Her Appearing: A Love Story - Softcover

Hanway, Donald G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0595525075 ISBN 13: 9780595525072

Verlag: iUniverse, 2008

Inhaltsangabe

Father Del Carnation, the only Episcopal priest in a midsize Midwestern community, is fighting his way back from depression after the tragic loss of his wife, when he suddenly finds a new love interest. In the midst of his people-rich work environment, he tries to secure some private space for courting Rachel, an African-American who stands out in this "white bread" setting, and not only for her looks. Her appearing in his life produces a ferment of hopes and difficulties. Is she the companion he has been seeking? Del sees himself as living in three worlds at once: the world of relentless work demands, the world of God's empowering Spirit, and the world of his own unfulfilled longing. Are these worlds opposed, or may they join forces for blessing? HER APPEARING is a story about the power of love at work in our lives. It is a tale not just about a man looking for love, but about the love that is looking for us, and how we come to recognize the love that is already here.

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Her Appearing

A Love StoryBy Donald G. Hanway

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2008 Donald G. Hanway
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-595-52507-2

Chapter One

It was 8:00 Wednesday morning, and I was sitting on the capacious black leather couch in the office of Karen Rohrbaugh, clinical psychologist and for the past three years, my grief counselor.

When I had first sat here on Karen's couch, overwhelmed by loss, images of Marcy's mangled car and lifeless body flashing strobe-like in my mind, the loneliness of the quiet rectory where I spent my off-duty hours had become a whirlpool threatening to pull me under. The question I posed to myself these days was not "How do I cope with the pain and keep going?" but "Will a new beginning ever be possible for me here?" I was seen as highly marriageable, but maybe not on my terms.

My mind flashed back to a recent potluck dinner at the parish, St. Martin of Tours, when a few of the senior ladies had been teasing me about my single status. Ethel, the acknowledged leader, had said, "Father Del, I have a niece you might like to meet. She's about your age and comes to Exeter every now and then. I'd be happy to introduce you." My response was prompt and firm: "Thanks, but I don't have a lot of time for dating right now." I wonder if they have any idea that Amanda is on my trail? Amanda Colley was thirty, a single parishioner whose church attendance had greatly improved in the past year. Although she was gorgeous and sexy, her forwardness made me nervous. If anyone knew she was after me, then probably they all knew and were wondering why I hadn't taken the bait.

Now I looked into Karen's friendly face, as she sat in her swivel chair, professional in her tailored suit. She was about forty and married, not a love interest, but a reassuring presence in my life. There was no one else in Exeter to whom I felt free to talk about my feelings. I continued to see her twice a month, and there was always a lot to process in our hour together. I had great trust in her, but had resisted her suggestion to accept some pharmaceutical relief for my lingering depression. After all, I was still functioning at a pretty high level as preacher and pastor, and I had others to help me in running the parish.

Karen leaned forward in her swivel chair and waited expectantly for me to indicate where we might be going in our session. When I didn't respond right away, she said, "You look like you haven't had your coffee."

I was the only Episcopal priest in Exeter, and Karen knew that my pastoral concern extended beyond the boundaries of my parish membership. That made for some pastoral demands that were above and beyond the strict call of duty. I sighed in response to her observation.

"Yeah, I almost rescheduled. Got a call at 2:00 a.m. from Frank Adams. Chris hasn't been home in a couple of days. Frank and Mary are worried."

"Isn't Chris a junior in high school this year?"

"Right. I went over to the house after Frank called, and Mary was still sitting up. We agreed that if Chris doesn't show up today, it's time to talk to the police."

"So you didn't get much sleep, but you still dragged yourself out of bed this morning to see me. Is it your concern about Chris?"

"No, actually it isn't. I've met someone-sort of. And it's churning in my head."

"What do you mean, you've 'sort of' met someone?"

I had put my feet up on the couch for comfort, but now swung them back to the floor. I said, "It's the new waitress at The Autumn Leaf. Her name is Rachel, and I would guess she is in her mid-thirties. She's African American, which really stands out in this town. I don't know much about her yet, but she is very attractive, and I think very smart. She has a nice sense of humor."

I flashed back to Tuesday lunch. Once again, I was just ahead of the noonday rush. It was only her second day, and already it was Rachel's "turf." Here she came, moving with grace and confidence. Referring to my name tag, she had said, "I see Carnation is in."

"In the flesh."

"And the Word to be made flesh today is ...?" she coaxed.

"The word today is pasta, with a sauce of thanksgiving for your kind ministrations."

Hey, I'm flirting! It's lame-I'm so out of practice.

She parried, "Why don't I bring you a salad first-and iced tea with double lemon?"

"Perfect."

Karen brought me back. "What do you mean, 'very attractive'?"

"She's tall and curvy, and has a kind of sensual quality."

"You mean you think she is sexually appealing."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean, 'do about it'?"

"You're not just going to daydream, are you? Are you going to get to know her better-maybe ask for a date?"

"Come on, Karen, it's tough enough for me, just flirting! You know that even though I get up in front of people every Sunday, I'm really very shy!"

"Yes, and you're also very lonely. I know you're not averse to taking a risk now and then. How risky would it be to ask her for a chance to get better acquainted? Maybe you could find out what she likes to do-hobbies and so forth. It's time for you to move from the world of fantasy to the world of reality."

As she said that, I flashed backward again, this time to our previous therapy session, when I had verbalized perhaps more clearly than ever my struggle to balance my outer life with my inner life. I had told Karen that I was daydreaming a lot, alternating between work immersion and mindless diversions like TV. I had said, "I live in three worlds, and I often wonder which one is most real-or whether all three are part of a larger truth."

"The three worlds are...." Karen had prompted.

"The world of reality, as most people think of it, where people are hurting, chores have to be done, and someone is always after me to do something; the world of the Spirit, where God reigns, intersecting with this world in prayer, sacrament, and other forms of grace; and the world of fantasy, the world of unfulfilled longing, of dreams that probably can't come true, because they may not be God's dreams."

I snapped back to the present, and rose to the challenge of Karen's question.

"Oh, boy. I'd like to," I said, "but I'm chicken."

"O.K., let's talk through your fears a little bit. What do you think she might say if you said something like this: 'You know, Rachel, I enjoy talking to you, and would like to have a chance to get to know you better'?"

"I think she'd look me over and say to herself something like this: 'He's ten years older than I am, starting to lose his hair, would barely be able to look me in the eye if we were dancing, and he's not that powerful or cute.'"

"What do you mean, 'not powerful'?"

"I mean, not a man's man-just an average guy."

"You might be a ladies' man," Karen joshed.

"I wish!"

"What if the things she is looking for are not superficial things?" Karen pressed. "What do you think a guy like you might have to offer?"

"I could help her with her prayer life. I could answer some of her questions about the Bible. I could be supportive if she were going through a crisis. But suppose she is just looking for a good time?"

"Do you think you could make her laugh?"

"I think I almost did."

"That could be a clue."

"A clue?"

"As to how to get on her wavelength."

"I'm sure lots of customers flirt with her or drop hints that they're interested. Why should she pay any attention to...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: iUniverse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2008
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0595525075
• ISBN 13: 9780595525072
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 230
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: KreGa Onlinehandel GmbH; 4950000000000; info@krega-onlinehandel.de; ; Birkenweg 31; Brakel; 33034; Deutschland