Our Love Story: Part 6

Preface: If you missed Part 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 of our love story, go back & get caught up here .. here .. here .. here .. here before continuing below!

We had become raving email lunatics. Multi-paragraph emails were exchanged back & forth multiple times a day. And as we got to know each other through those emails, I truly began counting down the days until I could see and talk to this interesting guy in person.

As my countdown came down to just 3 days, I came in from a long day of work at KFC. It was a Monday and we’d returned late the evening before from a weekend at Deep Creek Lake. It had been a special weekend, rainy & cold, but special because Paul & Naomi had come down to spend the weekend with us! We’d gone hiking a little bit at Swallow Falls, saw Wall-E at the theater, and finally, some sun poked out on Sunday for a boat ride.

I had promised Derrick that I would at least try to push Paul into the lake at some point over the weekend, but it was so chilly that I never had the chance.

My day at KFC seemed like a blur. Not only had I just had a super fun weekend with my best friend, but I had a short work week ahead of me. We were leaving Thursday afternoon for 4th of July weekend with the Abbey’s!

As I walked in from work Monday evening, my heart began to beat double-time. There on our dining room table was a little white package, neatly addressed to “Miss Kara Eichelberger”, with a return address in Phoenixville, PA. I was so excited, I couldn’t even open it. What could it be?! The thought of a package arriving from my pen-pal took me over-the-moon & I simply could not contain myself.

Wanting to soak in the excitement and really savor the notion of receiving a surprise package in the mail, I took it over to the piano. The white envelope sat beside me as I joyfully played through several songs. And then, I couldn’t contain it any longer. I ran down into my bedroom and opened the surprise gift.

Inside the package, I found several items: pictures from Derrick’s trips to Italy, a CD that was labeled “Junior Recital”, and a DVD. Knowing what the first 2 items were, I anxiously popped the DVD into my laptop – what could it be? As I pushed play, I sat back in awe as Derrick’s voice came over the computer. He explained that he wanted to give me a little tour of his school, and for the next 10 minutes, I sat completely engrossed as he showed me around Valley Forge Christian College. Through his eyes, I toured his dorm room, the cafeteria, his music classes, and where he hung out.

I was shocked and in awe. What a thoughtful and perfect surprise! This Derrick Abbey was sure checking all the boxes to impress!

I immediately switched over to my email:

*tries to sound stern*
derrick ray abbey..
*breaks into a huge smile*

do you know how surprised i was when i came home from work today to find a nice little white package.. neatly addressed to ME.. from someone living in phoenixville, pa? i almost DIED.. we’ll just leave it at that.. =D

I raved on and on for five whole paragraphs about the surprise. I was simply so shocked, I couldn’t even believe that he’d thought to put together such a fun idea! I hadn’t thought of mailing him anything – should I? I shook the thought away as quickly as it came. Nothing I put in the mail would reach him in time to arrive before he left Thursday afternoon for his parent’s house.

Tuesday arrived & I received an email back from my pen-pal. Derrick ended by saying:

Wow, 2 days until the 4th weekend….so close! I remember back in the beginning of the month, I was just thinking about this weekend and thinking about how far it is away. Now, it’s so close and I’m really excited!

Over the course of June 1, 2008, to July 2, 2008, we wrote 75 emails back & forth to each other. We felt like we knew a lot about each other. We’d talked about our lives, growing up, our families, our dreams for the future, our convictions, our current days. Derrick told me all about roller coasters and I filled his ear with my “baby” photography plans.

Thursday finally arrived and I drove up to Paul & Naomi’s apartment – about 30 minutes away. I had gotten an anxious call from Naomi earlier, asking me to “pack light”. I wasn’t planning on bringing the kitchen sink, so I figured that would be no problem. A duffle bag, my purse, and my pillow seemed like a satisfactory amount of stuff to bring for a 3-day weekend away. As I pulled into the parking lot of their apartment & saw Paul packing the car, I realized that just my own person was almost too much. Their car was packed to the brim.

I laughed nervously as I walked up to the car, “Are you guys going to have any room for me?”

