Chapter 8 - Page 110 - Talking Eyes

    Jim bit off his first chunk of chicken and chewed it slowly. Rhasha and Jackie watched him, waiting for an answer. Jim took his time. “Ohhh,” he said, “this is sooo good.” He washed it down with tea.

    Rhasha kicked his leg under the table. “Well, Jim?”

    “Well, angel,” he replied, “if you get really fat, I won’t be your horse anymore.”

    “In that case, ” Rhasha said, “I’m not getting fat. You’re the only horsy I ever want.” She laid her drumstick on her plate. Jim and Jackie were smiling, but tears ran down her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands.

    Jim placed his hand on Rhasha’s shoulder. “Sweetheart,” he said softly, “I was teasing. If you get really fat, I’ll still be your horse. Even if it breaks my back.”

    Rhasha wiped the tears from her eyes. “It’s not that, Jim,” she whimpered. “It’s just that . . . this has been the best day of my life.”

    Jim thought about that. He set down his fork and took his left hand off Rhasha’s shoulder. Then he picked up both of Rhasha’s hands. “Sweetheart, thanks to you, this has been the second best day of my life. The best day was when I accepted Jesus into my heart.”

    Rhasha sniffled. “I know what God did for me and I hear you talk about Jesus. I’m not trying to be stubborn, but I don’t understand.”

    The meal lasted three hours as Jim and Jackie tried to explain to Rhasha how Jesus died on the cross for everyone’s sins. While they talked, several other people pulled chairs up to their table and listened. Some even asked questions. Neither Rhasha nor the other guests could understand. It didn’t make sense to them that a dead man could be the savior of the world. Jim couldn’t find the magic words to make them understand.

End of chapter eight