It Happens Every Spring
Page 27
“Thank you, Steve,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I made terrible mistakes and bad choices. I did everything wrong. I’m just so…so sorry.”
He stroked her hair, marveling at the silky touch of each strand against his fingertips. Then he ran the side of one finger down her cheek, gathering up tears and rubbing them away. “Shh,” he said. “Don’t cry, honey.”
“Sometimes I hate myself so much that I don’t think I can stand it. If my friends hadn’t supported me through this, I don’t know what I would have done. And you…you finally listened to me. You changed your schedule and reshaped your whole life, and I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve anything good after what I did to you.”
He swallowed at the lump in his throat again. And suddenly he realized what that lump was.
He had been blaming Brenda for her shortcomings and mistakes, and it was time to forgive. But there was more. He saw the truth in her eyes and allowed it to penetrate his heart for the first time.
He had failed her too.
She had been trying to tell him how deeply his abandonment had hurt her. Instead of admitting the part he had played in their problems, he’d laid all the blame at her feet. Again and again, she had begged him to forgive her, and he felt he was finally ready to do everything he could to set her free from the burden of her guilt.
He was carrying the same burden.
“Brenda, listen to me.” He held her as close as he could and kissed the top of her forehead. “I failed you too. I didn’t want to admit it, but you were right. I’ve been trying to deny the truth right up to this very minute, but I just can’t do that any longer. I did love my job too much. I gave it first place in my life. The way I feel about it is different from how I feel about you, but the end result is the same. I took you for granted, and I abandoned you. I know I did.”
“I forgive you, Steve.” Brenda brushed at her eyes, trying to stop the tears. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Steve held her in his arms, feeling the sweet curves and gentle outlines of his wife. Then he cupped her cheek with his hand and turned her face to his. “I forgive you too.”
As their lips met, a rush of relief poured through him. The dam of resentment, anger, and hurt had cracked open, and for the first time in ages, joy and peace began to trickle through.
Patsy could have just about died of embarrassment when Cody barged through the front door of the Hansens’ house after their chicken-fried steak dinner at Aunt Mamie’s. Steve and Brenda were curled up together in a living-room chair, smooching and crying and giggling like a pair of lovebirds. At the intrusion, Brenda gasped and sat up, her cheeks flushed with surprise.
Cody was oblivious. “Guess what!” he announced. “I got a job. A forever job. Patsy’s going to pay me to clean her salon every day, and that means you know what—hot dogs!”
As Brenda pulled herself together and Steve raked his fingers back through his hair, Cody marched around the room in front of them.
“Hot dogs every day,” he told them. “When you have a job, you can buy hot dogs. I’ll share mine with both of you too, because I’m a Christian. And Patsy told me I can sleep in the back room if I want. She’s going to get a bed and sheets. A real bed! And there’s a bathroom and a shower too. How about that?”
“He can’t really be living there,” Patsy said, wringing her hands together and wishing she could make a discreet exit from the Hansens’ house. “It’s zoned commercial, you know. But I figured Cody could sleep there one or two nights a week anyway.”
“He can stay here, too,” Steve offered. “We’ve got plenty of room.”
“Inside?” Brenda asked. “Inside the house…with us?”
“I used to think Jesus lived here,” Cody said.
“He does, Cody. We invited Him back. But there’s room for you, too.” Steve smiled and winked at his wife. “Sure, Cody’s welcome. You got all the mice out of his hair, didn’t you?”
“All gone!” Cody assured him. “And Esther Moore told me I could sleep at her house too. I have more houses than anybody, all of a sudden. I sure do wish my daddy was here. He would be so happy to see me. He would say, ‘You made your way, Cody.’ And I have.”
“You sure have,” Patsy echoed. “Well, I guess I’ll leave Cody here tonight and head for home. It’s going to be a long day at the salon tomorrow.”
“Speaking of which,” Steve said. Brenda made to stand up, but he pulled her back into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. “A while ago, I was thinking about going into commercial real estate. I considered buying the Tranquility mall as an investment. I thought I had a partner, but eventually we decided not to go through with it. I hope you’ll tell the other women that I did make an effort.”
“A partner?” Brenda asked. “To buy the mall?”
“It was just an idea. Jackie Patterson wanted to invest in the project, but…well, I just felt it wasn’t the way I wanted to go.”
“You decided not to go through with that?”
Brenda stared at Steve till Patsy began to worry that she was going to get upset with him. Why hadn’t she kept Cody out a little longer? He had wanted to go to the Dairy Queen for ice cream after dinner, but she was trying to lose weight as usual, and she had vetoed it. The memory of Brenda sitting in her rocker like an Egyptian mummy and Steve trudging around with a frown on his face brought up a lot of discomfort. If these two were going to start having trouble with each other again, Patsy wanted to be long gone.
