Sam
Sam sat in a booth in the restaurant with her laptop open as she waited for her glass of ice water and dinner. The day had passed quickly with her excitement for the place she would rent from Mr. Landford. Part of her wanted to ask how much it would cost her a month to rent the entire house. That way she wouldn’t have to listen to the tenants stomping around above her. If they had children it would be worse. She could afford it without any trouble. Besides, she thought, she could use the upstairs for storage and one of the rooms as an office. The more she thought about it, the better it sounded in her head. She grinned and thought maybe she would give him an offer and buy it from him. If he was willing to sell.
Looking at the screen on her laptop her inner smile began to lessen. She reread the email from Junior and knew she had to respond. Calling would be good, but she didn’t know what to say. If he was on vacation somewhere, and she felt that he was, she didn’t want to bother him. To her way of thinking, writing back would be the best way to communicate.
As the customers around her chatted away about whatever was happening in their lives and waitresses walked past with drinks and trays of food, she began her long postponed response.
Dear Junior,
Hey there! Sorry it has taken me so long to write back to you! I know…I’m terrible at things like this. I have to be honest first and foremost that I have no other excuse and it was terrible of me to not call or at least write back sooner. I won’t make any other excuses.
I should tell you something that I’m not sure how you will react. I hope you will be pleased and at the same time not upset with me because it happened out of the blue. I know I didn’t tell you I was going to do this, but I came up to Connecticut for a few days. I was hoping to surprise you, but I haven’t been able to catch you at home. After several days of knocking on your door unanswered I figured that you must be away somewhere, hopefully enjoying yourself.
I have been doing a lot of praying and thinking about something that is rather major and would like to talk to you about it. Actually, I have already set the wheels in motion, but still want you to know about it and what you think about it is important. When you get this, if you aren’t very mad at me, can you please write back or call? I would like to talk about this with you. I will be going back to Florida tomorrow. Hope you are well. I miss you! Xo
Sam
Sam hit the enter button and sat back staring at the screen. She wondered if what she said was the right thing to say. Should she have just told him what it was? She knew leaving him wondering was probably not the nicest thing to do, but hopefully it was a way to get him to answer. Pursing her lips, she closed her laptop and set it aside. She couldn’t stress about it. The email was sent and out of her hands.
As she continued to wait for her food she looked around at the surroundings. Across from her she noticed a little girl staring at her with one of the cutest grins spread across her freckled face. She had long blonde hair in pigtails and Sam couldn’t keep her own grin at bay. She waved hello to her with her fingers and the little girl smiled broader, if that was possible. Sam laughed and the girl waved back before her mother told her to turn around.
Sam could see flat screen televisions hanging in the corners of the dining room. On them were various sports shows or games. Sports were very popular in Connecticut, especially during basketball season. The past four years the Women’s Huskies from the University of Connecticut won the National Championship and were expected to repeat again this year. It was a few months off before they started another season, but she looked forward to that herself.
Sam’s waitress brought her food and she was more than ready to begin, but she closed her eyes to thank the Lord for blessing her with it first. To her, it didn’t matter where she was or what she was doing. If she was getting ready to eat, she always gave thanks first. She was fully aware of millions of people in the world who didn’t have the same privilege of what she was about to enjoy.
***
Marion
Marion sat across from Sam, unseen. Being an angel had some privileges. One of them was she could watch who she was trying to help without them knowing she was near. She had the capability to do certain things to help God’s children. One of the most powerful gifts she had was prayer. She believed strongly in the power of prayer. Not having to show herself had helped in times when she was on a job for God. She couldn’t be seen from anyone in the building, but she was there, trying to earn her wings.
If humans could see her they wouldn’t know who she was. She wouldn’t look any different from them unless she appeared as she would in Heaven, in her glowing pure white gown. Normally, she would dress in the type of clothes she saw humans wear, as she was dressed to watch Sam. Up to date apparel like jeans and a blouse or maybe a dress. Her long, bright red hair flowed gently over her shoulders and her eyes gleamed. She watched Sam write to Junior and she was glad Sam had finally given up on at least a little of her stubbornness. When she saw her close her eyes she smiled at the love and gratitude she knew Sam had for everything God provided for her. She closed her eyes with Sam and prayed along with her, although differently.
“Master, thank You again for blessing me with the opportunity to help Your child in need. It is an honor to do Your will. I ask You, Lord, to continue to guide me on this path. I ask You, Lord to give strength to this child of Yours as she walks the narrow road that is in front of her. She has come a long way with Your blessings of course, but I feel she is still in need of much guidance and strength from You, God. Please shower her with Your blessings, Heavenly Father. Please help her with knowledge of what to do on her journey. She is confused about loving again. She is afraid of letting someone love her again, Lord. She is doing Your bidding and moving back to Connecticut, but I’m afraid if she isn’t careful she will lose her way again. I beg You, Father, to please help her. In Your glorious name, I pray, amen.”
