When he pressed Wendy to tell him which of the rings she liked, she kept shaking her head. The prices of the rings had overwhelmed her. She and her mother had to struggle to make ends meet on a moderate income. How could Evan, who didn’t even have a job, afford any of these rings?
When the clerk excused herself to answer the phone, Wendy whispered, “Evan, I can’t make a choice until I know how much you can afford to spend on a ring.”
“So far, she hasn’t shown us anything I can’t afford. My family isn’t rich, but we have some money. I keep all the computer data for our farm operation, and I get paid for that. If you find a ring that you like, we’ll put it on layaway until we have time to talk to our parents.”
Evan was trying to soothe Wendy’s fears, but he had a few of his own. What if his parents were troubled over his choice of a bride? He didn’t want to do anything to worry them, but he couldn’t take back his proposal. Wendy was a sensitive woman, and he wouldn’t hurt her by admitting that he’d been hasty in asking her to marry him. Wendy didn’t talk much about her family, but he’d learned enough to know that her childhood had been unhappy. One thing he looked forward to, as Wendy’s husband, was giving her the opportunity to share the warmth and love of a Christian family.
When Evan’s cell phone rang, he said, “I’ll go out in the corridor to talk. Go ahead and look over the selection.”
He stepped outside the store and touched the talk key on his phone.
“Oh, hi, Mom,” he said when he recognized the caller as his mother, Hilda.
Without any preliminaries, Hilda said, “Son, I have bad news. Your father is sick.”
“Daddy’s sick? You’ve gotta be kidding. He hasn’t even had a cold in years.”
He could sense his mother nodding her head in agreement. “That’s true, but Karl is sick now. We brought him to Holzer Hospital this morning. He’s had a stroke, and the prognosis isn’t good.”
Fearful images formed in Evan’s mind, and he almost dropped the phone. He leaned against a wall to support his trembling knees. “He isn’t going to die, is he?” he whispered.
“Lord willing, he won’t, but the doctors haven’t ruled that out yet,” Hilda said grimly.
“I’ll come home right away,” Evan said.
“Have you finished everything for this semester?”
“Not completely, but I can probably continue the work online.” If he had to make a choice between joining his family in a crisis or finishing the work for his Ph.D., his family would always come first. “I’m coming home.”
“We want you to be here. But, Evan…” Hilda hesitated for several seconds. “Your father’s left side is paralyzed. Even if he lives, it will be weeks, maybe even months, before he’s able to resume working. You’ll have some difficult decisions to make.”
“Yes, I know. I’ll leave right away.”
“Drive carefully. Bye.”
Evan sank down on the nearest bench, his head in his hands. He couldn’t comprehend his mother’s message. Karl Kessler was in the prime of life—only fifty-two years old. Evan couldn’t envision his brawny, strong father dying or, even worse, being an invalid for the rest of his life.
When Evan didn’t return to the jewelry store, Wendy thanked the saleswoman for her help. “We’ll make a decision later,” she said.
She stepped out of the store and looked around, startled to see Evan’s dejected figure on the bench. His chin had lowered to his chest, and his fingers threaded his heavy blond hair.
Rushing to Evan, Wendy sat beside him and took his hand. “What’s wrong?”
He lifted his tear-streaked face. The golden freckles across his cheeks and nose stood out in sharp contrast to the pallor of his skin.
“My father’s in the hospital. I have to leave for Ohio right away.”
“I’m so sorry, Evan. What happened?”
He briefly related the conversation he’d had with his mother. “I can’t believe this happened to Daddy. He’s always been so strong.”
Evan’s words aroused old fears and insecurities that Wendy hadn’t experienced since she’d met Evan. Panic, strong as a snow blast, froze her heart. Evan had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. When he’d asked her to marry him, she’d felt secure, believing that his love would enfold her forever. Why was she so fearful? Was it because she couldn’t understand why Evan would shove his plans for the future on the back burner to rush home because his father was in the hospital?
Panic-stricken, she wondered if Evan ever had to choose between his family and her, would she be in second place? Wendy could hardly bear the pain of it all. For a couple of hours, she’d had a glimpse of paradise. Now in light of Karl Kessler’s illness, paradise was only a dim shadow.
Ashamed of putting her own wishes ahead of Evan’s sorrow, she said tenderly, “I’m so sorry, Evan. What can I do to help?”
He started to say, “Pray for me,” but he doubted that Wendy ever prayed. “You can go with me to my apartment and help pack. I’ll take everything with me, since I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
Although annoyed because she was thinking about herself when Evan was so upset, his words startled Wendy like the passage of a fire truck in the middle of the night. But Evan needed her compassion now, so she lifted his hand and kissed each finger.
“Sure, I’ll help you pack. And don’t worry. Your dad will probably be better by the time you get home.”
“Did you choose a ring you like?” Evan asked, trying to change the subject.
“Not really. Let’s forget about the ring until you come back,” she said, refusing to believe he wouldn’t return to Florida.
Wendy walked quietly beside Evan to his truck, still wondering why his father’s illness had shattered him. Evan was such an even-tempered man; hardly anything ever frustrated him. But in his concern for his father’s health, she sensed his total devotion to his family.
Wendy had rarely seen her father since her parents’ divorce when she was eight. So it was difficult for her to understand the close ties between Evan and his father. As they drove to the complex where Evan lived, he talked about growing up on the farm, and of the farmwork, the fishing and hunting trips he’d shared with his father. Wendy gained a vague understanding of what she’d missed by not having a father around while growing up.
Everything in Evan’s apartment was organized, so in less than two hours, his belongings were gathered into the boxes he’d saved when he’d moved into the apartment in August. As he’d hurriedly packed, Wendy had carried the lighter boxes down the single flight of stairs to his truck.
The empty apartment saddened Wendy because it seemed as if he was leaving for good. Evan’s rent was paid through the end of the school year, however, so maybe he would return after Christmas.
Evan’s lips were surprisingly gentle when he kissed her goodbye before they left the apartment. Tears trembled
