Chapter 6

I had sweet dreams in which Jen and Laura met and smiled at each other while they stood on either side of me. I'm not sure but I took it to mean that Jen approved of Laura.

During a break at work, I made a call, "Pastor George, it's Paul Sanderson."

"Paul, it's good to hear from you. What might I do for you?"

"I have a friend, the lady who was with us last Sunday, who will be returning this Sunday. She has made a profession of faith and wants to be baptized and to join the church."

"Wonderful! We can talk about classes and such later. She made the profession to you?"

"Yes, sir. We talked last night after supper. I had given her the Roman ladder. She studied that and the Book of Mark. We talked and prayed."

"It will be my pleasure to baptize her and bring her in as a member. You and your girls will be her sponsors and fellowship friends?"

"Yes, sir." I chuckled. "If not, my two daughters would revolt."

"We wouldn't want that. You will all be in Sunday school and the eleven o'clock church service?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. Bring her to my office between those two for just a minute. I would like a minute to talk to you all. Is this romantic?"

"It looks very hopeful but it's early yet."

"Okay, Paul. I look forward to seeing you then. Call me if you need me. Bye."

"Thanks, George. Bye."

That evening, I called Laura and told her about talking to George. She thanked me. "Paul, I appreciate your watching out for me like that. I would not have known what to do. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night You'll be here at six?"

"I'm looking forward to it, too, Laura. I'll see you then."

Supper had been a quiet meal without Laura. We enjoyed our time together but I think my girls missed having Laura there. I had thought about saying something about her absence but decided to wait. They never said anything. We watched "The Two Towers" that night.

In the morning, they went to school and I went to work. I came home a little early to clean up a bit extra before picking up Laura. The girls helped and made me change my tie to one they liked better. I laughingly did so saying, "If she doesn't like it, now it will be your fault."

May said, "We're not worried. She will like it."

April said, "The tie is only important to us. She won't care as long as it's around your neck. She wants to see you."

I smiled realizing that April was probably right. I finished straightening my tie, put on my coat, and was walked downstairs by my daughters. They kissed me good night. April said, "We want a full report in the morning. You had better not get home before our bedtime." I smiled.

I left for Laura's house, parked the car, and walked to the door. I rang the bell and was greeted by a vision! Laura was wearing a dress and looked breathtaking. Actually, she did take my breath away. On the bottom, it was short, showing an awesome expanse of legs wearing high heels. On top, it was cut to show some cleavage. Her hair was up. My tie even matched her dress! I exclaimed, "Wow! You are even more beautiful than usual!"

"Come in, Paul. You're right on time." She led me into a dining room lit with candles. There were two plates with food and a glass by each with wine. "Please sit down. I thought this might be better than some kind of fast food snack. I wanted to cook a little something for us tonight." I seated her and then sat down myself.

She prayed for us, our evening, and my daughters.

We were having stuffed shrimp which were delicious. The wine was a dryer white that had been chilled. It went well with her shrimp dish. I was still having trouble breathing because of Laura's looks. After a couple of bites, I said, "How did my daughters know what color tie I should wear?"

"They came by on their way home. I showed them the dress. They prayed with me as I dropped them off at your place. I was surprised at their attitude. Actually, I have been surprised from the moment I met them. They are a powerful duo." She smiled.

"Yes. It's part of what makes it fascinating to have them raise me."

She laughed. "They are great young ladies. May occasionally makes statements that blow your mind with her mature insight."

We enjoyed our snack and finished our wine. I helped Laura clear the table and we left for the concert. The concert was delightful and I enjoyed the looks sent Laura's way by others. She looked great and, even better, looked happy. I was proud to have her with me. We left at the end and it was early enough and late enough for the meal. I had made reservations at a great restaurant.

We made an entrance. I'm not a bad looking guy but this beautiful, amazing woman was on my arm. It was such that even women were looking daggers at her because their men were slack-jawed staring at Laura. I chuckled as we were seated and had our drink orders taken.

"Paul, what's funny?"

"You are the subject of many people looking at you. A number of guys are in trouble with their wives or girl friends because of you. The funny part is I know you think you're okay. You have no idea how breathtakingly beautiful you are. I do though. I'm proud to be with you this evening and any other time you tolerate me." I smiled at her.

"You are easy to tolerate, Paul. I'm enjoying this evening. I like what I see in your eyes. Seeing your eyes when they look at me just builds my confidence and gives me a warm, happy feeling."

Our meal was excellent and the wine was great. We finished our entrees. "Paul, desert is at my place."

"Oh! Okay, Laura. I'll pay the bill and we'll go." She smiled at me. I paid the check leaving a good tip. I stood and held the chair for her. I held her hand as we left the restaurant.

When we were outside and in the car, Laura said, "I noticed the eyes as we left." She chuckled. "They weren't just on me, Paul. A number of women were interested in the tall hunk escorting me." We grinned at each other.