“Okay if we open it for further inspection?” The rote question was delivered as more of a statement than something about which Jordan might have a choice.
“Sure. It’s camera equipment.”
The man put on thin ivory gloves and undid the clasps. He lifted from the customized, cushioned case each lens, filter, and light meter. “Are you a professional photographer?”
“Yes. I’m on assignment for Surf Days Magazine.” Jordan realized he didn’t need to add that bit of information, but it felt pretty good to say it aloud. Ever since he had picked up the call from Bill six weeks ago, Jordan’s life had jumped onto the fast track. The photo he had captured of Derek was scheduled for the February cover of Surf Days, and Bill had hired Jordan to go to the North Shore on assignment the first week of January. Derek and Mindy were flying over to Oahu to join him in three days, and as Derek kept saying, “We’re finally livin’ the dream!”
The guard closed up the case and motioned that Jordan could go to his gate. Jordan took his time, reopening the case, carefully checking and adjusting each valuable piece of equipment to make sure it was nestled in its proper place. Once he was satisfied, he closed the case, strapped it over his shoulder, and trekked through the airport.
Just as Jordan arrived at his gate, Derek called him.
“Hey, good timing. I’m about to board my flight.” Jordan moved to the nearly vacant waiting area across from his gate so he could put down his heavy case and talk to Derek more easily.
“Mindy told me to call and say thanks again for being willing to go over early and shoot the wedding for her friend.”
“Sure. No problem. I’m glad to do it. The extra job means a little extra money. You won’t hear me complaining about that.”
“She just told me this morning, though, that the wedding isn’t on Oahu.”
“Right. It’s on Maui.”
“I didn’t realize that. So when you arrive on Oahu this afternoon, you’re going to take an inter-island flight to Maui, is that how it works?”
“Yes, then I’ll fly back to Oahu the same day you guys arrive. Your organized wife set it all up for me. I’ll meet you at the place Mindy rented for us at Sunset Beach. I’ll probably arrive before you and Mindy since I’m booked on the first flight out of Maui that morning. I told her I’d make a run to the grocery store so we have some food when you guys get there.”
“At least you have your priorities in order.”
“Right. Food first.”
“If I was the first to arrive, I’m afraid I’d be in the water before I’d be at the grocery store. But, you know, I have to say, this isn’t such a bad deal, is it? Your first trip to Hawaii, and you get to visit two islands, all expenses paid. In exchange, all you have to do is make good use of that new camera of yours and remember to grab yourself a piece of wedding cake.”
“I know. It’s not bad at all. And I do love free cake.”
They talked a few more minutes about the latest surf report for the North Shore and Derek’s new travel bag for his surfboard. Everything was looking good for a great week ahead.
“I’ll see you in a few days then,” Jordan said.
“You know it. Pipeline, Waimea, Sunset. It’s all going to happen for us, Jordo. And, hey, if Mindy asks, be sure to tell her that I called and said thanks for doing the wedding photos.”
“You got it.” Jordan hung up just as two young women slid past him with their luggage and sat in the empty seats across from him. He glanced at the shorter, dark-haired woman directly across from him and then paused as he looked at the woman beside her. She had the hood of her sweatshirt up over her head and was wearing large, round sunglasses, which seemed odd since they were sitting indoors.
What caught his attention was the name of the university on her sweatshirt. Rancho Corona was a rival of the college he had graduated from. If Derek were here, he would have started up a friendly debate about which school was best.
Jordan wasn’t the type to visit with strangers, though. He stood and headed across the way since boarding for first-class passengers had begun. Sliding past some of the waiting passengers who were using their coach boarding passes as fans, Jordan boarded as the announcement came for the business class group. The bump up to business was just one of the perks Bill had given Jordan on this trip.
“You know what the Good Book says, don’t you?” Bill asked when he handed Jordan the ticket a few weeks ago. “It says that to the person who has been given much, much is required. The pressure’s on. We’re expecting a lot out of you, even though this is your first assignment for us. You make good on this one, and we’ll keep you busy for a long time.”
As Jordan located his seat on the plane, he thought about how much he would like for Bill to make good on that offer to keep him gainfully employed as a photographer. It was what he had wanted for a long time. All the hours of working as a late-night grocery stocking clerk were worth it if it meant he had broken through that invisible barrier all people in the arts seem to come up against. If he could be taken seriously as a photographer, he felt his future was finally opening up.
Stowing his camera case in the overhead compartment, Jordan took his seat. The extra leg room and wider seat were impressive. A flight attendant came by and offered him a cup of water or orange juice from a tray in her hand. Jordan reached for the orange juice and sat back, trying to appear as if this was the way he always traveled even though his last flight, more than two years ago, had been completely different.
On that trip, he and seven other singles from his church had flown to Costa Rica to help to build a school in a remote village. Their flight out of LAX was delayed, which meant they missed their connecting flight in Guatemala City and were rescheduled the next day on a small, outdated plane with a carrier that went out of business soon after the bumpy ride into San Jose, Costa Rica.
