29) A Gift

Sunshine streamed in the windows, flickering over April's serene face.  She stirred, then turned over to her side, her eyes fluttering open.  Drew wasn't there.  She sat up in bed, then discovered a bowl of sliced apples on her desk, a note beside it.

A soft smile emerged as she opened it.

I'll be back at five o'clock tonight.  Enjoy the apples. 

Love you, 

Drew

With those words etched in her heart, she flew open the curtains, ready for the new day ahead.

~*~

Jenny visited her once she had returned home from her day at school. 

"How did everything go?" was her first question when she flopped herself down on a chair, puffing from the tiresome trek up the hill.

"Oh, it was wonderful," she beamed.  "I feel like the children have changed overnight.  Both in their behavior and work effort."  Jenny smiled at her enthusiasm as she continued, "And when I introduced my idea for a spring skit, each one volunteered-- even Carson."

"You enjoy teaching, don't you?" 

April, her back turned, set the teacups on a tray, absentmindedly pouring.

"I admit," she began softly, "I thought it would be quite a trying task."  She turned to hand her her tea, and continued, "But, now, I find it really promising.  The children have such a desire to learn that all you can do is smile as you watch them."

April's eyes sparkled as she described, and Jenny simply smiled in response.

"Children are like that," she responded, toying with her cup of tea in thought.  "They discover the hidden light in the world."

April, seeming not to hear what she had said, turned to the nearby window where the birds were fluttering about, singing their soft, cheerful lullabies.

"Yes," she whispered.  "A light that's so difficult to find."

~*~

Drew returned home that night, exactly on time, with a shine in his eyes, making it obvious that he was hiding something.

"Well...?" she asked teasingly.  "Aren't you going to tell me your news?  I can tell you have something up your sleeve."

A mysterious smile formed on his face as he casually explained about a certain middle aged man named Mr. Bridges, whom, according to Drew's descriptions, sounded like a man of wealth.  Well, he must have heard of Drew's work in construction, and, since he was visiting in the area, had stopped by to see him.  Drew began to repeat what he had told him.  "He's recently engaged, and wishes to have a home built for him and his fiancee' as soon as possible.  He's bought some land up north for them both, and he's asked me to accompany him there this week when he leaves," he continued, trying to keep his voice casual.  "He says he'd like me to check out the land, and start setting up some construction plans.  It would take two weeks, at the longest."  A second pause.  "Well, I said I'd have to ask you before I could give him my answer."

  

April couldn't hold back any longer, and flung her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Drew, I'm so proud of you," she whispered.

"Is that a yes?" he whispered teasingly.

Her smile assured him that it was.

~*~

"I'll be back next Saturday."

"You promise?" she whispered, her cheeks pink from the brisk air, and her eyes round and serious.

He kissed her forehead.

"Promise."

~*~

The next few days April dedicated to her teaching duties, and their skit which was progressing beautifully.  April had been so busy that she hadn't the time to miss Drew, though he had been in her thoughts constantly.

With him gone, she, now, had to take on all the household tasks which she tried to squeeze in to her already tight schedule of teaching school, and the extra burden of preparing for their upcoming skit.  

Often, she'd have to stay up late into the night, checking over test papers, or writing down a list of materials she'd need for the set.  She had become so busy, she barely got any sleep at night.  

As the week wore on, April found it nearly impossible to be on top of everything.  Soon, she found herself falling asleep during lessons, or would sometimes oversleep in the mornings, being late for class to begin.  She shrugged it off, thinking it was just the busyness which had caused her exhaustion.

But what really concerned her was that most mornings she would get strange headaches and would become so weak she couldn't carry in the daily water from the outdoor pump.  Other times, she would get nauseous.  All symptoms she couldn't comprehend.

Jenny had noticed the overwhelming schedule April had taken on, and had tried to convince her to slow down and take it easy, but she refused saying, 'the children can't teach themselves.'

But after a near collapse at the schoolhouse, Jenny put her foot down.

