Chapter
4
Six weeks had passed and still no sign of Lee. Amanda glanced across the field at the scoreboard. She was sitting on one of the top bleachers next to Joe at Philip and Jamie's soccer game. Their team, the Thunderbolts, were up by 4, but she couldn't concentrate on the game. She kept thinking of Lee. She hadn't gotten a phone call from him or even received a letter. It was as if he had just vanished into thin air. Why hadn't he tried to get in touch with her? He couldn't still be angry with her after the fight. "Maybe something has happened to him," Amanda thought. The thought terrified her. "What if I never get to see him again?" A chill ran down her spine making her shiver.
Joe put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against him. "Are you cold?" he asked, misunderstanding the cause of her trembling.
Amanda looked up at him, giving him a sheepish smile. She was going to have to make sure that in the future she wasn't so obvious about her feelings. "Yes, just a little," she agreed. Well, it wasn't completely a lie. She was cold. On the inside.
Joe gently squeezed her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "Well, I think I have something that will warm you right up." Amanda looked into his eyes. There was something in them that was familiar and alarming. There was so much she was finding alarming these days, she couldn't possibly think straight.
About a week after Lee had left, Amanda started to feel like Lee may not have been imagining things. Joe did seem to be taking a big interest in her. The past several weeks, they had been spending a lot of time together. Joe had been coming to all of the boy's sporting events. He had hardly missed coming to dinner on any of the nights when he didn't have to work. He had even taken her out to dinner a few times. They were spending so much time together it was almost like they were married again. Married. Amanda swallowed a lump in her throat. Surely, Joe wasn't getting that serious. He had only been back a couple of months. But if he were thinking about it then it would explain a lot.
"Go, Jamie!" Joe yelled across the field. Amanda looked at the field just in time to see Jamie dodge one of the players on the other team and kick the ball into their goal for another point.
Amanda jumped up excitedly. "Way to go, Jamie!" She smiled down at Joe. "Did you see him? He scored a point!" She started clapping and was joined by several other excited parents, including Joe. The referee blew his whistle announcing that the game was over and the crowd got even louder. Amanda smiled proudly as she watched Jamie's teammates come up and congratulate him.
Amanda and Joe made their way down the bleachers with the rest of the crowd to where the Thunderbolts were wrapping up their team meeting. Philip and Jamie ran up to where they were standing. "Mom! Dad! Did you see that? I scored a goal!" Jamie beamed.
"Great job out there guys!" Joe said, giving them high fives.
"Yeah. Who knew Junior here could actually pull off a goal," Philip teased, nudging his brother in the arm.
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Well, I knew you could do it, sweetheart." She gave Jamie a pat on the back. She made sure not to make the mistake again of hugging him in public in front of all of his friends like she had done after the first game. "Now, you guys go over there and grab your snacks before they're all gone."
"Bobby Townsend invited us to go over to his house for pizza," Philip informed. "Can we go, mom?
"Yeah, mom. Can we go?" Jamie chimed in.
"Well, I don't see why not," Amanda shrugged. "What time will you be home?"
"Ten?" Philip asked, stretching his luck.
"Try again, Philip," Amanda frowned.
"Okay, nine." Philip agreed grudgingly.
"That's better. Now, I'll expect you two to behave. I don't want to hear any stories about you two shooting soda out of your noses."
"We'll behave, mom," Jamie assured her.
"Now, there's just one more thing." Amanda bent down and spread out her arms. "Give me a quick hug." Philip and Jamie hugged their mother quickly before anyone standing around could notice.
"See you later, dad," Philip said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Both boys were still trying to get use to having their father around and still weren't really sure how to act around him.
"Bye, dad," Jamie said, following Philip's lead. They both turned and ran off towards Mrs. Townsend's van.
Joe turned to Amanda. "Well, with your mother having dinner with Mr. Parker, I guess we have the evening all to ourselves." He put his arm around Amanda's shoulders again and they started walking towards Amanda's station wagon. "We could have a nice quiet dinner at the house. After that, I have something very important I was to discuss with you.
Amanda felt sudden pang of nervousness in her stomach. She looked up at him questioningly. "What did you want to talk about, Joe?"
"We'll talk about it over dinner." Joe opened the passenger door of the station wagon for her and she slid in. "I know this great recipe for ravioli that I am going to make for you. I know you'll love it." He closed the door and walked around the car. Amanda wasn't sure what this conversation was going to be about, but it was going to happen soon enough.
* * *
* *
"Well, what did you think?" Joe asked Amanda after they had finished their ravioli.
Amanda put her hand on her full stomach. "It was wonderful, Joe. Too wonderful. I ate way too much. Where did you learn to cook like that?" She removed her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table.
"A couple of years back, I met this great Italian cook who gave me a couple of his recipes. I admit, they didn't come out right the first couple of times, but I have worked on it and it is just about as good as he cooked it.
