Page 9 of Evan

“No.” Putting down the piece of paper, he gave her a distracted smile. “I will do so. “I have some things to take care of and Ingrid will be visiting with some of the elderly, so I don’t have to hurry home. You go on and go to that gallery opening, I heard you have been talking about for a while.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Enjoy yourself and I will see you first thing in the morning. I must remind myself to wear a tie.” This time his smile was genuine and lent a sparkle to his eyes.

“If not, you have a selection in the closet behind you,” she reminded him.

“That I do.” He stared at her for a few seconds. “Thank you, Cassie.”

“Any time.”

She left him staring at the message. Leaving his office, she closed the door behind her to give him some privacy.

She had been so happy when she saw the email and hoped that it would be something to lift his spirits. And it had. She had also noticed that First Lady Ingrid had joined him in greeting the visitors, which was a good sign, at least she hoped it was.

Going to her desk, she shut down her computer and tidied the surface before taking her leave. She was going to the gallery opening and had procured the ticket several weeks ago. It was an expensive venture, but she told herself she deserved it.

She worked hard and was so involved with the ministry that it left little or no time for anything else. But she had thought about it and had prayed about it.

She was going to strike a balance. Attending an opening was not going against the Word of God. She loved art and dabbled in it herself. She wasn’t going to be able to afford any of the painting of course, but she could look and hope and that was exactly what she was going to do.

*****

For as long as she had been saved, Cassandra had been diligently obeying the rules. She had taken her vows, showed her relationship with the Lord by being dunked in the baptismal fount. From that moment on, she would like to believe that she had entered the pool one way and came back out completely different.

She knew it was probably a mind thing, but she had felt as if her old sinful nature had been swept away and she was clothed in complete righteousness.

She had also been an eager student, willing to read the Bible – not only as an obligation, but to study the different chapters. The stories fascinated her and others she questioned, but they wereall profound and nothing she had read since had touched the depths of her soul.

She had also vowed to herself to the Lord that she would keep herself pure. She had gone to college out of state and even there, had been careful to keep herself from being sucked into the loose and free living.

The debaucheries had not tempted her one bit. The constant parties, the imbibing, the exposure to recreational drugs had not been a source of temptation to her.

With her looks, she had been approached frequently by boys who wanted to prove themselves to be men by bedding the so-called unapproachable girls on campus. She had proven to be a challenge and a dare they had try and conquer.

But she had always been strong and had a steely resolve. She was from a small community, but she was able to stand on her own two feet. She would never allow anyone to force anything on her. She had finished her courses and graduated with honors. Best of all, she had sailed through the lofty corridors and came out unscathed.

Yes, she wanted to be a wife and for the last few years, she had been staring at the children in her Sunday school class with potent longing. She attended a predominantly white congregation, but that did not matter to her.

They were just people and over the years, no one had ever treated her differently because of the color of her skin. She was one of them, a family and in the kingdom of God, nothing mattered except the faith.

She wanted children. She was at an age where she had started asking the Lord for a suitable mate. One with as strong or even stronger conviction than hers. He had to be a man who loved God, a Christian with strict principles.

She did not want someone who was so rigid, he would think that attending the movie theater was a mortal sin. She had been asking the Lord for a man who was going to love and respect her for who she was.

And she was willing to wait. Marriage was the ultimate commitment, and she did not want to rush into one because the time was running out on her. She was almost thirty, but she was still young and there was still time.

She would wait until the Lord sent the right person and she was convinced that she would be able to tell.

*****

The brilliance of colors was the first things that caught her attention as soon as she stepped into the lofty art gallery. She had seen the ad on the internet and practically every station on TV and had decided that she wanted to attend.

Procuring the ticket had been somewhat difficult, but a fervent patron of the arts attended the chapel every now and then and had managed to get her a ticket at half price.

A waitstaff, dressed in black and white and balancing a tray on one hand, approached her as soon as she stepped into the room. Deciding to go with the full experience, she smiled at the girl and took the proffered champagne before making her way towards the display.

Moving through the crowd of people wearing well-tailored and expensive clothing, she climbed the spiral staircase and went towards the paintings mounted on the silken wallpaper.

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