Page 48 of Between Two Shores

Pastor Jeremiah’s lip curled, and his brows furrowed slightly. “I see. How long have you known each other?”

Nick’s heart skipped a beat. What did that have to do with anything?

Beth straightened. “We met seven weeks ago. My father has is supportive of our decision. Nick visited our city while working for the Navy.” Beth smiled at Nick. “Instead of a long-distance relationship, we decided to marry straight away. I arrived in America last night.”

The pastor scratched at his trimmed beard. “At Oasis Church, we do pre-marriage counseling before leading a couple in marriage vows.”

Nick crossed his arms. “I’m thirty-eight-years-old, Pastor Jeremiah, and Beth is thirty-three. We aren’t twenty.”

The Pastor nodded calmly. “Last month I counseled a sixty-year-old widow and widower who wanted to marry. They weren’t offended by the idea. They embraced it.”

Nick adjusted in his seat. “How many sessions do we need to have?”

“The standard is six, but since you have plans to leave the country, we could make it four.”

Nick rubbed his head. Four. Would that be four weeks? He didn’t want to waste time.

“Okay. Another subject I wanted to discuss with you is our trip to Jerusalem. Can I share with you my vision to fund future charities.”

“Certainly.” The pastor smiled, and for the next fifteen minutes, Nick explained his dream and the contacts he’d made as the first step to secure some investors.

“Nick, I appreciate your passion for your project. Here at Oasis, we have a large outreach portfolio. Our congregation gives generously to overseas charities. But we usually sponsor ones through an oversight agency. Have you considered contacting an organization like Mission Outreach?”

“I heard that training is required and college certificates.”

“Yes, they prefer this and want accountability for funds spent.”

“Right.” Nick clapped his hands together and stood. “Well, thank you for your time, Pastor Jeremiah. You’ve given us some things to think over.” He offered his hand.

The pastor stood and shook hands with both Nick and Beth. “You’re welcome. If you decide to take up the offer for counseling, contact the receptionist.”

“Okay.” He turned to Beth and gestured toward the door. Nick couldn’t wait to get out of the office and into the fresh air.

When they were out of the building, Nick let out a sigh of relief. “What a waste of time.” He edged to the pavement, looking left and right for a clearing in the traffic. A mixture of diesel and gasoline fumes assaulted his nostrils. “Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed Beth’s hand and rushed her across the street.

Once inside his Honda Civic, he clicked the gears into reverse and the wheels let out a squeal as he zoomed out of the parking lot.

“Nick, are you okay?”

He jabbed the gear shift into second. “How do you think it went?” A touch of sarcasm laced his voice.

“Made sense to me. Most not for profits follow that protocol.”

“Rules and regulations. Policies and procedures. It gets in the way of speedy progress.”

Beth wriggled in her seat. “It’s not personal. I imagine with the dynamics of managing such an organization, there would need to be plenty of guidelines.”

“Managing and organization are an interesting choice of words. They manage the place like a business.”

“I guess we’re not behind the scenes to pass judgement.”

“Beth, we are going to do great and amazing things, and it won’t be in the confines of a building.”

She remained quiet. Did she think he was wrong?

He cleared his throat and looked to her. “The Hollywood sign isn’t far from here. You want to see it?”

Beth’s eyes lit up. “Sure. I’ve seen it on television for years, it will be surreal to see it in person. I still can’t believe I’m in America.” Beth’s voice sped up. “I could see myself visiting somewhere cheap like Bali, but never America. No reason for it. Do you think we could do a road trip one day? Travel around.”

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