At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks [61]
“It’s not going to be that kind of party. I told Alvin I didn’t want that.”
His father made himself comfortable. “Then what was the fight about? You want to talk about it?”
Jeremy debated whether or not to tell him, then decided not to. “Not really. It’s private.”
His father nodded. “Always a good idea, by the way. Take it from me. What a couple fights about should always remain private. If it doesn’t, there’s hell to pay. But that doesn’t mean I can’t give you some advice anyway, does it?”
“It’s never stopped you before.”
“All couples argue. That’s what you’ve got to remember.”
“I know that.”
“Yeah, but what you’re thinking is that you and Lexie argue more than you should. Now, I can’t tell you whether you do or you don’t, but I met that young lady when she came up here and I’ll tell you straight up that she’s good for you and you’d be dumb if you didn’t try to resolve whatever problems there are. She’s one of a kind, and your mother thinks you got mighty lucky. So does everyone up here, by the way.”
“You don’t even know her. You only met her once.”
“Did you know she’s been writing to your mother every week since you’ve been down there? And your sisters-in-law?”
Jeremy’s face registered his surprise.
“That’s what I thought,” his father said. “Been calling, too. And sending pictures. Your mom has seen what she looks like in her wedding dress, what the cake looks like, how the house is coming. She even sent some postcards with a picture of the lighthouse on them, so your mom knows what that looks like, too. All that so your mom and the rest of us feel like we’re part of what’s going on. Your mom can’t wait to go down there so they can spend some more time together.”
Jeremy was silent. “Why didn’t I know about this?” he asked at last.
“I don’t know. Maybe she wanted you to be surprised at the wedding, and I’m sorry if I blew it. But my point is that most people wouldn’t do all that. She knew your mom wasn’t happy about you leaving, but she didn’t take it personally. Instead, she just went about trying to make things better. It takes a special person to care like that.”
“I can’t believe it,” Jeremy mumbled, thinking that Lexie was full of surprises. But this time it was okay.
“Now, I know you’ve been married before, but you’re starting all over again. The one thing you’ve got to remember is to see the big picture. When things get tough, remind yourself why you fell in love with her in the first place. She’s a special woman, and you were lucky to find her, just as she was lucky to find you. She’s got a heart of gold, and you can’t fake something like that.”
“Why do I get the sense that you’re on her side and you think the argument was my fault?”
“Because I’ve known you all my life,” his father said with a wink. “You’ve always been good at picking fights. What do you think you’ve been doing when you write those articles?”
Despite everything, Jeremy laughed. “What if you’re wrong about me? What if it was her fault?”
His father shrugged. “Well, then I’d say it takes two to tango. My guess is that both of you are right and both of you are wrong. That’s the way most arguments go, anyway. People are who they are and no one is perfect, but marriage is about becoming a team. You’re going to spend the rest of your life learning about each other, and every now and then, things blow up. But the beauty of marriage is that if you picked the right person and you both love each other, you’ll always figure out a way to get through it.”
Later that night, Jeremy was leaning against the wall of Alvin’s apartment with a beer in his hand, surveying the crowd, many of whom were watching the TV. Mostly because of the tattoo connection, Alvin was a big Allen Iverson fan, and as fate would have it, the 76ers were facing the Hornets in the play-offs. Though most of those in attendance would probably have preferred to watch the Knicks, they’d played on Wednesday.