Connexion

Part 71

Jena walked over to the phone, reached for the phone and answered it. "Jena speaking." Her voice was calm despite the event. She recognised the voice, and squared her shoulders. "Yes. She's here." She listened.  And hoped her face was not bright red. "Right. Ok." She hung up and looked over at Sophie. "That was your brother."

And Sophie scowled. "Caleb? He phoned?"

She flicked a strand of her hair and said, "Yes. Isaac called him and told him you were here." Jena quirked a brow. She was right, Isaac loved Sophie.

"Oh." Sophie sighed.

"He's coming over." Jena said bluntly and watched the reaction on Sophie's face.  

Sophie was bemused. "What? Isaac is coming over?"

"No. Mr Harland. Your brother." And Jena knew her pulse was racing. The question was how she was going to manage this situation when her heart was thumping so loud, and her thoughts were scattered all because he announced he was on his way to her house.  Jena hoped Sophie did not restart her matchmaker-campaign. And Jena could not understand how she found herself in the midst of a family's personal issue, practically a family she barely knew. And she also knew she did not have the patience or the tact gene in her makeup. 

"Oh."

"Isaac was worried about you." Jena raised her eyebrows. "Sophie, does that sound like a man who doesn't care for you?" Jena gestured with her hands, "You think, Isaac, a man who has suddenly fallen out of love with you?"  Sophie did not say anything. Jena picked up the dry tea cups and marched towards her culinary cabinet. She turned around, "I believe, that no-one should settle for anyone just for the sake of it!  I have only seen you and Isaac, a couple of times but you and Isaac present as people who are insanely in love!" Jena not sure she had the right skills or experience to sort out this mess, but from her position, both Isaac and Sophie were in love, but were walking away. Just a shame she would have to deal with Caleb given he was about to arrive at her home. While she verbally addressed Sophie's situation, Jena silently used the time to shore up her defence and squash her confusing feelings for Caleb. Feelings that verged from excitement to inadequacy.  Unexpected yearning for him, was doomed to heartbreak, her mind reminded her heart. But her heart reminded her mind, if she cannot shifted his image from her brain, or stop thinking of him, he is probably there for the right reason and for the long term.  For someone who has a business to run and she knew she had a lot on her plate, Jena was not happy about the fact that her first thoughts and the last thoughts for the day would not about the business. A serene, steady and coolheaded woman's thoughts were close to mush.  And she was starting to recognise the difference between needs and wants. But her mind reminded her, they lived in different social circles with different needs and wants.

"Honestly Sophie, if he was here, I would bang your heads together!" Jena said bluntly, but silently she wondered if she could still do it, just switch the man! 

Sophie sighed and laughed at the same time. "It's a real mess isn't it?" She looked over at Jena, "So Caleb is coming here because I worried Isaac and he phoned Caleb. I worried them. I've made a real mess of everything."

"It's a minor blip. In the grand scheme of things, it just appears huge at this very moment in time!" She lifted a teacup and re-stashed it with the rest of the teacup set.  "By the looks of things Isaac still cares enough to make sure you are ok. The fact he contacted your brother is  a good sign." There was more here, she thought. Jena reviewed the snippets she overheard between Sophie and Isaac and Jena was sure this couple had not finished their journey. "Surely you would recognise that as good omen."

Sophie smiled tearfully. "Maybe." She rolled her lips between her teeth.

Jena braced her hands on the counter top,  leaned her hip against the counter, and said, "You told Isaac you had told me about the breakup."

"I know."

"That is why, Isaac said he would tell his parents about the breakup! Honestly, I would definitely bang your heads together if he was here! Two stubborn fools!"

Sophie blinked.

 "I think he phoned you, to talk about this, to put the train back onto the tracks, but you told him you told me it was over and he retaliated by telling you he would phone his family to let them know!" Jena rubbed her temple,  "Sophie, honestly, I think he was phoning you to sort out things, but you told him you told me it was off! So he said he would tell his family it was off. Like watching dominoes tracks falling over."

Sophie blinked. Perhaps Jena was right. "You really think he wants us to patch things up?" 

"Yes. For goodness sake, have you fallen out of love? That you don't love him?"

"No. Of course not!"

"So what makes you think he has fallen out of love? That he does not love you?"

Sophie's eyes reflected her hope. But Jena thought she should provide a real and honest perspective: That Isaac was still in love with Sophie, but that he also identified issues that needed to be rehashed, and discussed. 

Carefully Jena said, "What Isaac said about you needing time to become yourself, isn't about not loving you." Jena hesitated and hoped she was not about to demolish her progress. Then Jena smiled gently. "There's nothing to stop you from standing on your own two feet either with Isaac in the wings, or alongside as a partner. But that's something you two need to talk about."

Sophie nodded. 

"You need to figure out whether getting married was too soon, for both of you, or whether this argument you had was just a sign of wedding jitters or your stress. And if this argument was about you wanting a huge wedding rather that wanting Isaac as a husband, the only people who can provide an answer, is you. Perhaps your dad was right, that you and Isaac needed time to ironed out any kinks in this new partnership."

" I just wished I had not been stupid and had a hissy fit demanding a big, huge wedding." Sophie sighed quietly.

"You can do something about this." Jena said bluntly. "Fight for what you want. Fight for the person you want in your life." Jena smiled gently, " Sophie, don't throw this away, just because you had a tiff. But at the same time, take time! Don't rush. From my view, from what I have seen, you and Isaac are in love. This is something you can fix. But you have to talk to Isaac, and be honest. Don't pretend that your feelings has vanished in the mist. Don't be stubborn."

For a few seconds, neither said anything.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

"Don't be stubborn."

"About?"

"About my brother. Caleb."

Jena huffed. "Sophie I think your rose-tinted glasses are affected by the fact that you are in love, and it does not make you an expert in other people's relationship! Let alone an fictitious relationship!" Jena feigned a smile on her lips and hoped her thoughts were not reflected in her eyes.

"You are right, my rose-tinted glasses are affected by the fact that I am in love with Isaac. But, you tell me, you do not harbour any feelings for my brother? And I might believe you."

Jena was about to reply to Sophie's question, and had conjured a pithy response, when  the bell at her front door rang. "I guess that is your brother." Jena banked her pithy reply, just in case she needed a retort in the near future. Automatically she said, " Excuse me," when she left the kitchen. "Save by the bell!" She whispered. When Jena reached her front door, she took a few seconds to gather her wits and to quell her racing pulse. She ran her fingers through her hair, quietly inhaled, and with a feigned smile, she opened the door to Caleb.