A/N ~ See, I told you I'd update sooner this time! Yay for meeting goals!!!
However, I must admit I usually only find the time to write on weekends, so
it could take a week before I can update again. I'm still building up to
the "Big Confession", too. I hope I'm not drawing this story out too much
and making you guys bored...anyway, read the chapter and review, please!!!
Thanks! =)
"Joan, what happened? I just saw Grace rush off," Luke said as Joan
reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah, I know, I'm...just going to go find her, yeah," Joan bumbled, and huffed out the door, leaving Luke mystified, as per usual.
Once Joan had started meandering down the sidewalk, she realized that she had no clue where she was going. God had always just...appeared before. Where in His name would God just...hang out?
She sighed, and continued wandering in the warm twilight. Suddenly, a creaking noise interrupted the silence.
"Beautiful noche, eh Joan?"
Joan glanced up to find an elderly Hispanic woman tottering back and forth in a rocking chair on a dimly lit front porch.
"You know Spanish?" Joan muttered, heading up the walk to the porch.
"Si. I speak all languages, Joan. When you communicate with the entire world, being fluent comes in handy."
"I'll keep that in mind on my next French exam," Joan replied as she seated herself on the porch steps.
"So. You sought Me, and I was found. What is it that you need?" God said.
"A time machine?" Joan suggested hopefully.
God smiled at Joan's hapless determination.
"I'd settle for some answers," Joan conceded.
"Joan, you know you've got to find those yourself. Think of Me as a compass. I just point you in the right direction."
"Well, 'Down' seems to be the only direction I'm headed in lately," Joan mumbled, resting her chin on her knees.
"There's only one way to go from there," God replied.
"Yeah. Farther down."
"If you just keep taking My advice, things will get better, Joan," God continued.
"Oh, right, of course. Because spending quality time with Grace made things SPARKLE!"
"Do you really need God to tell you to hang out with your amigos?" God queried.
"No, but I need You to help me when I piss them off for no apparent reason!" Joan exclaimed.
"Ah, but there is a reason. Everything has a reason," God reasoned.
Joan pulled her hair away from her neck, and knotted it in frustration.
"But you're not going to tell me, right?" she concluded.
God yawned in the rocking chair.
"Hey!" Joan cried. "That's really rude."
"I'm sorry, Joan, but how many times have we gone over this? Answers aren't doled out like fortunes in cookies," God commented.
"All right then. I'll take my hint, please."
"Let me ask you a question. How would you feel if you were Grace?" God asked.
"Grateful that I'm not the pregnant one," Joan responded without hesitation.
"Think about it a little harder than that, Joan. Imagine if Grace and Adam, your two best friends, were having a baby together. "
Joan frowned at the thought.
"That would suck...especially since I'm the one who's in love with Adam," Joan replied.
God stopped rocking.
Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in Joan's mind.
"What are you-"
God shook His head.
"Uh uh uh," He taunted.
"Are you saying that-"
God held up a warning finger.
"Grace is in love with Adam?!"
God smiled, proud of Joan's depth of thought.
"NO! You've got to be kidding me!" Joan burst out, hitting her feet.
"Settle down, Joan. It's not good for you to get all shook up like this," God said, hobbling over to her.
"Well then maybe You shouldn't shake me up!" she shrieked, and stomped off the porch.
"Where are you going, Joan?" God called after her.
"Farther down!" Joan shouted.
As Joan stalked away from the Hispanic woman/God, she fumed with hostility. Was her life just a big game for God? Or some soap opera that He sat down with popcorn and watched everyday? It sure seemed that way sometimes...particularly now. A soap opera...or a telenovela, as Spanish God would have said.
Joan dragged her sandaled feet along the sidewalk, watching them instead of the depressingly-starless sky. She missed Adam.
"Well, now what are we going to do?" she asked, automatically resting her hands on her still-flat abdomen.
