Excerpt From College Daze

When Beth opened the bathroom door to go back to her room she almost ran into Eric who was standing outside the door.  She jumped so far into the air that she almost lost her balance and Eric had to reach out to catch her.  “I’m sorry,” he chuckled “I didn’t mean to scare you like that.”

“You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that I am a doctor then.”  Beth laughed at him; it was the first time he had seen the smile on her face actually reach her eyes.  The effect took his breath away; she had such a simple beauty.  If only he could help her get rid of the demons she was fighting.

“I meant to ask you, what I should wear tonight.  I brought a couple of different outfits.”

“Nothing fancy, it is just a few friends getting together.  Actually everyone is bringing food and I need to go downstairs and get the dishes I planned on making started.”

“Oh, can I help?  I love to cook.”

Eric smiled at her, “sure it would be more fun working together.”

They headed down to the kitchen together and spent a wonderful afternoon cooking.  Eric was a good cook but he was very impressed with Beth’s skills in the kitchen.  She loved cooking and had not had the opportunity to cook since coming to college.  Everything she did had her own personal flair to it and was wonderful.  Once they got done in the kitchen they both went upstairs to get ready for Eric’s friends to arrive.  Beth put on a clean pair of jeans that she had brought with her and a simple black sweater.  She took her hair down and let it fall loosely down her back. Then she went back downstairs and into the living room.

The Christmas tree in the corner of the room was decorated very elegantly.  There weren’t too many or too few ornaments.  Under the tree was a beautiful hand carved nativity scene.  As Beth walked around the room she saw elements of Eric’s faith everywhere.  There were several bibles and study books on the bookshelves that were obviously well used.  The music on the entertainment center was all Christian in nature, from old gospel to contemporary Christian.  Eric didn’t just talk about his faith he lived it.  That impressed Beth because most people she knew only seemed to have a surface faith.  They talked about God on occasion but He was not a part of their day to day life.  That was simply not the case with Eric and Beth guessed that would also not be the case with his friends.  As Beth was exploring the room Eric had come in.  He was quiet and just watched her.  He felt a tug at his heart; he could easily get used to seeing her in his house.  God please help this woman find you so we can be together, he prayed to himself.  Eric cleared his throat; he didn’t want to scare her again.  Beth turned and smiled at him, “you have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you.  Would you like me to light a fire in the fireplace?”

“Yes that would be wonderful.  Could I put some Christmas music on the stereo?”

“Help yourself.”  Beth found a few CD’s of old time Christmas Songs by artists like Bing Crosby and Dean Martin.  She put them in the CD changer so they would play continually.  Eric lit the fire and started several candles around the room.  The effect was to create a very Christmas feel in the house.  Just then the doorbell rang as the first guests arrived.

The first to arrive were Amanda and Stan.  Beth was glad to see Amanda again as she had enjoyed talking with her at the church.  She did not know that Eric had asked them to come over about an hour before everyone else just so that Beth could talk with Amanda.  That was what he had done when he asked for a word alone with Stan at the church.  He knew that Amanda had a lot in common with Beth because she had struggled with alcohol before joining the church.  He hoped that Amanda could help Beth in a way that he could not.  In order to give them some time alone to talk Eric made an excuse for him and Stan to talk alone again.  Amanda asked Beth to help her take the food they brought to the kitchen.  Beth readily agreed and went with Amanda to give her a hand.

Stan had told Amanda that he wanted her to talk to Beth about her past.  He had not fully explained why but Amanda could guess.  She could see the reasons in Beth’s face.  There was no doubt to Amanda what Beth was struggling with because she remembered it in herself.  Amanda was trying to figure out how to start the conversation with Beth, “I’m glad you came today.  I was hoping we could get a chance to talk again.  Has Eric made any coffee?”

Beth looked around, “You know, I don’t think he has.  I don’t know where he keeps it though.”

Amanda smiled, “As many times as I have made coffee for him and Stan, I know where it is.”  She moved to a cabinet and got things together to make coffee for them.

Beth was watching her noticing how she seemed to have the same peace that Eric had.  “How long have you and Stan been friends with Eric?”

“Oh, let’s see, about five years I guess.  Stan has known him a couple of years more than I have.  I only joined the church about five years ago.  They were already members.  Eric and Stan have been going to that church about seven years.  They joined around the same time.  I started going to the church to find myself and ended up finding a lot more than I expected.  I got a close relationship with God and then I got a very loving husband.”

“You joined the church to find yourself?  What do you mean by that?”  Amanda smiled, she was glad the conversation was going so well.

“Well, it’s hard to believe but before I came to the church I was really lost.  I was involved with the wrong group of people and was experimenting with drugs and alcohol.  More alcohol than drugs really.  It was killing me, literally.  I felt alone and trapped.  I needed something to get me out of that situation.  Rachel, she will be here later, asked me to come to the church with her.  I started coming and after a while began to get my life back in order.”

“How did you get off the alcohol?  Didn’t you miss the feeling?”  Beth was opening up to Amanda more than she had intended but this woman seemed to really understand what she herself was going through.

“Yes, at first it was hard but once I let God into my heart it got a lot easier.  Then I got involved with Stan and he helped me make the rest of the changes I needed to make.  He is still helping me learn and grow as a person.”

Beth wasn’t sure how he could be helping her unless it was just loving her, “how did he help you grow?  I mean just by being there for you?”

“Yes by being there but also by giving me guidance and limits.  I knew I needed limits, boundaries that could make me do what I needed to be doing.  We were dating and I trusted him completely so I started asking him to be my leader.  He set rules for me and enforced them.  It got much easier to keep myself in line because I had to answer to him if I did not.”

“Well, I’m not sure I understand.  How could he enforce any rules with you?”

Amanda got down two coffee cups and filled them for them before she answered, “Stan and I have what I call a very traditional marriage.  It started when we were dating and then got even more so when we got married.  If I broke the rules that he established for me I gave Stan the right to correct me.  It has really helped.”  Amanda knew she wasn’t being totally clear but it was still slightly embarrassing to discuss this with someone she barely knew and she wasn’t sure how Beth was going to take it when she explained further.  So far Beth seemed genuinely interested but she couldn’t tell if she would stay that way when she told her everything.

Beth poured milk in her coffee and stirred in a couple of spoonful’s of sugar before she asked the question that was racing around her mind.  “You said that you gave him the right to correct you.  What does that mean; just that he points out when you are messing up or what?”

Amanda took a deep breath, “I have always believed in traditional family values.  I feel the man is the head of the house and the woman is his helpmate.  He is supposed to love her, the way Christ loved the church and she is supposed to submit to him.  I gave Stan the right before we got married to be in charge of me because I knew I needed it and there was no one else that I could trust in this manner.  Stan makes rules that we discuss and then if I break those rules he will spank me or impose some other punishment as he sees fit.  Sometimes it is a combination of things.”  Beth was looking shocked but not too angry; Amanda felt she needed to explain further.  “Stan does not punish me to hurt me but to help me.  He does it because he cares about me and what happens to me.  Everything he does is out of love never abuse.  Because of that we have a very close relationship and I am very happy.  Yes, I hate being punished but I realize how much it helps me and I have seen the growth in my life.”

Dee Dee
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