“This is unbelievable!” Meredith went for the portable phone on the kitchen wall. She punched number three, and the phone speed dialed Shelly’s number.
Shelly answered on the second ring.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Meri said. “Guess what I got for my birthday?”
“Do you like it?” Shelly asked.
“Like it? Oh! You mean the leather case. Yes, I love it. Didn’t you get my message? Thank you so, so, so, so much, Shelly. It’s way too expensive, and you shouldn’t have, but I love it completely and will use it constantly. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Shelly said.
Meredith took a little breath and looked over at the massive blob on the floor. “Now guess what else I received for my birthday.”
“Let me see. A gift certificate to Penney’s?”
“You have no imagination at all, Shelly. Come on. Try to guess.”
“At least give me a clue. Who’s it from?”
Meredith knew her sister had little patience for guessing games. “It’s from Aunt Jane, and it came in a big box and is slumped on the floor in the living room right now. It comes with instructions.”
“From Aunt Jane? I can’t even begin to guess.”
“Shelly, she sent me a blow-up man.”
“A what?”
“A blow-up man. One of those life-sized plastic mannequins. Guard Man. I’m supposed to dress him up casual for afternoons around the house and formal for those snappy evenings out on the town. Can you believe this?”
Shelly was laughing so hard that Bob Two started to bark in the background. It took a minute before she could respond to Meredith. “That has to be the best gag gift ever!”
“She didn’t mean it as a gag gift.” Meredith moaned.
“Don’t you dare try to white elephant Mr. Guard Man! I want him there, in shorts, on the front porch the next time I come up for a visit.”
“In shorts?” Meredith repeated. “I can accommodate you there. That’s all Mr. Guard Man is wearing. White, painted-on boxer shorts.”
Shelly burst out laughing again. “Thank goodness for that! At least he’s modest.”
“What am I going to do with this guy?”
“Same thing you’ve always done with your boyfriends: Hide him when Mom and Dad come over.”
“Very funny.”
“They are coming over tonight, aren’t they?”
“No. I told them I had plans. Helen is coming into town with a client, and I’m fixing dinner for them.”
“You could play a hilarious joke on Helen,” Shelly said. “Get Guard Boy all dressed up and put him in the pantry. Then send Helen to the pantry for something, and he’ll scare her silly.”
Meredith liked the idea. Helen had a good sense of humor. She would like the joke. Of course, Meredith had no clue if the client would be a stuffy old coot or a timid young thing.
“You’re a genius,” Meri said. “When did you get so creative? One Guard Man in the pantry coming right up.”
“Call me tomorrow and tell me what happens,” Shelly said. “Oh, and by the way, you’ll never guess who’s going to have dinner with us tomorrow night.”
“I give up.” Meredith was too busy trying to figure out what clothes she had around for Mr. Guard Man to guess.
“The one and only Jacob Wilde,” Shelly said proudly.
Meredith’s heart and plans stopped.
“They have clearance to film his new movie here at the waterfall, and he’s coming to make the final arrangements with Jonathan. Is there anything you want me to tell him?”
“When does your matchmaking license expire?” Meri said. “You have to let this obsession go, Shelly.”
“I’ll tell him you say hi and you’re interested in hearing more about the film.”
That part was actually true. “What’s it about?” Meri asked.
“Kyle said it’s a children’s film that’s a remake of Pilgrim’s Progress with a Narnian twist, if that makes sense. Kyle is a big fan of Pilgrim’s Progress and has started a collection of the older volumes of the book. He read the screenplay a while ago, but I guess it needed some work. They hired some well-known guy to rewrite it, and now they’re working on filming it.”
“It sounds like a great project,” Meredith said calmly.
“Kyle’s behind the film a thousand percent. You really should come down this weekend, Meri. Not just to bump into Jake again; this is going to be fun. Come join in the adventure. We’re all pretty excited. Come down tonight. Can you call Helen and reschedule?”
“I don’t think I can do that. She’ll be here in two or three hours. Besides, I have the best trick in the world to play on her. I’m not going to let this one slip by.”
“Come tomorrow morning,” Shelly urged.
“I have too much work. I’ve been playing all day and haven’t done anything.”
“Well,” Shelly said slowly, “is there anything you want me to say to Jake? Any messages I can pass along?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to see him in a couple of weeks at a conference in Anaheim. I’d rather wait and try to start all over with him. I think the less said till then the better.”
“Okay. I’ll honor that.”
“You better.”
“I will.”
“Thanks again for the beautiful birthday present. It’s my second-favorite present so far.”
“What’s your favorite? Mr. Guard Man?”
“No, the gift certificate from J.C. Penney. Now I have money to outfit my new permanent houseguest.”
Chapter Twelve
You need what?” Jack, the director of Camp Autumn Brook, asked Meri. The camp bordered the property on which the Tulip Cottage sat, and every month Meredith paid her rent directly to the camp because the owner had recently deeded the cottage over to the conference center. Meredith had grown up at this camp, attending family camp and summer and winter conferences. She had helped Jack out more than once, and now it was his turn to do her a favor.
“Old clothes,” Meredith repeated her request. “Any old lost-and-found men’s clothes.”
