Free A Promise for Tomorrow by Judith Pella Page A

all the details of the matter, I will add this.” He paused and tilted his chin upward ever so slightly. “A man takes chances on the things he believes will make him happy. Be they right or wrong, he chooses for himself, and, in spite of the influence of those around him, he must still decide for himself what those choices will be. It’s no different with the routes we’re trying to decide on for the B&O. Each path a man takes must be carefully weighed and decided upon. Either he seeks to know the pitfalls of each way, or he ignores all warning signs and strikes out without any consideration of the consequences. Your father obviously did the latter.”
    “If that were the only problem I might not feel half so bad,” James said in a dejected manner. “The truth is, besides this there is the growing frustration I feel from living in another man’s house.”
    “Ah,” Ben said with a smile. “Perhaps now we get to the crux of the matter.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Only that no man wants to believe he stands in the shadow of another. You’ve married the woman of your dreams, but in doing so you’ve taken on the responsibility of another man’s child and home.”
    “Yes, and although I love Victoria dearly, she is becoming more and more of a problem. She resents my authority and often seeks Carolina out to keep from having to carry through with my wishes. Carolina most generally finds something objectionable to my instruction and thus, whether or not the matter is resolved, it always pits Carolina against me in dealing with the child.”
    Latrobe laughed at this, totally taking James by surprise. “That happens in homes where the children are born to both parents, James. Children, being children, will often see how far they can push their boundaries. They play one parent against the other, all in hoping to accomplish the most beneficial circumstance for themselves. My own children are masters at this. Victoria is simply doing nothing more or less than any of her contemporaries.”
    “So it isn’t just me?”
    “Absolutely not. There isn’t a father alive who hasn’t found himself up against the same thing. And while that doesn’t solve the problem for you, at least you may take comfort in knowing that it isn’t a unique dilemma.”
    “It may not be unique, but it’s tearing Carolina and me apart. I can’t get her to see that she needs to support me in this situation.”
    “Have you talked to her about it? Not in the heat of the moment when the problem is upon you, but rather in private, when nothing in particular is causing friction between you?”
    “But that’s the problem. There’s been friction between us ever since we said, ‘I do.’ I don’t know how to explain it, but as much as we love each other, and as much as we desired to be married, there hasn’t seemed to be one moment of true peace between us since the wedding.”
    Again Latrobe smiled. “Welcome to matrimonial bliss, son.”
    James couldn’t quite understand Latrobe’s easygoing attitude. “Please don’t tell me that this is all there ever is—that Carolina and I will be at each other’s throats the rest of our lives.”
    “Of course I won’t tell you that,” Latrobe responded. “But I will say this. Marriage is work. It’s hard work. Harder than anything else you’ll ever do. Believe me, I know. And you want to know why?”
    James nodded and Ben Latrobe leaned forward as if to impart a deep, mysterious secret. “Because marriage isn’t about the wedding or the wedding trip afterward. It isn’t about cozy nights spent in each other’s arms or the way she makes you feel when she smiles. Oh, those things all have a part in it, but a very minor one. No, James, marriage is about sticking it out when it isn’t so nice. Marriage is being there to pick up the pieces when your perfect world falls apart. It’s seeing the mess you’ve made of things and being willing to work through it until you have created something