one of the most troubling thoughts that had continuously run through her mind since Bryan had brought up the move. It was also a little frightening for her to think about. She had never imagined a scenario where her sisters would not be there when she gave birth to her baby.
“Trisha!” Audrey exclaimed. “Why did you bring that up? You remember that we decided not to bring up anything that would add to Sienna’s anxiety about her move, don’t you? Now see how sad she is.”
Trisha covered her mouth with her hand. She removed her hand and said, “I’m really sorry, Sienna.”
“Why would you be sorry?” Sienna looked at her and then couldn’t help but turn to look at Bryan. Resentment rose up in her and she said, “You’re not the one making this move.”
Bryan clenched his jaw and looked straight ahead without saying anything.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air and Sienna felt guilty for being the cause of it. She searched her mind for something to say that would break the silence, but for some reason, she couldn’t come up with anything.
Finally, Trisha said, “At least you will have Bryan there with you. He loves you with all his heart. I only have Stan… and…” She covered her mouth again.
“What is it?” Sienna asked, concerned in spite of herself.
“I just realized something. Actually, it’s something that I should have admitted to myself a long time ago, but your leaving now has forced me to do it.”
“Out with it!” Audrey ordered impatiently.
“Audrey, calm down,” Ken told her.
“I told you guys that I’ve admitted to myself finally that I do want to be with Frank, but he has apparently given up on me and I don’t blame him. However, I thought I needed to stay engaged to Stan since I want a father for my daughter and Frank isn’t available to fill that role.”
Sienna nodded.
“I just realized that not only would I not trust Stan to take care of Ruby if we were alone in a strange country, I wouldn’t trust him to care of her alone now. And I certainly don’t trust him with my heart. I can’t marry him,” Trisha said, looking up thoughtfully. “Not even for Ruby’s sake.”
Audrey sighed. “What’s new? I’ve been trying to tell you this all along.”
“Audrey, let her have her moment,” Ken said.
Sienna’s heart pounded as she thought about what Trisha had said. Would she trust Bryan to look after their child if she wasn’t there with him? She immediately knew the answer. She trusted him with everything in her. She knew he would be the best father in the whole world.
She stretched her hand and took his on the table. Without caring what the others thought, she said to him, “I’m sorry, Bryan, for being so difficult. I love you and I trust you fully, even now when we are moving away.”
His eyes lit up and he beamed. “I love you too.”
Her heart overflowed with love for him as they gazed at each other.
“Guys, get a room!” Ken said, breaking the moment.
Everyone laughed.
Audrey chuckled and playfully hit Ken on the shoulder. “Who is not letting people have their moment now?”
“’Kay! I was wrong for that,” he answered, smiling sheepishly.
Audrey kissed his cheek.
Faizan sighed deeply and said, “All this talk about love and relationships is getting me down.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry for being such a party pooper.”
“No need to be,” Trisha took his hand. “I know how you feel.”
He said, “You know, Trisha, you aren’t the only one with an epiphany now. With Bryan and Sienna leaving the country, I just realized that life is too short not to take the opportunity I have right now to find love and share my life with someone who cares for me.”
Everyone stared at him for a few seconds and then Trisha said, “Frank loves me and he wants to be in a relationship with me, so I am going to look for him, no matter where he is.”
Faizan simply said, “I’m going to ask Lauren out. I can’t keep yearning for a woman who I can’t be with and might never even see again.”
Sienna looked at both of them. She was glad her leaving had given them these epiphanies, but seeing the pain in their eyes and knowing she wouldn’t get to be there for them as they went on their emotional journeys hurt her heart.
Audrey’s voice broke into the silence. “Okay, who wants dessert?”
Everyone turned to stare at her for interrupting such a serious moment with her flippant question, and then they all burst out laughing.
Audrey ordered desserts for everyone, and their conversation turned to less serious matters as they devoured the treats.
A female voice announcing the flight to Lima pierced the air and Sienna’s heart sank. Bryan stood up with a gloomy expression on his face. “It’s time for us to go, guys,” he said.
Sienna covered her mouth as she held back a sob. Audrey stood up with Ken and hugged her. Faizan hugged her next while Audrey hugged Bryan.
Faizan rubbed Sienna’s back. “Call immediately when you get there.”
“I will,” she said, tears trailing down her cheeks.
Trisha stood and sighed. “Stop crying, Sienna. I’m already a mess. I don’t want to fall apart here.”
Sienna grabbed her and they wept. Audrey put her hands around them both and they stayed that way for a long moment. The announcement came again and they drew back from Sienna.
They waved as she and Bryan backed away. Sienna turned around and took Bryan’s hand.
Two hours later, as they boarded the plane, her heart still hurt. Bryan squeezed her hand and didn’t let go as the plane took off. Finally, he turned to her when she sniffed and wiped her eyes.
“We will be fine, Sienna. I’ll always be by your side, remember that. You won’t be alone in Peru.”
