I Promise (24 page)

Both Christy and Marti looked at Sierra, who was tucking a small strawberry into her mouth. Sierra
turned to talk to someone else. Her wild mane of unruly blond curls followed her.

“Honestly,” Marti said, “some of your friends are such . . .”

“Individuals?” Christy offered.

“Yes, individuals and uncontrollable.”

Christy smiled. “I like my friends that way. They're good for me.”

Even though Marti wasn't happy at the moment, she had worn a pleased expression when Christy and Todd had opened the last gift, which was from Bob and Marti. It was two place settings of china in the pattern Christy had selected weeks ago while shopping with Marti and her mom. Todd didn't seem too appreciative, but Christy knew what the gift cost and made sure she expressed her delight to her aunt.

She thanked Aunt Marti again when Todd and Christy were about to leave. “It was a wonderful shower.” Christy kissed Marti's cheek. “The food was delicious, and I love the china. Thank you so much for everything.”

“You sure you kids don't want to stay the night?” Bob asked. “It's pretty late for you to be driving.”

“I have to start work at seven in the morning,” Todd said. “I think we'll be okay. Thanks again for everything. Thanks, too, for letting us keep all the gifts here until we get our apartment.”

“No problem. Drive safely,” Bob replied.

“We will.”

“Bye.” Christy blew them a kiss and headed down
the sidewalk with Todd. She glanced above the house's roof and noticed a full moon gracing the deep night sky.

“We love you both,” Marti called out.

Then Christy saw her aunt slip her arm around Uncle Bob's waist and rest her head on his shoulder as she waved to them. The grin that lit up Uncle Bob's face was as bright as the full moon winking at Christy from the heavens above.

She winked back. It was a perfect night for relentless lovers to do their wooing.

Just as Christy and Todd reached their car, a wild war cry sounded. The party guests, who supposedly had left, came rushing at Todd and Christy from behind cars and bushes.

Todd grabbed Christy and tried to protect her from whatever kind of attack was coming their way. All around them Silly String rained down. Dozens of canisters went off at the same moment as their friends circled them, and each squirted two cans over Todd and Christy. The laughing and squealing filled the night air. Christy laughed at Todd, who responded like a zealous Scottish warrior, protecting Christy with one arm and fending off the volley of Silly String with the other. Brightly colored string covered the couple; their friends were gleefully victorious.

Todd decided on the way home that if that was the worst prank to be played on him, he had gotten off easy. During the month that followed, it appeared that was the case.

The day Christy donned her cap and gown and received her college diploma, she found a glob of fluorescent green and orange Silly String in her good pair of shoes. It was also the day she started to sneeze and to experience itching eyes and a dripping nose. Her graduation ceremony and the following celebration dinner with her extended family and friends turned out to be a repeat of Todd's graduation event, with most of the same people in attendance. Only at hers, Christy sneezed like crazy.

Marti suggested Christy might have allergies since she had never lived in that area before. Different pollens existed there than the ones Christy had been acclimated to in Escondido, Marti pointed out.

Her mother commented that Christy had dark circles under her eyes and asked if she wanted to go home that night.

“I think I'll stick with the original plan,” Christy said. “I'll stay in the dorm tonight and try to sleep in. Tomorrow I'll move all my things to Todd's apartment.”

“Our apartment,” Todd corrected her. They had secured a one-bedroom apartment in the same complex Rick lived in. Todd had moved his belongings over a few days ago, but Christy's handful of worldly possessions was still in her dorm room.

The past month had been a blur of writing papers, taking finals, working on last-minute wedding plans, interviewing for jobs, and never seeing Todd. If she had dark circles under her eyes, she knew she didn't need
to blame them on an allergy. But it was over. She had made it. Now she was a college graduate. It felt good. A little too smoothly orchestrated perhaps to be as memorable as she had thought it would be, but then, she had another major event looming ahead in nine short days.

“Okay, how about this plan,” Christy suggested to her mom as they left the restaurant. “I'll take some allergy medicine, get a good night's sleep in my dorm room, move my things into our apartment tomorrow morning, and then come home. You can baby me all you want.”

Her plan worked fairly well. The allergy medication helped her to sleep a full ten hours, which was a rare occurrence. She didn't wake up the next morning until after eight. Within two minutes she discovered the one night's dosage of allergy pills hadn't relieved her of the sneezing. At least she felt rested.

Katie returned from her morning shower and said, “Hey, sleeping beauty, what's on your schedule?”

Christy tried to say, “Katie, I'm getting married in eight days,” but her nose was so stuffed up the thought came out, “Katie, I'b gettin' barried in eight days.”

“Yes, you are,” Katie said with a laugh. “And aren't you going to be a lovely bride.”

“I'll be better by den.” Christy noticed her cap and gown hanging on the hook above her closet. It didn't seem as if she actually had graduated. The whole day had gone by so fast. She hoped her wedding day would
go more slowly and remain more memorable.

Classes were still going for those who hadn't graduated, and Katie pointed out she had to take a final. “Will you be here when I get back?”

“I don't know. Todd is going to borrow Matt's truck so we can take our lovely surfin' sofa to the apartment. I'm not sure when he's coming.”

“He called before I took my shower,” Katie said. “He said he wasn't coming because a painting job opened up this morning. He said he talked to Matt, and Matt can take your stuff over at ten.”

“That's some improvement,” Christy said with a sigh before blowing her nose. “At least he calls now.”