Joan stopped, as bewildered as if the baby inside of her had just answered. Standing on the sidewalk in the dark, she realized this was the first time she'd spoken to - acknowledged, even - her baby. It was an occurrence that seemed more miraculous to her than the first time God had spoken to her. Joan didn't know if she was relieved or frightened by the fact that she had actually talked to the baby, but she certainly felt something going on inside, and she wondered if it were the baby trying to let her know it was there, even when Joan stood alone...sort of like God.
When Joan got home, she found Luke sprawled on the couch, sleeping to the Sci-Fi channel. Some low-budget horror flick blared on the screen, but the volume was turned off. A young girl screamed, but it made no sound. Still, sure enough, a guy about her age came running to her. He took her hands, and then her face, in his hands. He seemed to be trying to convince her that everything was all right, but the look in the girl's eyes said all too clearly that she wasn't buying it. Even so, she let the guy fold her into his arms, and pretended to feel safe until the real danger came and she had to confront it.
Joan scoffed, flopped into a chair, and hit the "Off" button on the remote. She looked at the clock, and realized it was after midnight. Her parents were coming home today. Without warning, Joan's features contorted and she began to cry...again.
"Joan?"
Joan's head jerked up, and she noticed that Kevin had wheeled himself into the living room. His countenance was one of worry and concern as he studied his sister's tear-stained face.
"Where have you been?" he asked, wheeling himself over to the chair Joan was curled up in.
"I-I went for a walk. I needed...to think about some things," Joan murmured.
"Are those 'things' the same things that have been bothering you for the past two days?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows.
Joan nodded, and brushed a tear off her cheek, looking away to Luke, who was still catatonic.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"Sooner or later," Joan mumbled under her breath as she shook her head.
"Joan, I'm really worried about you. I mean, I know that's really cliche and stupid, but it's true. You've always been a little...off? But this isn't you. Something is going on. Maybe it will help if you tell someone," he suggested.
"No," Joan said heartily, recalling Grace. "It won't."
Kevin sighed heavily, searching Joan's anguished eyes for a clue, asking her one last time to let him help. Finally, he wrapped his hands around the wheels and rolled toward the doorway.
"Kevin," Joan said stoically.
Kevin paused in the doorway, and looked back at her.
"Yeah?"
"I'm pregnant."
A/N~ I * love * cliffies, don't you?! =)
"Joan, what happened? I just saw Grace rush off," Luke said as Joan
reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah, I know, I'm...just going to go find her, yeah," Joan bumbled, and huffed out the door, leaving Luke mystified, as per usual.
Once Joan had started meandering down the sidewalk, she realized that she had no clue where she was going. God had always just...appeared before. Where in His name would God just...hang out?
She sighed, and continued wandering in the warm twilight. Suddenly, a creaking noise interrupted the silence.
"Beautiful noche, eh Joan?"
Joan glanced up to find an elderly Hispanic woman tottering back and forth in a rocking chair on a dimly lit front porch.
"You know Spanish?" Joan muttered, heading up the walk to the porch.
"Si. I speak all languages, Joan. When you communicate with the entire world, being fluent comes in handy."
"I'll keep that in mind on my next French exam," Joan replied as she seated herself on the porch steps.
"So. You sought Me, and I was found. What is it that you need?" God said.
"A time machine?" Joan suggested hopefully.
God smiled at Joan's hapless determination.
"I'd settle for some answers," Joan conceded.
"Joan, you know you've got to find those yourself. Think of Me as a compass. I just point you in the right direction."
"Well, 'Down' seems to be the only direction I'm headed in lately," Joan mumbled, resting her chin on her knees.
"There's only one way to go from there," God replied.
"Yeah. Farther down."
"If you just keep taking My advice, things will get better, Joan," God continued.
"Oh, right, of course. Because spending quality time with Grace made things SPARKLE!"
"Do you really need God to tell you to hang out with your amigos?" God queried.
"No, but I need You to help me when I piss them off for no apparent reason!" Joan exclaimed.
"Ah, but there is a reason. Everything has a reason," God reasoned.
Joan pulled her hair away from her neck, and knotted it in frustration.
"But you're not going to tell me, right?" she concluded.
God yawned in the rocking chair.
