The Match (Part 2 of 2)

If you haven't read Part 1, click here.

Naturally, Abigail’s overseas trip was postponed and she spent her time at home recuperating. Trevor began texting her regularly to check in on her but the conversations evolved into many other things - their dreams, likes, hobbies and relationships.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Trevor and amazingly, her mood improved drastically. She was becoming more understanding and patient with Aaron too. Her parents noticed the change and said, “We’re so happy that you’ve grown in many ways. Is it because of our new Pastor Trevor?”

Abigail blushed. “Of course not. It’s...just that I’m reading the Bible more nowadays.” It was true, she was more diligent with her quiet time and prayer but she wasn’t sure if she did it just to impress Trevor.

Her good friend from church, Dinah, called her on the phone.

“Are you able to make it for next Saturday’s young adult barbeque get together?” Dinah asked, her chirpy voice brightening Abigail’s day.

“If my foot gets better, I definitely would,” Abigail said, lying on her bed. She rotated her ankle and it was getting less stiff.

“Pastor Trevor will be there too!” Dinah said. “I really hope to get to talk more with him.”

Abigail felt a tinge of jealousy but fought the urge to tell Dinah that Trevor was texting her every day.

“That would be nice,” Abigail just said.

“Yeah, I think Pastor Trevor will be a great fit for you though,” Dinah gushed excitedly.

“Why do you say that?” Abigail asked calmly though her mind was drifting to the thought of going on a romantic holiday with Trevor to the Maldives.

“Gut feel I guess,” Dinah said. “He’s tall, speaks well and has a personality that compliments you.”

“We’ll see,” Abigail said. “Don’t want to raise my hopes too high.”

Dinah prayed for Abigail to recover quickly and said, “I’ll pick you up for the party!” Then she hung up.

Abigail rested on her bed, her mind escaping off to fantasy land. She would be a pastor’s wife, shaking hands with the members after the service and collecting her kids after Sunday school. She shivered at the thought of it. Everyone would be judging her even more now! 

She checked her phone and wondered why Trevor hadn’t replied to her text message yet. He was usually quite responsive. Maybe he was busy. 

But over the next few days leading up to the barbeque, she only got short, terse replies from Trevor. As if he was a different person. It hurt her heart badly but she didn’t want to tell anyone.

By Friday night, her foot was much better and she managed to walk slowly around the house. But she didn’t feel like going to the party anymore if Trevor was going to be there.

Their relationship went icy cold overnight and she didn’t know why. Was it her overbearing nature to flood him with texts? She buried her face in her pillow and cried. 

---

Abigail laid in bed almost the whole Saturday except just to eat. Dinah called her on the phone in the afternoon. “I’ll pick you up later Abigail.” 

“I can’t go,” Abigail said softly. “My foot isn't that good yet.”

“Really? I heard from your mum that you’ve recovered quickly and are walking around the house. Please come! It’ll be fun.”

Abigail signed and said, “Fine, see you later. But if at any time I want to leave, you must drive me home.”

“Deal,” Dinah said before hanging up.

Abigail changed into a revealing low-cut blouse that she knew would enrage Trevor. She could easily get any guy she wanted and she’ll get one at the party to prove it to him. Maybe she just wanted to drive him away. She slapped on a thick layer of make-up and some fancy jewellery as if she were going to a nightclub instead of a barbeque.

Abigail went down to the car park and got into Dinah’s car. Dinah’s jaw dropped. “Are you seriously going to wear that?”

Abigail laughed as she wore the seatbelt. 

Dinah was dressed in a plain T-shirt, shorts and flip flops. “Now I feel underdressed. But you look really gorgeous.”

“I thought I won’t be doing the cooking anyway so I wanted to dress to impress.”

“Impress Pastor Trevor?” 

Abigail frowned and gripped the dashboard. “Please drive. We’re going to be late unless we can beat the jam.”

Dinah sped off and they continued the journey in tense silence. Dinah finally said, “You sounded really pissed when I mentioned Trevor. Did something happen?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Abigail folded her arms. They got caught in a traffic jam and Abigail became so irritated. She wished she didn’t even come for the party at all. She could not understand why Trevor was still ignoring her.

Traffic slowed to a crawl. Dinah said, “Looks like we’ll be here for some time. Might as well tell me what’s bothering you Abigail.” 