“What are you doing? Making a scarecrow?” he asked.
“Yes,” Meri said with a giggle, “that’s exactly what I’m making. A scarecrow-man-thing.”
“Fine with me if you help yourself. You know where we keep all the lost and found, don’t you?”
“The shed behind the pool?” Meredith guessed.
Jack nodded. “It’s open; so go on in and help yourself. If anyone tries to stop you, tell him I said it was okay.”
Meredith didn’t see any other camp staff as she made her way to the shed behind the pool. Mounds of forgotten clothes and goods were heaped along the south side of the shed. It took her less than five minutes to find a complete outfit for Guard Man, including shoes, socks, and a New York Giants baseball cap. She had brought a Nordstroms shopping bag with her and had to control her giggles as she stole across the conference-center grounds back to her house, her posh shopping bag loaded with smelly camp clothes. Once inside and feeling “safe” again, Meredith set to work washing the soiled clothes, starting the salad for dinner, jumping into the shower, and then inflating Guard Man and outfitting him for the grand event. This was turning out to be a pretty fun birthday party after all. Then, because she didn’t want Elvis to feel left out, she went upstairs and brought her goldfish down to the coffee table, where he could be in the center of everything.
Elvis and Guard Man seemed to ignore each other. “At least I know you’re not the jealous type,” she said. “Either of you. We might be able to work out an agreeable arrangement here. You don’t snore, do you, Guard Man?”
The brunette mannequin with the backward baseball cap responded with a fixed gaze. Meredith reached over and made him shake his head.
“I didn’t think you did. What about chores? Can you sit over in that chair all day and keep it weighed down so it won’t slide across the floor in case of an earthquake?”
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Guard Man nodded his head, with a little help.
“Okay. Then as long as you never leave your toenail clippings on the carpet, it looks like we have a deal.”
Meredith took Guard Man’s hand and shook it.
“I am utterly, completely losing my mind,” she muttered. “It was bad enough when I talked to a pudgy-lipped fish all day, no offense, Elvis, but now look at me! I’m making deals with a certifiable airhead!” Meredith leaned over and took a closer look at her fish. “You don’t really have lips, do you? I take that pudgy-lips comment back.”
Meredith glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Yikes! Time to dress. You stay here and read the paper or something.” She positioned Guard Man in the easy chair and crossed his legs. Adjusting his shoulders so he didn’t look so stiff, Meredith placed the newspaper in his hands.
Curiosity tortured her until, despite her robe-and-slippers wardrobe, she ran outside and looked in the window from the driveway. “Amazing,” she murmured, in awe of Aunt Jane’s gift. “He does look real.”
Slipping back inside the cottage and rifling through her closet, Meredith settled on a slim black dress. It was basic but much more formal than Mr. Guard Man’s attire. Still, it was her birthday, and she could wear whatever she wanted. After weeks of shorts, jeans, and overalls as her daily career apparel, she wanted to wear a dress.
Helen always dressed nicely. She would most likely show up in a pants suit with a long jacket covering her ample backside. Helen’s cropped hair would be moussed in place, and she would wear big earrings. Her heels would be too high and impractical for the gravel driveway and the uneven boards on Meri’s front porch. But that didn’t matter. Helen would take off her shoes within ten minutes of her arrival, complaining about having walked too much that day. Then she would rub her soles on the carpet like a cat on a scratching post. That was Helen. The only feature open for speculation would be her hair. She changed hair color as often as she changed shoes.
Meredith hurried with her makeup and smoothed her hair to the side. She patted the flyaway ends into place as she gave her hair a quick spray and then shook her head to make the hair settle naturally.
Another look in the mirror prompted Meredith to examine herself more closely. She smiled, and fine lines scrunched around her eyes. “I’m getting wrinkles. Did you hear that, Guard Man? I’m getting wrinkles. I’m old today. Twenty-five. How old are you?”
He didn’t respond.
“Ah, the strong, silent type. I can respect that.” She scrutinized her outfit. “Boring. It needs something. A necklace? A scarf? What do I have?”
Meredith rarely wore earrings. Her ears weren’t pierced, and since she spent so much time on the phone, she was likely to leave one clip-on earring on her desk and then take off to the grocery store looking like a pirate.
The gold chain, the string of fake pearls, and the silk scarf she tried with the outfit made it look too formal. She settled on a long string of wooden beads and a thick wooden carved bracelet that toned down the sleeveless black dress and gave her more of an earthy look than a formal one.
Don’t want to outdress my Guard Man after all.
“How are you two doing in here?” Meredith asked, coming back into the living room, where Elvis and Guard Man remained exactly where she had left them. “Everybody happy? What do you think of the outfit?” She turned around. “No complaints? Good. Time to get some dinner going.”
Meri put on an apron and set to work, filling a big pot with water and placing it on the stove. She rinsed two bunches of fresh broccoli and prepared them for steaming. The linguine and fettuccine were ready to be cooked, and the mozzarella sticks were neatly lined up on a cookie sheet to pop into the oven at the last minute.
