“Home, sweet home.” She slid her hand on top of Brian’s as he stopped the car in their driveway. “It feels like I’ve been gone forever.”
Brian leaned over and kissed her. Really kissed her. Deep and long. Finally he released her lips.
“Brian Dunham, what must the baby be thinking?” Or the neighbors.
They turned around to take a peek at Zac. Fast asleep.
Falling back into their seats, they chuckled. It hurt Elizabeth’s stomach to laugh. “Whew. Face saved by a sleeping baby.” Wouldn’t be long though until that little boy in the back would be saying something like ‘Eww, Mom and Dad, you’re way too old for that.’
“Welcome home, love. I’ve missed you.”
“Missed? You were at that hospital almost 24/7.” Elizabeth trailed her fingers through his silvery hair. “And I’m glad you were. Zac and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. We would have missed you too much.”
Brian coughed then cleared his throat. “Should we get our little boy inside before it gets too hot in the car?”
“It is pretty warm today.”
He flashed a grin. “I wasn’t speaking about the weather.”
“Brian Dunham!” Elizabeth giggled and wound her window closed. “Let’s get little Zac inside. We can fetch the many gifts and flowers in a while.
“Stop. Wait right there.” Brian hopped out of the car and hurried to her side, coughing as he opened her door.
Elizabeth clasped her stitched abdomen as Brian helped her out before rushing back to the other side again to fetch the baby.
Through the window, she watched Zac stir in his seat as his daddy opened the back door. Zac tried to part his eyelids but it was far too bright outside. He only managed a split second before they pulled closed again.
After loosening the safety restraints, Brian lifted the baby seat out. He grasped the handle and the seat swung back and forth in a gentle rocking motion as he carried Zac toward the house. Elizabeth strolled on the other side, her eyes only leaving her baby for a moment now and then to see where she was going.
Brian unlocked the front door, pushed it open, and entered.
Elizabeth followed along close behind.
“Surprise!”
Inside, Jordan, JoAnn, and Errol beamed their welcome. Shaun, as per usual, hid behind his camera, never missing an opportunity to capture memorable footage, although, no doubt, Jordan had instructed him to have that camera rolling the moment they pulled up in the driveway. Heat flushed her cheeks. Had the entire assembly seen them snogging in the car?
“Oh, you guys.” Elizabeth wrapped JoAnn in a hug. Then Errol, Jordan, and Shaun.
Brian set the baby seat down on the tiled floor, angled so everyone could admire the new arrival.
“Let me see.” JoAnn squealed before crouching down to get a closer look. “He is so beautiful.”
“Of course he is.” Brian brightened. “Just look at his mother.”
“And father,” Elizabeth added. “He’ll grow up to be a handsome man one day.”
JoAnn straightened. “We won’t stay long. I’m sure you want to just relax and rest. Jordan had some things he wanted to bring by for you, and of course, I wanted to see little Zachariah.”
“Just Zac. Zac Dunham. Has a noble sound to it, doesn’t it?” Although Brian harrumphed, he had to smile to himself about Zac being a derivative of not only Isaac, but Zachariah, too.
“It has a great sound.” Jordan patted Brian on the back. He dipped his head and gazed at Zac who was undeterred by the commotion in the house. “I never thought I’d say this, but it makes me want to settle down and make a few of my own.”
“Eek.” JoAnn clapped her hands together.
“Speaking of…” Elizabeth glanced at Brian, and he nodded. “Jordan… Brian and I were discussing the other night—we would love you to be our son’s legal guardian.”
Jordan’s jaw dropped. “I… But what about your family?”
“We have no family.” Probably why it had been easy to live on the mission field their entire lives, especially after their parents had died. “I never had siblings, and Brian’s sister passed away at a young age. Our parents have all exchanged their earthly addresses for heavenly ones. Brian’s Aunt Margaret was the last living relative we had, and I’m sure you know she went to be with the Lord shortly before we moved here.”
“Friends?” Jordan tried again. Didn’t he want to be their child’s guardian?
“We spent thirty years doing mission work throughout Africa—all our friends are scattered in various rural villages across our great continent.” Brian glanced down at Zac then back at Jordan. “Please, think about it. Zac will need you one day when we’re not around. Could be soon, or when he’s all grown up.”
“Brian, Elizabeth…I–I’m honored.” Jordan dabbed a finger at the outer corners of his eyes. “But don’t you need to be married to be a guardian? I–I mean, what if something happened to you tomorrow and I became responsible for Zac? I wouldn’t know what to do.” He sighed. “A woman would though.”
“I’m sure your mother would help out.” Elizabeth moved a step closer to Zac, already missing the feel of his soft skin.
JoAnn’s head bounced up and down, and she grinned.
“Then of course, there’s always the beautiful Dr. Kerr.” Elizabeth waggled her eyebrows. “The very single Dr. Kerr.”
Jordan shook his head. “Another time, another life perhaps.”
