Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Nelly walked wearily to the tree where she was to meet her Secret Saint partner.
The church committee meeting had gone horribly. She’d never had a church meeting go that badly, and it was all Roland McBride’s fault.
How he even managed to get on the committee in the first place was a mystery. Anyone who could be so rude and nasty didn’t deserve to be on a committee. He needed to be sitting in the pew hearing the sermon and applying it to his life!
She tried to stop herself from thinking that way, because she hadn’t exactly shown her best side, and she definitely hadn’t represented Jesus very well at all. In fact, if she were being completely honest, she owed the man an apology.
Why couldn’t he be as easy to work with as the Secret Saint was? They just jived in a way she never had with anyone before. And honestly, she’d been looking forward since yesterday to meeting him again.
Unlike Roland, who had been late for the meeting, the Secret Saint was early, standing beside the tree, waiting on her.
“It’s so nice to be with a coworker who arrives early. Thank you,” she said by way of greeting.
“Rough day?” he asked. His voice sounded calm and soothing, and she took comfort in it.
“Oh goodness,” she said, trying to remember that she couldn’t give away too many details. “I have…a coworker…who is just so frustrating.”
She didn’t know whether Roland was technically a coworker, but she did have to work with him, and they were supposed to be doing the committee stuff together. So she felt like the term wasn’t a lie.
“That’s too bad. I know what you mean. I’m reeling from a clash with my own coworker. So unreasonable and frustrating.”
“I’m sorry. That sounds terrible.”
“It sounds like you know exactly what I’m talking about. What’s the problem?”
“Oh goodness, he’s just so frustrating. You know how you don’t mesh with someone? How you just don’t get along, and you rub each other the wrong way pretty much every time you see each other?”
“Yeah. I totally know exactly what you mean.”
“Yeah. That’s just the kind of person that I have to work with, and unfortunately, over Christmas, you often get thrown together with people that you don’t usually get thrown together with, and that’s just one of the things you have to deal with.
I wish this person would get some Christmas spirit and start to be at least a little kind. ”
“Same. Although, I have to admit after I got home today, I looked back on my behavior, and I realized that I could use some improvement.”
Immediately that made her feel bad. She’d been complaining and had totally left out her part.
“That’s funny. Because I did the same thing.
You know how God sometimes puts people in your path, and He’s like, ‘Okay, let’s see you get along with this person,’ and you’re like, ‘Really, Lord? Could You give me someone nice?’ And you realize that He’s done this because He wants you to not just show the love of Jesus to everyone but become more like Jesus by loving people who feel unlovable. ”
“That’s a really great point. I was focusing more on myself and how I needed to reflect Jesus in everything that I did, but…I wasn’t successful today, that’s for sure. But you’re right, I think He puts people like that in our lives on purpose.”
She hadn’t really considered it before, but God had had Roland McBride in her life almost her entire life, and he really had inspired her to be better, despite the fact that he was the most unlikable person she knew.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump on you,” she finally said after they’d been quiet for a bit.
“No, it’s okay. I guess you’ve inspired me to try to look for places where God might be trying to cause me to be a better person. I want to point my finger at the other person and say they’re the ones who need to grow up, but I could do better too.”
She appreciated his compliment and felt like she could return it. “I feel like you make me better in a good way. Without making me feel frustrated and angry, you just point out areas or things that I can do that would make me more like Jesus.”
“Well, I might have some difficult relationships in the rest of my life, but this is what I look forward to. I’m glad we decided to work together.”
“Me too. And speaking of which, I heard about the Hatter family and that their son’s been in the hospital.”
“I was just going to tell you about that,” he said.
She laughed. She loved how they thought the same way and seemed to have similar ideas and thoughts. So much more compatible than Roland.
She needed to push him aside, though, because she didn’t want him to ruin her entire day. She wanted to enjoy this time with her partner.
“I felt like they could use some gas cards, and I put out some feelers for donations. After all, the hospital is an hour and a half away, and they’re making the trip five times a week.”
“Yeah. That’s a great idea. I hadn’t thought about that.
I’ve been thinking more about decorating the outside of their house, which hasn’t been done, and I’ve heard from several sources that it’s really bothered Mrs. Hatter that she hadn’t been able to put up decorations. It would also make the kids happy.”
“I don’t suppose they have a Christmas tree yet? I hadn’t thought to ask.”
“No. They don’t.”
“I can bring one with me. That is not a problem,” he said. She could hear a grin in his voice.
“Perfect.”
They continued to talk about a few other things that they could do, with her partner thinking about the practical needs and Nelly moving more along with items that were decorative and comforting.
The seamless way they worked together eased the stress that she felt over her daytime interaction with Roland.
“Well, that sounds good. I think we could have all of that ready by tomorrow. They should be getting back in the afternoon, and I bet they’ll be tired. I’m guessing they’ll be in bed early.”
“Still start at midnight?” he asked.
“Yes, if that works for you?”
“It does.” Her partner paused for just a moment and then said, “I just wanted to thank you. Working with you feels so easy, and especially after the horrendous time I had today with other people I have to work with, it’s just been really nice to get to be with someone that I’m so compatible with.”
“Same.” She could feel the tension of the day draining out of her after being with him for a little while. “It just feels so good and enjoyable to be with you. I didn’t realize when we agreed to work together that it was going to be like this. I look forward to it, to be honest.”
“I do too. It’s been a blessing.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night.”
“Same.”
She smiled and then raised a hand, waving before she turned around and walked back toward her vehicle.
She had parked in the same place she had before, because she noticed that he parked at exactly the opposite spot.
It was funny that they coordinated so well, because they did it again.
She started walking one direction, and after a moment, she could hear his footsteps receding in the other.
It felt good and right to be working with someone like him, and she smiled to herself. What a lovely meeting. So much different than the committee meeting at church.
Which was a little bit sad, since it was a church meeting. It should have gone better. And it was partly her fault. She needed to do better.