Chapter Four

“So,” Tyler said with a relaxed sigh. “Where you from? Do you live in Ohio or are you just passing through?” He leaned back in the seat and shoved his hands deep in his pockets, evidently preparing himself for a long chat.

Sarah wondered how much she should reveal about herself. Why would he want to know these things about her? Had her Mother somehow found out what she was doing, and sent them as spies?

As soon as the thought entered her mind, she rejected it. She was being foolish. She’d be turning eighteen tomorrow anyway. What could it hurt to spend a few hours chatting with a young man her age? He certainly couldn’t force her to go anywhere with him in such a public place. And Sarah was quite adept at protecting herself. She decided to answer his questions, but vaguely. Maybe she could turn the conversation away from herself.

“I’m from Ohio, not passing through.” Sarah thought that answer should be brief enough. She stared straight ahead out the window to discourage any further conversation.

But her indifference only seemed to make him all the more interested in her. “Really? I’m from Ohio too. What part of Ohio do you live in? We’re about 50 miles south of Cleveland. Nice area, surrounded by farm country. We’re close to the place where they make Smucker’s Jelly.”

Sarah’s eyes widened at his comment. He must be from close to where she lived. The town that made Smucker’s Jelly was Orrville, and that was where she lived. Suddenly she was more interested in this Tyler Williams.

“Really?” Sarah answered, turning toward Tyler. She sat sideways in her seat now so she could better converse with him. “I’m from Orrville. You must be from Wooster or Smithville or Rittman?”

Tyler smiled, and his dimple caught Sarah’s eye yet again. “Yes! I am from Wooster. You know we’re football rivals. Maybe I should go back and sit with my Father now. I wouldn’t want to be seen with a Red Rider next to me.” Tyler’s tone was teasing, and Sarah found she was enjoying it rather than being afraid.

“Well, I did hear that the Generals were afraid of us. Now you’ve proven it!” She laughed in response. “Where are you headed? Visiting relatives out of town?” Sarah couldn’t believe she was being so bold with a stranger. But Tyler had a way about him that made her feel comfortable.

“Actually we’re on our way to tour a college. It’s not a huge school, but they offer what I want and they’ve given me a pretty good scholarship for football.” Tyler looked out the window a moment before continuing. “It’s supposed to be a really great school. It was highly recommended. Plus, it’s close to the Smoky Mountains.” Now he faced Sarah. “What could be better than that?”

Sarah sat in disbelief. Not only was this young man from her area, they were going to check out the same college! Sarah tried in vain to keep the shock from registering on her face. This was unreal. What a coincidence!

“You’ll never guess where I’m going this weekend.” Sarah said with a nervous laugh. “I think we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, as I’m going to check out a school near the mountains too. Are you by any chance going to visit Dale College?”

“Yes!” Tyler was equally surprised. “Wow. That’s really great. See? I believe we were supposed to meet. To be honest with you, I’ll feel a whole lot better just knowing there’ll be a familiar face around campus. I admit I’m a little nervous about the whole thing. I’ve never been away from my parents for any length of time. Isn’t it just like God to bring me a friend before I even get there?” Tyler shook his head in what seemed to Sarah like thankful disbelief.

Suddenly the words from Mrs. Lepley’s prayer rushed to her mind. “Please lead her to a good friend, someone she can confide in. I pray you would protect her in every situation…”

Why was she thinking of this now? Was Tyler God’s answer to Mrs. Lepley’s prayer? Nonsense. It was just a coincidence that was all. Tyler spoke again.

“You know, my Father and I prayed before we left that God would send me a good friend. Who knew the answer would come in such a pretty package?”

Sarah was surprised to hear Tyler speak so openly about God and praying. Most people her age only talked about getting a car, what they did last weekend, or who they were interested in taking to prom. The only person who had ever spoken to Sarah about God was Mrs. Lepley.

“So, you go to church anywhere?” Tyler was now asking.

“Um, no. My family has never gone to church. I’ve never even been inside one.” Sarah didn’t want to talk about it. Obviously Tyler thought God was answering his prayers by bringing them together, but Sarah wasn’t convinced.

“Really? You’ve never been in a church before? Not even for a wedding or funeral? Most people have been at least once for that.” Tyler seemed truly shocked. How could Sarah explain without giving away too much of her past?

“Well, my family has never been religious, and there aren’t any relatives around. My parents split when I was a baby, and I lived with my Mother. I’ve never even met her parents. Maybe they’re already dead.” Sarah looked down at her shoes, and wished she had just told Tyler to change the subject.

“Oh.” And that was all Tyler said. All Sarah cared about was that he was talking about something else now. “So, how come your Mom isn’t with you on the trip? Is she working or something?”

This topic of conversation was definitely out of Sarah’s realm of comfort. "You know what, Tyler? I would love to take a walk. We've got what, an hour before the plane takes off? Then we'll be sitting for a while. How about we go get a Coke or something. Would your Dad let you do that with me?" Sarah smiled weakly, surprising herself with her boldness and moved her gaze to the floor. Tyler picked up on her discomfort and let the question fade.