Abigail hesitated then realised Dinah was the only friend she could trust. She showed Dinah all the messages on the phone with Trevor and how it changed recently. She rubbed her temples as if she had a headache just seeing it again. “I just don’t understand.”

“If it comforts you, me neither. But I think your conversations went very well. Try to talk to him and clear up your doubts. The problem could be him, not you.”

Abigail didn’t reply. Finally, they got out of the jam and reached their church members landed property half an hour late. There were many young adults there already cooking and eating.

All of them were stunned when Abigail entered with her revealing black dress and a few guys eyed her lustily. A few of them asked Abigail how her foot was helping her to find a seat. She saw Trevor talking to someone in the distance as if he didn’t spot her.

“I’m hungry,” Dinah said to Abigail. “I’ll bring food for you. You just sit here.”

Abigail sat there and made some superficial conversations but she wasn’t paying much attention. Her eyes were locked onto Trevor. 

Finally, he caught her eye and he smiled at her. Her heartbeat raced and she felt her anger rising. How dare he still smile at her! Though one part of her was angry, another part was longing to talk to him again.

Trevor waved frantically at her as he jogged over to her table. “Looking beautiful Abigail.” He was scanning her dress but didn’t complain about it as she expected. He was wearing a long sleeve white shirt which was soaked with sweat and formal pants. “I came from a meeting so I’m just as ‘formal’ as you.” He laughed.

Abigail couldn’t help but laugh along. She liked his jokes. 

Dinah brought plates of noodles, chicken wings and sausages for them to eat. When the dinner was over, Trevor gave a short sharing about loving our neighbour and caring for other like the Good Samaritan did.

Abigail listened intently whenever he spoke and wondered why he couldn’t be like the Good Samaritan to care for her. He could have done much more as her pastor and friend. She felt he was being a hypocrite. 

“Can I talk to you alone?” Abigail asked Trevor after his sharing. The others were helping to clean up the place already.

Trevor nodded and sat with her. A look of anguish crossed his face. “I know what you’re going to say. I apologise that I haven't been honest with you. I realised that I was getting too close to you to maintain a pastor-member relationship.”

“Is this because of what happened last time with your fiancée?” Abigail said with strained emotions. “It won’t happen to us.”

“I really like you,” Trevor said, gazing into her eyes. “But I’m starting a new job and healing from my past relationship. I don’t want to make the same mistake.”

“So getting to know me is a mistake?” Abigail said angrily with tears in her eyes. “I know we have feelings for each other. Don’t you feel it too?” 

Trevor ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. “I just find it hard to trust so easily again. Please give me time to pray about it.”

“I don’t care anymore. I got no time to waste with you.” She wiped away her tears, smudging her makeup.

She wanted Dinah to drive her home immediately.

Trevor looked distraught and urged her, “Abigail, take time to find your satisfaction in God first. No human relationship can ever take his place.”

Abigail refused to listen to him though she knew he was right. She got up and left with Dinah.

---

Abigail was morose the whole night after the party. She didn’t expect Trevor to some lame excuse that he couldn’t trust again. 

She found her dating app on her phone again. She had a lot of unread messages from Dirk but she hasn’t read it yet since she turned off notifications. She took some time to read through it now.

Dirk sounded much more apologetic and wanted to make it up to her. Abigail knew Dirk was trouble but she wanted to prove that she was likeable and shove it in Trevor’s face. 

She replied to Dirk and he responded almost immediately, setting up a dinner date with her. She smiled to herself. She was likeable! 

The next night, she met Dirk at a posh Italian restaurant in town. She wore another revealing dress just to attract him. Dirk was wearing a branded blue collar shirt and expensive jeans to match. 

“You take my breath away Abigail. I’ve really missed you,” Dirk said, licking his lips hungrily. She wasn’t sure if he was hungry for food or for her. He scanned her from top to bottom and breathed in the whiff of her perfume deeply. 

Abigail felt flattered but uneasy at the same time. He rubbed his bruised nose and said, “I forgive you for what you did to my nose at the gym. It’s made me less nosy.”

She chuckled as the pizza, pasta and wine was served. The food was sumptuous and Dirk kept on ordering more alcohol and hard liquor. 

“I can’t drink so much,” Abigail said.

