Savage Love (25 page)

      “And who are the two pretty girls in your kitchen, Daffyd?” asked his Dad.

     “Oh man, where are our manners? Grandma and Grandpa, this is Seanna and Samantha. Remember the ones I told you about who broke down this summer? Seanna and Samantha this is my Grandma Lucille and Grandpa Bryson,” introduced Bryce.

    
Lucille Sayvage was a woman who looked like a grandma. She was plump and had white hair and a ready smile. A little shorter than her husband she was still taller than Seanna and Samantha. Bryson too had a full head of white hair. He looked like an older healthier Daffyd.

     “Nice to meet you,” said Samantha.

     “We are so glad you are here to share Christmas with us,” beamed Seanna. “In fact, Daffyd insisted we make your popcorn balls today and he has been popping corn like a fiend.”

     “Would anybody like some tea or coffee?” asked Trisha.

     “I would love a cup of coffee,” said Lucille.

     “I could drink a cup,” said Bryson.

     “Tea for me, Trish,” said Daffyd.

     “We have some muffins left over from breakfast this morning, since the two biggest eaters weren’t here. Trisha made them fresh this morning…” offered Seanna.

     “I never pass up homemade anything,” laughed Daffyd’s dad.

     Daffyd’s parents tried not to stare at their son, and Lucille was fighting back tears. Samantha stood in the kitchen praying silently for the whole situation. Daffyd was playing with the tablecloth and trying to avoid his mother’s eyes.

     “So how was the flight?” he asked.

     “It was just fine. We were a little worried about flying
in with all the snow, but the runway was clear and dry as well as the roads out here,” answered Bryson.

     They made small talk back and forth while Trisha got the coffee made. Just as she put the muffins on the table and Samantha left the cups of coffee for their guests, Daffyd’s mom gave up all pretence of normalcy.

     “Daffyd, I can’t pretend like everything is fine…you look awful…your hair is gone, you look like those pictures from
Auschwitz
…” stammered Lucille.

     “Why don’t we all take the bags upstairs and give them some space,” suggested Leal.

     “Samantha, could you stay please?”pleaded Daffyd.

     “Sure, Daffyd,” she answered quietly as she took the chair next to his.

     Daffyd proceeded to break the news of his physical condition as gently as possible. Once he got started, the dam broke and he shared all the mixed up feelings and circumstances from when he first started his professional career and ended up almost dying alone. He apologized for his behavior, his lying and for letting so much come between them. By the time he was finished, they were all crying.

     “Can you forgive me?” asked Daffyd through his tears.

     “Oh, Daffyd, of course we forgive you and our love for you has never wavered,” answered his Father.

     “What kind of treatments are you taking?” asked his mother.

     “We discussed this when everyone got back here and rescued me from that awful girl, and we decided that I am not going to take anymore treatment.”

     “We have agreed to stand in prayer and believe that Daffyd will be cancer free,” offered Samantha.

     “So…you’re a Christian?” asked Lucille.

     “Yes, Mrs. Sayvage, I am.”

     “Please, just Lucille and Bryson. I started praying for my boys, when they were just babies that they would find good Christian wives. Gareth found Rebecca and they were perfect for each other. And I never gave up hope for Daffyd. You must really love him to put up with all of this.”

     “I do,” said Samantha squeezing Daffyd’s hand. “But I am afraid when you hear the whole
story; you may change your mind.”

     “Samantha, you don’t have to qualify yourself, and nothing you would say will
un-qualify yourself,” said Daffyd’s dad.

     “Thank you, but I still want to be honest… I am
a thirty-five year old widow of less than one year, I am almost flat broke and though I am a Christian, I still make a lot of mistakes. Like leaving Daffyd to fight his battle alone…”

     “Thanks for sharing, honey, but truly
, I am usually a good judge of character, it’s a Gift, and I have nothing but peace in my heart when it comes to you. Bryce spoke highly of you and your daughter, and just the fact that you were willing to share says a lot. The fact that you are older than my son makes no difference at all. In fact your added wisdom has obviously done him some good. And who are we to judge when someone is ready to begin their life over after a death?” answered Lucille.

     “Thank you for being so understanding,” said Samantha.

     “No, thank you for taking care of our prodigal,” said Bryson.

     “I am afraid that all of this excitement has made me a little tired…I hate to lose out on even a minute of your time here, but if I don’t rest now, I may pay for it later,” said Daffyd disappointed.

     “Go and rest son. We can stay as long as you want, there isn’t anything we can’t reschedule or find someone else to take care of back home,” said Bryson.

     “Actually I wouldn’t mind having a short nap myself,” said Lucille. “And then we can tackle those popcorn balls.”

     “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying and give the others the ‘all clear’,” laughed Samantha.

     “I’ll walk you to your room, Son, then I am coming back to eat these muffins!” Daffyd’s dad said, eyeing the plate that sat untouched on the table.

     “Just don’t ruin your appetite, I am sure that Trisha has something tasty planned,” warned Samantha.

     Later they all had butter up to their elbow and several piles of popcorn balls cooling on waxed paper. Bryce was eating as much as he was forming. His lips were staining red as he was not eating any of the green treat. Lucille and Bryson were sharing stories of when Daffyd and Gareth were growing up and some funny ones from Bryce’s younger years. Seanna laughed the hardest having to even run to the bathroom at one point afraid she’d pee her pants. Samantha was enjoying learning more about Daffyd. He went from laughing to blushing and back again depending on how embarrassing the stories were. Bryce never once got embarrassed but laughed at his earlier antics as if he was hearing stories of someone else’s life.

