Christian Romance: Heaven on Earth... [4 Beautiful Christian Romance Stories] (9 page)

His friends used to tease
him about this—that was
not
what most people his age did, they said. Most of
them thought about the opposite sex and how they could get the
opposite sex to like them, usually
one
in particular of whatever gender
fit their bill. They spend their time on their phones or on the
Internet, or hung around places with lots of people, all for that
end.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never noticed
how some of the girls look at you?” one of his friends had
said.

He hadn’t known how to answer. Yes, he
did notice, but he thought that that was normal too, that it
happened to everyone. It came as a surprise to him to learn that
some of the smart girls he hung around with used to have a crush on
him but had long since given up because of his general obtuseness
in such matters. It came as an even greater surprise that some of
the girls who liked him yet didn’t eventually become his friend
thought he was gay.

He himself had begun to
wonder about this peculiarity of his—why
hadn’t
he ever liked a girl before?
It wasn’t because he was gay, he knew, because he’d never liked a
boy either, but that didn’t make him feel better at all.
There
must
be a
good reason for this.

Finally, Charles approached his father
for advice.

Noah had smiled—indeed, he
seemed like he wanted to laugh at his son—and said that he
understood what he was trying to say.
He’d
been the same when he was
Charles’ age. He was nearly thirty, Noah revealed, before he knew
what it was to like, and eventually to love, someone. It took his
meeting Charles’ mother for this to happen.

“I think it’s because deep in our
souls, we are albatrosses,” Noah mused, to the confusion and
embarrassment of his son. “We may roam the skies with so many
others of our kind, but in the end there is only one mate out there
for us.” He patted Charles genially on the shoulder. “Don’t worry
too much, my boy. I’m sure you’ll find her. In time.”

And he did.

The very next summer, Charles met
Lucy.

But he’d been young, and awkward, and
stupid. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing most of the
time. The feeling in his chest whenever he thought of her—never
mind when she was nearby—always rushed to his brain and reduced his
intelligence to zero.

He didn’t know enough then to consider
the prospect of regret. He only knew that he can’t let her know him
if he was going to be like that. In the end, when he’d finally
straightened himself up enough not to be too much of an
embarrassment to himself, Lucy was no longer interested, if she
ever was.

She was so bright and pretty, poised
all the time even when she would laugh without reservations, which
happened a lot. She always had a kind word for everyone, and anyone
she meets doesn’t go without an acknowledgment of some
kind.

Charles of the leaded tongue had been
no exception. Though he could only nod in return, she always had a
smile for him when they saw each other. He looked forward to those
moments, minute after minute, day after day.

At the restaurant, after their food
had arrived, most of the party had relaxed enough to resume their
lighthearted banter. Lucy and Charles joined in, and in taking care
not to pay each other any more attention than they would the rest,
they made it even more obvious how much aware they were of each
other, how much they occupied one another’s thoughts.

When Lucy’s cake arrived and it was
time for everyone to sing her a happy birthday, almost everyone
could guess what she might be wishing about as she closed her eyes
and blew out her candles. As she released her hold on her blonde
hair, drew her head up and opened her eyes, the first sight she
sought out was Charles’ face.

It wasn’t even done on purpose, it was
only the only act that made sense to her at that moment, and the
only one her body could’ve done. Charles’ answer had been a wide,
unabashed, and nigh unapologetic smile—just as if he believed this
was a matter of course.

Confusion shooting up to
the sky, their parents were forced to
not
deny what they were seeing any
longer. Especially as their son’s smile and their daughter’s
glowing look reminded all of them of a special day in their lives,
when they said their marriage vows before the eyes of God, and the
women had looked as happy and hopeful for the future, and the men
emanated the same satisfaction and pride over what they could now
call their own.

“Is there something…” Helena began.
She cleared her throat and looked to the others, who one way or
another gave the sign for her to continue. “Is there something you
two would like to tell us?”

“Like
when
you planned on admitting you’ve
been keeping contact with each other all these years, perhaps?”
Rick interjected, much less calmly than his spouse. Margaret nodded
vigorously, having arrived at the same conclusion.

“But…” Lucy began. She and Charles
turned towards each other. “We haven’t. This is the first time
we’ve seen each other since the camp. The same as
everyone.”

Charles smiled again, still looking
only at Lucy. “Which isn’t to say I haven’t thought about seeking
you out all this time,” he revealed, making everyone’s jaw drop,
even Lucy’s. “But I had a feeling I’d see you again, no matter
what. God has plans for all of us, doesn’t He? I trusted that you
were included in His plans for me.”

A sort of reverential awe fell over
the company at Charles’ words. They weren’t only romantic, they
also displayed the same kind of faith that most of them aspired to
and admired in others. Whatever else their parents thought, he had
already won admirers from the other people at their
table.

“This is the first I am
hearing of this…” said Margaret weakly. Her husband left his chair,
walked to stand beside hers, and placed his arms around her. She
leaned against him for physical and emotional support. Then she was
in tears again. “I’ve never known you to like anyone. But I am glad
it’s because you’ve been waiting for a special girl instead of…
because you see I was starting to… well, I was concerned that you
were—” she dropped her voice “—
homosexual
.”

“Which wouldn’t have been a bad thing
at all, right, hon?” Noah was quick to make clear. “We do not
condone such prejudice, correct?”

Margaret raised her head and nodded at
once. “Why, yes, of course. No we do not. My concern was for ever
having grandchildren, you know, if my son was…” Margaret cleared
her throat and averted her eyes, judging it best not to finish that
sentence at all.

