Chapter Six
Questions
Maria fell against me gasping in fright, “What was that? Where are we? How did we get here?”
I chuckled out loud and her eyes came to mine in exasperation.
“Do you remember in the Book of Acts, when Philip is transported from one place to another in the same day by the Spirit of God?”
“Yes, but he was an apostle! I’m just ordinary.”
“You are a daughter of Christ and an heir to the Kingdom of God. Your spirit is more precious than all the wealth of this world combined together and there is nothing that your Savior hasn’t already done for you. You are made worthy for all things because of His sacrifice for you, which makes you blameless before God. You’re important! Vitally important and there is nothing ordinary about an individual who has an eternal heavenly destination. To borrow from the Marine Corps you are one of the few, the proud, and the brave. I didn’t mean to just preach at you so heavily, but it burdens me when I see individuals under value themselves as to what God can bless them to do for His righteous causes.”
Maria was looking at me as if she was seeing a new side of something, “You really think I’m that important?”
“I do, but much more significant than what I think is how Jesus thinks about you.”
She nodded.
The temperature was warm and the country lane we stood in promised to offer a good long walk to wherever we were going.
“I’ll hold your coat and pack for you if you’d like while we walk.” I offered obligingly.
She handed me her pack and I slung it over my shoulder. Then she slipped off her leather coat and handed it to me and I hung it over my arm with my coat. We started out with her looking around at every countryside sight, while I looked at her.
It was a wonder that I didn’t trip and fall over flat onto my face. I watched her warm brown skin darken and she glanced up at me inquiringly in regards to my intense perusal of her.
“Is there something on my face or something?” She asked.
I glanced away from her smiling into the distance.
She touched my shoulder hesitantly and I glanced back to her, “You can keep looking. I shouldn’t have……. I know why you were looking and it’s okay.”
“I’m sorry that my looking at your beauty causes you such discomfort.”
She stopped walking and so I stopped.
I waited patiently for her to speak.
“Well it shouldn’t. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you!” She glanced away before adding, “I’m the problem.”
She glanced back to me, “What kind of man even apologizes for looking at a woman the way you were at me anyway? You’re so different from any man that I’ve ever met before!”
“Looking and imagining can be as significant as touching. Both of them have been forbidden to me until now. It’s hard to stop from indulging when I look at your beauty and know what I know will eventually come to pass between us.”
She moved her head to the side gazing at me as if puzzled by something, “You’re saying that you think to even look at a woman you’re not married to is a sin?”
I nodded, “Jesus laid it out very clearly that we are accountable for the thoughts of our minds as much as we are the actions which we commit with our hands. He even went as far to say that to hate someone was the same as if to murder them.”
“I have a question. You don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to.”
“Ask away.” I said obligingly.
“You’ve never been with a woman physically before have you?”
“No.”
“What about thinking?”
“I’ve failed there many times most notably with you. You really get to me. Overwhelm would be a better word for it.” I admitted honestly.
Maria looked down blushing as she said, “I have another question.”
Laughing I said, “Go ahead.”
She looked up and gestured between us, “Are we…….” She trailed off looking uncomfortable.
“Married?” I said filling in for her.
She nodded.
“The act of marriage as seen in the eyes of man has varied through the years in terms of its form of ceremony. I only regard what the Holy Scripture has to say of it. In the beginning of creation man was formed and that man was given a woman as a helpmate and lifelong companion. I am a man after Adam and God has given me you. Quite simply put you are my woman and I will have relation with no other than you, as it is good for man to have but one wife. You will bear my name, even as you bear my children and your affection will be towards me. I will care for you, protect you, and love you all the days of my life, even as Christ loves and cares for the church. Does that answer your question?”
“Yes.” Maria said sounding shaken.
“Shall we then?” I said indicating the open road ahead of us with a flourish of one hand.
We started walking again and somewhat startled I felt her hand slip into mine. I glanced down at our joined hands and then over to Maria who said, “I think I’m going to rather enjoy being your woman.”
She’d spoken openly and honestly and I loved her for it.
We walked on for quite some time and I admired the view of her beside me, as I had been before only now she was more accepting of it. She let her hat fall back to hang by its cord from her throat so that her black hair blew freely in the breeze.
A whole realm of conversation that I had never delved into before was opening up to me and somewhat trepidatiously I ventured forth into the discussions of married life, “What is with that outfit you’re wearing anyway?”
I watched her smile as she asked, “Why does it tempt you so much?”
In honest reply I said, “You’d tempt me no matter what you wore.”
