Luke was
silent a moment, sipping his drink, then he spoke with a thoughtful wrinkle
between his brows. “I wouldn’t say that I prefer celibacy. I don’t know many
people who do. It’s a sacrifice, like so many of the other sacrifices we both
make to be here. Like being separated from our families, or catching malaria,”
he smiled, “or having my truck break down every time I come into town and
trying to repair it from my tool kit in the back. This time it was just a flat
tire, but once I was stranded on the side of the mountain with an overheated
engine for two hours before another vehicle came along and rescued me.”
The
conversation moved on then to the trials of operating a motor vehicle in rugged
mountainous terrain, but it was the first part of their exchange that Meg
recalled off and on throughout the day, and in greater detail before she fell
asleep that night. It was the first time they had spoken openly of the question
that had recurred to her many times in her acquaintance with Brother Luke. What
would make any man, and Luke in particular, take vows of celibacy? In his case
at least, it didn’t appear to be an aversion to women. She admired his
single-minded devotion to God, if that was his true motivation. She was devoted
to God too, of course, but not in the same way— at least, not single-mindedly.
Luke probably thought of her as a nun, a sort of Protestant nun, and he would
be shocked if he guessed what unspiritual ideas sometimes crossed her mind. Did
he guess? She hoped she had not given herself away in her remarks today.
Christian Fiction Friday is a weekly blog hop where authors post short (400-word or less) snippets from their current works in progress. It is hosted by Alana Terry and Hallee Bridgeman.
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