Cry, my beloved people

I will wait for you. Part 35

Lindie enjoyed her studies and worked really hard.  She was really excited when she received her results and it was all good.  "Thank you, Joyce, you helped me so much, I love the times we spent together".

"The pleasure is mine," Joyce said and hugged her.  "After all, we are sisters." 

"Can you believe it is Christmas in a few weeks, and you and the two boys are going for your last year at school next year?"

"And Jonathan might be leaving after Christmas because he is an adult now and said he has a permanent job," Joyce said.

"No!"  Lindie said too fast.

"What do you mean?"

"He decided to stay and help us here and I am so glad because we need him.  I owe him my life,  you know."

"He doesn't  stay for us Lindie, he stays for you, don't you know he has a crush on you?"

Lindie felt how her face grew hot, he only hugged her once and Joyce did not see it.  "How come,  you think that?"

"Because he is always following you, wherever you go, if not in person, his eyes follow you." 

Lindie put her hand over her mouth, she is only turning fifteen in December, she did not even think of Jonathan in that way.  He is so gentle, sweet and considerate.  If she had a father, she would like him to be like Jonathan, but she never met her father.

Hope sent her a beautiful cake for her birthday and they were sitting around the table after supper and enjoyed their cake.  The little trio started to doze off in their chairs.  Jonathan smiled and picked Johnny up to take him to his bed while the other two followed.  They liked to be tucked in by him.  He always stayed with them until they drifted off to sleep.

"When he returned, there was a big smile on his face.  He took a small box from his pocket and handed it to Lindie, "Here is your present, birthday girl."  He kissed on her cheek and gave her a sideways hug.

The rest of the family laughed and clapped their hands while Joyce was saying: "I knew that was coming."

"Always remember me," Jonathan said with a smile as Lindie stared in awe at the beautiful silver chain with two entangled hearts on it.

She smiled and whispered:  "Thank you."  She could not trust her voice, never in her entire life has she owned something this beautiful and this was a gift from Jonathan, the guy that she admired the most.

That Christmas they tried to be cheerful.  They sang songs and told stories to the little trio and gave them small presents to cheer them up.  Somehow the beautiful embellishment that Joyce made presented Gogo and they felt as if she was sharing in their joy.

Jonathan started working full time and Lindie enrolled in her senior course.  She was so excited to learn that she could make horticulture one of her subjects.

Her veggie patch did well and she had several regular customers, that helped her earn a good "salary," as she liked to talk about her earnings.  She knew as long as she kept the vegetable patch, none of them would go hungry.  She was content and happy.

Joyce and the boys got really busy with their studies, as this was their last year.

One night while they studied together Joyce asked:  "Would you mind if I stay on after school?  I got a job as a student teacher at a nearby school, but I won't earn a lot.  If I enroll for part-time studies, I won't earn enough to rent my own place, I will contribute though."

"Are you kidding.  I am so glad because I'll have to do my final year next year and you know I need your help.  I was wondering what I would do if you take off."  Lindie answered with a happy smile.

"So are you and Jonathan an item now, I see he is always helping you on Sunday afternoons."

"Nope, but I'm glad he is helping me to prepare the beds for the new seedlings because that is really hard work.  We enjoy each other's company, that's all."

"Are you sure that's all?"  Joyce asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lindie felt the heat rising to her face, as she remembered the butterfly kisses he sometimes gave her on her forehead and on her cheeks, but he never asked her to be his girl.  "Sure," she said.

On her sixteenth birthday, everything changed.  Jonathan gathered her in his arms and kissed her tenderly.  Her whole body warmed up in seconds.  He smiled at her:  "I couldn't wait a minute longer to give you your first real kiss and to ask you to be my girl.  Will you be my girl, Lindie?" he asked.

"I will be delighted to be your girl Jonathan," she said with a warm smile.

As he put the tiny silver ring with a pink gem on her finger, she felt the heat rushing through her body.  "This is a promise," he said.  "I will wait for you and someday soon replace it with an engagement ring.