Bamboo & Lace

by Lori Wick

  "Okay," Bailey told the newlyweds about five weeks later as she put Sarah into Lily's arms, "there's a bottle in the kitchen. She should take that before you put her down."

  "All right. Have fun."

  "Thank you. Peter, CeCe, come and kiss us goodbye."

  The children ran to their parents, who were headed out to dinner, and a few minutes later Gabe was giving horsey rides in the living room.

  When both children fell in a giggling mass to the carpet, Gabe asked, "Aren't you going to tell me not to get the kids all stirred up before bed?"

  Looking delightfully innocent, Lily said, "But, Gabe, I'll be busy with the baby. You'll have to get them calmed down for bed."

  His eyes telling her he was on to her, Gabe said, "We'll just see about that, Mrs. Kapaia."

  Lily barely managed not to smile before the children crawled back onto Gabe. The horse play went on until Celia was red in the

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  face and Gabe called it quits. It wasn't long before the children were to go to bed, so Gabe saw them into pajamas, supervised the brushing of teeth, and gathered them to either side of him for a story. Sarah was still in Lily's arms, and she sat on Peter's other side, listening to the story as well.

  "Do you want to have prayer time down here with Lily and Sarah or up in your beds?" the children's uncle asked.

  "Down here," they both voted, and what followed was a sweet time of listening to the children pray and then hearing Gabe praying for them. His petition included a plea that they would understand how much God loves them, that they would desire to serve Him always, and that they would have a wonderful night's sleep.

  After prayer time, Gabe gave them piggyback rides to bed and then gladly joined his wife on the sofa. Lily had found Sarah's bottle and was talking to the baby while she ate.

  "You're such a sweet girl," she said softly. "You need to drink the whole bottle, sweet Sarah, and sleep all night."

  Gabe put an arm around his wife and looked down at his niece.

  "Isn't she beautiful?" Lily asked.

  "Yes, she is. She looks like a miniature CeCe."

  "Who looks like a miniature Bailey," Lily added.

  The couple spent some time talking to each other and Sarah. Annika's upcoming visit to Jeff was mentioned before Gabe volunteered to take Sarah on his shoulder and rock her to sleep.

  "By the time we get one of our own," Gabe said as he cuddled Sarah close, kissing her downy, soft head, "we'll be old pros."

  "I think you're right."

  "I never did ask you what your father said when you told him we hoped to adopt from Kashien."

  Lily turned to look at Gabe but didn't really see him. "Lily?"

  She finally focused on her husband's face.

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  "I don't think I ever said anything, Gabe. I'm sure he knows we want to adopt, but Kashien never came up."

  "Oh." Gabe was surprised. He had assumed they'd spoken of it. "Will you mention it to him, or is there some reason you would rather not?"

  "No, none at all. I just didn't think of it. We received a letter from him yesterday, and I just have two more verses to go on that chapter I'm working on, so I'll ask him about it when I write back."

  "Be sure and let me know what he says."

  Sarah had fallen asleep in that brief time, and Gabe took her to the bassinet in her parents' room. He left Evan and Bailey's bedroom door open so they could hear if she woke before going back to Lily on the sofa. They turned the television on and started to watch a movie, but it wasn't often that they had the downstairs to themselves. It didn't take long before they were more interested in each other than the television.

  Bailey's voice probably sounded normal to her children, but Lily could tell she was having a hard time. Her tone was a little too bubbly, and she kept looking at Peter and then swiftly away.

  Breakfast was a merry feast of Peter's favorite foods, but at last it was time. Celia stayed with Lily, as both Evan and Bailey walked Peter out to the road so he could catch the bus for school this first day. Lily was working on the dishes when Bailey came back in, not bothering to hide her tears. Lily turned and watched as she sat at the kitchen table and cried.

  "He's so little," the torn mother whispered. "I can't stand it, Lily. He was so excited, but to me he just looked little and vulnerable."

