Our story part four

I was not aware that my mystery man had dropped out of college to run a town home development full time. He was not aware that I had quit my job as a pizza server to lead women in aerobics to the beat of "it's raining men". So while I sat on a cold brick wall on the campus of USC hoping for a "chance" meeting, he continued to order pizza in hopes of spying his new favorite waitress.


As days turned into weeks, the semester changed, and so did my class schedule. I eventually gave up my quest for the stone khaki clad prep, and other boys came a calling. I dated muscle man Mark, the older brother of a high school friend for a few weeks, only to determine that he was a very nice boy, but not for me. There was Rob, a boy whose father worked at the same plant mine did, and who had come to the south under the same circumstances. We had several lunch dates, and he had been a good friend, but that was all I saw him as. Rafe was a boy from the hut, that never really asked me out, but asked for rides to school sometimes, and we had spent some time together at his house. 


The Lord continued to work in my heart, as I sought him and his plan for my life. Months prior to this my mother and I had visited a college in Florida that I was interested in attending. I felt like God was calling me there, and was saving and planning for that to happen the next fall. That was seven or eight months out, and I was looking forward to that change. I had spent the last eight months grieving the deaths of two very important parts of my identity. 


The death of the relationship to my high school sweetheart was painful, although I had accepted that a future with him would have been a disaster, and that it was truly God's will that I move on, and I was grateful. 
It was clear to me at that point that he would not have been the spiritual leader that I longed for in a life mate.


 The death of my parents relationship however was not something I was learning to accept. I could not see God's hand in that fatality, and I was growing bitter and uncomfortable in my roll as a daughter. The holidays had been pitiful, as my thanksgiving was a Burger King whopper alone in my bedroom, and my Christmas had been a painful attempt at a insincere reconciliation. I felt abandoned by my older siblings, and often felt like I was bearing the burden alone. My Dad was like a walking dead man, and I longed for the stability that he had always been for me. I watched as the Mom I knew wasted away, plagued with a chronic nervous cough, and I was being used as both a confidante and a sounding board, caught in the middle of their pain. I hate to admit it, but I longed to escape, and an out of state college sounded like a good option.


I was getting more involved in the college and career group at Lexington Baptist, and we were getting together as a group every weekend for food and fellowship. Between school, and work, church, and my social life, I was a busy girl. Spring was fast approaching, and my second semester was in full swing. It had been three months since the night I met the mystery man.


One Sunday morning as the service came to a close, I reached for my purse and bible, and as I rose to leave I glanced up to see Steve and Kathy at the front of the sanctuary. It had been a while since we had talked, so I decided to go up and say hello. As I approached I noticed there talking to them was a man whose back was toward me. Kathy warmly smiled at me, and welcomed me into their circle. I turned, and there he was, a heavenly chorus broke out that all of Lexington county could surely hear, as Kathy introduced Mike, the man they had tried to set up with Steve's sister....her voice trailed off as our eyes met. "Aren't you the girl from Pizza Hut" he asked, smoothly. "yeah" I replied, "I waited on you." 


to be continued


click 
for part one
for part two
for part three