Part 15 (2/2)
”I guess I can't change anything. Only G.o.d can. I can ask Him to do something supernatural in a natural way.”
Todd squeezed her hand again. ”And you can ask Him and ask Him and ask Him again. Really good answers come from persistent prayers.”
”But in the meantime, everything is different between Katie and me.”
”Yes,” Todd agreed.
”It's impossible for me to change how I feel about her dating Michael.”
”Yes.”
”I wish it wasn't so hard and that it didn't take so long for G.o.d to answer prayers.”
”I agree.”
”How can you take it so lightly?” Christy asked.
”I don't take it lightly. I've been praying for Katie and Michael ever since that night we met up with them at the movies. The only thing that gives me hope is that G.o.d said there is a time for everything. This is a time for Katie to make some major choices, and this is a time for you to stick close to her. Then, depending on how her choices go, you two will probably soon have either a time to mourn together or a time to dance. For me, it's a time to pray.”
”Could we do that right now?” Christy asked.
Todd led her a few feet up to the drier sand, and the two of them sat close together, holding hands and praying for Katie and Michael. When they looked up, the sun had dipped its toes into the ocean. As Todd had predicted, the ”dust of His feet” clouds were ablaze with California sunset colors-ambers, tangerines, lemons, and dusty rose.
Although Christy couldn't explain how, she felt that everything with Katie was going to turn out okay. Maybe it was simply because Christy had finally released the situation to the Lord as she and Todd had prayed. Or maybe it was because of the incredible sunset. It made everything else seem small compared to G.o.d's display of magnificence. If G.o.d could tell the sun when it was time to set, certainly He could tell Katie when it was time to break up with Michael, with or without Christy's input. Christy silently vowed to pray for Katie and Michael every day, and she hoped she would always be able to see things in perspective-from G.o.d's point of view.
Todd slipped his arm around Christy and drew her close. ”You know what, Kilikina? I've prayed a long time about us being together just like this.”
Resting her head on his shoulder, Christy said, ”I've prayed the same thing, Todd. You know how the other day you said that for us, right now, this is a time to enjoy?”
”I remember,” Todd answered, his voice sounding low and mellow.
”I think I know a better word.”
”Yeah? What's that?”
”Cherish. For us, right now, this is a time to cherish.”
Christy could hear Todd's echo of agreement from her snuggled-up position against his chest. ”I like that,” he said. ”A time for us to cherish.”
Together they watched the sunset, each hearing the other's steady breathing and feeling the warmth of being so close.
”Look at the color of those clouds,” Christy said softly as the last tinges of pink faded from the sky. ”Did you see it? It was a sort of dusty rose, wasn't it?”
Todd must have caught her hint. ”White is good for a cloud too, you know.”
”But don't you think dusty rose is more of a *forever cloud' kind of color?”
”You know what?” Todd grasped Christy's hand and led her back toward the house. ”I think we have enough time to go to the paint store before dinner and buy ourselves a can of dusty rose paint. After all, what other color would you paint a *cute' five-dollar bookshelf?”
”Well, white is good.” Christy teased him right back. ”But not for this one. This one is a dusty rose.”
”Because this is one to cherish.”
”Right,” Christy agreed, gazing into the great forever beyond the sunset. ”This is one to cherish.”
”And so are you, Kilikina.” Todd stopped in the sand and wrapped his arms around her. ”You are the one I cherish.”
BOOK ELEVEN.
Sweet Dreams.
For my brother, Dr. Kevin Travis Jones.
”We need to have the team captains in the very front,” Christy Miller called out to the girls lined up for the yearbook picture of the Kelley High volleyball team.
Flipping her nutmeg-brown hair over her shoulder and closing one eye, Christy sized up the group in her camera's viewfinder. This would be her last photo for the yearbook, and she was eager to finish.
”Where's Katie?” she asked. ”And who's the other captain?”
”I am,” said a tall girl kneeling in the front.
”Squeeze in on the right, you guys,” Christy directed. ”There, that's good. Does anyone know where Katie is?”
”She's not in the locker room.” one girl said. ”I was just there.”
”She's probably off with Michael,” a girl in the middle row observed.
”Yeah, well.” said another girl, ”if I was going to fall in love, that's who I'd want to do it with too.”
”Did you see them today?” a girl with sandy blond hair asked. ”They had on matching Save the Rain Forest' T-s.h.i.+rts. And yesterday Katie said Michael was applying to go on a trip to the Amazon this summer with some environmental group. I bet she goes with him.”
Christy's heart began to pound faster. This was her best friend they were talking about. Katie wouldn't run off to the jungle without telling Christy about it. At least, six months ago she wouldn't have. But ever since Michael had entered Katie's life, Christy and Katie had grown farther and farther apart. It felt like a stab wound to hear these girls display more knowledge of Katie's life than Christy had.
”Just take the shot,” one of the girls said. ”We have to get back to cla.s.s.”
”Okay,” Christy said, focusing the camera. ”Can you squeeze a little closer in the back row? Great. Perfect. Okay, you guys, smile!” She snapped the picture, and the girls immediately dispersed.
Hurrying back to her cla.s.s, Christy thought. This silence thing has gone on long enough. I'm going to talk to Katie today and do whatever it takes to get our friends.h.i.+p back on track.
In a few months they would be graduating from high school. They had had so many great times together. It couldn't end with this icy standoff between them.
Everything had changed the day Katie met Michael, and Christy had done little to hold on to their friends.h.i.+p. Of course, Christy had been busy with her own boyfriend, Todd. That was a relations.h.i.+p she had waited a long time for. Now, nearly every weekend she and Todd were together, and she hadn't felt the need to work things out with Katie until the girls on the volleyball team displayed their superior knowledge of the events in Katie's life.
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