Lily Fields (Garden of Love 1)

by Melanie Wilber

  Max didn’t have a huge part. Only this one song and three lines of his own. He knew them all perfectly and could do it fine when they practiced in the hallway or in a corner of the room, but performing with the other children, singing in front of everyone, and saying his lines at the right time was not coming together.

  The performance would be on Monday evening, four days from now. Neither Lily nor Mrs. Stewart expected him to do it exactly right. Interaction with peers, rehearsed conversations, and the idea of being on stage and performing for an audience were not concepts that came naturally to Max.

  Following Max’s scene, he sat with her in the chairs down front, watching his peers perform the play and sing the songs, but Lily wasn’t certain he could perform along with the others on Monday night. They went through the play one more time, with much of the same from Max. Lily took him out onto the playground after his part was done. Watching Max playing in his usual carefree way, Lily let her mind wander to Peter. She silently prayed for him as had become her habit whenever he entered her thoughts.

  “I called her,” she heard a voice say in her ear, startling her slightly. Turning around, she saw Devin had snuck up behind her on the otherwise deserted playground. She knew his students must be at music or P.E. right now.

  “Tracy? What did she say?”

  “I think I almost gave her a heart attack.”

  Lily laughed. “I’ll bet.”

  “We’re getting together tonight,” he said, smiling somewhat shyly. She had never seen him like this, not even during the time they had spent together. “She said to thank you for putting two and two together and telling me about what she said. I want to thank you too. That was sweet of you to get us connected again.”

  Lily smiled. “I hope things work out, for both of you. Tracy is sweet. I can see the two of you together.”

  “How have you been?” he asked after a momentary silence. “Have you heard from Peter?”

  “No,” she replied. “But I feel like he’s in God’s hands. I’ve surrendered the entire thing to Him.”

  “It’s funny you should say that,” he said, leaning against the edge of the big yellow slide. “I remember doing the same thing with Tracy--several different times over the last four years. I kept trying to forget her and move on, but she kept coming back. Now I know why.”

  Lily hoped she didn’t have to wait four years for Peter to come around, but if she did, she believed that God would uphold her.

  “Let me know how things go,” she said.

  “I will,” he replied, stepping away and leaving her alone with Max once again. They played for a few more minutes and then headed for the classroom to get ready for lunch.

  The following morning’s play rehearsal went the same way. Lily decided to let Max be Max. He might not do everything according to the script on Monday night; he might not do anything according to the script; but she knew he would try his best and that she had done her best to teach him.

  If nothing else, the giggles he gave when covering his ears while his classmates sung in their off-pitch voices made it all worth it. Max took life as it came, one day at a time. He didn’t stress-out about pleasing others and doing everything right all the time. He didn’t strive to be like everyone else. He was happy being exactly who God made him to be, and the last thing she wanted to do was take that away from him.

  On Saturday Lily went shopping with Rose. Her sister’s wedding was coming up quickly, a little more than a month away. Rose had her dress, and the bridesmaids’ dresses were being made by a family friend. She had the flowers and cake ordered. The invitations had been sent out. Mostly she was down to the little stuff: champagne goblets for the wedding toast, candles, decorations for the reception hall, comfortable shoes to wear with her dress.

  The last place they stopped before calling it a day was the lingerie store at the mall. Rose wanted her help deciding what to purchase for the honeymoon. Lily thought her beautiful, shapely sister looked great in everything she tried on, but she did point out her favorites. Rose trusted her judgment and selected three of the four she liked best.

  Lily placed the ones Rose had discarded back onto hangers while her sister got dressed. Hanging the only one Rose hadn’t picked from among her own favorites, Lily placed the hook on the peg and reached for another loose garment.

  “I think that one would look great on you,” Rose said. “You should try it on.”

  Lily raised her brows at her little sister. “I don’t think I’m going to be needing anything like that for awhile.”

  “You never know. Once Peter comes to his senses and sweeps you off your feet, he might not want to wait too long to make you his bride.”

  Lily blushed at the thought of wearing the silky item in front of Peter. “I think I have some time,” she said, secretly wanting to buy the chemise but not about to admit her private thoughts to Rose.

  “Wait here,” Rose said, stepping out of the cubicle as soon as she was fully dressed. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Rose? I thought you had all you wanted. I’m ready to go eat.”

  But it was too late. Rose had bolted out of the changing area as if there were a fire in the building. She must have tried on twenty different things and is already buying six of them. How much lingerie does a girl need?

  Lily finished hanging up all the garments and sat down on the corner bench to wait for her sister. Rose returned within a few minutes.

  “Here. Try these,” she said, holding out a handful of selections.

  Lily stared at her. “Me?”

  “Yes,” Rose said, placing the hangers on the hook.

  “You expect me to try them on? Now?”

  Rose nodded, kneeling before her and reaching for her blouse to undo the front buttons. Lily slapped her hands over her chest. “Rose! I’m not trying these on!”

  “Yes, you are,” she said, leaving her to do her own unbuttoning and reaching for the first negligee on the peg. “You have been all over town with me today, and I want to buy you something nice as a thank you.”

  “Then buy me a Crock-Pot or something. I have no use for any of these.”

