https://youtu.be/HPqDaKajSnQ
The absurdity of the situation held me from calming myself, but we finally settled after several tried
"How are you doing?" she asked after seconds of silence
For some reason, I never could trivialize the question when it comes from Davina
I looked at her, but I could not hold her gaze
"I guess my question was too hard," she said with a chuckle. "Let me rephrase that question. Are you okay?"
"How can I be okay?"
"Why can you not be okay?"
I raised my head back up, trying to find a resolve
"All of a sudden, I landed in the middle of nowhere in a way that makes no sense and I have no idea when I am going to get back home"
I scoffed at myself at the word 'home', but I continued
"I am surrounded by people that, no offense, I will completely avoid under normal circumstances. And as if that is not bad enough, the people here are annoyingly strange, and they bring up attitudes and all sorts of things I would rather have buried. So, again, how can I be okay?"
"I see what you are saying. It would be annoying"
I was shocked that she agreed
"Exactly"
"So as His presence to not be ignored, God used a mighty manner to bring you to this place. You went through a deadly storm..."
"Davina..."
"... but you arrived safely and unscathed. Your car probably, definitely, smashed into different things, but it was intact until you got down from it. Not only that, but you came into a place filled with people that love Him and want to share His love with everyone. Yet you want to ignore Him, but it is so hard and impossible since He is clearly and boldly involved in everything. So, I see what you mean by saying you are angry and not okay"
I got up and went to the sink
"Do not run away from God, Raelyn"
I poured out what was remaining, cleaned the cup, and returned it to its position
"Let Him help you"
I turned back to her
"That is where everyone gets it wrong. I do not need any help. I am great where I am"
"Just because your eyes have become settled in the dark, does not mean the darkness has become the light, Raelyn. You know that"
"No, I do not" I lied
"Yes, you do"
She walked over to me
"You may squint at first, but as long as you remain in the light, it gets amazing. It may be painful opening up, but it will give you joy"
"Sure, it gives you joy. Everybody says that but what happens when the light goes off by itself?"
I knew I was not going to get any more sleep, but I still escaped to my room. I would rather spend my remaining night tossing than listening to what more she had to say
"I wonder why you seem like a child avoiding her parent because she got home way past the curfew"
I sighed
"Good morning to you too, Aaron"
He saluted me
"What happened between you and D?"
I glanced at him but did not say a word
"If it is on a scale this serious, I guess she tried to make you understand Jehovah is with you, but you were being stubborn"
I stopped
"Why are you here?"
How can you be this candid?
"Because I am walking with you"
"Exactly, why are you walking with me?"
He smiled
"Of course, a father must guide his child. Do you then expect him to leave his wandering daughter to fend for herself?"
I had no idea what situation he was referring to and I did not need to find the answer
"I am neither a child nor your daughter"
"The words of a typical baby"
"I must say, you are something else, Raelyn. How are you already good at martial art?" Caleb complimented
I smiled
"I am Raelyn, after all"
"I do not think that is something that she needs to be praised for. She has been doing this close to a month now" Aaron interposed
"Is that so?" Caleb asked with a chuckle
"That will be all for today. I will see you tomorrow"
"Thank you,"
Aaron and I left the building
"You have practiced martial art before, right?"
I laughed
"I never knew my skills were that impressive," I said
"'Give honor to whom honor is due,' Romans 13:7. Yes, your advancement was impressive, but there were some things you did that a newcomer would not have. It must have been a long time ago long enough to have made your bones lazy" he analyzed
I was pleasantly surprised
"I did do martial art before. It was something I did out of fun for a year or so" I said
"Along with someone? Or alone?"
"With my sister" I answered
He smiled at me
"You have a sister? I never knew that" he said
"Because I did not say anything about it"
"When are we going for your treat? It has been close to a month since you promised me"
"Now," he answered, "Nothing sounds better than dining and talking. You can even tell me more about your sister," he prompted
"No, I am not. I am not telling you a single thing about me, and I do not want to know anything about you. Things are perfect just the way they are right now"
"Like it or not, you are going to end up loving us," he said, and he led us into a road
"Is this not..." I trailed off
"Yep. It is the first place you visited"
"Visited? I almost died!"
"Oh, please. You were never going to die"
We continued walking until we entered the café