The Anniversary (Christian Romance) Read online

  If this was God’s way of teaching them both a lesson for wishing such a thing, she wondered why she hadn’t wished for it before now. For whatever reason; she young again, and she intended to discover why.

  She continued to revel in her youth reflection until a knock sounded at the door. Her eyes grew wide, and her heart beat faster when her mother called her from the other side of the door. Her response caught in her throat, choking her with the lump that quickly formed from the hope that rose up in her. She plunked herself down on her bed, fearing she would faint.

  If I answer her will I sound young or old? If I’m hallucinating, will she go away if I don’t answer?

  “Sadie girl, are you awake?” Her mother’s voice carried a little impatience in her tone.

  “Yes, ma’am,” she mumbled.

  The crystal doorknob twisted, squeaking the way Sadie remembered. Her mother entered the room, and she couldn’t help but stare into her chocolate-brown eyes. As she had aged, they’d become dull and dark, but looking into them now reminded her of a chocolate river, sparkling in the sunlight. Her presence gave Sadie a sense of order and comfort that only a mother could give.

  She sat up straight as her mother picked up the dress Sadie had left on the floor. “Are you feeling better this morning?”

  Well that’s a loaded question, mom. I’m feeling young, and afraid; excited and confused all at once.

  Sadie nodded, unable to push any words from her throat. She smiled as she watched her mother fuss with laundry in her room.

  I’m old enough to take care of my laundry myself. You don’t have to pick up after me anymore.

  She felt sorry for her mother, remembering how much she took her for granted when she was young. Hopping off her bed, she took the things from her mother and set them in the hamper inside the closet.

  Her mother looked at her funny. “Are you sure you didn’t bump your head last night? Your father can take a look if you need him to.”

  Maybe I will talk to Daddy. He’s probably still a doctor. That much probably hasn’t changed. He should know what happened and how to fix this. I hope?”

  Sadie shrugged, feeling suddenly unsure.

  Her mother sat on the edge of the bed. “Well now you’re making me worry.”

  Sadie kissed her mother on the top of her head. “Don’t worry, Mom. I do feel a little funny after last night. Something isn’t right and I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure Daddy will know what to do.”

  Annie Hall tugged on her daughter’s arm. “I’m sure you’re right. Get dressed and come down to breakfast. I’m sure your father will keep his nose out of the morning paper long enough to talk to you about whatever is bothering you.”

  Her ten-year-old brother, Max came whirling into her room just then. She stared at him, remembering they were so many years apart they’d never had a close relationship.

  “I hear your brain got fried in last night’s lightning storm,” Max teased her.

  Her mother shooed him with her hand. “Leave your sister alone, Max, and go eat your breakfast.”

  Max stuck his tongue out at Sadie before leaving the room. She could hear him thump down every step before jumping down to the landing. Her mother exited the room then, leaving her alone to get dressed for Sunday breakfast with her family—something she missed more than she realized until now.

  Sadie pulled a pink dress and a cashmere sweater from the closet, and then pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. She found a matching ribbon on her dressing table and tied it in her hair. She felt funny as she pulled on a pair of bobby socks and tied her saddle shoes. She did, however, admire how thin she was again. That was the one thing she’d regretted over the years—letting herself put on thirty-something pounds from emotional eating. Comfort food that had kept her company while Sam worked their lives away.

  I forgot about Sam. I have to find him and try to make sense of what’s happening to me. To us.

  At the dining room table, Sadie sat in her usual spot next to Max. He was emptying several spoons-full of Tang into his glass of water. The table was filled with plates of homemade pecan waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, and blueberry muffins. She’d forgotten how much she loved her mother’s pecan waffles and homemade syrup that was always thick and warm. Her mother filled her plate as she sat there, stunned.

  Sadie put up a hand, hoping to reduce the amount of food being piled on her plate. “I haven’t eaten bacon in years. Not since my cholesterol is too high.”