Marion folded her hands and let her gaze rest upon Sam as she finished her prayer of thanks. Her heart beamed with love for her. Her heart swelled with love and gratitude for her Father who had allowed her to be there with Sam. But, as those wondrous emotions passed through her, there was a dreadful feeling that something might sway Sam from doing what would be right for her. That something might happen to make her change her mind at the last second and pass up the chance at love. If there was anything Marion could do to prevent that from happening she would do it with everything she had in her.
***
Junior
Returning from a five-mile run, Junior stepped onto the elevator of the hotel where he was staying. Sweat poured from his brow and he wiped it with the shirt that was already soaked. He wasn’t much into running, but he had to do something. Even with a day on the beach and playing in the ocean he couldn’t get his brain to stop overworking. He was on vacation, but he felt as if he was going to lose his mind if he didn’t stay busy. He had gone for a long walk, but it had quickly turned into a brisk jog. Tired and sweaty, he felt better.
As he leaned against the wall of the elevator it stopped several times at other floors. He nodded to the guests as they got on. When the elevator stopped at his floor he stepped off and bumped into someone because his head was down and he wasn’t looking where he was going. Immediately he heard a female voice full of surprise. He stepped back and started to apologize and as he did his voice caught in his throat. He was staring into the brown eyes of one of the most incredibly beautiful brunettes he had ever seen. Eyes that quickly went from anger to appraisal of who ran into her. Thankfully, before he made more of a fool out of himself, he found his voice.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was stepping when the doors opened. Are you okay?”
“Obviously, you weren’t,” she smiled at him. “Yes, I’ll be fine. You caught me off guard, I have to say.”
Junior couldn’t help but feel himself almost swaying as her smile did something to him, something to his insides. He tried to think of something to say, but his brain seemed to have malfunctioned.
“Umm, well it won’t happen again,” he told her and grinned. He felt like an idiot and thought he sounded like one, too. “Are you on this floor?”
“Yes, but I’m on my way to the pool,” she answered as her eyes travelled down his torso taking in the fact that he was drenched with sweat. Her smile turned into pursed lips as her expression softened. He wasn’t sure how to read her. “You look like you could use some cooling off yourself.”
That was when he noticed the fact that she was carrying a towel and was wearing shorts with a bathing suit. He also noticed she was blessed with an ample amount of freckles. He wasn’t sure if what she said was an invitation or not, but with how their first meeting affected him, he knew going to the pool with her would be a bad idea. Cooling off would have to take place alone, in his room.
“Umm, yeah you’re right. I think a shower would be a good idea for that.”
Nodding, she told him, “Well, if you change your mind I’ll be there for at least an hour. You are more than welcome to join me.”
“Thank you,” he almost stuttered and didn’t realize that he had been going from one foot to the other. “Maybe I will bump into you again sometime.”
“Maybe,” she grinned and stepped onto the elevator once it had returned. She grinned at him again and he realized he had been smiling the entire time he had been standing in front of her. When the doors closed he suddenly felt a wave of tension leave him. Shaking his head as he walked toward his room he asked himself what had just happened. He thought he should have at least asked her what her name was. That was when Sam came to mind and his heart turned to her. He took a deep breath and wondered if it mattered anymore what he felt for Sam. He was beginning to believe there would never be anything between them.
He stepped into his room and closed the door. He needed a shower. Not only to wash the sweat off him, but to change the thoughts that entered his mind and which he was sure shouldn’t be there. Undressing he tossed his clothes into the corner and didn’t think another thought about them. Once he was under the water he enjoyed the pressure and took his time. He had no reason to rush. He did his best to convince himself of that, but it wasn’t working.
What if he did go to the pool? What harm would it be? It had been an innocent encounter between him and the gorgeous brunette. He was single and obviously, Sam didn’t want him. It hurt to think that, but he was seriously beginning to believe it. Sure, she said she thought about him and missed him, but in no way did she ever make it seem for anything other than friendship. She had made it clear to him on more than one occasion she only wanted friendship.
He finished his shower and got dressed in swim trunks and a t-shirt. Within the fifteen minutes it took him to shower he had convinced himself he had no chance with the woman he loved. It was time to move on. Would he have a chance with the brunette at the pool? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he was on vacation and he didn’t have to spend it by himself just because he arrived there alone.
With his towel and keys, he walked out of his room and back to the elevator in search of the pool. On the way, he grinned and felt a little more at ease.