No Engagement Ring

by Julie Sewcharan

  He turned warm, surprised eyes on her. He wasn't aware that she thought so highly of him. It made him feel special.

  “We should!” Brian said readily. “Don't they run a course in your church for couples getting married? I remember pastor Michael mentioning it.” Brian was puzzled. “In fact our course is based on the one your church runs. We just tweaked ours a bit to do the basics.”

  Not knowing what to say, Hannah kept quiet and was thankful for Jonathan's quick wit. “We missed that one and the next one is too far off. We're getting married the first Saturday in December,” he announced, putting his arm around Hannah's shoulder.

  Unused to public display of affection, Hannah blushed but remained where she was.

  “That soon!” Gloria exclaimed. “But I can see that you two are ready for marriage. And you are going to have a blessed marriage.”

  They didn't have time to thank the elderly couple as the other couples arrived but Hannah kept that in her heart and would ponder it in days to come.

  One of the couples were older than the rest and they learnt later on that for both of them it was their second marriage. This couple was also from another church. The rest were members of the hosting church.

  “Okay, let's open in prayer,” the female facilitator announced at promptly seven. So the course began.

  Unsure what to expect, Hannah squirmed when they were required to introduce themselves to the group with their name and occupation before the session actually began.

  When it came to their turn, Hannah raced through her introduction all the while wondering how Jonathan was going to reveal his occupation without giving away his leadership.

  She turned laughing eyes on him when he stated, “Theologian,” with a mischievous grin. That was not entirely untrue he told her later which she agreed on when he explained it to her. Fortunately no one else in the group noticed the exchange between the two.

  Exactly one and a half hours later, they were done and Jonathan and Hannah left immediately after so that they could get home before too late even though they were offered coffee and a chat with the facilitators.

  “Gosh my head is buzzing,” Hannah confessed as soon as they were on their way. “That was a lot to take in. I was clueless about marriage.”

  “We all are,” Jonathan soothed. “When you realise just what God intended for marriage to be, it becomes easier to get over yourself.”

  Hannah was quiet for a while, processing the information she received tonight. “Do you think we will get it right?” she asked at last uncertainly.

  “To be honest, I don't know but I know I'm willing to try it God's way.” He was silent for a while before stating boldly, “And I am certain that you are too.”

  “I pray that I can. I really do want to do things God's way and I don't want to let you down. I just don't know if I can.” She sounded hopeless.

  Jonathan's hand covered hers in a reassuring grip. “That's why there's two of us,” he said simply.

  It never ceased to amaze Hannah that Jonathan could with the right words and tone, topple all her fears.

  Unable to speak any words that could describe how encouraged she felt, she simple kissed the palm of his hand. Jonathan moaned. She had no idea what that was doing to him.

  She quickly released his hand and apologised. “Sorry! Am I distracting you?”

  “Not in the way you think,” he said huskily. “Let's just say it is more a physical thing.”

  Hannah chewed on that for a bit but he could see she was at a loss. “Don't worry about it,” he said soothingly. “No harm done!” There was a smile in his voice that put Hannah at ease instantly.

  Suddenly she asked innocently, “Do you think our parents understand what marriage entails?” Jonathan laughed. “I mean when I think of my parents' marriage, I have never seen my mother go against my father's word ever. It's like she agrees with everything.”

  “Maybe in public she does,” Jonathan answered wisely. “Perhaps she disagrees with your father in private? A good parent never exposes their children to disharmony especially if it is damaging.”

  “Oh, that's very wise.” Hannah was at that moment proud to be marrying such a wise man. He seemed to know just what to say.

  “I can't take credit for all of that,” Jonathan said firmly. “The Holy Spirit is the one who points these things out. He is the wise and knowledgeable One.”

  “Would you teach me about the Holy Spirit?” she asked hesitantly. “Most ministers don't teach enough about Him. Even my dad hardly touches on that subject.”

