Father approved three dates for me this week (I almost feel like a woman of ill repute) and all of them went reasonably well. The first was Wednesday:
1. Wednesday: Father and Mother approved one of the Christian Mingle responders to meet them outside of the Freehold gates (I am so grateful for the Freehold Gatekeeper Patrol & AR15 Enforcer Group) for an initial interview. Once all seemed in order, a temporary pass inside the gate was approved by the council with a three hour time limit under strict conditions of supervision. His name was John. John is 19, has been a Christian since the age of 10, produced his baptismal certificate and letter of recommendation from his pastor (who claims to know Pastor Ezekiel). He is fair of face, tall, with dark hair, strong, manly voice, and was very kind to my parents. He brought a gift of flowers for Mother and a hand-tooled belt for Father on which was emblazoned a rendering of Christ's ascent into Heaven at the transfiguration. Father asked all the necessary questions while I sat quietly except when ordered to serve the dinner, all of which I had prepared myself. He selected beef pot roast with new potatoes, carrots, onions, and a garden salad with home made dressing. He scolded me that one of the potatoes was not cooked thoroughly - which truly impressed Father. (In fact, Dad allowed him to smack me and order me to get another fully cooked potato to replace it) Dessert was in the form of my Beatitude Blackberry pie with a dollop of whipped cream. He asked for seconds - and thirds! Truly, he loved my pie so much, he asked me to send him one so he could share it with his parents. Father liked him, Mother thought he was too bulky in the shoulders and mentioned that he failed to thank them for the temporary pass.
2. Thursday, Father, Mother, and I flew to San Antonio, TX to meet Cletus. Cletus is 49, owns a lamb ranch, and cares for his widowed mother, Betsy Anne. His mother is a somewhat overbearing woman, but he keeps her in her place while showing respect for the fact that she bore him for nine long months in her womb. My first task was to clean the house for them, after which an inspection was performed. My only mistake was that I did not fold the napkins properly before replacing them on the table. I hadn't noticed the monogram, so I put them face down. Father scolded me and asked Cletus to forgive me, but I am not sure he did. Turns out Cletus had embroidered the monograms himself. I immediately prepared dinner and dessert, all of which was a huge hit. He asked for quiche in three different varieties.
Cletus is in charge of the music for his church and teaches a teenage boys' Sunday School class. He wants seven children - all boys. I was not clear on why he hadn't married before now. There was slight mention of someone named Phillip that had shared the home for five years prior - I assume as a field hand - and that Cletus was so busy with him that he chose not to become involved otherwise, but it still left unanswered questions. I saw several pictures of Phillip throughout the home. Mother seemed concerned, but she hasn't yet told me why. I can say that Cletus truly thought highly of Phillip since they are embracing in most of those pictures. I was impressed that Cletus plays violin, knows how to knit, crochet, and enjoys art museums and old Judy Garland movies.
3. This was my least favorite date. Friday evening, we drove from San Antonio to Enid, Oklahoma, to meet Daniel. Daniel is 20 and owns a small gas station on the outskirts of town. He quit school when he was 16 to take care of his now-deceased parents. He spends most of his time reading the Bible, praying, and working for the church. His preferred meal is anything with meat and potatoes -but he does not like pie. The apple pie I prepared for him sat there untouched. Father loves him, as does Mother. He was quick to correct me when I tried to speak my opinions about the political conversation he had with Father. Mother smiled - but I didn't - when Daniel's pastor came over to "ensure that I was good enough." Daniel's pastor has been in the Baptist ministry for over 20 years, having served as a pastor in Wichita, KS, for 10 years and then moving first to Tulsa and then Enid. He took the pie home with him and said, "You look like you know a thing or two about pie." Well, I most certainly do and I don't need some man to tell me so.
Anyway - that's how the week's "potentials" turned out. Father is praying about it but I have a feeling he's leaning toward Daniel. Perhaps the fellows we have on schedule for the upcoming week will be more pleasing to me - although I know ultimately it's Father's decision.