She glanced up and her eyes sparkled. She’d liked that comment. I’d only spoken the truth.
“Is that a corset?”
“An under-bust one yes.”
“Let me guess, it can withstand a 50 caliber round delivered at point-blank range right?”
Maria grinned big, “Well Elsie didn’t mention 50 caliber rounds, but my impression was that it’s good for all the other calibers, including explosions.”
“What about your chest?” Some part of me couldn’t begin to imagine that I was even asking such a question.
“Unfortunately not bulletproof, but I have other surprises.”
I was going to leave the conversation at that for now.
She looked at me speculatively, “I have to say I was surprised at the façade if you will of Elsie’s business.”
I held my hands up chuckling, “I had no part in that trust me! That was all Elsie’s doing and quite frankly I wish she’d chosen something else for a cover, but we each have our own decisions to make in life and Elsie’s was a tacky one to say the least.”
“Are you sure you’re not into being beaten and tied up?” Maria asked teasingly.
Darkly my mind drifted back over the years, “I’ve been on the brunt end of a beat up session enough times in my life without seeking out any more punishment I assure you.”
I don’t know what made me say it other than that it just slipped out, “I have no problems with tying you up though.”
I swear her face was the deepest shade of red imaginable for the next half mile. I thought about apologizing, but the more I thought about the idea of playfully tying her up the more it sounded appealing to me. I was definitely going off the deep end in more than one way.
“Maria do you trust me?”
She pursed her lips and then wryly said, “It all depends. If I say no are you going to tie me up?”
Completely straight-faced I responded, “Maybe.”
She gasped indignantly in outrage and I burst out laughing. Calming my mirth at her expense I peeked to see if I was in trouble. Strangely I was not.
She was softly smiling. She reclaimed my hand and we started out walking again. I was very curious as to her unexpected reaction to me making fun of her. The Maria I had known would have gotten mad and hit me most likely.
Seeming to read my mind she said, “I love your laugh.”
“What is it that you love so much about it?”
“It’s warm and rich with emotion. Your laugh makes me trust you.”
I smiled and squeezed her hand gently.
We went on a little farther before I asked, “Now I have a question for you.”
She looked up with interest.
“What kind of stuff do you like to do? Hobbies? Pastimes?”
She simply shrugged, but I pressed her, “Oh no you don’t! Out with it. Give me something.”
She kept whatever it was stubbornly unsaid within her.
I stopped walking and pulled her to a stop, “Don’t make me tie you up and tickle it out of you.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Oh wouldn’t I?” I countered with an arched eyebrow.
She stared mutely silent back at me and so I dropped her pack and started to reach for her before she hurriedly said, “I like to dance!”
My eyebrows perked up at that revealed knowledge, “Anything else?”
“I like to read too.”
I nodded, “Good to know Maria. Good to know.”
We started out again and it wasn’t long before she asked, “What do you like to do Elon?”
“I like to read too. I have a bit of a green thumb, when it comes to gardening and believe it or not I do like the fighting that my job entails. I like making good things come to be in people’s lives, especially things that lead to their everlasting salvation. It helps me keep going and doing the things that I do.”
There was something else I was going to enjoy, but I kept it to myself. There was no need to embarrass her further by bringing up how much I was looking forward to being intimate with her.
Maria gasped, as we rounded the corner and the expansive villa came into view.
“I know where we are! This is Flint’s home! He’s in danger?”
“Yes, very much so.” I responded grimly, as I remembered the emotion of my vision of the future.
“But the Agency is closed down! Flint’s retired. The world owes him a debt of gratitude and it was made very clear that all of the Agency’s surviving agents were to be considered untouchable by both governments and underworld criminal entities alike. It was one of the last things that I helped Chantry set up. All former agents have immunity and if the immunity is broken silent watchdog measures are brought into action that are quite severe. Chantry was very specific and detailed in his preparations. He wanted his agents safe and made it so that they would be!”
I squeezed her hand gently, as my thumb stroked overtop of hers consolingly. Her passion for Chantry’s last act of kindness spoke volumes about her heart, but it hadn’t been Chantry’s work that had set up the immunity that former agents now enjoyed. It had been Maria with Chantry’s blessing.
None of the former agents knew the depths and time spent by Maria to ensure that they would be safe, but I did. Her expressed anger at the notion that her immunity preparations for the other agents could be faulty in some way was completely justified and I took no offense at her angered reproof of me, because of my perceived slight against her extensive preparations.
