The Tangled Web

"Wow, Dawne. I can't believe you're going for a master's degree in physical therapy. I hated science in high school. I didn't want to take any more of it, ever." "Well, it seems like a great way to stay somewhat involved in sports - I used to play soccer and volleyball- plus help people get better. I think I'm going to enjoy it...if I ever get through." "So, if I break my leg, you can make it better?" "I can't set it, the Doctor would do that. While your leg is healing, I could help you keep your joints limber and your muscles strong. Then when your bone is healed, I can help you learn to walk again, without a limp." "That's pretty cool," Bryan said, looking impressed. Laughing, Dawne changed the subject. "So, what do you do? Since you didn't like science." "My thing is computers. I've always been fascinated by them. So it seemed natural to get a degree in computer programming." "I can run a program once it's installed and I learn it. But programming is like Greek to me," she confessed. It was truly a mutual admiration society, as her mother was fond of saying. They found shared interests and learned that they had attended many of the same rallies during their early teens. Both had accepted the Lord before they were ten years old and each was committed to marrying only a fellow believer. Dawne laughed softly, remembering how, only two weeks into their acquaintance the topic of marriage had come up. "I made a commitment to the Lord never to consider marriage to an unbeliever," Bryan said. His eyes went all soft then and Dawne couldn't resist teasing him. "Are you discussing matrimony already, Bryan? Isn't this rather sudden?" He was so cute when he blushed bright red. "Oh, no! Definitely not," he exclaimed. "Well! I didn't realize it was such an offensive idea!" Dawne countered. Poor Bryan stuttered, practically tripped over his own tongue and deepened his blush by several shades. "I...I didn't mean...what I was trying to say..." Dawne regarded him fondly, trying not to laugh. "I’m just teasing, okay? Relax. I know what you meant." Bryan, still close to stuttering, again tried to extricate himself. "I didn't mean to imply that marriage was a bad idea. Just that I wasn't suggesting it with you." Dawne merely looked at him and raised her eyebrow slightly. Bryan buried his face in his hands. "I can't seem to say anything right," he moaned. "Maybe we should just call it a night." Dawne could no longer suppress a chuckle. "Oh, Bryan, don't mind me. I'm just a 'beastie' sometimes, like my mom’s Aunt Edith used to say. I know what you're saying."