Part XV:   

Wake Up Call

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     Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:4-7

     Reuben awoke from sleep with Alex on his heart and a sense of deep sorrow that weighed on him. It wasn't unusual for the Lord to awaken him with a burden and call him to lay that burden at his feet in intercessory prayer. He grabbed a hold of Maria's shoulder and vigorously shook her as he called out, "Maria...Maria!"

     "Ahhh!" she screamed as she was quickly jolted out of sleep. She then screamed again at the sight of a figure hovering over her. 

      "Maria, it's me!"

      "Reuben," fully awake now and sitting up she asked in alarm, "¿Qué pasó, los niños?"

     "No, the children are fine."

     She breathed a sigh of relief then looked at her husband again, "Ne ne, que susto. You almost gave me a heart attack. You need to stop doing that," she said holding her heart.

     He nodded in agreement then said, "It's Alex, we need to pray for him now."

     "Pero que pasa?" she asked with much concern.

     "I don't know what's going on but something isn't right."

     "You know, Alex has been on my heart too. Si, Vamos a orar."

     Reuben and Maria immediately began praying for Alex and about thirty minutes later Reuben felt the burden lift and peace now replacing its place inside his heart. As he grew quiet so did Maria. They then thanked the Lord for his continued faithfulness to his children and giving them the honor of interceding for them.

     After a moment Maria inquired of her husband, "Reuben, why don't you invite Alex for dinner, it's been awhile seen we've seen him?"

     "Yes," Reuben agreed, "I've been wanting to see him too. I'll go over there tomorrow and talk to him."

     "Bueno!" she exclaimed in excitement, "There's this girl I met at the market that is really nice and..."

      "Maria," Reuben flashed her a weary look, "How long have you been trying to set that man up, hum?"

     Maria quickly responded, "Pero ne ne, it's not good for him to be alone.  He needs a woman as a helpmate," she said with much conviction.

     "Maria," Reuben continued in exasperation, "You know what Jesus and the Apostle Paul said, not everyone is cut out for marriage. Besides, if the Lord wanted him with a woman the Lord would bring one into his life."

     "Si amor," she continued, "but how would he know if he doesn't put himself out there. He's always working," she commented disapprovingly.

     "That's how he feels Maria. You've already tried several times...we need to respect how he feels," Reuben said patiently knowing how much his wife loved Alex and was only trying to help him out.  He also knew when she got an idea in her head that she felt strongly about she was like a race car driver in the Daytona 500.  She didn't look to the left or right but set her sights on the finish line and floored it.  It was one of her greatest advantages, and disadvantages.  Many in his neighborhood were like that, passionately running full speed ahead with their ideas and feelings, often resulting in a head on collision. He had been that way once too, yet with the Lord and then the help of Alex he had learned that feelings can get away from you and lose their grounding in Jesus if you got ahead of Him. He knew Maria's heart intentions were good, yet he was helping her understand how she had to respect others' wishes and he was often the one who had to apply the breaks when he sensed she was getting ahead of the Lord.

     "Ok," Maria said with resignation, then added, "But you are going to invite him to dinner, si?  I'll make his favorite dish, you know how much Alex loves my beef stew with rice and beans and plantains."

     "Uh hummm," Reuben responded dreamily, "It's one of my favorite dishes too."

     "I know," Maria said with much satisfaction. She loved to cook for others and took pride in her culinary skills that were filled with the flavors of their Latino culture.

     "Bueno," Reuben continued, "Let's get back to sleep. I want to get an early start tomorrow. 

     Maria nodded, then as an afterthought said, "I really thought he and my cousin Clarisa were going to hit it off..."

     "Marrria..."

     "Ok ne ne, I heard you," she said in defeat, "I'm just saying, I thought they were going to hit it off...Good night."  

     Reuben leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

     "All the time. We are not teenagers anymore Reuben," she chided but inside they both knew that she loved it. 

Part XVI:  The Dance