"Hey!" Joan cried. "That's really rude."
"I'm sorry, Joan, but how many times have we gone over this? Answers aren't doled out like fortunes in cookies," God commented.
"All right then. I'll take my hint, please."
"Let me ask you a question. How would you feel if you were Grace?" God asked.
"Grateful that I'm not the pregnant one," Joan responded without hesitation.
"Think about it a little harder than that, Joan. Imagine if Grace and Adam, your two best friends, were having a baby together. "
Joan frowned at the thought.
"That would suck...especially since I'm the one who's in love with Adam," Joan replied.
God stopped rocking.
Suddenly, a light bulb lit up in Joan's mind.
"What are you-"
God shook His head.
"Uh uh uh," He taunted.
"Are you saying that-"
God held up a warning finger.
"Grace is in love with Adam?!"
God smiled, proud of Joan's depth of thought.
"NO! You've got to be kidding me!" Joan burst out, hitting her feet.
"Settle down, Joan. It's not good for you to get all shook up like this," God said, hobbling over to her.
"Well then maybe You shouldn't shake me up!" she shrieked, and stomped off the porch.
"Where are you going, Joan?" God called after her.
"Farther down!" Joan shouted.
As Joan stalked away from the Hispanic woman/God, she fumed with hostility. Was her life just a big game for God? Or some soap opera that He sat down with popcorn and watched everyday? It sure seemed that way sometimes...particularly now. A soap opera...or a telenovela, as Spanish God would have said.
Joan dragged her sandaled feet along the sidewalk, watching them instead of the depressingly-starless sky. She missed Adam.
"Well, now what are we going to do?" she asked, automatically resting her hands on her still-flat abdomen.
Joan stopped, as bewildered as if the baby inside of her had just answered. Standing on the sidewalk in the dark, she realized this was the first time she'd spoken to - acknowledged, even - her baby. It was an occurrence that seemed more miraculous to her than the first time God had spoken to her. Joan didn't know if she was relieved or frightened by the fact that she had actually talked to the baby, but she certainly felt something going on inside, and she wondered if it were the baby trying to let her know it was there, even when Joan stood alone...sort of like God.
When Joan got home, she found Luke sprawled on the couch, sleeping to the Sci-Fi channel. Some low-budget horror flick blared on the screen, but the volume was turned off. A young girl screamed, but it made no sound. Still, sure enough, a guy about her age came running to her. He took her hands, and then her face, in his hands. He seemed to be trying to convince her that everything was all right, but the look in the girl's eyes said all too clearly that she wasn't buying it. Even so, she let the guy fold her into his arms, and pretended to feel safe until the real danger came and she had to confront it.
Joan scoffed, flopped into a chair, and hit the "Off" button on the remote. She looked at the clock, and realized it was after midnight. Her parents were coming home today. Without warning, Joan's features contorted and she began to cry...again.
"Joan?"
Joan's head jerked up, and she noticed that Kevin had wheeled himself into the living room. His countenance was one of worry and concern as he studied his sister's tear-stained face.
"Where have you been?" he asked, wheeling himself over to the chair Joan was curled up in.
"I-I went for a walk. I needed...to think about some things," Joan murmured.
"Are those 'things' the same things that have been bothering you for the past two days?" Kevin asked, raising his eyebrows.
Joan nodded, and brushed a tear off her cheek, looking away to Luke, who was still catatonic.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"Sooner or later," Joan mumbled under her breath as she shook her head.
"Joan, I'm really worried about you. I mean, I know that's really cliche and stupid, but it's true. You've always been a little...off? But this isn't you. Something is going on. Maybe it will help if you tell someone," he suggested.
"No," Joan said heartily, recalling Grace. "It won't."
Kevin sighed heavily, searching Joan's anguished eyes for a clue, asking her one last time to let him help. Finally, he wrapped his hands around the wheels and rolled toward the doorway.
"Kevin," Joan said stoically.
Kevin paused in the doorway, and looked back at her.
"Yeah?"
"I'm pregnant."
A/N~ I * love * cliffies, don't you?! =)