Finally the day of prom arrived. The entire day was hectic. Felisha took me to get my nails and hair done perfessionally. I was getting a haircut. I wanted it to be to the middle of my back and layered. When they finished, it was curled, shiny, and long.
I hoped Tanner was going to like it. He was the only reason why I was going to prom in the first place.
I had my nails done in a green French tip that matched the color of my dress (and eyes). We bought the jewelry and shoes (which I almost forgot).
When everything seemed taken care of, we grabbed something light to eat on the way home. We didn't have time to waste.
When we were back at Felisha's house, she helped me with my dress. It showed a lot of skin on my back which had me paranoid and a little bit uncomfortable. I didn't want to look sleazy. Felisha also did my makeup and put on my jewelry. When everything was in place, she had me look in the mirror.
The transformation that took place had me step back and do a double take. "Oh, my gosh. Is that me?"
Felisha rolled my eyes. "Yes."
I studied my reflection in the mirror. The eye shadow that Felisha put on me brought out the green in my eyes a lot. I looked like I just stepped out of one of those fashion magazines. I looked...hot. I smiled.
"Just wait until Tanner sees you." She smiled.
My stomach got the butterflies and my eyes sparkled at the mention of Tanner's name.
"I think someone is in love." She teased.
"Love? We haven't even kissed yet." I gave her a funny look.
"That has nothing to do with love." She stared at me. "Love is a decision. A choice. You choose to love and show love through you actions. That's true love. It can sometimes be a feeling, but feelings soon disappear."
"Who told you that?"
She blushed. "Pastor Frank."
"Aww. How sweet."
"Oh, hush." She smiled. "But what he said is true you know."
"How?" She had my full attention.
"Marriage is a huge commitment. You pledge to stay with your spouse until death does you apart. Well that kind of love only comes from God. Take this for example. A man cheats on his wife with a younger woman because they stop talking about the little things that got them together. Would you think the wife would be crazy to continue the marriage instead of filing a divorce?"
"I think I understand what you mean."
"Without the decision, there is divorce. Most people don't understand the reason for marriage. They say the pledge, but don't take it seriously. Another example is this: A woman marries a man, because of the way the looks, but the man really loves her. He gets into a bad car accident. He survives, but the majority of his face gets messed up. She files a divorce, because she can't stand to look at him."
"That's heartbreaking," I said thinking about it.
"That is why love is a decision. You choose to love that person. True love only comes from God, because 1 Samuel 16:7 "Don't judge by the outward appearance...people judge by the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart and intentions.
I thought back to when Felisha told me Tanner doesn't look for the outward appearances in a person. He looks at them the way God does. All of it made sense now. I thought of Tanner truly loving me the way God did. In the middle of my thoughts, I heard a car door slam shut.
My hands quickly became sweaty. My heart beat quickened.
"I'll get it." Felisha smiled at me. "Hurry. Put your shoes on."
YOU ARE READING
Looking Back
Teen Fiction"... he will give beauty for ashes..." Isaiah 61:3 Tamara's mother left her at a young age making her live with her abusive father while growing up. With her dad always drunk angry, Tamara would volunteered at the town's public library just to stay...
