Celia's Knight

by Samantha Lovern

  “I know it takes putting your heart on the line to learn if things are going to last.” She moved her hand to his chest, rested it over his heart, and for a long moment, didn’t say anything.

  Martin tilted the steering wheel back with one hand and pulled Randi closer. He wanted to take her home, wanted to hold her all night and wake up with her body pressed against his.

  He closed his eyes, kissed her cheek and wished he could see the future. He never felt like this with Celia. They’d had passion, but no love. His heart began to ache. He wished Randi could be his first. Wished he could go back and turn away the women he’d had sex with. Thankfully, it hadn’t been a lot. More offered, but he’d held back having sex only if he was in a relationship.

  There had not been any one-night stands, and as he held Randi, he knew she was telling him the truth. She had never been with a man. He would bet the mansion on it! “I could stay like this all night, but if you need to go, say so. I’d hate to interrupt your hot date.”

  Randi stirred in his arms and his heart began to beat faster as she brought her lips to his neck. She meant to only kiss him once, but when he leaned down enjoying her touch so much it hurt, she kissed him once more.

  “If it gets much hotter than this, we’ll both be in trouble.”

  With this comment she straightened, gave him a soft brush of lips on lips and moved out of his arms. “I love you, Martin.”

  She was all but out of the truck when he spoke. “Goodnight Randi. I love you, too.” It was as if she wanted to hear his voice last, to carry it along with her for she didn’t speak but, closed the door and made her way to the house. She turned and looked at him. In the shadows he could only guess she was smiling.

  She blew him a kiss, turned and went inside. He had a feeling that something had just happened - something good, something permanent. They were setting boundaries and rituals that would lead them to one of two conclusions - a torrid break up or a happily ever after. He could only hope and pray it would be the latter.

  Chapter 22

  Jacob and Rachel

  Sunday morning Celia woke with a start wishing that she could get out of the bed and go to the bathroom. Since it was early, her mother wasn’t there, but she needed help, so she hit the buzzer. There was no way she was going to use that silly bedpan.

  There was a knock, “Come in and hurry. I can’t wait much longer.” The door opened and a young woman, who looked like she was all of sixteen, came in.

  “Hi. I’m Sandy. Can I help you ma’am?” the girl asked.

  “Yes. I need the bathroom like yesterday.”

  “Oh, my, let’s get you moving.”

  The girl laid down something that she was holding and hurried to the bed. With her assistance, Celia swung her good leg, and then her bad leg, out of the bed. The walker came next, and after a few struggling moments, Celia was in the bathroom.

  “I can wait if you think you might need help getting back in bed. I’m making my rounds asking if anyone needs prayer.”

  Celia closed her eyes. That was all she needed - a holy roller. Her mind went to what day it was and she nodded. Sunday and the religious zealots were out. The need for help outweighed Celia’s fear of hearing a sermon. “If you don’t mind, I’d like some help. I don’t need to fall and add that to my growing list of problems.”

  “No problem. I can wait.”

  “Thanks,” Celia said, wishing she could get out of this place and into Martin’s home. She hated thinking of it as ‘Martin’s home’. Only a few weeks ago, it had been her home. The girl outside her door spoke, breaking her concentration.

  “Has anyone come by today inviting you for prayer. I know sometimes we visit the same rooms by mistake?”

  Celia wasn’t a fan of talking when she was in the bathroom, but she didn’t have a choice. “No, you’re the first.”

  “Good. I’d hate to wear you out when you’re not feeing well already.”

  “Thanks. That’s a kind thought.” The girl didn’t speak again until Celia hobbled over to the door and pushed it open. The door was hard to hold back, and mercifully, the girl moved to hold it open without having to be asked to do so.

  “What happened to get you in this shape?”

  “I was hit by a drunk driver a few nights ago.”

  The girl let out a noise and shook her head. “That is so sad. They have no right to put their own desires above someone else. I don’t know why they allow folks to go to bars and sit and get drunk. Don’t they know they are going to drive and hurt people?”