“Don’t worry girl. I’ll drive you home later,” Dirk said, refilling her glass with whiskey. “It’s a night to celebrate our restored relationship.”

Abigail kept on chugging the drinks, letting it wash away all memories of Trevor. She felt more relaxed and opened up about her life. But Dirk seemed more interested in boasting about himself and his accomplishment on the stock market rather than getting to know her better. Trevor always turned the conversation back to her.

“I’m going to puke if I drink anymore,” Abigail said and pushed the glass away. She lost count of the number of glasses she downed. Her head was throbbing and her vision blurred. She knew this dream-like feeling meant she was going to pass out. 

She toppled to the side of the chair but Dirk caught her from falling over. He helped her to his car outside and put her into the backseat. She tried to tell him her address but her words came out all garbled.

She felt Dirk’s hands caressing her body but she was too zoned out to do anything. Later, the car started and Dirk drove her to his bungalow.

“I’ll let you stay over,” Dirk said, carrying her like a baby in his arms to his bedroom. “We’ll have a good time.” 

Abigail protested in her mind but her arms were like lead. She drifted in and out of sleep.

Before she fell asleep, she saw Dirk smiling at her as he groped her body. 

---

Abigail awoke to shouting and sharp banging sounds. Her headache was terrible but she managed to sit up. 

She saw Dirk fighting with Trevor and she gasped in horror. Both men were bloodied and their clothes torn. Dirk punched Trevor in the face with a right cross. 

“What’s happening?” Abigail said. She noticed her dress was ripped open, exposing her flesh. She quickly covered herself with her arms.

“You won't get her, you pervert!” Trevor yelled. He took a glass lava lamp from the desk and slammed it into Dirk’s skull. Dirk cried out in pain and collapsed onto the ground in a bloody heap. 

Trevor went over to check on Abigail. His mouth was bleeding and cut. “Are you okay? I came just in time when your parents called me.”

Abigail was still stoned from the drinks and didn't know if this was still a dream.

Trevor showed her his hand phone. “Your parents used an app to locate where you were when you didn't come home or respond. Thank God that Dirk didn’t manage to do anything worse to you.”

“Thank you.” Abigail hugged Trevor tightly and began weeping uncontrollably. She realised how stupid she was to jump into a relationship with Dirk so quickly.

“The police are coming. You’re safe,” Trevor said as he stroked her head.

---

Abigail reported for her new job at the Christian autism centre. She had resigned from her airline job and took a gap of two months to rest after the ordeal with Dirk. 

This new job would be therapeutic for her as recommended by Trevor. She would be trained as a counsellor for families and caregivers with autistic kids.

She felt a new sense of peace and meaning to life. And it was also a time to work on her relationship with God. Slowly, she grew to love devotions and times of personal worship.

It was a brand new start.

Her parents and Aaron would drop by sometimes for courses and Abigail would bring them out for tea. Aaron would always be the same but the way she viewed him was totally different now. He wasn’t an irritation to be avoided but a person to be loved. She never realised how much stress her parents were under all this time.

Meanwhile, Abigail found out that Dirk was put in jail for his sexual offense against her and many other ladies. She shuddered to think what might have happened that night if Trevor didn’t find her.

It was about one week into the job when Trevor dropped in to visit her. She had just talked to a family and gave them handles on their relationships with their child. 

“Looking good,” Trevor commented as she met him outside the office. “You look refreshed.”

“Thanks to you,” Abigail said. She felt rather embarrassed to talk to him now knowing that she was molested by Dirk. Which guy would want her now? But Trevor seemed jovial and kind as ever and had been texting her regularly.

“I was supposed to give you an answer about our status some time back,” Trevor said, walking down the corridor. They came to a garden filled with plants and birds.

“I totally forgot about it,” Abigail lied. In fact she had recurring nightmares that he would be angry with her and reject her for what she did. 

“I prayed,” Trevor said nervously. “And I sensed that we’re both ready to begin our relationship. If you’re still keen.”

Abigail was silent for a moment as if she was hesitant. “If it’s God’s plan for us right? Plan to have God in your plans.”

“Exactly.” He laughed.

“I think I’m ready too,” Abigail said with a beaming smile. She was bursting with joy just hearing that Trevor would give her a chance.

Trevor took her hand and they strolled into the garden to enjoy the breeze. 

END