Whispers of Mystery

Whispers of Mystery
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Thursday, July 11, 2019

Climax: Love 30, Part 2

Parking lot, near TGIFs, January 19, 2012
Is that a blush?  Davie hopes so, but Jasmine speaks before he can be sure.  “If Noah had a bumper sticker for his Ark, I wonder what it would say?”
“Hmmm,” Davie’s pleased and challenged with her riddle.  “Something like, ‘This Ark Obeys God’?  Or ‘Real Men Build an Ark’?”
“Something like that,” Jasmine smiles.  “How about ‘Are you Ready for the Great Flood’?”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Davie replies, but let’s add to it: “My children are ready for the Flood.  Are yours?”
“I like that,” Jasmine smiles.  Then, mischievously, she smiles.  “How about a twist on the Jewish Carpenter: ‘My Boss is a Global Destroyer.’”
“Ouch!”
“I know.  Too much.  Maybe he played tennis.  How about this one: ‘This Ark is ready for the Dunk Smash/How about you?’” 
“I like it,” Davie laughs.  “But only tennis players would get it.  Here’s one. ‘If the Flood comes tonight, Will you Float or Drown?’” 
“That’s it!” 
They both laugh heartily.  This is why Davie likes Jasmine so much.  She’s a thinker, she’s compassionate, and she has a sense of humor.  Even her cynicism is rooted in compassion.  She’s a killer tennis player too.  Davie loves it when she sends their opponents far into the alleys, perfectly setting him up for an overhead smash.  On and off the court, she’s just his style.  Why hadn’t they met ten years ago?
Never before has he met a Christian girl who questions Noah, let alone one at the tender age of 11.  He loves that spirit, that interest, and that desire to transcend basic obedience.  Still, there’s a pastor in him too.  He feels like he should stick up for Noah, at least a little bit, even if he’s not particularly fond of this biblical “hero.”  Like Jasmine, he feels Noah wimped out too early to save the world.  Couldn’t he have saved at least a few people outside of his own family?  Still, for Noah’s moment in the evolution of spiritual history, he didn’t do too bad.  At least he didn’t die in the Flood.  And, he saved a bunch of animals.
Davie wonders how he can lead into a way to save face for Noah, while maintaining that energy he’s sharing with Jazzie.  If he’s really good, maybe he can even catch another blush.
“You were quite a precocious girl.”  Davie smiles and winks at Jasmine as they are approaching the front door of TGIFs.  Davie can’t discern a blush on Jasmine’s face, but at least she smiles and squints her eyes with curiosity.  “In youth, one’s goal is obedience,” Davie says, stopping in front of the door.  “In maturity, it’s love – even if it means breaking the rules.  Maybe Noah represents youth in humanity’s evolution.  The world was young, so the lesson was obedience.  Now we’re older and our lesson is love.”
Jasmine looks interested.  Davie continues, “Many Christians don’t catch that there is not one right way for all people to behave.  On many matters, our decisions of what is upright is individual.  For example, some can drink, some can't.  Paul explains this freedom in Romans 14.   I would take the notion beyond what Paul says, though.  How we should act depends not only on our circumstances, but also on where we are on our life path.  The right course of action early in life, when one still has much growth left in life, can impede a person later in life.  So some people learn in youth, ‘This is how you behave,’ and they’re still behaving like that when they’re older.  But by then, they should be behaving different.”
“And some of them make it worse, don’t they?” Jasmine asks with a wistful nod.   “They judge people who aren’t behaving that way, even—“
“--if they’re already passed that point.” Davie finishes, in perfect tandem with Jasmine.  They chuckle, Davie winks, and Jasmine, most certainly, is blushing.  Opening the door for Jasmine, Davie holds his eyes and smile on her.  “You were already grown up when you were 11.”

