Both Ways

  Chapter 46

  Dave had invited Shani’s parents to church and had arranged for seats to be saved for them and their daughter. He told them the series had been very good so far and that this weekend would be extra special. He knew Shani would appreciate it if they came. Since their church only met on Sundays, they agreed to come, just this once. Shani’s dad was secretly excited that Saturday night church gave him the ability to play hooky Sunday morning and catch the first pitch of the A’s game on CBS, but he’d never tell his wife that. Dave sat on the aisle next to Shani, then Shani’s mom, with Dad taking the fourth seat in. He was more comfortable on the end, but, since he was Dave’s guest, he did as his wife and daughter instructed. Always the safer course in a home with two women, three now that Francine was around. And he loved every second of it.

  Chapter 47

  Dawn Neilson was still walking on air Saturday evening when she got off work, but, instead of staying at home, she decided to go to church to see friends. Maybe she would even come again Sunday morning on her day off. She was beginning to feel as much at home at the Chapel as anyone. Jill Enright had taken her under her wing, and the two ladies had met for tea three times since Dave’s house warming party. Jill was the big sister Dawn never had, and was quickly becoming her best friend in the world. Jill just seemed to be able to relate with her on a deeper, woman-to-woman level that Dawn had never experienced. The first time they met for tea Jill had led Dawn in a prayer of faith, which, Jill said, was a way of telling God that you believed in Him, that you believed that He loves you and has a wonderful purpose for your life. Jill told Dawn just to begin praying to God as she might talk to a friend. The ladies made arrangements to meet each week and talk about what God was doing in their lives.

  At their second tea, Jill had asked Dawn what she had been talking to God about. Dawn said that she really wanted her own place, wanted to give the Pages back their privacy. So that is how they prayed, and Jill told Dawn to begin to watch for God’s miracle. And the apartment opportunity opened before her the following day. This past few weeks had been so amazing, moving into the apartment and being blessed with the gift from IKEA - she couldn’t wait to see Jill again.

  They had met on Thursday morning, and Jill asked what she could pray about this week. Dawn was so full of thanksgiving for what God had done that the two ladies didn’t ask Him for anything. Instead, they prayed prayers of Thanksgiving that God heard their hearts’ cry before they even asked. Dawn told Jill that she didn’t have any furniture, but she still felt strong about moving out. And God met her need for furnishings in a way she would have never imagined. By Saturday evening, Dawn Neilson was confident that God could do anything and happy to tell anyone who might ask.

  Chapter 48

  Steve Franz noticed Dawn as she walked past him down the aisle. He wasn’t the only one to notice her, he observed, and wondered what it was like to turn heads everywhere you went. He thought about inviting her to join him and Paula, but then decided against it, choosing instead to watch and listen, like a good little reporter. The service began promptly at 7:00 p.m., and Steve was amazed at the level of technical excellence and professionalism of the band, along with sound, lights and video. It was like something he would pay to see. Paula joined him during the second song with the congregation standing and singing along with a chorus about the greatness of God. She leaned in to him and he bent down slightly, “So, what do you think?” she said.

  Not wanting to shout, he leaned to her ear and said, “Very cool.”

  When the Pastor took the stage, the room fell silent as he spoke about yielding to one another in relationships. The crowd was spellbound as he concluded with a story about driving down a beautiful country road.

  After a while you come to a sign that says, “One Lane Bridge Ahead.” And then there is another sign that says, “Yield.” And what do you do? The same thing you did when coming from the other direction, you slow down, and you yield to oncoming traffic. Because, for the road to work, for people to be able to enjoy the scenery and the beauty and the unique perspective found in each direction, both sides of the bridge must yield. If someone is on the bridge, you have to wait till they cross, anything less, any other action, won’t work, and it will just lead to an accident. It is the same way in marriage. Sometimes it is clearly a two-way street, and other times it is a one-lane bridge. That is the test of submission. Will you yield your rights, your power, your opinion, and your pride and allow the other to have the bridge? Or will you force your way on and try to squeeze by? I’ll tell you, it won’t work. For the relationship to stand the test of time, for it to really work, both sides must submit to one another.”