“Hopefully,” Paul grunted my way, as he pushed, pulled, and eventually took items out to rearrange. In the pile of items to be “repacked” I saw Paul’s guitar, his PS3, and his TV.

“Do your parents not have a TV?” I asked.

“No, they do. I’m bringing this so Derrick & I can play without bothering my Dad.”

I gingerly left my items in the pile “to-be-reloaded” and went to find Naomi. She was still bringing bags out to the car.

“Geez, I thought we were only going away for the weekend,” I teased.

After a few more tries at packing & re-packing, we finally made it. I was stuffed into the backseat, and we were off! I would have sat on the roof if I needed to – it did not matter to me! They were taking me to see Derrick & I was giddy with excitement & nerves.

We talked and laughed the whole drive. A McDonalds drive-thru provided dinner (thankfully, because I truly couldn’t get out of the car if I’d need to). And then, as we turned from 4-lane highways onto dark back-roads, that Coke I’d had from McDonald’s kicked in.

Without a GPS on our phones to tell us exactly how far away we were, I figured we had to be getting close. As the dark, windy road wore on, I realized my predicament. If I didn’t speak up & let my gracious drivers know that I needed to stop & use the restroom, I’d have to run into the Abbey house and introduce myself by asking where their restroom was. That truly wasn’t the first impression I wanted to make, so the backseat sent up an appeal to the front seat for a bathroom break.

The roads were dark and the towns were few & far between. Thankfully, not long after I voiced my needs, we found a lonely gas station with its lights on. I’d never been so thankful for a gas station bathroom in all my life.

Crisis averted, we continued on. About 45 minutes after our hasty bathroom break, we arrived. The house was glowing in the dark. Derrick’s white jeep was parked in the driveway. And suddenly, I couldn’t get out of the car (and not just because there was stuff in the way). What if this was the wrong decision? I was about to see my pen-pal, who I’d written back & forth with over the last month. I was about to meet his parents – almost for the first time. Sure, I’d “met” them at the wedding, but this was a completely new context.

My shy-side kicked in and took over. As I walked into the house, I was greeted by Derrick’s gigantic smile. I did my best to smile back. His Mom so sweetly gave me a hug & showed me back to the room I’d be staying in. I set my stuff down and forced myself to breathe. This was a bit more nerve-wracking than I’d prepared for!

I emerged from my room and Derrick’s Dad instantly suggested a tour. He wanted to show me his church – which was right across the driveway. In the dark, the building was difficult to make out, but anxious to break that awkwardness, I agreed. All six of us tromped across the driveway.

Derrick & I still hadn’t really said a word to each other. As his Dad gave me the full tour of the church building, he pointed out where they had plans to add bathrooms and change things around. He talked about a 24-hour prayer room, a radio room, classrooms – his vision was large and contagious.

As we were walking around, my tall pen-pal walked beside me. “How was your trip up?”

“It was good! It didn’t seem like 5 hours with Paul & Naomi to talk to. How was your trip?”

“Uneventful! I got here right before dinner time.”

Ending in the sanctuary, the Abbey family found themselves on stage. Lights were popped on, amps revved up, microphones adjusted, and suddenly there was a full-blown concert happening. Derrick’s Dad played guitar & sang, his Mom sang, Paul played guitar, and Derrick played the keyboard. Naomi & I sat in the 3rd row and giggled. They jammed away – simply happy to be together.

I was in awe. They seemed to be having so much fun together. They asked if I wanted to come up & sing or play with them – I turned them down. If I was nervous about the weekend, the thought of being up on stage with them was terrifying (even for an audience of none).

Eventually, the jam-session ended and we all headed back over to the house. Derrick’s parents broke out the dessert and we all sat in the living room. The common topic was Paul & Naomi – their wedding just a month before and their lives together as newlyweds. I sat and listened, smiling and laughing on cue, glancing up every once in awhile to Derrick, who was always smiling back at me.

Plans for the weekend were discussed and then everyone turned in for the night.

Derrick & I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to each other, but that was okay. We had 3 whole days to spend together – I knew we’d have a lot more time.

..Part 7 coming soon!