  “You will soon. I know it.”

  Lily undressed begrudgingly and allowed her sister to play dress-up with her real live Barbie doll--well, more like Skipper. A few of them actually looked okay on her, she thought, but several of them she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing in front of anyone, especially a man.

  “This one is exquisite on you, Lily. Honestly. I didn’t like it on me because of the color, but that pale peach is perfect on you.”

  Standing in front of the mirror, allowing herself to imagine wearing this on her own honeymoon someday, Lily had to admit her sister was right. The chemise hung perfectly on her slender frame. The silky fabric draped delicately on her upper thighs. The thin straps and plunging neckline made her look feminine and a bit sexy as well. The color did go well with her skin, eyes, and hair. She could imagine Peter being pleased to see her wearing such a thing for him.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to keep the tears from spilling onto her cheeks but failed. Rose stepped forward and held her close. Lily allowed the pain to surface once again, not in an angry way like she had a month ago, but she did yearn for Peter.

  “He’s coming back for you, Lily,” Rose said. “I promise you he is.”

  Lily wiped away her tears and changed back into her regular clothes, allowing Rose to purchase the peach one for her. She also decided to buy another one that she had liked. Rose talked her into a bottle of perfume they had at the counter.

  After eating dinner at the mall food-court, Rose drove her home and was planning to meet Geoffrey back at the house for a quiet evening together, but she offered to stay if she needed her to. Lily insisted she go.

  “No use both of us not having time with our men tonight,” she said, giving Rose a slight smile. “I’ll be okay. You and Geoffrey need this time together.”

  Lily went inside and took the purchases to her r
oom. Pulling the garments from the sack and holding them close to her heart, she shared her desire with God to have a reason to wear them someday soon. The tears came again, and she let them fall unashamed.

  Wait on Me, Lily. Peter is Mine. Trust Me to bring him back to you.

  She fell to her knees and prayed for Peter like she had been doing every day for the last six weeks, pouring out her soul to God until there was nothing left. Some days she felt confident that God was going to reach Peter, but other days, it seemed hopeless.

  Today was one of those days.

  Lily heard her phone ring when she had finished praying and rose from her knees. Picking it up from the bed, she sat down and said hello. As usual during the last few weeks whenever the phone rang, she wondered briefly if it might be Peter. But it was her mom.

  After a few minutes of casual chatting, her mother asked if she wanted to come over for dinner this coming Monday. Lily strongly suspected her mother had another handsome doctor for her to meet. She was thankful she had a legitimate excuse.

  “The spring program is on Monday,” she replied. “Sorry.”

  “Well then, how about sometime later in the week?”

  “Mom, is this another one of your dinner dates?”

  “Maybe. Is that so bad? I’m only introducing the two of you. If nothing happens, at least you both get a nice home-cooked meal out of the deal.”

  “Is that what you always tell them?”

  “No, of course not, honey.”

  “What exactly do you tell them? Most of the time I get the impression they have no idea they’re being set up.”

  “I usually tell them my daughters will be there.”

  “And that one of them is still available?”

  She laughed. “Something like that. Come on, honey. You haven’t let me do this since your surprise suitor turned out to be Marty. That was five months ago.”

  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Mom,” she said. “But I’m not interested in starting anything with anyone new right now. I really think Peter is the one God has for me. I can’t be praying for him and then be dating a bunch of other guys.”

  “Honey, waiting for Peter is a noble thing, but what if he never responds? I’d hate to watch you wait around for something that never happens.”

  Lily tried not to let her mother’s skepticism get her down. She wasn’t the one who had heard God telling her that Peter was His. She wasn’t the one who had been kissed by Peter. She wasn’t the one who knew the strong feelings she held in her heart for him.

  “I’m willing to wait, Mom. For a long time if necessary.”

  “Look at it this way,” her mom tried again. “If anyone you see now, while you’re waiting for Peter, turns out to be the one God has for you, then you will know it wasn’t meant to be with Peter. But, if you are meant to be with him, then no one else is going to get into your heart in the mean time. You might as well get out and enjoy your life. God doesn’t expect you to put all your eggs into one basket.”

  Lily knew her mother had the best of intentions, but sometimes her logic gave her a headache. And this time she knew her mother was simply wrong. Following God’s voice had never steered her wrong in the past, and she wasn’t about to move on to some other guy until she clearly knew that’s what God wanted her to do.

  “First of all, Mom, I am enjoying my life, even if I don’t have a man to share it with. And second of all, whether God expects me to or not, I have put all of my eggs in one basket and have laid them at Jesus’ feet. I know you don’t understand. I don’t expect you to. But please don’t try to set me up anymore. I’d rather leave this in God’s hands. It’s the only way I have peace.”

  “Okay,” he mother replied. “If that’s what you want. I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I appreciate it. I’m happy to come over for dinner anytime if it’s just you and Dad, okay?”

  “All right. How about some other night this week? When are you free?”

  “Thursday, Friday, or Saturday would work for me.”

  “I’ll see if Cami and Rose and your brothers can make it one of those nights also and get back to you. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together.”

  “That would be nice. Let me know.”

