At the Peak of Dawn

Blind Dates

“No, Symph, I don’t wanna to go on another blind date with one of your coworkers! The last one you set me up with had three kids! I’m too young to deal with kids!” Abel said into the phone frustrated.

“Well, how was I supposed to know? I had only met her a couple days before,” Symphony retorted.

"Really, Symph? This is another perfect reason why I don’t wanna go. You don’t even know the girls you say are perfect for me!”

“I never said any of them were perfect for you!”

“You say it every time!” Abel nearly yelled into the phone. With a sigh he continued, “Look, I don’t think any of this is working. Maybe God’s trying to tell me that I just need to sit back and wait for Him to bring her to me.”

"But I wanna help! Watching you walk around with a lonely expression on your face is depressing. Honestly, I think you’ll really like Cindy. She nineteen, goes to Temple Adventist University just like you do, but I don’t think she lives in the dorm. You might’ve even seen her on campus before, and she doesn’t have any children. At least, not that I know of…”

“You said I’d really like the last girl too,” he sighed. “You’re not gonna give up, are you?”

“Not at all!" Symphony declared with confidence. She continued to plead, "Please, just give this a shot,” Symphony pleaded.

“Fine, just because you begged. But this is the last time. No more, understand?”

“Quit talking to me like you’re my older brother! I’m the older one, and if I wanna set you up with someone else I will!”

“Symphony,” Abel warned.

"Alright, already! Last time, promise. So can you make it tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.?” she asked excitedly.

Tomorrow's Sunday, thought Abel. I should be free then.

“Sure. Where?”

“At the little coffee shop down the street from you. She said she lives close to there, and she’ll be wearing a yellow cardigan.”

"Symphony, I hate coffee! You should know this by now," Abel  complained.

"Yeah, she hates coffee too, but she said the hot chocolate there is amazing," Symphony replied indifferently.

“Alright, whatever. I really have to go, Symph. Church starts in like ten minutes.”

“Oh, whatever! You’re like two seconds away from the church. You’ll be fine.”

“Whatever, Symph! Tell David and the kids I said hi,” Abel said hurriedly as he ended the call. His sister always called at the worst times.

Abel went out the door and took the longer way to church through the park to contemplate his life up to this moment. During high school he imagined himself going steady with a girl by now. He was in his junior year of university and felt that he was more than ready for a serious relationship. The gentle October breeze blew across his face as he thought about the girls he had dated or talked to since his senior year of high school. They hadn’t been the type he’d want to settle with, so he never wanted to commit to them. The thought of breaking hearts in the process of finding his perfect girl wasn’t appealing to him. Being a sentimental guy, he always had the thoughts and feelings of others in mind - a characteristic he thought date-worthy.

It had been a year since he started his eager search for his perfect girl. He had planned to find her by the end of sophomore year, but, obviously, he hadn’t yet. Where is she, God, he wondered as he climbed the steps to the front door of the church. How long will I have to wait, he thought impatiently. With a heavy sigh, he pushed his thoughts aside as he entered the sanctuary.