© Copyright 2007 by More Than Novellas

Part III

Rachel
February 17, 2007
raygairy@hotmail.com

A new phase of life was about to begin for Andrew and Anita. As Andrew looked outside it seems as if nature itself agreed with him. It was one of the those bright sunny days that made one forget that it was close to freezing outside. There was not a cloud in the sky, neither was there a cloud of doubt in his heart. He had purpose for his life ahead. He had finally figured out which direction his career would face. He had found the woman he wanted by his side for the rest of his life, and most importantly, He had found the Path, the Way as the minister as said at the last service.

Though he knew what he had planned for the day, he dropped to his knees and prayed for guidance and blessings on his plans. With God on his side nothing would be impossible and he arose comforted and confident. It was time to put his plans into action. February 14, 2007 would forever be a special day, not just because it was Valentine's day, but because it would be the beginning of everyday for the rest of their lives.

Sarah
February 25, 2007
baughmanks@gmail.com

Anita sighed. Her class was decorating empty tissue boxes for their Valentine's Day party tomorrow. Each child would distribute their Valentines to his or her classmates via the boxes. She walked around, observing their work. She tried to offer a compliment for each child's box, a suggestion where she felt it was warrented.

When Anita arrived at Annie's seat, she saw that the girl was very intent on a picture she was drawing on a white heart. Two people, a man and a woman, were holding hands.

"Are you drawing your mommy and daddy, Annie?" Anita grinned at how cute kids could be.

"No, Miss Miller, it's you and Uncle Andy."

Anita felt the smile freeze on her face. "Annie, we talked about this."

"Oh, I know, Miss Miller. But I asked Uncle Andy, too. He said you will get married, you just don't know it yet." The little girl's eyes got big and her mouth dropped open just before she clapped her hand over it. "Oh! Don't tell Uncle Andy I told you! I forgot I wasn't s'posed to say anything!"

Anita sighed, patting the girl on the back. "Don't worry, Annie, you won't be in trouble. Go ahead and finish your box."

As she walked back to her desk at the front of the room, Anita murmured under her breath, "Just friends, huh, Boyd?"

Jan
April 13, 2007
cjones006@stny.rr.com

Driving home from work that afternoon Anita finally had a chance to reflect on what Annie had said about Andrew and her getting married.

“Friends! We said we were just going to be friends. What makes him think that marriage is in the picture at all,” Anita said out loud to herself.

She began to thinks about the time that they had spent together over the past few weeks.

“It actually has been almost two months since we went to the concert together,” Anita remembered. “Things have changed a lot since that night.” She recalled how nervous and uneasy she was about even going with Andrew in the first place. She realized that night that he was looking for something more serious but then they had agreed to just a friendship.

Tonight was Bible study. How was she supposed to go to that and act normal knowing that he would be there? She could not betray little Annie. The little girl had innocently slipped in talking about marriage and “Uncle Andy”.

At home she grabbed a quick supper, grabbed her Bible and started out the door of her apartment. Something made her stop dead in the doorway.

“I haven’t even prayed about my relationship with Andrew,” Anita thought. “For years I have prayed that God would bring a Christian man into my life to be my future husband. But since that first date with Andrew I have not asked for God guidance even in our friendship.” Anita turned around and sat down at the kitchen table and began to pour her heart out to the Lord.

“Dear Father, I thank You that You have a plan for my life. Before I was even born You knew everything about me. Forgive me for just doing my own thing these past weeks. I have spent time with Andrew and enjoyed his friendship but I haven’t really committed that relationship to You. Right now I ask for Your wisdom. Help me not to be so determined to get what I have dreamed about. In Your word it says that you give us the desire of our hearts. My desire, Lord, is to meet a godly man, fall in love and get married. Then the two of us will be able to serve you. I am asking that You help me to seek only Your leading in my life.”

At Bible study that night Anita intentionally sat across the room from Andrew. She wanted to be able to observe him without being affected by any interaction with him or his physical closeness to her. She silently prayed, “Lord, let me see in Andrew what You see in him.”

“With Valentine’s day being tomorrow I thought that we would look at the chapter in the Bible that is known as the love chapter, I Corinthians 13.” With her thoughts being on something else at that time it took Anita a second to realize that it was Andrew who had just spoken. She didn’t know that he was the one in charge of leading the Bible study tonight.

