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Esther
Pie in the Sky was the weirdest little restaurant. It had been a house in its previous life, and the remodelers hadn’t bothered to change the layout. The rooms were small, and the candlelight made them feel intimate. Esther was grateful for the dim lighting, but she wondered if the ambiance wasn’t a bit too romantic.
A server delivered giant menus, and Esther was grateful for something to hide behind.
“Would you like to try our house wine?”
“Actually, can you bring us some of your best chardonnay? Oh wait, do Christians drink wine?”
Esther peeked out over the top of her menu. “Many of them do, yes.”
He chuckled awkwardly. “Would you like a glass of chardonnay?”
She had no theological stance against wine, but she hadn’t drunk any in years. She didn’t want it to make her silly. “Sure. I’ll have a taste.”
His smile broadened and looked more sincere. “Great.” He looked at the server. “Chardonnay, please.”
Esther ducked behind her menu again. He had called this place a pizza joint, hadn’t he? Or was that only what she’d heard? It wasn’t a pizza joint. It was an Italian restaurant with exorbitant prices. She was horrified. He was buying, right? If not, she was going to have to call someone to bring her money. And she didn’t know anyone with any money.
Seeming to read her mind, he said, “This is a special occasion, so the sky’s the limit.” He laughed at his own joke. “You see what I did there? The sky’s the limit at Pie in the Sky?”
Esther forced herself to lower her menu a little so that he could see that she was smiling. “Yes, I see what you did there.”
He looked quite proud of himself. “But really, get whatever you want.”
She wanted to know how and why this was a special occasion, but first, she had to figure out what she was going to eat. She really just wanted pizza. Would it be too simple to order pepperoni pizza at a place this fancy? She decided she didn’t care. It was what she wanted. She closed the menu and laid it beside her plate. He still studied his, so she busied herself with staring at the walls, which were painted sky blue. She was excited to tell Zoe that the expensive Italian restaurant agreed with her color palette. On these sky-blue walls were painted clouds of various shapes. Each of these clouds had eyes, a nose, and a smile painted on them. Mixed among the clouds were painted pizzas. Each of these also bore a smiley face. The floor to ceiling murals reminded her of a Sunday school classroom—one in which the intent was to get the children hungry.
The server returned with a bottle of wine and bent to pour her a glass.
Walter snapped his menu shut and laid it on the table. She poured him a glass as well, and he thanked her charmingly. Had he always been this magnetic?
“Have you decided what you would like for dinner?” the server asked.
Walter smiled. It seemed he was relaxing. “I’m ready. Are you?”
“Yes.” The word came out shaky.
Walter waved at her. “Ladies first.”
She looked at the server and swallowed hard. Her mouth was suddenly as dry as a bone that had been left out in the sun. “I’ll have the personal pepperoni pizza.”
“Excellent choice. That comes with a side salad. Would you like garden or Caesar?”
Esther froze. Decisions were hard enough when she was prepared for them. “Caesar,” she said quickly.
The server turned to Walter, who gave her an even broader smile. “I’ll have the same thing.”
She smiled, jotted something down on her pad, and then left.
Esther narrowed her eyes. “Did you plan on that or were you copying me to make me feel better?”
He tipped his head to the side, looking a bit like a curious puppy. “Make you feel better? Why would you feel bad about ordering a pepperoni pizza?”
Her face got hot. “Nothing. I don’t.” She returned her attention to the cartoon clouds on the wall.
Walter leaned forward. “So, I wanted to talk to you.” He cleared his throat. “And I’m sorry I’m making this so awkward. I don’t know why it’s so hard for me. It shouldn’t be. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about all this Jesus stuff.”
Esther was swarmed with conflicting emotions. Part of her heart soared to hear these words. Walter was interested in Jesus? But another big part of her heart sank to her knees. So this wasn’t a date after all. He just wanted to talk about Jesus. Good thing she hadn’t bought a dress. She forced a smile.
He cleared his throat again. “I’ve decided ... well, it’s been made clear to me that this Jesus stuff is real.” He looked down at the cream-colored tablecloth. “I always thought religion was something for old people.” He laughed. “But now I’m thinking that Jesus himself doesn’t really have much to do with religion. I mean, I’m no theology professor, so I have no idea what I’m saying, and if I say something offensive, please forgive me.” He looked up at her, and his eyes looked so young.
She forced another smile. “Sure. Of course.”
“But you ladies got me thinking, and I did some research, and the evidence is fairly overwhelming. Jesus of Nazareth was a real man, and he really was crucified, and then his body really did disappear.”
Esther nodded.
“And so, if that’s all true, then I had some decision making to do. And ...” He took a deep breath. “And I’ve decided that if Jesus Christ died for my sins, then the least I can do is follow him for the rest of my life. I’ve already wasted enough of my life acting like I was too good for God. Now I understand that I’ve never been anywhere near good enough.”
Esther nodded. She didn’t know what to say.
“So, would you mind if I asked you the occasional theological question? There’s so much I don’t understand.”
Esther struggled to find her voice. “Of course not. I’ll help when I can. You might also want to talk to Cathy. She understands the Bible really well.”
He smiled. “I’ve noticed that. She’s a smart lady. But I like you better.”
Wait, what?
He leaned back in his chair. “Thank you. I feel so much better now that I shared that. I don’t know why I was so nervous, but I had to tell you. Firstly, because I have some questions for you, and secondly, because I didn’t think you’d consider a real relationship with me unless you knew that I was a believer too.”
Wait, what?
He stared at her. Was he waiting for her to say something?
She was tongue-tied. A relationship?
“Sorry, did I scare you with the word relationship?” His smile was gone now. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be alarmed. I know you had a great husband, and I assume you are in no hurry to get serious with anyone.” He stared at her again.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
He reached across the table and touched her hand so gently that he almost didn’t touch it at all. “For now, I would just like to spend time with you, have fun with you, and get to know you. Would that be all right?”
Still tongue-tied, she managed to nod.
The server arrived with their salads. Thank God.
