Chapter 1: Churched

Hale Reyes was a typical P.K. (Pastor's Kid). His Father, Carlton Reyes, was Sr. Pastor of the Creekview Church of Las Vegas for as long as he could remember. He had a mother, Julia, who was a loving, God fearing woman who loved the Lord and put the fear of God in Hale and his Brother Michael whenever they misbehaved. Being a P.K, people tended to hold him to higher standards than other children. Hale rarely failed to meet said standards while his younger brother Michael rarely met them at all. Hale was polite, punctual and kind. Growing up, everyone told him he was wise beyond his years and that he should be a pastor like his Father. Hale would simply smile and thank them, causing Michael to feign throwing up and make an obnoxious gagging sound.

If asked, Hale couldn't tell you an exact date when he became a Christian, he just always was one. His life just always fit into the perfect, "Christian" mold. He rarely got in real trouble as a child, he was a good big brother and he always knew the answers in Sunday School. Hale had a good relationship with his parents, he never disliked his teachers and his friends' parents just tended to like him. He didn't see the purpose of disobeying his parents or disrespecting other adults, his brother was the one who disobeyed and obedience just made everyone so much happier. So much so that he began "courting" a girl in his Senior year of high school as a result of prompting by both sets of parents.

Grace Hastings.

She was just like him, Her father was a pastor of a nearby Church. She had two younger sisters and their mothers were good friends. She had long, beautiful, blond hair and the purest blue eyes you'd ever seen. Her laugh sounded like wind chimes and her skin was soft like satin. They were the perfect pair. Everyone said so, and their parents were thrilled when they decided to start courting. They liked each other genuinely even though they had been placed together by their parents and the Church community. Their relationship was held as an example to others in their youth groups on how to have a wholesome, church approved relationship. They would have chaperoned dinners together at each other's houses, careful of how long they held hands, they would go on "group dates" to the movies with their friends from youth group and everything about their relationship was good and, well, "Christian". There was a plan set in place by their families which was expected to be followed to the letter. Hale would go to seminary like his father and, when he graduated, he would come back and he and Grace would be the perfect Christian couple living the perfect Christian life.

They were together for two years when Hale called Grace to ask her to go hiking with him alone. Grace eagerly agreed and set up a picnic for them. They met at the base of the hill they would climb, hugged each other and then held each other's hands the whole way up. Grace smiled the whole time and they took pictures together when they stopped to rest. When they finally reached the top, The sun was going down and the sky was an astonishing mixture of purple, pink and orange. Grace laid a blue and white checkered blanket down on the grass beneath them and began to unpack their picnic basket. Hale helped her gently, heart pounding in his chest as he prepared to do what he came here for. They sat and watched the sun go down and ate their sandwiches too quickly for Hale's taste.

When they'd finally finished, Grace rested her head on his shoulder and said with a contented sigh, "This was fun. We should do it again before you leave."

Hale gulped and said, "Yeah, we should."

Grace sighed again and then moved away quickly, "Well," she said finally, "We should probably head back down before it gets too late."

"Wait." Hale said abruptly.

Grace looked at him strangely, "What's wrong?" She asked.

Hale took a deep breath, grasped Grace's hands in his and stood gingerly to face her. He stood a good foot above her but at that moment he had never felt so small. "Grace," he began. "We've been together for two years now," Grace's heart sped up now, preparing for what Hale would say next. "And, I'm heading back to seminary in a few weeks. So, I've been thinking that before I go, I would like to give you this." Hale let go of her hands to reach into his pocket and grab a small ring that he had engraved for her. Grace clasped her hand over her mouth as he showed her the small sparkling ring. "It's not an engagement, yet." He smiled and she let out a small joyous laugh.

"But it's to promise that even though we'll be away from each other, we'll still love each other and when I graduate, we'll get married just like we planned." Hale gently placed the ring on her finger and as a tear fell from her eye. She quickly threw her arms around his neck and he picked her up and embraced her tightly. When he put her down, they looked at each other, hesitated and then, without saying a word, they shared their first kiss.

Grace squealed and gushed as Hale regaled her with details of his process of planning today's picnic. As they descended down the mountain, Hale felt nothing but confidence about this next step for them, everything was exactly as it should be. They packed up quickly and drove to tell their families the good news and, as expected, they were thrilled. Their mothers wanted to throw an engagement party for them, and they had to remind them that this was not, in fact, an engagement. The families celebrated together for a long while but, when they finally parted, Hale couldn't help but feel relieved, which He attributed to being slightly introverted.

Hale trudged up to his room and fell back on his bed heavily, letting out a long sigh. Laying on his bed, Hale lost himself in his thoughts. He began to replay his and Grace's relationship in his mind.

