UPDATE: As of 10/11/12 (haha! I love that date ^^)
Chapter 6 - Miracles
Leah
Josh's hand felt warm in mine. I took that to mean two distinct things. The first (and most troublesome) was that I was already imagining myself as his girlfriend. That was way over my head. It was ridiculous for me to think we had something; even if we did, there was no sense in my excitement over the matter. It was just too early for that.
The second thing, which was possibly more important, was that I liked this way too much. How could I justify these feelings that had come about so swiftly…These feelings that literally had appeared from thin air? We'd only known each other for a week. And we'd only met in person yesterday. Something was wrong with me if I thought we had something together.
Not allowing my mind to dwell on the subject, I squeezed Josh's hand ever the more tightly and walked with him through the movie theater's double doors. The hem of his pants gently brushed my bare calf as we walked, sending a soft shiver through me. "Did you enjoy the movie?" He asked, noticing my grip on his hand.
"I did," I said, giggling. "Especially the part in the cave. It was so cute!" The Hunger Games was a movie I'd already seen, so I'd convinced Josh pretty easily to take me. Though he’d never seen the movie, he seemed thrilled at the prospect (the word thrilled being highly sarcastic, of course).
His exact words were, "You know what? Watching kids kill other kids isn't really my thing."
Even though I thought it strange that he didn't jump at the whole violence thing (seeing as he was a guy), I sincerely thought he'd enjoyed the drama. With a carefree smile, he now led me to his car, opening the door for me gentlemanly; it was almost like a sick romance movie. I loved every second of it. We approached Josh’s blue Pontiac quickly, and I found myself wondering how he’d come across such a unique car. It wasn’t overly flashy; it had an appeal like unto a sports car, for either girls or boys. It was cute.
Once inside the car, Josh began to suggest some places to eat. I wasn't really paying much attention, too enthralled in the realization that I was in this cute guy's car at the moment. I made myself busy by examining every possible inch of his car without seeming too suspicious. Sections of the seats were a deep blue like the exterior of the car, as well as the gear shift and steering wheel cover. His floorboards were dirty; obviously whatever trash which had been thrown around was now removed. I suppressed the urge to plan a snoop into the glove box later on; that wouldn’t be a good way to make a first date. But I couldn’t help being morbidly curious as to what kinds of things my new friend was into.
When Josh was silent and looking at me, I became suddenly nervous. "I'm sorry; what?" My tone sounded a bit sarcastic, as if I'd actually been paying attention to his question.
Josh laughed a booming laugh. "Okay. So we're definitely not eating at Benshire's." He grinned and started the car. "Sorry I asked."
"No, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying much attention. But you're right about that. No Benshire's. Unless... unless you really wanna go there," I breathed, running a hand through my hair.
"Trust me, I spend way too much time there," Josh said.
"Tell me about it. I work there, remember?" I continued my scope of the car, wondering why I’d overlooked the details on the ride to the theater. I guessed I’d been too preoccupied with simply meeting Josh than to spy on him at that moment. It was hard to tell what I was thinking at the time.
Josh laughed. "Okay, no Benshire's then."
I adjusted myself in the seat and looked outside the window for a glimpse of the disappearing theater. The street lights seemed to glare from the window; crowds of people flocked from the large building to their cars. Almost instinctively, I turned back around and flipped the vanity mirror down. I began making sure my makeup wasn't smeared; I never knew how these dating situations would go, and I constantly worried about my facial appearance.
Josh laughed again, making me jump. "Something wrong?"
I slammed the mirror up almost too quickly. It made a thump as it hit the ceiling of the car. "No, of course nothing's wrong. I just... My eyes were watering." I reached up and wiped my left eye gently for effect. "All better."
Josh kept his eyes on the road. I suddenly realized we'd never agreed on a place to eat. Even though he wasn't looking at me, I saw Josh's mouth form a noticeable grin. "Leah, you'd look better without makeup. And I mean that in the nicest way possible," he said as he made a sharp right onto a road I'd never seen before.
"Where are we going?" I asked, feeling rude for failing to thank him for his sweet comment.
"You'll see."
I nodded. It was silent for a few minutes while I tried to guess where he was taking me. My probing of Josh’s personal space was virtually over; I’d sufficed to watch from the windows and attempt to guess where we were exactly. No landmarks seemed familiar, but then again, I’d never been good with directions. At the urge to check the mirrors again, I stopped myself. "You really think I'd look better without it?"
"What? The makeup?” Josh glanced at me for confirmation, and then turned his eyes swiftly back to the road. “Yeah, I guess. I mean, you definitely don't need it to look nice."
"Thanks. I've kinda always felt bare without at least something on. I might try to go without makeup sometime."
Josh nodded. He took a left turn into the restaurant's parking lot. I couldn't even see because of the evening darkness, but the place looked too small to be a restaurant. If it weren't for the large parking lot and cars, the building could have passed for an average sized log cabin. A large lighted billboard by the road indicated the restaurant name: The Farmhouse. Come to think of it, I'd heard great things about this place; I'd just never taken the time to eat here.
