Faith

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The evening of Rick and Mari's date arrived. Rick was excited and nervous. He wanted their first date to be a success and lead to more dates...and possibly marriage! Two hours before his date, he showered, shaved, put on a nice shirt and necktie, along with black pants, black shoes, and black socks, and sprayed breath spray into his mouth. He was really nervous. This was his first date since the last date he had with Ashlyn's mother. Suddenly he got a little hot and a little sweaty, and his collar felt like it was strangling him. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, then went to Ashlyn and asked her how he looked.

Ashlyn smiled. "Dashing," she answered.

"Thanks, Ash," Rick said. He'd gotten the response he hoped he'd get. That was just how he wanted to look. Nevertheless, he was still unnerved about going on his first date in such a long time. What if he was rusty from the last time he went out? What if he said or did something stupid? What if he forgot he was supposed to hold the door for Mari when the time came? What if he tried to kiss her and she said she didn't kiss on the first date? Rick felt his stomach get tied in knots, and all of a sudden the room started spinning. He thought he'd hyperventilate at any moment. Just then the phone on the small table next to the couch rang. He sat on the couch, reached for the phone, and clutched it. "Hello?" he gasped.

Mari, who was on the other end of the line, coughed. "Rick, you sound horrible. Are you sick, too?"

Rick cleared his throat. "Oh, uh, no, Mari. Are you? You sound awful."

Mari coughed again. "Yeah, I've caught a cold. I was calling to cancel and postpone our date. Wouldn't want to get you sick. I just took some drowsy liquid medicine, so I can't stay on too long. In a few minutes I'll probably be out like a light, because this stuff is so strong. I just didn't want you to think I was standing you up."

"I understand," Rick said sympathetically. "Don't worry. You just drink your fluids and take your meds and get lots of rest, and we'll go out when you feel better, okay?" There was a pause. "Mari?" Rick said. From the other end of the line, he suddenly heard a loud snore. "Guess that drowsy medicine works fast," he said as he hung up.

Ashlyn had overheard. "She's sick?" she asked.

Rick nodded. "Yeah. She caught a cold, so we're going to wait till she gets better before we go out."

"That's a good idea," Ashlyn agreed. "I want to pray for her."

"That's a great idea," Rick said. He pulled Ashlyn onto his lap, and they asked Jesus to help Mari's cold to go away.

The following week at work, Mari was much better. Rick told her that he and Ashlyn had prayed for her, and she thanked him and asked him to thank Ashlyn for her. "It's not easy being a mouth breather," she said.

Rick laughed a little. "Before we hung up, I heard you snoring at the other end of the line," he said.

Mari clapped a hand over her mouth and blushed. She wanted Rick to find her attractive and knew he had found her very attractive, but she wondered if now he had changed his mind.

"It's no problem." Rick said. "I snore, too." He cleared his throat. "So, do you still want to go out next week?" he asked.

Mari smiled and nodded. "Of course I do."

That upcoming weekend Rick took Mari to see a romantic movie and out for dinner and dancing. They both had a great time, and Rick found himself more and more drawn to Mari's faith. He felt like he could float on air when she said "yes" when he asked for permission to court her.

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