“Sure you can sweet heart,” replied the father. “Just give me a few seconds, and I’ll be right there. The match is almost over.”
But as the opposing team scored a goal with no time left in regulation, the score became deadlocked at two goals apiece. The beautiful young girl curled up next to her father on the couch, waiting for the overtime to end.
When the match was finally over, Thomas remembered that his little princess had wanted some milk. Unfortunately, she had already fallen asleep beside him. In her hands, she did not have her usual soft teddy bear, but an empty plastic cup.
As Sarah came in from the other room and noticed her daughter sleeping on the couch, she thought of how precious she looked.
“Aw,” she said to Thomas as he went to scoop her up and take her to bed. “She sure is adorable when she’s sleeping.”
Thomas couldn’t agree more.
“She’s pretty amazing when she’s awake too,” he replied. “It’s just unfortunate that we’re always so busy.”
“Don’t worry honey. She’ll understand when she grows up.”
As little Janie was carried off to bed, Sarah carefully snatched the empty cup from her daughter, and went to carry it to the sink.
“Wait!” said Thomas. “What is that, on the ground?”
“What?” his wife asked. “Where?”
“Right there, by your feet,” he said. “I think you dropped something.”
Sarah bent down to pick up the neatly folded piece of pink paper. When she unfolded the heart-shaped note, tears swelled up in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked. “What does it say?”
She read the heart-shaped note aloud, trying not to get choked up on the words.
Just kidding, it said with a sketched smiling face. All I want is a hug.
The note had fallen from inside the little girl’s cup.
After carrying the sweet child off to bed, and tucking her in with her teddy bear, Thomas gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and turned out the light. He glanced back once more as he left the room, pausing to savor the moment. We really need a vacation, he thought. Somewhere far away from England.
CHAPTER 2
The following weekend…
The family was all packed, and ready for their ten-day voyage on the Mediterranean Sea. It would be the trip of a lifetime aboard one of Europe’s most luxurious cruise liners, with planned overnight stops at some of the more alluring destinations in the world. At eleven o’clock on the following morning, they would set out for London’s international airport, where the journey would officially begin.
“Good night sweetheart,” Sarah said as she and Thomas tucked Janie into bed. “Get some good rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
“I know,” replied the little girl. “I can’t wait!”
The lights went out. Everything was set.
Thomas and Sarah made their way to the bedroom, changed into their pajamas, and curled up in bed.
“Did you set the alarm already?” Sarah asked.
“Yes dear,” replied Thomas. “Remember, this is going to be a week of no work, no responsibilities, and most importantly…no worries. Now turn that cell phone off. You won’t be needing that for a while.”
Sarah was as ready for a vacation as everyone else in the family, but she would never have been able to afford such things if not for her workaholic personality. She quietly slipped the phone onto the dresser beside the bed, changing it from ring to vibrate. Just in case, she thought. Wouldn’t want to miss anything important.
“Good night dear,” she whispered as she turned out the light. “I can’t wait for this trip.”
“Yea, we should never have waited this long,” Thomas replied. “This is way overdue.”
Thomas and Sarah drifted off to sleep. Their family was prepped for the holiday, and little Janie could not wait to spend some quality time with her mom and dad.
If only life worked according to our own plans…
CHAPTER 3
The family was sound asleep, and all was set for their trip. Then suddenly, Thomas and Sarah were awakened by a buzz from somewhere in the room.
“What was that?” Thomas asked as he sat up slowly and looked around.
Then it buzzed again, and he knew exactly what it was.
Sarah looked embarrassed as she reached across to the dresser to grab the vibrating phone. She held the phone close to her eyes, and glanced at the incoming caller. Unknown, it said.
“Don’t you dare answer that phone,” Thomas reminded her. “We’re going on vacation in a few hours, and nothing is going to get in our way. I thought you turned that off last night.”
“Well, I was going to turn it off, but…”
“Don’t bother explaining honey,” he replied. “I know how much you enjoy your work. Just please turn it off now, and don’t answer that call. Whatever it is, someone else can handle it today.”
Sarah knew he was right, and decided to ignore the early morning call. It’s probably a wrong number anyways, she thought. She then made sure to turn the phone off for good, and watched the screen as it powered down…and went dark.
“I’m sorry,” she said after returning the phone to the dresser. “It’s just not as easy for me to let go, I guess.”
Thomas looked at the clock. 3:48 AM was an awfully early time for anyone to be calling about business.
“Any Idea who that was?” he asked as he lay back down for some more sleep.
“No clue,” replied Sarah. “It was an unknown number.”
“Huh... That’s strange,” answered Thomas. “Why would anyone be calling us so early?”
“I don’t know, but it won’t be happening again. I made sure to turn it off, for good this time.” Sarah snuggled up next to her husband, and both began drifting back off to sleep.
No sooner than the couple had fallen asleep, they were awakened by the sound of footsteps on the creaky wood floor. It was their little girl Janie, and she was unable to contain her excitement any longer.
“Daddy,” she said quietly. “Can I rest with you and mommy until morning? I can’t sleep anymore.”
“Sure kiddo,” replied her father. “Just climb on up here.”
Thomas
