Bamboo & Lace

by Lori Wick

  "Lily, can you look at me?"

  Lily, who had been staring with unseeing eyes the whole time, turned to focus on Gabe.

  "I think we need to talk about this." "The magazine?"

  "Not unless you want to. What I'm wondering right now is if anyone has ever talked to you about the ways between men and women."

  Lily stared at him.

  "Can we talk about this subject or are you too upset?" Just hearing his calm voice, Lily relaxed. "We can talk, Gabe." "You're sure?" I'm sure."

  "Lily," he asked gently. "Has anyone ever explained the act of physical intimacy to you?"

  Lily's eyes grew worried, and Gabe could see she was on the verge of panic. For this reason, he reached over and took both of her hands in his.

  "Lily, honey, listen to me."

  Lily looked at him, her mind racing to take all of this in.

  "I want to marry you. I want to make you my wife. You understand that, don't you?"

  "I'm sorry I looked at the picture," she blurted and didn't even answer him. "I'm sorry, Gabe!"

  Gabe took her in his arms. "It's all right. You were just shocked, and you never have to be sorry about telling me how you feel, even if you're afraid of our coming together. We'll always talk things out."

  Gabe moved back so he could look at the face that was so dear to him.

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  "Tell me something. Are you afraid when I hold your hand?" "No, never."

  "And just now when I hugged you, did it frighten you?" "No," Lily said softly, already understanding what he was going to say.

  "Its just me, Lily. I would never hurt you or ask you to do something that was wrong." Gabe smoothed the hair from her face. "When the time comes for us to do more than hold hands, we'll both be ready."

  "How will I be, Gabe, when I know so little?"

  "Well, we can keep talking about it some, but also my sister has a book, written by a believer, that explains things very well."

  "I should read it."

  "Or you can talk to Bailey. If we already had your father's permission to be engaged we could talk of it more openly, but it's probably best if at this point you get your details from the book or my sister."

  Lily looked into his eyes.

  "I love you, Gabe."

  Gabe leaned close and kissed her for the first time.

  "I love you, Lily. And I don't mind telling you that it's going to kill me to put you on the plane."

  "We kissed," Lily said with wonder, having missed what Gabe just said.

  Gabe smiled. "Yeah."

  "My parents used to kiss. I was just a little girl then." Gabe touched her soft cheek. "I'm so glad you're not a little girl anymore." Lily smiled, and they kissed one more time. "I'll get the book for you," Gabe said knowing it was time for him to get back to work.

  "All right. And if I have questions, I'll ask Bailey." "Okay."

  Gabe made himself start the cart, drop Lily at the front door of the house, and get back to the office, realizing as he went that he

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  could easily forget he even had a job when he was with the woman he loved.

  "Just get her out of the house for a few hours," Bailey told the men the day after Thanksgiving.

  "Doing what?" Jeff asked. "We've seen just about everything this island has to offer."

  "It doesn't matter what you do. But two weeks from tonight she needs to be gone from 2:00 until dinner."

  "All right," Gabe assured her. "We'll figure something out."

  "Thank you," Bailey said, smiling in delight that her plan was underway.

  "Can you believe we're already to our final week of sharing with Jeff and Lily?" Pastor Stringer opened the evening service as he had done for a month now. "It's gone so fast, but I think you'll find tonight extra special. I persuaded Lily to come up and share on her own. If you've never heard what one of her main jobs is in the village, you'll be amazed. Please come up, Lily."

  Hoping her heart would stay in her chest, Lily stepped to the podium. She couldn't tell whether her voice was halting and unsure, but she did her best, reading from the paper she'd prepared for the evening.

  "The job that Pastor Stringer spoke of just now is translating. For the past nine years I've been working on various books and passages of Scripture, translating them from English into Kashienese. It is long, intense work, but it has provided some of the most gratifying hours I've ever spent.

  "I don't know if anything quite compares to watching one of my friends from the village read the Word of God for herself and understand it. And not only that, but having those books in her own language means she can read them to her children and show them the way of salvation.

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  "If you'll allow me, I would like to share a story with you, one that makes me ignore the ache in my neck and back and keep translating, even on days when my heart's not very willing.

  "One of my closest friends is Ling-lei Chen. She's a little older than I am and has been married for several years. When I left, she was expecting her fourth child. I've been teaching Ling to read. We started in easy books, but her husband, who can read, also has copies of the Scripture that have been translated. When Ling was newly married, her brother came through the village and stopped to visit her. Ling's husband, Lee Chen, was not home. Ling is not a bold woman. As with all Kashienese women, she knows and keeps her place, but her brother made a criticism of my father and the church, and Ling spoke out.

  "I had just been teaching her John 3:16. She could not read yet, but she quoted it to her brother. He paid her no attention and said she was just rambling, but Ling was not put off. She brought out the copy of the Scriptures and waited while her brother found the reference. He read John 3:16 for himself. He was so taken that this was actually written down in his own language that he waited for Lee Chen to return. He ended up staying the rest of the day with them, and before he left the next morning, he'd given himself to Jesus Christ.

