Bill's Reaction – Chapter 38
Elizabeth had completely forgotten about Victoria's visit today until her mother had mentioned it. She chided herself because she had once again become so absorbed with the events of her own life, she forgot about the needs of others. She was truly pleased that Victoria had reached out to her. After all those years of self-imposed seclusion, it was a huge step for Victoria to initiate a visit.
Elizabeth felt better after her chat with her mother. What a blessing it was to have a mother in her life. She prayed she could be that and so much more to Little Jack. Of course, it was a different relationship, given that he was a boy.
She reflected again on how blessed she was to have both of her parents. No matter what she did, she knew her parents would support her, because they truly loved her. It may not seem like it at the time, but the love and support would be there. That's what good parents did – they provided support, direction and most importantly, unconditional love.
While she didn't enjoy being teased – especially when it came to Nathan – her parents' teasing normally would not have elicited such a negative response. So, what was really bothering Elizabeth?
Suddenly, a mental picture came to mind and it was not a joyous memory. She was standing in the schoolroom in Hope Valley with an excited Allie before her, inviting her to dinner. Allie had made a beautiful handmade invitation to invite her to share a meal with her family. Elizabeth, thinking of her own needs, had harshly turned the girl down.
It was true, she had been seeing Lucas at the time and it would not have been appropriate to have dinner with Nathan, even with the children present. However, Elizabeth now realized she had missed a wonderful opportunity to give back some of the love and security she had in her young life and make a difference in the life of a young, motherless girl. She winced as she selfishly realized she had abandoned Allie's needs for her own.
This memory left Elizabeth regretting she didn't try harder to foster a positive relationship with Allie, independent of Nathan. She could have asked Rosemary to babysit Little Jack and taken Allie out to dinner at the Café or they could have gone for a walk by the pond...so many opportunities missed. There had to be a way to protect her own reputation and be a role model to the young girl at the same time. How could she have been so thoughtless?
She finally fully understood Nathan's comment about taking Allie fishing – it was what Allie loved to do. Nathan was telling her, in his usual kind way, that Elizabeth would need to step out of her comfort zone to give of herself if there was a hope of reconciling with Allie.
With this understanding, Elizabeth was more committed than ever to finding peace with the teen. She prayed that Allie would give her the chance.
Allie was enjoying the time she spent with the Coulters', especially with Aunt Rosemary, as she had been asked to call her. It was less stuffy and lacked the formality of 'Mrs. Coulter.' It meant a lot for her to have Rosemary in her life. Someone not only to guide her and teach her life skills, but someone who also understood the struggles that came with being a Mountie's daughter.
Allie had some things she needed to discuss. She knew she could ask Aunt Rosemary anything and it would be held in confidence. Of that she was certain. However, Allie had decided she first wanted a man's opinion and since her dad wasn't here and she wasn't that close to Uncle Lee, no matter how fond she was of him, in her mind that left only one other man in town she was close enough to for her to reach out and ask her questions. Surely, he would have a good understanding of human behaviour. After all, he is a judge!
As Allie approached the Office of the Judge, she saw someone she didn't know exiting the building. Behind him, she heard Bill yell, "I'm a busy man and I don't have time to deal with your petty problems. Don't come back to see me without making an appointment FIRST!"
Bill chuckled as he watched the man run off. He had been bothered by new settlers from the next town over. They had no legal concerns at all; they were just pests who liked to bicker and complain. Without any legal issues at hand, he was not going to deal with discontents! If this is what progress was about, he wanted no part of it.
As he turned to go back into his office, he spied a nervous-looking Allie out of the corner of his eye. Turning around, he saw Allie looking at him with a puzzled look.
Bill asked, "What's the matter with you?"
"W-e-l-l, I was coming to see you, but I don't have an appointment. Since you don't have a secretary, how does one make an appointment with you, unless they get arrested?" Allie asked, inquisitively.
Bill laughed heartily and replied, "Allie-girl, for you I'll always make an exception! How may I help you?"
Allie's eyes danced when she realized he had used the same term of endearment for her as her uncle used.