“Sure, he won’t mind. He’d be worried if you walked off on your own. He’s protective like that. Let me just tell him what we’re doing and I’ll be right back.”

Tyler jogged over to where his Father was sitting. Sarah stretched, then saw Tyler looking her way and pointing while speaking with his Father. Then the man looked over, and Sarah waved shyly. He then nodded his approval, and Tyler came jogging back.

“He says it’s fine, but when we get back he’d like to be introduced. Since we’ll be spending so much time together this weekend, that is.” Tyler winked and led Sarah out of the maze of seats. She had decided that since they would be going to speak with Tyler’s Father when they got back that she would go ahead and leave her bag with him.

Sarah wanted to explain to Tyler that her life was not something she was comfortable talking about, but she didn’t know how to bring it up without sounding stand-offish and rude. She was truly interested in spending more time with him, but it was too soon to be speaking of such personal things.

Tyler spoke before she could even form a sentence in her mind. “Sarah, listen. I’m sorry if I got too personal back there. Your life is really none of my business. I’m just a friendly person and sometimes I ask too many questions, or the wrong kind of questions. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Do you forgive me?” Tyler looked like a puppy caught doing something naughty.

No one had ever asked Sarah for forgiveness before. Certainly he did nothing to warrant needing forgiveness. Her Mother had hurt her multiple times and had allowed heinous things to go on, and never once had she sought Sarah’s forgiveness. Tyler’s questions were a far cry from the things she had experienced in her past. Sarah didn’t know what to say.

“It’s really not that big a deal.” Sarah began. “If you promise not to ask me any more personal questions, I’ll promise not to bring up the fact that Wooster hasn’t beaten Orrville on the football field in the past eight years. Deal?”

Tyler narrowed his eyes in a playful way and said “Deal. And I will choose to ignore that last comment rather than hold it against you. You do know you’re talking to the starting quarterback, don’t you?”

Sarah clapped a hand over her mouth. She had totally forgotten he had mentioned receiving a football scholarship. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t a good player. I was just, well; I don’t know what I was trying to do. Maybe now you can forgive me?” Sarah was obviously embarrassed and flustered.

“I’m only kidding. It’s not a big deal. I just thought I’d give you a hard time. Really, I’m not offended. Much.” He winked at her again before continuing. “So, where are we going anyway?” He looked around at the many shops and restaurants lining the walkway of the airport.

“Good question. I had forgotten what we were doing. I enjoy talking with you Tyler. You seem like a genuinely nice guy, and that’s a rare thing. Do you mind if we just keep walking for a bit? I’m not really ready to sit down yet.” Tyler nodded his consent, and they walked in comfortable silence, each of them thinking about their unusual but pleasant meeting.

Suddenly a loud bong followed by an announcement came over the loud speakers. “Ladies and Gentlemen, due to severe thunderstorms announced by the National Weather Service, all flights scheduled to leave in the next two hours will be delayed. If you will please go to your departure gate, airport personnel will be happy to assist you. Thank you.”

Groans sounded from the passengers around Tyler and Sarah. They looked at each other and shrugged. If their flight was delayed, they had that much more time to get to know one another. So on they walked. They stopped every so often to look at the huge art deco murals. They all depicted different aspects of progress and technology in America.

After walking the length of Terminal three, Tyler and Sarah decided to make their way back to the gate. Though it was mostly empty, Tyler’s Father was still there with all their things, reading a newspaper. He looked up as they approached.

“Did you have a nice walk?” He asked while smiling. Sarah was struck by how much Tyler looked like his Father. “Did you hear the announcement they made a while ago?”

“Yeah.” Tyler said. “That’s why we took so long in getting back. So, where is everyone?” Again Sarah noticed that most everyone had gone somewhere else.

“Well,” Tyler’s Father started. “The airline has cancelled our flight. Seems the storm is getting worse, and they just can’t risk it. Lightning is very dangerous, and the winds in this storm are pretty powerful. There may also be hail in higher elevations that could damage the plane. By the time the storm passes, our pilot’s hours would be up and they would have to secure a new pilot. While this inconveniences us, it’s the best decision.”

He put down his paper on the seat beside him and stretched. “So, what do you say I buy us all dinner at the Sky Galley? The view of the airplanes is supposed to be great, although there won’t be any new take-offs tonight. Are you hungry?”

Now that their flight was canceled, Sarah was thankful not to be alone. Tyler and his Father offered company and also protection. Sarah had never felt this way in the company of a grown man, and it made her feel nice. She was also thankful to be getting a free dinner. Her budget had not included eating out any more than the pizza she’d had for lunch.

The thought crossed her mind that maybe God was looking down on her. Maybe He did care. Or maybe He just cared about Tyler and his Dad. In any case, Sarah intended to enjoy her evening.