It felt weird admitting that, simply because my mother was practically a cooking pro. I was sure she'd sampled the food here several times before. I hopped out of the car by myself this time, looking carefully at my surroundings. Josh took my hand as we walked through the doors. "They have the best country ham here," he suggested.
I stared around the room for a moment. Everyone and their brother had come out today; the place was completely packed. When Josh saw my expression, he smiled. "Trust me," he said, "it's always like this."
The room was completely country; oblong tables were spaced out evenly, each one carved with little cowboy figures and country designs. The smaller tables were square, much like something from an old couples' home. A small railing had been fitted at the stop of the stairs, with even more tables on the second floor. The railing, floor, and one large wall was stained the same color of pale brown. It was wonderful. Josh and I both noticed my mouth agape at the same moment, and he smiled. "And you wanted to go to Benshire's."
I stared at him in mock anger. "Well..." When I couldn't think of anything to say, save for denying it, I stuck my tongue out at him.
The waitress finally seated us in the corner table by the window. I had a perfect view of the upstairs venue. The couples and families were gathered there for a nice dinner; the cute oldies' posters were spaced apart nicely on the walls above. Oblivious to my examinations, the waitress took our orders for drinks and left.
I lifted my menu from the table and peeked over it toward Josh. "What do you suggest?" I asked coyly.
"Country ham. And whatever sides you want. I'll have what you're having." He grinned and set his own menu down, shooting me a glance that screamed 'choose carefully'. Without voicing my discontentment, I knew he wouldn't like the next words that came from my mouth.
"I'm not the biggest fan of ham. Haven't had it in years." Josh's mouth formed an 'o'. I waited for him to respond, but he didn't. "My mom doesn't make it," I explained.
"Your mom's a caterer!" He exclaimed, laughing.
I shrugged. "I'll try it, I guess." When Josh looked satisfied, I closed my menu and leaned closer to the table.
I opened my mouth to question him, to get our conversation going, but then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I sat up and checked the caller- it was Lizzy. "You need to get that?" Josh flipped the corner of his napkin against the table, toying with it as he spoke.
"No. Just Lizzy." I slipped my phone away. "I'll call her later."
The waitress arrived and took my order. Josh seconded it, and after the waitress left, Josh giggled at my disgusted face. It wasn't my fault that I didn't like ham, but I wasn't about to argue with him about how weird it was.
He nodded as if I'd asked him a question. "So you were gonna ask me something?"
"Yes. Tell me a little about yourself." I took a sip of my soda and grinned, moving my hand to my chin to seem like a shrink.
After a cordial, teeth-bearing gush, Josh spoke. "Well, I play a ton of football. My dad taught me everything he knew; he played football in college. Almost made it to the pros, too."
"Where'd he play?"
"Texas Tech. But trust me; I'm glad he never played for the NFL. He would have never met my mom that way."
I smiled with that thought. "How did they meet?"
"Oh, well my dad had left college and was driving home, so upset about not making the draft pick. And he was so distracted that he accidentally hit my mom on the interstate. They've been in love ever since."
Before I could laugh at the way he told the story, my mouth formed a shy grin. "That's sweet!" I cooed. "God really does work things out in His own way," I said, clearly happy to hear how things had panned out.
Josh stared at me blankly for a moment. "Yeah," he mumbled.
Once again, like many times before, I realized that not everyone was as religious as me. Josh was trying, however. That was a start. It made me like him all the more. Feeling rude but ignoring it for the sake of a joke, I leaned my elbows onto the table and batted my eyelashes. "This is intriguing! Tell me more, kind sir?" My lulling accent seemed out of place in such a country setting.
Josh sighed and leaned back in his seat. "But fair lady! I don't wish to draw attention to myself."
Without breaking into a smile, I spoke. "Too late." My voice was back to its normal tone, free from the silly accent. "You already have."
"Well... Why don't you tell me about you?" Josh lifted his drink from the table slowly and took a sip. He licked his lips purposefully and stared pointedly at me. Just as I realized that he was waiting for me to speak, the waitress appeared with our plates.
I stared at my plate for a moment. Josh had already taken a huge bite of ham, and was munching hungrily and grinning. After praying over my food personally, I lifted my fork to cut a piece to try, but felt my phone vibrate in my pocket again. It was just Lizzy. I wondered why she was calling so much, but figured it was nothing of real importance. I cut a slice of ham from the fat and held it up.
"I'm scared."
Josh laughed. "It's just ham! We'll try it together. Three, two, one..." We each ate a piece of ham and grinned when we'd finished.
"This is delicious!"
Josh nodded turned back to his meal. In no time, and with very little conversation, we'd finished with our plates. We chatted for a few more minutes, and I loved every word spoken. Josh was charming, funny, smart, and most importantly, he liked me.
When my phone rang a third time, I was beside myself with irritation. Didn't Lizzy know I was on a date? "I think I should just take this," I said ruefully.