  "Please do not see me as anyone special. I am simply the tool God uses to get the translating job done. My father is in the process of teaching others to do what he's taught me. If others will come forward and help, then the Word will get out even faster. If others will see what the Lord has taught me through the intense time I've spent in the Word, then a great work can be done in my village in Kashien. Many souls are still lost, but God is working, and when He brings us to mind, we would covet your prayers on our behalf, not just for those of us who work to put the Word out, but for hearts to be open and receptive upon hearing."

  As on previous evenings, the congregation had many questions. Lily explained how the pages were printed on a small

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  printer in the next village, then sent off to the larger city of Qufu to be bound before being sent back to the village. She also answered a variety of other inquiries. Had Pastor Stringer not brought things to a close, it would have taken the whole evening. Lily returned to her seat, a little shaky, but knowing that Gabe had been right. She knew these people now, and they knew her. It had simply been a time of sharing with friends.

  "Do you realize you've created a monster?" Ashton asked Gabe while standing at Gabe's office window. Gabe joined his brother, and they both watched Lily in one of the golf carts.

  "I don't think she's walked anywhere since she learned to drive it. Is that Jeff with her?"

  "Yes, she's giving him a tour."

  Gabe had a huge laugh over this, but he wouldn't have been so lighthearted if he could have heard the conversation going on in the golf cart.

  "I got a letter from Father, Lily," Jeff said to his sister, happy to let her drive and enjoy her company and the view.

  "You did?" she asked, her voice dropping to match his.

  "He's not very happy that you stayed longer. He assumed that I influenced you, so he's upset with me. He said he's disappointed that my word doesn't mean what it used to."

  "What did he mean by that?"

  "Well, he said you could have three months, and yo
u've stayed longer."

  "Oh, Jeff, that's so discouraging. I somehow thought he would have changed as much as I have in these weeks."

  "I think we'd better stop counting on that."

  Lily pulled up to the Little Bay Restaurant, where she and Jeff planned to eat lunch. They walked in together and were seated before they began talking again.

  "I have felt so optimistic about it all, Jeff, but I realize now that that's been based on my feelings, not facts."

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  Jeff nodded. "I think Father is much the same as he's always been."

  Lily stayed quiet. "What will you do?" "About what?"

  "Will you still talk to him about changes in your relationship?"

  "At this time I'm planning on it, but if he seems upset when I arrive, I won't. I don't want to go in with an agenda so firm in my mind that I forget about Father's needs and wants. I mean, the whole subject will probably be somewhat upsetting, but if my timing is wise, then he might be more receptive."

  "That's a good plan. You know I'll be praying." Jeff took a drink of the root beer the waitress had brought him. "Before I forget to ask you, how are you doing with leaving next week?"

  "Oh, Jeff, I'm so torn. I miss Father and Ling and the girls, but I would never choose to leave you and Gabe. Or the church family here. They mean so much to me now. I even met a woman at the resort store this week. She's from the area her name is Ana and she was just shopping. We had such a good talk, and if I was going to be here I would keep getting to know her, but I feel so limited the way things are."

  "But you're doing the right thing," Jeff encouraged her. "Father would never recover if you just wrote and said you were staying. The relationship you have now would be completely destroyed."

  "Why is that, Jeff? Father has the same Holy Spirit living inside him that you and I do. Why can't he change as we have?"

  "You answered that for me right after you came to Hawaii: He has no accountability. He's a maverick, and since he sees God working, he assumes all is fine. What Father has never understood is that we can sometimes experience God's blessings in spite of the fact we're headed the wrong way."

  It was a good time for their food to arrive. Lily liked the way her brother had worded that and wanted to think on it. She found herself wishing that her father could hear the same words.

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  Chapter 25

  "Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us."

  Gabe looked at the passage from the second chapter of Titus and worked to accept what he knew God was saying to him. The little word "all" usually caught his attention when he was studying his Bible. It didn't say he needed to be an example of good deeds in the things that were easy, but in all things. And if that wasn't enough, Gabe knew there was to be no place for negative comments about his own character.

  I've been angry, Gabe confessed to the Lord. I haven't wanted anything to stand in my way. I haven't told Lily how I feel, but my anger toward her father is there, and it's wrong. Help me, Lord. I can't have this my way. It's got to be Your way, even if it feels painful to me. Please help me to let go of this, and even Lily. Help me to see that if You want us together, You'll make it happen.

  Gabe knew a peace after this confession and continued to search his heart for more hidden motives. It was time to let this go. It was time to come clean before God. Lily thought he was doing great. He knew better. Gabe looked at the clock. It was early, but this was the time Lily usually went out for her run. Gabe swiftly dressed, hoping to find her on the beach.

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  "You've been angry at my father?" Lily questioned him for the second time. They were walking along the shore, holding hands and talking.

  "Yes, for a long time. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Lily. That was wrong of me, but there's more I have to say."

  Lily glanced at him and knew nothing but dread.

