"Oh yes," Christy answered in a tight whisper. "Yes!" A huge lump had nearly closed off her throat. "If only you knew how much He wants you!"
"Well, I know I want Him."
"Then tell Him," Christy said, swallowing her rising emotions.
"Should I close my eyes?"
"I don"t think it matters."
"I think I"ll close them." Alissa closed her eyes, bowed her head, and folded her hands, like a little girl in Sunday school.
Christy did the same, wondering only for a moment if any of the people around them might notice them praying. Then she decided it didn"t matter. This was too much of a miracle to worry about what others thought.
"Lord G.o.d, I don"t really know what to say. You know how sorry I am for everything I"ve done in the past. I want to ask You to please forgive me. I don"t want my life to be like that anymore. I want You to come in and change me. I want You to take over my life. Amen."
Their eyes met before they had lifted their heads all the way. Christy broke into a huge smile.
Reaching over, she hugged Alissa. "I"m so excited for you! Todd is going to go totally wacko when he finds out! Did you know he"s been praying for you for a whole year?"
Alissa blinked back a train of runaway tears and said lightheartedly, "Well, it worked! After I met you guys, I kept meeting more and more Christians. Things I couldn"t explain started happening. I started to feel like there really was a G.o.d out there and that He wanted my attention."
"And what do you feel like now?" Christy asked.
"I feel like...like, I don"t know, like a little kid-all fresh and silly. I feel like running into the ocean, screaming and dancing all the way."
"Then come on!" Christy hopped up like an ignited spark. "Let"s do it!"
"All right." Alissa giggled, springing to her feet.
"One, two, three, go!" Christy shouted.
With bare feet thumping into the sand, they ran together, waving their arms, shrieking and laughing like schoolgirls on the first day of summer.
Alissa brazenly shouted to the wind and the waves and any people who happened to be close enough to hear, "Jesus loves me!" Then laughing wildly, impulsively, she shouted, "And I love Him!"
Exuberant and full of amazement at Alissa"s transformation, Christy scooped up the cool ocean water with her open hands and joyfully sent the spray shimmering through the air, showering Alissa with its sparkling mist. Alissa immediately sent a splash back at Christy, giggling like the giddy, trembling new creation she was.
Standing on the edge of forever and laughing until the tears came, Christy tilted her head back, squinted at the brilliant sun, and said, "Now this, this is a G.o.d-thing!"
Book Six - A Heart Full of Hope.
To the youth group at the First Evangelical Free Church of Reno: May the Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face to shine upon you.
And give you His peace.
"Come on, Christy, try not to blink." Katie patiently held the mascara wand.
"I"m trying, Katie, but it"s hard." Sixteen-year-old Christy Miller looked up at her red-haired friend and scrunched up her nose. "Why don"t you let me do this part?"
"What would be the point of having me do your makeup for your big date if you end up doing everything yourself? Now hold still and look up." Katie carefully twirled the wand on the eyelashes lacing Christy"s blue-green eyes.
"This feels weird, Katie."
"Hush. Lookup. I mean it, Christy, don"t move!" Katie finished the right eye and started on the left. "Good. Now don"t blink. Let it dry."
Stepping back to examine her work, Katie smiled. "Perfect! Rick is definitely going to call you "Killer Eyes" tonight."
Christy adjusted her five-foot-six-inch frame on the edge of her bed. For almost an hour she had patiently endured Katie"s complete makeover, which included cuc.u.mber slices on her eyes while her nails were painted. The cuc.u.mbers were Christy"s idea-something she had read in a magazine. As the article promised, her eyes had felt cool and refreshed.
That was before Katie started with the eye shadow, eyeliner, cover stick, and mascara. Now her eyes felt a little thick.
"You don"t think you used too much eyeliner?" Christy asked.
"Not at all. Take a look." Katie handed her the mirror.
"Oh no!" Christy laughed as she looked at her long nutmeg-colored hair, now filled with hot rollers. "I forgot about these brain fryers. Do you think my hair is sufficiently cooked? I mean, look at me, Katie! I look like some kind of s.p.a.ce alien wired for communication with my home planet."
"Yes, my little Martian. Your hair is now a toasty golden brown and ready for a comb out. First tell me what you think of your makeup."
"I don"t know. I"ve never worn this much before. It doesn"t feel normal."
