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Dan
Simmons, an NBA star with the Titans, had it all--fame, money
and personality-except something that was missing way down
deep inside. He couldn't identify it at first, but in a spotlight
of greatness and national exposure, he needed little things
to happen in his life, to fulfill the longing that tugged
at him. Two of those "little" things started out as his attraction
to Megan, and the way he was drawn to share her membership
in the LDS Church; but neither seemed reachable. In this story
about "a mighty change of heart," where both humility and
greatness share a troubled mind, the fulfillment of Dan's
longing reaches a touching finish. |
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Chapter 1
Dan Simmons sat in the back row at his friend Wayne's
baptism for two reasons. First, he was so tall that he'd block
someone else's view if he sat closer to the front. Second,
his interest in the event itself was minimal. He'd arrived
late, and he planned to slip out quickly and inconspicuously
afterwards. He was fully aware that his appearance here was
merely a token gesture meant to appease his friend. And somehow
that awareness bothered him. Rather than feeling smug that
he'd come at all, Dan felt guilty that he couldn't muster
more enthusiastic support for Wayne and his wife.
The Larsens sat on the front row, both
dressed in white, as was Isaac Waters, whom Dan presumed would
perform their baptisms. Dan's mind wandered, the way it had
been prone to do all evening. Isaac had talked to everyone
on the team about the Mormon Church, and apparently the Larsens
had listened. Isaac seemed to love his church, which was fine
with Dan. But Dan simply wasn't interested. He was a Baptist
and wasn't going to change. He'd already changed religions
once, for his wife. He wouldn't change again. If the truth
be told, Dan found that he even resented the Mormon attitude
about other churches. They seemed to think their religion
was better than the others. Yet, Dan also found this attitude
incongruous with their warmth and friendliness toward those
of other faiths.
Someone was speaking about baptism, how
it would wash a person clean from all sin. Pretty basic stuff.
He couldn't think of another church which didn't believe this.
Everything about this meeting had been quite simple so far.
Nothing momentous had happened and, frankly, Dan doubted that
anything would. Some of his fellow Baptists had joked at how
dull the Mormon meetings could be. (He suspected that they
also felt some resentment of their own toward the Mormons.)
Never having been to a Mormon meeting personally, Dan couldn't
judge. His own meetings included a small band playing upbeat
hymns to a handclapping congregation. That certainly wasn't
happening here.
Dan glanced absently around the room.
It was so full that many people had been left standing. If
it wasn't the excitement of the meeting which attracted such
a crowd, then what? Could it be Wayne's celebrity status?
As his eyes continued to scan the room,
Dan noticed a woman about his mother's age standing in the
doorway, just over his shoulder. She was listening intently.
Without thinking, he rose quietly and got her attention, directing
her to his seat. She smiled at him sweetly and patted his
arm before being seated. She seemed like a nice person. The
Mormons were good people, Dan had to admit. In his experience,
they'd always tried to behave the way Christians should. Most
of the time they succeeded. And they didn't seem to be as
dull as their meetings were reputed to be.
The speaker continued, and once more Dan
attempted to listen. In his line of vision sat Wayne with
his arm around his wife. Light reflected off Wayne's wedding
ring. Buried emotions rushed to the surface for Dan. It was
odd how something so simple as a single beam of reflected
light could set off such a reaction within him. He swallowed
hard and looked away. Similar things had struck a chord before,
but surely he was past that now! It had been over a year since
Jill had died. Dan looked down at his own hand. Even the white
band around his tanned ring finger had long since disappeared.
Surely this marked enough passage of time that he should be
beyond spontaneous emotional reactions.
In a desperate attempt to distract himself,
Dan searched the crowd once more. He fought the unwelcome
emotions as he had so many times before. It had become easier
to wrestle them under control, but it was still a struggle.
. . .
Looking forward again, Dan's eyes fell
Upon Wayne and Tina's baby-an eight-month-old boy-and the
woman holding him. The child was jamming a rattle into his
mouth and drooling everywhere but the woman didn't seem to
mind. She bounced him playfully on her knee to keep him entertained.
Dan assumed that seeing the baby would remind him of his own
child, but to his surprise, that's not what drew his attention.
The babysitter's sleek black hair cascaded to her shoulders.
Dan could imagine how soft and smooth that hair would be to
the touch. How could he be thinking about that? She didn't
appear to be with anyone who could possibly be her husband.
Maybe this babysitter was single. 'Get off it, Dan,' he chided
himself silently, 'You're only being desperate again.' Yet
Dan wished he could see more of her face.
It had totally escaped him that the talk
had ended and that the audience had been directed to focus
their attention to the back of the room. A partition would
be pulled back to reveal a baptismal font. As the Larsens
got up to move in that direction, the woman suddenly stood
and turned around. Dan's face must have been the first thing
she saw, and he wasn't prepared for his wish to be fulfilled
quite so abruptly. Their eyes met briefly. She was smiling
and beautiful, with rosy cheeks and a flawless complexion.
Her eyes sparkled and he couldn't hold them. He turned nervously
away, his face on fire. As he did so, one impression stood
out strongly among the rest. He'd seen the tracks of tears
down her face. She was a Mormon, he was certain, and this
ceremony really meant something to her.
Suddenly his cheeks didn't burn with embarrassment
alone, but with shame also. Any remaining shred of resentment
evaporated within him. He was a Christian too, and ought to
behave as one. Dan vowed silently that he'd listen carefully
to the rest of the proceedings, then turned to watch Isaac
baptize the couple. |
