-----------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7 – Matched Set

------------------------------------------------------------------

Joan headed home and keeping in line with God's suggestion, she finished her homework before dinner. The rest of Giradi family was all occupied with their own personal tasks this evening and had headed out of the kitchen following dish duty to the four corners of the house. As Joan was folding the dish towel and hanging it up, she heard a knock on the back door. Rounding the corner and peeking through the window, she noticed it was Adam and opened the door.

"Adam, what are you doing here? I don't remember scheduling a study session with you and Grace this evening."

"Cha Jane, no I'm not here to study. I was wondering if you had some time this evening to talk."

"Yeah, I guess so. Where? Here?"

"Anywhere would be fine but maybe it'd be better if we went over to my shed so we um... don't get interrupted."

"Yeah, I understand parental units and siblings continually interrupting, first to make sure we're okay, and then to make sure that we don't need anything, and finally to inquire if our day went well, would ruin any chance for us to have a conversation."

"Will it be okay with your parents?"

"Shouldn't be a problem, I finished my homework before dinner and it's still early. Let me tell my Mom where I'm going."

Joan headed around the corner of the counter and off to locate her mom. Adam stood there in the hallway shuffling his feet and absently fiddling with the ring he wore on his left index finger. Joan came back through the kitchen just a minute later.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, Mom said it was fine. I just need to be back home by 9:00 cause it's a school night."

Joan turned and reached up to grab her coat down off of one of the series of hooks near the back door. As she did, Adam noticed the ring that she wore on her right index finger.

---------------------------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, Joan and Adam entered his shed and Adam cleared off the two stools so they could sit down. Joan noticed that Adam's sketch book was lying on the workbench next to where they sat.

"Okay, I'm here, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"A couple of things really, but mostly what happened today at school."

"Adam, don't worry about it. I can understand Iris wanting you to herself during lunch. She probably thinks Grace and I are in the way when she wants to talk to you."

"Yeah I did want to tell you I was sorry about that Jane, it was kinda rude of Iris and I wasn't much better just going off and following her like I did. I guess though that it was worth it cause she mentioned something to me that at first was pretty confusing but maybe now I can begin to make some sense out of it."

"Adam, you're being vague again and I am losing the direction of our conversation. What are you talking about?"

"Sorry. First, answer a question for me."

"No problem. What's the question?"

"Did you discuss a ring that you wear all the time with Iris last Friday?"

"Yeah, I did," she replied, holding out her right hand and continuing. "I accidentally caught my ring on my locker door when she was standing there and about ripped my finger off. She noticed my ring so I took it off to show her. Why do you ask, did she say something about it to you?"

"Yeah she did. Can I see it Jane?"

"Sure," she said taking the ring off and handing it to Adam.

Adam took the ring in his hand and though he already knew what he would find when he looked closely at it, he held it up and looked inside to read the inscription.

"Jane, Iris wasn't real clear on where you got this ring, she said you mentioned finding it somewhere."

"Yeah that's right or well sort of right. I've had it for probably five months or so. I found it in a box of clutter that Sammy found in the storeroom at the bookstore. He didn't want to sort through all of the stuff, so he gave the box to me. I took it home and sorted through it but the only thing of any interest in the box was the ring. I had always meant to ask Sammy about where it might have come from, but I never did. I doubt he'd know anyway. You know, come to think of it, you were in the store that day. I think you bought a book on sculpture or something."

After handing Jane's ring back to her, Adam looked up at her and reached for his sketch book.

"Jane, I want you to take a look at something in my sketch book."

"Sure Adam," she replied taking the book from him.

"It's on the last used page there in the book. It was part of the class work we did today in school."

Joan flipped open the book and turned the pages, trying not to get drawn into admiring the other sketches it contained. Adam really was an excellent artist. Finally she reached the last page and was surprised to see the scroll work pattern from her ring drawn on the page.

"Adam, did you draw this today?"

"Cha Jane."

"That's just too freaky Adam. I've never seen this pattern anywhere else except on my ring. Not to sound like my Mom or anything but, what was your 'inspiration' for developing the pattern?"

"A ring."

"A ring? But, you just asked me about my ring a minute ago. I don't ever recall showing it to you before."

