Ray faced her. “You’re exactly right. We empower our congregation to use their gifts and talents, and remarkable things can happen.”
“Please, no women empowered by makeup,’” Jeff said, his squeamish expression impossible to hide.
The three chortled, and Ray patted Jeff’s shoulder. “You might have to get used to that, Jeff. A five-minute segment may be a real selling point.”
Jeff looked at everyone, stuttering slightly. “Uh, w-well, that’s okay, I guess. I just need to get used to the idea. I never thought ’bout religion and makeup at the same time.”
The reverend laughed. “As I said, let’s take it one step at a time.” He stopped for a moment. “Can you all meet Thursday evening?”
All three nodded their heads. “All right, then, come at six o’clock prepared with a list of members you think would be interested in volunteering. I think we can safely say our live experiment was a triumph, and it needs to continue.” Ray felt the thrill racing through his body. He turned to Susannah. “I’m starved. Would you be interested in getting a bite to eat after locking up?”
Her smile was warm and inviting. “I’d love to.”
Buck waved the couple onward. “You go get something to eat. Jeff and I will lock up.”
The lines in Ray’s face softened when he smiled. “I’d appreciate that. I’ll see you gentlemen on Thursday,” he said with a nod in Buck and Jeff’s direction before offering Susannah his arm. He never saw the quick, slightly curious glance between the two men.
After the couple departed, Buck turned to Jeff. “I’ve never seen Ray react to a woman like that.” He sighed. “He’s been a widower so long; it never occurred to me that he might find someone.”
“Me either,” Jeff acknowledged. “But, there’s a first time for everything, bro,” he said.
As Jeff headed out the door, Buck remained sitting deep in thought. He had no problem with Ray falling in love; it was the fact that he hadn’t ever considered it that gnawed at him. After several minutes, Buck rose from the table with the thought that more than The Road to Calvary was changing.
LATER THE SAME DAY ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI KAY’S DINER
The summer breeze caught Susannah’s skirt as Ray held the diner’s glass door. He couldn’t help but notice her shapely legs underneath.
“It’s nothing fancy—good home cooking that fills the hungry emptiness in a single man’s stomach.” He gestured toward the hostess who seated them in a corner booth.
Menus before them, Susannah scanned her options for dinner. “It all looks wonderful.”
“I’ve never had a bad meal here. In fact, I think I’ve eaten almost everything on the menu. On Sundays, the roast beef dinner special is particularly good.”
“Hey, Reverend,” said the waitress in the crisp yellow uniform, her name, MAVIS, stitched across the pocket. With a familiar smile, she was already pouring Ray coffee. “Coffee for the lady as well?”
“Yes, please. With cream. What are you having, Ray?”
“I’ll do the special. It reminds me of Sunday dinners growing up.”
Mavis returned with Susannah’s coffee, and they ordered the special. Ray genuinely wanted to learn more about Miss Susannah Baker who, like an answer to a desperate prayer, had appeared in their lives at exactly the right moment. “Tell me about yourself,” he said. “Are you from St. Louis?”
Her coffee turned light brown as she stirred in cream. “I’ve been living here slightly over a year—since I watched you on The Road to Calvary and got sober.”
“What brought you to our fine community? Family? A job?”
She tilted her chin upwards. “Neither. I needed a fresh start after a contentious divorce and family tragedy. I thought a bigger city in the Midwest might have potential.”
Ray paused, watching her bring the cup to her full lips, her eyes never leaving his face. “You certainly discovered your potential on The Road to Calvary, Susannah. I genuinely appreciate what you did today. I haven’t seen that level of enthusiasm among the congregation since we started.”
“Give yourself due credit, Ray. Your idea to reach out to the congregation and ask them to contribute their gifts is wonderful. They’ll respond.”
Mavis arrived with steaming plates of roast beef dinner. “Anything else I can get you two?”
“I’d have more coffee, Mavis,” Ray said, his eyes never leaving Susannah’s luminous face. “I’m not trying to pry,” he continued to her, “but you said you suffered a family tragedy. Can I be of help in any way?”
Susannah smiled. “The food smells delicious, and I don’t know about you, Reverend, but I’m starved.”
When she changed the subject, Ray felt as though he may have overstepped his bounds; after all, he barely knew this woman. “I’m sorry, Susannah, this is a personal matter, and I have no right asking you to share it.”
She finished her first bite, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “You have the right to know, as that tragedy is what sent me spiraling into the depths of alcoholism and despair, from which you, Ray, saved me. This roast beef is wonderful, by the way.”
“Good, I’m glad.” He reached over the table, patting her hand.
“I learned in AA that life-altering situations are very often the catalyst that lead people to drugs or alcohol to cope with a trauma they can’t begin to know how to handle or survive. In my case, the divorce was a result of circumstances that neither my husband, Perry, nor I could comprehend. We lost our two young children in a car accident.” She paused, gazing darkly at the water in her glass, as if seeing the terrible events unfurl again before her eyes.
Ray had heard plenty of stories detailing sorrow and misfortune in his business, but this was particularly wrenching. He said nothing and let her finish.
“Perry’s sister, Carla, was babysitting our kids. On her way home from a birthday party, a drunk driver ran a red light, killing all three instantly. The autopsy later revealed Carla was pregnant, and the driver was charged in the deaths of four, including her fetus. Everything you’ve heard about the immeasurable grief a parent feels in burying her children is true. Our marriage collapsed within a year, each of us blaming the other.” Susannah took a breath, rubbing away tears. “I had already started drinking to ease the pain of losing my children. I thought if I moved away, the past wouldn’t follow me, but it did. I kept drinking and falling closer and closer to the bottom. Then I found you and The Road to Calvary.”
“I am so deeply sorry for your loss—both of your children and your marriage. But you seem to be a very strong woman, Susannah, and I’m glad you found us.”
Over the remainder of dinner, their conversation returned to how taking The Road to Calvary live had made the possibility of success a sudden reality. Ray was struck by Susannah’s determination to move on from unendurable heartbreak. Lorraine’s death had ripped at Ray’s heart, but he had known they might lose that battle. Despite their different circumstances, Ray believed this woman understood the meaning of profound loss and redemption. Perhaps they were destined to meet, he thought.