He thought back to the first time he went out with Grace. They had both been 18 at the time and it was a first date for both of them. Hale, being the introvert he was, worried about who he would take to Senior prom. He shared this concern with his father who confidently suggested "Little Gracie" from the church down the block. Hale knew Grace because she was also a P.K. and they both went to the same High School. He had never thought of her as anything more than a chatty blond that all the guys wanted. Hale recalled with some amount of shame that he did not, in fact, want to ask Grace to prom and truthfully would have liked to take just about anyone else. Of course, Hale assured himself, part of his trepidation was due in no uncertain terms to the self consciousness and fear of rejection that any 18 year old boy would feel.

Sitting up and leaning against his head board, Hale took out the picture of Grace that he kept in his wallet.

"Well, all's well that ends well, I guess." he said, heart swelling at the prospect of their story ending in marriage. With another soft sigh, Hale leaned his head back against his head board and closed his eyes to think. His mind drifted back to his first date with Grace. Their families had gotten together and had dinner at his house so that Hale could meet with Grace's father before he asked her to prom. Their parents had sat them next to each other and then, less than subtly, the women all simultaneously left the men alone together. Taking this as his cue, Hale cleared his throat and, unsure what to do with his body while his mind raced, He stood awkwardly on the other side of the table while Mr. Hastings stayed seated.

"What is it son?" Asked Mr Hastings, looking at him knowingly.

"Um," started Hale, "Sir." he continued, receiving an encouraging glance from his father. "As you may know, uh, the Prom is in a couple weeks and I, uh," Hale cleared his throat again and his mind raced so fast he lost track of his thoughts. "I was wondering if, um," Stop stuttering, idiot. "If it would be ok with you sir," Get to the point already. "That is, if you would allow me to, uh," Be more assertive! "If would give me the honor" Too formal. "Would it be ok if I took Grace to prom?" Nailed it.

Hale would never forget the look on Mr. Hastings face as he stood up, and laughing all the way, rounded the table and patted Hale on the back. "No need for nerves kiddo, Grace's mother and I think that is a wonderful idea. Of course you kids can go to prom together." Hale slumped and breathed out in relief and suddenly realized he had been holding his breath. He smiled awkwardly and, looking at his father again, received another encouraging look. "Now all you've got to do is ask Grace!" Mr. Hastings laughed loudly and patted him on the back.

Hale chuckled with him nervously and then, realizing that Mr. Hastings had stopped laughing, said "Now?" Another laugh from Mr. Hastings.

"Well, Carlton, nothing gets past this one does it. Yes, go on son, she's expecting you." With a bit of a shove, Hale went into the kitchen where the women were putting the food away.

"Grace?" asked Hale.

"Yes?" Grace smiled, looking at him expectantly.

Clearing his throat, Hale looked pointedly at his mother, and, taking the cue, she smiled. "Come on Mary, let's leave the kids alone for a second."

When the mothers were gone, Hale took a step toward Grace, straightened his posture and said "Grace, would you like to go to prom with me?"

Hale remembers how Grace giggled and responded, "Yes, I think I would like that." and Hale thought he would throw up from nerves. She really was beautiful.

Hale opened his eyes, smiled and, putting the picture away, said to himself "And the rest, as they say, is history." He loved Grace Hastings, of that, he was absolutely sure.

That night, as Hale drifted off to sleep, his mind was filled with thoughts of Grace and their relationship until all of a sudden he was at their wedding. Hale took in the surroundings of the Hasting's church. He was wearing a tux that he didn't remember buying and when he looked behind him, there stood his brother Michael looking just as dapper if not slightly older than he remembered him. He thought briefly that it was odd that Michael was his only groomsman but he didn't dwell on it. As he looked into the pews, he saw his parents and Grace's parents sitting on opposite sides of the church and then he looked toward the pulpit and saw a faceless pastor getting ready to marry them. Suddenly, music began to play and he saw his bride standing at the end of the aisle. His heart instantly filled up with excitement and joy. Any waking questions he had had before this moment were gone, and no longer had any place in this moment. Hale knew himself to be slightly emotionally repressed, but right then and there he felt tears well up in his eyes. The music swelled as his bride began to walk toward him and with every step she took he became more and more sure that she was the one. By the time she reached the pulpit, Hale had tears flowing freely down his face, he had never felt more ready to be married than in that moment. He could hardly restrain himself from tearing her veil away so he could see her beautiful face and kiss her. He was disappointed when the pastor began the ceremony without having removed her veil, but he simply took her hands in his and was content for the time being. The ceremony felt as if it would never end and all Hale wanted was to just be married already. Every part of his heart and even, he thought, part of his soul belonged to this woman and he needed desperately to be married to her. This must have been what it was like for Adam to be with Eve. Finally, even though Hale could not remember making his vows, the pastor assured them that they had exchanged them and it was time to kiss the bride. Hale took a deep breath and finally removed her veil. Underneath, an impossibly beautiful brunette smiled up at him. Hale stopped, Isn't Grace blond? This couldn't be right, he thought, who was this woman? Yet, even though he didn't know her face, his heart still assured him that this was his wife. Without another thought, he placed his hand on either side of her face and kissed her deeply. Without separating, he heard another voice, one which seemed to fill the whole church which said "I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Reyes."