  “Now, before I close the service this evening I want to introduce you to a special friend of mine. We met as roommates in college and have been thick as thieves ever since. Until recently I would have considered him to be one of the most unyielding, unsubmitted people I knew. He was one hardheaded son of a gun in his younger days. I wish I had time to tell you the story about his junior year of college. Thankfully, God got ahold of this stubborn mule and brought him to his knees a few months ago, and my wife and I can vouch for the fact that he has gone from being the most hardheaded person we know, to one of the most godly, amazing people in our lives. Let me introduce you to my best friend, Mr. David Bean.

  Applause rose around the sanctuary from people who didn’t know Dave Bean from Adam, but who desperately wanted to respond to something after such a moving sermon. Shani and her parents looked at Dave with puzzled expressions that was exactly what he was hoping for. “I hope I’m not in trouble,” he whispered then rose to join Madison on stage. Madison handed Dave a microphone and stepped back a few feet while Dave stepped to the pulpit.

  “As Pastor Enright said, we’ve been best friends for a long time. He and Jill are family to me. I made a lot of mistakes. I guess we all do while we’re figuring out who we are, and I had to learn a lot of lessons more than once because of stubbornness. I’m closer to forty than I am to thirty, and it’s taken every one of those years to get me to the place I am today. And that place is at peace. I am at peace with God and at peace with myself for the first time in my life, and it came when I was at the absolute highest point of my life. I had reached a goal that most people only dream about, and I found it to be a hollow victory and an empty triumph.”

  Dave looked around the crowded sanctuary and continued, “Madison was razzing me the other day for sailing to England and hitchhiking across Europe. I told him I was looking for adventure, but the truth is that I was trying to fill that void in my life that nothing seemed to quench. Well, I was sitting on my couch a few months ago, and I decided to lay it all down before God, submit my heart and dreams and relationships all to Him and His glory. And do you know what happened? I discovered that submitting to Him wasn’t the burden I thought it would be. In fact, as soon as I did it, almost immediately, He started taking me to places and people that were answers to my dreams and desires.”

  In the congregation, Dawn Neilson could hardly contain herself, for the same thing was happening to her. She wanted to shout ‘Amen’ to every word Dave was saying. Shani Andrews was shell-shocked. She was listening intently, and, with every word, she fell deeper in love. He was sharing such a transparent, honest piece of his journey. She was proud of him and happy and gripping her mother’s hand so tightly that mom had to break free to shake circulation back into her fingers. Her mother saw in her daughter’s eyes that this man had won her heart. She looked over at Shani’s father, who had also noticed. They joined their hands and listened.

  “But, without question, the greatest thing that God has done for me since I submitted my life to Him, is introduce me to my soulmate - the woman of my dreams.” Shani froze. She looked at her mother as if to say, Did I hear what I think I heard?

  “She is strong and funny, she is pretty and smart, and she is a great server - if you ever happen to eat at the Olive Garden.” The congregation appreciated t
he levity and laughed, “And I would like to introduce you to her, Miss Shani Andrews. Stand up, Shani, come on up here with me.”

  Shani nervously shook her head but was propelled onto the stage by applause. The congregation, realizing this was a spontaneous invitation, began to participate in the surprise. She finally joined Dave on the stage. Madison stepped forward briefly and shook her hand. She shook his with both of hers, shrugged to the congregation, and they all laughed. She was tiny compared to Dave Bean. He was exactly one foot taller than she and probably sixty pounds heavier. Her sandy hair had been freshly cut, short, so she didn’t have to pull it back at work. She looked like an Olympic swimmer on the medal stand, perky, happy and ready for anything.

  “Before I go any further, let me do one more thing. Shani’s parents are in the congregation this evening, Mr. & Mrs. Andrews, would you please stand for a moment?” More applause as they stood. Mr. Andrews started to sit right back down again but Dave said, “Wait a minute, sir, I have a question for you while you are still standing.” Shani’s dad stood back up, adjusting the waistband of his khakis around his mid-section.

