CHAPTER 8
556 Words
CHAPTER 8
Scott knew from experience that Pastor Carl and his family wouldn’t be ready to leave St. Margaret’s for at least forty-five minutes after the service ended. This was one of those times when having a vehicle of his own might be convenient. If Susannah were here instead of him, she could probably sit down in one of the pews with her Bible and pass two or three hours before even thinking of glancing up at the clock.
Scott wasn’t like that, which was one reason why he’d been both drawn toward her and intimidated as well. Sometimes he wondered if things would have turned out differently if Susannah were older. How could he have expected to uproot someone that young from the family she loved? Many women would have never stuck around, would have left Orchard Grove the moment the opportunity presented itself.
But not Susannah. After just their first week of emailing, even before that decisive phone interview, Scott could tell what a nurturing, compassionate person she was. And it was no surprise, given her family situation. Growing up the way she did, she would have either become the Florence Nightingale of Orchard Grove or she would have fled town the moment she graduated high school.
He should have known even then. The thought of Susannah leaving her family, a family that needed her more than any of them realized, went against the very core of her personality. Sure, he had heard her talk about the mission field, had himself been inspired by her passion. But not even the intensity of her call overseas or whatever romance had started to flourish between them could tear her away.
Scott couldn’t blame her for that. As easy as it would be, as much as it might help him move past his sorrow and disappointment, he couldn’t blame Susannah for staying home any more than he could blame a landed fish for returning to the sea.
He sighed. The church was emptying out. He had his phone in his pocket, but he wouldn’t check his email. Susannah wouldn’t write him. Not today. Not ever.
Ironic, really. He had fallen in love with her gentle spirit, her giving heart. And it was her sacrificial selflessness, the very essence of Susannah Peters’ character he admired so deeply, that had ultimately pulled them apart.
“I made a promise to my mom,” she had explained that day last August. He didn’t have to see her face. He knew just from the quiver in her voice that she was struggling to hold back tears. Tears that wouldn’t fall until she told him what she had decided and then said good-bye.
He wondered if she still cried. Did she dream about him like he dreamed about her?
Did she sense the injustice of her situation? Did she grow resentful of the family that had stripped and starved her of all hope of happiness?
No. She was too gentle. Too full of love. Any sadness she felt after cutting Scott out of her life would only sweeten her disposition, offering even more depth and intensity to the young woman he’d fallen in love with.
He ignored the gnawing emptiness in his chest and made his way into the church library. His stomach rumbled. His knees ached after his morning run, but the physical discomforts were a welcome distraction from the heaviness and pain that had seeped into his soul.
- Writer
