Our Love Story: Part 7

Preface: If you’ve missed any of the “chapters” of our love story so far, go back & get caught up before continuing below!
Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5 — Part 6

Friday morning dawned. Normally, I would be donning a KFC uniform, hat, and non-slip shoes to head into work, but this morning was different. I was at Derrick’s parent’s house & we had a whole 3-day weekend ahead of us.

After breakfast, Derrick’s Dad called everyone outside. In the daylight, I could finally take in the church, parsonage, and property. It was immense. The church was even larger from the outside than it seemed from the inside. And the borders of their property could not be seen. As I was taking it all in, a noise like a lawnmower motor was fired up and from around the corner, a go-kart came ripping out. Derrick’s Dad was laughing and he sped forward – doing a large donut in the driveway and then speeding back to us.

As he stopped the go-kart at our feet, the brothers clamored for over who would drive it next. Paul won out and away he sped. He zipped behind the church, up into the field, and then back down into the parking lot. Anxious to drive, as Paul sped by us, Derrick hopped on the back & rode along. It was all hilarious, as the boys were obviously showing off – Paul to his new wife & Derrick to me.

The plan for the day on Friday was mainly a large church picnic. A family from the church was hosting the picnic on their property, about 20 minutes away. We were told there would be volleyball, lawn games, food, a large pool to swim in, and music. With the go-kart stashed back away, Paul & his Dad worked to load up their guitars, amps, and microphones, while Naomi, Derrick, and I ended up over at the church playing pool.

The day was warm but overcast. We arrived at the picnic and immediately the volleyball net was calling Naomi & I’s names. It had been over a year since we’d played together and nothing could stop us from finding a volleyball and bumping it back & forth to each other. A makeshift game took shape around us and we found ourselves surrounded by happy & laughing church-members.

The rest of the day involved swimming, meeting people (including some of Derrick’s extended family who had driven up for the day), eating, jumping on the trampoline (more of the boys showing off), and red neck golf. It was Derrick’s parent’s church picnic, but neither of the boys really knew anyone there. His parents had only been at this church for about 2 years and while they had each visited a small handful of times, it was not enough to get to know anyone past their names. That meant that the four of us (Paul, Naomi, Derrick, and I) stuck together. It was grand. I loved getting to know Derrick in this context and with my best friend by my side, I was comfortable.

At one point, some organized kids games began to take shape and the four of us casually stood by to watch. Somehow, we got roped into participating. We were told to partner up and were handed a potato. Derrick & I ended up together and nervous, we laughed and asked what the potato was for. Derrick’s cousin Nicole was orchestrating the games at this point and she explained that the partners were to “pinch” the potato between their foreheads and then holding it there, were to race down around a cone and come back. We were suddenly closer than we’d been since our awkward bridal party dance. And not only were we close, the awkwardness was ramped up to 11 because we truly were not fit partners for this game. Derrick was over a foot taller than me, so he had to crouch down for our foreheads to even meet.

I have no idea where we “placed” in the game. It was all we could do to walk slowly with the potato between our foreheads. It was dropped multiple times and we could hear everyone on the sidelines laughing – at us. We were quite the sight.

After we’d eaten, Naomi & I set out on a walk. She had gotten a new camera and wanted to play with some of the settings and I had no problem getting away from the crowd for a bit. We left the boys behind and set out to explore. The family that was hosting the picnic lived on a back road that was quiet – only one lone truck passed us the entire time we were out walking. We talked and laughed and completely lost track of time.

Eventually, we made our way back and found that we’d been gone almost an hour. While we were gone, music had started up in the pavilion. Everyone was gathered around having a mini-worship service. We awkwardly stood in the back. Derrick’s family was all participating in the music: Derrick & his Mom were singing, Paul & his Dad were playing guitars and singing as well.

As things wound down, folks jumped in to clean-up. Tables were wiped and torn down, chairs folded, food packaged up, and audio equipment put away. By the time we got back to the Abbey’s house, it was getting dark. Derrick’s Dad broke out sparklers and fireworks he had bought and we all relaxed around some Fourth of July festivities.

I fell into bed that night tired & happy. Little did I know that Derrick was on the other side of the wall, a little frustrated. It had been a full day. And even though we had spent just about the entire day together – we truly hadn’t had any time to talk. At the picnic, we were constantly surrounded by people, then Naomi & I had disappeared for a long time, then fireworks (which aren’t the most ideal scenario to have a conversation around).