The best part of that trip was being with Paige. He closed his eyes and remembered the great times they had had during the seven months they dated. Aside from a high school summer camp romance, brown-eyed Paige, with her little girl giggle, was his first serious relationship. The only problem was that she was more serious than he was at the time.
Jordan shifted in his seat, remembering how their relationship had ended poorly. He still felt bad about that. Not that there was anything he could do about it now. Paige had moved back home to North Carolina after she graduated, and Jordan had heard from friends that she was now engaged to a guy who had two little girls. He could see that being a good fit for Paige. She would make a great mom. That was what she had wanted all along—the security of a husband, a home, and children.
Jordan felt as if he had more life to experience before locking into a thirty-year mortgage and making payments on a minivan. He told Paige he wanted to be “unencumbered” so that he could be available to help other people.
That’s when their relationship came to an awkward halt.
Since then Jordan had become more cautious about using the word unencumbered.
Today, though, Jordan felt he was benefiting from the rewards of being unencumbered. He was living his dream.
During the flight, Jordan paid attention to how the other passengers pulled out their collapsible tray tables from the arms of their wide seats. He watched to see which button they pushed to recline their seats and how they started the entertainment selection that played on the individual screens built into the backs of the seats in front of them. This was nothing like his experiences flying in coach.
What he also noticed, as he observed those around him in business class, was that they were mostly couples. The older couple across from him kept smiling at each other. The wife slipped her arm through her husband’s as he napped. Directly in front of Jordan, a young couple gave every indication they were on their honeymoon with their steady flow of touches, kisses, and cuddles. Everyone was happy to be headed toward Hawaii.
Jordan was too, but he had to ask himself the question that seemed determined to chase him
all the way to the islands: what good is it to see your career dreams fulfilled when you have no one with whom to share your joy?
Gazing out the window at the endless stretch of thick white clouds, Jordan tried to ignore the fear that crept in every time he thought about getting married one day. A whisper came to him like a metallic-sounding wind chime, “It’s too late, you know. All the good ones are taken.”
Jordan wanted to believe, needed to believe, someone was out there, somewhere in this world, for him. He silently prayed and realized he sounded like Bill: Lord, if You will bring me “the one,” I’m willing to be my own publicist. Just capture the right woman for me and bring her to me, and I know everything will open up from there.
He wasn’t sure if that was as honoring a prayer as it should be, but for right now, in this season of new beginnings for him, it was a start.
Chapter Five
Mariana’s roommate drove them to the airport and spent the first ten minutes of the crawl through the heavy traffic giving Mariana a hard time for not inviting her along on the extravagant adventure to Hawaii.
“You went to Paris with me last year,” Mariana said with her usual playful flippancy. “You have nothing to complain about.”
“I know. I just wish I were going with you again.” Allyne looked in the rearview mirror at Sierra. “I heard you’re going to another island first so you can baby-sit.”
Sierra shook her head at Mariana, who didn’t turn around to accept her chiding. “No. Mariana is exaggerating again. I’m going to a wedding on Maui. My sister’s brother-in-law is getting married, and she invited me to stay with her at the hotel. It’s only for two nights. And I’ll see my nephew for the first time.”
“How old is he?”
“Fourteen months.”
Mariana chimed in from the front seat. “We’ll see if I exaggerated. I still think the only reason your sister asked you to come was so she can have a free baby-sitter while she’s enjoying the wedding.”
Sierra knew she should defend her older sister and say that Tawni wasn’t like that, that she wouldn’t have such an ulterior motive. But Sierra couldn’t make that statement with confidence. Instead, she defended her place among the invited guests, adding that she had received an invitation and that she and the groom had been friends for a long time. Sierra stopped the explanation there and hoped Mariana wouldn’t press for more details.
But of course she did.
“You said that to me before, about being friends with the groom for a long time. What kind of friends? You didn’t explain that part.”
“There’s nothing to explain.” Sierra guarded her words carefully. “We were friends when I was in high school. His brother married my sister. That’s about it.”
“If you say so.” Mariana turned and scrutinized Sierra, looking for clues as to what had really happened.
That was exactly why Sierra had chosen not to say anything to Mariana about Paul. If she caught any hint about Sierra’s longharbored feelings for him, Mariana would have all kinds of advice and would quickly share the details with her roommates.
While Sierra appreciated Mariana’s input in lots of areas in her life, when it came to advice on men and dating, the two of them disagreed. Mariana believed in stepping forward, pursuing the guy she was attracted to, and making her own “happiness,” as she called it.
Sierra was determined to wait and see how God would lead in this area. Mariana seemed to enjoy pointing out that Sierra’s method had produced zero relationships over the past few years. During that time Mariana had gone through three close relationships, with one of them ending in a painful breakup. She loved quoting, “‘Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.’”
Sierra had given up trying to find a quote to counterbalance Mariana’s philosophy. All she knew was that the last time they got going on this topic, their friendly debate hadn’t ended well. Sierra didn’t want to invite that sort of tension and disconnect right before the two of them spent a week together in a small beach cottage.