She smiled through her tears. “I know. I’ll still miss my sisters and brother, though; but I have you and the Lord, and that’s enough for me.”
Chapter Sixteen
Trisha sighed nervously as Stan came into the house. “Thank you for coming, Stan,” she said as she sat beside him on the couch. She’d called him immediately after she’d come back from the airport and asked if he could come to the house as soon as possible as she had something important to tell him. Ruby was still at Paula’s. Trisha had purposely left her there so she wouldn’t be around when Stan came.
Stan leaned forward and gazed at Trisha. “What do you want to tell me, Trisha? You sounded pretty upset when you called earlier.”
Trisha twisted the engagement ring on her finger. “Sienna just left the country,” she told him.
“Oh,” he said. “I’m so sorry, Trish. You guys are super close. I can understand how you feel right—”
“That’s not why I asked you to come,” Trisha said, interrupting him.
“What is it, then?”
She took a deep breath and then decided to get straight to the point. “Stan, I really appreciate all your efforts to reconcile with me and build a relationship with Ruby. With everything in me, I want Ruby to have a relationship with her father. I’m glad you are in her life now, but…” she paused for a few seconds and then went on, “but I don’t think it’s important to marry you for that to be the case.” She looked at him as he raised his brows in obvious surprise. “What I’m trying to say is that I cannot marry you. I’m sorry. I do hope you remain in your daughter’s life even though we won’t be a couple.”
She pressed h
er lips together anxiously as he stared at her, his expression full of disbelief.
“You’re breaking off our engagement?”
She nodded and took off the diamond ring he’d given her. “Here, Stan.” She handed the ring to him.
He looked dazed as he took the ring from her.
“Again, I’m so sorry,” she said.
“It’s because of that Frank guy, isn’t it?”
She shrugged. “It’s much more than that. I don’t think it’s appropriate or important to bring up the reasons why I can’t marry you.”
He stood and looked down at her. “You know what, Trish, I’ve done everything I can to seek and gain your trust, but still…”
“Stan!” She looked up at him, her emotions in turmoil. “Please don’t bring up trust right now. A few months of coming here almost every day and playing with Ruby does not make up for what you did or omitted to do.”
“But I love you!” Stan cried.
She shook her head. “I don’t know about that. I think you love something about me… but not me.”
A strange look she couldn’t quite place passed over his features and she blinked rapidly. Almost immediately, his features changed and clouded once more with guilt and a woe-is-me look. “You can’t be serious!” he exclaimed. “I love you, Trish. You should know that.”
She shrugged again. “It’s over, Stan. You can continue to come here to see Ruby whenever you want, but we are through.”
He shook his head. “You want to marry that Frank. Soon, my daughter will be calling him Dad instead of me. I’m not going to let that happen. I’m going to fight for full custody.”
She stared at him in astonishment. She had thought he would leave her and Ruby’s life immediately when she broke up with him. But now, he wanted to sue for full custody. She knew he wasn’t as committed to Ruby as he was trying to make her believe he was. Something wasn’t quite right. There was something wrong about Stan that had been bothering her for a while, something she still couldn’t place her finger on.
She stood up and faced off with him. “If you want to do that, then I will be ready to fight you with all I have.” She laughed humorlessly. “And as you know, with my inheritance, I have a lot.”
He blinked rapidly and she narrowed her eyes. The strange look had returned again as she’d mentioned her inheritance.
He sighed loudly and then his combative demeanor disappeared. He said softly, “Trish, please rethink this. I’m Ruby’s biological father. What’s best for our daughter is to have her father and mother living under the same roof as husband and wife.”
Trisha didn’t say anything for a long moment as her heart raced. Frank’s face appeared in her mind and she took a deep breath. She smiled sadly and said to Stan, “I thought that, too. But just because you’re someone’s father it doesn’t automatically make you a good one.”
He opened his mouth to speak again, but she waved her hand dismissively. “I’m sorry, Stan, but I am not going to marry you!”
Stan’s eyes blazed as he stared at her.
She held her breath and kept her eyes on his. Finally, he huffed, turned around, and stormed out of the house.
She exhaled and sat down. Hopefully, this was the last time she saw him. She’d wanted him to remain in Ruby’s life, but his talk about suing for full custody had removed that desire from her mind.
She stood up again and went to get her purse to leave the house. It was time for the second phase of her plan.
*****
Faizan forced himself to calm down as he took his phone out of his pocket. He left Audrey and Ken in the living room and went into his room to keep the conversation he was about to have private.
He dialed Lauren’s number and anxiously held his breath as the phone rang. When her voice came on the other end of the line, he exhaled and then injected a smile into his voice. “Hello, Lauren,” he said cheerily.
“Hi, Faizan,” she said in an eager voice.
He paused for a second. He hadn’t spoken to her since the day she’d told him she would wait for him to get over Zainah. He certainly hadn’t gotten over Zainah, but he definitely had to move on. He couldn’t think of anyone better he could move on with than Lauren. She was fun to talk to, smart, and beautiful. Best of all, she liked him… a lot. It was certainly a good place to start a relationship.
