A Wife for Stephen (13 page)

Stephen says, “That sounds good. I’ll have the same.”
Conversation flows freely between them. When their
entrees arrive, they ask for God’s blessing on their meal
and delve in.
Sitting back from
the
table,
feeling utterly stuffed,
Celeste lays her cutlery down. Stephen does the same.
Over the course of the meal, the conversation touches
on many various topic, politics, Stephen’s interest in sports
of all kinds, and Celeste’s ambivalence to sports of any
kind,
the
most
pertinent
topic
of
all,
their
respective
relationship with the Almighty.
Celeste is quite surprised to find that
on important
issues, they see eye to eye. She never could have imagined
that behind the stage persona beat a heart with the desire to
live for God.
She had begun to suspect as much earlier when he
mentioned his intent on starting a Christian record label,
but she understood better now that he had shared his story
of how he came back to the Lord after quite a long absence
from His presence.
Celeste, in turn, had shared her salvation story, at which
Stephen smiled and nodded, indicating that he knew what it
meant to be hungry for the Lord.
Looking at his watch, Stephen says, “I guess we better
head back. Sitting here and talking to you like this has
made me lose track of time. I hadn’t realized that it is after
1 AM.”
“Wow. And they stay open this late?”
“This is Vegas. Not too many things close until much,
much earlier in the morning.”
Stephen rises from his chair and rounds the table to pull
out Celeste’s chair with one hand and helps her to rise with
the other. He settles their bill and then escorts Celeste to
the vehicle.
He sees to Celeste being safely seated and buckled into
the vehicle before he lets himself in on the driver’s side.
The ride back to
the hotel is made in companionable
silence.
The valet parks the vehicle and Stephen escorts Celeste
to her suite. He removes her card key from her hand and
like the perfect gentleman he has proved himself to be,
opens the door for her.
Celeste says a little sadly, not quite wanting the evening
to end yet knowing it must, “Thank you for tonight. I had a
great time. Everything was great.”
“You are welcome. It was my pleasure.” He pauses
briefly before continuing to say, “My favorite part of this
evening was, well, actually I have two favorite parts. The
first
was
during the
concert,
knowing that
you were
waiting for me.”
Sliding his hands slowly around her thin waste he says,
“The second was you and I sharing a meal together. I like
looking up from my plate, across the table, and seeing your
beautiful face. It makes me feel good.”
Celeste is not use to being spoken to so romantically in
spite of the fact that she was once engaged. With a nervous
lump in her throat she is unable to utter anything other than
a whispering, “Me too.”
Stephen
senses
in
his
heart
that
she
is
open
and
receptive to his kiss. Their shared kiss is a sweet, gentle,
heart-warming caress, one brought about by two people
who
getting
to
know each other
well.
When Stephen
removes his lips from her own, he whispers in her ear,
“How about brunch around 11 AM?”
Not trusting her vocal cord to work properly, Celeste
can only nod her head in affirmation.
Stephen places his hand on the small of Celeste’s back
and turns her to usher her into the open door, knowing that
he had better get her safely locked behind that door and
soon.
Celeste stumbles along the sitting area and goes into her
room to dress for bed. She is trying to be as quiet as
possible so as not to wake Jenny.
She strips from her clothes and gets herself incased in
her nightshirt. Her lips are still tingling from Stephen’s kiss.
Celeste had never been kissed like that. Oh Tyrone had
kissed her, but always she had felt like he was rushing her
on to somewhere.
Stephen’s kiss was vastly different. It wasn’t a precursor
to something forbidden. It was a gentle taste of… what?
Shaking her
head to
dispel
the
thoughts
accruing,
Celeste goes to the en suite to brush her teeth and hair.
Afterward, she kneels by the side of her hotel bed and lets
her mind focus on God.

Dearest Father, Thank You for allowing me to
make it to Las Vegas safely. As You know, I had
quite a hesitation about taking this trip. But now,
I’m glad I came. I feel fortunate that I have met,
for once in my life, a single man who longs after
Your heart. I’m not sure where we go or even if
we will be going together, but I do thank You for
placing him in my life.

I know that should we find ourselves not meant
to be a couple, at least we will be good friends. It
is such a relief to go out with a guy and not feel
any pressure. I pray that I may sleep well and
awaken to another beautiful day that You have
made. I ask for Your blessing upon those who do
not know You in the pardon of their sins, and
pray that they may come to know You before it is
too late.

Thank You so much for the grace and mercy
that You lavish on me so willingly.
In Jesus’ name, Amen

Celeste
awakens
to
a
most
glorious
day.
The
sun
outside of her window is shining bright with not a cloud in
the sky.

Looking at the clock that reads a quarter after ten, she
figures she had better
dress quickly if she is to
have
breakfast with Stephen as planned.

It is eleven o’clock sharp when Celeste hears a strong
knock on
the
suite
door.
Having just
completed her
morning dressing ritual, she is ready when she opens the
hotel door to greet Stephen who is smiling at her and is
truly happy to see her.