  Surprised, he glanced at her. She was living the fruits of the Spirit but she was asking him to teach her. Not wanting to play down her request, though, he simply answered, “Off course!”

  “Thank you,” she said graciously.

  After some deliberation, they finally agreed that they would meet in the main church at six thirty for short discussions on a Friday as all staff left early on that day. After which Jonathan would take her home. They had reached her home by that time. Parking at the gate, he switched the engine off.

  “I hope you are not too intimidated by the session tonight,” Jonathan stated hopefully.

  “I was a initially but it helped to talk about it. I don't know if I will sleep easily or have a million more questions after going over things in my head,” she smiled.

  “Questions are good,” Jonathan said lightly. “The more you ask, the more you learn.”

  “And I should know that,” she laughed. “Being a teacher?” she quipped at the blank look he gave her. He laughed too. “I learned a lot tonight,” Hannah said quietly after they stopped laughing. “Thank you. And goodnight!”

  Not waiting for him to open her door, she got out of the car and waved as she went in through the gate. Shaking his head, Jonathan waited for her to disappear inside the cottage before driving off. There was plenty of time to work on them being 'together'.

  Pondering on all the information she gleaned from the course, it took Hannah a long time to fall asleep. In the morning she was still going over things that intrigued her. She would have to ask Jonathan more questions.

  Class was difficult; she had to concentrate harder on what she needed to do and was glad when the bell rang. Prior to last night, she had never longed for the school day to be over.

  It didn't help as much as she would have liked though; she would have to wait for Laura to leave before she could go see Jonathan. Alas, it wasn't to be. He was not in his office and it didn't look like he'd been there for a while.

  There was only one thing to do, ask Emily and Derrick. Thankfully, they were at home and delighted to help her with any questions she had, if they could, they added.

  First, however, they prayed for wisdom and knowledge before she could begin. What a difference that made, she later reflected as so many things became clear to her.

  By the time they finished, it was supper time. “Stay and have supper with us,” Emily invited.

  “Oh, no I have intruded enough already,” Hannah declined.

  “Nonsense!” Emily dismissed. “You are family now.”

  Hannah looked at her in wonder. The wedding was still a few weeks away but already Emily was treating her like family. Hannah was grateful to have a mother-in-law like Emily.

  “Besides, my son would not forgive me if I didn't feed you after that strenuous discussion,” Emily joked.

  “Then I accept. Don't want you getting into trouble, especially with Jonathan.” Hannah laughed as did the Garricks.

  Talk at the dinner table was mostly about the upcoming wedding. “We need to get you to my sister to check out your dress. She needs your approval before finalising the changes,” Emily suddenly remembered.

  “Sure. When does she want to see us?” Hannah included Emily as support.

  “Let's go on Sunday afternoon. We can visit with her at the same time.”

  Hannah agreed. She was eager to see what modifications were being made to her grandmother's dress to suit H
annah. Curious too, to get to know Emily's sister.

  Friday evening took longer to get there than Hannah wished. She was eager to start her studies on the Holy Spirit and with school going the last mile towards end of year, Friday was just taking forever.

  Finding something to keep her occupied while waiting was just as painstaking. At last six thirty arrived. Jonathan was waiting for her. No one else was around.

  “Sorry!” she apologised breathlessly. “Have you been waiting long?”

  “No just a few minutes. My last appointment got cancelled so I had time to kill,” he grinned.

  “Oh, pity I didn't know. We could have started earlier. It was torture waiting for the time to pass,” she confessed.

  “That eager uh?” Jonathan teased.

  “Very,” she agreed.

  “Then let's not waste another moment,” he said philosophically.

  Hannah was a dedicated student, Jonathan discovered and she did not take things at face value. Asking questions and clarifying where necessary. Jonathan could hardly believe that the woman sitting with him was the same one who tried to avoid contact with him previously. He was falling deeper in love with her.

