Sophie's Smile: A Novel (29 page)

“I am happy, aren’t I?” I teased.

“Yes, I can tell. You are much happier than I’ve seen you in a while. You’re glowing.” She eyed me then, “Dish. You guys had sex, didn’t you?”

She was persistent, I’ll give her that; but I wasn’t going to give her the play-by-play (it’s not like she divulged everything to me before). In a way, that’s what made us more like real sisters.
Caring about each other enough to hide explicit details from each other, worried that the
details
might spark disapproval or disappointment.

“Not all the way.”

“Explain, please.” She looked like she was just about to strangle me if I didn’t give her something to squeal about.

“We’ve played around, but…” unsure of how to phrase the part that I needed to say next, I bit my lip, “well, he hasn’t popped it in the hole, if you know what I mean.”

“Really?” she seemed stunned.

“Yes, why do you look so surprised?”

“It sounds like you guys are so…close.”

“Yea, he’s wonderful,” I gushed, “he’s too good to be true. I want to wait until marriage, or at least try to, and he’s fine with that.”

“Really?
You guys already talked about it? How long have you guys been together?”

“A little over 2 months.”

“That’s not that long.”

“No, but…he tells me he loves me multiple times a day and we just click. It’s like he’s meant for me.”

“Uh-oh.
Soph
, that’s very close to saying he’s the one.” She was stunned.

“I
think
he is the one.”

“Wow, Soph. Um, so what do your parents think about him?”

“They like him…well enough. But my dad’s a little hesitant about him.”

Liz nodded. She, like everyone else, knew that my dad had a knack for being intimidating.

“My dad’s not sure if Liam’s being completely himself. He doesn’t think any guy could keep up the ‘perfection’ for too long.”

Liz chuckled, “Perfection, huh?”

I smiled, “Yup, you’ll understand what I’m talking about when you meet him.”

“At this rate, I won’t be meeting him until the wedding.”

“Funny. But Liz, I’ve been with him for almost two months now and I feel like we know each other so well. And he really is that perfect. I was skeptical too in the beginning.”

“I’m happy for you, Soph. You deserve to be with a great guy.”

“Thanks,” I was gushing and I didn’t care. I was in love.

~ Liam ~

45

Stroking her hair, I giddily watched over her soft relaxed face, her steady breath, and her slight smile radiating against the white cotton sheets.
Sophie, you make me so happy.
Inching my way off the bed, careful not to wake her, I tucked the sheets around her warm body and kissed her gently on the lips. Steadfastly, I escaped to the kitchen to begin my mission—surprise Sophie with a delicious treat.

When I entered the kitchen, Dad was already finishing his second cup of coffee and was halfway done with the arduous Sunday crossword puzzle.

“Hey Bud, sleep well?”

“Yup,” I grinned widely.

“Is Sophie still asleep?”

“Yeah, she’s tired from studying for finals.”

“You guys sure study a lot.” There was no underlying meaning behind his comment. He was actually surprised by the amount of studying that’s required these days.

“Are you making soda bread?”

I was taking out the mixer, flour, buttermilk, butter, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, eggs, and raisins.

“Yeah, Sophie never had soda bread so I wanted to make it for her. Give her a taste of the Irish in me,” I winked.

“Sounds good to me.”

While I was preparing breakfast, I kept one ear toward the bedroom—I didn’t want Sophie to come into the kitchen until I was done.
All quiet on the western front
. I smiled.
Sophie sure can sleep.
My little sleeping beauty.

“Sophie,” I cooed, “Sophie—
wake
up, beautiful.”

“Hmmm,” the hand that peeked over the covers moved slightly.

I laughed, “Come on, wake up. I made you breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” she opened one eye and sniffed, “
Mmmm
, what smells so good.” I moved the platter closer to her face so she could get a good whiff. She stirred a little more, this time stretching out her legs.

Blinking her eyes, she turned over and reached for her glasses. “You made me breakfast?”

With her glasses on, the delectable spread came into focus. On the platter were scrambled eggs, cantaloupe wedges, a few hunks of freshly baked Irish soda bread, a side of blueberry jam, and a cup of good
ol
’
joe
.

“Silly, I made you Irish soda bread since you’ve never tried it before. And since it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, I figured it would be the perfect time.”

“Wow, you brought me breakfast in bed. Wait, it’s still warm…when did you make the bread?” she asked, in between big mouthfuls. She closed her eyes, letting the flavors meld in her mouth as she twisted in place (her happy-my-tummy-is-satisfied dance).

“I made it just now, while you were sleeping.”