"I'm taking you to the doctor," Jenny surprised April by saying one morning.  "If Drew could see you, now... I'm sure he'd be truly concerned for you as am I."  She paused, and sighed.  "I'm worried for you, April.  Really worried."  Her voice was so genuinely concerned that April didn't have the heart to protest, and let her drag her to the doctor's.

She sat in the waiting room, fidgeting in embarrassment.  The stuffy, stark white room was all too familiar to her.  She remembered vividly sitting in the same spot she was now in the past with a hopeful, pleading heart.  She had thought, This time will be different.  But it never was.  

If only... she thought silently, but immediately threw the thought away, inwardly admonishing herself.  Though I may not know what will happen in the future, God knows, she reminded herself.  I have to believe that.

"Mrs. Carter?" a deep, middle aged voice interrupted her inner thoughts.

She looked up into shadowed umber eyes.

"I'm ready to see you now."

She nodded, and stood shakily to her feet, taking a deep breath before following.

Half an hour later...

Something's wrong, she thought as the doctor began explaining her condition.  Surely, there's been a mistake.  It must all be a dream.  After all those tearful prayers, and hoping under false pretenses...  After all those dreams of this day coming true... all that time... it couldn't be.  It just couldn't be.

April looked up into the doctor's eyes, feeling the tears spilling over like a joyful fountain.

"Can it really-- really be true?"

The doctor seemed at a loss for words, completely bewildered by his patient's reaction.

He cleared his throat noisily and replied in a hoarse voice, "Quite sure."

April didn't know how to respond, but once reality had finally dawned on her, she jumped from her seat without another word, darting out the door.  One thing she did know for sure was that she couldn't harbor all the joy she was feeling to herself.

~*~

April never remembered ever crying, laughing and hugging her friend as much as she had then.

Somehow, the world was turned upside down.  Rays of sunlight shattered the dreary clouds that hung in the sky, shimmering down on the rippling lakes that sang and laughed down the riverbank.  Twittering birds gathered, hopping from one tree to the next while others floated aimlessly in the sky.  

 

April and Jenny escaped their prison indoors, and ambled over to the tire swing where April swung leisurely, smiling as she related all the details.

"Jenny," she said in conclusion, "I just don't understand."

Jenny looked perplexed.  "What don't you understand?  Is being a mother so surprising?" she teased.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head.  "It's just--" she paused.  "I guess you could say I just wasn't expecting it to ever really come true.  I had given up and threw all hope to the wind.  And yet," she whispered, looking off in the distance, "God hadn't given up.  He still had plans for me, but I was so blinded that I just couldn't see them."  

"God works in mysterious ways," Jenny responded, smiling as she twirled a daisy in her hand.

April sighed in contented silence, enraptured in the sweet spring air, gently scented with the new buds that were beginning to bloom along the hillside.  She set her gaze far off, beyond the daisy dotted hills, past the quaint, little farms where the cows grazed idly in the tall grassed meadows, and as far as she could see where her eyes only met a cloudless sky, illuminated by sunshine.  "I never imagined that such happiness could be possible," she whispered.

Jenny followed her gaze, her heart so full that it was nearly impossible to speak.  "It's the greatest feeling in the world," she whispered through her tears.

~*~

It was just a few nights later that April lied awake in the melancholy shadows of her room, gazing out the window she had cracked open before crawling into bed, hoping the cool, fresh air would heal the sudden loneliness she felt without Drew.

Before, she had been too exhausted to keep one eye open, but, now, she lingered over her thoughts, being carried away with her dreams of the future, imagining all her hopes turning into reality.

Gently, she touched her abdomen, silently thanking God for the gift He had so mercifully bestowed upon her and Drew.  Tears dampened her cheeks simply at the thought of holding her precious bundle in her arms for the first time.  She imagined in the future, a child half stumbling, learning how to walk, then saw Drew teaching the child how to fly a kite.  She could see a small head bent over with hands folded, kneeling at the corner of a bed, and she heard a soft, gentle voice talking to Jesus.  