  Her father shook his head at her. “What are you talking about, Sadie Marie? We had bacon for breakfast yesterday,”

  Sadie cleared her throat. “Nothing, Daddy. I’m just being silly.”

  Her mother poured her a glass of water from the pitcher that sat on the table.

  “Is that filtered water, Mom?”

  She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

  Her mother smiled oddly. “What do you mean, filtered water, Sadie girl?”

  Sadie paused for a minute, trying to find the right words to say. “It’s nothing, Mom. Don’t pay any attention to anything I’m saying. I’m confused or I’m having a bad case of PMS.”

  Her mother sat across from her, confusion distorting her face. “Sadie girl, what are you talking about? What’s PMS?”

  Sadie shoved a piece of bacon in her mouth to avoid answering her mother.

  I need to just stop talking because everything that comes out of my mouth is wrong. She’s going to have me committed to the asylum if I’m not careful.

  Her mother pushed at her husband’s newspaper. “Stewart, do you know what Sadie Marie is talking about? I think she must have hit her head last night because she isn’t making any sense, and I’m worried about her. Will you please have a look at her?”

  Sadie wiped her mouth with her napkin and started to push herself away from the table. “May I be excused? I’m fine—really. I just need to talk to Eleanor, and I have to go see Sam at the hospital. Can I borrow the car, Daddy?”

  Her mother wagged her finger at her. “Sadie girl, you don’t know how to drive, and you don’t have an operator’s license. Your father and I are willing to overlook your behavior last night because of all the excitement, but asking to borrow the car is a bit over the top. Don’t you think so, Stewart? ”

  Sadie turned to her father, who seemed amused by the banter between her and her mother. “Daddy, please let me borrow the car. Mine isn’t here—I’m not really sure where it is, but I do know how to drive, and I do have a license. None of this matters anyway because none of this is real. So if I wreck the car it won’t really be wrecked. All I want to do right now is see Sam so I can get out of this wacky nightmare. I love you guys, but you’re just not real.”

  Her father reached into his pocket and handed her the keys, a smirk showing on his face.

  “Stewart, you can’t be serious? It’s too dangerous for her to drive when you haven’t taught her yet. Didn’t you hear how strange she’s sounding? She thinks she has her own car.”

  She snatched the keys from her father’s hands before her mother could get her hands on them. Then she placed a kiss on each of her parent’s cheeks and told them she loved them. As she ran out the door, her mother called after her.

  “Be careful, Sadie girl. And who is Sam?”

  Sadie waved goodbye to her mother and hopped into the car without answering her. She didn’t dare look back, but she knew the woman would stand in the driveway until she was out of sight, and her expression would continue to wear a deep fluster.

  CHAPTER 3

  Sadie struggled to remember where Eleanor lived, regretting not calling her before she left. But then she realized she no longer remembered her friend’s phone number either. She rounded the corner of Michigan Avenue and knew immediately she was going in the wrong direction. Pulling over to the side of the road, she mentally traced the course to Eleanor’s house from memory. They’d walked to and from each other’s houses for years. Why now, was she finding it so d
ifficult to recall the route?

  Probably because she hadn’t lived here for thirty years, and everything had changed so much nothing was familiar the last time she visited the area. She remembered the hospital was straight down Michigan Avenue, but she didn’t want to go there alone. Even though she knew Eleanor couldn’t be real since she’d been dead for nearly a year, she still did not want to go anywhere—real or not—without her best friend.

  She looked up over the large steering wheel in time to see Eleanor running up the road toward her, shouting her name and flailing her arms in the air. Sadie giggled at the sight of it, shocked at the sound of her own voice. She hadn’t giggled like that in so many years; it felt liberating, but surreal.

  Breathless, Eleanor opened the passenger door of the car. “Your mother called me and told me to try to catch you.”

  Sadie grumbled. “Well I’m glad she remembered your phone number.”

  Eleanor looked bewildered. “You don’t remember my number? How could you forget a thing like that? Are you sure you didn’t hit you head last night?”

