The Match (Part 1 of 2)

Abigail held her breath as she scrolled through the dating app at the dining table. She clicked like for some of the guys and within seconds got at least ten matches. However, most of them seemed like they just pretended to be Christians but to get a one-night stand with her.

Well, who wouldn’t, considering Abigail put a sexy profile picture of herself sun tanning on the beach. She was tall, slim and had a shapely body. But she was still single. None of her prior relationships lasted more than a few months and by now, she was going to reach thirty years old this year. All her girlfriends were already married or getting married soon. Her girl club was rapidly shrinking. 

“Eat your food,” her mum said. “Stop playing with your phone while we’re having dinner.”

Her parents still treated her like a little girl. She sighed and put her phone on her lap. She tucked into the fried rice and sambal vegetables. Her autistic brother Aaron was sitting across her at the table making stupid sounds again. Her father was trying to calm Aaron down but it seemed to be of no use, as usual.

Abigail ignored Aaron, wishing she was born in another family or to get married soon and move out. As an air stewardess, she wasn’t home that much but even the times when she was at home was enough to irritate her constantly.

“When are you flying Abby?” her mum asked, trying to make some conversation.

“Next week,” Abigail replied. 

"To where?"

“Denmark.”

“That's nice,” her mum said. “One day we can all go there for a family holiday.”

“Sure.” Abigail knew it was almost impossible ever since her brother was born 10 years ago. Almost everything revolved around taking care of Aaron. Abigail half-finished her dinner and then went to wash the dishes. 

She placed her phone nearby and heard the notification chime. She leaned over to check and found that one of the guys initiated a chat with her. He was a Caucasian male - Dirk Vogel, handsome and living in a nice bungalow. The perfect expat bachelor. Plus, he seemed like a Christian too. Was he the real deal? 

Abigail chatted with Dirk through the app and found out he attended boxing class in a gym. He invited her to join him next week for a class. Abigail felt a rush of excitement at the thought of meeting Dirk. The boxing class would be the day before she flew off to Denmark. She hardly slept that night.

***

It was Sunday the next day and her mum had to drag Abigail out of bed. Somehow they managed to reach church five minutes late.

Abigail plunked herself in the seat and folded her arms. She found church service dry and boring. All her girlfriends were out shopping and having fun while she was stuck in this musty sanctuary for the next two hours listening to some preacher drone on about ancient times. But this week was different.

There was excitement in the air. The senior pastor introduced a new pastor, Pastor Trevor. Trevor was middle-aged and dressed in a sharp blazer and skinny tie. 

“Pastor Trevor would be helping us to disciple the young adults and cell groups,” the senior pastor said with a huge smile. “And do pray for him, he’s looking for a wife too.”

The whole congregation roared in laughter and cheers. Abigail sat up straighter. Trevor looked like a nice guy but she wasn’t that keen on dating a pastor. Pastors would keep on talking about God, giving money to the church and scolding people for having fun.

Her father nudged Abigail in the side. “He’s available you know. You got to say hello with the sweetest voice you can after the service.”

“No, that’s weird,” Abigail retorted. “There’s a lot of other available girls here for him too. It won’t be me.”

“You’re not getting any younger,” he said. “It’s about time you settle down.”

Trevor delivered a passionate message that was full of life, humour and conviction. Abigail didn’t default to her phone's Instagram feed for once. She was touched by God about knowing God’s will for her life. 

Trevor was saying repeatedly, “Plan to have God in your plans. Don’t leave him out of the equation.”

Abigail wondered if she chose to be an air stewardess just to escape home. She wondered if she used a dating app just to get married to anyone. During the altar call, she almost raised her hand to respond but the fear of being spotted kept her back.

After the service, everyone made a beeline for the exit where the pastors shook their hands as they left. Abigail felt increasingly nervous as she got closer to Trevor. She couldn’t understand why - she met so many guys before.

But Trevor seemed so attractive in a godly way. She was afraid that he would find out what she was truly like and judge her.

