The two guys shook hands, and Todd said. "So how did you two meet?" Christy thought he looked a little surprised.
"At school." Katie gave Christy a startled look. "Didn"t Christy tell you? It was a designed meeting."
Designed meeting? Katie, a week ago you would have said it was a *G.o.d-thing." What"s happened to you? What"s this *designed meeting" stuff?
By then Todd was up at the window, and Michael quickly pulled some money from his pocket and told Todd, "Two more of whatever you"re buying."
Todd paid for the tickets, and the four of them entered the theater. Katie chattered on as they found four seats together near the front, right when the previews began to run.
"Just in time," Katie whispered to Christy. The two girls were wedged together, with the guys sitting on either side of them. "Isn"t this the cheekiest thing?"
"Cheekiest?" Christy questioned.
"Oh, Michael says it all the time." Katie giggled. "Isn"t he terrific? Don"t you just love this? Do you realize you and I are finally doing what we always wanted to? We"re finally on a double date together!"
Christy smiled warily in the darkened room. "Yeah, this is great!"
Michael put his arm around the back of Katie"s chair, and she snuggled a little closer to him as the movie started. Christy slipped her right hand through Todd"s arm, and he grasped her fingers and wove them around his.
Todd squeezed her hand as if to say "Relax!" She gave him a squeeze back and settled into her seat. Katie was right. This was what Christy had always dreamed of, going to the movies and holding hands with Todd, double-dating with Katie and...that"s where the dream didn"t seem to match up. Christy had never imagined anyone like Michael in Katie"s life.
Now that he was here, she didn"t feel settled about him. Why couldn"t it be Doug or Glen? Or any other normal guy from church? Why did Katie have to get involved with this strange guy, who most likely wasn"t even a Christian? What was going to happen?
"We brought our own snacks." Katie reached for Michael"s leather backpack and pulled something from it. "You want some?"
Come on. Christy, relax. Enjoy this time withjour friends. Sit back, eat some M&M"s, and try to act like everything is the way it should be.
"Sure," Christy whispered back. "What did you guys smuggle in? M&M"s? Snickers? Ding Dongs?" Christy tried to think of what other favorite junk food Katie might have brought with her.
"Raisins," Katie said, offering Christy a small box. "We brought raisins and unsalted sunflower seeds."
"Raisins? You mean those chocolate-covered raisins?"
"Nope. Just plain, ordinary, healthy raisins. Michael says they"re full of iron and something else. They"re good. Really! Here, have some." Katie plopped the little box in Christy"s lap and tossed a handful of raisins into her own mouth.
She brought raisins. Katie is eating healthy raisins! Oh Katie, this is worse than I thought. You"re really serious about this guy, aren"t you?
"Do you have any bottled water?" Michael asked the waitress at Marie Callender"s Restaurant and Bakery a few hours later when the foursome stopped in for an after-movie snack.
"Yes, we do. Would you like anything else?"
"No. thank you. Just water."
The waitress turned to Christy. "And for you?"
Christy felt a little embarra.s.sed ordering pie after Michael ordered only water. "I"d like a piece of cherry pie, please."
"Would you like that with ice cream or whipped cream?"
She thought ice cream sounded good but turned it down. "No, thanks."
"Would you care to have it heated?"
"No, thank you."
"Good choice." Michael leaned across the table and confided in Christy. "It won"t be until the next generation that we"ll see the side effects of all this microwaving we"ve done to our food. Can"t be good for humans, I think. Best to avoid it whenever possible."
"Right," Christy said with a slight smile.
"A small salad, please," Katie ordered. "No dressing."
After the raisins in the theater, nothing should have surprised Christy, but Katie ordering a salad did.
"Not the iceberg lettuce," Michael added to Katie"s order. "It retains pesticides even after it"s been washed."
"Would spinach be okay?" the waitress asked, looking a little annoyed at Michael, the "nature boy."
"Sure," Katie said. Then turning to Christy, she mumbled in a low voice, "I guess it wouldn"t hurt to try spinach for the first time in my life. What do you think?"
Christy knew this was neither the time nor the place to tell Katie what she thought. Instead, she returned Katie"s friendly smile and waited to see what recommendations Michael might have for Todd"s order.
"Pumpkin pie with whipped cream and a gla.s.s of water."
"Is tap water okay, or would you prefer bottled water as well?"
"No, city water is fine. Hasn"t killed me yet."
The waitress turned with a swish, and Christy felt certain she was miffed with them. Christy didn"t like anyone to be upset with her. Not even a waitress.
"So tell me about Belfast," Todd said to Michael, who jumped right in and in his wonderful accent talked about the political unrest in his beloved city. He told of being in a grocery store as a child and leaving only minutes before a bomb exploded. The bomb sheared off the front half of the store, but Michael and his mother were unharmed.
