“No.He also mentioned how Heaven also existed for us, mentioned things like the birth of a child, animals, love...stuff like that.”I let out a deeper sigh this time.“I ended up asking him why God doesn’t just let us all suffer for our choices, and he said-”
“Because we’re His children, and like most parents, He can’t just stand by and watch us destroy ourselves,” she remarked, interrupting me and also being correct.“I still don’t understand what any of that has to do with me,” she added, the wheels spinning behind her beautiful eyes, and it really was hard not to feel inadequate around her as I was learning more and more.
“Well, when I pushed him some more, he explained that,” I admitted.“I wanted to know why you, and he was willing to accommodate me.”
Her back immediately straightened.“What did he say?”
“He said it was because of thewaythat you believe,” I informed her.“He said that you don’t believe blindly, and that your mind is open in a way that both Heaven and Hell have been able to reach and see inside you.”
She shook her head in confusion.“The way that I believe?”
“You don’t just believe that God exists, Lissa,” I explained.“You want to knowwhyHe exists, and according to Bodhi, that level of understanding makes you powerful enough to give you a direct line to God and Satan or whoever knows it.He knows it, and that’s why Hell has been trying to possess you since you were a small child.”
“If that’s true, then why not come for me when I’d been a child and unaware?”
I gave her a faint smile.“I asked him that.”
“And?”
“They did go after you,” I replied.“However, I was there to stop them every time.”
“And if my connection to you was powerful enough to keep me from going with them as an innocent child, then that’s why they believe that you and I are...are whatever they think that we are,” she surmised on her own.
I nodded.“He also said that if I can’t convince you to take this seriously, then I’ll lose you forever,” I told her, finally telling her everything.
“By his accounts, humanity would be doomed, so his warning is hardly a personal one between just me and you, Russ,” she countered, and it still floored me that I was buying into this a lot faster than she was.
After a few seconds of silence, I asked, “Have you eaten dinner yet?”
Elisabeth shook her head.“No...I’ve been...I’ve been swamped.”
“Let me take you to dinner,” I told her.“I’m starving, and we still have a lot to talk about.”
When she didn’t immediately shut me down, hope soared in a dangerous way.With or without the peril of the human race resting on our shoulders, what I felt for Elisabeth was the real thing, and I didn’t care if it was natural or something that’d been orchestrated by God himself.When Elisabeth had cut me off all those months ago, I’d felt it significantly enough that sixteen-hour days had been the only thing keeping me going.
They’d also kept me from going after her.
Finally, she said, “Yeah, that’s fine.I could use some food.”
“We can take my car, and then I can bring you back here afterwards, yeah?”
She gave me a tired nod.“Sure.”
“Where do you feel like eating?”I asked as I stood up from the chair, Elisabeth doing the same.
“Hilmar’s sounds good,” she answered easily as she removed her lab coat, then proceeded to gather her things.“It’s also Tuesday, so I can’t see them being that busy.”
Nothing more was said as I escorted Elisabeth to my car, and I was grateful that she didn’t give me any flack as I opened the door for her, helping her inside my truck.Normally, I drove my jeep, but with the evenings cooling down, that wasn’t ideal.
When I got in on the other side, I looked over at her in just her professional blouse and slacks, then asked, “Do you want me to put the heater on?”
Elisabeth shook her head.“I like the cold.”
“Well, then I guess we better not let Hell take over,” I muttered as I started the engine.
Neither of us spoke as I drove us to Hilmar’s, and as far as restaurants went, it was one of the better ones.They served a little bit of everything, and I guess you could compare them to a national chain like Applebee’s or Chile’s.They were definitely a step up from fast food, but they weren’t fancy, and you didn’t need a reservation.
Once we got to the restaurant, Elisabeth kept allowing me to open all the doors for her, and then we waited patiently to be seated, hope continuing to soar in my chest, though I knew that she was just being polite.While Elisabeth was passionate, she wasn’t combative just for the sake of being combative.She was not one of those I-can-do-it-myself females.Elisabeth had too much confidence to allow men to intimidate her, whether they were opening her doors or arguing with her about something.
