The journey of a young woman finding her calling, her dream, and the love of her life. The story unfolds in the process of the journey
Excerpt
Each step she took towards Daryl, the turmoil of regret and excitement mingled in Sarah’s heart. She was torn by the decision she made to detach herself from falling in love with Daryl, and the commitment she made to fulfill her calling with the orphans. Excited to see Daryl, her breath became shorter and her heart became faster when her eyes met his. Her cheeks wore the blush of a school girl in love. When Daryl caught a glimpse of Sarah, he smiled and walked toward her until they met face to face. Without hesitation, they embraced intently, like friends wanting more. He pulled her body close to his. She felt his warm embrace; she closed her eyes and wanted more. But the distant sound of children’s laughter brought her back to reality – the reality of why she left and why she came.
Opening her eyes slowly, she moved out of his embrace and away from the gaze of his alluring eyes. The intensity of them penetrated her soul like flame-kindled wood. Fighting back the tears, yet unable to verbalize what she was feeling in her heart, Sarah swallowed hard. “How are you Daryl?” she softly asked, a hint of cracking in her voice.
“Missing you. We all miss you, Sarah. We expected you to come up for my mom’s homecoming.”
She turned her face from his to distance herself from his disappointment and expectations. Unable to give him the response he was anxiously waiting for, Sarah whispered in a melancholy tone, “I am sorry, Daryl. She watched the warmth of his brown eyes dim into a look of distress. Sarah attempted to divert attention to something lighter, so she quickly asked with more enthusiasm, “How is Missy?” He shook his head in frustration and sighed out, “She and Ken are expecting their second child, and she sends her love. Sarah, what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?”
“What are you doing in a Catholic convent?”
“This is a refuge for children, not a convent! I have been called here to help with the orphans.”
“Sarah, you are not Catholic.”
“Nevertheless, this is the place chosen for me, and God is not looking at what denomination I am serving him through.”
“Do they know you are not Catholic”
“Daryl, my heart worships and serves God alone; it is not divided between Catholic and Protestant.”
“I do not understand ; I thought our future was to be together. When we graduated we had plans to preach the gospel and go on missions together. The word I am emphasizing is together!” Daryl stopped talking, took a deep breath, and turned his back from Sarah to regroup. Moments later he moved closer towards Sarah until their eyes locked. He tenderly took Sarah’s hands in his, raised them to his heart, and asked with a voice of surrender, “Why did you leave so suddenly, and why are you here, Sarah?”
Copyright 2010 Deborah Brodie. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
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