Chapter 40: By Land or Sea

“Wait!”

“What?”

“Didn’t you already title a chapter ‘By Land or Sea’?”

“Oh, oops, oh well, maybe it’ll throw them off.”

“Who?”

“Who knows? Maybe the people following us around.”

“What people?” Gabriel gives her a no nonsense look and she says, “Oh, those people.” Molly takes the notes from his hand and crawls into his lap. Gabriel puts his left hand on her left thigh and with his right hand he strokes her hair.

Again with the out of the blue questions: “Do you think life is fair?”

“Sweetheart, life is neither fair nor unfair, it is just life. It is our choices that make life what it is. Of course there are dumbasses who go out of their way to share their weaknesses and miseries with those unlucky enough to be around them. I once read a paper wrote by a saint, I forget which one at the moment, but it read, ‘Our reactions to what hurt us were as far from God as were the actions that hurt us’.”

Molly has to think on that one for a second. “Yeah, but ... Uh, but what if ... Huh?”

“One way I understood it myself, for I too had to think on it, is just because someone sins against you; that does not give you the right to sin against them: in thought or action. Then I saw it as a compounding moment where you were just hurt by someone’s actions against you, but then you turn right around and give them power over you again by letting them make you sin; which again hurts you. Of course they don’t make you do anything, you choose to respond the way you do. When you are angry with somebody or hate somebody, it does not affect them, it only affects you. Why continue to let them have victories over you. They ‘will’ be held accountable.”

Gabriel can see that little hamster hard at work on its exercise wheel. “And you can do this ... do that?”

“Hell no, I got resentments going back before I knew what resentments were. It got better when I took God into my heart, but it has gotten a lot better since you have come into my life. It’s not that I’m better at it, it is just you are the focus of most of my thoughts and actions so it’s not that I don’t beat myself to death with negative thoughts from bygone moments continuously running through my mind, I just don’t think of them anymore because I’m thinking of you.”

Molly is blown away. “The power of love.”

Gabriel smiles, “I did write a prayer to help me though. It was before I met you. When I first wrote it sometimes I would have to reread it again before I even set it down. As my thoughts were my last true worst battleground of demonic attack and negativity, it was important to get a hold of them.”

“I want to hear it.”

“You probably have heard me say it, especially after somebody tried to hurt you, but here it is: Heavenly Father, using the Blood of the Lamb, purge those negative thought processes, images and associated memories from me. Please replace them with divine images, feelings of love and joy and fill me with the Holy Spirit making all thought processes begin and end in Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Molly nods matter-of-factly and repeats, “The power of love.”

“You still excited?”

“Yeah, I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

“It’s an early start, we should probably pack tonight.” Molly seems in no hurry to get out of Gabriel’s arms. “You hungry?”

“Starving, can we get pizza? I’ll keep my pineapple off your pieces.”

“Humph.”

Being on the ship is amazing and watching the beautiful islands of the Caribbean silently glide by is wonderful, but seeing the heavenly look in Molly’s eyes as she is experiencing the world as if it might end tomorrow is divine. If more people lived that way, this world would be a lot better off. Not like the democrats do as far as live for today and not worry about tomorrow; such as the consequences of living an amoral life or spending today and let somebody else deal with the debt tomorrow, but living in gratitude, appreciation and the power of love.

“May I have this dance?” asks Gabriel as he holds out his hand to the love of his life. Gabriel was never much of a stylized dancer, but he does his best to do ballroom dancing for his girl.

The red, silver and black ballroom gown Molly has on cost over two thousand dollars, but to Gabriel this moment is priceless. Luckily the ship offered dance lessons and Molly made Gabriel take them with her. Between getting back in shape, the dance lessons and a nice pair of shoes, Gabriel doesn’t make a complete and utter fool of himself.

On more than one occasion they overhear their fellow passengers say, “Isn’t that the most adorable father daughter combo ever!”

Three days out and those black clouds they saw on the horizon have inched their way towards them. “Attention passengers, due to an approaching storm we are going to have to return to port a few days early, we are sorry. We hope you have enjoyed yourself thus far.”

As Molly and Gabriel are leisurely walking along the promenade hand in hand they hear people start to grumble and complain. “I’m going to get my money back.”

Then someone else, “Yeah, I should sue them.”

Molly shakes her head, but Gabriel speaks up, “I’m sorry, you want to sue them for caring about your safety and their inability to control the weather?”

Several nearby passengers laugh. Molly adds, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a wonderful time; they have treated me like a princess. I’m not going to let any perceived negative take away from the positive.”

“That’s their job, you stupid little bitc...”

“Uh oh!” Gabriel lays him out. As they are walking away something dawns on Molly with perfect clarity and she voices it. “Are you a democrat or a Republican?”

“I’m a democrat and proud of it, what does that have to do with anything!?” he says groggily getting up off the deck.

“Only a person of non Republican Christian values would be so ungrateful and disrespectful.” Everybody standing around watching is wonderfully amazed at this young woman. Well spoken and unafraid of speaking the truth. Further away Molly asks, “Are all democrats like that?”