A month had gone by, and Myles felt an ache in his chest. More than anything he wanted to see Tara and Samuel. Every day they wrote emails back and forth. Samuel would often get on the web cam in the early evening, and make funny faces at Myles. Or just wave. Myles loved those moments. Then each night, after she had put Samuel to bed, they spent some time on the phone and the internet. As the days and weeks passed, Myles became more convinced that this relationship was what he had waited for his whole life.
Thinking back over the month, he thought of many of the discussions they had. Many of them filled with tears, as they talked about things in their past. Many of them filled with laughter. Only two weeks ago, Myles had told her about the church service he had gone to, and how he had committed his life to Christ.
It had been Bobby who had showed him that there was something to Christianity, for when Bobby announced that he had believed on Jesus, he had changed. Immediately. Shortly before the accident, Myles had asked Bobby about it, and they had together walked through God's love for us. He had explained clearly to Myles that God loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us. Myles remembered feeling a bit self righteous. Day after day he saw the worst of the worst. Feeling that he was much better than others, he would obviously be good enough to go to heaven. Then Bobby had explained that we don't get to judge ourselves by other people, but instead by God Himself. We all fall short of God's standard. Those words had pricked his heart, and they had weighed on him.
Just two weeks ago, Myles had gone to a church on Sunday morning. The speaker reminded him of the words Bobby had told him so long ago. Listening closely, the pastor explained that we are in a pit. The pit is so deep that we can not climb out alone. "Many people believe that Jesus put a rope into the pit, so that we could climb out." The man's voice continued. "However, what really happened is Jesus jumped into the pit, took us and carried us out." In that moment, Myles had almost felt the walls of the "pit" closing in around him. When the service concluded, he had gone to the pastor, and they had prayed together. Immediately, he had gone to his car and called Tara. She had shared with him earlier how she had received Christ after Bobby had died, and he knew that she would want to know.
From that moment, it seemed that everything about Myles' life changed. Even the relationship with Tara. Somehow, their hearts were more connected than they had ever been, and the need to be with her tripled. The relationship they shared was different than any he had ever had with a woman before. They both were completely honest with each other, telling each other of their struggles, their emotions, and exactly what they were feeling for each other. Being completely transparent.
Today, being Friday, he had hurried home after work, hoping she would be there waiting on the internet with Samuel. But she was not there. He had gone to his room, and changed into a short sleeve t-shirt, and a pair of shorts. He would never wear this if he were to see anyone, still feeling self conscience about the scars, but tonight he would be alone, so he made himself comfortable.
Sitting back down at the computer, he decided to write her a note. But before he could get started there was a knock on the door. Walking to the door, he opened it slightly, and with a shock that he could not disguise found Tara and Samuel, in person. Forgetting his attire for the moment, he threw open the door, pulled Samuel into his arms, then reached over to place a kiss on Tara's cheek. Suddenly he remembered. She had never seen his leg. Or the scars on his arm. Dropping the arm that was around her, he wondered if she would run when she saw him. But she seemed not to notice.
"You going to let us in?" Her voice made his heart tap dance into his throat.
"I'm sorry. I forgot my manners. Come on in. Let me take your jackets. I will be right back." Heading towards his room, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. When he moved back into the living room, he felt more at ease, although he knew by the look on her face that they would talk about this later.
For the next two hours they laughed, played with Samuel, ate pizza, and enjoyed each others company. Samuel finally fell asleep on the floor, and Myles picked him up and put him in the guest room.
When he walked back into the room, she was waiting for him. "Myles come sit down." He walked over slowly and sat down. "How bad are the burns?" The quiet tone of her voice showed a depth of care that he had known from no one before.
"The scars go up my arm. My chest is completely covered."
"Can I see them?" Fear grabbed at his heart as he wondered what her reaction would be. He nodded his head, but made no move to show her. Gently, she lifted her hands, and began unbuttoning his shirt. The intimacy of the moment made it hard to breath. The fear of her disgust made it hard to sit still. Yet, the look of love in her eyes glued him to the seat.