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Years Makes a Difference
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Patrick
Chapter 7
When
she looked up, she could feel a new tension in the room. It wasn't the kind
of feeling you got when things weren't right. In fact, making this choice had
freed her and brought a new lightness to the air. But she felt as if she had
somehow upset Patrick. She had to know.
"Did
I offend you?" Shaking his head, Patrick smiled, "I'm glad you have
such a mature outlook. You're a great person, Christa." Still, as he
left, his shoulders slumped. Not liking what she saw, Christa decided that
she didn't want to know what to make of it. She would just leave it alone.
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Patrick
couldn't have told anyone why he felt as he did. It just seemed off, somehow.
Speaking to Christa about how he would feel about his future wife made him suddenly
realize that he was losing out on life. "I'm 26 and I don't even have a
girlfriend. She's right. Who am I to talk?"
Still,
he was glad that something he had said had made her decide not to waste her
time on empty relationships. He hoped she could stay strong in the face of
peer pressure. He wanted her to live holy, and he was truly glad that he had
been able to make her see the need to be cautious.
It
was so hard being a kid. He knew that. He remembered his dad's death and the
crisis of faith he had experienced when he lost the one great love of
his life. Yes, growing up got complicated enough without manufacturing pain
from an empty relationship. Christa was going to be glad she had avoided that
pitfall.
Still,
somewhere in the deepest part of his heart, Patrick was feeling her
rejection. For a moment, he had doubted what he had felt back there, simply
because twelve years separated them in age. Christa was too young. It
was obvious. But somehow, Patrick did not feel right thinking those thoughts.
The
problem was, she really was supposed to be his wife--he knew it--and he
realized now that even though he might not allow himself to think about it
for a few years, he absolutely believed that if she would accept him, he
would marry Christa as soon as she was ready for him. I must be insane, he
thought, as he returned to the party.
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Patrick
was still pondering this when he spotted Colby and Mandy chatting in the
corner. They always looked so happy. Patrick was glad for Colby. The man had
been such a blessing to him. Patrick had no doubt that if Colby had not
stepped in, his medical career would never have happened. Patrick owed his
livelihood to this man.
The
chance to work for the only medical professional in town, in spite of a
mediocre academic career was what Patrick had termed a "miracle."
It had started everything good in his life. It happened because of a chance
acquaintance between Dr. Colby and the town sheriff. The sheriff had
encouraged Patrick to talk the new doctor into hiring him. It had worked!
"I
have never been happier in my life," Patrick told Colby on the day he
arrived for his interview visit with the Colby clan. "I had hoped you
might agree to put in a good word for me someday, or let me empty the trash
at your clinic a few times. But you’re telling me you are thinking of
offering me a complete mentoring program. Sir, I hope to accomplish every
goal you set for me. I want this so badly."
The
boy's desire to make an impact with his life had strongly influenced the
doctor's decision to take him on as a student apprentice. He had been
considering it when he invited the young man over for dinner. "I want to
help people get healthy,” Patrick said. “I hope to be a part of your efforts
to bring health services within the reach of everyone in this
community." Then, he added, "No one should have to die for lack of
a doctor's care." That day, though he hadn’t known it yet, Dr. Colby had
met the person who had brought him to this town.
12 Years Makes a Difference
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