“Why don’t I be your partner?” Brenda asked. “We could do it, Steve. If we bought the mall, we could cancel that video store’s lease. We could bring in good tenants, people who would help the west side of the lake grow.”
“Well…” He brushed a wisp of hair from her cheek. “It would be a big investment, honey. We’d have to go to a bank and get a loan. It would be a fairly heavy debt to service. There’s a lot involved in commercial real estate. And then we would be responsible for keeping the space rented out and cleaned up.”
“I could help you with that. I would enjoy it,” she said. “Let’s do this, Steve.”
He gave a laugh. “Are you serious?”
“She is, Steve!” Cody said. “Can’t you tell? She wants to buy the mall.”
“All right,” Steve told her. “I’ll look into it tomorrow. We’ll go to the bank…together.”
Wearing a smile Patsy hadn’t seen in ages, Brenda leaned back into her husband’s embrace. “Thanks for bringing Cody home,” she told Patsy. “Cody, it’s late. Go put on your pajamas and head out to the porch swing.”
“But you said I could sleep inside your house,” Cody told her. “You did say that. You said inside the house.”
“Not tonight, Cody. You sleep outside one more time.” Brenda spoke firmly, but she was looking into Steve’s eyes.
He grinned and kissed her squarely on the lips, and that was enough for Patsy. Clutching her purse under her arm, she hurried through the front door, across the porch, down the steps, and into her car.
As she switched on the ignition, she noticed a small square package on the passenger seat. Odd. That hadn’t been there when she and Cody got out a few minutes before. Had the boy left it for her?
Her heart warming, Patsy took the package and tore away the badly folded wrapping paper. But when she lifted the lid of the box, she knew immediately that someone else had left her the gift. Inside sat a beautiful white teacup and matching saucer trimmed with soft pink roses and a gold rim.
She glanced out the windshield in time to see a truck vanishing around the curve at the upper end of Deepwater Cove. “Well, that’s one,” she murmured. “But as I recall, mister, you broke a whole shelfful.”
Still, she held the cup up to the streetlight and admired the thin bone china. It’s a real antique, she thought. What a perfect beginning.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The principles and strategies illustrated in this novel are taken from The Four Seasons of Marriage by Gary Chapman. In this book, Dr. Chapman dis
cusses marriage as a journey back and forth through different “seasons.”
• Springtime in marriage is a time of new beginnings, new patterns of life, new ways of listening, and new ways of loving.
• Summer couples share deep commitment, satisfaction, and security in each other’s love.
• Fall brings a sense of unwanted change and nagging emptiness appears.
• Winter means difficulty. Marriage is harder in this season of cold silence and bitter winds.
1. In It Happens Every Spring, which season of the year is it in Deepwater Cove, Missouri? Which season of marriage do you think Steve and Brenda Hansen are experiencing in their marriage? What are the signs that let you know?
2. In the scene in which Brenda and Steve eat dinner together and try to make plans for spring break (pages 69–77), they could have begun to thaw their winter marriage. What went wrong? What could each of them have said or done differently?
3. In the same scene, Brenda’s repeated references to Nick LeClair should be a clue to Steve that trouble is afoot. Why doesn’t he notice? How might it have helped if he had? Give an example of a helpful way in which Steve could have responded to his wife.
4. To Brenda, Steve’s work schedule means he has intentionally rejected and abandoned her and their marriage. This kind of all-or-nothing thinking is common. Is there another way Brenda could try to look at Steve’s choices? When and how does Brenda begin to see Steve’s job in a different light? Is there a situation in your marriage where you need to try to see things in a more balanced way?
5. When Steve is walking to the dock with his daughter Jessica (page 119), he explains his approach to solving problems in a marriage. What does he think a couple ought to do if they’re having trouble? How does Jessica respond? What does she think her parents need to do to improve their relationship? Which one of them do you think is right? Why?
6. When Brenda visits their pastor, he asks the couple to come in for joint counseling (page 158). What do Steve and Brenda do regarding this advice? Why do you think they chose the course of action they did? How would you respond if given this advice? Why?
7. Kim Finley tells Charlie and Esther Moore about a time in the past when she suffered from depression (page 232). What caused Kim’s depression, and what did she do about it? What is Esther’s view of depression, and how does she think it should be handled? Which woman do you tend to agree with? Why?
8. Strategy 1 in The Four Seasons of Marriage challenges couples to deal with past failures. Failure alone will not destroy a marriage, but unconfessed and unforgiven failure will. Couples are urged to identify past failures, to confess and repent, and finally to forgive. How has Steve failed Brenda? How does Brenda fail Steve? When does each of them identify their failure? When does each confess it? When do they forgive each other? In what ways does this strategy help Steve and Brenda begin to heal their winter marriage?
