This is Chapter 17 of Lanterns of Babylon. If you would like to read the story from the beginning, please click on the pink tabs above.
Her house needed a
makeover. When Cory bought it, the modest little house had a new coat of white
paint, and had been rewired to 1970’s standards. Built in 1920, the house was
in a good location near The Farmer’s Market. It wasn’t Beverly Hills or
Bel-Air, although she could afford any house in southern California. In fact,
she could live anywhere in the world, but she preferred the simple, white frame
structure. She’d even included a picket fence.
A minor renovation
was in order, but there was something else. Ever thrifty, Cory considered
saving the money until she knew for sure about Ron. He was doing a lot of
flying between L.A. and Dallas. Cory had
spent more time with him than any man she’d known. When he came back from
Hawaii, he brought her a petrified coconut. On it were the carved words, “I go
nutty for you.”
“Got it from an
inactive volcano,” said Ron.
She raised an
eyebrow. “Ah, do they have gift shops in inactive volcanoes?”
“Actually, the
gift shop was at the airport in Honolulu.”
“That’s more like
it.” She held the coconut out and squinted at it. “Very classy,” she said
sarcastically.
He then presented her with a diamond necklace.
“I found this between the magazine rack and the cola machine in the gift shop.”
Cory was speechless. Her eyes glistened. “Well? Do you like it?”
“Ron…I can’t…” He
immediately took the necklace and put it around her neck. She touched it
delicately. Diamonds were not her usual style.
“I…it’s…” She just
couldn’t get the words out.
Ron stepped back, examining the necklace on
her neck. “It looked so plain in the showcase. Now it looks stunning.” Maybe
she could get used to wearing diamonds. Cory decided that she would only wear
it for Ron and only when she was with him.
She put the
coconut on a table by her bed. The silly souvenir made her happy. That’s how
she knew. She was in love with him. She prayed that this would work out.
They had a lot of
long walks on the beach. Cory fixed dinner for him every time he flew in from
Dallas. Sometimes he cooked dinner for her. When she was in Venezuela filming,
he called her every night.
Along with the
dinners and long walks, they discussed each other’s lives, where they were
going, what they hoped to achieve. They talked about everything but marriage,
yet, as they learned more about each other, the idea of marriage loomed happily
over them.
There were two
major concerns for Cory. First, their careers were incompatible. If Ron wasn’t
in Los Angeles or Dallas, he was in New York or on location, shooting
commercials. The same with Cory, except they weren’t always in the same town at
the same time. She would give up her career for the marriage. That would help
solve the problem.
Second. Ron wasn’t
religious. He wasn’t anti-religious. While he had not accepted Jesus as his
savior, he practiced Christian principles. He was a decent person. He didn’t
drink or swear. He was honest. He was
romantic, but didn’t push her to have sex. At times, Cory was a little more
aggressive than normal, and it was Ron who discouraged further involvement.
Plus, they had
talked about religion and Ron seemed receptive. She invited him to church and
he seemed to enjoy the Bible study.
Should I renovate
this house? Or see what’s going to happen with Ron? If Ron asked her to marry
him, the house would be too small if they wanted a family.
Cory sighed as she
looked at the little house. She would at least call Ed Rosnowsky to come over
and repaint it.
She was fixing
herself a sandwich when the phone rang. “Hello?”
“It’s me, your
worldly globetrotter.”
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Ron’s
voice. “How’s Saratoga?”
His voice sounded far off. “We got the spot in
the can before the blizzard hit. I’m in the motel now, safe and warm.”
“That’s good. When
are you coming back?”
“I’ve got to stop
in Dallas and take care of some business. I thought I’d catch a flight out
there on Thursday.”
“Sounds good
Sweetheart. I’ll make you lasagna.”
“That’s cruel. I
have to wait for that one.”
“Sorry. Don’t
spend time at Riggio’s in Buffalo.” Riggio’s was a popular Italian spot that
Ron bragged about.
“Riggio’s doesn’t
hold a candle to your lasagna. And I have some good news.” He hesitated a
moment.
“What? Tell me.”
He didn’t talk. “Ron, tell me.”
“You are so
impatient.”
“So tell me!” she
cried impatiently.
“When I get back
to Los Angeles, I want to see Minister Dowling. I want to be baptized.”
Cory’s eyes clinched shut. Yes! Her heart rate
sped up. She was suddenly elated. “Ron, that’s so great! I’m very, very happy!”
“Me too. I feel so
lucky to have met you. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d never have met Jesus.”
“I am thrilled I
finally got you two together.”
“You don’t know
how I feel, Cory…well, maybe you do. The pressure of the shoot and making the
deadline seemed to lift off me when I made my decision. I want to serve God.”
“I do know the
feeling, Ron. I truly do.”
“And I want to
talk to you when I get there Cory. We need to talk.”
“I’d like that.”
“But I’ve got to
go now. My cameraman just walked in with a huge pepperoni pizza. I think it’s
from Riggio’s.”
“Go eat,” she
said. “I’ll be here.”
“I love you Cory,”
he said softly.
“I love you too.
Very much.”
When she hung up,
Cory went into the bedroom and picked up the coconut. She read the words, “I go
nutty for you”. Her eyes filled with tears. Thank you God. Thank you so much.
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