“Do you want me to go with you guys and help? I don't have to be at work until this afternoon.”

“That would be wonderful.”

“I'll meet you back here at ten,” Katie said.

“Thanks, Katie. I'll take a hot shower and try some more allergy medication.”

At 9:45 Sierra showed up. “Hi. How are you feeling?” Sierra held out a bottle of orange juice to Christy. “I saw Katie, and she said you weren't sounding very good.”

“Thanks for the juice. I think it's allergies,” Christy said. “Please don't tell my aunt. She enjoys it way too much when she's right. I'm feeling lots better now.”

“Do you need some help moving your things?” Sierra asked.

“That would be great. Matt should be here in a little
while. I have everything packed. When he comes, you can help us load his truck.”

Christy opened the orange juice and took a drink. “Are you getting excited about going to Brazil?”

“I think so,” Sierra said. “I still have finals to finish up. Not that you would know anything about that.”

“Oh, a little.”

“Is everything ready for your wedding?” Sierra asked.

“You know, amazingly enough, I think so. Everything on the list has been taken care of, thanks to my mom and my aunt. Todd and I finished our premarital counseling sessions, and they really were helpful. We got into the apartment we wanted, and everything should run like clockwork a week from tomorrow. We just have a few details about our future to work out, but we'll do that after the honeymoon.”

Just then the phone rang. It was Donna, Christy's boss from the campus bookstore.

“Oh good. I'm glad I caught you,” she said. “I wanted you to know that I have your final check here, in case you would like to stop by to pick it up today.”

“That would be great. Thanks, Donna.”

“Sure. And I have a question for you. This is a little out of the ordinary, I know, and you don't have to answer me right away. I'm resigning from the campus bookstore in two weeks.”

“Oh?”

“I was offered a position as the manager of another bookstore, and I've decided to take it. I need to hire an
assistant manager at my new job, and you were recommended by the owner.”

“I was?” Christy had placed her resume at several businesses around town, but she didn't think she had met any of the owners.

“My new position is at The Ark. Mrs. Doyle said you were good friends with her son. He runs the café next door.”

Christy felt like laughing. “Yes, we are good friends. I put in a resume there a month ago, but the manager said they were in transition.”

“I guess I'm part of the transition,” Donna said. “Think about it. Pray about it. I'd love to have you as my assistant manager.”

“Okay,” Christy said. “It would be perfect for me. But I couldn't start until after the first of June.”

“That's fine because I start on June first,” Donna said. “Let me know what you think. I'll see you at your wedding, if not before.”

“Thanks, Donna.”

“Sure.”

Christy turned to Sierra. “It looks like I have a job after we get back from our honeymoon. I was going to tell you, before the phone rang, that one of the unsettled details was that I didn't have a job. I think God took care of that in record time.”

“Hey, kids, how's it going?” Katie entered the room and tossed an apple at Christy. “This is for you, roomie. I worried about your taking allergy medicine on an empty stomach.”

“Thanks.”

“You guys ready to rock and roll?” Katie asked.

“Matt isn't here yet,” Christy said. “But guess what? It looks like I have a job.”

She told Katie the details while Katie stared at the boxes neatly stacked on Christy's side of the room.

“Don't leave me,” Katie said.

Sierra laughed. “Didn't you hear Christy? She just said she's going to work in the bookstore next to you. You guys will see each other every day.”

“We'll probably see each other more than we did this past semester,” Christy said.

“I know,” Katie said wistfully. “But at least stay in the dorm until I'm done next week, and we can move out together. This is too sad. Look at your side of the room. It's empty.”

“It went fast, didn't it?” Christy said.

Katie sat on the edge of her unmade bed, the bed that had gone unmade the entire school year except for the rare occasion when Christy convinced Katie to wash the sheets.

“Do you two remember the week before school started?” Sierra asked. “The three of us were sitting in here, telling each other our woes.”

“I remember,” Katie said. “It's been a full year.”

“It certainly has,” Christy agreed.

“You know what?” Sierra said. “I think we should pray.”

“Good idea,” Christy said.

The three friends stood in a close circle and looped
their arms over each other's shoulders. They prayed sweet, rich words of thankfulness and bold requests for God's future blessings.

When they finished, Christy said, “I love you both. You know that, don't you?”

A tentative knock sounded on their door. Katie let in Matt and in a melancholy voice said, “I guess this is it. Go ahead, Matt. Take her stuff. I always knew she loved Todd more than she loved me.”

18
Matt went to work clearing Christy's dorm room like the strong, steady farm boy he was. Christy, Katie, and Sierra carried Christy's boxes out to the curb while he wrestled the surfin' sofa into the back of his truck. Katie led the way to the apartment in Baby Hummer, and for the first time, Christy unlocked the front door with her very own key.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she peered inside. Todd should have been there to carry her over the threshold or something. Instead, she was standing with her friends, staring into an empty apartment. Christy realized she had created a fantasy of what she thought her first home with Todd would be like. In her dreams, it was a cottage with a fireplace and flowers all in a row along the walkway.

“Where do you want this stuff?” Katie asked.

“Anywhere,” Christy said. “There's plenty of room.”

It took them only two trips to empty the truck. Matt adjusted the surfin' sofa in the middle of the living
room and said he needed to get back to school to finish a paper.

“Thanks so much,” Christy said.

“I'll see you next Saturday,” he said.

“I'm going to go back with him.” Sierra gave Christy a hug. “I'll email you from Brazil.”

“I'll email back,” Christy promised.