  Sadie shook her head. “I’m beginning to wonder that myself. But I’m young and thin, and I’m not ready to give it up just yet.”

  Eleanor frowned at Sadie.

  She started the car and aimed the nose down Michigan Avenue. “The hospital is still in this direction, right? I mean, they haven’t moved it or anything have they?”

  Eleanor sighed. “How would they move the hospital? Sadie, you aren’t making any sense. And when did you learn to drive?”

  She laughed coarsely. “About fifty years ago.”

  Eleanor crossed her arms and faced forward, ignoring her delusional friend.

  ****

  Sadie stepped into Sam’s room and walked toward the primitive hospital bed. Young Sam slept peacefully; his head overly bandaged. Her heart quickened at the sight of him.

  I forgot how handsome he was at this age.

  She bent down automatically and placed a kiss on his soft cheek. He stirred slightly, and his dark eyelashes fluttered momentarily, and then he sank into the pillow returning to a state of oblivion.

  Eleanor stepped into the room and stood beside her friend.

  “Did you just kiss him?”

  Sadie flashed a look of annoyance. “He is my husband. So I think it’s alright if I kiss him.”

  Eleanor cleared her throat. “If he’s your husband, why wasn’t I invited to the wedding? I’m your best friend, after all.”

  “You were invited to the…” Her voice trailed off when she realized her wedding didn’t take place until September, and it was June now. How had she arrived at this time instead of the date of their wedding?

  “This is all his fault,” she said, poking Sam in the arm with her finger.

  Eleanor grabbed her hand away. “Don’t poke the dead kid. And don’t blame your problems on others. It isn’t healthy.”

  She’d forgotten about Eleanor’s constant advice when they were younger—advice that came straight from her psychiatrist-father’s lips and not her friend’s.

  “He isn’t dead. Don’t be such a drama queen, Eleanor.”

  Eleanor crossed her arms in anger. “I don’t know what that means Sadie, but I don’t like the sound of it. Do I have to tell your mother the way you’re talking to me?”

  Sadie snapped her head around to face her friend. “You would really tell my mother on me? You are my best friend, not my mother’s.”

  Eleanor’s look softened. “Of course I’m your best friend, but I’m worried about the strange way you’ve been acting since last night. You do know that this boy isn’t your husband, don’t you?”

  “He’s not a boy, Eleanor. He’s already eighteen—except that he’s actually sixty-eight. And he is so my husband, and I can prove it—I think.”

  Eleanor lifted Sadie’s left hand then dropped it abruptly. “I don’t see a ring on that finger. How do you propose to prove you are married when neither of you is wearing a ring? Plus I happen to know that your parents would never give you permission to get married before graduation. And since you just graduated, when did this wedding take place?”

  Sadie avoided eye contact with her so she didn’t have to see her expression when she gave her the explanation. “Well technically we won’t be married until September. But I promise you, he’s been my husband for the past fifty years.”

  Eleanor placed her hands on her hips and squinted her eyes. “Sadie Marie Hall, did you smoke dope or something? If you did, I am telling your mother for sure.”

  She took a step toward her friend. “There you go again threatening to tell my mother on me. Were you always this much of a tattle-tale?”

  Eleanor stepped back. “I’m not a tattle-tale. But your dad is a doctor, and if you’re on dope he can help you stop.”

  A nurse walked in wearing an old-fashioned uniform complete with a folded, starched cap they used to wear on their heads. She strode past the girls and checked the bandages on Sam’s head. Turning her head over her shoulder, she eyed them when they began whispering.

  “You girls should not be in here. Who authorized your visit?”

  Sadie stood her ground. “I don’t need authorization to visit my own husband, young lady.”

  The nurse turned fully around to face Sadie.

  “Young lady? Are you mocking me?”

  She suddenly remembered how she must have looked to the nurse. To her, Sadie was a young girl; the nurse was a grown woman. She quickly apologized and took her place in a chair in the corner of the room.

  The nurse walked up to Sadie, her lips pursed.

  “Was I not clear enough for you to understand? Perhaps your mother should have taught you better manners than this.”