Christy enjoyed listening to Michael speak with such pa.s.sion about his homeland. She had to admit that his accent was charming, and he spoke with beguiling animation. Katie looked so proud to be with him. He was nice-looking in his natural, earthy sort of way. His thick, dark hair fit well with his fair skin and green eyes, and his personality and looks were intriguing. If only he would say he was a Christian, it would make everything perfect.
When the food arrived, Todd said, "Would you guys mind if I prayed before we eat?"
"Pray for a piece of pie?" Michael asked with a laugh.
"I like to give thanks to G.o.d whenever He provides me with something to eat."
Michael looked amused. "But the waitress provided it. The cook prepared it. It"s the money from your own pocket that will pay for it. What has G.o.d done to provide your pumpkin pie?"
Now it was Todd"s turn to look amused. "G.o.d made the pumpkin. I want to tell Him thanks." Bowing his head, Todd said in a jovial voice, "Thanks, Father, for making the pumpkin. Thanks too for making Michael. You did a good job on both of them. Amen."
Michael laughed aloud. "I don"t suppose I"ve ever heard a prayer like that before. You sure G.o.d heard you?"
Todd nodded and gave Michael a confident smile. Just before the first forkful of pumpkin pie touched Todd"s lips. he said with complete a.s.surance, "Oh, yeah. He heard me all right. G.o.d hears."
Michael took a swig of his bottled water and shook his head. "Your friends are a bit daft, Katie. Anyone ever tell you that?"
"They"re the best friends a person could ever hope for, Michael." Katie quickly retorted, moving the spinach around on her plate, apparently trying to work up the nerve to take her first bite. "You won"t find better than these two anywhere."
"I found you." Michael faced Katie and looked deep into her eyes. "It"s the luck of the Irish I carry with me wherever I go."
Katie blushed. But she didn"t turn away. Instead, she met Michael"s gaze and locked into a silent visual embrace with him.
Christy looked down at her cherry pie. It was awfully hard to act casual when Katie was falling in love right before her eyes. Had she acted like that when she first met Todd? It seemed so long ago. She was so used to him now, so comfortable around him. She couldn"t picture herself being entwined in such an intimate exchange with him in a public place. Still, it was amazing to see Katie so in love.
Tomorrow, Christy decided, when Katie and I are working in the church nursery, I"m going to lay it on the line with her. If this guy isn"t a Christian, which he doesn"t appear to be, then she needs to break up with him immediately before she gets too involved.
But the next morning Katie didn"t show up for her commitment to work in the nursery. Christy had her hands full with fifteen weary and hungry three-year-olds.
"I just found out the teacher for the three-year-olds has gone home ill," the church nursery coordinator said, popping her head into Christy"s room. "I have you and another high schooler scheduled. Do you need an additional helper?"
"Definitely!" Christy retrieved a truck from a little boy who was about to throw it at two girls quietly looking at books on the rug.
"Mine!" the boy wailed. He burst into tears and tried to retrieve the truck from Christy"s raised hand.
"The other high schooler is my friend Katie. She hasn"t shown up. I could use all the helpers you can send me!"
"I"ll send three junior helpers in right away," the woman promised. "Here"s the lesson book. If you don"t mind, could you look it over? It looks like you"ll need to teach the Bible story today. Snacks will be at the regular time, and I"ll be right next door if you need anything."
A mixture of panic and anger washed over Christy. Katie was the one who was good with little kids. She could entertain ihem on a moment"s notice. Katie would be great at doing the lesson, even if it was last minute. She was probably off with Michael somewhere and hadn"t even bothered to let Christy know she wasn"t coming. This was unfair!
Fortunately, the three middle-school helpers were right at home with toddlers. They busied the kids with crayons at the table while Christy peeked at the lesson book.
It seemed easy enough, a story about seasons and how G.o.d is in control of all the changes that take place in this world. Some verses appeared at the end of the lesson from Ecclesiastes about there being a time for everything. She thought she had heard a song about that before.
I"m so mad Katie isn"t here! She probably knows the song. She could have sung it for the kids. She should be doing this, not me!
Christy stared out the window at the church parking lot while she thought about Katie"s desertion. The leaves were changing color on one of the big shade trees; several floated down and landed on some of the car tops like giant yellow and orange confetti.
It was a memorable parking lot. Her dad had given Christy her first driving lesson there. Last summer they loaded the bus for church camp in the lot. It had been Katie"s idea to go, but she had backed out at the last minute, leaving Christy alone as a camp counselor to a bunch of fifth-grade girls.
Then Christy flashed on another memory of that church parking lot. Two years ago she had given Rick Doyle a Christmas present out by his car, and he had unexpectedly kissed her. Come to think of it, the gift for Rick and going out to the parking lot with him had been Katie"s idea too.
Christy realized she had a memory for almost every season in that parking lot. Maybe she could make a memory for this little bunch of young hearts out in that same lot. They could go for a walk and each collect one of those autumn leaves. Then they would come in for story time. Christy would put all the leaves up on the board and talk about how it"s G.o.d who makes the seasons change. It seemed simple enough.