“Oh, wow,” she said sheepishly, “I can’t believe I slept through it.”

“No worries, I wanted to surprise you.”

“You’re wonderful,” she smiled, and my heart melted.

“Thanks, doll—but I think you’ve got it backwards. You’re the wonderful one.”

Suddenly, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me. Spring Break was on the horizon and I desperately wanted to spend every moment of it with Sophie, but…

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Sophie was looking at me then, eyes wide with concern, her hand resting on my hand instead of her fork, and I realized that I had drifted off just now thinking about my grandfather, who, truthfully, was dying.

I cleared my throat, “Well, I talked to my grandmother yesterday.”

“Oh…how’s your grandfather?”

“I guess he’s getting weaker by the day now, and there’s nothing more the doctors can do.”

I paused. I could feel a lump starting to form in my throat, and tears blurred my vision. I tried to choke them back, but I couldn’t; the tears were dropping like flies down my face.

Sophie leaned in to kiss them off my face, and when she kissed my lips, I could taste the saltiness from them. She let me weep for a bit, stroking me gently in soothing downward arcs, before I was able to speak again.

“It’s really sad to hear my grandmother cry, she’s being so strong about the whole thing…she’s never broken down like that in front of me.”

“Yea, it must be hard on her.”

“Yeah, it is. Did you know they were high school sweethearts? He’s her whole world pretty much.”

“Wow,” she breathed, “it’s wonderful that they love each other so much.”

“Yeah, it really is. They are pretty darn lucky to have what they have.” I cleared my throat again before continuing, I looked down at the rumpled, tear-stained sheets, “I guess the whole family is going up there a lot and visiting…even my mom came back from her travels to stay near them…and I haven’t seen her in
years
.”

“Your mom’s here?” Sophie tensed, probably thinking about the impending meeting, “So are you going to visit?”

“Well, I was thinking about this Spring break…if his condition worsens, that is…my grandmother doesn’t want me to go up there during school. She said it makes them the happiest for me to be doing so well.”

“I see.”

I looked up at Sophie now and I could see her face stained with tears. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was in pain, because my grandparents were, or because she realized she probably wouldn’t be seeing me for a week. Whatever the reason, it formed a knot in my stomach.

“Well, when you visit you should bring your A+ papers and grades,” she smiled through her tears.

“I like how you said ‘pap-ERS’…has a nice ring to it when it’s plural,” I tried to smile.

“Well I’m sure it’ll make them smile, too.”

“Yeah, it will. I love you so much, Sophie. You are a truly good person.”

She hesitated, “So, there’s no way that I can come with you, is there?”

I hesitated, picturing my family’s disapproval, Grandma’s nervous disposition, and Grandpa’s weak and embarrassed demeanor. I was afraid she’d ask. “No, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Oh…yea, I understand…I wish I could be there, you know, to meet them and be with you,” she trailed off, her eyes drifting to her fidgeting fingers.

“I know, and I want you there with me too, but it’ll be too stressful for them.”

“Yea, well,” her dark brown eyes gleamed as she turned them up toward mine, sorrowful with a forced happiness, “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Beautiful.”

46

Packing my bags—at the last minute, I placed Hobo, my stuffed monkey, inside my duffel bag. I wanted a part of Sophie to be there with me. Sadness washed over me as I began to think about Sophie sitting in her room, missing me. Sometimes I wished my family were just normal. Not hindered by their anxieties and misconceptions. Not trying to seal all the cracks in the façade of perfect and brave.

I have to admit, it wasn’t the best time to meet the love of my life, but when would it be? Grandpa was still alive, and although not well, his heart was beating and his brain was conscious. In the back of my mind I knew there wasn’t going to be much time left, and I really wanted Grandpa to meet her.
Meet the girl that I am going to marry, the girl who is to me what Grandma is to him—my one, true love.

I wished I had the courage to defy them all and bring her with me. They might get mad, but what would they do, kick us out? Not see us? No, they would have to deal. But no, I couldn’t put them in that uncomfortable situation. I couldn’t make them suffer more than they already were. I couldn’t be selfish.

I picked up my bags, checked to make sure I had my ticket, and headed out to Dad’s white work truck.

“Dad, can we make two stops along the way?”

“Sure Bud, where do you want to go?” He was uncomfortable, especially since I was going over to the
dark side
, but he respected my grandfather and he knew how much this meant to me. He did his part to help, and I was thankful. I couldn’t ask Sophie to take me to the airport—it would be too hard—I probably would end up missing my flight and return to Dad’s with her in tote.