by Emma Easter
He put his cellphone on the bedside table, lay back on the bed, looked up at the ceiling, and prayed that the Lord would soften her heart toward him.
*****
Trisha sat on the sofa in her living room, listening to Frank’s voice on her phone for the hundredth time that day. After his voice message ended, she sighed wearily. She had thought Frank would finally give up and move on. But he wasn’t doing that. And, strangely, there was a part of her that was glad he hadn’t given up on her. However, it left her even more confused than ever. If he had just decided to move on now, she could relax and see where things led with Stan. But, Frank’s attention complicated things for her.
She sighed again. “Oh, Frank. Why won’t you just let me be?”
But she couldn’t say she wasn’t flattered by his attention, his unfailing love for her. She bit her lip. Yes, she was flattered, but also guilt-ridden because of it.
A knock sounded on her door and she jumped. She shook her head and told herself to be calm. It seemed like these days she was always jumping whenever someone knocked on her door or rang the doorbell. But she had good reason to. It was usually either Stan, whose presence here filled her with so many conflicting emotions, or Frank, who made her heart beat fast and yet who she couldn’t give her heart to.
She looked at the door, willing the person on the other side to go away. The doorbell rang again and she groaned. She looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was about the time Frank said he would come to see her; to ask another question that was sure to leave her as confused as the first.
She reluctantly got up and went to open the door. Frank stood there, but this time, he didn’t have on his signature smile, neither did he bring his usual lilies for her. His expression was grave. She gave him a small smile and he returned the same to her.
She stepped aside so he could enter the house and then sat on the sofa.
He sat on the couch facing her and leaned forward to look intently at her.
Her heart raced as she gazed at him, unable to pull her eyes away. At last, she forced herself to look away and asked, “So, Frank. How was your day?” She cringed inwardly at her stupid question. How was your day?
“Trisha, can you please look at me?”
She reluctantly turned to face him.
“I told you I have one question to ask, and here it is. Is there any part of you that likes me at all? Any part that sees a future with me?”
She pressed her lips tightly together as her heart filled with panic.
“Is there any way you can answer me?” he asked, anguish clearly written on his face.
She shut her eyes so she wouldn’t see the pain on his face. Something in her wanted to cry out, “I like you and I see a future with you!” but she held herself in check. Ruby’s needs came before hers. She didn’t want a relationship now, but if she had to, it might as well be with her daughter’s biological father. She’d decided for Ruby’s sake to take Stan back if he wanted her. And she was sure he did from the way he’d looked at her the last time he’d been here. Plus, he really seemed like a changed man now.
“Trisha, say something. Please!”
Trisha sighed and looked at him. She opened her mouth to tell him her answer was still no, but looking at him now, she couldn’t bring herself to say the word. She put down her head and then looked up again. There was only one thing she could think of doing with all these confusing emotions she was feeling. And that was to seek counsel from someone wise. Someone she knew would give her godly and sound advice.
“Frank,” she said to him, “Can you give me one more day to think about it? Please?”
Frank looked at her for a long moment and then nodded. “You know I’ll wait for you forever if I have to.”
“Thank you,” she said to him. “I promise to give you an answer by tomorrow evening.”
He nodded. And then said, “Where is my play buddy?”
She laughed. “Ruby? Guess where?”
“Asleep?”
“Umm… no, actually, she is at her Aunt Audrey’s today.”
“Audrey is in Rosefield? I spoke to her on the phone yesterday evening and she didn’t tell me she was coming to Rosefield today.”
“She actually arrived this afternoon with Ken and immediately came to get Ruby.”
“Okay… I’ll pay her a visit tomorrow, then.”
Trisha nodded.
The doorbell rang and she groaned inwardly. Oh, great! It’s probably Stan. The last thing she needed now was the two men in the same room, and Ruby wasn’t even here to act as a distraction for one of them. She would be the one caught between both men. She sighed wearily as she went to open the door.
“Hi, Trish!” Stan said, smiling. He held out a bouquet of red roses to her and then came into the house.
“Where is Ru…” he frowned when he saw Frank.
Thankfully, Frank stood up, smiled at her, and said, “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Trisha followed him with her eyes as he let himself out of the house.
After he’d left, Stan grimaced and asked with jealousy clearly written on his face, “Why does he come here every day?”
Trisha shrugged. “He’s an old friend and he’s in Rosefield temporarily. I think he just likes seeing a familiar face here every day.”
“But his parents live here,” Stan said with irritation.
She waved her hand dismissively as she didn’t want to talk about Frank anymore. “Umm… Ruby isn’t around today. She’s at Audrey’s.” Trisha sat down and Stan sat beside her.
“That’s fine,” he said. “I actually came to see you today, Trisha.”
Her pulse quickened as she looked at his face. He was staring intently at her and she knew exactly what he wanted to talk to her about. As much as she had thought about getting back with him, now that it seemed it was what he wanted to ask her, she suddenly became unsure. Was it really what she wanted?
