How?
How did she get herself into this predicament?
But there Luce was, preparing to go to church with Dr.Watkins.
What was wrong with this man?
He was so frigging annoying and had this infamous tendency of appearing unsuspectedly.
Luce found herself looking around her everywhere before speaking. Though frustrated, a part of her wished to profit from the opportunity to question the man. People found doctor Watkins charming. He had this all-English gentleman behavior French women loved. At the same time, he had this dominant aura that reminded Luce of her father.
Mr. Olowe was a strict but fair man who raised his daughters to be independent. He made sure they knew they could count on him if they needed him. He was the type of father who could scold and crack a joke the minute after. Luce loved her father, and she knew her situation worried him. Like many parents, he thought of the moment he would no longer be there. Mr. Olowe didn't wish his daughters to marry for society, he just wanted them to have someone they could rely on, and a spouse was a simple choice.
"Monday, wake up? Don't you want to come to church with me?" Luce asked.
Monday rolled on the side, "pray for me."
"Pray for yourself," Luce shut the door to her cousin's room. Monday disappointed her. All she did was procrastinate. If it weren't for the royalties Luce had got her to put aside, Monday would be on the street, but the money wasn't eternal. Monday needed the inspiration to write; for that, the writer had to find something to infuse the verbal juices into her.
Yet Monday was lazy. Also, she seemed more depressed than she wished to admit. The writer could argue all she wanted, but Luce saw what Monday refused to acknowledge. Her cousin was head over heels for Kenneth.
Their lighting romance left Monday drowning.
It made Luce wonder if it was worth plunging into the unknown when she would usually answer yes without hesitation. Monday's situation made her doubt.
A few days of passion versus steady love, which would you choose?
Monday believed Kenneth used her for sex and threw her once done, while Luce was sure there was more. Perhaps Monday did something that disturbed the man.
Her cousin refused to believe a cigarette could cause such a smokey gate. Monday retained how Kenneth rejected her and the rude way he ignored her calls instead of giving her an explanation.
All Luce could do was pray they either found a shoe that fit concerning their love life or plenitude somehow somewhere.
Luce hurried to church before draining her pace as she remembered who she would meet there.
"Nurse Olowe."
Luce hardly recognized the doctor, who she mostly saw in motorcycling gear or a buttoned white blouse. Then again, she didn't need to cross-examine the man's styles while at work, but at the church's steps, Luce had nothing to do but scan Blaze's appearance.
"Is something wrong?" Blaze asked. Luce's gaze didn't reassure him. He should have chosen the other outfit he hesitated to wear.
"No, nothing," Luce replied while thinking absolutely everything was off.
What was she doing there, with him of all people?
What would the pastor think? Luce didn't want him to get the wrong impression.
Speaking of which.
"Good morning, Luce." As always, Jacob stood ready to welcome the congregation.
"Good morning, pastor."
Blaze observed how the woman's body language and voice changed as she spoke. If the pastor weren't who he was, Blaze would have had suspicions.
"I see you brought someone with you," Jacob said while overlooking Luce's shoulder.
Luce had almost forgotten the doctor, who now stood a step behind her.
"Eh huh Uhm, pastor, this is doctor Watkins. He's the head of my department. He insisted on coming today."
Blaze laughed and stretched his hand to greet Jacob, "gosh, you'd think I forced you."
"You sort of did," Luce replied, displaying a sardonic smile.
This time it was Jacob who displayed a grin. He was happy to see Luce accompanied.
"God's house welcomes everyone. Nice to meet you, doctor Watkins. You're with the best tour guide ever. Luce is a true asset to this parish. She's very devoted."
"I can imagine she's very invested with patients too. It's one of the many admirable traits she has", Blaze said, making Luce roll her eyes before they entered.
The hall buzzed with whispers. Who was the man with Luce?
Tongues speculated.
Was he a relative?
The doctor couldn't possibly be her boyfriend. If he were, then where on earth did she find him?
Without knowing, Blaze and Luce reinforced people's beliefs in the existence of God and his miracles.
Luce didn't take notice. She rushed to the front row like a groupie wanting to stand the closest to the artist. Blaze followed in her lead, and the Sunday service began.
Jacob's sermon didn't help the rumors, as the day's theme was life's surprises and how God could switch up a seemingly lost situation within a few seconds.
Luce listened attentively, eyes twinkling. For once, she had the impression the pastor noticed her when the man fixed Blaze, who seemed more interested in the woman sitting beside him than his words.
The doctor's motives for being there were as evident as the sun in the sky.
"Yes, the Lord will surprise you. If it's a curveball, embrace it because the Lord will never send you a ball you can't catch and strike out. If it's an encounter, remember that what you believe to be a coincidence might be part of God's plan."
God's plan, Luce wondered what God had in store for her. She wasn't far off from being forty. Thus she guessed there wasn't much to expect. Hoping for a miracle concerning the pastor was futile. At least she had her health, a stable job, and Monday. Though she had siblings, Monday was her favorite person, even if she wanted to strangle her sometimes.