  "Did Evan follow in the car like he planned?" "Yes. He said he would come right back and tell me, but I still feel awful."

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  The advice from the school was not to bring your child on the first day unless that was going to be their primary mode of transportation. The Markhams understood this, knowing that part of the school experience was the bus, but Bailey desperately wanted to know how Peter arrived. Evan had the idea of following in the car and simply watching from a distance.

  "I know what I have to do," Bailey proclaimed and stood.

  "What's that?"

  "Get to work. Get busy, play with Celia, something!" she said with a sniff. "Sitting around is pointless."

  Bailey began to walk from the room, but Lily's voice stopped her. She looked back.

  "Don't forget to add prayer to that list, Bailey, especially for Peter."

  Bailey bit her lip to keep from crying again, but she did thank Lily before going on her way.

  To Lily and Gabe's amazement, Annika looked like Lily She was slim with dark hair, and her eyes were a shade of brown-green. Lily had been rather nervous about meeting her, but when they arrived at Jeff's apartment and Lily saw that Annika was nervous too, all walls came down.

  "How was your flight?" Lily asked warmly. The men were making dinner.

  "It was fine. I've never been on a plane that long, but then I thought of your coming from Kashien and knew I had it easy."

  "You learn to sleep in a seat or bring a lot of books."

  "I read," Annika confirmed.

  The men came in just then with glasses of soda.

  "It's nice to be waited on," Lily told her husband, and he bent to kiss her. Lily then glanced at Jeff. He'd given Annika her glass and still hadn't taken his eyes from her. Annika was staying in a small hotel so she could be close by, and Lily knew that Jeff wanted to show Annika every square inch of the island before

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  she left, as well as introduce her to Gabe's family and all the church family. It was going to be a busy time.

  Lily found herself praying for her brother and the woman he loved. She didn't know Annika well enough to read her face, but looking into Jeff's love-filled eyes, she knew that if he had his way, Annika would never go back to California.

  "Are you busy?" Lily asked as she came to the doorway of Gabe's office just two weeks after Annika returned to California. The resort families had already started their time off, but Gabe had occasional business calls to make.

  "For you? Never."

  Lily smiled as she went in and sat in the chair across from his desk.

  "My lap would be more comfortable," he teased her invitingly. "I'm sure it would, but I've come on business." "Let me guess," Gabe teased again. "You want a golf cart of your own."

  Lily laughed and Gabe just watched her, still marveling that she was his.

  "What's up?" he finally asked.

  "Were you sincere about adopting a baby from Kashien?"

  "No," Gabe teased again. "I was kidding."

  Lily smiled but still waved a letter at him. "The day before my father got our letter, a baby girl had been left on the neighbors front porch. They already have five of their own and don't want her. My father wants to know if we do."

  Gabe could not believe what he'd just heard. For a moment he wasn't sure he could find enough air for his lungs. A baby girl was waiting for them in Kashien. Could it be true?

  Watching him, Lily realized for the first time what this meant to her husband. Lily had always had a plan: Even if she had never married, she would have adopted at least one child from

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  the village. Until Gabe had m
et her, he'd had no such options. He thought he would never be a father.

  Right now Lily watched as he slowly stood and came around to her. Lily stood to face him and watched as he searched her eyes.

  "You wouldn't kid me about this, would you, Lil?"

  "No, Gabe," she told him gently, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes and wishing she'd understood before. "Let me read to you what my father said.

  Lily, were you serious about a Kashienese baby? I know you have just married, but the day before your message arrived, a baby girl was left by Lanling Sanyi's door. She hasn't the ability to care for an additional child. I had just read your letter when I heard the news, and I asked her to keep the baby for the time being. If you are interested, you should get right back to me.

  Lily lowered the paper and looked at her husband. It was a huge step.

  "What do you think?" Gabe asked when she was done.

