Throughout the transition between winter and spring that year, with few exceptions, the skies stayed overcast in Rock Pier. Every day seemed cold, and sleet predominated the TV forecasts. It seemed there were daily warnings about icy streets and highways. But the weather did not translate into gloomy hearts for Michael Chadwell and Nancy Herring. These two usually saw each other three times a week—Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings, and on Sundays. They spent a lot of time talking and walking, careful to maintain safe ways of establishing an ever-growing commitment to each other. But the chemistry between them was strong, and even when they were separated in a crowd of people, their peripheral senses were totally focused on each other. Oddly enough, they discovered independently that their mutual agreement to abstain from a physical relationship until they were married was inexplicably scintillating.
Nancy had decided it must be because there was still so much to look forward to, each of them experiencing ever increasing anticipation of their wedding and the time they would consummate their love. It would happen, by their choosing, when their spirits and souls caught up with their flesh. There was no lack of physical attraction. On the contrary, Nancy’s heart beat faster at Michael’s merely brushing against her, and she daydreamed far more than she would ever want to admit, both while at work and at home. Actually, almost every moment of the day Michael was on her mind, and she subconsciously kept him there while still engrossed in projects at work. At TNC while she greeted everybody, and even during church service on Sunday, he was on her mind.
For Michael, restraining his physical desire was much more difficult, but because he had made a commitment to Godly discipline in his life, he was better able to manage the passion that always attempted to dominate. Nancy was beautiful, and he desired to know intimately every part of her body, of course—that was a given; but he desired to know her soul as well. Her quick smile and candid conversation made being around her unbelievably pleasurable; and her spirit, like his, was alive to the promptings of their Creator; thus, their time together was an exhilarating adventure.
One afternoon in late March, Michael had the day off and Nancy had arranged to leave work at 1:30. It was a warm day, and after Michael picked her up, they drove ten miles to Mayville, a wide spot in the road, to try out an ice cream shop boasting homemade ice cream. When they arrived, school kids were walking down the street, and several turned in for an ice cream cone. Michael was opening Nancy’s car door when his attention was drawn to a young girl who looked to be about eleven walking towards the shop on the sidewalk next to them, towing a boy of five or six behind her. She walked at a determined, steady pace past the pink door of the shop, physically pulling her brother, whose eyes were riveted on the shop and the kids going inside.
“Come on, Danny!” she reprimanded him. Then, in an apologetic tone, she lowered her voice. “We don’t have any money.”
Nancy had caught the scene and sized up the situation before she climbed out of the car. She and Michael exchanged a quick glance, and Michael pulled out his wallet. Quick as a wink, Nancy caught up to the pair, with Michael two steps behind, and softly addressed them.
“Excuse me. My friend and I heard what you said. We happen to have a few extra dollars. We’d like you to take them and buy an ice cream cone for your brother and yourself.”
The girl looked at Nancy with a mixture of incredulity and suspicion.
“I know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers.” Nancy smiled understandingly. “Here, you take this and do whatever you want with it. We were going to stop for an ice cream cone ourselves, but we’ve decided to drive back to Rock Pier instead.” Nancy looked up at Michael who raised his eyebrows and half-hid a smile that said, “Mmm. Interesting—thanks for telling me.” Then he spoke.
“You see, my friend’s a Christian, and she’s always giving things to people. You don’t have to take it, but if you want it, just explain to your parents that some people who love Jesus wanted you and your brother to have some ice cream today.”
Nancy held out the money, and the young girl slowly reached for it, looking at her brother, then up at Nancy, then over to Michael.
“We’re Christians, too,” she said in a whisper, her shyness obvious. Then, putting her arm around her little brother’s shoulder, she added, “It’s Danny’s birthday. Thank you.”
Nancy’s warm smile burst into a happy grin. “You’re welcome.” She reached down and hugged the girl spontaneously. “God bless you,” she whispered and then turned to the little boy. “Happy Birthday, Danny!” She stood up, putting her hand in Michael’s, and they walked quickly back to the car. As they drove off, they saw through the rear view mirrors the children walking into the ice cream shop. Nancy turned to Michael.
“Thank you, Michael. I knew you wouldn’t mind.”
