As You Wish (5 page)

“I think it's a God-thing,” Katie said brightly. “Do you know how few jobs are still available on campus?”

“I just don't want to work too many hours,” Christy said. “I want to have some time for a social life this year.”

“Tell that to Donna when she interviews you. She's really nice. I wouldn't mind working for her. Besides, everyone goes to the bookstore, so part of your social life will be mixed with your work. It's perfect.”

Christy sipped her lemonade slowly. “Are you sure you don't want to show up at five after ten tomorrow and apply for the job yourself?”

Katie grinned. “I have enough in my savings to get me through until January. Then I'll be looking for a miracle job. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the rare freedom and pursue my social life to the fullest.”

“You're making me feel sorry for myself, and I don't even have the job yet.”

Katie didn't seem to hear Christy's comment. Instead, Katie had fixed her attention on something outside the window. Christy looked and saw about two dozen students gathered around the patio tables outside The Java Jungle. From her side of the booth she didn't see Pete or Matthew, and she was certain she didn't know any of the others. Christy guessed they all must be returning students because they were hugging and laughing and waving to others who were heading that way.

“Wait here,” Katie said. “I think my number just came up.”

“Your number?”

“Yeah, number fourteen,” Katie called out, rushing to join the mob of returning students on the patio.

3
Christy, are you awake?” Katie asked much later that night as Christy lay in bed.

Rolling over, Christy forced her eyes open. The soft yellow light she had left on over Katie's desk several hours earlier seemed too bright.

“I'm so sorry, Chris. I started to talk to a bunch of people, and when I went back to the booth, you were gone. I know I left you there a long time. I'm sorry.”

“It's okay. I could see you were having a good time catching up with everybody. I wanted to come back to the room to call Todd before it got too late. I should have told you I was leaving.”

“The time just got away,” Katie said.

“Don't worry about it. We can't apologize every time stuff like that happens.” Christy propped herself up on her elbow and stretched her stiff neck. “You already have a lot of friends here. I don't expect you always to wait for me or to take me with you wherever you go.”

“You're right.” Slipping off her shoes, Katie turned on the overhead light.

Christy flinched at the brightness.

“I'm glad you said that.” Katie reached for her bucket of bathroom necessities. She cleverly had arranged her shampoo, soap, and facial scrub in a bright plastic sand bucket and had poked holes in the bottom so she could take it in the shower. “Open policy between us. Always.”

“Always,”Christy said, feeling more awake. “Now tell me about Matt, number fourteen. Was he happy to see you?”

“It wasn't him. Or at least by the time I got outside he wasn't there. If he was even there to begin with.” Katie pulled a pair of flannel shorts and a T-shirt from her dresser drawer. “I don't know for sure if he's coming back this year. I'm going to take a quick shower. Some of the guys were goofing off, and I got shaving cream down my back. See you in a bit.”

Katie whooshed out the door just as Christy said, “Could you turn off the . . .”

Forcing her feet to hit the bare floor, Christy turned off the overhead light herself. “I have to buy a rug,” she muttered before crawling back into bed. She knew if she and Katie started a conversation after Katie returned from her shower, they would end up talking for hours. Christy wanted to keep up on her sleep while she could, so she coaxed herself to fall asleep before Katie returned.

The next sound Christy heard was the irritating buzz of her alarm clock. It made an obnoxious sound, but Christy found she could fall back to sleep too easily with a softer alarm or music.

“What is that?” Katie bellowed from her side of the room.

“It's just me. Go back to sleep,” Christy said softly. “I'm getting an early start for my appointment.”

“Humph,” Katie grunted, turning toward the wall.

Christy tiptoed over to the window and raised the curtain a few inches. Another clear, sunny day. The skirt and top she had laid out last night were still a good choice for the day. It was her nicest casual outfit and seemed right for the job interview that would most likely follow the meeting with her counselor.

Quietly pulling her desk chair to the window, Christy reached for her Bible and diary and settled in. The morning light fell across the open pages on her lap. After praying, she began to read where she had left off a few days ago. Her goal had been to read through the New Testament that summer. She had only made it through the first chapter of John.

Christy's eye caught on verse twelve, and she underlined it, reading it again in a whisper. “ ‘Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.' ”

She made a note in her journal.

I have been given the right to become one of God's children because I have received Him into my heart and life and I have believed in His name. It's like God has adopted me into His family.

Christy chewed on the end of her pen and thought of all the orphans she had grown to care about in Basel. They were waiting for someone to give them the right to become an adopted child. Just the thought of those young hearts and eager faces was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Christy had intended to read to the end of the chapter, but instead she prayed for each of the orphans by name. The sun pouring through the window began to warm her arm, and she knew she needed to get going. She could spend the whole morning praying in a melancholy daze.

Slipping out of the room to take a shower, Christy left all
the orphans behind when she closed her Bible and told herself she had to move on.

The meeting with the counselor went well. All Christy's transcripts had arrived from Basel, and the extra courses she had taken provided her with more transferred credits than she had calculated. If she wanted a bachelor's degree in elementary education, the next step was to plan her student teaching. However, Christy told the counselor she had changed her mind and no longer wanted to go that route.

“I'm thinking of changing my major to humanities,” Christy said. “Or maybe English literature.”

