Life, Etc. -- Ten

          After their evening of laughter at a ridiculously silly movie—both agreed there was no academy award in its future—they enjoyed a relaxed conversation on the drive home.

  

“Thank you for a great evening, Diane.  We need to make a standing appointment for a night out at least once a month!”

 

          Megan walked into her apartment and saw Lauren lounging in front of the television.  “I hope I haven’t kept you up too late, Lauren.  You won’t get in trouble with your folks, will you?”

          “No, don’t worry.  I had extra homework, so when Emily went to bed, I got it all done.  I just turned on TV a few minutes ago.”  Lauren was a straight A student, and a good influence on Emily.  “I’ll give Chris a quick call.  He said he’d come after me.”

          “I should have asked Diane to take you home.”  Megan simply hadn’t thought.  Lauren’s maturity and attention to detail surpassed Megan’s at times.

          After she left, Megan slipped into Emily’s bedroom and kissed her sleeping daughter—such a beautiful girl.  Her long, thick dark brown hair cascaded around her pillow like a high spiked crown.  My little girl is growing up, Megan thought as she looked down at Emily, and I want to be a mother who will listen and encourage.

          The next morning, Megan spent her usual time with coffee in hand feeling the chill of the morning out on her deck.  The air felt crispy, but the promise of a sunny day radiated as the morning sun brightened the azure blue of the sky.  When at last she could linger no longer—the fall colors had a hypnotic effect on Megan—she quickly showered, put breakfast dishes in the dishwasher—wasn’t it Emily’s turn this morning?—and went downstairs.

  

As Megan stepped into the shop with Gilly at her side, she noticed sun pushing through the closed blinds giving a stripped effect to the carpet.  She made the necessary adjustment to take advantage of the natural light.  After preparing the coffee brewers Megan sat down to look at her list for the day.

 

          The morning moved along quickly as several customers stopped in.  Two retired couples—good friends—looked through travel books.  They laughed about trips they’d taken together, and chatted about the location of their next adventure.  Megan listened with a sense of melancholy—would she have someone to share memories and travel with? When the couples left, they each had a book on a different place they were considering. Hmmm, I guess it is especially nice to have older couples who aren’t adept at the internet.  They’ll buy books where the younger generation wants to find everything online.

 

          Next thing she knew, Chris walked through the front door.  “Chris, I’m going to walk down to the grocery.  I’ll be back shortly.”

          Megan grabbed her purse and walked out into the bright sun.  About a block from the shop, she heard a honk and a car pulled up to the sidewalk.  “Megan, can I drop you someplace?”  She looked over to see Stephen Forbes getting out of the car.  “I’m sorry to honk, but I kept waving and I don’t think you saw me.”

          “I guess the sun was in my eyes.  I’m just going to pick up a couple of things at the grocery.”  Megan didn’t relish talking to this man, and started walking again.

          “Megan, I think we got off on a bad footing.”  Megan heard hesitation in his voice.  “Look, I know you don’t know me, but could we have dinner sometime soon?  I’d really like to get acquainted.”

          “Pastor,” Megan began with a note of hardness in her voice.

          “Please, my name is Stephen.  My friends call me Stephen.  And I’d like us to be friends.”

 

          “Look, I don’t know.  I mean, I’m not a church-goer and I don’t intend to become one.  I’m being harassed by your head elder, and I don’t need another name to add to that list.”  Did the day suddenly become gray?  Where is the sun?  Or is it just the mood this conversation takes me to?  I see no reason to become friends with this man.

“Please, Megan.  Just give me some time to explain.  I’m not like what you perceive me to be.”  He voice sounded pleading.

 

I’m not falling for this.  The last thing I need is a preacher in your life….

 “OK, will you just think about it?  I promise I won’t invite you to church.  I am not sympathetic to Roland Fisher’s demands for you and your store.  Let’s spend some time getting acquainted, and I think you’ll find I’m not the ogre you think I am.”

          Megan smiled and said as she slowly walked away, “Let me think about this.”  She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do.

 

          Walking to the store, Megan’s thoughts once again swirled around in her head.  I don’t need this man as a friend.  But then, what’s the problem IF he’s not going to insist I attend church or try to convince me to change my shop according to Roland Fisher’s mandates.  I don’t want to be another notch in his evangelistic belt.

            The story continues...