“There is a lot that you do not understand Maria. When you were an agent you had but to draw your gun take aim at the enemy and fire. Your enemy dead, with some good coming of it in the form of saving someone, protecting an ideal such as freedom, or simply as an act of justice. Maria your former existence as an agent only scratched the top of the conflict that is going on at large within the world.”
“You’re saying I wasn’t effective!” Maria hotly retorted and I stopped to face her.
She tugged on her hand, but I held onto it and captured her other one too.
“Lose the anger and listen to what I have to say!”
My words were harsh as were the impact of my thoughts on her mind. She quivered slightly completely overwhelmed by my sudden aggression.
“Ready to listen to what I have to say?” I asked in a calmer tone.
She nodded and I gentled my emotions and words in response to her submission, “There is a war taking place all around us that you cannot see with your physical eyes. It is a spiritual war. For as it is written we do not struggle against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness and rulers of darkness in high places.”
I was silent for a moment as I let her think through that.
Hesitantly she responded, “You’re saying that the danger Flint is in is being brought by a force of evil rather than that of man?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Maria quivered slightly, “What are we going to do?”
“Help defend a righteous man and his family.”
“But how?” She asked anxiously.
“By allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us to accomplish God’s will in this situation.” I said before turning back to the villa, but Maria grabbed a hold of me and I looked over to her.
“I’m scared Elon!” She said, as her face bore proof of her words.
“I feel like a baby in my faith. I’m just starting to learn to pray again and you’re talking about spiritual warfare. I’m not ready for this! I’m not you Elon. I don’t understand any of this! I don’t understand why God is exposing me to all of this! I’m not ready!”
I pulled her close to me and hugged her for a long moment and then I began to speak into her hair near her ear as she pressed her face against my chest, “Contrary to popular Christian belief, God does give us more than we can handle sometimes. People take that verse out of context too much. It is God’s prerogative to test us, even overwhelm us at times, but the answer is still found in Him. He’s promised to be there for us when life becomes too much for us to handle. That’s a promise you can stand on. And it’s really not about you being or doing anything special. It’s all about letting go and letting God have His way through you in this coming spiritual struggle. You have no power of your own. It’s only through the blood of Jesus that we have been given authority over the powers of this world. So why is God exposing you to all of this so soon, when you’re admittedly not ready for it? I think the best answer is because He wants you to grow up spiritually and the way to do that is to learn to put your trust in Him. He is the way the truth and the life. He doesn’t want you to take faith in how capable a person you are, but rather He wants you to rest in the calm surety that He’s there all the time ready to do the impossible on behalf of you and others. You need relationship Maria, with your Heavenly Father and it’s through experiences like this that build the faith that establishes the trust needed for true relationship. There is nothing to fear in this coming struggle if, you first, put forward the name of Jesus by whom you have been given authority by. There is no dark power that can overcome the Spirit of God’s presence within the holy temple of your body. Through the power of God working within you are more than ready for the fight ahead of us.”
She leaned her head back from me and regarded me for a moment with those mysterious eyes of hers.
Slowly she nodded and I stepped back, even as I claimed her hand again and said, “Come on we’re going to miss lunch.”
The big wrought-iron gate was before us already open. Beyond it gave way to the open courtyard of the expansive villa. I absolutely loved what had been done with the villa’s landscape, but I glossed over my enjoyment of the surroundings too consumed with what was to come.
In an aside to Maria I said, “Let me handle this and don’t talk about our purpose for being here.”
Maria looked puzzled, but she nodded obediently.
I loved her mute acceptance of what I’d asked of her. Maria was coming to both trust me and respect my headship enough to do what I asked without having to know the why, where, and how it would be. It was relational progress.
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Maria felt nervous as she waited beside Elon at the big wooden front doors of the villa. She respected Flint and Lisa more so than just about anybody else and she couldn’t help but cringe at the prospect of trying to explain her unique relationship with Elon to them.
The door opened and there was no one there and then Maria glanced down to see the little boy standing there one arm craned up to the door handle. Maria had to smile at the adorable little boy, who was the spitting image of his daddy, only with a darker complexion.
Elon squatted down to be eye level with the boy and said, “Brian should you be opening the door if you don’t know who’s there?” Elon said reprovingly.
“The little boy responded exuberantly, “Oh I knew it was you Elon! Mommy saw you coming up the driveway.”
“Well then I stand corrected.” Elon said.
The little boy twisted his hands together anxiously and couldn’t seem to stand still as he studied Elon with hopeful anticipation. And then in a statement one would expect of one much older the boy said, “Please don’t make me beg Elon!”
