Someday we'll know
why I wasn't meant for you...
Grace stopped when she reached thebottom of the steps and sat down. She was exhausted and didn't realize it until that moment. All her anxiety was gone and so was her energy. She'd overcome all of her obstacles she faced that weekend and she was completely drained. She sighed as she heard footsteps. 'Wonder who that is? I hope it's Eli. I need a really nice hug.' Slowly she looked up and saw her grandmother's warm face smiling down at her.
"Can I sit down with you?" She asked.
"Sure Grandma. Have a seat. Let me help you."
Grace started to stand and help but her grandmother stopped her and said, "no child, I can sit down by myself. I am still able to sit on a step if I want to." She smiled at her granddaughter and said, "You look sad. Are you okay?"
Grace looked into her grandmother's eyes and missed the person she once was. "Yes Grandma, I'm okay."
"Wasn't there supposed to be a wedding today?" Grace sighed at her grandmother's question and could only see confusion in her grandmother's beautiful eyes.
"Yes, I was supposed to get married today but we didn't. I told him yesterday I could not marry him. I am in love with someone else and I wouldn't be happy with Geoff, the man I was going to marry." Grace wasn't certain she should try to explain she was in love with Eli. Her grandmother didn't always know who he was and it would confuse her even more.
Her grandmother looked into her eyes and for a moment, Grace thought she saw the haze clear. "I love you Gracie." She paused and Grace realized her moment had faded. She missed her grandmother but she was thankful to have had her back if even for the smallest of instants.
"I love you Grandma." Grace said and stood. She placed a hand on her grandmother's cheek and for an instant she saw a spark. "I'll talk to you later." Grace sighed and slowly walked to the kitchen. Aaron had been watching from the top of the stairs and smiled. He too missed her. Slowly he walked down the steps and sat beside his mother. The two sat and enjoyed the silence of love.
"Hey sweetheart. You okay?" Eli asked when she walked outside to find him. He had gone to their spot in the yard to wait for her. She walked to him and he opened his arms as she fell into him, completely done in mentally as well as physically.
"I'm okay. No, I'm tired. I am extremely tired. I didn't realize this weekend could take so much out of me. I think Philip will be home soon and I am not going to be able to talk to him and play with him." Grace sighed and yawned.
"Here, let's go. Come on, you are taking a nap with me in the garage. They don't like it I don't care. Okay, so I do care but I am not taking the time to go in there and tell them what we're doing so they don't go nuts thinking we took off again. We will be fully clothed and there will only be sleeping in my bed." Eli laughed as he and Grace walked to the garage to his room.
"You're bad Eli. No, let me change that. Your thoughts are bad. I am certain nothing else about you is bad. That could be another reason why I am so tired. Ahh, a bed." Grace fell onto the bed and felt Eli taking off her shoes. He sat down and took his own shoes off. He lay down and moved Grace so he was spooned against her back. She kissed his hand and he pulled the blanket over them. They were both almost instantly in a deep peaceful sleep.
inside the Sammler home
"Lil, they're fine. I will bet they are sound asleep. You saw how tired Grace looked earlier. Did you sleep last night at the slumber party?" Rick asked while massaging Lily's shoulders.
Lily sighed. "Yes, we slept a little. I did at least. I can't say whether Gracie did or not. Stop it. I know I have to stop calling her Gracie. You have told me enough times the last two months that it has sunk in. I just cannot seem to stop. She's my first born. She'll always have that special place in my heart. No, that does not mean I love her more than I lovemyotherchildren. There's simply an inexplicable bond between a mother and her first-born. I made plenty of mistakes with Grace. Too many mistakes. Rick, do you think our children will all end up happy, healthy, and lead wonderful lives? If they do, can we take any of the credit for how we raised them or have they done most of it all on their own?" Lily realized she was exhausted as well.