  Lily was happy to see Josie at church the following morning. She could never seem to keep track of when her friend would be there and when she would be working. Despite the confidence she had felt while talking to her mom last night, she had woke up this morning wondering if she would ever see Peter again. She wanted to find out if Mark had talked to him at all and could possibly give her some small sign of hope.

  When neither Josie nor Mark mentioned anything, she supposed nothing had changed. But she asked anyway.

  “I actually haven’t talked to him for a few weeks,” Mark said. His beeper went off, not giving him the chance to reply further. He used his cell phone to make a quick call and then rose from his chair.

  “Sorry, babe,” he said, leaning down to give Josie a quick kiss. “If I don’t make it back here before church is over, I’ll come by your place, okay? We are going to have some time together this weekend.”

  Josie smiled and nodded, not appearing too disappointed at his sudden departure. Lily remained silent for a few moments. She had something she wanted to ask Josie, but she wondered if her friend was tired of hearing her lamenting about Peter.

  Apparently noticing her heavy heart, Josie placed her hand on her arm and spoke gently. “Don’t give up yet, Lily. I know Peter loves you, and I don’t think he’s going to let you go. At least not in his heart. Between that and all the prayers being whispered on his behalf, I don’t think he stands a chance at keeping his heart cold toward God.”

  Josie’s tender words brought a slight smile to her face and lifted her spirits once again.

  “I don’t know why, but I have a special feeling about Peter; that his time is coming up very soon,” Josie said. “I’ve been praying for my sister for five years now, and I’ve never felt that way about her yet.”

  Josie’s statement gave her mixed feelings. On the one hand, hearing Josie say she thought Peter’s time was coming soon confirmed what she felt in her own heart, but on the other hand, the thought of having to wait five years, or even one, seemed like a long time to hold on.

  Ted began the class time, not giving them a chance to talk further. Lily tried her best to focus on the lesson. Ted was a good teacher, and she always enjoyed hearing his unique insights into whatever portion of the Bible they were studying each week. Recently they had been examining Jesus’ life and ministry. Today they were looking at the time Jesus raised one of His friends from the dead.

  Lily had heard this story in John Eleven many times since her childhood days in Sunday school. Once again Ted’s insights into the familiar story of Lazarus made her look at it a bit more closely than before, especially at some of the words Jesus said.

  “‘Your brother will rise again,’ Jesus said to Martha.

  “Do you hear the confidence and authority in His voice?” Ted asked. “If you missed it, don’t feel bad. Martha did also.

  “Yes, Jesus. I know. He’ll rise again on the final day along with everyone else. Little good that does us right now. But thanks for the reminder.”

  Ted got several laughs for his paraphrased version of Martha’s response.

  “Martha, ‘I AM the resurrection and the life.’ Hello? Do you believe that?”

  “Oh, sure, Lord. I know. You’re the Messiah and all that.”

  Lily found herself smiling at Ted’s interpretation of this scene between Martha and Jesus. She wondered what Ted was getting at and continued to listen.

  “Now I love verse twenty-eight,” Ted said. “This is hilarious. I’ll read it exactly as it’s written this time:

  “Then she (Martha) left him and returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, ‘The Teacher is here and wants to see you.”

  Lily didn’t catc
h the humor this time. No one else apparently did either. She looked up. Ted was scratching his head. He flipped the page of his Bible, scanning what they had already read, then flipped back and laid his Bible on the podium.

  “I don’t know if my Bible is missing a verse or what, but I don’t see where Jesus tells Martha to go get Mary. Do you?”

  Lily looked at her own Bible, scanning the verses before Martha leaves to go get her sister. She began to see what Ted was getting at.

  “I can picture Martha muttering to herself all the way back to the house. ‘The Teacher is at it again, preaching at a time like this. I’ll let Mary go listen to Him make excuses for not being here. I don’t have the time or the patience. I need to get those cookies out of the oven, for heaven’s sake, or all my guests are going to starve!”

  Everyone laughed. Lily did also but her mind returned to the words of Jesus that Ted had spoken earlier. ‘Your brother will rise again. I am the resurrection and the life.’

  Lily felt like Jesus was saying the same thing to her about Peter. I can do it, Lily. Don’t stop trusting Me now.

  “Now drop down to verse thirty-three,” Ted continued, “Here’s where things get interesting:

  “When Jesus saw her (Mary) weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and was deeply troubled.

  “Why is that? Why was Jesus angry and troubled when He saw Mary and the others mourning? Seems like a perfectly acceptable thing to do when someone has died. Jesus hadn’t been living in a cave, surely He’d seen others mourn before.

  “But this verse is clear: Jesus was angry. Another version I looked at said: A deep anger welled up within him.”

  Lily didn’t understand, but she was anxious to hear what Ted had to say.

  “In verse thirty-five, we see another emotional response from Jesus. He wept. But why was He weeping? He could have been grieving Lazarus’ death, but based on the rest of the story, I don’t think that’s the case. He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. Why would He take time to weep?”

  Again Lily didn’t have an answer. She had always been taught Jesus wept because of His grief for Lazarus, but that didn’t make sense if she thought about it.