Somewhere Between Black and White (22 page)

Once Sam began singing, if that’s what you
could call it, she breathed the tiniest bit easier, realizing that maybe she
wouldn’t have to participate. One by one, a few more students jumped into the
performance, and when the song reached the main chorus, they joined their
voices with Sam’s.

Now that it was apparent she was only to
be a spectator, Sophie could fully enjoy this most thoughtful and charming
gesture. God bless him, Sam’s singing was truly awful. Worse than hers, if that
was even possible, but this whole thing was scoring him some serious points.
She covered her mouth and giggled, aware that everyone in the place was watching
her reaction. She was touched to see Ian filming the whole rendition, a memento
she was sure to treasure forever.

When the performance came to an end,
Sophie approached Sam, arms wide open, and planted a most appreciative kiss on
his lips. “Thank you. That was incredible! And
doubly
thank you for not
making me sing. You really had me worried there for a minute.”

Sam chuckled. “I love you, you know.”

“I love you, too.”

“Which is why. . . .” He took her hand
and got down on one knee. Girls nearby squealed with excitement, and there were
howls from the crowd when everyone saw what he was about to do. 

“What are you doing?” Sophie whispered.

“You know exactly what I’m doing,” he
said. “Sophie, I realize we haven’t known each other long, so if you’re not sure,
I understand.  But, it’s been long enough for me to know I want you in my life.
Forever.” The squealing girls wiped their eyes as he pulled a tiny box from his
pocket.

“Oh my God,” Sophie breathed.

“Will you marry me?”

The room held a collective breath,
waiting for a response.

This was crazy. They
hadn’t
known
each other long, but honestly, she could see herself with no one else. And who set
the rules on how long she had to know him anyway? And if you counted their past
lives, she whimsically reasoned, she had known him for quite some time. That
had to count for something. Although she had lived her life as a skeptic, she
would be hard-pressed to deny Sam’s significance in her life.

She nodded, still in shock that all this
was happening. “Uh-huh.”

The room exploded into cheers and
applause as Sam slipped the marquis-shaped stone on her finger. Then he wrapped
his arms about her waist and spun her around.

“Say something about Mr. Collins!” a
girl shouted, and the crowd clapped their encouragement.

“Oh!”  Sophie was startled by someone
shoving the microphone under her nose. She held the microphone with trembling
hands as she cleared her throat. “Well . . .” She tried to calm the quiver in
her voice as the room grew silent. “What can I tell you about Mr. Collins . . .
Sam.”

She hated speaking in front of people,
and wanted to make sure she didn’t say anything stupid, that her words were
worthy of him. “Ohhh.” She sighed, placing her hand on her stomach. “I didn’t
know this was coming.” Everyone laughed politely as her eyes met Sam’s.

“I am convinced,” she continued
confidently, “that Sam is the kindest, most patient, and quite frankly . . .
wisest
person I know.”

“I paid her to say that,” Sam joked.

Sophie gave him a wry smile. “Since I
met him, I think I’ve learned a lot about people . . . a lot about myself.”

She now recognized she had difficulty
controlling her assessments of others. Jumping to conclusions. Assuming she
knew the motives behind every human interaction. Especially when someone she
loved was being hurt. However, she was beginning to accept the possibility that
maybe there was a purpose behind it all, a
good
purpose, even behind the
strife. Maybe there wasn’t. But, maybe there
was
.

As Sam liked to say,
It’s all good
.
She was at least willing to consider it.

“Sam told me the reason we’re together
is that he’s gray, and I’m black and white, and so we complement each other.” Even
as he stood just a couple feet away, hands in his pockets, so unassuming, there
was still that gentle pull she continually felt in his presence. “I’m not really
the mushy, gushy type. And I know we’re not supposed to rely on anyone else to
make us happy, but no one brings me more happiness than you, Sam.”

There was a united, “
Awww
!” from
the room as Sophie sheepishly handed the microphone to someone nearby.

The music resumed. It took Sophie a few
seconds to recognize “As Time Goes By”
,
the same version that accompanied
their first time together. She swallowed hard as she looked at Sam, pulling her
lips inward to contain a joyous sob.

“So you think I’m wise, huh?” he asked
playfully.

Her chest heaved with emotion.  “How did
you get the kids to agree to Billie Holiday?
And
Captain and Tennille?”

Sam simply smiled as he took her hand
and wrapped his arm around her waist. Together, they gently swayed to the music.

“And I do,” she admitted. “I do think
you’re wise.”

“Ah, we’ll see how long that lasts,” he
teased. “Most people would just tell you I’m a wise
ass
.” 

“I can attest to the wise ass-ness as
well, but I can live with that.”

“Good.” Sam kissed her softly. “You may
think I’m wise, but I think I’m lucky.”

“Hmmm.” She raised an eyebrow. “You had
this entire evening wrapped up in a nice little bow, didn’t you?” She thought
she had been imagining things when she caught students staring at her at the
start of the evening. “I’ll be interested to see if you stay this charming in
the coming years.”

 “Ye of little faith!” He pulled her
closer, then added with a devilish grin, “You’ll see. I intend to charm the
pants off you. For a lifetime.”

Sophie laughed. “You and your velvety
choice of words.”

They gazed at one another in silence,
basking in celebration. The joy emanating from Sam was infectious, creating a
million little lightning bugs fluttering inside her chest, producing a light
she could almost see.

Sam reached up to touch one of her
curls, though fully absorbed in something besides her hair. It seemed as if he
were miles away. She wondered if that’s how she appeared the first time they
danced, when she had lost all sense of the present. 

A brief awareness flickered in Sam’s face.

“Hey. . . .” Sophie said.

“Yeah?” His eyes fell back to hers.

“What just happened there? You were kind
of out of it.”

“Nothing,” he answered amiably. “I was
just thinking . . . If we ever have a daughter, we should name her Natalie.”

About the Author

Shelly Hickman is a native of Las Vegas, where she
lives with her husband, two kids, and dog, Frankie. She graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts in 1990, and a Masters Degree in Elementary Education in 1998,
both degrees from UNLV. Having a love for technology, she teaches computer
applications to middle school students.

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