“Trisha,” he paused and then continued. “I know I treated you poorly in the past… and I deserved it when you divorced me.” He shifted closer to her. “I have paid dearly for my betrayal as I have missed you terribly every single day. And I missed seeing the birth of my daughter, and all her milestones so far. But I want to correct that. I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but I am asking… no, begging for it. I’m still in love with you and I want us to be a family; you, me, and Ruby. I want to love you.”
She looked at him and bit her lip. “How do I know you won’t do the same things you did when we were married? You cheated constantly, and I know I can’t live like that.”
He looked her in the eye. “I know I have told you that I am a changed man, but I don’t blame you for not believing me. Words are nothing. Only actions are important. So what can I do to show you that I’ve truly changed? Just say it. No matter what it is, I will try to do it.”
She thought about Frank and his similar request to win her heart. How did I get here, stuck between these men? She had promised to give Frank an answer tomorrow after she’d prayed earnestly for wisdom. She smiled sadly at Stan and said, “Can you give me a day to think about it?”
He nodded. “Thank you. That is all I can ask.”
He left half an hour later.
That night, as she lay on her bed, she could hear the sound of her heart beating as the house was perfectly quiet. She asked God to give her wisdom to make the right decision. As she prayed, her heart filled with anxiety and despair. Without a doubt, no matter what decision she made tomorrow, someone would be terribly hurt.
Chapter Seven
Sienna opened the door of her and Bryan’s small apartment and went in. She immediately dropped her textbooks on the coffee table and flopped down on the couch to wait for Bryan. She put her legs up on the table and heaved a sigh of relief, glad that she was finally back from classes and could rest. These days, she was getting a bit more tired than usual, but her OBGYN had assured her that she and the baby were healthy.
She was
excited about her pregnancy, but her excitement was tempered by Bryan’s news about moving to another country. She looked up at the clock on the wall. It was three o’clock. Bryan would not be back from Bible College for about another two hours. Thankfully, he had not brought up any talk about moving since the day she’d asked him to pray about it again. He had chosen instead to spend time at the college continuing as an assistant chaplain. She didn’t mind that at all. As long as he wasn’t planning for them to move anymore, she was good. Hopefully, he’d found out that the word he’d heard wasn’t from the Lord.
But she doubted that. Whenever Bryan had gotten a word from the Lord in the past, it had been pretty accurate. It was not likely to be different this time, which made her very nervous.
“Lord, I don’t want to move!” she said harshly.
The phone suddenly began to ring and she jumped. Calm down, girl.
She stood up from the couch, walked to the mantel near the TV stand where the phone sat, and picked up the receiver. “Hello,” she said.
“Hello, is this Sienna Larson?”
Sienna frowned and asked curiously, “Yes, it is. Who is this?”
“This is James Davis, a producer from the TV show Home Runner.”
Sienna’s jaw dropped. “Home Runner! The popular Home Runner show on TV? I love that show!” She frowned and then sighed. “Wait. This is a prank call, isn’t it? Why would someone from Home Runner call me?”
“I assure you, Mrs. Larson, that this is not a prank call. We want to start a new spinoff of the original show. Instead of the normal show about engaged couples looking for the perfect homes to start their lives in, this time we want to have a show about new couples in small towns that are very much in love and are about to start a family. We follow them as they hunt for new homes, as they prepare to have their babies, and when they bring the new babies into the world. In short, we show the viewers what they love to see—a good-looking, successful young couple who love each other deeply and are starting out their lives together.”
“But how did you find my husband and I?”
“We saw a picture of you and your husband, Bryan, in Paragon Magazine. They did a piece about their married models and you both were one of the couples they wrote about. You guys are a gorgeous young couple, let me just say! We did some snooping around, and we found out that you two have everything we want. You are perfect for this new show! And we heard you are pregnant, which fits in perfectly with the theme of the show. Congratulations on your pregnancy, by the way.”
She didn’t answer as her head spun at his words. The producers of Home Runner want me and Bryan in their show! She could hardly believe it. In fact, she didn’t. Home Runner was the only reality show she watched, and one of her favorite shows on TV. Someone who knew her well was probably playing a prank on her.
The guy continued. “Would you and your husband be interested in participating in the show, Mrs. Larson?”
Sienna shook her head and said, “Who is this? This is a prank, I know it is!”
“It isn’t a prank, Mrs. Larson!” The man sounded slightly exasperated. “What can we do to make you believe it isn’t?”
Sienna thought about his question for a few seconds, chuckled, and then said, “I want to meet Amber Roland, the host of Home Runner!” She chuckled again. This would definitely reveal who this prankster was or who exactly had put this guy up to it. Maybe it was Trisha, or even…
“Okay, we can do that.”
She blinked rapidly. “What?”
“I said we can do that. If you agree right now, we can send a representative to Green Valley to bring the papers you need to sign. Amber Roland will come with. She likes to check out the couples and the towns she’s going to work in beforehand anyway.”
For the second time since this surreal conversation had started, Sienna’s jaw dropped.
