A Long Road to Redemption

Chapter 3

Months passed, and the couple became inseparable. They spent weekends at the beach together surfing and scuba diving. Sidney moved back to Warrenton after graduation and took a job with a local business there in town. Lawson traveled a couple of times a month, but they always found time for each other. It wasn't long after before they were talking about marriage.

Lawson took her to meet his parents, Leonard and Lauren Pierson, on her birthday. They looked the part of an older, charming couple living inside a house that made a city block in Warrenton look small. When she commented how beautiful the house was, the Piersons brushed it off. "It's been our family home since 1938," Leonard told her, "we take care of it, and I think it takes care of us. Please do sit and tell us everything about yourself."

Talking with his father, Sidney could see where Lawson got his charms. Leonard had a way of making you feel as if you were the most important person in the room. They laughed and smiled and found a way to make her feel at home. His gray and black hair perfectly matched that of his beard. He gave off a vibe of supreme confidence yet remained somehow approachable.

"Sidney dear, if you don't mind, I need to pry Lawson away from you for a while," said Lauren. "Lawson, there are some things in the back I need your help with that your father just refuses to do for me."

After they had gone, Leonard smiled and said, "Never mind her; she's far more capable than I in so many things. Please forgive me, but I heard Lawson say it was your birthday today. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is. It's not exactly a major birthday year, though."

"My dear, every year should be celebrated. I have something for you here. A small token to show my appreciation for making my son so happy." He handed her a long-wrapped box.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to do this." She began to open it and realized it was a hinged jewelry box. Inside was a necklace with a large diamond attached to it. "Is this real?" she asked without realizing she had said it out loud.

"Of course. A friend of a friend owns a jewelry business where I buy all of my diamonds. I hope you like it."

"Mr. Pierson, I can't accept this."

"Nonsense, my dear," he said as he rose to his feet. "Now, would you permit an old man the privilege?" He took the necklace from her hand. Sidney moved her long brown hair from her neck as he placed it around her. "There, but I must say that your beauty far outshines the diamond. If you would pardon an old man to say."

The evening was lovely, and she was all aglow by the time Lawson took her home. She invited him in, and they sat on her couch. He took her into his arms and kissed her. A feeling she could not explain washed over her, and she felt her resolve begin to melt away. They had agreed to take their relationship slowly. She had never been with a man and told him she wanted to wait for the right one. Now her guard was down, and she could feel her heart begin to race as if it would burst out of her chest.

"Well, it's late," he said. He kissed her again and started to get up to leave.

"Stay," Sidney said in a voice she almost didn't recognize. "Please stay. I want to, but I'm not sure how.."

He did not say a word but took her into his arms. She felt her inhibitions melt away in the softness of his touch. Lawson put her at ease, gently taking away her nervousness, replacing it with a soft passion she had never felt. They became lost in one another as the moments seemed to pass slowly and much too fast simultaneously as if every heartbeat inside her brought a new life of its own. The moment was like a river that swept her away, and as long as it carried her back to Lawson, Sidney longed to follow.