  “You have a point.” Celia smiled and didn’t say anything else while the girl helped her get back into bed. When you were in the hospital, you kind of lost any respect you had for your own privacy. You did what you had to, and hid as much of the body as you could.

  Once Celia was in bed and the young woman tucked her back in, she moved to the table and picked up her Bible. A thought crossed Celia’s mind and the expression must have shown on her face, for the girl spoke.

  “I promise I won’t read much. I don’t want to be a bother.”

  Celia wasn’t sure if it was the girl’s sad look, or the fact that she was just bored out of her mind, that caused her to say what she did. “Read as much as you like. I’m your captive audience.”

  This comment brought on a smile and the girl began to read. It was an interesting few chapters, and since Celia had never read much of the Bible, she hadn’t heard the story before. She looked up when the girl stopped and spoke, “Why in the world did Leah try so hard to be loved by a man who didn’t want her? She should have just left with her children.”

  “I’m not sure,” Sandy answered. “Maybe she loved him, or felt it was her duty, or she was lonely. It had to be hard for her to try over and over to please him, just to have him turn to Rachel.”

  “I know it wasn’t Rachel’s fault. She was in love and wanted Jacob.” Celia didn’t know which was more interesting, the story or the fact that she found it interesting. Maybe it was because she was so bored and thinking about anything was better than thinking about nothing.

  “If you’d like to read it again, I’m sure they have a Bible around here. Or, you could borrow my iPod. I’ll be back later this afternoon. They have WiFi and I have several Bible apps.”

  “I don’t know if I should. You might need it.”

  The girl smiled and shook her head. “I’ll be going to church so, no, I won’t need it. I can get it around two when I come back. You’re not leaving today are you?”

  “No, afraid not.”

  “Fine.” Sandy stepped forward, entered a few keystrokes on the iPod and handed it to her. “I opened the Bible app,” she said. “You can read the story in several different versions. It’s a good love story, but sad at the same time.”

  “Most love stories end up sad,” Celia replied.

  “Not all of them. I’m not sure what happens to Leah, but Jacob loves Rachel for many years. When she dies, he holds on to her children. You can just feel how much he loved her. I don’t understand why God allows people to have such joy in love, but also, so much pain.”

  “Some of us end up with the pain; the love slips away.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way. I’ll pray for you. Things will get better. I have faith they will.” Sandy turned and left. Celia laughed and thought to herself, ‘Oh, to be young and naïve’.

  Celia loved having the iPod. She found an app that let her search the Internet and began to look over the local car lots. She wanted to see how much money she could earn if she was good at selling cars. She learned she could make anywhere from $200 and up for each car she sold, depending on if it was new or used.

  She decided it would be worth a try. She might not be able to sell one car, but then again, maybe she would sell a lot of them and make a living.

  For a couple of hours she read about cars. She looked up what was selling best, and once she’d picked out two cars, started doing some homework. She read everything about the two cars
– positives and negatives. She took out pen and paper and started writing down selling points.

  She wrote down everything useful that she could find. When she was tired of cars she closed the Internet app, and there was the story Sandy had read to her. She laid the iPod down, drank some water and sat looking at the phone.

  Celia glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only ten-fifteen. She sighed, and after a few minutes, picked up the iPod again. She found the story of Jacob and Rachel in a different version and started reading.

  *****

  Mike didn’t have to work so he called Vicky around nine. She didn’t feel like going out so he took breakfast to her. She was taking the day off and Celia had told her that was okay.

  Mike had learned that Celia wasn’t a breakfast person so he went to the deli and picked up a roast beef sandwich on rye with all the trimmings. They had taken several meals together over the last few weeks and he had learned some of her eating habits.