Elon laughed out loud and began pulling small metallic figures from a pocket in his coat and handing them one by one to the little boy. They were exquisitely cast and detailed little metal warriors wielding swords and spears that would’ve been any little boy’s dream toy come to life.
Maria watched as delighted pleasure beamed from off of Elon’s face as he in turn watched the little boys look of shocked awe with the unveiling of each new unique metallic creation of art. It was readily apparent that Elon loved children.
A man who loved children like he did should have some of his own to shower affection upon, as there was a shortage in the world of loving fathers. Maria suddenly didn’t mind at all that she would be the one to give him children to spoil. In fact it seemed like a rare privilege had been extended out to her.
The pocket of treasure empty the little boy turned tail and ran screaming across the grand foyer, “Mom!!! Look!”
Maria stooped down and picked up a metallic warrior the little boy’s overburdened arms had dropped even as Elon continued to chuckle at the sight of the little boy’s glee over his newfound treasure.
Maria held the toy warrior the boy had dropped out to Elon, who straightened back up to his feet even as she asked, “Did you make these?”
He shrugged and nodded his head as if to say it was no big deal.
“You’ll have to make these for our sons one day Elon.”
A look of such yearning passed across Elon’s face at her words as she had never before seen equaled by another human being, but all he said was, “I will.”
They both broke eye contact as Lisa finally waddled up to the door looking winded and tired out. Her belly was huge and Maria was astounded that she hadn’t given birth yet.
Lisa gave her a curious look before her eyes tracked over to Elon, whom she gave a radiant but tired smile to, “It’s so good to see you again Elon!”
“It’s good to be here your Highness.”
“Oh stop it!” Lisa said rolling her eyes at Elon.
She stepped closer and surprised Maria by enfolding her in a somewhat awkward sideways hug. The taller woman held Maria for a long moment before pulling back.
Her eyes were genuine with emotion as she gazed into Maria’s and said, “I’m sorry that I couldn’t make it to the funeral Maria.”
“You have yourself and the baby to think of Lisa! No need to apologize!” Maria said as an involuntary shiver of emotion coursed through her as for a brief moment the grief of days past came back to make itself freely known within her consciousness that had temporarily forgotten it.
“I know, but I wish I could’ve been there for you, James, and Tyre.”
Maria’s gaze flickered over to Elon and she simply said in reply, “It worked out anyway.”
Lisa didn’t miss anything. Her gaze switched from one to the other of them before she asked, “So what’s up with you two being together and on my doorstep so unexpectedly?”
Before Maria could stammer out something Elon smoothly said, “Maria and I have partnered up and your legendary hospitality is reason enough to come unexpectedly.”
Lisa’s eyebrows arched northward at the mentioning of ‘partnering up’. She didn’t look convinced about the last part of what Elon had said though, Maria thought to herself.
“Where’s Flint?” Elon asked casually.
“He’s out fishing with our oldest daughter. He’ll be back in an hour or two. In the meantime let’s see to getting lunch for you two not to mention the babies, who are stealing all my energy.” Lisa turned and linked arms with both Elon and Maria and started back into the depths of the villa at the pace that she could manage.
Passing a side room all three adults heard the thematic sounds of war and they chuckled at the sight of the little boy marshaling his forces on a coffee table within the room.
Lisa glanced to Elon gratefully, “Thank you so much Elon! You know he’ll treasure those forever.”
Elon nodded grinning and calling out Brian’s name he tossed the piece that the boy had dropped, which Brian eagerly caught and added to the battle line of his marshaled forces. The battle began in earnest then and still chuckling the three adults continued on leaving the boy to his make-believe war.
Maria was completely puzzled by Elon’s behavior. Never once did he bring up why they had come here. For all intents and purposes it looked as if their visit was nothing but a social call. Elon gave no warning of any darker import and Maria was beginning to believe that nothing was going to happen.
Dinner passed by and the evening with it, until it was time to retire.
Maria knew no end of embarrassment when Elon ushered her into a guest bedroom and followed in after her closing the door after him on a very surprised Lisa.
Had Elon had to embarrass her in front of Lisa like that?
Couldn’t he have just bent his one room policy for one night instead of making it look like she and Elon were living in sin?
She knew they weren’t living in sin even when things did become intimate, but still to the world it would appear otherwise, unless they explained and Elon gave no indication of doing that. Maria just stood there staring at the door imagining what was going on in Lisa’s mind right now.
Her face red she turned away from the door and looked for Elon, only to find him sitting in a chair. She did a double take. All of the jovial carefree atmosphere that Elon had manifested all evening, when in the company of their hosts was gone and in its place was a stark soberness.