Meredith looked at the clock. It was 6:37, but there was no sign of Helen. Meri didn’t want to start anything until Helen arrived so it would all be fresh and hot. There was plenty of time to set a fancy table, or so it seemed. Meredith pulled her three place settings of good china from the top shelf of her cupboard. Three settings was all she had, but that’s all she needed. One for her, one for Helen, one for Helen’s client. Guard Man wouldn’t be eating with them tonight.
Guard Man! I almost forgot!
Meredith dashed into the living room and grabbed the dummy from the easy chair. She stuffed him into the tiny pantry and squeezed the door shut.
“There. Now take shallow breaths, and you won’t use up all the air. When Helen opens the door, you say, ‘Boo!’ ”
Meredith finished setting the table and even found a candle for the center. She pulled the small table out from the wall and angled it to the side so there was more room all around. It looked nice. All she needed were some flowers. No problem. The woods around her house were loaded. At least they had been a month ago. It might be harder to find them among the now-drooping grasses. But she knew some spots near the house were shaded by the great evergreens that filled the island. The sun probably hadn’t seared those spring beauties yet.
Venturing into the cool of the evening, Meredith picked up the hem of her apron and began to gather violets, lupine, and wild pansies. The air smelled warm and musky. It would probably rain tonight. A closing-in-of-the-clouds feeling settled on her like a shawl as she walked. Dirt stuck to the bottom of her clogs, and dried stalks of field flowers, now faded, brushed against her bare legs.
Overhead a phoebe bird wailed her evening cry, “Fee-bee, fee-bee.” It sounded to Meredith like the cry of a lonely soul, looking for its mate. “Fee-bee, fee-bee,” it cried with what Meri thought of as a frantic wail. The dusk ushered in the close of the day.
“Fee-bee,” Meredith whispered back. She sat down on an uneven, moldy stump and looked up at the sky streaked with pale, gray clouds. The sun wouldn’t set until almost nine. It would be a perfect night for a walk around the lake before the gathering clouds rained on her parade.
All was quiet.
Meredith drew in the scent of the rich earth around her and released her own “fee-bee” cry to God. “I know you’re here, Father. I know you love me deeply and intimately, but it’s not the same as being loved by another human. You know what I mean, don’t you? Of course you do. You know everything.”
A sudden flapping of wings sounded as a group of feathered friends took off out of the tree behind Meredith and headed for the lake. “I know I’m supposed to delight myself in you and you will give me the desires of my heart. And I do love you, God. I do. I’m learning how to delight myself in you. It’s just that I have this longing. What was that verse? ‘A longing fulfilled is a tree of life.’ ”
She lifted her chin and studied the trees surrounding her. A tree of life. What does that mean? It struck her that all around her was life. The trees were full of it. She spotted a woodpecker busily digging out his dinner. Two bushy-tailed squirrels chased each other across the limbs. Baby birds chirped persistently somewhere to the left of where she sat. These trees were full of life.
“I love my job; I love my house; I love everything you’ve done for me,” Meredith continued her prayer. “But I guess I want my days to be more full of life, you know? I want to share my days with someone who loves you and who loves me. I want my little ‘tree’ to be more full of life. Real life. Not just silent goldfish and posed inner tubes wearing camp clothes.”
Contentedly waiting for her whispers to be carried off on the evening breeze, Meredith sat still, gazing at the bouquet of wild flowers gathered in her lap.
She had underlined and pondered many verses over the years as she thought of them relating to her future spouse. She had even made a list of them and kept it in the back of her Bible. One of them was Proverbs 14:22, “Those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.” Another was Psalm 84:11, “No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Then the ever-popular Proverbs 3:5–6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
These and other bits of Scripture like Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you,” had formed her foundational philosophy of husband hunting while she was in college. It was easy to hold up her virtuous creed because she attended a small Christian college and most of the students at least gave lip service to the same philosophy. They all said they believed God was the one who brought two people together. Each person’s part was to wait on him and to do what Scripture told him or her to do.
Meredith still believed those core principles. But it was harder the older she became to remain convinced that this plan actually worked. She had talked about it once with Helen, who called herself “a nonpracticing Protestant who married a Jewish lawyer because I believe in the power of love.” Helen had merely laughed when Meredith told her she felt she was getting old.
“Herb and I were in our late thirties when we met,” Helen spouted. “It was the first time for love and marriage for both of us, and it’s been absolutely marvelous. You’re barely halfway there, girl! So cut out the old-maid bit and live your life merrily while you can still wear Spandex in public.”
Meredith meandered her way back to the front of the cottage. She still saw no sign of her dinner guests. Instead of going in, she did a quick check on the flower bed along the side of the house. There, waiting for her, were two late-blooming tulips, both a soft purple shade and only about six inches high. The daffodils were long gone. She had “dead headed” them a week ago, snapping off their dried-up blossoms and leaving the tall green stalks to wither on their own before she trimmed them away. That’s what Mom always did to her daffodils; so Meredith followed suit, even though she didn’t know why she was doing it.
What other things do I do in my life that are merely imitations of what I’ve watched someone else do? Is this theory of waiting for God’s best some kind of mindless mimicking of my peers who are now all happily married? Or is this mine? Do I really believe God has one perfect man for me?