“You are beautiful,” he says before he takes her in his
arms and gives her a quick peck on her lips.
“Good morning,” Celeste says.
Hand in hand they stroll down the
hallway to
the
elevator. “I’ve made a reservation for us at
Top of the
World
. Have you ever eaten there?” he asks.
“Is that the restaurant that completely revolves around?”
After Stephen nods his agreement Celeste continues, “No, I
haven’t. But I certainly would love to.”
That having been said, Stephen takes her to
Top of the
World
where
they
have
a
beautiful
champagne
buffet
brunch. They feast on everything, except Stephen doesn’t
have any champagne since he is driving.
After their shared meal, Stephen takes Celeste on a tour
of Vegas. They go to
Circus Circus
to play arcade games,
and they go to the mall and stroll leisurely browsing in
various
shops.
With
each
stop Stephen files Celeste’s
preferences into his memory bank for future use.
At each of their tour sites a crowd of teenagers and
young adults stops Stephen. Some asking for autographs
while others ask Stephen to pose for pictures. There are a
few fans that wanted neither, only to shake Stephen’s hand
and meet him.
After the last of the crowd that had gathered around
them departs, Celeste asks Stephen, “Does it ever bother
you that you are unable to go anywhere without being
noticed?”
“It did a lot in the beginning when I was younger and
selfish. But I came to understand that these are the people
who buy my music, whose lives I’ve somehow had an
influence on. When I look at it that way, it’s a pleasure to
meet the people whom I have impacted.”
Wondering where the question stemmed form, Stephen
asks of Celeste, “Does it bother
you
?
That I am so
recognized?”
“Not at all. I was just curious to know how you saw it
all.” Looking at the gold watch resting on her wrist,
Celeste is disappointed to see her impending departure is
drawing so near. “I think now would be a good time to get
my stuff from the hotel. I don’t want to miss my flight. I’ve
still got to work in the morning.”
In the car on their way back to the hotel, Celeste sends
Jenny a text message asking about meeting up at the hotel
to ride to the airport together. The response she receives
from Jenny states that
Jenny will meet
Celeste at
the
airport. This strikes Celeste as a little odd but she figures
she’ll have time to ask Jenny about it on their return flight
home and sends Jenny a final message saying, “OK.”
Stephen doesn’t want their time together to end, but he
knows it must. However, his mood is lifted with the hope
of seeing her in the near future.
Just as quickly as his spirits rose, they plummet with the
knowledge that he is not sure if or when he will be able to
see her again.
They pick up Celeste’s belongings from the hotel and
begin the trip to the airport. The drive to the airport is
made in tense silence. The thought and uncertainty of not
knowing when he shall see Celeste again consume Stephen.
Celeste is quiet because she fears that she may have
begun to have feelings for the man sitting beside her. But
why is he so quiet? This past weekend, we’ve been talking
quite a bit. I thought things were going well.
All of a sudden, it dawns on Celeste that perhaps she
had been mistaken. Maybe things weren’t going as well for
him as they were for her. Maybe he wasn’t enjoying their
time together as much as she was.
What
if he
was
just
making conversation with her
because she was there? Perhaps because he didn’t want to
focus on the fact that this weekend has been a total waste?
Or he hadn’t let his mind focus on such until now. Well,
Celeste
thinks
to
herself,
if that
is
the
case,
then he
deserves to feel his weekend was a bust. How dare he
deceive her? It wasn’t as if
she
asked to see
him
this
weekend or invited herself to tag along with Jenny.
By the time they arrive at the airport, Celeste’s stomach
is all in knots with the anxiety that Stephen can’t wait to
get rid of her. All she wants of him is for him to pull up to
the curb and she will grab her stuff as quickly as possible
and be out of his hair.
Feeling a tad rebuffed, she thinks, he doesn’t even need
to stop, just slow down, and out she will roll, suitcases and
all.
Stephen pulls into the airport and navigates the vehicle
to the designated parking area for departures. After helping
Celeste from the vehicle, Stephen retrieves Celeste’s bags
from the SUV. After setting the alarm, he takes Celeste’s
rolling suitcase into one hand while reaching for her with
the other.
As Stephen walks hand in hand with Celeste, many
thoughts race through his mind. He is frowning, uncertain
how to broach the topic that has been on his mind since
they left the mall an hour ago. Stephen ushers her to a
couple of seats near the corner where they will be afforded
a little privacy. In truth he is more afraid that Celeste will
reject him. The thought donned on him that perhaps she
hasn’t enjoyed her weekend with him as well as he has.
Currently, he is faced with two options, bare his desire
and ask his
question
or
chicken
out
and risk their
relationship to the wind, which would mean casting himself
into the shadows of her life unsure when he would see her
light.
“There’s something important I need to say before you
get on that plane,” Stephen begins.
Though she is feeling a sense of dread overwhelm her
causing a massive lump of nervousness to well in her
throat, Celeste forces herself to say, “Yes?”