  “Mr. & Mrs. Andrews, I would like your permission to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”

  Shani’s mom tilted her head sideways and began to cry, her husband steadied her. Shani’s eyes got big as saucers, and she covered her open mouth with both hands. As the applause died down, Dave said, “Mr. Andrews, I guess you’ll have to speak for your wife on this one. She doesn’t look like she can talk right now.” Mrs. Andrews was blubbering with happiness and wanted to sit back down before she fell.

  Mr. Andrews realized he was going to have to say something when he saw that all eyes were on him, so he blurted out, “It’s fine by me. Uh, good luck.” He helped his wife to her seat as the congregation clapped in approval.

  Dave turned to Shani and said, “Shani Andrews, in the past few months you’ve become the love of my life. And, when I was thinking about this series in church, I realized that this might be the perfect setting in which to ask you this question.” He knelt down and as he did he reached into his pocket and withdrew a ring box. From one knee, holding both her hands in his own, the room so silent you could have heard a pin drop on the carpet, he asked:

  “Shani Andrews, will you marry me?”

  Most of the ladies in the room were crying by now, and the men sitting next to them were only wishing they would have thought of this first because now they would be forever compared to the guy who did it at church. Shani looked at her parents through tear-filled eyes, then turned and looked at Madison, and then back to Dave, kneeling before her, and nodded, saying, “Yes. I do, I will. Yes.”

  The room went bananas with whistles and applause. The band quickly stepped in from the wings and started a closing chorus as Dave and Shani hugged each other, then Madison, then rejoined her parents in the seats, crowding in with kisses and more hugs. Pastor Dan dismissed the service and humorously invited everyone to stop by the front of the stage and get a look at the rock on Shani’s finger, which brought the house down again.

  Steve and Paula sat back down people began filing out. “I had no idea church could be like this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Fun. Informative. Entertaining. This was really, really good. I’m impressed... Don’t tell anyone I said that.”

  “Mum’s the word, wouldn’t want to ruin your rep’,” she said.

  “Exactly.”

  “So, do you feel better about Pastor Enright now?”

  “90%.”

  “Only 90?”

  “Hey, I’m a reporter, remember? Nothing is 100%. Well, almost nothing.” Steve and Paula looked at each other and almost allowed a tender moment to pass between them.

  “I’m glad you came.”

  “I’m glad, too. And I’m happy to finally see you in your new element. I wouldn’t have expected to say this, but I think it fits. It works for you.”

  “That’s what I try to tell people,” she said, “but until they come and see for themselves, they just don’t get it.”

  “When can you break free?”

  “Me, I’m done. Got a whole team of helpers to mop up.”

  “Coffee? Pie?”

  “Mmm. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 49

  “I wish you could have been there to see Shani’s face. She was absolutely shell-shocked. There couldn’t have been a better way to close the series, especially for Saturday night,” Madison said, sitting on the edge of their bed. Jill was tired and under doctor’s orders to get as much bedrest as possible. She was allowed to attend services, but not the three per weekend marathons she was used to.

  “Oh, honey, I’m sorry I missed it.” Jill reached over and took her husband’s hand. “Green and Shani Andrews. When’s the big day?”

  “They didn’t say... Hey, but you’ll still get a taste of it. Terry Fields is doing an edit of the DVD footage tonight to run at the end of both services in the morning. I even conned Dave and Shani to come to both services just to stand up and wave when it finishes. Should work great.”

  “Mmmm. Billy and I will come to second service. Coming to bed?”

  “Soon. I’m gonna wind down a little, check my email, maybe watch a little Sports Center.”

  “Okay. ‘Night, honey.” She turned to lie on her left side and snuggled into the pillow as Madison tucked the cover over her shoulder. He leaned down to kiss her cheek and drank in her familiar scent.