Michael laughed and shook his head. “No, but since we’re driving back to Rock Pier instead of buying ice cream in Mayville, how do you propose to take care of this craving I’ve had for two straight days? I was looking forward to homemade chocolate ice cream.” Michael turned to Nancy, a broad grin on his face. He was surprised to see Nancy’s face shadowed with unspoken disappointment.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Michael’s tone was sincere, more than anything else. He was so fond of her that he couldn’t bear to disappoint her even for a moment. “You know I’m kidding, don’t you?”
Tears welled up in Nancy’s eyes as she mutely nodded. Michael pulled the car onto the shoulder of the country road. He put his arm around Nancy and drew her to him.
“Nancy, I’ll never forget the happiness I felt watching your compassion with those kids this afternoon. If we never end up together, it’s a memory I’m going to cherish. We can get more ice cream, and I know you would have liked to have had it in Mayville as much as I; and I totally agree with you that it was best that we not hang around. They’ll enjoy their ice cream more without benevolent strangers to remind them where it came from.”
Nancy looked up at him, and tears filled her eyes. She hadn’t realized that she was so tired from a short but stressful day at work. She succumbed to Michael’s tenderness, resting her head on his shoulder. Nancy was in love with a man she most often thought of as simply wonderful, and her heart was overcome with gratefulness to God for giving her the love of a Christian man so very attractive to her. The attraction was not only because of his personality and looks, but especially because of his character and his desire to please God. She put her arm around Michael’s neck and clung to him in a moment of ecstasy.
Michael’s heart was pounding as he held Nancy close to him. He knew she could feel it, and he knew simultaneously that she welcomed the pounding of his heart. An indescribable euphoria flooded his being.
“I love you so much, Nancy.” His words were choked in tenderness.
“Oh, Michael.” Nancy’s lips parted slightly as she looked deep into Michael’s eyes, and then their lips met in a soft and tender kiss. Held in each other’s arms, they stayed together as Nancy whispered between kisses, “I’ve never been so happy. I wish this moment could last forever.”
Michael’s heart kept pounding; he smoothed back Nancy’s hair from her right temple and kissed her again. Then, unwillingly yet determinedly, he broke the embrace.
“Nancy, this is too much for me. I’m pretty tough, but I’m not sure I can handle this.” Giving her one more squeeze, he sighed and planted a kiss so light but yet one that totally encapsulated the deep love it represented.
“I was going to ask you if you wanted some ice cream at my place.” Nancy looked wistfully at Michael. “But you’re the driver.” She searched his eyes for a response. If he had agreed to go to her place, she wasn’t sure what her reaction would be. All her being was crying out to be alone in a very private place and be wrapped in Michael’s arms. Yet her mind sent up a red flag; and her spirit…Oh, where was her spirit? She realized how true it was that when the flesh is strong, the spirit is weak. Right now, it didn’t even seem to exist, let alone be the controlling factor in her life.
Michael’s voice was a little husky. “Marbury’s has those old-fashioned sodas. Shall we go there?”
Nancy felt weak all of a sudden, and her body relaxed as relief washed out the tension of her having to make a decision that she wasn’t sure she could wisely make. She noticed Michael’s set jaw, and an unspoken prayer of thankfulness poured out of her heart. For weeks they had dated, and she knew Michael’s desire for her was as strong as hers for him, but they had both resisted the temptation to yield to it. Now, in a moment of passion that only whetted this desire, Michael had taken control of the situation, albeit with obvious difficulty. For this, Nancy loved him all the more and desired him all the more; yet her own resolve to keep their passion in restraint grew stronger at the same time.
“That sounds great.” Even while her body yearned for fulfillment, Nancy now felt a most satisfying peace in having Michael take the lead in watching out for her and for them both. Silently she prayed, “Thank you, God. My body can wait when my spirit’s satisfied. Help us.” Then, out loud again, “Let’s go. I’d love a chocolate raspberry soda.”
“Maybe our table’s open.” Michael was recovering fast. He glanced at Nancy. “The one we sat at that first night we met?”
“Oh, sure. You mean with Sig and Carla?” Nancy smiled at his romanticism.
“Mmhmm.” He drove in silence for a full two miles. Then, stretching his arm around the girl beside him, Michael said earnestly, and his eyes glistened with moisture, “It’s no wonder I love God. I’m blessed!” he said emphatically. “You know, honey, we’ll be OK if we keep Him center focus in the picture.” When Nancy said nothing, he withdrew his arm and then opened the window and stretched out his left arm. “What an A-plus day!” Still Nancy didn’t respond, and Michael turned his head and looked at her. She sat quietly beside him, facing forward and smiling demurely.