"I can't imagine it getting much better than that." Amanda was about to stand up to clean off the table, but Joe put his hand on hers stopping her."
"No, wait." Amanda looked at him questioningly. She was wondering when he was going to tell her what was on his mind. I guess now the time had arrived. And she wasn't feeling very comfortable about what he might say.
Joe cleared his throat before continuing. "I was going to wait until after we had cleaned up and everything, but I'm afraid that if I wait I might not be able to say this." He nervously cleared his throat again. "Amanda, I don't know about you, but for me these few weeks that I have been back have been really great."
"They have, haven't they?" Amanda agreed, picking up her glass of wine and taking a sip.
"Since I've been back, I have realized all of the things I have missed out on. Philip and Jamie have grown up so much since the last time I saw them. And you," he sighed, "And you, Amanda, are even more beautiful since the last time I saw you." Amanda felt her heart skip a beat. Joe reached over and took hand. "I love you, Amanda. I have always loved you. And I want to be with you." Amanda stared at him in shock. "I know it's a terrible thing to say, when I'm the one who left before, but that won't happen again. I want to be with you forever. I want you to marry me." Amanda stood up abruptly and turned away from him. "At least say something, Amanda," Joe said, looking at her back.
Amanda spun around and glared at him. "What do you want me to say? Oh yes, Joe. I knew some day we would be back together and be a family. Of course, I'll marry you." Amanda felt tears of frustration start to sting her eyes. "Then once we're the picture perfect family again, we'll move to Africa and you keep doing what you have always been doing. Making it so things are convenient for you and only you."
"No." Joe stood up from his chair and walked towards her.
"The boys have school, and are involved in sports with their friends, Joe," Amanda continued, not hearing him. "I'm not taking them away from that. And I have my job. A job which means a lot to me. I know you might not like the idea of it, but it is what I do and I'm not going to stop something that makes me happy."
"I'm not asking you to," Joe interjected. Amanda stopped and stared at him. "I don't want you or the boys to give up anything. It's time for me to be the one who gives up things for you. I told my boss at EAO, that I am not taking any more assignments out of the country. I will only continue to work for them if I can stay here." Joe took her hands in his. "I want to be here with my family, if you will give me the chance."
"I don't know if I can," Amanda said quietly.
"I know. All I'm asking is that you at least give me the chance." He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Just think about it. Will you do that? Please?"
Amanda nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll think about it."
"Thank you."
Six weeks had passed and still no sign of Lee. Amanda glanced across the field at the scoreboard. She was sitting on one of the top bleachers next to Joe at Philip and Jamie's soccer game. Their team, the Thunderbolts, were up by 4, but she couldn't concentrate on the game. She kept thinking of Lee. She hadn't gotten a phone call from him or even received a letter. It was as if he had just vanished into thin air. Why hadn't he tried to get in touch with her? He couldn't still be angry with her after the fight. "Maybe something has happened to him," Amanda thought. The thought terrified her. "What if I never get to see him again?" A chill ran down her spine making her shiver.
Joe put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against him. "Are you cold?" he asked, misunderstanding the cause of her trembling.
Amanda looked up at him, giving him a sheepish smile. She was going to have to make sure that in the future she wasn't so obvious about her feelings. "Yes, just a little," she agreed. Well, it wasn't completely a lie. She was cold. On the inside.
Joe gently squeezed her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "Well, I think I have something that will warm you right up." Amanda looked into his eyes. There was something in them that was familiar and alarming. There was so much she was finding alarming these days, she couldn't possibly think straight.
About a week after Lee had left, Amanda started to feel like Lee may not have been imagining things. Joe did seem to be taking a big interest in her. The past several weeks, they had been spending a lot of time together. Joe had been coming to all of the boy's sporting events. He had hardly missed coming to dinner on any of the nights when he didn't have to work. He had even taken her out to dinner a few times. They were spending so much time together it was almost like they were married again. Married. Amanda swallowed a lump in her throat. Surely, Joe wasn't getting that serious. He had only been back a couple of months. But if he were thinking about it then it would explain a lot.
"Go, Jamie!" Joe yelled across the field. Amanda looked at the field just in time to see Jamie dodge one of the players on the other team and kick the ball into their goal for another point.
Amanda jumped up excitedly. "Way to go, Jamie!" She smiled down at Joe. "Did you see him? He scored a point!" She started clapping and was joined by several other excited parents, including Joe. The referee blew his whistle announcing that the game was over and the crowd got even louder. Amanda smiled proudly as she watched Jamie's teammates come up and congratulate him.
Amanda and Joe made their way down the bleachers with the rest of the crowd to where the Thunderbolts were wrapping up their team meeting. Philip and Jamie ran up to where they were standing. "Mom! Dad! Did you see that? I scored a goal!" Jamie beamed.
"Great job out there guys!" Joe said, giving them high fives.