She eyed him and shrugged. “One never knows. Nevertheless, Brian and I have no doubt that if the time ever came for you to step into the role of Zac’s father, God would have provided your soulmate by then—whether it be Dr. Kerr, or somebody else.”
Jordan squatted on his haunches in front of Zac. He took his little hand, and the baby curled his tiny fingers around Jordan’s thumb. A slow smile spread across Jordan’s face. “I believe that, too. So yes, I humbly accept this great honor.” He looked up at Brian. “Would you pray for me later…kind of like a guardian-commissioning prayer?”
Tiny lines creased Brian’s eyes as he grinned. “Of course I will.”
Jordan shoved to his feet. “Come, I have some things to show you.” He led the way through the lounge to the open patio door.
Brian set the car seat down in the living room.
Elizabeth brushed her hand against Zac’s forehead to make sure he wasn’t too warm before following the others outside.
On the grass stood the plush pram she’d eyed one day in the baby shop with JoAnn, knowing she could never afford it. A big blue bow was fastened to the gray and turquoise hood. Beside the pram, something for Brian—a brand new, bright red lawnmower.
Hand to her mouth, she gasped. “I don’t believe it!”
“Compliments of the show. My boss wanted me to get something special for you both,” Jordan said. “I figured while you’re pushing the one around, Brian can be pushing the other.”
Elizabeth stepped closer to glide her fingers over the pram’s handle. She’d been given an old-fashioned, secondhand one. But this… Now she could push her little one around in style—not that she was one for appearances. Still, she couldn’t deny the pleasure the new pram would give her and the baby.
She removed the bow from the top of the hood and set it down on the table between the snacks that JoAnn had set out. She glanced at Brian, examining the lawnmower, and grinned. “Should we take them for a spin?”
Brian nodded and tore off across the grass, pushing his new mower. Pity he hadn’t started the thing before dashing away. The grass needed a serious trim.
Elizabeth followed at a slower pace with the babyless pram, her mind filled with images of the leisurely strolls she would take with Zac and Brian.
Brian beat her back to the starting point, but she didn’t care. Healing from her C-section, it would be a while before she could move as fast as he.
“Why don’t you grab a bite to eat and something to drink?” JoAnn motioned to the table of food. “Then
let’s go inside. I’m dying to see your reaction to Jordan’s next surprise.”
“There’s more?” Elizabeth parked the pram close to the door then toddled to the table. She’d need to get back to those spinning classes as soon as she was able.
Inside the lounge, her eye fell on a square cardboard box, probably half a meter in diameter, standing beside the grandfather clock. She hadn’t left it there. Had Brian?
She eased herself down into the single-seater beside Zac, and then pulled the carrier around so she could see her son.
Brian set her plate of snacks and glass of iced tea down on a side table.
She smiled. “Thanks, honey.” Placing a hand on his arm, she lowered her voice. “Did you leave the box beside the clock?” Her eyes flicked in the direction of the offending item.
He shook his head. “Never seen that before. Definitely wasn’t there when I left for the hospital this morning.”
Errol, JoAnn, and Brian claimed the three-seater couch while Jordan stood beside his usual chair next to the sofa. Once again, poor Shaun stood filming. Did he ever stop?
Jordan stooped to pick up the mystery box and placed it close to Elizabeth. He lifted off the lid and she strained to peek inside. As did Brian.
Papers of all shapes and sizes greeted her. She raised her gaze to Jordan. “What’s this?”
He beamed the world a smile. “I couldn’t wait to show you. It’s all the letters and copies of emails that we’ve received each week after airing your story. These are the lives Life Begins at Sixty has touched.
Hands trembling, Elizabeth reached into the box and lifted a printed email. She read aloud.
Dear Brian and Elizabeth,
Thank you for sharing your story with the people of South Africa. You will never know what your journey has done for my faith, and my husband’s, which we’d pretty much lost after our third miscarriage. Week after week watching the ‘Life Begins at Sixty’ slot on Jordan’s Journeys, we have been reminded and challenged that God IS faithful, and that he loves us, and that we cannot give up trusting in His sovereignty. Had you kept your journey with little Zac a private matter, we might never have come back to the place of remembering that.
Thank you, too, Jordan, for another incredible journey on your show.
Forever in your debt.
Alicia & David Hannon
(Cape Town)
PS. I discovered your blog. I love your devotions. They really challenge me.
Elizabeth cupped her free hand around her mouth. Then she smoothed away the tears that wet her cheeks.
Lord, You’re so good.
Brian had to dry his tears, too. As did JoAnn. He even saw Errol’s hand reaching for his eyes on occasion.
“All the letters in that box tell similar tales,” Jordan said. “Some have to do with barrenness, others failed marriages, or loved ones lost, or broken dreams. The list goes on.”
Brian moved from the couch to sit on the floor beside his wife and son. “Read another one, love.” He selected one from the box and held it up to Elizabeth.
After she’d read about fifteen letters, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, Elizabeth slid the lid back onto the box and lifted Zac, who had started to stir, out of his seat
She cradled the baby to her chest and hummed a lullaby.
