Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

A Surprise for Linda

6:31 PM

A few months later, Linda Warren was making dinner for herself and Apple when the phone rang. She almost didn’t get it. When the phone rang at dinnertime, it was usually a telemarketer, but it kept ringing.

When she picked it up, a man’s voice asked, “Is this Linda Warren?”

“Yes?”

“Who works for AT&T?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know if you remember me or not, it’s been a while, but I was one of your aunt’s doctors, Brian Lang the neurologist. I spoke to you when she was in the hospital?”

“Oh yes, of course.”

“How is she doing?”

“Just fine.”

“I hope you don’t mind me calling you like this, but I was just transferred to St. Louis, and…well, I wondered if I could take you to dinner or lunch…or something.”

“I see, well, I think that would be very nice.”

After they had set a date for that Friday night, she hung up and was strangely excited. Of course she had remembered him. She remembered thinking that he would be someone nice for Apple to get to know. He was one of the best-looking Chinese men she had ever seen. She wondered if he knew she had a Chinese daughter.

Of course he knew. Elner had told him. Besides, when he’d first met Linda, he’d thought she was one of the best-looking girls he had ever seen.

A daddy for Apple. What a happy thought.

He sat in the phone booth at the airport and thought, “I hope she likes me.”

She thought, “I liked him right away.”

He thought, “Maybe I’ll find out what area of town she lives in, and get an apartment nearby.”

She thought, “I need to lose three pounds before Friday.” It would be hard. It was already Thursday.

He thought, “I liked her right away.”

She thought, “Don’t get excited, it’s just dinner.”

He thought, “I’ve been looking so long, maybe she’s the one.” Maybe they were supposed to meet.

Someone knocked on the door of the phone booth.

“Are you finished?”

“Sorry,” he said, and he picked up his bag and walked out, thinking, “I could be just starting.” He looked around the St. Louis airport. It suddenly looked so nice. June was suddenly bursting out all over!

“Oh, dear,” he thought, “I am in trouble.”