He was looking at her, “I’m sorry you feel embarrassed, but I don’t feel like broadcasting the God ordained nature of our relationship together just yet.”
His apology was sincere and it completely took her embarrassment away. Well at least most of it anyway.
“Why didn’t you warn them?” Maria asked softly.
“I saw no reason to allow darkness to cloud the joy that I receive when visiting good friends. I don’t know for sure when the event I saw is coming either. So I thought it best to keep an almost full term mother to be from fear’s grip and let her get as much rest as possible before things do begin to go wrong.”
Maria stared at Elon, as it dawned on her the wisdom of his confusing charade of jovialness today.
“You are very wise and thoughtful. I was wrong to complain against you in my mind all day like I have.” Maria said offering up a rare apology.
Elon nodded with a grimace, “Apology accepted, but please don’t do that again!”
Maria stared at him shocked, “You felt my thoughts against you all evening?”
“Very clearly.” He responded with tiredly.
He looked tired. It had taken a lot out of him to hold back from warning his friends. He was watching her and Maria knew he had read her thoughts again. How long had he been doing that?
He spoke softly into the stillness of the room, “I feel like the friend who didn’t warn his friend about the snake coiled up in the path ahead of him.”
Maria grimaced at the grim analogy and then something prompted her to say, “I’m sure you’ll cut the snake’s head off in time to save your friends life.”
He gave her such an open look of pure gratitude that she found herself stuttering out in question in response to it, “What?”
He spoke slowly, “It’s nice to feel for the first time what it feels like to be a man, whose woman has confidence in him to slay monsters. Thank you for the confidence that you’ve placed in me. You’ve actually made me feel stronger than I was before, how fascinating is that! God sure does work in mysterious ways. You are a mystery Maria and I look forward to discovering all there is to know about you.”
Blushing Maria glanced away and then back. In an effort to change the conversation she asked, “Shouldn’t we get some sleep?”
Elon shook his head, “Now is not the time to sleep. Now is the time to prepare for war and we do that by praying.”
“What do I pray?” Maria asked feeling helpless in regards to the coming spiritual struggle that Elon talked of.
“Don’t worry about what to pray Maria. Just focus on talking to God. Talk about anything you want to. Just relax and be personable, but above all be genuine. Don’t forget to listen and see whether or not God may be saying something back to you. This time we spend in prayer is very important, because it brings you nearer in relationship with God. Even Jesus when He walked on Earth was constantly in prayer to the Father so by His example we should pray and do likewise when faced with any challenge.”
Without any further ado Elon’s head dipped forward and even though he was silent Maria knew he was in deep conversation with his Creator. Maria looked around and found her own chair and sat down. For a moment her mind was blank. She didn’t know what to say.
“I’m here Maria. Just talk. I want to hear what you have to say.”
Maria swallowed, as the inward pressing of thought lit her up inside, “I love how you talk to me!” And that was how she started her conversation with God that went on for hours.
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Lisa laid on her side of the bed uncomfortable, but at least not overly painful in her position. She grimaced and clutched at her belly at the sudden kick to one of her organs. Now that was painful!
To get her mind off her pain she cleared her throat and asked, “What do you suppose is up with those two?”
James glanced to her from where he was undressing and asked, “Why what do you mean?”
Lisa gave him a look and James chuckled, “You mean them being in the same room and together in general?”
She nodded and he shrugged as he said, “Maybe Elon got lonely and decided he needed a sidekick to liven things up a bit.”
Lisa tried to kick him, but he was out of range.
He slipped into bed behind her and she asked, “You don’t think there……”
“A mated pair?” James finished for her.
“Yes.” Lisa affirmed.
“So what if they are. They make a rather stunning pair if you ask me.”
“James! I’m not against them being together as a couple, but they shouldn’t be doing each other in our house if there not married!”
James sighed and rose up to rest his chin over his wife’s shoulder, “First off my hormonally out of her mind wifie, I don’t think even you would seriously think that Elon would dishonor our hospitality in such a way. Secondly, I do not think Elon would ever be intimate with any woman that he was not intending on being with for life and to that end I think Maria is absolutely the best candidate for mate status for him, especially because of how they share the same stretched out existence of never aging. While, I’m sure, as you so delicately put it that they are most likely thinking of, ‘doing it’ I am just as sure that they are not at present in our house. So dear wife at the conclusion of all this I think it’s time for you to remove your two cents from the equation and be at peace for the sanctity of our home this night.”
Lisa sighed into her pillow knowing that he was right.
She felt him press a kiss to the sensitive skin behind her ear. L