"It's cool. Meet me at the car? I'll take the check." Josh grabbed my hand and rubbed it softly before walking around the tables toward the register. I stayed behind to answer my phone.
"Lizzy! What is it?"
"We have some good news! You have to come over tonight to celebrate!" Lizzy was giddy, something I hadn't heard since long before Bethany's accident. Her breathing was rather heavy for making a simple phone call.
"Celebrate what?"
"You'll see! Just be here by ten. And don't worry; your mom knows where you're going after your date. Just have Joshy-woshy drop you off at my house."
My mouth hung open, so I closed it. Joshy-woshy? Where did she get the gall to call him that? It was funny, I'd never really talked about my attraction to Josh with Lizzy, yet she already had a weird pet name for him. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"Alright. I'll be there within thirty minutes. And never, I mean never, call him that again."
Lizzy laughed. "Gotcha. No more Joshy-woshy!"
I said my goodbyes and trekked out to Josh's car. He was waiting beside the passenger door like a gentleman. "You think you could take me to Lizzy's instead of my house?"
"Can I ask why?" He opened the car door and quietly filed inside the tiny vehicle, and I followed suit.
"I'm not sure. I think something really good happened. Lizzy's family is celebrating."
"Umm, okay." Josh pulled away from the parking spot and turned onto the winding road leading away from the restaurant.
"I'm nervous. I'll bet God did something really crazy," I admitted. "Sometimes those kinda things are hard to grasp, no matter how good they are, you know?"
"I hear ya." Josh was still concentrating on the road instead of our conversation; I could tell that his nonchalant attitude was to divert attention from the subject of God.
Just when I thought all hope was lost in finding out about his relationship with God, Josh spoke up. "I'm not very into the whole God thing."
"I've noticed." I tried not to let my voice sound dry; nothing would be worse than making him feel guilty. "It's okay. Some people have a hard time understanding it. Even I do."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, sometimes I don't get how He could love little old me. But the Bible says He does, so I believe it. There's even a song about it." I hummed the tune in my head, remembering the wonderful services in which I’d heard it performed.
"A song?" Josh shot me a quick, pointed glance. It was an invitation for me to sing, but I didn't.
"Yes. It says that He loves me as small as I am. I always hold on to that song." Josh was silent. "I'm sorry. I guess this is a bit much for a first date," I allowed finally.
"No, not at all. I'm here to get to know you. How else will I do that if you don't talk about what's important to you? Obviously, religion is important to you. Just not to me, really."
I could almost feel God's disappointment in Josh for not asking questions about how to be a Christian. It was strange, because I'd never felt anything like it before. It was a terrifying feeling that almost seemed to tell me: Josh had heard the plan of salvation before. And he'd rejected it.
This wasn't a new playing field for him. I somehow could tell that someone had already presented to him the facts: Jesus died for his sin, for all sin, and He arose on the third day to save him, and that is why he needed to accept this salvation. Looking into Josh's eyes for a moment, I understood that he knew that. This rejection was just another to add to his plate. Lord, I prayed. Please help Josh to accept You someday, in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Josh turned silently into Lizzy's driveway and smiled at me. "I had a really great time."
I opened my door and got out of the car. Lizzy's front door was open; I could see her family gathered around in her living room. Josh had parked and stepped out too, to tell me goodbye.
"I had a nice time, too," I said quietly. He walked to the other side of the car and stood to face me.
With an almost forced smile, Josh looked into my eyes. "I hope God did something really special," he said.
"That means a lot, hearing you say that. Me too." I pulled him in for a hug. This was the awkward part of a first date. Was Josh going to kiss me? Did I want him to? Would he just walk away?
With a jolt I realized he was going to kiss me. I closed my eyes, felt his strong hands on my forearms, and just as our lips touched-
"Leah! Hurry! We're praying!" Lizzy stood at the door, her voice echoing from the trees surrounding the house.
I jumped back and smiled. I couldn't make out Josh's features because of the dark night, but I could tell that he was disappointed.
"I'll, uh, see you tomorrow, then?" Josh backed slowly around the car and hopped in the driver's seat before I could give a satisfying goodbye. He drove off, and I stood and watched for a minute before turning for the house.
“Lizzy," I mumbled as I walked up to her porch. "He was about to kiss me!" I whispered.
Lizzy grinned, her eyes filling. "Then I came just at the right time, didn't I?"
I rolled my eyes and entered into the Hannolds' living room. Cousins, aunts and uncles, the elderly relatives of Lizzy were all here. Her mother and Bethany were the only ones absent including her father whose fighting overseas.
"Okay! So you all know what happened to my sister and mother just three days ago." Lizzy's voice held only a hint of sadness. It suddenly clicked in my head. I knew what the announcement was now. I kept quiet, but smiled. "I wanted to thank you all for the tremendous support, prayers, cards, flowers... We wouldn't have made it these few days without you. But I wanted to share the good news with you all today!"
I had been completely happy, free from a crying spell so far, but when Lizzy dropped the news, I let the tears fall freely.
"Bethany... This morning, Bethany woke up from her coma!"
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