A Lone Ranger’s Journey – Part II – The Chase

We left off last Thursday with a post from the “Lone Ranger.”  He has agreed to reveal his identify if and when he marries the young maiden.  Wishing for the best…

Let’s pick up the story at…

But no matter what I did, this third encounter had proven to be extremely difficult.  This is where it gets beautifully bogus.

While an inside friend of mine is working a set-up with Lyla on my behalf separately, last Sunday after church I stepped out to man up and make it happen.  I was on the hunt and I promise you that I had the best of intentions.

After church I knew would be the time where I would have the best chance.  I prayed the Lord would make this happen…which I’m pretty sure is a legit thing to petition for.  When the final worship song wrapped up I began to survey the crowd looking for her…no luck.

I thought maybe I’d have better luck if I just positioned myself in the foyer outside the sanctuary and strike up a conversation with someone whose name I didn’t know to give me cause for standing in the middle of the foyer.   But as luck would have it, there would be no need for the unnamed small talker.

There she was right by the exit door.  This was it.  This was when I got to, as I planned it in my head, walk her to her car, say something insightful about the sermon, make her laugh, comment graciously on her shoes.  It was a solid plan.

Unfortunately she was in deep conversation with some other girl and it didn’t look like it was wrapping up in the next five minutes.  Could I kill time for five minutes?  At the time, I could have killed time for hours if necessary.  But ten minutes came…twenty minutes came and she wasn’t moving an inch.  “Maybe today’s not the day” I thought and my legs, pushing against the will of my heart, took me all the way to my car.

As I turned the key I felt that I had given up today too easily, especially after all of that build up.  But hope sprang out and I decided I would wait till she finally exited the church, was walking to her car and then I could drive by, roll down the window and say “hey” as well as whatever else came to mind.  So I waited and waited and waited…and waited…and there she was!  But, unfortunately still talking to that girl.  They had to be putting a lid on it soon.

I started the car, I took my chances.

But, as I drove by, Lyla’s back was turned to me and my last chance was lost.  That is, until I left the parking lot, pulled a U-ee (sp?) and drove by once again…still no luck.  The final sting came when as I drove away this last time I could see in my rear view mirror Lyla finally bidding her friend farewell and getting into her car.  It had the build-up of Rocky III, but without the payoff glory in the end.  Also without the big Russian guy…and most of the other plot points from that movie…maybe that was a bad comparison.

I wish I could say my hopes for the day ended there.  I wish I could say I didn’t drive to REI, thinking “hey she’s outdoorsy. In truth she’s more likely to go there after church than back to my neighborhood in Tigard.”  So with the comparative odds in my favor, I halfheartedly went to REI.  This was a slim chance.  Hey God’s sovereign, people!  I read a story once where God made a sea part in order for people to cross.  Remember, He also brought people back to life.  This quick trip’s high hopes  were relatively small potatoes in the economy of the miraculous.

But still, she of course never came.   As bummed out as I was, I still hold high hopes for next Sunday…and the Sunday after that if necessary.  I might have to just get more creative.  Not desperate, but inventive.

Wish me luck.  The ends will justify the means.  Or at the very least just leave me with more stories to tell.