“Umm… how are you, Lauren?” He shut his eyes as embarrassment swept through him. Why had he asked such a generic question?
“I’m good,” she answered in her feathery voice.
Go straight to why you called, he silently chided himself. He already knew she would say yes, so why was he so anxious? He ran his fingers through his hair and then said, “I just called to ask if you would like to go… on a date with me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Anytime you are…”
She cut into his words and squealed. “I would love that!”
He nodded as though she could see him. He would have chuckled at her eagerness if it wasn’t for how anxious and uncertain he felt. “Okay, how about this evening?”
“Certainly!” she said. “Can you pick me up at my house at around seven o’clock?”
“Yeah. We have a date this evening, then.”
“Yes, we do!”
“Alright, Lauren. I’ll see you at around seven o’clock.”
“Faizan?”
“Yes?”
“What should I wear for our date?” She added quickly, “I’m assuming we are going to a restaurant?”
He frowned. He hadn’t thought about the details of the date. He narrowed his eyes as he thought briefly about it and then said, “I think it will definitely be dinner at a restaurant. As for what you will wear, I’m not sure about that. A dinner dress?”
She chuckled. “Okay, then. A dinner dress it is.”
He wanted to tell her not to take his word for it and then quickly realized she was teasing him. He smiled and said, “Okay, Lauren. I know you’ll figure your outfit out yourself. I’ll see you later.”
When the call ended, he sat on his bed and then he put his hand on his forehead and shut his eyes. His emotions churned as he thought about his conversation with Lauren. He felt as though he’d just cheated on Zainah.
What have I done?
He immediately countered his doubts. I did the right thing. I’m moving on, as I have no choice. It’s not like Zainah is going to appear in Rosefield anytime soon and declare that she is now free to be in a relationship with me.
She would never break her vow to God, and rightly so. Plus, who knew where she was now?
Fear immediately gripped him as he thought about Zainah being missing. He stood and brushed away the fear. As far as he knew, from what Miriam had told Jake’s messenger, Zainah had left the camp with Leila of her own free will. She was probably safe somewhere, even though nobody knew where she was for now. Besides, he’d asked Jake to get men around the area who would keep searching for her. He wanted to make sure she was really safe.
He picked up a book he’d started the day before and began to read it so he could get his mind off Zainah and his imminent date with Lauren. He’d gotten through a few chapters before he realized that he actually didn’t remember much of what he’d read. His mind had refused to give up his worries and doubts. He sighed and shut the book.
Rising up from the bed, he went out of his room and headed for the living room to find Audrey and Ken. Conversing with them right now would be the best way to distract himself from his doubts and anxiety.
He found them still in the living room talking about Sienna’s move and Bryan’s ministry opportunity in Peru. He joined in, and even though the conversation left him a little morose because of Sienna’s departure, it was better than the absolute confusion raging in his mind after he’d called Lauren.
Their conversation went from one topic to another. Finally, at about six o’clock, he stood up.
Audrey and Ken looked at the clock on the wall at the same time, a
nd Audrey gasped. “Wow! It’s already six o’clock. We haven’t even had lunch and it’s almost time for dinner.”
“We should go out to eat today,” Ken said. He looked at Faizan and said to him, “You’ll come with us, won’t you?”
Faizan shook his head. “No. I’m having dinner with someone else.”
Audrey whooped happily. “You have a date, Faizan! Tell me, who is it?”
“Did I say I had a date?”
“Stop it, Faizan!” Audrey giggled. “Tell me who you’re going on a date with.”
Faizan glanced at Ken and wondered if it would be weird to mention he was going on a date with his ex. He looked at Audrey again and decided there was no point hiding it. They would find out eventually. “It’s Lauren.”
“Lauren?” Audrey’s eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t know you liked her.”
Faizan turned to look at Ken. He didn’t seem to mind. He just looked a little surprised. “I hope you don’t mind, Ken. I know she’s your ex.”
Ken shook his head. “That was such a long time ago. I don’t mind at all.”
Faizan smiled.
Audrey said, “I think you’d be great together.”
Faizan chuckled. “Calm down, girl. It’s just a date. I don’t know yet where it will lead.”
Audrey put her hand on his shoulder. “Well, I hope it ultimately leads to marriage. I’ve hated seeing you so miserable because of that Zainah lady. I’m just glad you are beginning to open up your heart to finding love elsewhere. And I hope it’s with Lauren. She’s a great girl.”
“She is,” Faizan agreed. “So, I have to go prepare for my date. I’m picking Lauren up at her place around seven o’clock.”
“Where are you guys going?” Ken asked.
Faizan shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know yet. Can you recommend a great restaurant that I can take her for our date?”
“There aren’t many restaurants in Rosefield,” Ken said. “I only know of one that I love and have taken Audrey to a couple of times.”