Finding a Soul Mate (Meant to be Together Book 1)

by Ally Richards

  Astounded by the ability of this young child, Mrs. Heather told her, “Artists usually put their name on their work, dear.”

  “I already did,” Anna replied. “Where did you write it?”

  “In the ice cubes,” Anna stated in a casual tone.

  Sure enough, Anna had darkened the edges of some of the ice cubes in a way that spelled out her name.

  “Simply incredible,” Mrs. Heather mumbled under her breath.

  ***

  Anna Cardozo was the daughter of Carmen and Arturo Cardozo. The middle of three children, she was born and raised in a small town in southern New Mexico.

  Anna’s grandmother lived with the family, and although it wasn’t apparent at a young age, Anna had inherited her grandmother’s sense of grace and beauty. She had also inherited her great-grandmother’s mathematical mind and high intelligence.

  As Anna’s mother was always busy working in their restaurant, she learned most of her values from her grandmother.

  Anna’s parents’ restaurant was located on the edge of town and everyone in the family worked there, especially in the winter. That’s when the snowbird tourists came to enjoy the flora and fauna of the warm, beautiful southwestern desert, escaping the cold of their northern homes. The restaurant earned the family an adequate living, but barely enough to get them through the slow summer season.

  Unlike her brother and sister, Anna loved learning. She couldn’t wait for the school year to start and was sad when it ended. She had many friends, until fifth grade when her friends discovered boys.

  The other girls were developing physically, but Anna’s physical development did not begin until her senior year of high school. She attained her adult height of five foot two in seventh grade.

  Her parents had taken her to the doctor and he assured them that nothing was wrong. “Some girls just develop later than others,” he’d told them.

  This knowledge didn’t prevent Anna from becoming the object of many mean-spirited jokes all through junior high and high school. At times, Anna became depressed and felt like an outcast.

  She developed the facility of doing things on her own to minimize the chance of being hurt, although, she was easily angered when teased about her underdeveloped body. Even in college, when she did start to develop a woman’s figure, she felt she was still treated like a little kid. Her own brother often referred to her as his skinny sister, calling her hermana flaca almost as often as he used her proper name.

  Anna couldn’t understand her now former friends’ fascination with boys, so she just concentrated on her schoolwork and became a great student. When boys tried to talk to her, she was always on the defensive, waiting for some remark about her shapeless body. The only date she went on in high school had been arranged by her parents.

  The local high school had purchased computers when Anna was a freshman. Anna immediately realized that the computer and the internet was a window to the world outside their small town. Her teacher had told her that computer programmers could earn an excellent living, and Anna thought that by having a well-paying career, she would never have to be dependent on anyone else.

  ***

  On Parents’ Day during Anna’s sophomore year, the mathematics instructor told her mother and father that Anna should attend university and study engineering. “Anna has the mathematical and scientific talent, plus the work ethic, to become an excellent electrical engineer,” he told them. “This is a career that will allow her to make a wonderful living for herself. I have a number of talented students in my classes, but Anna’s comprehension and ease of learning math and science, combined with her great passion for science, is far beyond any student I have had the honor to teach. With Anna’s abilities, you should definitely be planning to send her to college.”

  After a few more remarks about Anna’s scholastic prowess the instructor stated, “I’ve noticed that Anna has incredible artistic talent, as well.”

  “Yes,” Carmen told the teacher, “but it’s just fun for her. She doesn’t have a passion for it like she has for math and science.”

  While driving home after the conference, Arturo glanced at his wife. “Carmen, you know we can’t afford to send her to college.”

  “You heard what the teacher said, Arturo.”

  “I heard. It hurts me more than I can tell you. Of all our children, I’ve known for a long time that Anna was the only true student.”

  “I have a feeling that God will provide an answer for that,” Carmen Cardozo confidently told her husband. “I’m going to pray on it.”

  In a sarcastic voice, Arturo replied, “You do that, Carmen, and I’ll check my bank account to see if He’s made a deposit for Anna’s education.”

  Six-months later, God’s answer to Carmen’s prayers arrived, after a man from Texas had just purchased many acres of land adjacent to their restaurant. He was going to build a huge RV campground and construction workers began showing up from all over the country to develop the site. At lunchtime, many of them went over to the Cardozo’s restaurant for lunch.

  With the extra money from the construction workers, they added a lovely shaded patio, nearly doubling the capacity of the restaurant.

  When Anna asked her parents about money for university, they always told her the same thing, “You just worry about your grades. We’ll manage the rest.”

  Anna graduated third in her high school class, had amazing SAT scores, and she received a scholarship that paid most of her tuition. When she received her acceptance letter from the university, she couldn’t decide who was more excited—her mother or her father.

  Arturo decided to leave the restaurant for a few days while he, Carmen, Anna, and Anna’s grandmother, Perla, drove up to see the university campus.