“I see,” the counselor said. He wrote something in pencil on the inside of her folder. Christy tried to see what he wrote without being obvious.

“I think I'm leaning more toward literature,” she said.

“Either major would work,” he said. “You have a good solid base for both of them. I was adding up the credits, and if you went with English literature, you could graduate in June. You would need to add another three units this semester and carry a full load of sixteen units next semester.”

“That's okay,” Christy said. Then she wished she hadn't spoken so quickly. After her intense year of study in Basel, she had hoped to take it easier this semester. Especially with a job, which she didn't exactly have yet. And a social life, which was still high on her priority list.

“Would it be okay if I looked over all this and came back the first of next week?” Christy asked.

“Sure. The sooner the better. I have an open slot at four this afternoon, if you know what you want to do by then. Take this catalog with you. I've marked the classes you still need.” The counselor gave Christy a reassuring grin. “It's nice to be in the final stretch, isn't it?”

Christy nodded and left the administration building fighting the panicky feelings that taunted her. A few days ago Katie had made the same sort of comment about Christy and Todd being in the final stretch in their relationship as they readied themselves to head down the church aisle. The counselor's comment reminded Christy that she was in the final stretch to head down the graduation aisle. At this moment, she didn't feel ready to walk down any aisles.

Her visit to the bookstore at exactly ten minutes after ten was less stressful. That helped her to focus on the present.

When Christy entered the busy bookstore and asked for Donna, a beautiful woman in a buttery yellow blazer stepped out of the back room and said, “Are you Christy?”

“Yes.”

“Great. Come on back here.” Donna's skin had a warm, caramel tone. Her golden brown hair was pulled up in a twist and held in place with what looked like two chopsticks. On her desk sat a small blue teapot alongside a china teacup.

“Please, sit down.” Donna pointed to several unopened boxes of books that were stacked beside her small desk. It's a little crowded, I know. It will be this way until we clear out all these textbooks next week. Would you like some tea? I think this is still hot.” She felt the side of the teapot.

“No, thanks. I'm fine.” Christy tried to figure out a dainty way to perch on top of the highest box.

Donna sat down and smiled at Christy. They chatted a few minutes before Donna asked, “How many hours a week can you work?”

“About fifteen, I think. Or less. I just found out I have to take another class this term.”

“I could use you about fifteen hours a week for the first two weeks of school. After that it would be about ten or twelve hours. Would that be okay?”

“Sure. That would be just right, I think.”

“I'll need a copy of your class schedule, but I don't have any open hours on the weekends, so you would work only Monday through Friday. Is that okay?”

Christy had expected more of an interview than this. She smiled at the gentle yet direct businesswoman. “That's perfect. Thank you.”

“No, thank
you,”
Donna said. “Ten minutes ago I thought I'd have to spend the next week going through the hassle of job posting, but you came highly recommended.”

Christy thought it funny that some guy she had never met had recommended her simply because Katie talked to him last night at The Java Jungle. That must be one of the advantages of attending a small, private Christian college; the trust factor was strong in this cozy community.

In less than twenty minutes, Christy had filled out all the paper work Donna handed her, and Christy did agree to a cup of tea when Donna offered it a second time. The peach tea was refreshing.

“I'll go over all the other details with you when you start on Monday,” Donna said. “Do you have any questions?”

“I don't think so.”

Donna smiled. “I'll see you Monday.”

Christy left the bookstore and headed back to her dorm room amazed at how easy that had been. She had almost an hour before Aunt Marti would arrive for lunch, and Christy wanted to call her parents to let them know about her job.

As she imagined, her mom sounded relieved. “Your father
will be glad to hear this, honey. He was asking me again last night, and I was wondering if anything had opened up for you.”

“Did you know Aunt Marti is coming to take me to lunch?” Christy asked.

“Is she?” Mom paused. “That's nice of her.”

“Do you think she's upset that I didn't call or go see them when I got back from Switzerland?”

“I don't know.”

“I asked Katie to come with us just in case I need some moral support.”

“How are you and Katie getting along?” Mom asked.

“We're getting along great, as always. Katie is the one who helped me get this job.”

“Didn't she also help you find your job at the pet store?”

“That's right; she did. I'm glad you remembered that. I'll have to thank Katie doubly now. If it weren't for her, how would I ever find work?”

Mom chuckled. “You would manage. Any young woman who can chart her way through a year at school in Switzerland can manage just about anything.”

Christy was going to tell her mom she still had to make a final decision about her major. But when her mom said all those nice things about Christy managing her own life, she decided to hold her thoughts. It would be much easier to call home again after she had the major figured out. Especially since Mom's comment made Christy feel competent and accomplished.

Katie arrived at the dorm room only a few minutes before Christy received a call from the lobby letting her know Marti had arrived.

“Are you ready, Katie?” Christy was about to suggest
Katie change from her shorts and T-shirt into something nicer. But then Christy knew she would be doing to Katie what Aunt Marti had done to Christy for years. She didn't want to direct other people in what they said, did, or wore, Christy decided.

Katie apparently thought she was dressed appropriately and accompanied Christy to the lobby. Christy silently inventoried the outfit she had put on that morning—the casual yet crisp skirt and the clean, unwrinkled top. Certainly Marti couldn't find fault with Christy's appearance.