  "Lily, I don't want you to go home and do anything out of desperation to get back here to me. I don't want you to do anything your father would disapprove of." Gabe took a huge breath. This was costing him greatly, but he had to be sure she understood. "I've wanted to write to him. I was sure it was the right thing to do. Then you said you would set it up so I could, but even that might not work, Lily. Hard as it is for me, we've got to take our cue from your father. Even if he never allows you to return, we must wait on him."

  "But you still want to marry me?"

  Gabe stopped and took her in his arms. Lily felt the way he trembled. In her ear, he whispered, "I would marry you this afternoon and never let you leave me."

  Lily hugged him back, her arms tight around him.

  "As long as I know you still love me and want to marry me, I can do this."

  Gabe shifted so he could see her face.

  "You're so special, Lily. I don't deserve you. And for the record, I'll want to be married to you until the day I die."

  It was all Lily needed to hear. What Gabe was asking was huge, but she knew he was right. A little more headstrong about talking to her father than even she was willing to admit, Lily had needed to hear the words as much as her father.

  "Hank, this is my sister, Lily."

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lily Jeff has told me about your visit. Have you had a good time?"

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  "Yes, it's been wonderful."

  "And you go home when?"

  "In five days. I fly out Wednesday morning."

  "Well, I hope you have a good trip home."

  "Thank you."

  Hank moved on his way, and Lily waited only a moment to speak to her brother. "Is he your boss?" "No, he's a coworker." "Will I meet your boss?"

  "Randolf isn't in today. I'm sorry, Lily, that I didn't think to show you the office before."

  "That's all right. I'm seeing it now. Actually, it's much the way you described it in your letter."

  "Did I write to you about it?"

  "Yes, when you were first hired."

  "That was six years ago."

  "Right."

  That his sister would remember what he said amazed him a little, but then it shouldn't have. When lily cared about someone, she did it with all her heart.

  "We'd probably better get going, or Gabe will wonder what's happened to us."

  "Oh, all right," Lily agreed, but Jeff thought this might be a little harder than it seemed.

  If they had needed to get Lily out of the house for lunch or dinner, that would have been easy, but from 2:00 to 6:00 was going to take some work. Gabe had come up with the idea of giving Lily a tour of Jeff's office at 2:00 while he ran an errand. The rest of the time was Gabe's to kill, and Jeff hoped he had something up his sleeve.

  "Where are we meeting Gabe?"

  "Just up the street."

  "And are you coming with us?"

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  "No, I've got some things to finish here, so I'll see you for dinner tonight."

  "Wang is cooking," Lily told him. "It would have been fun to stay and help, but I'm glad I saw your office."

  "Me too. Now you can tell Father all about it."

  "Maybe Gabe will be finished with his errands and I can still get back to help Wang cook."

  "Maybe," Jeff said noncommittally, hoping Gabe had plenty of ideas.

  Ten minutes later Jeff and Gabe had made the exchange, and Gabe took an unsuspecting Lily to a small shop not far from Waikiki. He parked the car at the curb and held the door for her to get out.

  "Are you shopping?"

  "I am, yes."

  "What are you getting?"

  "I'm looking at jewelry."

  "Oh, how nice. I've never worn any jewelry."

  "I've noticed you don't wear any. Is there a reason?" Gabe asked, his hand to the small of her back as he led her into the store.

  "No, no special reason. I've never
had any, so that might be some of it."

  "We might have to change that," Gabe said when the door shut behind them. "Change what?" "Your not having any jewelry."

  "Gabe," Lily put a hand on his arm, "1 wasn't dropping any hints."

  Gabe kissed her nose. "I know you weren't."

  This said, Gabe led Lily to the counter where Lee Kamioto, a man she had met at church, was standing. "Hello, Lily."

  "Mr. Kamioto! How are you?"

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  "Doing well."

  "Do you work here?"

  "Not only do I work here, I own the store."

  "Oh, how wonderful. Have you been in business long?"

  The worried look Gabe caught on Jeff's face would have disappeared if he could have seen Lily just then. She had dozens of questions for Lee, who had been warned of her coming, and that was all before she spotted a picture of his grandchildren, who also attended their church with his daughter and son-in-law.

  "What can I show you, Gabe?" Lee asked when he and lily had exhausted every subject.

  "I think this tray of engagement rings with the matching wedding bands right here."

  Lily looked up at the man next to her, her eyes large. Gabe smiled down at her in hopes of comforting her, but lily's expression didn't change.

  "I'll tell you what," the observant shop owner said. "I'll just leave this tray with you two. If you need anything, I'll be right over there."

  "Thank you," Gabe said, but lily was still staring at him.

  "Gabe," she whispered as soon as they were alone, "I just realized I'm not bringing anything to this marriage. I mean, I have a small chest of things, but they're not of any value here."

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Well, I have a blanket and some cooking items, and then last year "

  "lily, honey, stop."

  lily did as she was told.

  "What was the part about bringing something to the marriage?"

  "Oh, the rings just reminded me that at home a woman brings family jewelry or something of value a dowry of sorts. It helps the couple get off to a good start, but I forgot that it's probably different here. I'm sorry."