Chapter Ten

Sarah walked from the bathroom snuggled up in the robe and slippers provided. She make a quick stop by the kitchenette to grab a snack, then made herself comfy on the bed. The bath had been wonderful. She hadn’t ever been in a whirlpool tub before, but she was thinking it would be a wonderful treat to come home and be able to soak after a long run. Her whole body felt relaxed.

Although she probably couldn’t stay awake much longer, Sarah wanted to watch some TV. She had been looking forward to it all evening. She wanted to see what she had been missing. She looked at the bedside table for the remote, but it wasn’t there.

She opened the drawer thinking it might be there, but instead her eyes landed on a Gideon’s Bible. Snippets of recent conversations with the Williamses came to mind. She had wanted to know more about the Jesus they talked about. Surely the Bible would have some answers.

She didn’t know where to begin to find anything about Jesus, but all her years of hiding out, then working in the library had given her the simple knowledge of how to use a book. She turned to the index in the back and looked for Jesus’ name.

There were many entries. One in particular caught her eye. It said ‘Jesus and the woman taken in adultery’, John 8. Sarah knew nothing of the Bible, but any well-organized book would have a table of contents, or the equivalent, in the front. So she turned there next to find out where John 8 was.

It began on page 1114. She turned there, then flipped page by page until she found chapter eight. Sarah began reading and realized she was coming into the middle of a story. Jesus was teaching in the temple again, this said. That means he must have taught there before. Sarah hated starting in the middle of a book, so she stopped what she was reading and went back to the beginning of John, to page 1114. She had a lot of reading to do before bed if she were to catch up to chapter eight.

****************

Sarah woke with a start as her head lolled to the side. She looked over at the clock on the night stand. It was 2:30 AM. She grabbed the Bible and placed it back in the drawer. Then she removed the towel from her head, took off the robe and dressed in her pajamas. She climbed into the downy softness of her bed after setting the alarm for five thirty. Only three hours of sleep. She hoped it would be enough.

*****************

The alarm startled her from a sound sleep. Sarah rubbed her eyes before turning it off. What a wonderful sleep she’d had. Never before had she felt so comfortable and safe. She hated the thought of getting out of bed. But her future was waiting.

She got herself up and dressed in some of the clothes she had purchased for the trip. She wanted to look nice, but not dressy, so she decided not to wear on of her new dresses. Instead she opted for jeans and a shirt/sweater combo. She did have a skirt she could wear with it if she felt underdressed. She ran a brush through her hair and cleaned her teeth. She didn’t want to take too long, because she was hoping to have a bit more time to read in that Bible.

The things she had read about Jesus were incredible. He cared about every person He came in contact with. She had read about the wedding in Cana where He made water into wine, His conversation with Nicodemus, His dealings with the Samaritan woman, the healing of the nobleman’s son, the healing of the leper…the list went on and on.

It had taken her about three hours to get back to chapter eight, but then she had fallen asleep. She wanted to read that story so badly. She pulled out the Bible and turned to chapter eight in the book of John. She’d had the sense to stick a tissue in the spot before closing the book last night.

As Sarah read, she couldn’t believe the men that brought the woman to Jesus. How could they be so cruel as to humiliate her like that? And then demand that she be killed? The thought was beyond Sarah’s understanding. She looked away from the book and rolled her eyes in anger. “Just like men. Blame the woman and let the man involved go unpunished.”

Though she was angry, she kept reading. Sarah liked the way Jesus dealt with jerks. He ignored them and did what He had to do. She wished she knew what Jesus wrote in the dirt. It must have been something good, because after He did it again, they all left.

Jesus was so kind. He didn’t condemn the woman. He spoke to her alone, and told her to go and sin no more. What happened to the woman after that? Did anyone think she was guilty? Did the men try to hurt her again?

Though the story didn’t continue, Sarah saw that the next part of the chapter was in red, the words of Jesus. Since she was interested in finding more about Him, she decided to see what He had to say.

*******************

A knock on her door roused her from her reading. There never seemed to be enough time! Sarah had been reading for about an hour, and had decided to take the notebook from the table and write down her questions. Maybe sometime this weekend Tyler and his Dad would have time to answer them. Jesus was really amazing.

Sarah shut the book and placed it back in the drawer. She quickly grabbed her things from the bathroom and stuffed them in her bag, along with the remaining drinks and snacks from the kitchenette. After slinging her bag over her shoulder, she opened the door.

Tyler and his Dad were there with their stuff, ready to go. Tyler looked nice in a golf shirt and khaki pants, and Mr. Williams was sporting similar clothing. Sarah wondered if her jeans were out of place, and asked the men. They both assured her she looked great, and she felt more at ease. Tyler asked if he could use her bathroom quickly, and he went in with his bag. He emerged a few moments later in jeans.

“Well, I didn’t want you to think you were out of place, so I changed too. Jeans are much more comfortable to me anyway. Now you have nothing to worry about.” He smiled at her and when he passed to leave the room, their shoulders brushed against each other.

“Sorry.” Sarah said. But she wasn’t. She liked Tyler, and the way he made her feel. He was nice, and he cared about her. Just like Jesus cared about people. Tyler’s Dad was the same way. She had never met people who were so open and interested in what she had to say. She would definitely have to make time to ask them about what she had found in the Bible.

*****************

They arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and had a quick breakfast. Sarah chose to eat the snacks she packed from her room. Mr. Williams offered to buy her breakfast, but she declined. They’d done too much for her already.

The flight was smooth and quick. Since they had all only packed carry-on bags there was no wait for luggage. Mr. Williams had taken the time last night while Sarah and Tyler were walking to call and inform the college of the change in their schedule. Someone should be waiting to pick them up and drive them to the campus.

They followed the crowd from the plane to the baggage claim, watching for the college representative. A man who was casually dressed was holding a sign in front of him that read Dale College. So, they all headed in that direction.

After brief introductions they made their way outside to the van. “Make yourselves comfortable. We’ve got almost an hour drive. Maybe longer depending on traffic. I think you’ll enjoy the things planned for the day, and hopefully you’re all well rested from your overnight. It’s going to be a busy weekend.” The college rep was a pleasant young man who worked in the admissions office.

The drive there was beautiful. Every curve in the road led to more beautiful views. Once they were getting closer to the college, the mountains were clearly visible in the distance. Sarah couldn’t wait to have the time and explore them. Running through the mountains would be awesome.

The entrance to the college was off the parkway just across from Hemlock St. It was a beautiful area, and the entrance to the National Park was just over a mile down the road to the south. The high tourist level in downtown Gatlinburg made sure things stayed fun for the students. Most of it was family oriented, and there were tons of different shops to look through. Of course, if one was diligent they could find more questionable night life, but for the most part it was a family place.

The buildings on campus were situated close together, with the dorms being on the far side of the property. With only 1,000 students the campus seemed intimate. Each class was to have only ten to fifteen students, so each was guaranteed personal attention should they need it.

Sarah was quite taken with the quiet atmosphere. The students were going about their business, seemingly unaware that new students had arrived on campus. The first stop were the dorms. Then off to a meeting with the dean, select faculty, and students in their respective chosen majors. Tyler and Sarah parted ways, promising to meet up for dinner.

******************

The day seemed to fly by. Everyone was more than friendly, and Sarah was convinced she had made the right decision regarding college. The professors were knowledgeable yet approachable. The students she met seemed not only satisfied from the education offered them, but confident in their field. She could hardly wait to start her own time at Dale.