Charles sighed fondly at
his mother, then threw a wry smile Lucy’s way. She responded by
hiding a small smile behind her hand, because what she truly wanted
to do was to laugh at and
with
him. A moment later, that feeling was replaced by
surprise, slight dread, and a very, very welcome warmth and
giddiness.

“Mr. and Mrs. Bright,” Charles said,
looking solemnly at each of Lucy’s parents in turn. “I would like
to ask your permission to court your daughter. I promise to always
treat her well, and I would show her all the honor and respect she
deserves, from today until the Lord sees it fit for us to
part.”

At a complete loss, Helena and Rick
looked at each other. What began as a simple twenty-first birthday
celebration now truly marked the end of their eldest’s childhood.
Here was a young man they both liked, from a family they both
respected, and he was essentially asking for their daughter’s hand
in marriage. With someone like Charles, courtship was only a part
of that greater, daunting, but ever significant whole.

Joy bloomed in Helena’s
chest, erasing all her fears and doubts. She wanted everything for
her daughter—a proper Christian upbringing, a good education, and
someday a career that she cherished—but she wanted
this
too. She wanted
Lucy to know love, the kind of bliss one could only experience with
a partner who loved you in return and knew you well because they
seemed to speak to your very soul.

Beside Helena, her husband was
beginning to tear up. She reached for his hand, knowing he was
utterly reluctant to address the issue. But in the end, Rick
bravely said, “We’ll leave it to Lucy, shall we? Whatever she
decides, that’s what we want too.”

“Well, darling?” prodded Helena,
barely managing to hold her excitement.

“Do you accept our son’s court?” Noah
said, eyes crinkling warmly at the sides as he waited for Lucy’s
answer.

“Oh, sweetie, say
yes
,” Margaret
interjected, deeply in suspense.

With the most beautiful smile anyone
who knew her had ever seen on her face, Lucy locked gazes with
Charles and said clearly for everyone to hear: “Yes. I
do.”

“You’re kidding,” the teenage boy
said. Beside her, the older teenage girl rolled her eyes and
pretended boredom, but there was no mistaking the wistfulness in
her eyes. Their adolescent youngest sister was more honest in her
reaction. She sighed and alternated adoring gazes at her parents,
who were seated at the other side of the table. “That’s really how
you guys first became a couple? And at this restaurant?”

The boy punctuated that question by
looking around dubiously at the large room, with its high ceiling
and ornate gold cornices. The attractive middle-aged couple
followed suit, but with fondness and humor, each remembering the
events of that day as they told it to their children.

“Don’t be stupid,” said their eldest
to her brother. “Of course they edited and condensed it and made it
all sound pretty.”

“Hmm, well yes, we did,” Lucy replied,
smiling. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t all true. Besides, we could
hardly tell you all the details.” She laughed and her husband
joined in.

As they looked at each other’s eyes,
all their shared history passed between them, and they were
thankful to the Lord and grateful that they were never in twenty
years disappointed in one another. All that promise they felt when
they’d just met was still being fulfilled.

“So then,” said Charles,
briskly addressing their children. “We told you we could tell this
story in under an hour and we have. Guess that means we won, right?
We get to pick the desert
and
where we would go after this.”

Another rolled eyes from their
teenaged girl, a “whatever” from their boy, and a serious,
enthusiastic “Yes!” from their youngest was what they got for an
answer. Lucy reached out to pat her youngest’s head as she turned
towards her husband.

“You are a terrible parent,” she told
him, punctuating that with a kiss.

“Hey, I’m not the one who keeps
bringing them to our parents’ homes. What do you think they would
end up doing with this lot except ruin them for us?”

“Actually, I was hoping for them to
take the kids on a camping trip.”

Dissolving in a fit of giggles, the
married couple who was more in love with each other than ever drew
long-suffering sighs from their older off-springs and another
wistful one from the younger. All was perfect in the world God
Himself had planned for them...

Giving The Best Of Me...

Joanne Sawyer

Sometimes life leaves you devastated,
but God will always have a plan for you. Karen has her life turned
upside down when her six year relationship ends suddenly, but God
has a different life set out for her. She meets Gage in a remote
village she volunteers to practice medicine in and sparks fly, but
Gage is keeping his distance, can Karen eventually
breakthrough?

Karen Johnston was on her way home at
1o:00 am after a grueling day. She was at the end of her one-year
internship in Our Lady of Mercy Public Hospital and tomorrow, she
will finally start her residency. It was cause for celebration but
she just didn’t have the time or energy for that right now. She had
been at the hospital for nearly 36 hours, catching only 15 minute
naps now and then, if she was lucky. She just wanted to go home,
have a glass of wine, and go to sleep. But she still had a lunch
date with her boyfriend of six years, Brent Blake. He was 28 and a
civil engineer, he’d already been working for a big firm for 2
years. He got a promotion last week and now, he asked her out on a
surprise lunch date? Karen didn’t want to presume, but she knew
that this promotion was one more step to stability, a big step up
for Brent, and it might just be what he was waiting for to ask ‘the
question.’ She had always made it clear to him that she would wait
until after they were married and he had respected her values and
her religion, she loved that about him.

When Karen got home, she just had
enough time to wash her face and change into some comfortable
denims before heading out and hailing a taxi so she won’t be late
for her lunch date. Brent hated it when anyone was late, he was
such a stickler for plans and she had gotten used to it actually.
She told the taxi to head to The Green Room, it was a new fancy
restaurant, like the ones that seemed to sprout up
everywhere.