* * *
"Maddy, you still awake?" Lori's voice penetrated the darkness,
interrupting her imminent transition into blissful unconsciousness.
Madeline rolled over and rubbed her eyes as Lori flipped on the light.
"Well, I guess I am now," she replied, with a twinge of annoyance.
"Oh, I'm sorry Mads," Lori said sincerely. "It's just that, you're never
around on weekends anymore, and I miss talking to my baby sister!" Lori
sat down on her bed and proceeded to tickle her. "And the suspense
about what's going on with you and Ken is killing me! You never tell me
anything!" Impossibly sensitive, Maddy threw her head back and laughed
out loud before ordering her sister to cease and desist. Lori complied, but
remained seated next to her.
"Maybe that's because all you ever want to talk about are wedding
gowns," Maddy teased, prompting Lori to jokingly threaten more tickling.
"Ok, ok, I'll share some stuff with you! He's a really great guy and I like
him a lot."
"And?" Lori pressed.
"What? We get along really well, we both love the same things and he
makes me laugh all the time. And he's the most affectionate guy I've ever
met. In fact, sometimes he gets on my nerves because he always has to be
touching me. But he really is a big teddy bear. Guess I'm not used to it,
after the way Jake treated me."
Lori's frowned at the memory of that horrible late-night phone call at
the beginning of the summer. She felt the anger well up within as she
recalled pretending to be asleep while Jake proceeded to confess his
myriad of hurtful lies and fabrications to her blindsided sister, basically
admitting that there had been a ticket for Maddy to his cousin's comedy
show in Baltimore.
But because he hadn't wanted her "tagging along" with his family,
he'd deceived his girlfriend of two years into believing there was a
shortage, a claim hotly disputed by Monica and Lori, who'd definitely
smelled a rat. Yet, gullible, trusting Maddy had believed in his sincerity.
Adding insult to injury, he'd also feigned anger about having to leave her
behind.
And lacking the manliness to face Maddy in person, he'd hidden on
the other end of a phone line, while he told her in no uncertain terms that
it was over between them. It was all Lori could do to remain quiet in her
bed as she overheard her younger sister's visceral anguish. This had been
her first real boyfriend, after all, and Lori was no stranger to that kind of
indescribable heartache. Yet, she also recognized it as a necessary, albeit
painful, process on the road to personal growth. Still, watching someone
you love-especially someone as sweet as Maddy-having to endure that
kind of mistreatment was not easy.
When the call ended, Maddy had thrown herself under the covers,
crying into her pillow, so as not to wake Lori. But seconds later, her big
sister jumped into her bed, and throwing her arms around her, simply
said, "I know exactly how you feel." Those genuine words prompted a
rush of fresh tears, along with an intense feeling of comfort; it was hard to
imagine Lori saying anything more appropriate in that situation. It was
one of many occasions that would forever stand out in Maddy's memory.
"Hey, baby girl, you just enjoy it!" Lori's tone was firm and serious. "I
could tell right away that day on the beach that Ken is truly crazy about
you. And why wouldn't he be? Besides, he's really cute! And isn't nice to
date a manly-man for a change?" Maddy cracked up.
"It sure is!"
"So you just let him treat you with the respect you deserve. And enjoy
every second you have with him. If it ever starts to become a chore, or if
being in his company ever makes you feel less than the beautiful girl you
are, you'll know it's time to walk away. But something tells me that's never
gonna happen with this guy. He's definitely a keeper, according to Aunt
Maria. And you know she prides herself on being psychic!" Maddy
laughed again, before a panicked thought occurred to her.
"Lori?"
"Yes?"
"Does Mom ever mention anything about Ken? I mean, she seems to
like him, but I can't really get a good grip on what's going through her
mind. Dad I know is crazy about him, but I'm not so sure about Mom."
"You mean the college degree thing?" Lori spoke softly, but her
annoyance was obvious as she rolled her eyes. Maddy nodded. "Look,
Maddy, I love Mom dearly, too, and I know she only wants the best for
us, but that doesn't mean she's always right."
"So she has said something to you!"
"Only in passing, and I quickly squelched it. I told her what mattered
most was how you felt about him. If the two of you could talk, laugh and
relate to each other on a lot of different levels, Ken's lack of a college
degree wasn't important. Not that he shouldn't pursue one if that's what
he wants. Just saying that intelligence and level of education are not
necessarily the same thing."
"That's exactly how I feel about it!" Maddy exclaimed, uplifted by
Lori's words of wisdom. "He's smart, Lori. He teaches me things. I could
listen to his Navy stories for hours. And while I was living at home and
studying British and American literature, he was working on an aircraft
carrier, sometimes in hostile places around the world. What have I ever
done that compares to that?"
"Well, don't put yourself down just to lift him up. It sounds to me
like you both have valuable things to bring to the relationship."
"Yes, I guess when you put it that way, it's true," Maddy agreed.
"So don't worry about Mom or anything else." With that, Lori gave
her sister a hug and announced her plans to get ready for bed. Then, she
disappeared into the bathroom.
"Hey, Lori, thanks!" Maddy called after her, before rolling over on
her side and settling into a sound sleep.