She closed her eyes as the tears made rivers down her cheeks.  She whispered with a heart heavy with gratefulness, "I don't know how to ever thank you."

~*~

Just as the sun peaked its way with a flaming red welcoming across the sky, April awoke, and immediately sat down at her desk with a paper and pen before her.  Before she inscribed a single word, she took a deep breath, all sorts of thoughts jumbling together in her mind.

Dear Father and Mother, she began thoughtfully, I never imagined... April immediately crumpled the paper into a ball, throwing it carelessly into the garbage basket beside her.

It seemed like no matter what she said and how much she tried to put her thoughts and feeling into words, she felt that it just wouldn't do.

Finally, she wrote,

Dear Father and Mother,

I don't even know where or how to begin this letter.  All my life, I've been dreaming of this moment, imagining how your faces would light up with pleasure when you'd read these words.  

I'm going to have a baby.  I told you before that Drew and I had always wanted to have children, but were most likely be unable to.  Partly, I think I told you that because I either did not have enough faith for it to really happen or I simply didn't trust God to handle my life the way He wanted and had planned it for me before the beginning of time.  Well, I see, now, that God had been testing me, and letting me know that I can trust Him no matter what happens.  He's made me believe that I can merely open my arms to the heavens, and all my burdens would slip from my shoulders.  He's given me a gift that no one can replace.  

I haven't had the time to tell Drew yet.  He's been away, working on the planning of the construction work for Mr. Bridges, a gentlemanly, middle aged man who's soon to be married.  He was so excited at the opportunity, and, having no idea of my pregnancy at the time, I hardly thought to refuse.  Now, I'll just have to await his return which shouldn't be too long, now.

I told you before that I was working on the spring skit with the children at the school.  Well, the doctor's orders were for me to rest and not to overwhelm myself, so I suppose they'll have to get a substitute teacher for the time being.  It hurt me terribly to tell the children I wouldn't be teaching them for quite a while.  But they've promised me that the skit will go on, and that they'll do everything to prepare for it.  At first, I was rather reluctant to give them all that responsibility to take on, but I trust them to handle everything well, and am so excited to see how it turns out.  They've been like my own children, and I love each one of them so.

Well, that's really all the news here.  Hope you are both doing well.  Give my regards to Kanika.  I do miss her so.

Your loving daughter,

April

She blinked back the tears that wished to fall, then slipped it into the envelope with a final, contented sigh.  

Her eyes wandered over to her window just as a cardinal fluttered out into the big, open sky.  Her smile brightened, and she felt her heart constrict with anxiety at the thought when Drew would return.  All else was history after that.  Happiness had blossomed like the spring flowers inside April's heart.  All she could do, now, was be patient, and wait until that perfect moment when her heart could hold the joyful truth back no longer.  And, she knew, when those words would be spoken, the flowers would spread their gentle petals toward heaven in indescribable rapture.

Author's Note

I loved writing this, and I hope you loved reading it.

Please review. :D

Reviews

[Missy Moooooo]

YAY!!!! IM SO HAPPY FOR HER !

[~Lizzy♬]

OMG! I saw that coming. OOOOOOO I know you're going to be writing another book after this one. You're such an inspiration to me that you can concentrate on one plot for so long. I love it!! :) You know I'm going to be reading your book when I can.

~Lizzy~

[halflives]

YESCHILDREN. I loved this chapter; I totally did NOT see this coming. I'm really excited to see how Drew reacts!

Each reaction was perfect. Loved it.

MORE NOOOOOW.

[Krystal Nicole]

Aww. So sweet! LOved it!! Great job!

[Short.Nerd]

Psh telling Drew will be easy she can be all like "Hey we need some baby furniture for the new addition of our family!" XD jk jk... That probably isn't the best way to tell someone your pregnant but... lol.

Excellent chapter! (: I liked it a lot and its kinda sad that she has to stop teaching for a while but oh well. XD lol. Great job!