Sandra had her finest sweater on, the one that was just a little too tight, she was not supposed to be at the party until eight, but she wanted to make an impression, and she wanted it to last as long as possible. “Well, look at you, do you think he will finally notice?” The smile was almost embarrassing, the words meant to flatter instead made her feel ashamed, feel like she was offering more than she really had. Tom was a nice guy, always polite, but all of a sudden in front of her best friend Janice, Sandra felt like a trollop, like a piece of merchandise with the wrong price tag.
“You look very attractive tonight Sandy; can I get you a drink?” She almost bolted to the door, everything she had planned to say, the flirting she had envisioned, all seemed like the immature actions of a high school girl trying to impress the coolest guy in class. “No, thank you, I don’t drink, but…” “I remembered, here, have a soda.” By ten p.m. there were several dozen people in attendance, so the two wandered up to the rooftop of the building where several other couples had also sought some solitude from the ever-increasingly loud gathering. Tom had made her laugh, had engaged in conversations across the gamut of normal party talk, but on the roof in the cool breeze, his demeanor seemed to change, his mind concentrating on something unseen.
“Did I say something wrong, perhaps I should leave you to your thoughts, it is starting to get a little late and….” “No, no, please, forgive me, I didn’t mean to seem rude, I have a lot on my mind this evening, in fact, my entire future is before me, and there are paths that have to be considered, please stay.” Sandra began to realize just how little she knew about this man, they worked in the same building, had lunch at the same place nearly every day, but she stopped to think, and didn’t even realize she said the words out loud until he replied. “I’m thirty-two.” “What?” “You asked me how old I am, well, actually you said, “I don’t even know how old he is,” so I just assumed you were asking me.”
The couple a short distance over started to laugh very loudly, and Sandra felt for sure they were laughing at her, which of course was ridiculous, they were far enough apart to be in their own world, why was she so nervous, why these feelings of wanting to never leave his side but wanting to run as fast as she could for the door at the same time. “Can I ask you something Tom?” “Of course, anything.” “Why have you been so quite up here on the roof, you were a regular chatterbox downstairs, are you sure it isn’t something I said. This life-altering path you were talking about, did you need some time away from me to think on it.”
His smile was large, and a small laugh came out from him that almost made the desire to bolt for the door an immediate response, but in the next moment he reached for her hand, and the first touch was remembered by her just as clearly as it was still happening as she stood by his death bed almost fifty years later. “No Sandy, I don’t want you to leave, you are the reason that the path in my life has to be decided upon, you’re the only reason I’m at this party, you’re the reason I eat lunch where I do, why I still work at my dead end job, you are all that’s been on my mind since we first met.”
No one had ever spoken these words to Sandra, there had been boyfriends, even an engagement once that went horribly wrong, but no one had ever told her that their life was consumed because of her. “There are passages in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible Sandy that talk about how a man and woman are to behave towards each other, in fact the entire Word of God contains many places that teach about how holy, how sanctified, set apart, the marriage relationship is supposed to be. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and I am not supposed to seek out a woman who is not, but there is something about you that…” “Maybe I should go, I don’t want to be the one….” “Please, let me finish, then do as you please. At work you always dress so modestly, your words, your demeanor, all of your actions tell me you’re a fine woman, and please, don’t think me rude, I am very attracted to you, but when I saw the way you were dressed tonight, well, I mean, you are beautiful, but I just….”
“Remember the night of the party, on the rooftop my love, so long ago, so many memories since then.” Tom did not respond, the beeping of the monitors in the hospital room was the only sound. She held his hand, just like they had done together nearly every day for almost fifty years, and smiled in her heart, knowing that soon they would hold hands together throughout eternity, anytime they wanted to, the One they served had promised them eternity, and He was the only One she had ever loved more than her devoted husband.
