Find Wonder in All Things - By Karen M. Cox Page 0,52
school and moved to a new city where he didn’t know anyone or anything. It just seemed so . . . reckless. I was afraid, I suppose, and then Mama said — ”
“You told Mama? What were you thinking?” Virginia’s eyes were round.
“Well I was planning to move away, so I had to tell them. Daddy was unhappy about it although he never really said that in so many words. But Mama, she didn’t hold back.”
“What did she say? I can’t imagine . . . ”
“The gist of it was that I was throwing myself away at eighteen, and if I left school I’d never go back and finish my degree. And that one day twenty years later, I’d be stuck on a mountain somewhere with five children and no prospects for anything better.”
Virginia winced. “Ouch. Did Dad hear that?”
“No, thank goodness.”
“I’ve never heard her speak that strong an opinion — about anything.”
“Me neither. That’s one of the reasons it worked. I listened to her instead of to James, and he never forgave me for it.”
“Now I feel guilty. I didn’t mean to make things awkward for you. I had no idea you two were that involved. Why didn’t you tell me all this when Stuart invited him to stay with us?”
“Well it was kind of late by the time I knew anything about it,” Laurel said with a sardonic smile. “Besides, he’s Stuart’s good friend. How could I deny you all a reunion with him? Just because of my mistake?” She fiddled with the box of tea bags.
Ginny reached over and covered her hand gently. “So it was a mistake? You loved him?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Laurel got up and walked over to the sink. “It doesn’t matter now. He probably hates me. He can barely stay in the same room with me. Not a very auspicious beginning for a reunion of two star-crossed lovers, is it?”
“Hate isn’t the opposite of love, Laurel,” Virginia said, using her quiet, big sister’s tone.
“It’s not?” Laurel replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“No, the opposite of love” — Virginia stood up and took her glass to the sink — “is indifference.”
Laurel leaned back against the counter, absorbing those words, remembering how he’d reacted to finding her on the roof of the houseboat. If indifference was the opposite of love, that episode certainly illustrated it. Virginia’s voice broke in on her thoughts.
“Well I best get back. Stuart will worry. He worries all the time now. It gets a bit annoying.”
Laurel grinned. Virginia was used to doing her own thing on her own schedule. A baby was undoubtedly going to change her life! “Yeah, I need to get some work done too. Gotta get ready for that Woodland Arts Festival this week.” She paused. “Virginia?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, I know. You’re always fine. I just wish you could be happy too.”
Laurel gave her a wistful smile but couldn’t think of a thing to say.
Virginia sighed. “Okay, I’ll mind my own business now.” She leaned over and kissed her quiet little sister’s cheek. “See you later, Sis.” Then she turned the opposite direction and headed out the front door.
Laurel sat down at the table and tried to concentrate on her art supply catalog, but restlessness overtook her. She tossed the catalog aside, and went out to her studio, getting out a lump of clay and dumping it on the potter’s wheel. As it turned and her hands worked the clay, she let her mind wander. Usually, pottery took her on a soothing journey, but reliving her history with James had left her unsettled, and instead, she traveled back in time to the conversation that had forged the direction of her life . . .
* * *
Laurel watched as her father stalked toward the front door of the house
“Where are you going, Walter?” Mrs. Elliot asked in agitation.
“To the marina.” His reply was terse, and he glared at Laurel as he went.
Once the door shut behind him, Mrs. Elliot turned on her daughter. “Now, look what you’ve done. You’ve upset your father.”
“I’m sorry he’s upset.”
“Well, I’m upset too.” Her mother went over to the sink and started on the breakfast dishes. “I knew it was a mistake letting that boy stay with you last winter. Your father should have run him off then, and we wouldn’t be dealing with this problem now.”
Laurel’s mouth gaped open. Her mother looked at her.
“Did you think we didn’t know? Did you think no one saw you