“So,”
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
But her indifference only seemed to make him all the more interested in her. “Really? I’m from
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
“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
“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.”
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
“Yes!”
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.
“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
“So, you go to church anywhere?”
“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
“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.”
“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
“Oh.” And that was all
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.
“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.”
“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.”
Sarah wanted to explain to
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.
“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
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.”
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
After walking the length of Terminal three, Tyler and Sarah decided to make their way back to the gate. Though it was mostly empty,
“Did you have a nice walk?” He asked while smiling. Sarah was struck by how much
“Yeah.”
“Well,”
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.
1 comment:
OK-- I'm totally serious about you sending this to a publisher!!!!!
You know that I have read and read anything and everything for years, and have a pretty good grasp of well written stuff- this is at LEAST as good as the christian contemporary fiction I've read! In fact, it's better than some.
Now, lest you think I am totally biased because I love you- I'm not. I really mean it.
Get busy- Sarah needs you!
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