  Lily laughed. "I think I want her today, but I haven't looked into the savings account to see if we can even afford airline tickets, much less the cost of the adoption. Sarah is still using her bassinet, but we could probably borrow one. It's probably only fair that we discuss this with Evan and Bailey because it would certainly affect them as well." With that Lily ran out of practical thoughts. "What do you think?"

  "I'm stunned. I'm excited, but I'm also stunned. She would be ours, right, Lily? No one would come and take her back?"

  "No, that rarely happens as it is. But when the mother deserts the child, the authorities see it as a done deal."

  "Let's go find Evan and Bailey and see what they say."

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  Initially they didn't say anything. Gabe was still too stunned to talk about it coherently, so Lily had explained the situation. For a time Evan and Bailey just stared at them.

  "This baby was just left to starve?" Evan finally confirmed, his voice filled with pain.

  "Not exactly." Lily was still doing the talking. "She was left with a family. The mother knew that at least for the moment the baby would be cared for."

  "But this means you could have her?" Bailey asked in wonder, looking to her brother. "You would have your own baby, Gabe? Yours to keep?"

  "It looks that way."

  "Call the airlines," Bailey said, telling herself not to cry. "There's no one more perfect to take this baby than the two of you. Call right now and go get her."

  "You do understand, Bailey, what it will mean in this household?" Gabe had to check.

  "Don't worry about that," Evan said firmly. "Sarah could have been twins. Having two babies in the house is not a worry. Understanding whether this little girl has health problems or special needs or restrictions about leaving Kashien those are things to question, not whether we should have another baby in the house."

  With that, the Markhams began to question Lily about Kashienese adoptions. Even Gabe had some questions he had not thought of before. They talked for a solid hour before Evan grew practical again.

  "Okay, it's settled. Now what do you do?"

  "Write my father," Lily said, "and tell him we want to come."

  "What will he do?"

  "He'll inform the authorities."

  "And they'll listen to him?"

  "They always have in the past."

  "How often have babies been left in the village?"

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  "In the village, dozens of times, but my father is not always involved. Over the years he has been personally involved in probably 11 or 12 adoptions."

  "And what will his letter back to you say?"

  "One of two things. He'll either say to come as soon as we can or that the baby's been taken by another family."

  "Let's write to him now," Gabe said, not wanting to run ahead of God on this issue, but also ready to move forward as they were able.

  "Before you do that," Evan said, "let's pray."

  For Lily it was one of the sweetest moments of her married life. Celia wandered in and had to be hushed, but Evan prayed that God would direct and lead them. He asked God to help Gabe and Lily to hold this baby loosely so their hearts would not be broken, but also to expedite matters if this was the child for them.

  Gabe had tears in his eyes when they all looked up. Lily watched him, telling God what a wonderful father he would be, but still knowing that she needed to let God do His job. While she was still watching him, Gabe turned and smiled at her.

  "Let's write a letter."

  "So when will you know?" Harris Stringer asked after Gabe shared with the Bible study on Wednesday night. "When we hear back from Lily's father." "Does the mail take awhile?"

  "Well, we sent our letter two-day air, but that only gets it to Kashien swiftly, not necessarily to the village."

  "And what happens if he writes and tells you to come?" Barb asked this time.

  Gabe turned to his wife.

  "We book flights and make sure we have everything we need for the baby, but we keep that carefully packed away until we have her."

  "Why is that?"

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  "Because the Kashienese government will accept only cash," Lily answered. "If you're seen coming into the airport with a diaper bag and no baby, the wrong sort of person might figure out that you're there to adopt. Everyone knows that takes cash, and you might find yourself at knifepoint sometime after you leave the airport."

  Gabe had been aware of this, but he was certain that the shocked faces he was seeing around the room must have mirrored his own when Lily first told him.

  "And is it very expensive?"

  "Very."

  "We'll be praying," Harris assured them, something Gabe and Lily appreciated very much.