  Upon their return, Carmen commented to one of her friends, “Other than the times when the kids were born, I don’t think I ever saw Arturo so happy. You know how tight fisted he is with money. When we went into the campus book store, he bought jackets, hats, bumper stickers, cups, pens, pennants, pencils, and t-shirts— everything with the university emblem. I couldn’t believe it. He even bought a poster with the university emblem to put in the entrance to our restaurant. Everyone’s going to know that Arturo’s daughter is attending university.”

  Her face turned slightly, thinking about Anna’s reaction. “My Anna on the other hand, just looked nervous the whole time we were there. She’s not even in university yet and she’s losing sleep worrying about being able to do the work. I was hoping that once she graduated from high school, she would be happier with herself. It hasn’t happened yet. I’m beginning to wonder if she will always be alone.”

  Her friend reassured her, telling Carmen that Anna would come around. Carmen smiled and nodded, yet she still had her doubts.

  ***

  When Anna talked to an advisor at the university, she realized she could double major in electrical engineering and software engineering, as many of the course requirements overlapped. She could finish her double major in nine semesters.

  She rarely came home, except at holidays. Sadly, there wasn’t much time to spend with family during those visits as they took place during the restaurant’s busiest times.

  Anna’s social life in college mirrored her social life in high school and she concluded that most relationships were just “messy” and time consuming, preferring to focus on her studies.

  Toward the end of her last semester, a number of corporations sent human resource personnel and engineers to visit the campus and conduct interviews with potential employees.

  Anna was a nervous wreck at each interview. She was certain that none of the companies would want someone who interviewed so poorly. However, within two-days, one of the companies asked Anna to fly to Seattle, Washington for additional interviews. They sent her airline tickets and paid for her hotel and meals.

  She was amazed that a company would do that for her. After the first-two interviews in Washington, Anna was shocked when she realized that the c
ompany was trying to make sure she liked them enough to ensure that she would come to work there.

  With Anna’s scholastic record, and obvious intelligence, she was given a job offer before she went home. She would start work in early March, giving her enough time to visit home after graduation and arrange to have her things moved to an apartment in Seattle.

  Anna’s parents were proud of their daughter, but they seemed sad too, as they realized that Seattle was a long way from southern New Mexico.

  Chapter Two ~ Ruth and Oliver

  TWO-YEARS AFTER RUTH Case received her master’s degree, she found a teaching position at the University in Seattle. Ruth taught Russian, Italian, and Mandarin Chinese. She felt lucky that at twenty-six years-of-age she had found a teaching position at the university level. She thought that teaching language in a university setting was great, as the students tend to be more motivated than high school students are.

  One morning, Ruth went out to find that her car wouldn’t start. She called her department head to let her know she would be late. When she came back out, a guy was standing next to the front of her car. He had blonde hair, very bright blue eyes, and a slim build. He looked like he was about Ruth’s age and was a bit taller than she was.

  “Hit the key again, miss,” he told Ruth.

  She did, but the car just made a clicking noise. “I’ve got cables in my car. I’ll jump it for you.”

  He opened the hood of the car. “Your negative battery cable is loose. I’ll get a wrench and tighten it.” And off he went.

  He returned with a small wrench, which he used to tighten the cable. Ruth turned the key and the car started immediately. She

  thanked him for helping her and let him know that her university students would be thankful for his efforts.

  “It’s my pleasure.” He smiled warmly.

  That evening Ruth decided to study outside by the apartment complex’s swimming pool. She donned a bikini with a very sheer shirt, which did little to hide her more-than-ample curves.

  It was a warm evening, and many people were sitting around the pool. Many of them were highly-educated engineers, living in the apartment complex, who worked for a nearby software company.

  “How’s your car running?” It was the man from earlier in the day. He wore a t-shirt and swimming suit on his slim body. He sat down next to Ruth. “I’m Oliver.”

  “It’s running fine, thank you. I’m Ruth.” “What are you reading?” he asked.

  “I am preparing an exam for my classes. I teach Russian, Italian, and Chinese languages at the University.”

  “Speaking a foreign language must be neat. I speak English and diesel.” He chuckled.

  “You speak diesel?”

  Through a wide grin he said, “I’m a mechanic. I work on over- the-road diesel-engine trucks.”

  “It must be very nice to work with your hands all day, I’m sure.” Ruth smiled, but inside she thought, Drat.

  She had worked very hard to have an intellectual career so she could interact with intelligent and highly-educated acquaintances. She was disappointed that the first guy who talked to her, other than married colleagues, was someone who worked with his hands for a living. Some girls have good luck meeting guys and some have bad luck—Ruth thought she fell in the no-luck category.

  “I’m having some friends over to my place Friday night,” Oliver said. “Maybe you’d like to join us. We’re getting a keg of beer, so it should be a good time.”

  “Thank you, but no. Drinking isn’t my idea of entertainment, so I wouldn’t be much fun at your get-together.”

  He looked disappointed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Well, you wouldn’t have to drink,” Oliver offered.

  “I don’t tend to hang around people who smoke either.” “Oops,” Oliver said, putting out his cigarette. “Maybe some

  other time.”

  “I really don’t think so. I doubt that we have anything in common.”

  “I’m sorry to have bothered you. You seemed like a really nice person.”

