SugarCOAT

129. Perfect Timing ⏳

I tried, trust me, I tried, but I could not go back to sleep. For now, Monica is the blame. I ended up getting out the bed at 7:30 a.m. I went to the bathroom and got ready for the day. I even went downstairs to get breakfast, running into my step-dad.

"Good morning, baby girl. Where you all dressed up to go to?"

We filled our plates as we stood side-by-side.

I answered, "Honestly, I don't have any plans scheduled this early. I'm still used to being up at this time."

"Yeah. That's how it is for me. I love being retired, but getting up early for no reason takes some adjusting. That's why me and your mama started walking in the mornings. Sometimes, we have morning dates."

I glanced at my dad. "I'm glad y'all can spend more time with each other."

"Me, too. Are you ready for Yellow Sand Beach?"

"Am I?" That question just brightened my morning. "I'm too ready. I wish we were going today." I looked around before whispering to my dad, "but I'm trying to get all my free days at this hotel."

"I knew we raised you right. Why you think we still here?"

We both laughed.

I just realized my dad was making two plates. "Daddy, this might be the last time you'll be allowed to stay in this hotel if you eating they food like that."

My dad chuckled, "No, this is not my style anymore. I've been cutting back."

"I noticed you lost some weight."

"You did?" He sounded so proud of himself.

I nodded my head. "You look good, daddy."

"Thank you, Princess. This second plate is for your mama. She's still in the room, but she's coming down."

"Okay." That gave me an idea.

My dad left before telling me to have fun while I went back in line to get another plate.

Then, I was back on my room floor, wishing I had a tray. My arms were about to break carrying a plate in each hand. Finally, I stood in front of the door and used my elbow to knock. That wasn't loud enough. I used my foot to gently kick the door. It opened.

"And I thought some kids were playing around," A.B. smiled at me.

I smacked my lips. "Good morning to you, too."

"Good morning," he said. 

I waited for him to notice that I brought him a plate, but A.B. likes messing with me more than he'd admit. Is this how men get when you start showing how much you like them? 

I extended my arm. "If you don't take this heavy plate--"

A.B. took it. "Thank you, Jamie." He stepped aside as I walked in his hotel room.

I sat my plate down on the small table before shaking my arms.

A.B. joined me at the table and poured two cups of orange juice.

"Where did you get that from?" I asked him.

"Downstairs."

I looked away in disappointment. To think I was doing something great, and he already had breakfast. 

"I only had orange juice and eggs. It was right after my workout."

"I forgot you workout," I told him.

"First, I pray. Then, I study the Word before exercise."

Maybe that's how I should organize my day for when I wake up really early. "What did you study today?"

"Today was a bit different. This year, I've been reading these short Bible Lessons from this Bible Study For Men book that I got from a bookstore, but today I opened the Bible first. I came across Ecclesiastes 3."

I took a sip of my orange juice.

A.B. closed his eyes as he recited the words, "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace."

"That's beautiful," I stated.

A.B. nodded his head, "It is. It made me think about time. I can't say that the Bible can be summed up into one or two things, but I do know the importance of time. You know, God doesn't just  have things happen at random. There's a purpose for eveything, and God has them to happen at certain times."

I agreed, "That's true."

A.B. and I joined hands as he prayed over the food. Then, we both dug in. After a few bites, I asked him, "Do you think time is going to be something you appreciate more?"

"I want it to be, but life can take you in all kinds of directions. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 was the reminder that I needed."

"Some do say timing is everything," I continued, "Now, you got me thinking about my own situation. If I had waited to go to L.A. or decided not to go at all, would I be here with you, right now? Like, would my cousin be married? Only God knows. He knew when it would happen."

"He knows everything. He is the creator of everything including time."

"Right." 

A.B. smiled, "I believe we would still be here even if you didn't go to L.A."

I smiled back. "Really?"

He nodded his head. When he looked at me, there was something spoken in his eyes that made me feel something in my heart. Does that make sense?  I don't remember seeing this look in his eyes. It was the most genuine look of certainty that I've ever seen. It was like he was letting me know that he was about to tell me something serious.

"From now on," he started, "I'm going to take advantage of every-single-day that we have here. I won't go back to the past, saying I waisted time, but I do want to make up for it. Anybody else would've taken the opportunity to be with someone who was everything they wanted, but I allowed other things to get in the way. Not everyone is blessed to be in a relationship with a person that will truly love them. It makes me want to push myself and try new things, and even things I've been hurt by. I have to stop trying to be the God of my life and live as a follower of Christ.

"No matter what happens, good or bad, I have to remember that there's a time for everything, but most importantly, God is still present and in those times of good or bad, He will not leave us. I don't want to take His perfect love for granted, and I don't want to miss out on the one he has for me. I hope you see it the same way," he finished.

I heard everything even the code words. As long as he continues to buy my food, I'm all in! I nodded my head to let him know that we were on the same page. Then, I got the bright idea to speak before thinking. "So is this a date?"

A.B. smiled, "You mean our day?"

I said, "Yeah, 'cause it's like a thing now when we spend an entire day together. We just gotta start calling a thing a thing."

A.B. agreed, "I hear you. It's a date, Ms. Sawyer."

"Good, Mr. Bravos." I went back to eating my food. I may've said this before or only to myself, but I like who I am when I'm with him.