"Good!" Katie s.n.a.t.c.hed back the mirror and grabbed a blush brush. "This is not a normal date, so you"re not supposed to look normal." She swished the soft brush over Christy"s cheeks. "There! Now let"s start on your hair before the s.p.a.ce shuttle makes contact and lands in your backyard."
"Very funny. You sure you know what you"re doing?"
"Yes. Now hold still."
Christy could feel herself getting more and more nervous the closer she was to being ready. After being "buddies" with Rick for so long, Christy wasn"t sure how it would feel being dressed up and eating dinner at a fancy restaurant with him tonight. Or what the ninety-minute drive from Escondido to Newport Beach would be like.
"You"re not getting nervous now, are you?" Katie asked.
"Ouch!" Christy squeaked, pulling away from Katie"s aggressive hair combing.
"Sorry, but I have to hurry. You only have half an hour until he gets here."
For five days Christy had avoided asking Katie her opinion of this date with Rick. Now, with the time melting away, so was Christy"s courage. Knowing how opinionated Katie could be, Christy finally ventured the dangerous question: "Do you think I"m doing the right thing by going out with Rick?"
"You"ve been looking forward to it since he promised you this special date months ago-in a phone call from his vacation in Italy, I might add."
"I know, but do you think it will make things different between Todd and me?" Christy crossed and uncrossed her long legs beneath her bathrobe and listened to the swishing sound her nylons made.
"That depends," Katie said. "Todd knows you"re going out with Rick, doesn"t he?"
"No. Of course not."
Katie stopped combing. "I thought you said you talked to Todd yesterday, and he knew you were going to spend tonight at your aunt and uncle"s in Newport Beach. Didn"t you happen to mention to him that the reason you were going to be in Newport was because Rick was taking you to dinner there?"
"Well, no."
The two friends locked gazes. Katie"s green eyes demanded an explanation.
"See, Todd called to ask me to a party at Tracy"s house tonight, so I told him I couldn"t go to the party. Then I told him I"d be at Bob and Marti"s tomorrow, and he said he"d come by the house around noon. He didn"t ask why I was going to be there, so I didn"t tell him."
When Katie"s expression didn"t change, Christy continued. "What was I supposed to do? I couldn"t cancel my date with Rick. He"s going away to college next week. And why should I tell Todd about it?"
Katie went back to fixing Christy"s hair.
"It"s only a dinner, Katie! I don"t have to ask Todd"s permission. I"m sure it wouldn"t matter to him at all. He"s not the jealous type. You know that!"
"Hey, relax! You"re going to mess up the perfect job I did on your makeup. I"m here, aren"t I? Supporting you, helping you get ready. I"m on your side, Christy. I"m not saying anything against Todd or Rick. It"s your choice. Close your eyes. I"m going to spray your hair."
Christy obliged, tilting her chin down so Katie could spritz her bangs. Mentally, she convinced herself that there was nothing wrong with being interested in two guys at the same time. How could she possibly cause problems with Todd by going out with Rick? Neither of the guys would know a thing about the other. She"d have a nice dinner with Rick tonight and then spend tomorrow afternoon with Todd. Simple.
The problem was Katie. She had never been a big fan of Rick. Even though she was being sweet and supportive, if she really spoke her mind, she would slash Rick into ribbons, saying he was a smooth talker, a show-off, and not the kind of guy Christy should be going out with-especially since Christy already had a guy like Todd in her life.
"Your dress!" Katie exclaimed. "We should have put it on before I did your hair. I know, try to step into it."
Katie pulled Christy"s black dress off the hanger and unzipped it. It was a dress Christy had only worn twice because it made her look and feel too grown-up. She wasn"t sure she was ready to dress like that. But it had been Katie"s first choice for what Christy should wear tonight. Even Christy"s mom had agreed it was the right dress for a formal dinner.
Katie held out the dress as Christy carefully stepped into it.
"Perfect." Katie zipped up the back. "Don"t move a muscle, Cinderella. I"m searching for your gla.s.s slipper."
Christy laughed. "I think you"re into all of this more than I am."
"I like all this frou-frou stuff. Just because I"m not the one being invited on dream dates to romantic restaurants doesn"t mean I can"t enjoy the part of the fairy G.o.dmother."
