AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When Callie opened the door to her parents’ home, he handed her a bouquet of flowers and she thanked him with a hug. She whispered quickly in his ear that she had already explained everything to her parents, so now they only had to enjoy a good home-cooked meal and good conversation.
When it was time for Matt to leave, he hugged Callie and told her she was a good friend. Callie told Matt to keep an eye out for someone who was fun and outgoing and who could keep up with her fun and outgoing personality.
His second visit was to Neveah’s house in New York. Even though Neveah lived in Los Angeles, her parents lived in New York. The parent meeting was very different from the one he had with Callie.
Neveah opened the door, flung herself into his arms, and exclaimed how much she had missed him.
Matt had had a meeting with Evan and Sam after meeting Callie’s parents and he had been informed that hemustact like he was romantically interested in Neveah. The show had started seven days ago, and even though there were only nine more days of recording, there were fourteen more weeks of airing. The second show would be aired that night. He could hardly believe it had all started just a week ago. So much had happened during the course of the week.
What kept shows coming back year after year was keeping the public in suspense.
Matt asked if Neveah could be told he wasn’t in love with her and they agreed to it, but they would not tell her parents beforehand. That set his conscience at ease.
Despite the conversation he had with Neveah before he arrived, she gave a believable performance of appearing to be hopelessly in love with him. He tried to match her enthusiasm, but he feared he failed miserably. He had a hard time believing that Neveah’s parents were buying this appalling display, but they appeared to have attended the same acting school as their daughter. Their laughs were not genuine and the conversations were trivial and inconsequential as to whether or not the two of them would be a successful couple.
It finally occurred to Matt that maybe the only reason Neveah signed up for the show was to increase her followers and acquire more products from sponsors to influence her followers.
Matt had never been so happy to leave someone’s home as he was when he left Neveah’s home.
When Matt returned to his hotel room, he began packing his belongings so he would be ready to fly back to California that evening. As he finished packing, he glanced at the nightstand and saw what he supposed was a Gideon's Bible and grabbed it. It had been years since he had read anything that had to do with God, so he figured it was time. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the cover.
He almost dropped the book when he read the title. He was actually surprised that a lightning bolt hadn’t come through the window and killed him on the spot.
The Book of Mormon.
Since when did hotels leave copies of the Book of Mormon in their rooms?
Then he remembered that he was staying at a Marriott hotel, and the owners were members of the church.
The Book of Mormon.
Matt moaned in a mixture of despair and belief.
If it had been years since he opened the Bible, it had been even longer since he had opened the book he held in his hands. Not since he was a senior in high school had he read anything from the book. He remembered his seminary teacher, who happened to be his Aunt Molly, saying, “If you have any question in the world, this book will answer it.”
He had tried that once.
And the book didn’t answer his question. Granted he didn’t read the entire thing, but he was sure his mother’s name was not in the book so it wouldn’t answer his question about her. That was when he rationalized that the church was not for him and that he’d do better without it.
In reality… that didn’t seem to be the case.
He couldn’t forgive himself for Carla’s death, he couldn’t forgive his father for being hard and stubborn, and he couldn’t forgive himself for pulling away from his family or for using women.
In contrast, Evie had the church, and it was apparent she lived that Christian life. She didn’t drink, smoke, swear… she presented herself with class and modesty, but she was also fun and witty.
Her dad had died, she was from a blended family, and she was currently looking for a job… and yet… she was happy. Even though she originally didn’t want to be on the show, she showed bravery while keeping herself honest about what she believed.
His life hadn’t become better, so he came to the conclusion that it wasn’t better due to one thing.
He had walked away from the church… and God.
Matt respectfully placed his hand over the top cover of the book and closed his eyes. He would say a prayer before he read it. He would test his aunt’s promise and hope he would find an answer to his original question along with a couple of others he had bouncing around in his head. After his short and earnest prayer, he opened the book and began reading, “I Nephi, being born of goodly parents…”
Matt boarded a plane at LaGuardia Airport with a staff crew member and traveled to Fresno, California. Matt hadn’t heard whether or not Evie’s parents had agreed to with meeting him in their home or if he’d be meeting with her brother Lake… or her sister Saylor… or maybe another member of her large family.
And… he still hadn’t heard whether or not his own parents were agreeable to being on the show, so introducing the final two… what should he call them? Contestants? Women? Hostesses? Anyway… an introduction to his parents might not be happening.
But he could always use Bobby as his backup plan if his dad utterly refused.
