Find all the parts of this story here.
Chapter 6: Two Things Broken
Part 3: Sophie
Sophie stepped out of the plane with more eagerness than usual. Sitting for over three hours was surprisingly uncomfortable on her freshly-casted arm. She also hadn’t enjoyed the extra security screening earned by a bulky green cast. At least every time she looked at it, she had the encouragement of Sam’s smiley face doodle looking back at her.
She smiled wistfully, remembering his hug and their shared moment when he dropped her at the airport. After the day with his parents, he’d taken her out to a seafood restaurant in Madison. She had felt so special and fancy, clinging to his elbow. And then at the airport, he’d almost looked like he wanted to kiss her, but the moment had passed in a jostle of elbows and luggage. Maybe when she got home…
“Sophie!” she heard her dad’s voice booming above the airport noise and bustle. She looked around for him and quickly scurried his way.
“Hi, Dad,” she greeted him with a one-armed hug.
“Hi, sweetie-pie,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. She was tall for a girl, but her dad – let’s just say some of his plumbing jobs were downright awful for a man of his height.
“Do you have a suitcase?” he asked her.
“Yeah, my purple one,” she replied. They scanned the rotating carriage for barely a minute when her well-loved little bag rounded the bend. Her dad scooped it up, and she didn’t bother even thinking of protesting. Dad was a gentleman; he would always carry a lady’s bag, even if she had two working hands. With a broken wrist, you’d have to wrestle the suitcase away from him.
“You look tired, sweetie-pie,” he commented as he settled her in the passenger seat of his well-loved pickup truck, ‘Lane Plumbing’ emblazoned on the side in slightly faded orange letters. Nice that some things never changed.
“I am,” she admitted, then waited for him to climb in before continuing. “I got the cast after work on Wednesday. It’s heavier than I thought, which makes my shoulder hurt. The doctor told me I could wear the sling for 8 hours a day in four-hour chunks, then I had to keep the arm moving the rest of the time.”
Dad glowered like he’d prefer to disagree with some doctor’s medical expertise. “That so? And he paid no mind to how tiny you are, didn’t he?”
Oh, the fierce dad came climbing out. “I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about, Dad. If I keep using my arm, I’ll build muscle and keep blood flowing. It’s good in the end, just uncomfortable right now.”
“You seem skinny, sweetie-pie,” Dad frowned even further.
“I might have lost a little weight, yeah. But I’m still a healthy BMI. Doc checked that, too,” she assured him.
“Hmm,” was all Dad would say. Then, a minute later… “I’ll make you hamburgers.” Yup. Beef would cure what ailed her.
“That would be great,” she agreed. No sense arguing when, truly, her dad made some pretty delicious burgers.
“How are things with Sam?” Dad asked.
Sophie took a deep breath and released it slowly. Somehow, talking to her salt-of-the-earth dad made everything seem better. Simpler.
“He’s really nice, Dad. I like him,” she admitted.
“Like, hmm?”
“A lot,” she whispered.
Dad chuckled. “And he’s a good man, yes? Treating you with respect?”
“Yup. Holds the door, pulls out my chair at dinner, picks me up for dates, sits by me at church when he’s there – all the good things.”
“Did you pay attention to how he treats his mother? That says a lot about a man, you know.”
“So you’ve told me,” Sophie grinned. “He is very kind and respectful to her, even when she’s meddling in his affairs. He’s patient.”
Now Dad laughed again. “Meddling?”
“Oh, Dad. She’s like Mrs. Striker,” Sophie confessed. “I mean, she doesn’t do the whole purple hat thing, and has way better fashion sense, but the very first time she met me, she was pairing Sam and I off. He hadn’t even asked me out yet. It was so embarrassing.”
“Glad to hear Sam can be a kind and patient man even with her interfering. Keep an eye on that. Make sure he’s not hiding his true feelings now just to convince you to like him.”
“I highly doubt he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but I’ll keep an open mind,” she promised.
“Good girl,” Dad patted her leg. “Now catch me up on your work. Still doing that city project?”
She updated him on the nearly complete city commission, then told about a bid they were finishing to help New Albany’s city services, as well. She hoped her work on the Williamson city proposal would be helpful in this new project, too.
As she talked, she seriously debated telling Dad about the most recent concern, but ultimately decided against it. She hadn’t mentioned the gift card or flowers. Why should she bother him with the photo of herself, clearly taken by someone spying on her as she ran errands, that had been slid under her apartment door when she arrived home one night? He couldn’t do anything. She’d immediately told Sam, who had looped in his boss. She was proud of herself for not even touching it. Besides, this weekend was about rest and relaxation, leaving her problems behind.
So instead, she listened as Dad told her hilarious stories of his recent plumbing projects, then some news from church, and before she knew it, the 90-minute drive to Peshicot was done. She gingerly unfolded her aching body from the pickup to stand on the driveway of her childhood home.
Warmth suffused her at the sight of every window in the little one-story adobe house lit up brightly. The wooden front door bore a springy wreath of flowers in pastel colors that must be fake, since nothing like that grew in Mom’s cactus garden. The front yard’s sandy dirt had been freshly raked, and Sophie knew it was in anticipation of her visit. That would have been her job once upon a time, but now she was a guest in her own home.
Something new? A little potted Christmas cactus sat on one of the front steps. Mom came flying down the steps, and after greeting her, Sophie asked about the plant.
“Louise Becker gave me that last week to celebrate 20 years with the Sunday school kids,” Mom smiled sweetly.
“Aww, I didn’t know that. Congrats!” Sophie gave her another hug.
“Thanks, hon. Are you hungry?”
Ever the mother hen…
“Only a little. I packed a sandwich for the flight.”
“Then come have dessert. I made a lemon pound cake just for you.”
Now that, right there, was home.