“Mrs. Larson, are you there? What do you say?”
Sienna’s years of experience as a model suddenly kicked in and she said in an even voice, “That will be fine. Thanks.”
“That means you accept to star in the show?”
She felt a prick of guilt in her heart. She hadn’t even spoken to Bryan about it. How could she accept when she hadn’t consulted him first? However, she brushed the guilt aside and said, “Yes. You can send the representative over… as well as Amber Roland. Once I look over the papers and everything is all right, I think we will be good to go.”
“Perfect!” the man said. “Amber will probably need a few days… but I think she’ll be ready to go to Idaho by the end of the week. So, expect her and the representative in Green Valley then.”
“Okay. Will do.”
“It was a pleasure talking with you, Sienna… can I call you that?”
“Sure… it was a pleasure talking with you as well. Goodbye.”
When the call ended, Sienna stared at the phone in her hand for a full minute and then whooped. “Home Runner wants me to star in their show!” She lifted her hands and then did a little jig. Waves of excitement washed through her and she exclaimed, “I can’t believe it! Home Runner!”
And then she suddenly sobered as reality dawned on her. She hadn’t spoken to Bryan about it before she’d accepted to have Amber Roland come here. She knew very well why she had done so. Without thinking, she had partly agreed to do the show as a way to figuratively dig her feet into US soil and somehow get Bryan to see that they had no option but to stay here.
She went to sit on the sofa and took a deep breath. Bryan would be disappointed if she kept this from him. And she couldn’t, anyway. The show was supposed to be about both of them, not just about her. Besides, she had never kept anything from him.
She shut her eyes, worry enveloping her. This was the first time in her marriage she felt like keeping something to herself. Without a doubt, she already knew what Bryan would say when she told him about the show. He would tell her they couldn’t do it because they were soon going to move.
She opened her eyes again. But maybe there was a way to convince him to do the show. Since he hadn’t yet gotten word from God concerning the specific place they were supposed to move to, they could do the show now while waiting for that word. That way, she could maybe kill two birds with one stone. First, he would finally have the sense of purpose he’d been yearning for since he’d graduated, as they would be involved in a show that millions of people around the country watched. Secondly, she hoped that they would soon be so involved in the show that he would not have the time or desire to think about moving out of the country anymore.
A small voice whispered in her heart: in your determination to stay here, you do not care about following God’s will anymore.
Guilt began to press in on her, but she quickly brushed it away before it could take proper hold. She wasn’t choosing not to follow God’s will. She just wanted them to stay here until they truly knew what God’s specific will was.
She decided to cook Bryan one of his favorite meals before he came home. Hopefully, it would make the news she was going to break to him easier to swallow. She was thrilled by the TV offer. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, she didn’t know if Bryan would want it or not.
“Lord, please let him agree for us to star in Home Runner,” she prayed silently as she went into the kitchen.
Guilt began to smother her again, but she brushed it away once more. This was a huge open door for her and Bryan. Surely only the Lord could have brought this about. This had to be God’s specific will for their lives at this time.
She gathered the ingredients she would need to cook the meatloaf and mashed potatoes and began to cook the meal for Bryan quickly so she would finish before he came home. By God’s grace, Bryan would not only love the meal, but also the good news she had for him.
*****
Bryan looked up as a knock sounded on his office door. He closed his Bible and smiled when he saw Dr. Lincoln, the senior chaplain, standing in the doorway. The man came in and Bryan shook his han
d.
As Dr. Lincoln sat on the chair facing him, Bryan said, “I didn’t know you had returned from your trip to South America, sir.”
“I came back yesterday,” Dr. Lincoln said.
“And how was the evangelical tour around the region?”
“It went well.” The senior chaplain leaned forward and looked intently at Bryan. “That’s actually why I came to see you.”
Bryan sat up straight. “Oh… I see,” was all he could think to say. Something about the way the man was looking at him now told him what he was about to say was very important.
“I’ve been very blessed to still have you around, Bryan. Even though you’ve graduated, you still come here every day. I know it’s because you don’t know what you are supposed to do now that you’re through with Bible College, but I love that you still come.”
Bryan listened, wondering what the chaplain was trying to say.
As if the man was reading his mind, he said, “What I am trying to say is that I like you, Bryan. You have been a great assistant. And the other day, I was thinking about your graduation and you leaving the college for good, and I found that I would miss having you. I want to offer you a permanent job, one that I think you will like and are perfect for.”
Bryan’s heart began to race as he realized that the word the Lord had spoken to him, about receiving an open door for ministry, was coming to pass now. He anxiously held his breath as Dr. Lincoln continued speaking.
“During my tour of South America, I felt the Lord impressing it in my heart that I would be continuing with the revival meetings there. I feel a strong urge from God to plant various churches there and need someone on the ground to oversee and pastor them while I keep doing the evangelical tours. I immediately knew who that someone should be. Someone who is godly, passionate about the things of God, and eager to win souls for Christ. You instantly came to mind. I can’t think of a better person who would be suited for the job.”