  Since they normally woke you up at the crack of dawn at the hospital, when Mike arrived at ten-thirty, he thought Celia might be napping so he pushed the door open slowly. Sure enough she was sleeping. He walked over, placed the to go bag on the table and picked up an iPod that was lying on the bed. He pushed a button and turned it on to see what she’d been reading.

  Mike’s brow arched when he found a Bible app. He looked around the room wondering who else might have been there. He’d never once heard Celia mention church, or the Bible. Then again, when people hit on hard times, they often returned to their religion and family.

  There were also papers lying on the table but she’d pushed them back out of the way. He glanced over her notes and smiled. She’d been doing research on selling cars. The numbers he saw jotted down were pretty close to what she could make, if she was good at the job.

  He sat down in a chair so he could see when she woke up, and looked to see what she’d been reading. Jacob and Rachel. Now who had gotten her on that story? Out of curiosity, he started looking through the iPod.

  It was full of Bible apps and teenage social sites. He looked through some of the pictures and saw a young girl with her dog. He didn’t know any of the people so he re-opened the Bible app. After a few minutes, he decided to slip out for a while. Celia needed her rest and didn’t need to entertain him.

  The media wasn’t at the front doors when he came or left so he assumed that Martin had somehow gotten them to leave. He sent Martin a text, started his car and pulled out of the parking lot heading home. He was just pulling into his driveway when he got a return text from Martin.

  He laughed at how it had all worked out. It seemed he’d run into Randi’s dad and they’d managed to prevent the media from learning the truth. They had given them a story about visiting an old friend of the family.

  Mike sent back a quick text. “If you keep going like this, you’re going to be a part of the family.”

  “Fine by me,” Martin replied. “By the way, how’s Celia?”

  “Sleeping. I’ll check in later.”

  “Let me know when she’s being released from the hospital so I can be moved out, ttyl.”

  Mike put his phone up and went inside. He changed clothes, picked up some gear and went fishing. He sat on the bank in his chair and looked to his right. Was he seriously trying to picture Celia sitting on the bank fishing, or watching him fish?

  She had never been an outdoors person. Would it be any different with him? A tug on his line brought his attention to the fish on the other end. He pulled on it, felt the tension and smiled. Could it be that big old catfish was biting again?

  Mike had caught the catfish a couple of years ago while on a fishing trip with his dad. He had put it in the live tank well, brought it home and put it in the pond. And, a few times in those 2 years, he’d gotten a nibble.

  Mike steadied himself and began reeling. It was a big one and he was pretty sure he had Ol’ Henry on the other end. Henry was a stupid name for a fish, but who named a fish anyway? “Yeah, Celia’s going to fall for someone like you,” Mike said to himself as he tugged on the line. Seconds later he gave one last pull and the line broke. He fell backwards into his chair and then to the ground. He laughed. “Ol’ Henry wins again!”

  Mike looked again at the empty spot where he hoped Celia, or someone who loved him, would someday sit. He rested his arms on his knees and exhaled a deep breath. He never thought in his younger years that he would feel this alone.

  What good did it do to catch a big catfish named Ol’ Henry if there was no one to share it with? What good did it do to fall on your rear into the dirt and look like an idiot if there was no one there to laugh when you did?

  Mike straightened, gathered his rod, chair and tackle box and made his way to the house. He tilted his head and took a look at his home. This place was a getaway home, but it would never make a woman happy. She might tolerate coming to spend a few days, but it was too much of a man’s house for a woman.

  Mike knew he was going to have to do some serious thinking if he was really considering dating Celia. How much was he willing to compromise? How strange would it be to date Celia knowing she’d slept with his best friend?

  There was an attraction - at least on his part. He knew Celia liked him as a partner, but would it go any farther? He knew it would if she found out that he could be considered ‘one of the rich’, if not necessarily, ‘one of the famous’. So, just in case, this was one fact he was definitely going to try to keep to himself!

  No one in the public eye knew that he owned the car lots. He didn’t have his face on billboards or in TV commercials. It had been his dad’s idea to keep his identity hidden, but in reality, he owned controlling interest in the franchise. He would, of course, consult his parents if there were any major decisions to be made.