"Jane, I said 'a ring', not 'your ring'."

"Yeah you did say that. What have you seen another one like it somewhere?"

"Cha Jane."

"Where?"

"Right here."

Joan looked at Adam and was surprised to watch him pull a ring off of his left index finger and hand it to her.

"Adam? Is it the same? I mean does it have the same inscription and everything."

"Yeah, it does."

"Where did you get it?"

"I found it."

"Where? When?"

"It was in a box of junk that was pushed way back under that shelf over there. A few days after the art show I was out here cleaning up and I dropped something and it rolled under the shelf. When I went to pick up what I'd dropped, I found the box and then the ring."

"Adam, I repeat, this is pretty freaky."

"Yeah, I think so too Jane. I can't seem to put together all of the pieces and make them fit. I mean it has to be divine intervention or magic or something. How else could two friends independently find two identical rings amid separate boxes of junk weeks apart and then go on for a couple of months more and never notice that they are both wearing the same ring."

As Joan sat listening to Adam, she realized that it was time to tell Adam all about her conversations with God. She'd known all along that Adam would understand and accept what she told him, she'd just had never been sure how she would know that the time was right to tell him. Between the hints she had been getting from God lately and now the matching rings, she'd have to be completely ignorant to not realize that the time, the place and the person were right to share her secret.

"I think you got it right with your first suggestion."

"What? Divine intervention?"

"Yeah that's it."

"Why do you think that Jane?"

"Adam, I have a secret to tell you. It's * my * secret, the one I've had to keep all through the time we've known each other. It's finally time to share it with you."

"Really Jane? Are you sure?"

"This is one time Adam that I am completely and totally sure. You see..."

Adam sat there listening to all of the things Jane had to say. Not always understanding how it all seemed to fit together, but none the less believing that Jane was telling him the truth.

"...and then today God asked me to admit out loud to him and more so to myself how I really feel about you Adam. He also mentioned that there were other things that needed to be said out loud cause there was somebody ready to listen to what I had to say. I guess that's how I knew * really knew * that it was time to tell you all of it."

"Jane, it's a lot to take in all at once, so I'm likely to have some more questions after I think about it some more, but for right now I only have one."

"What's that Adam?"

"When you told God how you felt about me, and you admitted it to yourself, what did you say?"

"Well, I'll tell you that as well, because at this point I've told you my biggest secret, so there would be no point in keeping anything else from you. But, please, before I do tell you, understand that I accept that you are with Iris now. My * only * concern is that you are happy Adam. Happy with who you choose to be with and happy in your life in general. If being with Iris makes you happy, then I can accept that and I will deal with the rest as I need to."

"Jane..."

"No, please don't interrupt me Adam. If you do, I will likely lose my nerve to say this.....You see, Adam, I love you. I believe that I have for quite a while, it just took me an awfully long time to understand that all my insecurities and questions about being part of a 'couple' really were groundless. I'm sorry if I made you feel as if I didn't see you in a 'couple' kind of way, if I did I really never meant to. It was just that after losing your friendship, then gaining it back, I found that it was too important to me to lose it again and given my other secret, I was sure something would arise that would work to pull us apart."

"Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I say something now?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I guess I'm doing all of the talking." Somewhat embarrassed to have been sharing her personal feelings about him when she knew he was with someone else, Jane looked down at the floor, hoping Adam would not notice.

"That's okay, what you've had to say has all been important, but I have a few things to say as well, and they are really as equally important."

Before continuing, Adam reached out and grasped Jane's hands in his. As he took her hands, Joan looked up, surprised a little to see a smile on Adam's face instead of a look of confusion or even worse, anger.

"Jane, you're making this much harder on yourself than it needs to be ya know. You see... I love you as well Jane. I have for nearly as long as we have known each other. As for Iris, she told me today that she was wasting her time with me, and come to think about it she probably was. I was never interested in developing a long term relationship with her, you see cause all I ever wanted was you."

"Adam? You love me?"

"Unchallenged."

Smiling, Adam urged Jane to stand up from her perch on the stool as he did the same and stepping closer; he slid his arms around her and drew her in for a kiss.