9. Strategy 3 in The Four Seasons of Marriage encourages couples to discover and speak each other’s primary love language. The five love languages are (1) words of affirmation, (2) acts of service, (3) receiving gifts, (4) physical touch, and (5) quality time. What is Brenda’s primary love language? What is Steve’s? How is each one failing to speak the other’s language? When and how do they begin to communicate with each other through their primary love languages?
10. Strategy 5 in The Four Seasons of Marriage urges couples to discover the joy of helping each other succeed. Practical ways to do that include (1) offering encouraging words, (2) taking supportive action, (3) providing emotional support, and (4) expressing respect for your spouse. When and how do Steve and Brenda begin to use this strategy to warm their winter marriage? In what specific ways does each of them help the other?
11. Think about the other couples in It Happens Every Spring. Along with Brenda and Steve Hansen, you have met Ashley and Brad Hanes, Kim and Derek Finley, and Esther and Charlie Moore. Patsy Pringle, viewing her salon as a garden, describes the season she believes each woman is experiencing in marriage (page 37–38). From what you have learned about these marriages, would you agree with Patsy? Why or why not?
12. Psalm 8:1-2 says, “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you” (NLT). In this book, the character of Cody is childlike in his faith and understanding. Recall some of the truths he speaks and how they affect the other characters. What was your favorite “Cody-ism”?
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Gary Chapman is the author of The Four Seasons of Marriage, the perennial best seller The Five Love Languages (over 3.5 million copies sold), and numerous other marriage and family books. He is the director of Marriage & Family Life Consultants, Inc., an internationally known speaker, and host of A Growing Marriage, a syndicated radio program heard on more than 100 stations across North America. He and his wife, Karolyn, live in North Carolina.
Catherine Palmer lives in Missouri with her husband, Tim, and sons, Geoffrey and Andrei. She is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and holds a master’s degree in English from Baylor University. Her first book was published in 1988. Since then Catherine has won numerous awards for her writing, including the Christy Award—the highest honor in Christian fiction—in 2001 for A Touch of Betrayal. In 2005 she was given the Career Achievement Award for Inspirational Romance by Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine. More than 2 million copies of Catherine’s novels are currently in print.
So’d you get anything out of him?” The low voice belonged to Pete Roberts. “About the drowning, I mean. Did Derek Finley name names?”
With a fair measure of scorn, Patsy Pringle eyed the man behind the cash register. Half the time Pete was her friend and comrade, while the other half he was her greatest adversary.
“I was asking Derek about Kim and the twins,” she informed him. “In case you missed out on the important news, the Finleys just found out their son, Luke, has diabetes. Type 1—the juvenile kind. That means it’s serious business, and they’ve got their hands full. Derek asked me to pray for him, so you know he’s got to be worried. That man hasn’t set foot in a church in his whole life, even though Kim takes the twins every time the doors are open.”
She tossed her empty paper cup and plastic straw into the trash can by the counter. “If people would take care of each other and stop all their gossiping,” she said, “everyone would be a lot better off.”
“Preach on, Sister Patsy,” Pete declared from behind the counter.
Patsy set one hand on her hip and lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll say whatever I want, Mr. Roberts,” she told him. “And no, I didn’t get anything out of Derek about the drowning.”
Pete chuckled. “Didn’t think so. But I bet you want to know who it was just as bad as the rest of us.”
Declining to respond, Patsy pushed open the door and stepped out into the damp Missouri heat. Pete Roberts sure could rile her, she thought as she walked toward her shop. The man who hailed from Halfway, Missouri, always did his best to drive her halfway crazy.
Near the salon’s front door, a bright red cardinal and his mate perched on the sign that read Just As I Am: A Faith-Based Beauty Experience. Patsy reflected on the communion such partners could have—courting, building a nest together, gathering food, watching over their young, protecting each other from the elements, and basking side by side in the shimmering light of a summer afternoon. She had long ago given up the idea of finding a mate for herself, though some folks insisted that Pete Roberts was sweet on her.
The idea of a secret beau sent a little shiver up Patsy’s spine as she pushed open the salon door. But the truth was, she had too much to do to let daydreams take control of her life. Her beauty shop was busy ten hours a day, five days a week. Clients depended on her to cut, curl, and style their hair in a way that made them feel confident.
Not only that, but the Tea Lovers’ Club met every Wednesday
afternoon in a special area of the salon. Over cups of steaming Earl Grey or fragrant Darjeeling teas, the members socialized, discussed problems, and planned ways to help each other and the community.
No, there were far more important things in the world than Pete Roberts and his twinkling blue eyes. Patsy needed to work hard at her business, take care of her friends, faithfully attend church, and keep her house tidy and her refrigerator stocked. That…and see what she could do to find out the name of the poor soul who had drowned near the shores of Deepwater Cove.
Table of Contents
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT PAGE
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
FOUR SEASONS SUMMER BREEZE