  As the next few days passed, Gabe learned some things about himself. Before Lily came with the letter from Owen, Gabe had been completely at rest, newly married and enjoying his time off. Now when he walked around the house, he found himself looking at it through the eyes of a father.

  And he wasn't the only one distracted by the possibilities. Each and every person he knew asked him the status of the baby the moment he saw them. It was as if nothing else in life mattered. That wasn't true, but it took a few days for Gabe to see this.

  The moment of realization came about a week after they had sent the letter to Owen. Gabe found Lily getting dressed in lightweight cotton pants and a yellow T-shirt.

  "Oh, you look nice," he said, coming to give her a kiss.

  "Thank you. We're only going to that little diner up the road, so I didn't want to be too dressed up."

  "We're eating out before we shop?" Gabe asked.

  Lily stopped and looked at him.

  "We're going shopping?" she asked.

  Gabe frowned. This was getting confusing.

  "Why don't you tell me what you're talking about."

  "Ana and I are having lunch today."

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  "I thought you and I were going shopping for some baby things."

  "Not today, Gabe. I told you yesterday morning about my lunch with Ana." "No, you didn't." "Yes, I did."

  Gabe shook his head, and Lily just stood there.

  "When did you tell me?" Gabe tried again.

  "At breakfast yesterday morning," Lily answered. "Do I need to cancel my lunch plans, Gabe? Is that what you wish me to do?"

  Her sweetness made him feel awful, which made him sound even more upset.

  "No, just go ahead."

  Still, Lily hesitated before asking, "Do you want to discuss it when I return?"

  "Yes, we'll do that," Gabe agreed, but clearly he wasn't happy.

  Lily went on her way feeling miserable about how unhappy her husband was. She was certain she had told him and honestly thought he'd been listening. She found herself praying for him and not just for herself.

  Lord, if I've been insensitive to Gabe's needs, help me to be more aware. And please help Gabe to see how much I want this baby, but also how desperately Ana needs You.

  "That was good." Ana sat back with a sigh. "How was yours?" "Delicious. I've
never eaten here before." "Oh, this is our favorite place."

  Lily wondered who the "our" was but didn't ask just then. "So do you miss Kashien?" Ana asked her. "I miss the people mostly. We just had some exciting news, though. We might be returning to adopt a baby girl." "From Kashien?"

  "Yes. We're waiting to hear from my father anytime." "Wow! I didn't know you could do that."

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  "The government rules and system of Kashien makes it one of the easier countries to adopt from."

  "I hope Nick and I have children someday." "Is that your husband?"

  "No, my boyfriend. We just moved in together."

  Lily had to stop herself from feeling regret over her own role in Ana's life. If the two of them had gotten together before now, would that have altered the younger woman's decision? Lily knew it was pointless to try to figure it out. After the first time they'd met, Lily had had no choice but to go home to Kashien.

  "My father's real upset about it," Ana went on conversationally. "But I don't think you can really know whether you love someone unless you live with him first."

  "I'm not sure I follow you," Lily said. "You're not sure if you love Nick?"

  "Not enough to marry him! I mean, marriage, that's a big deal."

  This was so diametrically opposed to the way Lily believed that it took a moment for her to respond. She did not want to censure this younger woman or put walls up between them, but Lily certainly did not agree. Another factor was that Ana had not invited her to comment on her situation. Lily knew she would have to go easy.

  "Do you not think a couple can decide to commit to each other for life?"

  "It's a pretty big step. I mean, I wouldn't buy a car without trying it out first."

  "Is that a good comparison, do you think? Husbands and cars?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I heard that somewhere one time and thought it was pretty funny."

  Lily was reminded how young Ana was. When they had originally met in the resort gift shop, Ana had just turned 18.

  "Did you and Gabe do it that way?" Ana suddenly asked. "I mean, live together?"

  "No, we didn't."

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  "Well, maybe you didn't live together, but you didn't wait for the wedding night, did you?"