……….
Midge Ferguson was in the middle of writing a vignette for the book she hoped to publish. It was late Saturday morning, and when the phone rang, she recognized the voice.
“Hi, Mrs. Chadwell.” She spoke amicably, despite the interruption of her thoughts. Midge felt she would forever be indebted to this woman for the insight she had given her mother, who had passed it to her. Midge had continued affirming out loud to herself that “It’s OK; all is well,” and the peace it brought had raised Midge above ground level to a place of contentment despite her irreversible circumstances. Mrs. Chadwell happened to be on her top-ten list of favorite people right now.
“How are you two doing?” Midge knew Bonnie was referring to herself and the baby.
“Oh, just great. I’m doing a little writing, and Baby’s causing no trouble whatsoever. You’d think he’d be bored and cranky. I know I would be.” Midge’s voice was teasing and light-hearted, and Bonnie smiled on her end of the phone.
“‘He?’ Is it a boy?”
“Yes. It’s a boy. We found out a couple weeks ago.” She paused. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I thought Mom had.”
“Oh, that’s OK. You’re four months now, right?”
“Seventeen weeks, to be exact—according to the doctor.”
“Well, I have a little booklet on fetal development I thought you might enjoy.”
“Oh, I’d love that!”
“I’ll send it to you. Eat a lot of protein, honey.”
“I am. I had tuna for lunch, as a matter of fact,” Midge reassured her. “But if you called to talk to my mom, she’s gone to the store. Could she call you back?”
“No, that’s OK. I actually just wanted to find out how a very young mother is doing, and let you know what your baby’s up to. I thought you might be interested.”
“Well, thanks. I guess I don’t have to worry about his being bored, do I? He’s so busy developing. I think I felt him move the other day. Mom said eventually I should be able to feel him hiccup, too. That should be fun.”
“Yes, it is,” Bonnie agreed. “I remember.” Her voice sent a warm smile through the phone. “Well, you take care. I’m glad you’re writing. I hope I can read it when you’re finished.”
“Well, don’t hold your breath, Mrs. Chadwell, ’cuz I’m not sure when that will be.” Midge laughed, but she was pleased with herself and the goals she was pursuing. She hung up the phone and said out loud, “So far, so good!”
Forty-five minutes later, Lou Ferguson arrived home. “Hi, honey!” she called from the back door.
“Hi, Mom,” Midge answered. “I’m in my room. Do you need help with the groceries?”
“Uh—yeah. Would you mind?”
Midge walked out to the garage. Her green-checked blouse made her look especially pretty to her mother.
“You look lovely today, honey. You know they say pregnant women have a special beauty about them, and you certainly do.” She hugged her daughter. “Look at these strawberries! They were such a good price, I couldn’t resist. I think I’ll make a pie to surprise Dad tonight.”
“Mom, how can I keep my weight down?” Midge asked in mock dismay. “I’m going to blimp out!”
Lou threw back her head and laughed heartily. “Yes, honey. You are going to blimp out, all right—and look beautiful all through the blimping.” She gave her daughter a quick kiss on her cheek and picked up another sack of groceries. “Did you call that lady at the adoption agency?”
Midge sighed. “No, I didn’t.” Then she hastily added, seeing her mother’s look of concern. “But I’m going to. I was on a roll with my book. Besides, I’m not sure I’m ready to talk to her yet. Couldn’t it wait until next week?”
Lou hesitated and took a deep breath. “OK. I’m sure that’ll be fine. But I think we need to allow ourselves plenty of time to talk with several different people to make the wisest decision. There’s a very precious person at stake, you know.” She smiled as her eyes went from Midge’s face down to her barely protruding stomach, then back up to her face. The serious look there made her stop. “You OK, honey? What’s wrong?”
“Mom, I wish I knew what would be best for this baby.”
Lou cocked her head to one side and bit her lower lip. “Well, Dad and I have already told you we’ll support whatever decision you make.
“Maybe I should call that lady and just tell her where I’m at and ask how much time she needs.”
“That’s a good idea.” Lou Ferguson was again struck with the maturity of her fifteen-year old daughter. She hoped it would last through the next couple of years. She hoped, too, that her daughter would be able to enjoy carefree moments—days—again. If Midge decided to keep the baby, Lou was determined to be on hand to help her be a responsible mother but still able to enjoy some down time knowing it was not at the expense of her baby’s well being. She inhaled deeply and silently prayed, “Help me, God, to be there for Midge and for this tiny baby. Give me amazing joy—and John, too—in caring for Midge and her baby, if that’s what You decide for us.”