  An hour passed before he halted the session. Even though Hannah was still energetic and animated, they both needed a break.

  “Time to get you home,” he said eventually.

  “Oh, off course,” she relented. “A person could get carried away studying the word of God.”

  “Don't I know it,” he said mildly. “Just give me a few minutes to close up and then I'll take you home.”

  Hannah nodded. “Thank you,” she said as an afterthought.

  “No need to thank me. I thoroughly enjoy it.” He smiled at her affectionately.

  Hannah returned the smile. Reluctantly, Jonathan left.

  While Hannah waited for Jonathan to take her home, she pondered all that he had taught her about the Holy Spirit. She was both excited and fearful to try out what he had asked her to do.

  Deep in thought, she did not see Luke come into the main church. “Penny for your thoughts?” Luke asked, mildly amused.

  “Luke!” Hannah greeted excitedly. “Why are you still here?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Had to get some work done for tomorrow's event,” he shrugged. “Why are you here?” he asked just as suspiciously.

  “I am waiting for pastor Chandler,” she said briskly.

  “Still pastor, uh?” Luke lifted an eyebrow. “I thought by now you would be calling him Jonathan.”

  Hannah looked at him blankly.

  “Has he proposed yet?” Luke's eyes held un-spilled laughter.

  Hannah became uncomfortable, stiffened and went red. “What are you talking about? she asked trying to maintain a distant look unconvincingly.

  “He has!” Luke let out a whoop of joy. “It's about time.”

  “What!?” Hannah feigned ignorance.

  “It was only a matter of time. You two are bad liars.” Luke was grinning widely. “I could see the attraction from a long time ago but you two kept missing it,” he explained when she looked puzzled.

  “You knew?” she asked flabbergasted.

  “When the two of you are in the same room it was pretty obvious, at least to me,” he shrugged. “The man was in agony a long time ago.”

  Hannah chewed on that a bit then suddenly looked at him in alarm. “You can't tell anyone just yet though,” she cautioned.

  “My lips are sealed,” Luke made the action of sealing his lips. “But I am so glad for you. You deserve to be loved the way he loves you.”

  “You think so?” Hannah pondered.

  “Yep! You are truly an awesome person and Jonathan's lucky to have your heart.” Luke was positive.

  “Thank you!” she quivered.

  Luke hugged Hannah tightly. Just then the doors flew open. Pulling apart, they both stared at the figure standing in the doorway. From where they were, they could see that the female was badly hurt.

  Hannah couldn't remember whether she gave Luke any instructions or he her, except that she found herself running to the back of the church as Luke ran off in the direction of Jonathan's office.

  By the time Hannah reached the back, the female had fallen face down on the threshold. Shocked, Hannah knelt beside the figure. Bile rose up in Hannah as she took in the appearance of the girl - she couldn't be more than sixteen. She was wearing scanty clothing and had been badly beaten up, even stabbed. Blood covered almost all of her.

  “Help me!” the girl cried out gripping Hannah's hand before lapsing into a state of unconsciousness.

  Helpless, Hannah just sat there in shock and horror. Suddenly, Jonathan appeared opposite her, kneeling. He was saying something but Hannah could not hear a thing. Her ears were blocked by the haziness that filled her. Everything was becoming dark and despair filled her.

  Chapter 18

  On Luke's urgent call from the passage, Jonathan had reacted immediately. Something needed his attention. Rushing to the scene, he had been sorry that Hannah had seen this. From the ashen look on her face, he knew she had never been exposed to situations like these. She was going into despair.

  Gripping her arm firmly, he called out, “Hannah! Just keep your focus on Jesus.” But he could tell that she couldn't hear him. So he prayed against every dark and evil spirit in order to counter their attack on Hannah.

  Feeling Jonathan's hand on her arm, Hannah looked at him. He was saying something but she couldn't make out what it was. It was getting cold and a heaviness gripped her. Things were starting to look grotesque. She felt hopeless.