  “I love you,” he whispered and was rewarded with a little kiss, blown in his general direction. Madison closed the bedroom door and walked down the hall to check on Leroy who was sound asleep, sprawled atop his bed in his Batman pajamas and bare feet. He had his favorite blanket wadded up by his face and slept so heavily that Madison could hear him breathing from the door. “Must have been a tough day,” he whispered to himself as he quietly stepped in to cover the little giant, then exited, pulling the door closed behind him.

  The big house was quiet, a dynamic which would change in February, Madison thought, when they brought Baby #2 home from the hospital. He remembered the exhausting, endless nights when Billy was a baby, nocturnal as a hamster. Madison remembered wondering if the baby would ever allow his parents to sleep through the night. Jill’s exhaustion in those days was, of course, exponentially worse than his own. “What have we gotten ourselves into?” he thought as he descended the stairs.

  No emails from Judy Turnbull. It had been two full days now - nothing Friday - and now nothing late into Saturday night. He contented himself by opening the Marilyn photo of her, which he had come to call it. He looked around the quiet house and thought about his wonderful, sleeping family, but could not deny the fact that there was a little part of him that wanted to take his friendship with jturnbull a little further. He knew it was impossible, and he would never do it, but he thought about it with vivid clarity. Sometimes, like now, the images of Judy Turnbull ventured out of the closet in the back of his mind. As did images of Dawn Neilson and pictures of un-named women from magazines. He began to think about what it would be like to be with them. If somehow he could remain anonymous. It always came back to the fact that he had too much to lose, that he would never do that to Jill and Billy. His desire, his lust, to give it a crass definition, must remain either concealed, or must fully end - something he was not yet ready to allow.

  He opened an image of Dawn Neilson that he had shot with his own digital camera one morning. Even at five megapixels he couldn’t quite enlarge the image enough to satisfy his examination. She was barefoot, wearing a t-shirt and jeans, her hair was up in a towel, she had stepped out of apartment #10 to take out a bag of trash. He had taken the photo while she was on her way back down the walk, her tight pink shirt and jeans molding themselves to the contour of her perfect body. Even from 100 feet away, the curves and movement had made him weak. He remembered thinking that it might be appropriate to go to the front door, knock and tell her he had been in the a
rea and wanted to congratulate her on her new apartment. But at that hour of day, he realized it would have been unusual and awkward. He decided to attempt the tactic later in the day sometime, possibly on one of her days off.

  Madison’s mind was so far from reality that he hadn’t noticed Jill walking across the kitchen floor toward the table. He was staring into space, the picture of Dawn Neilson still open on the screen of his iBook. In his subconscious he heard the shuffling of slippers and woke from his stupor just in time to shut the lid of the computer as she stepped to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder, looking toward the screen as it snapped shut.

  “When you coming to bed? I need you,” she whined.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, hon, got a little sidetracked, I guess. Let me shut this thing down and I’ll come right up.”

  “What’cha working on?”

  His brain hadn’t caught up with real time yet, and nothing would come to mind. “It’s nothing,” he said, which was a bad answer.

  Jill, slightly offended by the nonanswer, kissed him on the head, “Well, shut ‘It’s Nothing’ off and come to bed.” She took a cup to the refrigerator door, “I needed some water.”

  As she began to fill the cup, he opened the computer screen and closed the open images. He opened a game of solitaire and left it on screen as he walked to the pantry, hoping she would return to the screen for a glimpse of ‘It’s Nothing’ and find the card game. She didn’t. Jill returned to their bedroom and Madison shut down the computer and lights downstairs then joined her in bed. He lay in the dark, petting her soft hair, his mind a contradiction of images and thoughts, and hoped that sleep would not evade him again. Jill was laying on her side, facing away from him, her eyes open, kicking herself mentally for not asking Madison why he’d closed his computer when she walked up. Her normal style was to confront things that bothered her point blank, ‘man to man,’ her daddy used to say. “It was just a little thing,” she told herself, “probably nothing, just a reflex,” but she wasn’t very convincing. Madison’s out-of-character reaction had caused a box of puzzle pieces to be dumped into her mind’s eye. She lay awake pushing them around and wondering if they were somehow connected.