Coming Home
Authors: Audrey Stover
Coming
Home
Audrey
Stover
Copyright
© 2010 Audrey Stover
All
rights reserved.
ISBN-10:
1461102162
ISBN-13:
978-1461102168
DEDICATION
This
book is dedicated to my mom who always encourages me to continue writing even
though I think I don’t have the time.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This
book would never have been written if my children didn’t put up with me staring
off into space or typing like a crazy woman throughout the entire month of
November. They are the best and I love them to death. My parents, sisters,
family and friends…you all have a part in this, because you are a part of me. I
love you all!
Table of Contents
For I
know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for
evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and
pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me
with all your heart.
Jeremiah
29:11-13
Susan Johnson looked at her reflection in the full length
mirror. She turned from one side to the other examining her form-fitting dress
to make sure it looked absolutely perfect. Her boyfriend would be home any
minute and she wanted to surprise him. He had gone to the store to get a bottle
of wine to give to their hosts tonight. Susan felt a thrill of anticipation go
through her. It was New Year's Eve and she was pretty sure that Craig was going
to propose to her tonight. He hadn't said anything specific, but she thought
the signs were there.
She looked at her watch, he had left forty-five minutes
ago. The store must be busy with other people making last minute purchases.
Just then she heard the front door open and she turned around so he would see
her as soon as he entered the bedroom. She was not disappointed. The look in
his eyes was all that she had hoped for. She watched as his eyes lit up and a
slow smile curved his lips. He walked toward her and pulled her into a warm
embrace.
"Ah, Susie, you are absolutely stunning,“ he said
before placing a kiss on her lips.
She smiled at him before pulling away. "Did they have
any good wines left?"
"Not many, but I think the one I found will be
okay."
She nodded her head as they headed out to go to the party.
The party was in full swing by the time they arrived and
Susan could hardly believe how many people were packed into the rather large
home which was situated at the top of a hill and overlooked downtown San Diego.
Craig held her hand as they threaded their way through the throng of people in
search of their host and hostess.
Susan took a sip of punch and wished she could take her
high heels off -- they were killing her feet. It was almost midnight and she
and Craig had been dancing and mingling all night long. She looked around,
wondering where he had gone. Then she saw him coming toward her with two
glasses of champagne.
"Come with me," he motioned to her with a hand
holding a glass of champagne. "I want to show you something."
"Okay." She followed him through a couple of
rooms and out a pair of French doors. Susan caught her breath at the
magnificent view. "Wow, this is beautiful!" She exclaimed, walking to
the rail of the balcony.
She turned around and saw Craig kneeling in front of her
and she placed a hand over her heart.
"Susie, will you marry me?" He asked as he took
her left hand in his.
"Yes! Of course I will!" She cried, knowing that
she would always remember this moment for the rest of her life.
He opened his other hand to reveal a stunning diamond ring.
Susan's hand flew to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears
and she watched Craig slip the ring on the appropriate finger. He looked up at
her with a smile that lit his face.
Standing up, he pulled her into a warm embrace as they
heard everyone yell, "Happy New Year!" He pulled back and looked at
her for a moment then kissed her soundly on the lips.
"Smile!" Someone said as they came out onto the
balcony. Susan and Craig turned and smiled as the camera-happy individual
snapped a few pictures.
"I want one of those!" Susan said as the person
started to leave.
"Okay, they will be here at the house in a few days;
you can pick whichever ones you want."
Craig and Susan looked at each other, "Happy New
Year!" They said in unison.
A few weeks later Susan was wondering what was going on
with Craig. He kept talking about this guy he had met and Jesus and all this
religious mumbo jumbo that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with. He was at
some Bible study or something like that right now. She looked around the
kitchen that she had been cleaning furiously since he had announced that he was
going.
"I'd like you to go with me." He had told her
before he left.
"I don't want anything to do with this phase you are
going through, Craig. I hope you get it out of your system before we go up to
my parents’ place this weekend to tell them we are getting married."
He just lowered his eyes.
"What?" She asked, not really liking the look on
his face.
"We'll talk more when I get home." Craig had
said. "Are you sure you won't come with me."
"I'm absolutely positive." She said firmly. Taking
a deep breath she looked at him coyly, "I wish you would stay here with
me, we could watch a romantic movie..." She sidled up to him and wrapped
her arms around his neck while kissing the line of his jaw, "It could be
really fun."
Craig had kissed her forehead then extricated himself from
her hold. "I want to go to this. I'll see you in a couple of hours."
Then he was gone, leaving Susan to wonder what in the world was going on with
him.
She readied herself for bed and laid there reading until
she heard Craig come home. She thought about pretending that she was asleep,
but she wanted, no needed, to talk to him, to talk some sense into him. To get
him to stop with all this Bible stuff.