  Her persistence was trying Sadie’s patience.

  “Sam is my husband and I need to talk to him. Our entire future depends on it.”

  The nurse gritted her teeth. “I don’t care if President Kennedy himself gave you authorization; visitors are not allowed in intensive care.”

  Sadie felt defeated as she stormed out of the room. She brushed by Eleanor who was standing just outside the doorway and was now on the back of her heels as she strode down the hall.

  Eleanor called after her. “Sadie, wait up.”

  When she caught up to her, she hooked her arm in Sadie’s. “I don’t understand what’s going on with you, Sadie Marie. But I’m your best friend and I need you to tell me so I can help you.”

  “Sam is the only one that can help me, and he’s in a coma. It looks like I’m stuck here until he wakes up.”

  Eleanor flashed a confused look, but Sadie waved her off; she was not in any mood to explain everything just yet. Her emotions were already spinning out of control, and she needed time to process what was happening to her and Sam.

  CHAPTER 4

  Sam’s eyes felt heavy—too heavy to open. His head ached and his limbs wouldn’t cooperate with him. He’d wondered if he’d been dreaming as the angelic voice was telling an older woman she was his wife. Had he gotten married? If so, wouldn’t he have remembered it—wouldn’t he? Whoever she was, he admired her spunk and wished she’d come back.

  Before he realized, his mind drifted to thoughts of speeding down a winding road in the rain. He was in a foreign sports car, and his hands that gripped the steering wheel were wrinkly and covered in liver spots.

  Were those really his hands?

  Sam briefly touched a bouquet of red roses that rested on the passenger seat. They were for Sadie. It was his fiftieth wedding anniversary, and he was speeding recklessly down a long ribbon of road, taking the curves faster than he should—not caring if the grill of his car were to meet with one of the many trees alongside of the country road. He’d just left the city, and he felt that he should be happy to see his wife, but he was only going through the motions. He’d prayed so many times about his feelings toward his marriage and his age, which seemed to be getting him down more than anything. But it would seem that God w
as not ready to answer his prayer yet.

  Trying everything he could to hold it together, he’d had a new suit tailor-made to match the very suit he’d worn on their first date—right down to the skinny tie.

  Sam turned up the volume of the car stereo and allowed his mind to drench in the sound of Frank Sinatra singing You make me feel so young…

  Sam stirred in his hospital bed, his head aching. But he had to admit—he did feel awfully young. It was strange, but he liked it.

  ****

  Sadie paced the floor of her childhood bedroom trying to think of a way out of this mess. It’s not that she minded being young again, but she was worried it was all a hallucination and she’d lost her mind. Yes, she was elated that she could now see her friends and family that were all dead in her future life, and she had to admit that is was the best hallucination a person could have. Thinking of her loved ones made her heart soften. How she’d missed them all since they’d passed on, but somehow she was with them again.

  Was she dead too?

  God, if I’m dead, please let me know. Guide me to you. But if this is a lesson, please give me the strength to bear it.

  Suddenly a new thought sprang to mind. Maybe, just maybe, she was being given a second chance. But why? As a way out of a marriage that had been dead for the past twenty-five years? Since they’d adopted both of their children, it wasn’t as if those kids wouldn’t exist if she didn’t marry Sam again. She could marry someone else and still adopt them, couldn’t she? Since the kids weren’t an issue, she realized she had options for the first time in almost twenty-five years.

  What a liberating thought.

  Would God do such a thing? Would He give me a second chance or a way out of my present life?

  It wasn’t as if she didn’t love Sam. She would always love him, but the past twenty-five years—half their married life, had been very lonely with him. To be honest, she’d been bored out of her mind for the past twenty-five years, and had watched each year pass her by. She’d been to the hospital for the past two days, and Sam still didn’t show any sign of waking up. Though she felt bad for him, she’d already lived a full life with him, and she was ready to explore the possibility of a “do-over”. If this was her second chance, she didn’t intend to waste even one minute of it.