Saturday was going to be a little more low-key – so Saturday would be the day we’d connect. Right?

Even though Saturday’s plans were less-intensive, it wasn’t like there was nothing on the agenda. There was a church softball game in the early afternoon. When we arrived, they asked Paul & Derrick to play – Paul agreed, but Derrick turned them down on the account of wearing sandals. That meant that Naomi, Derrick, and I all ended up sitting together on the bleachers. We cheered on the church team. My Dad had played & coached church softball for a large chunk of my life, so sitting on the side & watching the game felt completely normal.

After the game, we rode out to the mall where we grabbed something to eat. There was a movie that the Abbey boys were excited to see, so we all got tickets to see Hancock. I didn’t know much about the movie walking into it at all. Unfortunately, the boys didn’t feel like it lived up to its hype. And while they were simply disappointed, Derrick’s parents were downright agitated at the movie. They were upset that it seemed to really push the boundaries of a PG-13 rated movie.

On the way home from the movies, the Abbey’s rode us up to Round Top Park. I was amazed at the gorgeous view! You could literally see the entire Valley below. It was stunning. Round Top Park holds special significance to Paul & Naomi, as they got engaged in the snow up there! We all sat on the swings that overlooked the view and relaxed. Paul & Naomi snuggled together, Derrick’s parents held hands, and then there was Derrick & I – a little awkward, not 100% sure what to do.

That night brought another jam session – but this time in the name of practicing for church the next day. Since Naomi & I were not playing, we sat over at the house and chatted away. We touched up our nail polish – left over from the wedding just over a month before, talked about the weekend so far, and how fast it seemed to be going. After a little bit, Derrick’s Mom joined us.

Again, I fell into bed that night tired & happy. I was oblivious to the fact that Derrick was now very frustrated on the other side of the wall. For a girl who liked to write very long emails, she sure wasn’t very talkative. He was perplexed. We’d spent more than 48 hours together and not exchanged more than just a few sentences here & there. His frustration grew as the reality hit that we’d only be together less than one more day as Paul & Naomi planned to begin the trek home after lunch. He wondered if he’d made a mistake. Maybe this girl wasn’t all he’d imagined she’d be – all she projected herself to be over email. In person, she seemed shy, quiet, and kept to herself. He determined to make the most of the last few hours we’d have together and purposed to spend some time apart from his family to give this shy girl a chance to open up a bit.

And that’s exactly what he did. We all attended church the next morning – Paul & Derrick joining the worship team, playing & singing along.

As Derrick’s parents cooked lunch after church, I went back to the guest room to finish packing up my things. Unknown to me, a little (but tall) bird followed me down the hall. He perched on the bed as I made sure I hadn’t forgotten anything and for the first time all weekend, we actually talked. Just the two of us, with no pressure or interruptions. It was delightful. And felt so natural. We both ended up sitting on the blue carpet across from each other, chatting away.

It felt so right.

All too soon, we were called that lunch was ready. As we walked down the hallway, Derrick laughed, “I was beginning to think that you didn’t really know how to talk – only write long emails!”

And just like that, our weekend was over. Paul packed up the car and we began to say our goodbyes.

“Seriously though, I feel like the weekend just started an hour ago. Now can I  have your phone number so we can continue to talk instead of just writing emails?”

I caved. Of course I would give this poor guy my number now! We hadn’t talked all that much (which I regretted now, after sitting & talking to him before lunch), so of course, I wanted to talk to him more – with our voices instead of just our fingers.

Suddenly, I felt bad. Overall, I’d had a wonderful weekend with my best friend and her new in-laws. I’d loved meeting the Abbey’s and learning more about them! However, I felt like I’d missed the purpose of the trip: to get to know Derrick more. Sure, I’d observed him and felt like I knew him better (and vice versa: he’d observed me), but we’d really only had one conversation, all the way at the end of the weekend, and it’d left both of us wanting more. If we could have only had one more day – just a few more hours even – it would have been better.

We exchanged numbers and Derrick promised he’d call me. And we were off.

Less than an hour into the trip home, I got a phone call: from Derrick.

“Hi Kara, there’s been an accident.”

..Part 8 coming soon!