"Wow, that was one passionate Sunday service," Blaze said.
"What did you expect?" Luce replied with one of Monday's mimics that consisted in lowering her stare and the pitch of her voice.
"I'm used to this, but I didn't think French people had this kind of clerical energy." Blaze replied as they stepped out of the church.
"Goodmorning, Luce."
"Good morning, Marta," Luce returned.
"Did you and your friend enjoy the service?"
Luce knew it was a trap. All Marta wanted was to fish for information about Blaze.
"Yes, we did," Blaze replied in her stead.
"Hi, I'm Marta Bleuet."
"Blaze Watkins, nice to meet you."
Marta let out a shaking smile. She would have preferred Blaze to entail his ties with Luce in a sentence that went along the lines of I'm Luce's boyfriend, fiancé, etc. The man didn't even say if they were friends. Nor did he let out his doctor title. No blaze made sure the mystery was total.
Louana, another member, was luckier as she took the two by storm with her direct approach.
"Is this the man you've been hiding from us, Luce?"
Luce released a nervous chuckle," it's not what you think. Dr. Watkins is my department head."
"Oh, I see. Gosh, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Louane Ramirez."
"Louane is the choir's leader."
"I noticed you have a beautiful voice," Blaze said.
The woman blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "thank you."
Luce couldn't believe how quickly Louane's attitude changed when she dissipated the suspicions about Blaze and her.
Louana began to explain the service hours and the volunteering program. Feeling invisible, Luce decided to exit. She began to walk towards Jacob when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Did you just leave me alone with a random person?"
"As you can see. You seemed in good company."
"Still," Blaze interjected.
Luce recognized it wasn't something people did without at least announcing their exit, but she couldn't get over Louane's flirty mode.
"Oh, doctor, did you enjoy the service?" Jacob asked as they arrived where they stood.
What was this? Why was everyone so concerned about Blaze? Luce felt eclipsed by him.
"Oh yes, I thoroughly enjoyed did," Blaze replied.
Jacob smiled, "then I imagine we'll see you next Sunday."
No one could blame Jacob for asking. He was a shepherd of souls, after all.
"Unfortunately, no, I hope you forgive me, but I have a shift next Sunday, but you can definitely expect to see me if I'm not working."
"So you count on coming here all the other Sundays?" Luce asked.
"Yes, I think I've found my place."
Unbelievable, thought Luce.
"I'm glad to hear that. We're always happy to have new members. Don't worry; you're in excellent hands with Luce."
"I'm sure I am."
At this stage, Luce was six under. Jacob saw her sorrowful expression and wondered why Luce seemed so displeased. An odd sensation filled him like a déjà vu. Something about the scene made Jacob think of when his sister met her future husband. Her first-hand reaction was to say the man was a nuisance.
Luce happened to display the same type of frustration.
Blaze and Luce left after the brief exchange.
Luce, please wait for me. The woman strode away as if they had a couple's argument.
Luce turned to face him, "excuse me, but what did you call me?"
"I'm sorry, we're not at work. I thought I could drop the nurse Olowe and perhaps you can suspend the doctor, Watkins."
"Eh, it's not like we're not friends," Luce said and crossed her arms.
"But we could be," Blaze said with a smile.
Please tell me why I would want to do that. I really don't get why you want to come to my church or why you wish to speak to me."
Blaze stared from side to side before saying, "you stress me."
"Pardon?" Luce exclaimed, taken aback by the statement.
"Yes, you stress me, nurse Olowe. You always have this disapproval stare or flee me as one does Chlora. Being in a foreign country and having to speak french full-time while bearably distinguishing words people say is scary. When I scrolled through the team list and recognized your surname, I thought cool, at least there's one person I could get along with. I know it's a naive way of thinking, but that's what I thought," Blaze said.
Luce was lost for words. The doctor nailed her. Not once did she think her behavior could impact the man in any way, but she realized how awful she seemed in the middle of the street. Of course, she had her reasons, but they longer seemed enough.
"I find it unfair," she exclaimed.
Blaze frowned, "what's unfair?"
"You can read on lips. It's as though you're constantly spying on everyone."
"Why haven't you told anyone," Blaze asked.
"Because it's your business. I figured if it were something you wished people to know, you would have said it already, but you kept quiet, and I find it dishonest. You can't expect people to trust and confide in you if you're keeping secrets. I hate lies."
Blaze sighed, "you're right. I'm sorry. I feel we got off the wrong foot. I want to rectify that. Would you accept that I offer you brunch?"
"Wait, you want to pay my silence."
"No, I want to make amends. So what do you say?"
"Every encounter has a purpose," the pastor had said. Luce wondered why doctor Blaze Watkins was on her path, and she supposed she had to accept his invitation to figure out why.