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you this weekend,
but I’m afraid...”
“That’s OK. You don’t have to say anything,” Celeste
interrupts him, placing a hand against his cheek, “I long
ago stopped believing in happily ever after,” she was going
to say.
But Stephen presses on, placing his hand over hers that
she had placed against his jaw, “No, but I do. As confident
as I might appear I still need occasional reassurance.” He
pauses to bring their hands together between them. He
looks down to where they are holding hands and sees how
they fit comfortably, together.
“I haven’t asked anyone this since high school, and I
wasn’t much good at it back then either,” he confesses. “I
want us to be exclusive. Go steady. You my woman, and I
your man. I still have a tour to finish, but I promise that I
won’t be a neglectful boyfriend,” he rushes on.
Celeste is stunned. Here, she was thinking that he was
going to say that although they had fun together, they just
weren’t going to work out. It takes a second for her to get
her mind around what he is saying. He wants exclusivity.
The thought of Stephen wanting to commit himself to
her even in this small way brings a smile to her face. “Yes,”
she answers him and untwines her hand from his to tug him
into her arms and place a kiss against his mouth.
Stephen wraps her in his embrace. He’s happier than he
has been in a long while. This happiness he feels comes
from knowing Celeste and having the comfort in knowing
that she must feel something for him even though she
hasn’t said as much. Why else would she return his kiss and
want to be his woman?
Through his happiness he hears the call for Celeste to
board her plane. “Listen, you have my cell number which
you can reach me on anytime. Also, I will have my road
manager e-mail you our itinerary so that you will know
where I am. Give me your email address.” He adds it to her
contact information in his cell phone
“I’m going to miss you, but I promise not to give you
enough time to miss me that much. Although, I at least
hope that you will miss me a little.”
“Of course I’ll miss you,” Celeste responds.
“Call me when you get home, so I know you’ve made it
safely,” Stephen requests.
“I will.”
Stephen places a soft kiss on her lips and then urges her
towards the ticket counter to check in for her flight.
Celeste is completely surprised. Out of nowhere had
come his question. Over the weekend, she had come to
know a
few things
about
Stephen
that
gave
her
the
confidence to know that he can be trusted. Life for Celeste
was turning out to be full of surprises, and Celeste likes it.
She is just retrieving her ID and e-ticket from her purse
as Jenny comes to stand next to her. One look at Jenny and
Celeste can tell that Jenny has been crying. “What’s the
matter?” Celeste questions.
“Mario makes me sick. Ooh, I could just kick him as
hard as I
can in the shin and not
feel one ounce of
remorse.”
Celeste is taken aback at the vehemence of Jenny’s
words. The other couple had appeared to be having a
marvelous time this weekend. “What happened?”
“He said that he wants us to ‘see other people.’ Can you
believe that?”
“You mean he actually said those words?”
“Well not exactly those words, but I can read between
the lines. That’s what he meant all right.”
“What exactly did he say, Jenny?”
“He said that he could understand if I wouldn’t be
waiting for him when he’s done with this tour. ‘Eight
months are a long time and all,’ Jenny says with a scowl on
her
face in mockery of Mario. “That he’ll call me in
February when they’re done and maybe we can hook up
then.”
“Well that doesn’t exactly mean what you said it
meant.”
“Yes it does, Celeste. Just like one plus two is three. If
he will be understanding of me seeing other people then
obviously he wants me to be understanding of him seeing
other people as well. Duh!”
“Oh. I can see how you came to that conclusion. But
still, I’ll make some inquires of my own to set the record
straight,” Celeste responds in an attempt to de-ruffle
Jenny’s feathers.
Just then Jenny takes a long look at Celeste and sees
happiness she has never seen there before in the depths of
her eyes. “What are you so happy about?”
Not wanting to rub Jenny’s face in the new relationship
that
she and Stephen are
embarking on,
Celeste says,
“Nothing.”
“I don’t buy it. Spill it, Celeste.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything when you told me why
you were so upset, but… Stephen wants me to be his
steady.”
“
NO
way! He asked you?”
“Yeah.”
“When?” Jenny questions.
“When he brought me to the airport.”
“Well at least something good came out of this
weekend,” Jenny says before getting her ID and e-ticket
out of her purse. “But don’t you dare ask him any
questions regarding Mario and myself. I do
not
want either
of them thinking that I am desperate. If Mario wants to
play the field then so be it. But I’ll be darned if I’m waiting
around for him.”
Celeste knows that this is not the time nor the place to
try and persuade Jenny to think further before making any
rash decisions, so she keeps quiet as they wait in line,
slowly edging their way to the ticket counter. The silence is
tense as they leave the ticket counter and make their way to
and through TSA checkpoints.
The flight is an uneventful one in which they actually
arrive at their destination ahead of schedule. The limo that
awaits them quickly whisks the ladies off to their respective
homes. Celeste is dropped off first.