  She wanted to scream out, “Help, me!” but the words wouldn't come out. Jonathan' lips were moving but still she couldn't hear anything.

  Suddenly the hand on her arm changed to that of Jesus. A calmness covered her and she heard a gentle voice say, “Pray for her Hannah!”

  Mobilised, she murmured a prayer for the girl until the dark lifted and an unsurpassable peace enveloped her and everything around her.

  By that time, paramedics were all over the place. Gently they pried the girl's hand from hers as they tended to her. One of the paramedics saw to Hannah, cleaning off the blood and checking for any cuts on her hand.

  “Just making sure that there is no chance you could be exposed to HIV,” the paramedics explained as Hannah stared at the paramedic, unable to comprehend his actions.

  Hannah's mind was whirling. Why would the paramedic say that?

  As soon as the paramedic was done, Jonathan lifted her up and held her against him, whispering that it was alright. It didn't take the paramedics long to get the girl onto the stretcher and take her to the ambulance.

  As they stood watching the ambulance drive off, Hannah asked, “Who would do such a thing? She is just a child.” Her voice was filled with anguish.

  Heartbroken for her, Jonathan took her in his arms and held her. “I'm afraid men are cruel when they don't get what they want.”

  “Where did she come from?” Hannah looked up at him, her eyes filled with sorrow.

  “She might have been running away from a brothel or a sadistic client.”

  “You mean she was a...” Hannah could not voice the word.

  “Probably a sex slave,” Jonathan said with sympathy.

  “Oh no!” Hannah was close to tears. “She seems so young.”

  “She probably is,” he confirmed.

  “That's the reason why the paramedic mentioned HIV,” Hannah said realisation dawning.

  “Yes,” Jonathan said carefully. “But there is no need to worry about that.”

  “Certainly not,” Hannah said passionately. “God is our protector and since He wants us to help others, then He will protect us.”

  Her absolute faith in God in this moment was staggering. Jonathan had no words to express the emotion he felt at her confession of God's greatness. He pulled her into his embrace and held her for a long while.

  After some thought, she asked carefully, “Can we v
isit her in hospital?”

  Jonathan looked at the woman beside him with great admiration. It did not bother her where the girl came from; she only had a deep sense of concern for the stranger.

  “We certainly can. That's what Jesus would want us to do.”

  She smiled up at him. “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow indeed. Nine thirty.” He smiled back.

  “Is that visiting hours?” she asked curiously.

  “No but pastors get special preference. Besides, we want to get there before they discharge her.”

  “So soon? She looked in a pretty bad shape.” Hannah was dismayed.

  “Not everyone gets treated with respect,” he said sadly.

  “Then we should pray that she is cared for until she is better,” Hannah said simply.

  “I love you, Hannah!” Jonathan whispered, his heart filled with love. In one night she proved to be tougher and far stronger than she looked. And more caring than anyone he knew. Early in the morning, he would contact Raymond, from the company that took care of the cleaning needs of the church buildings and grounds, to get the entrance cleaned. For now, he just wanted to hold Hannah tightly, thankful that no harm had come to her!

  Surprisingly, Hannah slept well, even though she had stayed up quite late to pray for the girl who had asked for her help. She was grateful that the girl had not died. Obviously, God had a plan – what happened that night could have happened any night but it had happened on the night she was present at the church. There were so many people needing God's help and Hannah determined she would make herself available for God to use her to help those in need.

  The last thought or rather question she had before falling into deep slumber was 'What happened to Luke?' Only much later would she find out that he had remained in the shadows, keeping out of the way and exited with the paramedics. No explanation was given for his action and Hannah had not needed one. Everyone dealt with tragedy differently, she accepted.

  Approximately nine o'clock in the morning, Jonathan made an appearance. Hannah was on the phone with her mother. He kissed her cheek in greeting not wanting to force her to end the call. Still on the phone, she followed him to the car.