Katie hunted for Christy"s black shoes in her closet while Christy examined her hair in the mirror.
"You"re sure it"s not too foofy?"
"What?" Katie asked. "Your hair or your dress?"
"Either. Both. I don"t know. All of me. Are you sure I look all right?"
Katie joined Christy in looking at her reflection in the mirror above her antique dresser. "You look dazzling!"
"Dazzling?"
"Yeah, dazzling! This is how you should look. You"re not going for fast food with Todd. This is a real date."
Christy took a deep breath and smiled. "Okay, you"re right. I"m relaxed. I"m going to have a great time. Everything is going to be wonderful."
"Not just wonderful," Katie said. "Dazzling!"
Ten minutes later, when tall, dark-haired Rick arrived and handed Christy a long-stemmed red rose, she began to believe that Katie could be right. This could be a dazzling evening.
Christy felt a little embarra.s.sed when her mom and dad made them pose for pictures, but she would be glad she had them later. Mostly she wondered what Rick thought of her. Did she look all right? Did he like the dress? Her hair?
Rick, the all-around athlete, stretched his six-foot-two-inch frame with a serious expression as Christy"s dad gave him strict instructions that Christy must be to Bob and Marti"s house by eleven o"clock. Rick agreed, shook hands, and held the front door open for Christy.
Right before swishing out the door, Christy turned around and blew a tiny kiss off her index finger. The kiss flew down the hall to Katie, who was hiding in Christy"s room with the door open a crack.
"You look beautiful." Rick opened the pa.s.senger door to his "68 Mustang.
Christy slid onto the upholstered seat. For one quick second she flashed back to how different this was from all the times she had hopped into Todd"s battered Volkswagen van, Gus the Bus.
You "re with Rick. Get Todd out of your head.
"You look really nice too," Christy said as Rick got into the car. He had on black slacks, a crisp white shirt, and a black jacket.
"I especially like your tie," Christy added, reaching over and feeling the unique tie. In keeping with Rick"s flashy side, it looked as if someone had thrown a handful of confetti at him and it had all stuck on his tie.
"You like that?" Rick said. "I got it in Italy. Thought it might add a festive touch to our evening, Killer Eyes." Then giving Christy a smile that said, "I"ve been looking forward to this date for a long time," Rick turned the key and roared down the quiet street.
Lifting her rose to draw in its rich fragrance, Christy thought, No, this isn"t a normal night Katie, you were right. Tonight is going to be dating!
"Here we are!" Rick announced an hour and a half later as he turned the car into the restaurant"s driveway. The place looked like a charming old Italian villa. "I told you I"d find the best Italian restaurant in Southern California, and this is it-the Villa Nova." Rick pulled up behind a Cadillac and waited for the valet to park his car.
As Christy wondered if she should bring her rose with her, her car door opened, and the valet extended a hand to help her out. Without looking up, she grabbed her purse and the rose with one hand, and let the young man pull her to her feet by her other hand.
Instead of letting go of her, the valet suddenly wrapped his arms around her and, with a wild hug, roared, "Christy, I can"t believe it! How are you doing?"
She vaguely recognized the voice, but since her face was now buried in the guy"s shoulder, Christy was at a definite disadvantage. He pulled away. She looked up and saw his face and then viewed Rick"s puzzled expression.
"Doug!" Christy caught her breath and smoothed down her hair. Todd"s best friend was the last person she had expected to see this evening. "I"m so surprised! I haven"t seen you in a long time."
"You look awesome, Christy. What"s the occasion?" Doug asked, an exuberant smile lighting up his tanned face.
"Doug, I"d like you to meet Rick. Rick, this is Doug." Christy hoped the introductions would help her avoid having to give any explanations.
The guys shook hands good-naturedly, and Doug jumped right in. "This is so awesome that you"re here tonight! We"re having a party at Tracy"s. You guys have to come. You remember how to get there, Christy?"
"Well, actually..." Christy fumbled for the right words, feeling a panic rising in her heart and pounding through her veins. This was the same party Todd had asked her to. She couldn"t show up there with Rick.
Before she could get out any words, Rick answered for her. "Sure, we"ll come. I"ve been wanting to meet some of these beach friends Christy talks about."
"Cool!" Doug said. "I"ll see you there when I get off at nine-thirty."