Craig walked into the room and she immediately had a
feeling of foreboding. Something was going to happen and she knew beyond a
doubt that she was not going to like it.
"What?" She asked not really wanting to know.
Craig sat down on the edge of the bed looking at the woman
he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He took a deep breath, not
knowing how to say what he had to say, but knowing that he had to explain to
her what he was going through. "I have become a Christian, Susan," he
said as he watched her face.
She looked at him blankly, "What do you mean?"
"I've accepted Jesus into my heart."
She sighed. "Okay, that's fine for you, but I don't
want anything to do with it." She looked at her beautiful engagement ring
as she twisted it around on her finger.
Craig hung his head, he had been afraid she would feel that
way. He had actually become a Christian a little over two weeks ago and the
things he was learning were completely turning his world view upside down. Talk
about a paradigm shift. He had always thought it was okay for people to live
together without getting married. He knew better now, but he didn't know how to
explain it to her. He took a deep breath and prayed for wisdom. "Susie, I
don't think we should live together anymore."
"Excuse me?" She asked, her face growing pale.
He reached out and took her hand, "I still want to
marry you. I just think we need to stop living together until we are
married."
"So this is what being a Christian is all about is it?"
She asked yanking her hand out of his.
"Susie, I'm just trying to do what I believe is
right."
"And what about what I believe?"
"What do you believe, Susie?" He asked earnestly.
They had never talked about spiritual things before.
"I believe it is okay if we live together. Everyone
says God is love or something like that, we love each other, so it must be
okay."
Craig nodded his head, "But the Bible says..."
"Who cares what the Bible says? It was written eons
ago by someone who liked to tell stories. It has nothing to do with today, and
especially nothing to do with us. How can you let an ancient book tell you how
to live your life?"
He smiled sadly at her. "It is so much more than that,
Susan. If you will just come to church with me, you will see."
She shook her head vehemently. "No, I am definitely
not going to church. Besides, we are supposed to be going up to my parents this
weekend to tell them we are getting married."
"We can still go. They have churches in Newport
Beach."
Susan shook her head. "No, I will go by myself, I
think. And hopefully by the time I get back you will have gotten all of this
religious stuff out of your system," she said waving her hands around.
"Susie, this is not something that is going to go
away. I am in it for life."
She turned her head away from him. “Please go. I want to be
alone."
Craig watched her with a pain in his heart.
Lord, I'm
trying to do the right thing here. Please help me
. He grabbed a pillow off
the bed and walked out to the living room. He would sleep on the couch tonight
then find another place to stay tomorrow. He would let her keep the apartment.
He closed his eyes as he heard her crying. He never meant to hurt her. He spent
most of the night praying for wisdom and fell into a deep sleep just as the sun
was beginning to rise.
When he woke up a few hours later the apartment was eerily
silent. He walked to the door of the bedroom and saw that the bed was made,
"Susie?" He called looking around.
He walked into the kitchen and saw an envelope on the table
with his name on it. He opened it and pulled out the piece of paper that had
been tucked inside of it.
Craig~
I have gone up to my parents; I don't know when I will be
back. I believe you are wrong in saying that we shouldn't live together. If you
believe our love for each other is wrong, then how can I spend the rest of my
life with you? I have cried a million tears tonight and I guess that if our
living together is wrong, then our getting married must be wrong also. But it
isn't just the living together, it is all the ways you are changing. Church,
Bible study, and the music you listen to. I've noticed the changes and I don't
like them, I feel like your new friends are more important to you than I am. I
am enclosing the ring you gave me. Perhaps one day you will find a woman who
believes the same way you do.
I will always love you,
Susie
Craig slumped into one of the chairs, stunned. He took the
ring out of the envelope and looked at it. He couldn't believe she had left.
He thought about following her up to Newport Beach, but didn't know what good
that would do. Maybe when she came back down to San Diego they could talk
things through. Maybe he could share his faith with her better than he had. He
lowered his head and prayed for her salvation and for their reconciliation.
Susan rubbed her eyes which were red rimmed from crying.
She knew it had been cowardly to leave Craig like that, but she knew if she had
waited to talk to him in person that he would have been able to talk her out of
going. She hung her head, if he had wanted to. She had a feeling that he would
have eventually called off their engagement anyway. She opened her suitcase and
pulled out a framed picture. It was the picture the person had taken at the
New Year's Eve party right after Craig had asked her to marry him. They looked
so happy then. Now, not even a month later, their relationship was over. All
because of God, who in her book, was not all that loving. She felt like
throwing the picture against the wall, but just laid it upside-down on the
chest of drawers. It was too painful to look at right now. Maybe one day she would
be able to look at it without feeling this excruciating pain in her heart.