Chapter 9

The next morning Peter was still a little sore as he descended the stairs to the kitchen. Dina wasn’t there, but he knew she was up because on the stove was a fresh pot of coffee. He poured himself a cup and followed the noises down the stairs to the gym. Dina was pounding away at the heavy bag; she had her back to him and was unaware of his presence. She was hitting the bag with such intensity that Peter was afraid that her hatred had returned.

His fears were relieved, however, when she finally stopped, turned and, spotting him sitting on the steps, her face lit up with her smile. “Good morning! Do you want to work out with me?

“I think I’ll pass for a couple of days, if it’s alright with you.”

“Okay, but next week you and I will have a standing date every morning at six right here.”

The sun broke through the cloud cover early in the afternoon and it turned into a glorious day.

“Dina, do you want to go for a walk?”

“Sure, Peter; where do you want to go?”

“I thought we’d walk in the gardens next door.”

The warmth of the sun felt good on their backs as they walked across the yard, through a small gate in the fence that surrounded the Church property, through the grounds keeper’s work area, and onto one of the paths that meandered through the formal gardens. As they walked, Peter explained the process of becoming a priest; the commitments and the sacrifices that had to be made. He told her that he wasn’t sure if he was going to return to the seminary.

“Dina, what about you; what do you want to do with the rest of your life?”

“I’m not sure; a soldier was all I ever wanted to be. I wanted to defend Israel from her enemies; those people that want to blow us off the face of the earth. But now, my superiors have determined that I am no longer fit for service.”

“Dina, maybe there is another way for you to be of service to Israel. Come, let’s go inside.” “I’m not asking you to give up your religion; I just want you to be at peace with yourself. Come.”

Taking her hand in his, he led her along the path towards the church. As they walked he could feel the tremors emanating from her body to his, faint but still present. He knew his work was not yet done.

They walked up the middle aisle of the small church and sat in a pew near the center of the room. Peter pointed to the domed ceiling and the inscriptions that appeared in each of the eight sides of the dome.

“Those are the eight beatitudes that Jesus preached to the crowds here in this general area.

God, through Moses, gave the Jewish people the Ten Commandments. They were mostly the “do not’s” to make oneself a good person. God, through Jesus, gave us these eight beatitudes as “do’s” in order to be deserving of an afterlife in heaven.”

He then explained the meaning of each and how they each built on the others.

Peter focused on the next-to-last of the panels: “‘Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called children of God.’ Dina, peace makers not only live peaceful lives, but they also try to bring peace and friendship to others.”

They sat in silence for a long time, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally Dina stood and extended her hand to Peter. “Come, let’s go home; I’ve got to make supper for us.”

Their meal was a simple affair, eaten mostly in silence; each of them unsure of where their relationship was heading, and each unsure about what to do next. After cleaning up, Peter said that he had some reading to do and called it a night. Dina also wanted to turn in early, but for a different reason entirely.

When he finished his reading, Peter put the book on the nightstand, shut the light, and stared at the ceiling, with visions of Dina filling his mind and his heart. Soon he lost the battle against sleep and his thoughts became dreams.

Dina, on the other hand, spent the time doing something she hadn’t done in a very long time: preparing herself to be with a man. She wanted to enter his room dressed in something lacey and entirely feminine, but she discovered that she didn’t own anything like that. Deciding against just a plain t-shirt, she left her room dressed only in a pair of panties and a hint of perfume behind her ears.

When she reached his door, she hesitated only for a moment, and then opened the door slowly, hoping not to wake him. Silently she crossed the room, as she had been trained to do; only her instructors never had this in mind. She stood over him, watching as he slept, his breathing shallow and regular. Pulling back the covers, she dropped her panties and crawled into bed next to him.

Whether he felt the bed move or just sensed that he wasn’t alone, Peter’s eyes sprang open. He would have fallen off the other side of the bed had Dina not slung her arm over his body and caught him.

“Dina, what are you --” was all he could get out of his mouth before she covered it with her lips.

When she broke their embrace she said, “I decided I didn’t want to be alone anymore and neither should you.”

“Dina, I’ve never...

“I know; don’t worry, I’ll teach you.

She turned onto her side, took one of his hands, and placed it upon her left breast. He needed no instruction as he kneaded the solid flesh amazed at its warmth and firmness. He could feel the hardness of her erect nipple trying to push itself through the soft flesh of his palm.