“I have another question,” Allyne said. “Mariana told me you’re moving after you come back from Hawaii. Is that true?”
“Yes. It’s not final yet, but it looks like I’ll be moving to a village in the Tocantins area.”
Sierra had told Mariana about the new assignment as soon as the e-mail had arrived from Mark two days ago. Even though he was excited that the mission organization had found an ideal position for her, Sierra was less convinced. Although, when she told Mariana the news, she did so with an upbeat tone, as if the decision had already been made. That was obviously the way Mariana had presented the news to Allyne.
“I’m sorry you’re leaving.”
“Thanks, Allyne.”
“Aren’t you sad to be leaving?”
Mariana jumped in to answer for Sierra. “She’s very sad, and so am I. It’s tragic. And I don’t want to talk about it. We’re going to have a fun vacation, and that’s what matters right now.”
Sierra looked out the window at the dozens of beggar children dressed in ragged clothes. It was common at peak hours to see them threading through the stalemate rows of cars, offering to sell water, gum, and souvenirs to the travelers in the traffic jam. She remembered how she felt the first time she saw the children and how desperately she wanted to help them.
To the best of her ability she had done that. What she hadn’t realized was the overriding impact of tradition and culture and how important it was that she respect the people she was trying to serve. Their society wasn’t the same as North American society. She discovered that the first time she tried to convince one of the mothers in the favela to stop sending her son out to sell their bracelets in the street. Sierra had arranged for them to be sold in several shops in the city and was convinced this would allow the woman to send her son to school. The mother refused to let her son go to school, saying this was how it had always been for her family. The children supported the parents.
Mariana’s cell phone rang. She slipped her Bluetooth over her ear and talked in Portuguese.
Sierra took the opportunity to pull from her messenger bag the printed copy of the e-mail Mark had sent her. She read it again, as if somehow the information had changed in the last two days. She knew the details hadn’t sunk in yet.
We have some good news for you, Sierra.
A new ministry opportunity has opened up this week, and I wanted to present it to you for consideration. We have a family serving in the Tocantins who is requesting a teacher for their four children. They are in a remote area, and therefore, if you take the position, your role will be twofold. First, you will serve as a teacher for their children, ages six, eight, nine, and eleven. Second, you will develop basic school curriculum that could be used with the children in the village. We’re hoping that the lesson plans you put together will help us to initiate similar programs in other villages in the region.
We all agree that your willing spirit and energetic ability to spearhead new efforts make you ideal for this undertaking. The Board recently reviewed your history with us, and everyone noted that you have always demonstrated a superior ability to be flexible and live in meager conditions. That, along with your single status, makes you a great match for this position.
I’m eager to know your thoughts on this.
On another matter, please pack up your belongings when you leave for vacation. We have a seminary student who will be moving into the apartment the day after you leave. We would like you to plan on returning to Rio and staying with us for the remainder of January.
I should add that, if you don’t sense God leading you to take the position in Tocantins, we currently don’t have any other openings where we see you being a good match. We can evaluate what that means in terms of your future in Brazil once you return to Rio.
Please know that Sara and I are praying along with you in all this. You have some big decisions ahead of you.
With a heart for Brazil,
Mark
Sierra thought about the three boxes of her meager earthly possessions that she had taped up and left in a corner of the apartment that morning. Regardless of whether she took the position, she would be leaving Mariana and all that had become familiar over the past few years. She had jokingly told Mariana she was going to become a “Maria” to “the Brazilian version of the family von Trapp.” Mariana didn’t think that was funny.
Sierra didn’t think it was funny either. But she didn’t know what else she could do at this point.
Returning the folded letter to her satchel, Sierra pulled out her scratched-up pair of sunglasses and put them on. She didn’t want to risk Mariana ending her phone call, turning around, and seeing Sierra in tears.
They made it to the Sao Paulo airport in time and caught the flight they were trying for with their airline passes. Sierra let the depression she was feeling be the sedative that kept her asleep during most of the trip. She was grateful she had pulled out her old hooded sweatshirt to wear on the chilly flight. Whenever she awoke, she noted that Mariana kept herself occupied by watching the inflight movie, reading a magazine, and filing her thumbnail several times since it broke when she lifted her suitcase at check-in.
They were about to land in Los Angeles when Mariana leaned over and quietly said, “I’m sad too. But can we please make an agreement that we won’t let your move ruin our vacation? I mean, we can talk about it all you want, and I think you should talk about it. Please don’t turn into a… What are those sea animals that close up when you touch them?”
“A turtle?”
“No, those round things that grow on the rocks.”
“A sea urchin.”
“Is that it? I don’t know. I’ve never heard that word. Let’s just go with turtle. Don’t become a turtle and close up in your shell. Get all your angry and sad feelings out with your sister, and when you arrive in Oahu, come prepared to have fun. Okay? Can you promise me that?”
Sierra wasn’t sure she could make any promises at the moment. All she wanted to do was hide, as Mariana had noticed.