Brian shook his head, his wonder apparent. “Who would have ever thought that the story of two old people having a baby could affect so many lives?”
Jordan smiled. “God did.” He stared at Brian. “If you had the chance to have a do-over…would you change anything?”
“A tricky question, Jordan.” Brian released a sigh as he smoothed a hand over the sleeping baby’s back. “Besides coming to salvation, this has been the most fantastic, traumatic, exciting, and life-changing experience. Would Elizabeth and I have wanted children earlier in life? Of course. But knowing how this journey has touched people’s lives, I’d wait all those years a million times over.”
Elizabeth rested her hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Me, too.”
“And I am one of those lives your journey has touched. In a life-changing way.” Jordan rose and stepped across the room to give Elizabeth, then Brian, a hug. “Thank you for showing me the way to Jesus.”
Zac whimpered then let out a loud cry.
Elizabeth lifted him from her chest and cradled him in her arms. She kissed his mouth, and he tried to suckle her cheek. “I think someone’s hungry.”
Errol and JoAnn shoved to their feet.
“We need to go, too.” JoAnn linked her arm in Jordan’s. “Let’s head on home, son. Your father and I want to hear some more about this new and exciting journey you’re on.”
As Brian showed their guests out, Elizabeth disappeared down the passage to feed the baby. After they’d left, he quickly emptied the car of the flowers and teddies and balloons, scattering the colorful arrangements around the living and dining rooms, and then taking the teddies and balloons to the nursery.
The feeding chair that Elizabeth had so anxiously waited to use stood empty. He released the balloons and they floated to the ceiling. The teddies he dropped into the empty crib before sneaking into their room next door. Elizabeth lay on the bed, Zac tucked beside her, nursing.
“Hey,” she whispered as he sat down beside them.
“And this? What happened to the nursing chair?”
Elizabeth gave a sleepy grin. “This looked more appealing and comfortable.”
Brian stretched out on the bed and wrapped his arm around Elizabeth, little Zac cocooned between them.
“Has everyone gone?”
He nodded.
“So now what, Daddy?”
Brian kissed Elizabeth on the head and then Zac. “Now I’m going to do as the writer of Ecclesiastes instructs. I’m going to enjoy life with my wife, whom I love, all the days God has given me under the sun—for this, according to the writer, is my lot in life.” His mouth curved upward. “And oh, it is a good lot. The lines have certainly fallen for me in pleasant places. What a delightful inheritance I have.”
Author’s Note
I hope you enjoyed reading A Time to Laugh. If you did, please consider leaving a short review on Amazon or Goodreads. Positive reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations count as they honor an author and help other readers to find quality Christian fiction to read.
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Dancing in the Rain received an Honorable Mention in the Romance winners of the 2015 Storming the Short Story Dance Edition contest, hosted by The Woodlands (Texas) chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and was first published in 2016 in the Dancing Up A Storm Anthology of 9 Christian Short Stories.
Their outdoor wedding planned for the middle of Africa’s rainy summer, chances are it’ll pour on Mirabelle Kelly’s bridal parade—after all, she is marrying Noah Raines. To make matters worse, the African Rain Queen, Modjadji, is invited to the wedding. Mirabelle must shun her superstitions and place her faith in the one who really controls the weather.
About Marion Ueckermann
A Novel Place to Fall in Love
USA Today bestselling author, MARION UECKERMANN’s passion for writing was sparked when she moved to Ireland with her family. Her love of travel has influenced her contemporary inspirational romances set in novel places. Marion and her husband again live in South Africa, but with two gorgeous grandsons hanging their hats at the house next door, their empty nest’s no longer so empty.
Please visit Marion’s website for more of her books:
www.marionueckermann.net
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Readers who have read A Time to Laugh will also enjoy the modern-day take on the Bible story of Adam and Eve in Helsinki Sunrise.
On an impro
mptu trip to her family’s secluded summer cottage, the last thing Eveliina Mikkola expected to find was a missionary from the other side of the world—in her sauna.
Adam Carter, however, is not about to leave.
Can he resist her temptations?
Can she withstand his prayers?
Other Titles by Marion Ueckermann
HEART OF AFRICA
Orphaned Hearts
The Other You
HEART OF CHRISTMAS
Poles Apart
Ginger & Brad’s House
HEART OF ENGLAND
SEVEN SUITORS FOR SEVEN SISTERS
A Match for Magnolia (Book 1)
A Romance for Rose (Book 2)
A Hero for Heather (Book 3)
A Husband for Holly (Book 4)
HEART OF IRELAND
Spring’s Promise
HEART OF AUSTRALIA
Melbourne Memories
Purchase link to all titles
A TIME TO LAUGH
Under the Sun ~ Book 1
© 2017 by Marion Clair Ueckermann
This book is a work of fiction set in a real location. Any reference to historical or contemporary figures, places, or events, whether fictional or actual, is a fictional representation. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
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Love at First Laugh: Eight Romantic Novellas Filled with Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After Page 79