  Mike headed to the house, put his things up and decided it was time to go to the hospital. He would need to take supper to Vicky and see if she was feeling up to visiting with Celia.

  Mike was levelheaded and didn’t make many ‘spur-of-the- moment’ decisions. He realized that only time would tell if he was spinning his wheels, or if he was building a foundation for the future he hoped to have some day.

  Chapter 23

  Bossy Lady

  The morning had passed quickly for Celia, but the evening was going by slowly. Sandy had dropped by around two and taken her iPod. Celia had eaten her sandwich for lunch but was getting hungry again. She had looked at her notes as much as she could, and since she was bored, picked up the Bible Sandy had found.

  She’d read most of the story of Jacob, Rachel and Leah and felt kind of depressed. Minus the children, she felt like the sister, Leah. She’d been placed on the back burner by Martin. He wanted Randi, not her. Well, she was moving on. Leah should have just ran away and found a man who loved her.

  As she was reading on through the chapter trying to figure out what happened to Leah, she heard the door open. She looked up and smiled at Mike. “I hope you come bearing food.”

  “I did,” he said, stepping into the room. When she saw he was holding two small boxes, she smiled again.

  “Pizza?”

  “You got it. I’ll have to run down the hall to get some drinks. I’m not disturbing your reading, am I?” he asked, placing the boxes on the table.

  “No. It’s kind of depressing. I was reading what this young woman, Sandy, said was one of her favorite love stories, but I just felt it was sad. Two women fighting over one man? The way I see it, he’s the only one who came out on top.”

  “I noticed that earlier. I know the story well, or most of it. It was one of the many we studied in Sunday School. I think it was hard on all of them. Jacob wanted Rachel but was obligated to take care of both of them.”

  “It seems to be nothing but a baby-making contest. They both wanted to please him by having more children. I’m glad some things have changed and men think about more than having sons.”

  “I don’t think it’s changed that much. Every man
wants a child to carry on his name. We all just don’t get one. Don’t you want kids some day?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’d have to be sure it was going to work. Too many people have kids, divorce and then marry someone else. It’s hard on the kids.” Celia wasn’t in a mood to have a serious conversation so she closed the Bible and handed it to Mike.

  “I do know I’m not going to have six or more, like those two. And I’m sorry, but I must say, you don’t look like the Sunday School type.”

  Mike took the Bible, laid it on the stand by her bed, placed the pizzas on the table and pushed the table into place. “I went to church when I was young. My parents insisted on it until I was seventeen and started rebelling.”

  “We were holiday Christians,” Celia said, with an uncomfortable laugh.

  “That’s what I am now, at best. I try to go on Mother’s Day with Mom, but I don’t always make it.”

  “That’s sweet. We must take care of our mothers. By the way, I talked to mine a bit a go and she said that you’ve been so good to her. I hear you’re going to take her supper later. Thanks. I do appreciate that. You’ll get a vacation when we go to Martin’s.”

  “I may not,” he said, and immediately looked as if he regretted making the statement.

  “What do you mean?”

  He stepped back, started digging for change and finally looked at her. “Martin invited me to move in while you’re staying there. He’s not going to be there and he thought you might need help. He said it would make it easier for us to work on the house. I’d be closer.”

  Celia nodded. She wasn’t expecting Martin to stay there, but she didn’t know if she liked that he was trying to push Mike into babysitting.

  “I don’t want to put you out. He never should have done that, at least not without asking.” Celia looked up and regretted the words. Mike looked hurt. She hadn’t meant to insult him.

  “I’ll go grab some drinks. I’ll be right back.” She started to say something but let him go. She pondered on the idea. He was her business partner and it would make things simpler. Also, he had been helpful. She hated to take advantage of him but she would need someone around to run errands. She hated this situation she was in, but she had no money to pay for help.