     “Do you remember the time Gareth and I hid Dad’s paddle in the basement?” asked Daffyd.

     “Yes, somehow you boys figured that you wouldn’t get a paddling if I couldn’t find the paddle,” laughed his Dad.

     “Do you remember what happened right after that when I caught you t
wo taking money out of my purse?” asked Lucille.

     “Yep, we got it with your wooden spoon since Dad couldn’t find the paddle. It hurt so much worse that I ran down and retrieved the paddle
and handed it right to Dad,” said Daffyd.

     “Your Dad thought it was so cute that he didn’t have the heart to punish either one of you,” his mom laughed.

     “So who gave you the most problems, be honest?” asked Daffyd.

     “Well if you are talking about while you were all still little, then it would have been Gareth. He was daring and headstrong and not afraid of anything. Needless to say he probably had a few more paddlings than you,” answered Bryson.

     “But you get the prize for the hardest adult,” said his Mom.

     “Do you think I’m more like mom or dad?” asked Bryce.

     “Well…if we are being honest…your personality is a lot like your Uncle Daffyd’s,” laughed Lucille.

     “How can that be, we hardly spent very much time together
, and it’s not like it could be genetic,” said Bryce as Daffyd covered a chuckle.

     “You’re both very strong willed.  Where Daffyd’s comes out as stubbornness,” they all looked at Daffyd and he managed to look contrite, “You just stand firm on what you believe. You’re not easily swayed or moved.
Also, when you love, you love with your whole heart. Daffyd was always tender hearted growing up.”

     “What happened?” asked Trisha with a smirk.

     “You’d have to ask Daffyd that,” answered his mother.

     “Well
, Daffyd, let’s hear it,” said Seanna. “Some girl in sixth grade break your heart, some bullies in eighth grade call you a long haired hippy, what was it?”

    
“Nope, nothing so obvious. I’m not really sure. I guess if I knew that half of my battle would be won. Somewhere along the way I became more interested in
me
than in anyone else. Then every choice I made just fed the selfish monster inside,” he tried to answer truthfully.

     “But now you know better and you can live the rest of your life unselfishly,” stated his father.

     “I am sure gonna do my best, Dad, no matter how quickly that passes.”

     “Oh, hush that talk. You have a long life ahead of you!” said his mom.

     “Amen,” said a few others.

     “From your mouths to God’s ears,” said Daffyd.

     “Of course, that’s exactly the way it works,” smiled Seanna.

Chapter 25

Between The Rock
And A Hard Place

     They all enjoyed each other’s company over the holidays. Daffyd and his parents spent hours talking, catching up and sharing old memories. Samantha and Lucille also spent time together talking and praying. Bryce was deliriously happy having all of his family together in one place, after years of strain and separation. Seanna was enjoying the whole thing! For the first time in her life she felt like she had an extended family. Her whole life had been lived without siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

     Now with Leal and Trisha as aunt and uncle, Bryce as a brother and his grandparents behaving like she was one of their own grandchildren, she finally knew how wonderful family was. They all put off discussing what the plan would be now that the New Year was passed. The two college kids had a few weeks left of their winter break and Samantha was supposed to be back to school in just a few days. Finally one evening Daffyd broached the subject.

     “So
, Bryce, when do your second semester classes begin?”

     “I have to be back on January 26
th
. When do yours start Sea?”

     “Actually, the same day,” Seanna answered. “Mom, your class starts next Monday. Did they find someone to take your place?”

     “Last time I checked they were still looking,” she answered.

     “If they can’t find someone…you could always go back and finish out the year,” suggested Daffyd.

     “I am not leaving you again, Daffyd,” she stated.

     “What about those kids?” Daffyd asked her quietly. “Don’t you have a responsibility to them?”

     “That’s not fair Daffyd, you almost died!” she exclaimed.

     “Only because I was stupid and stubborn,” he laughed.

     “Oh, and now you are smart and flexible?”she laughed back.

    
“Smarter than I was, and maybe a tad less stubborn. But stubborn can be a good thing if I am stubbornly refusing to die, right? Besides now Trisha and Leal are back to watch out for me and you made me promise to let them tell me when I was being stupid.”

     “Yeah, but if I’m not here, what’s gonna keep you from firing them the next time you get mad?” she countered.

     “I guess we’ll have to stick around to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Bryson giving his son a stern look.

     “Honestly, Samantha, I learned my lesson. I love them like family and I’ll never take them for granted again. I promise.”

     “I think you should finish out the year. It’s less than five months until the end of your school year. It’ll go by fast and you can always come home for spring break,” said Daffyd.

     “I don’t want to talk about th
is, Daffyd. I am not leaving,”she stated firmly.

     “Why don’t you just promise to pray about it?” asked Daffyd.

     “I have prayed about it. I’m believing that God will send someone to take my place,” Samantha answered.

     “I think what my son is trying to say, honey, is that he wants you to pray for God’s will in the situation. Sometimes when we are between a rock and a hard place we tend to let our feeling
s lead, instead of God’s Spirit,” said Lucille gently.

     “Ok, I promise to pray. But when I hear from God, then this is settled,” she demanded.

     The next day Samantha spent some time in her room praying. She called out to God from her fear of losing Daffyd. She prayed earnestly for God to heal the man she loved and to give her discernment for the decisions she needed to make.
Lord, I can never go back to my old life again. I have changed so much in the past few months. I am not the same person that I was when I lost Richard. I’ve been able to have a taste of the life that you always wanted for me. I would have chosen a little less drama, but I now know what love really is. And, Lord, I now know what a real family is supposed to be like. I need these people.