Think about those times in life when something magical happens and, at the same time, everything appears to go wrong. The time when we meet that special someone who changes us, somehow, in an instant. Aaron Murphy felt that way about Shalene McManus from the first moment he met her. So time began to run away from him and the hours blurred while he waited and hoped.
FROM CHAPTER 9....
Not knowing what to think about Shalene left Aaron out of sorts. To get through, he focused all of his energy on organizing and unpacking the rest of his belongings, and re-arranging some of the rooms, anything to keep himself busy. Even with so much complete, he found more boxes to empty and more house to arrange.
Sunday, after church, he began and the diversion worked, mostly. Unfortunately, it only took two days. By Monday night, he found himself without anything to do at home -- not to mention all the vacation, a blessing that now seemed more of a curse.
Time continued, with or without him. Helpless to solve the questions that consumed him, Aaron couldn't find a moment of total relaxation. He found himself in his basement watching baseball, mostly, but also putting in some of his movies. Thinking the action and fantastic realities would help, he put in movies such as The Mummy and Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Thor, Captain America, anything that offered a chance to escape.
Even though he tried, nothing helped and the confusion of thoughts that involved Shalene continued to interrupt the usual flow of his life. As the hours past a familiar unrest appeared, to take hold.
The only other time he recalled such uneasiness, when his baseball career ended suddenly due to what the pitching coach referred to as a phantom injury, one of those things that just happened without any explanation.
This is how he began to feel about Shalene. Ever since Tossed, he saw the possibility of a great relationship. Aaron could only think of one other time he found such peace, while standing on the pitching mound of a Major League ballpark. Maybe not exactly the same but awfully close.
Still, he didn't really know much about Shalene, but then again, he couldn't ignore the rush of feelings that came over him when Shalene and he sat together at Tossed.
Because of the restlessness, on more than one occasion, Aaron thought of cutting his vacation short, simply for the distraction, even if the thought was pointless. Once word of the change came down from his boss's boss, that the company expected all vacation time used by the end of February, one of two things would happen. Aaron either took his vacation time or lost his job. To drive the point home, Aaron's boss made it clear that this use of accrued vacation did not come in the form of a request.
Therefore, time continued to stretch. As it did, Aaron found himself hoping that Shalene would come see the house, that he’d get the chance to sit down with her and talk so they could learn about one another. Maybe things wouldn't work out but, at least, he'd know.
FINAL NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I look back on my life and recall the time after my car accident in high school. Before that accident, my pitching appeared to begin to take shape and I could feel everything in my life start to fall into place. But then, in one moment, everything went wrong. The details had been filled in for me since, however, the day the accident happened, I can only remember driving down a side road. After that, I recall waking in a haze, my vision blurred at the edges, and the first thing I recognized: my parents and my oldest brother. Next, it dawned on me that I lay in a hospital bed and the seriousness of the situation hit me, just before I closed my eyes from exhaustion. Months later, the effects of the concussion cleared enough that I could go home. From there, getting back to my life became a slow process of time standing still, stretched. Many days and weeks and hours of restlessness, frustrated by the fact that I wasn't allowed any activity -- accept for the times I felt ready to bust and snuck outside to shoot baskets. Something else occurred during that period, though. I came to a realization about my life, the fact that I had two choices: I could give into the temptation to feel sorry for myself, or I could pick myself up and move forward. That lesson became a life long one and, even though I have my moments -- like everyone -- I still choose to move forward and keep fighting -- no matter what.
More to come......
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