Chapter 1
1172 Words
1
It was a muggy August night and Faith was late as usual.
"Oh drats!" She thought to herself as she hit yet another red light in the suburban area just outside of Des Moines that she called home.
She didn't have plans to stay in Iowa after graduating, but sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways. He certainly did in her case. These past three months had been a whirlwind for Faith - trying her patience and well, quite frankly, her faith in God.
First, there was the accident - just two nights before graduation - which left her mother's legs broken in 14 locations. Doctors said she would never walk again. All the driving her to and from physical therapy was really bringing Faith down.
Then, Father lost his job. "Downsizing" was what his company called it. Just a sugar coated word to say, "You're Fired!" Father had been at that job for nineteen years now - longer than Faith had been alive. She just couldn't believe how unfair the world could be sometimes.
The car behind her began to honk!
"Jez-Louise!" Faith shouted as a wave of guilt ran from the top of her head all the way to her toes. She was trying so hard to stop swearing and she knew this minor infraction would cost her another dollar.
Earlier in the summer she started a swear jar and placed a dollar inside with every profanity she said or thought. The jar was nearly full. She knew "jez-louise" was just a clever way to take the Lord's name in vain, without really taking the Lord's name in vain - and that's why she knew she owed the jar yet another hard-earned dollar.
What made the swear jar so painful was that she had committed to donating the jar to a charity or organization she despised. Something like Planned Parenthood. The thought of them benefiting in some small way drove Faith crazy with rage.
The car behind her honked yet again.
"Ok! ok!" She snapped, realizing the light had turned green quite a while ago.
She had a lot on her mind, clearly.
Glancing at the clock on the car's dashboard, she realized she was already ten minutes late to Bible study.
They'll understand. She thought. With all that's going on - they'll understand.
Faith breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled into the parking lot of Our Savior's Church. She slammed the car into park abruptly. Fumbling through her purse, she found her phone to send Mother a text: Made it here safely <3
Checking in with her folks had been important since she first had gotten her license two years ago, but now since Mother's accident checking in had taken on a new significance.
She scrolled with lightning fast fingers through unread messages. Nothing much. Darting back a series of smiley faced emojis, shrugged shoulders and even one "smiling poop" emoji she quickly responded to all the texts.
Without realizing it, Faith sighed.
No text from Vanessa! She thought.
Vanessa and Faith were friends since Elementary School, but had drifted apart over the past several years. When Vanessa started wearing revealing jean shorts and dressing in mostly black, Faith was worried. Ear piercings led to a tongue piercing and even a nose ring! There was a rumor going around school that the summer before senior year, Vanessa had even pierced her own n****e!
Without thinking, Faith realized she was tenderly rubbing her breast area through her blouse - comforting the pain she knew Vanessa must have felt.
Of course, Faith knew that Vanessa had other pain as well. In short, she hadn't given her life to Christ yet. Vanessa was leaving Des Moines in two weeks - going to school in San Francisco (or "San Franpsycho" as her dad jokingly called it).
"Women's studies," was Vanessa's reply when Faith had inquired about what she would be going to school to study.
"What does that mean?" Faith asked.
Vanessa just smiled and walked away.
That was several months before graduation. Now, with Vanessa's move looming just weeks away, Faith had committed to spending every extra minute she had to bring Vanessa to the Lord.
She knew it would be tough.
Another sigh.
Still no text. Faith decided to send one more: r u still coming 2nite?
Send.
Faith reached in her backseat for her Bible case and checked herself in the mirror. She decided to re-apply her lip gloss - just a touch of rosy pink to add some color to her flushed face.
Slamming the car door behind her, Faith made her way to the side door of Our Savior's and sheepishly walked in. Faith felt quite ashamed knowing that she was over twenty minutes late.
In elementary school, Faith and Vanessa were inseparable. During the awkward middle school years, Faith blossomed early - but her commitment to purity kept her from popularity. By high school, she was wearing long, boxy dresses - with a cut that absolutely would not showcase her shapely teenage body.
"You look like a jazzy Mormon," Vanessa snickered one day during lunch.
"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Faith snapped back.
"It means, your dress covers you from neck to ankles. Apart from that doily looking thing around the neck, it has absolutely no style and you look like you belong in some Amish farm or in a Mormon cult." Vanessa boldly declared.
"I want to be modest." Faith replied.
"Modesty is one thing, fashion is another," said Vanessa sharply.
Over the years, Faith had grown increasingly self-aware of her body and although she was thankful for the glances of boys (and some men) at school, she didn't want to lead any of them into temptation. Saving herself for her husband was priority number one, but making sure her brothers-in-Christ were not tempted was equally important.
"I don't want boys to be tempted, or look at me sexually," Faith whispered to Vanessa during their confrontation at the lunchroom table that day.
"Well, if that's your goal - that dress will certainly help - but I just don't understand why you want to belong to a group of people that is so scared of s*x. I'd rather be a heathen and happy in my own body, then be a prude and ashamed of who I am!" Declared Vanessa.
She added, "and it's not just boys you need to worry about tempting - it's us girls, too."
Faith didn't know how to respond. She just looked down and said a silent prayer asking the Lord for guidance.
As she tried to quietly open the door to Our Savior's so as to not interrupt Bible Study, there was a loud ding from her purse.
It caused Faith to jump. Her cheeks became immediately flushed.
Stepping back outside of the church, she dug through her purse and found her cell.
Already here! Bored af!! LOLz. Where r u?
Vanessa! Oh no! She's already here. She must feel so uncomfortable!
Faith reached for her delicate cross necklace that clung to her chest, she lifted it to her lips and placed a tender kiss on the cool sterling silver.
Please guide me, oh Lord. Help me bring Vanessa closer to you. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Faith reached for the door, and more confidently this time, strolled in.
- Writer