She was taken back a little by the topic he had chosen. She even became a little defensive thinking that he was going to target the whole lesson toward her. However, when he opened his Bible and began to read the passage to the group it was if he were a different person.

He expounded on different parts of the chapter, asking and answering questions. He explained that prior to chapter 13 Paul was talking about the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to believers. He said, “The gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be applied in love. This chapter is not giving us a definition of love. It really is giving us a display of love. It is a definition of God, for God is love.”

Anita was taking in all that was being discussed and hearing love taught in a way that she had never heard before.

As Andrew was finishing up the Bible study he said, “Love is everlasting. It is permanent. The love of God is that kind of love. In His love God looks beyond the barriers of time and space. His love takes eternity in its grasp. One day we will not need faith or hope. All we will need is Jesus Christ and his love is eternal.”

Anita was so blown away by what she had just heard that she didn’t even stay around to socialize. She wanted to get home and pondered what the Lord was teaching her through the study tonight.

Sarah
April 16, 2007
baughmanks@gmail.com

Andrew stared at the door as it closed. Anita had just left Bible study, not even greeting anyone there. He felt his gut clench, watching as his plans seemed to fall in pieces at his feet.

"Oh Andrew, your study was so great! Are you doing anything right now?" one of the ladies around his age gushed. Andrew thought of the table in one of the other Sunday School rooms, set with a crisp white tablecloth, his mother's china dessert plates, and her silver dessert forks. Two pieces of Anita's favorite cake sat on the plates, with a candle between them. Suddenly, the ring box in his jacket pocket seemed to weigh a ton.

"I'm sorry, Sally, I can't. . ." he took a deep breath, excusing himself as he gathered his things.

Rachel
April 20, 2007
raygairy@hotmail.com

Pushing open the door, he came to an abrupt halt. For right there about to come back in was Anita.

"We need to talk" they both said at the same time.

It was a strange moment. Neither was smiling. Andrew who was so close to tears just moments before was still trying to get his emotions under control. Anita was still overwhelmed by the message she had just heard, and being in such close proximity to Andrew was not helping.

They looked at each other and no one made a move until the moment was broken by the door opening again to let out more of the bible study members.

Snapping out of his stupor - Andrew grabbed Anita's hand, and turned towards the corridor that led to "The Room". "What are you doing Boyd?" Not releasing his hand, looking impressive in black as usual Andrew said two words "Trust me." Anita blinked. Looking from their joined hands to his eyes she reflected on his words - Trust. And in that moment she knew. She did trust him. From the annoying boy he had been in school to the successful entrepreneur now standing before her. And her heart lightened. This was the point of the lesson - without charity - love - nothing else mattered. And she knew with certainity that love is what Andrew Boyd was offering to her.

"Yes" She said as she released her arm from his grip. But before the uncertainity could resurface for Andrew she interlaced her fingers with his.

"What do you mean yes?" Andrew was still unsure of the tranformation that had come over Anita. For in front of him was the heart of his heart, smiling at him with what he was sure was love in her eyes.

"Yes to Trust, Yes to you!"Anita said with conviction. "And what about the future?" He pressed. "We can trust God for the future" she said simply.

"Ah" said Andrew, and he now moved them in the direction of the The Room, "but I meant our future."

Opening the door with florish, he led her inside. "Yes God holds the future and I believe that in His plans for the future, there is an us. Taking hold of both her hands, he just looked deep into her eyes - Anita I love you. I believe God has placed this love in my heart for you, and I believe that love beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. I have faith, I have hope, but most of all I have love. Will you marry me?"

Taking a deep breath, but never taking her eyes off his, Anita had noticed the beautifully decorated room, her favorite desert, but most of all she had noticed the words quoted from 1 Corinthians and teacher as she were she could not help but admire how well they had been applied. But this was not time for semantics, this was a time for love, and again she simply repeated "Yes."

Time must have stopped for in years to come neither remembered how the ring got on her finger, or who started that first kiss. But there was no need, for they had finally found their common ground and it was their love for each other and for the Lord. The ring never came off, and that was the first of many kisses. And every valentine's day they celebrated with her favorite cake eaten off their very best china.

Truly the greatest of these is love. It never faileth, rejoiceth in the truth, and abideth forever.

(note from Liz) ... Can I just say that I truly love how this story ended up? I'm sorry, guys that I wasn't able to participate or keep up, but I am so excited about the new people participating and the great parts added! Thank you so very much!

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