"Judge Avery, I would like to ask you a question, if I may?" came the reply. Bill gestured her into his office. He shut the door, and answered her as he approached his desk and sat down behind it.
"First of all, we need to do something about this "Judge Avery" business. It is far too formal for my liking, but you're too young to call me by my first name; wouldn't be right." He pondered this for a minute.
Allie suggested, "Well, how about 'Uncle Bill'? You are family, after all. The Coulters have asked me to address them as 'aunt and uncle'."
Bill's face softened as he absorbed her words. Allie was surprised to see moistened eyes, "You know Allie," Bill said in a tender voice, "that is just about the nicest thing anyone has ever asked of me. I don't have much family of my own, so I would be proud to be your unofficial Uncle Bill." After blinking his eyes, he looked at Allie with a smile and continued, "Now that we have that out of the way, how may I help you, young lady?"
"Well Uncle Bill, it's about Mrs. Thornton. Remember Pastor Canfield's sermon on forgiveness?" Allie inquired.
Bill looked at her pointedly and replied, "I think just about everyone in Hope Valley remembers that sermon. I saw a lot of people reconcile with each other, even if the issue was a small one. It was one of Pastor Joseph's most powerful messages to date. Why do you ask?"
"Before he left, Uncle Nathan told me he and Mrs. Thornton spoke and he forgave her for everything she did and said. He wants me to forgive her too. I would like to, but I don't think I can ever trust her again."
To hear a young person speak that way about any adult worried Bill. In reality, he knew Allie had cause not to place any trust in her teacher. Bill thought this over and considered this from all angles before he cautiously responded.
"Mrs. Thornton made a mistake hurting you and I believe she knows it. Now she is trying to make amends for how she behaved." He stood and crossed the room. "This may sound like an odd statement for a person in my position to make, but it is not our job to judge each other. If someone sincerely asks for our forgiveness, we should forgive and move on. We show the grace of God to people like Mrs. Thornton." He hesitated. "The grace God showed each of us."
"Allie, you do need to forgive Mrs. Thornton. If not for her sake, then do it for yourself. When people are wronged by another and they don't forgive the person who wronged them, even if they don't ask for it, the offended person can become bitter and unhappy in life. They allow the person who wronged them to steal their joy and happiness. No one wants that kind of life for you, Allie." Bill thought for a moment before continuing, "In fact, that is how a lot of criminals start off – an inability to forgive someone. Does that help you at all?"
Allie sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, you have basically said the exact same thing as Uncle Nathan told me before he left."
Bill smirked at her and said, "Well Kiddo, your uncle and I have had a lot of experience dealing with people who won't forgive each other."
As he listened to what he said, Bill realized that Allie still referred to Nathan as her uncle. He decided to address it with her, "Um, Allie, I remember finalizing your adoption papers awhile ago; if you don't mind my asking, how come it is still 'Uncle Nathan'?"
Allie's eyes glossed over. She blinked the tears away, hoping that she wouldn't embarrass herself. Only when she felt in control of her emotions, she replied, "He never told me I could call him anything else, so I didn't. Maybe he regrets adopting me?"
Bill stared at her, not believing what he just heard. He aimed to correct that thought, immediately. "Oh, Allie. I can assure you, that is not the case. The day I told him the adoption was final and you were legally his daughter, he was as proud as a peacock! I think he's waiting for you to make the first move." Just like that, an idea popped into Bill's head, "Why don't you practice saying 'Dad' while he's still away and then, you'll be ready to greet him properly when he comes home from Hamilton?"
Allie's eyes were dancing, "Thanks, Uncle Bill. I'll do it! I will practice telling my dad that I am working on forgiving Mrs. Thornton." She smirked and said, "I'm glad we had this chat."
Thank you for the many, many prayers and kind comments during my absence. I also want to thank you all for your patience when I stepped back and attempted to find my 'new normal'. I had a couple of significant life issues hit me hard and they came, simultaneously - the worst of which was the unexpected loss of my cherished brother.
Much thanks to MamaBethany for her support during this time and for taking the time to beta read and make comments/suggestions.