Love Story | Part I

All this week I’m telling my love story.  If you’re just joining us, read Prologue.

Standing in the vestibule outside my Senior Pastor’s office, I could hardly believe what I was hearing.  Pastor was working on a sermon series that would run from January through March.  He wanted me to write weekly dramas about a married couple to correspond to the theme of each week.

I was thrilled for the opportunity.  I had only worked on one other dramatic piece for the church but found it had tapped into something special inside of me that I loved.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing . . . “

He wanted me to play the wife and Mike to play the husband.

With my heart ready to pound through my chest, I stammered out a “yes” and hoped I demonstrated an even amount of enthusiasm.  I was ecstatic and nervous all at the same time understanding this opportunity had the potential to be a game changer.  Mike was bound to see me now and either he would like what he saw or he wouldn’t.

Slowly, Justin and Jennifer McCue emerged in the pages of my scriptwriting.  I found a reason to call Mike almost every night we weren’t already rehearsing to talk script and dialogue ideas.  December came with hours of preparation.  We shot video sequences and promotional pieces all the while seeming to get closer and closer.

There were moments I was certain he had feelings for me, and then there were moments that he undeniably did not.  My emotions were on a roller coaster and tight-lipped as I was, I left myself to wallow in my own confusion.  Then after weeks of no comment, I found out the girlfriend was still in the picture.  Hope waned.

I went out of town the week leading up to our first performance and remember overall feeling very annoyed; at Mike for being so unclear, at myself for jumping to every possible conclusion allowing myself to ride the waves of insecurity and self-doubt.

I sat in the airport waiting for my return flight home running lines when my cell phone lit up with Mike’s number.  His girlfriend was supposed to be in town from out of state – I didn’t understand why he was calling me.  It was enough that she would be in the audience the next morning and I would have to meet her.  I didn’t need to hear about the details of her visit.

Begrudgingly I picked up the phone.  Feigning interest I asked if she had gotten into town ok.

“Actually …”

Silence.

“She won’t be at church tomorrow.  We broke up.”