“Come on,” her mum said, tugging Aaron along. “Abby, move faster please.”

Trevor looked much shorter than when he was on the stage. Also, he didn’t look that young. Probably in his mid-thirties. He smiled as he shook Abigail’s hand warmly.

“Thanks for your sermon pastor,” Abigail said softly. “It was really good.”

“God is good, sister,” Trevor replied.

The senior pastor leaned over to Trevor and said, “Abigail is a good catch too!”

Trevor laughed nervously. “You said that for at least five other ladies. But I hope to meet you more Abigail, in a pastoral manner of course.”

Abigail grinned and felt her heart thumping wildly against her chest and almost didn’t want to let go of Trevor’s hand. 

Was Trevor part of God’s plan in her life? She brushed the thought away as quickly as it came.

---

The week flew by in a flash. Aaron had a meltdown again, causing him to use their plates like a Frisbee. Thankfully, they were plastic plates. Abigail's work was piling up in preparation for their trip and she looked forward to meeting Dirk at the boxing class later. They were still chatting on the dating app and she found him funny though some of his jokes were raunchy. But she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she wasn’t putting God in her plans. She didn’t consult God if Dirk was the right guy for her. Maybe it was born out of an irrational fear that God was a spoilsport who liked to mess up her life.

She went to the boxing gym and it was bustling with activity. The gym had a boxing ring in the middle and a row of light and heavy punching bags lining the side. Many guys in sweaty shirts turned to ogle her as she walked into the training room. 

A tall European man waved at her and jogged over. It was Dirk in the flesh. He was soaked in a sweaty singlet that clung to his chiselled body. His blue eyes glistened the moment he scanned Abigail from head to toe. 

“You must be Abigail,” Dirk said in a heavy German accent. “I’d give you a hug but I’m too sweaty.”

“Let’s join the program,” Abigail said excitedly. She found Dirk even more handsome in real life. Hooking up with an expatriate was a dream for most girls her age. A lady boxing trainer demonstrated the exercises and routines. It was gruelling training even though Abigail was considered quite athletic. Her muscles were burning with lactic acid by the first 15 minutes. Then the trainer made them pair up to do some exercises.

Naturally, Abigail paired up with Dirk. Dirk was rather touchy and she wasn’t sure if he did it on purpose or not. She frowned and told her she needed a breathing break. 

“Can I train with a lady?” Abigail asked between pants. “My pace is too slow for you.” She didn’t want to tell him that she felt uncomfortable with him. She had a nagging feeling that Dirk wasn’t that different from the other guys she met.

Dirk looked annoyed. “I’ll slow down, don’t worry. I promise.”

Abigail couldn’t give a proper excuse and said, “I need to go to the restroom.”

She felt the eyes of all the guys burning into her as she walked past them. She patted her face with cool water and clutched the sides of the wash basin. 

Suddenly it hit her. She prayed softly, “God, I want to have you in my pans. Show me if Dirk is the right guy for me.” A wave of peace swept over her and she smiled to herself. She thought of Trevor.

She returned to Dirk and they continued some simple boxing exercises. She saw him checking out some other girls in tight clothes intermittently. This was the end of the line for him. When he wasn’t paying attention, Abigail hit the heavy punching bag as hard as she could, sending it hurtling back at Dirk. The bag smashed Dirk’s face, busting his nose.

Blood flowed down his nose like a tap. He cursed and said, “What’s your problem?” 

“You,” Abigail said, stripping off her hand gloves proudly.

---

“So much for Dirk,” Abigail thought after she went home. She told her mum about her disappointment. 

“Life is unpredictable,” her mum said, giving her a hug. “Just keep trusting that God has a perfect plan for you.”

“It’s getting harder, but I’m trying my best,” Abigail said. She went to pack her clothes for the work trip the next day. Her phone was buzzing with messages of apologies from Dirk but she muted him. She wasn’t going to have anything more to do with him. God did answer her prayer by saying a loud emphatic “No”! As she packed her clothes, her mind drifted to Trevor again. His sermon really had an impact on her life. There was something special about him. 

