SELFLESS OR SELL OUT?

CHAPTER 9

Friday April 25, 1980

FOR THE WORD OF THE LORD IS RIGHT, AND ALL HIS WORK IS DONE IN TRUTH (Psalm 33:4)

            It had been a good week! Mary Jean’s sister had taken over her role working for Abby. This change allowed Mary Jean to spend every afternoon and evening with John. Their time together usually began with a horseback ride, followed by a delicious supper prepared by Rosarita, and then capped off with prayer and Bible study.

            Their spiritual connection thrilled Mary Jean more than anything. Young as she was, she had given several Bible studies, and her potential fiancée had been her best student yet. She could see the concentration on his face as they flipped from scripture to scripture. She was especially impressed when they studied prophecy in conjunction with the end times.

            She had explained that prophecy had been mostly fulfilled, and that humanity as a whole were poor students of history. That’s how the majority of people end up wondering after the beast (Revelation 13:3) and receiving the mark of the beast so they can buy and sell. (Revelation 13:17).

            She showed John how scripture predicted four world empires, Babylon, Greece, Medio-Persia, and the Roman empire. Then how the Roman empire, especially under Constantine, would become both a religious and a political power, ruling for over a thousand years. This time period famously became known as the ‘Dark Ages’. This would lead to the Protestant reformation. Probably the most famous of the reformers being Martin Luther. Although there were many others. A large percentage of these people giving their lives as martyrs as they boldly and faithfully stood for truth.

            At one point John arose from their study, went to the bookshelf and began thumbing through the pages of his encyclopedias. After several minutes reading about the ‘Dark Ages,’ he proclaimed, “How had I not seen this before?”

            Mary Jean smiled. His reaction reminded her of Nicodemus saying to Jesus, “How can these things be?”

            John had sat back down next to Mary Jean. He looked both dazed and filled with wonder. He frowned, gazing at Mary Jean. “Where do I go from here?”

            “How about to church with me the day after tomorrow?”

            “And you with me Sunday?”

            “Deal!” she said with a big grin, offering her hand to shake.

            “We can do better than that,” he replied, and kissed her on the lips.

            She didn’t kiss him back. It had been a week ago that he had kissed her for the first time, and just like now, she hadn’t kissed him back. He was troubled. How were they gonna make babies if she wasn’t even comfortable with a quick kiss? However, she was a very devout young lady. Maybe she felt premarital kisses were not kosher.

            “I’m sorry, Mary Jean,” he said meekly. “I wasn’t trying to get fresh just now, or last week for that matter.”

            “Oh, I know,” Mary Jean replied with wide eyes as she touched his arm. “It’s, just, well, they both just took me by surprise, that’s all… Plus, the one boyfriend I had before you. Well, we started off with chaste kisses, then they evolved into deeper kisses, and then he wanted even more.”

            John felt a strange twinge of jealousy before he asked, “Did you give him more?”

            “No,” Mary Jean blurted. “That’s why he broke up with me.”

            “Were you disappointed?”

            Mary Jean shrugged. “Not really. Even though he professed to be a Christian, his eyes glazed over when I tried to study the Bible with him.”

            “I hope you didn’t think that about me.”

            “Not at all,” she smiled, giving his hand a squeeze. Then she both surprised and disappointed him by kissing him on the cheek. Oh well, he thought, a kiss is still a kiss.

Saturday April 26, 1980

            Mary Jean awoke with nervous excitement. She stretched and then recounted the last week with delight. She had thoroughly enjoyed her time with John. But some things gave her pause. Once again, she had to consider just how much his wealth was a factor in her consideration of marrying him.

            On Tuesday, as they looked over the vast distance up on the bluff, John had asked her preference of a potential honeymoon. A couple weeks touring Europe, or a Caribbean cruise! As she marveled at the possibility of both, she was speechless. Then he said that whichever one she chose, they could do the other in celebration of a pregnancy. Or their first anniversary. Whichever came first.

            Then on Wednesday, she got him to open up a little on his military service. It started with him talking of his desire for flying leading him to join the Army Air Corps right out of high school. It ended with a choked-up voice as he told her how a comrade had lost his life getting two German aces off of his tail during a dog fight.

            “Do you ever miss flying?” Mary Jean had asked. Then in response to his puzzled frown, she added, “I mean, I know you fly on jet liners from time to time, but I mean flying yourself?”

            He laughed. “I guess I haven’t told you. I have a twin prop Cessna.”

            “Oh,” she had replied with her own puzzled frown.

            “Do you want to go flying?”

            The thought gave her an adrenaline rush. She had never flown before, let alone on someone’s personal airplane.

            “Sure,” she said delightedly.

            So Thursday, instead of horseback riding, John took her up flying. As they taxied to the runway, she felt a nervous excitement that she had never felt before. Then when the tower cleared them, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when John throttled the plane and they speed down the runway. They went faster and faster until they lifted off of the ground and soared skyward. She squealed with delight, making John smile.

            John flew them over her trailer park, then over her school, then over his estate. Mary Jean marveled at seeing the trails they rode from a thousand feet up. Then he talked her into taking the controls. Now her nervous excitement turned into supreme concentration.

            He even coached her into taking the plane in for a landing. They approached a side runway that ran southeast, or northwest from the other direction. This runway intersected with the main runway that ran east to west, or west to east.

            As she followed his instructions on lowering their altitude, John blurted, “Oh no!”

            Mary Jean glanced to her right and saw a jet liner landing on the east west runway. “Oh no! John, what do we do!”

            “I don’t know!”

            “John, take the controls!”

            “No, I’m scared,” he replied, but with a calm, matter of fact tone, which contradicted his words.

            “You’re scared, I’m scared!”

            John laughed as he took over landing procedures. “Don’t worry, Honey, they will have been past a full minute by the time we get to where the runways intersect.”

            “You poop,” she said laughing. “That was mean.”

            “Well, calling me a poop was mean.”

            “You deserved it. I’m nervous enough not only flying for the first time but driving the plane too!”

            “Driving the plane?” John laughed. “Fair point though, that was mean. I’m sorry.”

            “I forgive you. I guess.”

            Friday, they exercised their favorite past time by horseback riding. They were looking over the bluff when John suddenly swiped the back of his hand on Mary Jean’s upper arm. “Tag, you’re it.”

            John galloped off, leaving Mary Jean with a puzzled frown. But then she grinned and gave chase. John was slightly faster, but then Mary Jean caught a break when John ducked for a tree branch. He narrowly missed conking his head, but his straw cowboy hat was brushed from his head.

            Mary Jean quickly dismounted, grabbed his hat, put it on her own head, and galloped away in the other direction. She made her way back to the corral, dismounted, and ran toward a barn, turning their game into a foot race. Mary Jean squealed with delight as John touched her arm but failed to grasp hold.

            Rosarita looked out of the kitchen window to see what was causing the commotion. Then she smiled when she saw the couple running and laughing. John finally caught Mary Jean, and she placed his hat back on his head. He immediately took it off and returned it to her head.

            “You wear it, you’re cute as button with it on,” he told her.

            They gazed fondly at each other when Mary Jean surprised him. She looped her arms around his neck, went on her tip toes, and kissed him on the lips, letting it linger a couple seconds. Looking him the eyes, she said, “John, I truly am falling in love with you.”

            “Mary Jean, those words are right up there with the most beautiful I have ever heard. I am in love with you.”

            “Tomorrow, after church, I’m gonna ask the pastor if he will marry us,” Mary Jean told him.

            “Mary Jean, those words are right up there with the most beautiful I have ever heard.”

            She laughed as she gazed up at him. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. This time, she kissed him back.