A Light Between Oceans Episode 33
The morning sun flickered through the trees that shaded Amsterdam’s cobbled streets along the canal.
Sandy gazed up to the tall, gabled mansions that had stood for centuries on either side, each with its lifting beam arching out above the uppermost window.
“Look.” Lucas pointed to the top of an ornately decorated house. “Do you see that in the window? There’s a grand piano.”
“Goodness. Imagine that being hoisted through the air!” She laughed. “It’s all so beautiful, Lucas.”
After a leisurely breakfast, they’d wandered blissfully along the glittering waterways and explored the delightful speciality shops that were tucked here and there.
At last Lucas had found their way through a maze of alleyways and narrow, winding streets to where the humbler houses stood.
Sandy saw the nervousness in his face and felt a sudden protective urge to hold him back.
Then the anxious look transformed to one of delight.
“There it is! Just there, with the black door!” Lucas exclaimed. “It was blue when we lived there. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, Lucas, it’s charming!”
They looked across to the unadorned little house.
Two bicycles, one with a child’s seat attached, were propped up against the iron railings that surrounded the tiny front garden.
Sandy’s heart turned over as she imagined Lucas as a little boy, riding along in the sunshine.
“There were tiles in the kitchen that were blue and white, some with pictures of flowers and ships.
“One of them was cracked, and another, with my favourite ship, was chipped.
“Mother used to make up stories about that chip.
“How it had been broken off in a storm at sea, and the ship was sailing to all sorts of foreign lands in hopes of finding it.”
“She must have been wonderful.” Sandy smiled.
“I love hearing your memories, Lucas. It’s like magic the way they seem to be coming back to you.”
“One seems to lead to another,” he told her. “It’s as if I’ve found a part of myself that I didn’t know was missing.”
They’d been walking hand in hand, Lucas carrying the precious painting, which was safely tucked into a carry-on bag, in his other hand.
Now he slid his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
Sandy felt the nearness of his strong body, the warm reassurance of his protection, and she closed her eyes for a moment, wrapped in a happiness that she had never dreamed possible.
A little way ahead, in a small public courtyard, an elderly couple sat side by side on a bench.
For a moment Sandy let herself imagine she and Lucas growing old together, feeling as close as these people looked as they sat chatting, turning to one other with gentle smiles and laughter.
The couple stood and walked slowly off in the other direction, the woman’s arm tucked into his, and Lucas and Sandy made their way to the bench and sat down.
“I don’t know how to thank you for coming with me, Sandy,” Lucas said.
“Goodness, it’s for me to thank you for asking me!” she returned.
“And for the flight and hotel and everything. It all feels like a dream.”
He smiled.
“I felt such a need to come back here: to see the house again and investigate what I’ve found out so far, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be here without you.
“It’s strange that I’d never felt much interest in visiting the city where I spent my first years.
“Growing up was all about being American.
“That’s what seemed to mean the most to my parents.
“It was painful for them, thinking of all that happened to Holland during the war.
“I suppose it was no wonder they wanted to make a fresh start and a new life.”
“They were very brave.”
Lucas nodded.
“I’m not sure I really grasped that, though I loved them very much.
“And now to have discovered that my father had such a special gift!
“But why did he keep it a secret?” he continued. “Surely Mother must have known.
“Whatever his reasons, he was determined to give us a good life, and I suppose he made sacrifices.
“It’s sad in some ways, but I feel so proud of him.”
“It’s the most wonderful discovery,” Sandy agreed.
“I wonder if somehow it’s opened a door for you, and is letting the memories flood in.”
“You put it perfectly. That’s how it feels.” Lucas smiled, a look of tenderness in his eyes.
“There are still mysteries that we haven’t solved, but I love thinking that your dad and mine may have met each other.”
“ I’ve been thinking about that, too.”
For a moment, a wisp of grey cloud drifted across Sandy’s happiness as she thought of her dad and his own artistic talent.
Lucas seemed to sense the change at once, and he brushed back a lock of her hair, touching his fingers to her cheek.
“I’ve been so caught up in this discovery about my father,” he began, “I’ve been very tactless about yours.
“You must miss him so much. I know you said that he had showed a lot of promise as a young man.”
“You haven’t been tactless, Lucas. We each have our pasts to figure out and make sense of.
“It’s very sad, though, thinking of him destroying his paintings,” she admitted.
“Grief has a devastating effect, yet my memories of Dad aren’t like that.
“I think he must have experienced a lot of happiness in his life. He was always kind and generous.
“He was such a loving father, and he could be great fun, too. I always felt cherished.”
“I just hope he would have approved of me,” Lucas said with a twinkle.
“I’m sure he would have.” Sandy nodded.
“He would have adored hearing all about New York – and those doughnuts!”
She smiled into his eyes and saw his new-found confidence radiating from his face and bearing.
It captivated her with its strength and made her love him all the more.
Lucas glanced down at his watch.
“We’d better get back to the centre of town.
“We have appointments at those two galleries – the ones that a few of the invoices I found in my father’s papers came from.
“You never know, maybe someone there might remember him. It’s a start.”