by Bella Grant
Amelia had asked Theodore to include his family. “You actually have some,” she reminded him. “It’s important that they be here for this.” And when Theodore asked, it was no surprise to Amelia that his mother was delighted at the news, not only of a wedding, but of a grandchild, too. So his family attended as witnesses, with his mother and father cooing over Lucy as Theodore and Amelia signed their marriage certificate.
Amelia signed as “Amelia Elizabeth Bell.” Her new last name rang in her head and filled her heart with joy. She was no longer Amelia Jones, the orphan. She was a mother and a wife, and a daughter-in-law to two wonderful people. And even though it was the first time Amelia had met Theodore’s parents, she immediately felt the sense of family that she had always missed. She thanked her lucky stars that Lucy had grandparents who adored her, and she cherished Theodore’s parents as the mother and father she had never known.
In the last week of August, before the start of the semester, Theodore prepared for his annual review, ready to make the case for his job and his family. The same committee who had called him to the carpet for his involvement with Amelia would be performing his evaluation. Although Theodore was confident in his teaching performance and student reviews, his run-ins with the faculty committee left him some lingering concerns. After Amelia put Lucy down for her morning nap, she had helped Theodore pick out a suit to wear—his wedding suit—and a smart tie that made him look as respectable as possible.
When Theodore and Amelia entered the conference room—where months ago, he had been told to end things with Amelia—it was as if they had come full circle. But this time, Theodore felt in control of the situation. This time, he knew what lay before him, and when he entered the room, Amelia was by his side, holding Lucy, who looked about at the ornate woodwork with large, round eyes.
The white-haired professor sat in his chair at the center of the table. As Theodore and Amelia moved closer to the table, the professor absorbed the visual of the family that stood before him, settling finally on the ring that sparkled on Amelia’s left hand. Amelia balanced Lucy on her hip, her ring flashing insistently as she rubbed the baby’s back. Finally, after a long pause in which he considered all the visual information before him, the white-haired professor chuckled wryly.
“Well, Dr. Bell,” he said finally, “This is your performance evaluation, but I see there is another matter we should address. It seems you have made your choice. How can I argue against you?”
“I was hoping the position of the university would be not to,” Theodore said hopefully.
“I assume that ring means you’re married,” he asked Amelia, gesturing to her hand. “To Dr. Bell, I presume?”
“It does,” she replied, shifting Lucy on her hip. She felt bashful but determined to stand up for her rights today.
“And that’s your child?” he asked Theodore.
“She is,” he replied. “Our child. Her name is Lucy.”
“Ah, Lucy,” the professor repeated. “Like the Wordsworth poem?”
“The very same,” Theodore answered.
After clearing his throat, the professor spoke. “Well, you have violated the rules of our agreement, Dr. Bell,” he considered, weighing each word as it came out of his mouth. “We cautioned you not to see this student again, and you arrive married to her.”
“I am not his student,” Amelia said firmly. “Not anymore. I’m a graduate of this university, and there is nothing in the code of conduct prohibiting an alumna from marrying a professor at this institution. Believe me,” she added. “I’ve read the rule book cover to cover—twice.”
The professor’s mouth twitched up at the corners, threatening a smile. Amelia got the sense he was a stickler for the letter of the law, if not the spirit of it, and she had made sure that they were technically free and clear.
“I assume then,” said Catherine, her face sallow and bitter, “this means you will no longer be philandering about with your students? Now that you’ve married one.”
Theodore resisted the impulse to snap at her. “Clearly,” he replied, ignoring her sour expression.
“Well, in that case, it is the position of this committee that we really don’t care what you do in your free time, Dr. Bell. As long as you keep up with your courses and maintain the standard of professionalism we expect from our professors, you are welcome to stay on as faculty here. Your private life is yours.”
Theodore breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed Amelia’s arm. She beamed at him, the stress of the past few months washing off her in waves.
“Thank you,” Theodore answered. “We truly appreciate your understanding.”
He placed his hand on the small of Amelia’s back. “Will you take Lucy out to the hall? I shouldn’t be long.”
“Oh, and Mrs. Bell,” the white-haired professor called after Amelia as she turned to leave.
She paused, looking back at him. “Yes, sir?”
“You have a beautiful daughter. Congratulations to you both on your child and your marriage. We wish you all the best in your journey.”
Amelia felt the tears well up in her eyes as a smile spread wide across her face.
“Thank you,” Theodore said, nodding at him in a gesture of respect.
After Theodore’s review, which went even better than he had anticipated, he joined Amelia in the lobby, where she was bouncing Lucy on her lap. As they walked together out of the tall, red-brick building and across the expansive front lawn of the university, Theodore took Lucy from Amelia’s arms. Leaning down to kiss his wife, he asked, “What would you like to do with the rest of the day, my dear?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered, struggling to fully comprehend the peace that settled over her, all her fears for their future abated. “Perhaps the park?”
“That sounds perfect,” Theodore replied. “What do you think, Miss Lucy?” he asked their daughter, who was chewing on her own fingers. “Would you like to go to the park?” Lucy giggled and continued chewing, her large, round eyes alive and alert and so full of questions that she did not yet have the words to ask.
Theodore placed a hat on Lucy’s head, shielding her delicate skin from the oppressive, late summer heat. He took Amelia’s hand as they walked and kissed the back of it. They walked together, hand in hand, down the sidewalk to the heart of the little town. They walked past the university, where they had faced so much opposition to their relationship. They walked past the coffee shop and all the memories they had created in the previous year.
They kept walking until they reached the large canopy of trees and the green lawn on which they let Lucy crawl. As Amelia sat on the grass and helped Lucy roll onto her stomach, Theodore pulled up a photo on his phone. “Hey, Ames,” he said absently, stroking her hair. “What do you think of this house?”
Amelia took the phone from his hand and felt her heart skip a beat. The tab was open to a realty website and the photo she was looking at was a Victorian farmhouse about thirty minutes away from campus. As she looked at the covered porch, the gingerbread trim, and the land for a vegetable garden and possibly some fruit trees, Amelia sighed happily.
“I’m thinking it’s time we buy a house,” Theodore said thoughtfully. “Now that we know I’ll have a job.” Theodore grinned at her, and Amelia scooped Lucy up into her arms and kissed her child’s head. The life she had imagined was materializing before her, and all she wanted was to live in the here and now, in a life so full of hope and promise.
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