Chapter 7 - Page 84 - Jim's Promise

   Jim gently laid Rhasha down on the bed, but kept his arms around her. He felt bad about hurting Rhasha and begged her to forgive him. In his haste to make it up to her, he was careless about his choice of words. “Rhasha,” he said, “I promise you I will be by your side every night, until you ask me not to come. I will never hurt you again. You have my word on the Bible,” he added.

   Trusting Jim never to break a promise, Rhasha stopped crying. She still had tears in her eyes, but a slight smile formed on her lips. For the first time, Rhasha slowly raised her arms and dropped them around Jim’s neck. Jim pulled her close and kissed her gently on the cheek.

   Jim didn’t realize what his promise meant to Rhasha. He only meant that he would be by her side every night until she was completely healed. To Rhasha, it meant she and Jim would be together until they died.

   Rhasha was still very weak. It’s a miracle she can raise her arms, Jim thought as he laid Rhasha down on the bed and slipped his arms out from under her back. Her arms dropped from around his neck. Jim picked up Rhasha’s hand and prayed.

   “Father, please forgive me of my sins and please have mercy on my soul. Please forgive me for hurting Rhasha. You know I only wanted to help her.”

   By this time Rhasha’s parents were standing at her bedroom door. They could see a blue glow around Jim and their daughter.

   “Father,” Jim continued, “I promised Rhasha I would be with her every night until she tells me not to stay. I pray this will make up for the pain I caused her, and Father, I make this same promise to you.”