"Okay, now everyone remember to hold on to the hand of your buddy. We"re going to be very quiet." Christy placed her finger over her lips and motioned for the cla.s.s to tiptoe behind her like little mice.
Except for a couple of creative youngsters who added some tiny mouse squeaks, they made it to the parking lot without incident. Christy led them to the tree at the side of the lot. "Now while you"re still holding the hand of your buddy, everyone pick up one special leaf, and we"ll take them back to cla.s.s."
Two little boys near the fence spotted their "special leaves" in opposite directions and tried to retrieve them while still holding hands. They yanked hard on each other"s arm. Before a major scuffle could break out, Christy stepped in and helped Tyler find his leaf while one of the junior helpers took Benjamin"s hand and helped him find his.
"Okay, buddies, everyone holding hands? Show me your leaves in your other hand. Oh, those are all beautiful! You did a great job. Now we"re going to be quiet little mice again and go back to our room."
The procession seemed much louder than on the way out. Christy had to stop them at the door and press her finger to her lips once more. "I want to see only quiet little mice tiptoeing down the hall. Which one of you is going to be my quietest little mouse?"
"Me!" they all said loudly.
Christy quickly pressed her finger to her lips again. "Shh! I don"t want to hear any noise. Quiet little mice don"t make any sounds at all."
With exaggerated tiptoe steps, Christy held her new buddy"s hand and demonstrated how quietly she wanted them to walk. It was working. They held hands, still clasping their special leaves, and tiptoed to the cla.s.sroom.
The nursery coordinator happened to be standing by their door and seemed delighted at what she saw. "I wondered why it was so quiet in here all of a sudden," the woman whispered to Christy. "It looks like you had a special adventure."
Christy nodded and led the sweet parade into the cla.s.sroom. As the coordinator watched, Christy said. "Now all my little mice need to sit on the floor and carefully hold your leaf in your lap. These are special treasures! G.o.d made these leaves."
The children took their places and looked at their autumn leaves with reverent awe, awaiting their next instruction.
"I"ve never seen this cla.s.s behave so well before," the coordinator whispered to Christy. "You"re a miracle worker! I didn"t know you had such a gift to work with children. You should become one of our regular teachers. I"ll talk to you about it afterward."
Christy felt warm inside. She did kind of enjoy this, as long as the kids were cooperative. She didn"t do well when they were fighting and screaming.
"Okay, my little mice, you"re doing a good job! One of my helpers is going to come around and put a piece of tape on your leaf with your name on it so you"ll know which one to take home with you after cla.s.s. I"m going to put all the leaves up here on the board, and then I have a very special story to tell you."
Christy couldn"t believe how sweetly the little faces looked at her. They followed instructions and waited expectantly for her story.
After she had gathered the leaves and arranged them on the board behind her, Christy sat on the teacher"s stool and held up her Bible for all the children to see. "Do you know what this is?" she asked.
"The Bible!" they all yelled. A string of comments and pushing and tattling followed.
Okay, so I don"t ask questions unless I want a riot to break out.
"That"s right, the Bible. Now everyone listen. Quiet little mice listen to the story without making a sound." Christy waited a moment while her helpers calmed the children.
"The Bible tells us about G.o.d. The Bible says..." Christy quickly opened to Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 and began to read. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot."
Christy noticed the next verse said, "A time to kill and a time to heal." She didn"t think a bunch of three-year-olds would understand that, so she skipped down a few verses and read, "A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." Then thinking she might lose their attention if she read the entire pa.s.sage, which went on for another four verses, Christy quickly summarized. "You see. there"s a time for everything."
I wonder if the person who wrote this lesson thought about how short the attention span of a three-year-old is.
She spoke a few minutes to the now-wiggling bunch about how G.o.d is in control of everything and how He knows when it"s time for things to change.
"Right now it"s time for the leaves to change color," Christy explained. "Everything happens according to G.o.d"s plan."
Just then the helper from next door walked in with a tray of juice and crackers, and all concentration was lost. Still, Christy felt good about having taught her first lesson to preschoolers. Some eternal secrets were locked inside those yellow leaves, secrets about G.o.d"s design and His proper time for everything.
Even if the kids hadn"t learned much, Christy knew she had s.n.a.t.c.hed a nugget of G.o.d"s truth for herself and hidden it in her heart. This morning had been a time to try something new, a time to teach toddlers. To her surprise, she enjoyed it.
As the children filled in around the small tables, a few fights broke out in their eagerness to get their snacks. This was the part Christy wasn"t good at, calming down the wild ones. She had seen Katie do it with ease and wished Katie was here now.
Then, remembering how the verses said there was a time for everything, Christy gritted her teeth as she pulled apart two squabbling toddlers.
Maybe there is *a time to kill," and that time is this afternoon when I get my hands on Katie for abandoning me!
"Well, do you know when she"ll be home?" Christy asked Katie"s brother on the phone Sunday evening. She had tried all afternoon to reach Katie, but no one had answered the phone.
"I don"t know," her brother said.