The doorbell rang. 

Abigail stopped packing and headed to the door. She opened it, half expecting it to be the postman or a salesman.

It was Trevor. She was stunned for a moment, not believing that she was just thinking of him minutes earlier. He was wearing a neat blue-striped shirt and jeans and holding a large brown plastic bag.

“Hi Pastor Trevor,” she said eventually, tidying her hair.

“Hi Abigail,” Trevor said. “Your family is expecting me. They didn’t tell you?”

“Nope.” 

“I’m visiting all the families in the church and I brought you all a gift. I heard Aaron’s birthday is coming up.” Trevor slipped off his shoes and entered the house. The rest of the family came out to greet him. 

“Thanks for the cake,” Abigail said. She was pleasantly surprised to see Trevor doing his best to engage Aaron by playing silly games. She never really wanted to be with Aaron as it was draining physically and mentally. But Trevor looked energised as he interacted.

Before leaving, Trevor prayed for them. 

“I’ll walk you to the bus stop,” Abigail offered to her father’s surprise. 

“Sure,” Trevor said with a smile. He pointed at Abigail’s half-packed luggage and asked, “Going somewhere?”

“I have a work trip tomorrow,” Abigail said as they left the house and entered the lift. “You seem to connect very well with Aaron.”

Trevor laughed. “During my time in bible school, I was attached to a Christian centre for autistic kids so I learnt a thing or two. Even though Aaron is mildly autistic, it must be difficult for you all.”

Abigail nodded. She felt so comfortable talking with him and she purposely walked slower to the bus stop just to spend more time with him. She shared about all the meltdowns and frustrations over the years. And she also shared her parent’s neglect of her since Aaron came along. She began to feel emotional. 

Trevor listened patiently to her at the bus stop.

“I don’t know if I’m just trying to escape all this and searching for affection in my relationships,” Abigail said, not expecting to share so deeply. She watched another bus go by and said, “I’m sorry for taking your time. Has your bus come yet?”

“Well, two buses that I could take went by,” Trevor said. “But I want to listen to you. Let’s go to the café.”

“Really?” she asked in surprise, feeling happy again. Most men weren’t interested in knowing her as a person but just trying to get under her clothes.

Trevor bought cold ice-lemon tea for themselves and they chatted for another hour. Then after a short silence, she asked, “What’s your story? What brings you to our church?”

Trevor frowned and sipped his drink.

“I was supposed to marry this girl in my previous church but things didn’t work out.”

“Why not?”

“I found out that she was cheating on me and I called off our wedding.” Trevor’s cheeks were drained of colour.

Abigail wanted to give Trevor a reassuring touch on his arm but she restrained herself. She didn’t know how he would react. She just said, “Sorry to hear that. But you didn’t need to move church right?” 

“True, but this girl’s family literally built the church and are a powerful bunch. So I left to prevent more awkward questions being asked.”

“Did this girl ask for your forgiveness?”

“Sadly no. She brazenly denied any of the allegations. It became really ugly before I left.” He checked his watch and his eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, time really flies talking to you! I have to go now.”

Abigail smiled and walked him to the bus stop again. But she didn’t spot a crack in the sidewalk and her foot slipped, twisting her ankle painfully. Trevor caught her in his arms and she was so embarrassed.

“Are you okay?” Trevor asked with concern.

“I think I twisted my ankle,” Abigail said as she winced in pain struggling to balance.

“Don't’ worry, I’ll bring you home.” Trevor put her arm around his neck and supported her weight. Though it was still painful for those few moments, it seemed to vanish.

She pressed her body against Trevor and enjoyed the sensation secretly. Trevor was too busy dragging her along to notice.

He managed to lug her home and apologised to her parents for not looking out for her. He left only after making sure that her ankle was treated properly.

Abigail’s foot was swollen and aching terribly but it was nothing compared to her heart ache after Trevor left. 

Was she in love?

Click here to read Part 2...