  Oliver got up and walked away. After a number of steps, he looked back at Ruth with a sad expression on his face.

  She wondered what he’d meant by “seemed” like a nice person. Was that diesel mechanic judging her? He didn’t have the slightest idea who she was. Ruth had worked hard to progress to an intellectual level which that diesel mechanic clown could only dream about. She wondered how a drinking, smoking, diesel mechanic thought he could judge her.

  When Ruth mentioned the incident to one of her colleagues, they had a good laugh that a mere diesel mechanic would have the nerve to ask Ruth to a beer party.

  About four-weeks-later Ruth saw Oliver sitting at a Starbucks late in the day, latte in hand, reading a rather large paperback book. He looked up and smiled at her.

  Deciding to be friendly, she approached him. “How was your party?”

  “It was nice. You might have liked it.”

  “What are you reading? Wait let me guess—a catalogue of engine repair tools?”

  The smile disappeared from his face. He stared at Ruth for a moment. “This is volume three of Shelby Foote’s series, The Civil War: A Narrative.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “Actually, you did mean to. And it worked. You’ve convinced me that you think I’m your intellectual inferior because I repair diesel engines for a living. Let me tell you something, Miss College Professor. Every time I fix an over-the-road truck, it puts some driver back on the road so he can continue to make a living for his family. I think the tool that a guy or gal uses to make a living is important. I’m the one who keeps that tool running properly and quickly repairs it when it breaks. I’m not working today because I was up all night replacing a burned piston on a husband and wife driving-team’s truck. Their trailer is loaded with organic produce. If I didn’t get them back on the road, all that produce would have spoiled and they wouldn’t get paid. One of my fellow mechanics and I tore that engine down and repaired it so they were on the road again at six o’clock this morning.”

  Oliver returned his gaze to his book. “Have a nice day.” He did not look back up, but started reading again.

  Ruth felt like every eye in the coffee shop was staring at her, judging her. Who did this jerk think he was? She got in line to order, but by the time she got to the counter, she was so aggravated she couldn’t remember what she wanted.

  As Ruth was leaving the coffee shop she received a call from her father. As agitated as she was, she couldn’t help but vent to him. After she told him what had happened, there was a long silence before he spoke.

  “I feel sorry for you, Ruth. It must be terrible to have to put up with these intellectual midgets. Head back over to your university and talk to your scholarly equals. I’m sure they’ll agree with you. Just don’t tell them that your own father has dirt under his fingernails from spending most of his life repairing aircraft engines. Although I’m quite sure you won’t—that fact must be awfully embarrassing for you.”

  “Dad, it’s not like—”

  “Shut up, Ruth,” her father shouted. “You’ve been an intellectual snob since high school. Your university education has only made it worse. Before you call me again, you go back and apologize to that young man. I mean sincerely apologize to him.” Then he hung up on her.

  Ruth’s dad had never done anything like that before. She was shaken up and went home as quickly as she could. When she got into her apartment, Ruth closed the door and collapsed into a sitting position on the floor. She cried her eyes out, thinking she had become so insensitive that her beloved father would call her an intellectual snob.

  The worst part was he was right. She had been so blinded by conceit that she didn’t even realize that while insulting Oliver, she was also insulting her father. Surrounded by colleagues in academia, they continually reminded each other how intellectually superior they were to the rest of the world.

  What absolute hogwash!

  Ruth realized
she really would have to sincerely apologize to Oliver. It took her a few hours to get composed, and then she showered and changed into a lovely top and slacks. She checked the apartment complex list to find his apartment number, then walked over and knocked on his door.

  He opened the door wearing denim cutoffs and a skeptical expression. “Yes?”

  Humbly, Ruth lowered her eyes. “Oliver, I want to apologize for my behavior at the coffee shop this morning—and the pool the other day. It was absolutely inexcusable.”

  “Thank you. Apology accepted.” He stared at her for a moment, as if considering something. “Would you like to come in?” Although she still had nothing in common with Oliver, Ruth thought it would be best to accept. Upon entering his apartment, she noticed many large maps on the floor and on the dining room

  table. “What are all these?” she asked.

  Oliver’s eyes perked up as if she had hit on something important to him. “They’re maps of various battles fought during the Civil War. I like learning about the Civil War. It’s been a hobby of mine since I visited Gettysburg four years ago.”

  He walked over to the map that was laid out gingerly on his table. “A cousin of mine was in Louisiana at a used book store and he found this map and sent it to me. It has indications that it was drawn by a confederate general named E. B. Stuart, or someone on his staff. One of the history professors from the University is coming over shortly to help me verify if it’s real. It’s really in fragile condition. Once I realized how valuable it might be, I’ve only touched it with cotton-gloved hands.”

  “That would be quite a find, if it turns out to be real,” she told

  him.

  “If it is real, I’m going to give it to a museum.” Oliver beamed.

  “This should be available for everyone to see. There’s also a good chance that it’s a fake. The world seems to be awash in fake Civil War documents—would you like something to drink? I mean, non- alcoholic, of course.”