1. Wednesday: Father and Mother approved one of the Christian Mingle responders to meet them outside of the Freehold gates (I am so grateful for the Freehold Gatekeeper Patrol & AR15 Enforcer Group) for an initial interview. Once all seemed in order, a temporary pass inside the gate was approved by the council with a three hour time limit under strict conditions of supervision. His name was John. John is 19, has been a Christian since the age of 10, produced his baptismal certificate and letter of recommendation from his pastor (who claims to know Pastor Ezekiel). He is fair of face, tall, with dark hair, strong, manly voice, and was very kind to my parents. He brought a gift of flowers for Mother and a hand-tooled belt for Father on which was emblazoned a rendering of Christ's ascent into Heaven at the transfiguration. Father asked all the necessary questions while I sat quietly except when ordered to serve the dinner, all of which I had prepared myself. He selected beef pot roast with new potatoes, carrots, onions, and a garden salad with home made dressing. He scolded me that one of the potatoes was not cooked thoroughly - which truly impressed Father. (In fact, Dad allowed him to smack me and order me to get another fully cooked potato to replace it) Dessert was in the form of my Beatitude Blackberry pie with a dollop of whipped cream. He asked for seconds - and thirds! Truly, he loved my pie so much, he asked me to send him one so he could share it with his parents. Father liked him, Mother thought he was too bulky in the shoulders and mentioned that he failed to thank them for the temporary pass.
2. Thursday, Father, Mother, and I flew to San Antonio, TX to meet Cletus. Cletus is 49, owns a lamb ranch, and cares for his widowed mother, Betsy Anne. His mother is a somewhat overbearing woman, but he keeps her in her place while showing respect for the fact that she bore him for nine long months in her womb. My first task was to clean the house for them, after which an inspection was performed. My only mistake was that I did not fold the napkins properly before replacing them on the table. I hadn't noticed the monogram, so I put them face down. Father scolded me and asked Cletus to forgive me, but I am not sure he did. Turns out Cletus had embroidered the monograms himself. I immediately prepared dinner and dessert, all of which was a huge hit. He asked for quiche in three different varieties.
Cletus is in charge of the music for his church and teaches a teenage boys' Sunday School class. He wants seven children - all boys. I was not clear on why he hadn't married before now. There was slight mention of someone named Phillip that had shared the home for five years prior - I assume as a field hand - and that Cletus was so busy with him that he chose not to become involved otherwise, but it still left unanswered questions. I saw several pictures of Phillip throughout the home. Mother seemed concerned, but she hasn't yet told me why. I can say that Cletus truly thought highly of Phillip since they are embracing in most of those pictures. I was impressed that Cletus plays violin, knows how to knit, crochet, and enjoys art museums and old Judy Garland movies.
3. This was my least favorite date. Friday evening, we drove from San Antonio to Enid, Oklahoma, to meet Daniel. Daniel is 20 and owns a small gas station on the outskirts of town. He quit school when he was 16 to take care of his now-deceased parents. He spends most of his time reading the Bible, praying, and working for the church. His preferred meal is anything with meat and potatoes -but he does not like pie. The apple pie I prepared for him sat there untouched. Father loves him, as does Mother. He was quick to correct me when I tried to speak my opinions about the political conversation he had with Father. Mother smiled - but I didn't - when Daniel's pastor came over to "ensure that I was good enough." Daniel's pastor has been in the Baptist ministry for over 20 years, having served as a pastor in Wichita, KS, for 10 years and then moving first to Tulsa and then Enid. He took the pie home with him and said, "You look like you know a thing or two about pie." Well, I most certainly do and I don't need some man to tell me so.
Anyway - that's how the week's "potentials" turned out. Father is praying about it but I have a feeling he's leaning toward Daniel. Perhaps the fellows we have on schedule for the upcoming week will be more pleasing to me - although I know ultimately it's Father's decision.
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