When the two walk into the party room, Davie is struck by the decorations, the care, and the attention that has gone into the décor of his birthday party.  A sign is posted on the wall behind the table in handwritten markers, reading “LOVE 30!”  It’s framed on both sides of the message with three yellow tennis balls.  The Love 30 theme is also accented with red heart-shaped helium balloons with “30” in black lettering floating above the table. 
On the table is a chocolate cake, decorated mostly in blue letters, also reading, “LOVE 30,” with two exceptions: the “O” of “LOVE” is in red and drawn as a heart and the “0” of “30” is in yellow and nice and round, more like a capital “O,” to depict a tennis ball.  Astonished by how it feels to be so celebrated, Davie realizes it might not be so bad the group determined it’s his 30th birthday.
“Who made the cake?”
BD points to Jasmine, who smiles coyly and lifts her hand for a slight wave.  “I LOVE it,” he replies with a deep smile to Jasmine.  Her eyes twinkle and Davie thinks he’s just caught yet another blush.  What a beauty Jasmine is when she blushes.  How many more of these can he catch tonight?  He feels magic in the air. Watch yourself, Davie.  This night could get dangerous.

 “You have quite the digital birthday, tomorrow, don’t you, Davie?” Steve asks as all the party-goers are finding seats.  “1-2-0-2-0-1-2.”
            “At least it’s not 1-2-2-1-2-0-1-2!” Theresa teases.
            “Right! Then he’d be 30 and dead!”  BD exclaims to the group’s laughter.
            Davie leans into Jasmine, pressing his arm and shoulders into hers to whisper, “I wonder what the SUV owner thinks?”
Jasmine chuckles and bends even closer into him to whisper her reply.  This is better than a blush.  Davie feels tingles and a little arousal running through his body.  The night is getting dangerous, but he has no desire to retreat from it. 
“I bet he’s hoping!” Jasmine whispers into his ear.  “He can’t wait to de-man his car!”
BD asks, “What are you two talking about?”
“The owner of this SUV parked too close to our spot was sporting a bumper sticker,” Davie replies.  “’Warning: ‘In case of Rapture, this vehicle will be de-manned.”
“Oh, one of those!” BD exclaims.
“We’re wondering what bumper sticker we should put on top of that one?” Davie poses to BD.
BD might be anti-church, but he knows the lingo, and suggests, “In case of Rapture, this driver will be Left Behind?”
The three nod in agreement.  Davie’s a pastor, so he shouldn’t be scoffing at those who believe in the Rapture, but he’s also irked their attitude about it gives Jesus a bad rap.

“Hey look at this, Davie,“ Gabbie holds up the napkin she’s just written on.  In nine years, your birthday will be both digital and have onomatopoeia: 1-2-0-2-0-2-1.”
            Steve teases, “Digital.  Symmetrical. Does that make you square?”
            “Not square.  Confused.  I can’t decide whether to be Capricorn or Aquarius.”
            BD gives Davie and quizzical look.  “I didn’t know you believed in that stuff.”
            “Not really, but  confused between two birth signs, whatever they might mean, does fit.”
            “What do the astrologers say you are?” Mindy wondered.    
“They say I’m Aquarius.  I was born in India on January 20, the first day of Aquarius.  My parents had decided to start out their life as missionaries there, but didn’t intend to stay longer than a year.  When their assignment was almost done, they were offered a second year, took it, got pregnant, and then had their baby – me – two months before they were done.  Then when I was two months old, we moved to Colorado, where I’ve lived the rest of my life -- and would have been born Capricorn.”
“Interesting,” Steve replies. “What do the astrologers say about that?”
“They say that means I was meant to be born in the East, as Aquarius.”
“Do you feel more Aquarian or Capricorn?” Gabbie asks.
“I feel confused.  Like a walking paradox who can’t decide.  I feel like I’m always thinking at odds.”

© 2019 by karina.  All rights reserved.  Please use with permission or a citation that links to this blog.



2 comments:

  1. Hmmm, getting interesting! I love Davie and Jasmine's interplay not only together, but on Noah too. It's fun to see Davie's point of view too. Hope to see more of that!

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  2. Good to know! I'll try to bring in more from Davie. Thanks!

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