"Yeah. Who knew Junior here could actually pull off a goal," Philip teased, nudging his brother in the arm.
Amanda rolled her eyes. "Well, I knew you could do it, sweetheart." She gave Jamie a pat on the back. She made sure not to make the mistake again of hugging him in public in front of all of his friends like she had done after the first game. "Now, you guys go over there and grab your snacks before they're all gone."
"Bobby Townsend invited us to go over to his house for pizza," Philip informed. "Can we go, mom?
"Yeah, mom. Can we go?" Jamie chimed in.
"Well, I don't see why not," Amanda shrugged. "What time will you be home?"
"Ten?" Philip asked, stretching his luck.
"Try again, Philip," Amanda frowned.
"Okay, nine." Philip agreed grudgingly.
"That's better. Now, I'll expect you two to behave. I don't want to hear any stories about you two shooting soda out of your noses."
"We'll behave, mom," Jamie assured her.
"Now, there's just one more thing." Amanda bent down and spread out her arms. "Give me a quick hug." Philip and Jamie hugged their mother quickly before anyone standing around could notice.
"See you later, dad," Philip said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Both boys were still trying to get use to having their father around and still weren't really sure how to act around him.
"Bye, dad," Jamie said, following Philip's lead. They both turned and ran off towards Mrs. Townsend's van.
Joe turned to Amanda. "Well, with your mother having dinner with Mr. Parker, I guess we have the evening all to ourselves." He put his arm around Amanda's shoulders again and they started walking towards Amanda's station wagon. "We could have a nice quiet dinner at the house. After that, I have something very important I was to discuss with you.
Amanda felt sudden pang of nervousness in her stomach. She looked up at him questioningly. "What did you want to talk about, Joe?"
"We'll talk about it over dinner." Joe opened the passenger door of the station wagon for her and she slid in. "I know this great recipe for ravioli that I am going to make for you. I know you'll love it." He closed the door and walked around the car. Amanda wasn't sure what this conversation was going to be about, but it was going to happen soon enough.
* * *
* *
"Well, what did you think?" Joe asked Amanda after they had finished their ravioli.
Amanda put her hand on her full stomach. "It was wonderful, Joe. Too wonderful. I ate way too much. Where did you learn to cook like that?" She removed her napkin from her lap and placed it on the table.
"A couple of years back, I met this great Italian cook who gave me a couple of his recipes. I admit, they didn't come out right the first couple of times, but I have worked on it and it is just about as good as he cooked it.
"I can't imagine it getting much better than that." Amanda was about to stand up to clean off the table, but Joe put his hand on hers stopping her."
"No, wait." Amanda looked at him questioningly. She was wondering when he was going to tell her what was on his mind. I guess now the time had arrived. And she wasn't feeling very comfortable about what he might say.
Joe cleared his throat before continuing. "I was going to wait until after we had cleaned up and everything, but I'm afraid that if I wait I might not be able to say this." He nervously cleared his throat again. "Amanda, I don't know about you, but for me these few weeks that I have been back have been really great."
"They have, haven't they?" Amanda agreed, picking up her glass of wine and taking a sip.
"Since I've been back, I have realized all of the things I have missed out on. Philip and Jamie have grown up so much since the last time I saw them. And you," he sighed, "And you, Amanda, are even more beautiful since the last time I saw you." Amanda felt her heart skip a beat. Joe reached over and took hand. "I love you, Amanda. I have always loved you. And I want to be with you." Amanda stared at him in shock. "I know it's a terrible thing to say, when I'm the one who left before, but that won't happen again. I want to be with you forever. I want you to marry me." Amanda stood up abruptly and turned away from him. "At least say something, Amanda," Joe said, looking at her back.
Amanda spun around and glared at him. "What do you want me to say? Oh yes, Joe. I knew some day we would be back together and be a family. Of course, I'll marry you." Amanda felt tears of frustration start to sting her eyes. "Then once we're the picture perfect family again, we'll move to Africa and you keep doing what you have always been doing. Making it so things are convenient for you and only you."
"No." Joe stood up from his chair and walked towards her.
"The boys have school, and are involved in sports with their friends, Joe," Amanda continued, not hearing him. "I'm not taking them away from that. And I have my job. A job which means a lot to me. I know you might not like the idea of it, but it is what I do and I'm not going to stop something that makes me happy."
"I'm not asking you to," Joe interjected. Amanda stopped and stared at him. "I don't want you or the boys to give up anything. It's time for me to be the one who gives up things for you. I told my boss at EAO, that I am not taking any more assignments out of the country. I will only continue to work for them if I can stay here." Joe took her hands in his. "I want to be here with my family, if you will give me the chance."
"I don't know if I can," Amanda said quietly.
"I know. All I'm asking is that you at least give me the chance." He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Just think about it. Will you do that? Please?"
Amanda nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll think about it."
"Thank you."