The phone rang, and Lou, standing near it, answered. In a moment, she covered the voice end and said, “Midge, it’s for you. Some lady from Fogle’s?” She was obviously curious as she gave the phone to her daughter.
Midge brightened. “Oh, yes.” She held up her index finger as if to say, “Just a moment and I’ll explain.”
A couple moments later, she hung up the phone and exclaimed, “Yes! Guess what?” She smiled at her mother with a look of exhilaration glowing in her eyes. “I walked over to Fogle’s the other day…you know—getting my exercise like Dr. Feinstein said, and I applied for a job.”
“What?” Lou exclaimed.
“Don’t panic, Mom. I know I’m not sixteen yet, but I can legally get a job at fifteen and a half.” She put her arm around her mother’s waist. “See, I look at it this way. I was acting irresponsibly when I got pregnant, right? I knew it was wrong, but Nick said he had everything under control, and I made a bad choice. Well, I’m determined to make good choices, and I don’t plan to be irresponsible anymore.”
“Don’t make too many promises,” Lou interjected.
“Well… no matter what happens, there are expenses that I plan to take care of.” She noted the skepticism on her mother’s face and quickly added, “It’s an easy job—folding clothes. I just don’t feel like hanging out with Marlene and Gerri so much right now, and I think I’d rather have a job than be in a swim suit this summer.”
Lou stared at her daughter plainly enough, but inside she felt like her mouth was agape. She was impressed to see Midge staking out a path with such determination and confidence. Her daughter had undoubtedly achieved a new level of maturity. In fact, it seemed as though this unplanned pregnancy had brought a new spark of life to their entire family. Standing there in the bright kitchen, her eyes glistened with gratitude to God.
“I’m proud of you, honey. And I’m sure everything’s going to be just fine.”
“I’d better finish up the writing I started this morning and then do some planning for next week. Do you need help with lunch?”
“No. I’ll get it. But don’t forget to call the adoption lady. Oh, that’s right,” she remembered out loud. “You said next week. What hours will you have at Fogle’s?”
“They said basically nine to three, but it might vary some,” Midge answered and then added enthusiastically, “It’s perfect, Mom. I can walk both ways and get my exercise.”
“You did tell them you’re pregnant?”
“I did.” Midge looked proudly at her mom. “She said, ‘You’re a brave girl.’ I told her, ‘I don’t know how brave I am, but I’m determined to be responsible.’ She was really nice.”
“That’s wonderful, Midge.”
Midge walked out of the kitchen, and Lou began putting away the groceries. As she worked, she thought of a conversation she’d had with a friend from church who felt adamantly that John and she had acted unwisely in giving Midge any choice at all in this matter.
“You know, Lou, I think it’s wrong to put your daughter in this position. She’s too young to be having a baby. Kids will be kids, and you shouldn’t let a teenager make a decision that will ruin her future. She’s only fifteen. It’s not really fair.”
Lou couldn’t resist asking her how she would advise Midge. “I would suggest that she have an abortion and get on with her life, so that you and John could get on with yours, too.”
“Valerie,” Lou had responded. “I can’t deny that the thought crossed my mind. But it didn’t stay long, because two other thoughts got the best of it. The first was that I don’t want my daughter living with the memory of ending her first child’s life. Maybe she would never regret it, but John and I think that if we were in her place, we might very well. So we applied the Golden Rule, and treated her like we felt we would have wanted our parents to treat us twenty years ago, given the same circumstance.
“But the second thought was the real clincher. It was a scripture John remembered that had actually come up in adult Bible class a few weeks before. I know you’ve heard it. ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these my brethren have ye done it unto me.’ Jesus said that, you know. It confirmed our conscience, and when we shared this with Midge, she wasn’t upset. In fact,” Lou had said, smiling, “she was relieved.”
“Well, it’s not going to be easy,” Valerie warned.
“No, we don’t expect it to be, but we’re confident it’s the right thing to do.” Lou looked at her friend’s frowning face and added, “Don’t worry; everything’s going to work out.”
Now, as she filled the sugar canister, she smiled again. “Bonnie’s right,” she thought. “It does help to say it, and it’s becoming easier and easier. Thank you, God. Thank you!”