Rick wasn't sure he could find the words Lily needed to hear but he made an attempt. "Lily, we taught them what we could and we did our best raising them. We still have a long way to go with Philip but looking at how all our kids are today, I think we'll be okay with him too. They're good kids. They are honest and hopeful and have not let the tragedies of the world and the messes of our lives change any of that. They never gave up on anything. They each have their own strength and whether we gave that to them or they found it all on their own, it does not matter. I am grateful each morning when I wake up and realize I have such great kids. Okay, so they have had some major problems but we all worked through them, right? Yes. Now lean back and let's take a lesson from our kids and take a nice peaceful nap in one another's arms. I love you Lil." Rick smiled and passionately kissed his wife as she found herself giving in and losing herself in her husband and his love.
Jessie and Zoe were in the kitchen searching the cabinets for food. "Okay, I'm hungry. Why is it that Mom found all this food for breakfast this morning and now we cannot find a thing to snack on?" Zoe was getting ready to look for a stepstool to search above the fridge when Jessie stopped her.
"Zo, what are you doing? Didn't you go to the store the other day? Where's your stash?"
"I ate it."
"You ate it? You already ate every last crumb of what you and Eli bought? Girl, you are funny." Jessie thought a moment and realized her brother probably had his own stash of food hiding in the garage. "He and Grace are in the garage aren't they?"
Zoe looked at her stepsister as if she had lost her mind and said, "No, I am not going up there. I know exactly what you're thinking and I know there's food up there but I am not, I repeat NOT going up there. No matter how hungry I may be right now. No Jess, what if they're doing something?" Zoe sighed as Jessie's smile grew. "Alright then. Let's go."
The two quietly made their way to the door and started to giggle. "Sshh, we're going to wake them up if they're actually sleeping. Wait, I don't hear any sounds."
"And Zo, that would be a good sign. You do not want to hear any sounds. Now, before we actually open the door and go in, we need a plan. We need to figure out where he's going to keep the food and we need to get there as quickly and as quietly as possible. He's a sound sleeper so that is another bonus for us. I forget, is Grace a light sleeper?" Jessie whispered.
"Yes. No. I don't know. How am I supposed to remember something like that when my growling stomach is so loud it's going to wake them up anyway?" Zoe put her hands across her stomach, looked down, and said, "Hush."
Jessie laughed and said, "Uh Zo that is not going to help keep your tummy quiet. The only thing that could help is Eli's food. Now, plan." Jessie thought a moment and said, "knowing him, it's out in the open on his bookcase or somewhere like that. Oh, he probably has it on the floor right by his bed. Oh no, wonder if he took it last night to Jake's? I cannot believe we ate all that food we had last night! We were such pigs! Oh what? I am not completely over it and you know that but I am fine. Hungry and desperate but fine. The plan is we open the door, pray they're asleep, quietly go in and grab the stuff and run. Quietly run and quietly shut the door behind us. They will never know! Perfect." Jessie and Zoe were on a mission.
Jessie put her hand on the doorknob and slowly began opening the door. Zoe was fighting laughter so she looked away from Jessie. "Sssshhh Zoe, stop it." Jessie said and continued opening the door. She looked up and into the room and all she saw was a chest. Her brother's chest. "Damn."
"Yeah, damn is right. What are you two doing?" Eliwhispered as he pushed them out of the doorway and shut the door behind him. "I heard you talking out here. No, I am not a heavy sleeper anymore as of yesterday and yes, Grace apparently is. That answers two of your questions. As for the rest of it, no I did not take the food to Jake's last night but no you are not getting any of it either. You must be hungry to be brave enough to come up here knowing Grace and I were in there." Eli laughed. "Fine, here's some money now go get something to eat." Eli turned, shook his head, opened the door and softly shut it behind him. He lay back down beside Grace, wrapped his arms around her and fell back into a peaceful sleep.
"Well, that worked out better than we planned didn't it?" Jessie said with a laugh. The two got in Jessie's car and were on their way to the store. Things were working out for the Sammlers, Brooks, and Mannings.