Loved; A Christmas Special

Chapter 3

Hugo watched the pretty lady as she moved from one group to another, smiling brightly and snapping as many pictures as she could. He'd seen her briefly at work but that was it. He was oddly drawn to her, and was yet to decide if it was in a sexual way or not.. He watched her zone out, and return from whatever mental journey she'd gone on. He watched her fake a smile until she made it. He felt a weird curiosity to figure out the workings of her mind. She was a beauty, anyone who saw her could testify to that, but his fascination with her went beyond that. Hugo was seated at the same table as her during the reception. He constantly tried to make conversation with her but she stubbornly ignored him.

Mira sat irritated at the persistence of the young man next to her. He was handsome and all, but she wanted nothing to do with men like him; they looked smooth and suave on the outside but we're nothing but disguised wolves. Fed up with his shenanigans, she turned to tell him off.

"The beautiful lady has finally decided to give me her time of day." He said before she could utter a word, destroying her plans.

"You're persistent aren't you?" She said as he laughed. They entered into an easy conversation, with her constantly pushing the conversation away from herself and to other irrelevant topics like politics, and the weather. The wedding finally came to an end and Mira left without giving him her phone number.

Hugo was a parasite, as far as Mira was concerned. He showed up everywhere, and with an assignment too- to make her life a living hell. One of her friends had given him her contact information and he constantly called and texted her. She'd given up on blocking his number as he always found a way to contact her. Since the wedding, he always had something that brought him to her part of the company.

Another thing that made Mira want to avoid him like a plague was the fact that he was an active Christian. She'd had her fair share of believers in Mike and wanted nothing more to do with them. However, it seemed he had selective deafness when it came to her no's. He invited her to everything... Concerts, seminars, services, thanksgivings. He was never deterred.

Hugo watched her work, she was hardworking, determined, smart, friendly... but unhappy. He spent an awful amount of time watching her, and added to his keen observant skills, it wasn't hard to notice how easily her smile slipped away, how easily her gloom set in, how quick she was to fake a smile whenever someone approached and how quick she was to lose it once the person left. Her unhealthy work habit; working late every day and coming in early. And how she always took what he suspected to be anti-depression meds. What he didn't understand was her aversion to him. She was always hostile, shutting him down, and trying her possible best to avoid being in the same room as him for longer than necessary. Whenever he invited her for a program, she always gave him a negative answer. Most importantly, he couldn't understand what drew him to her. Maybe it was due to his love for systems; taking them apart and putting them together, but he wanted to figure her out. What made her tick, what set her off.

It was more than that. Ever since he met her, he'd felt a burden for her. Every night, he prayed for hours for her. The words were never clear, but he prayed anyway, speaking in tongues and making requests he didn't understand. He couldn't understand why she was impressed on his mind, his spirit. After weeks of trying and failing to communicate, Hugo gave her her space.

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He sat up with a start. The bedsheet soaked with his sweat as though he'd been drenched with water.

"Peace, be still." He muttered continuously his heart rate slowed down. Even after so long, the nightmare hadn't stopped. Calling it a nightmare was wrong. It was a memory that hunted him; a nasty, bitter memory. That day was as clear as the previous minute in his mind. After that incident, his drunken habit had fallen away. Bile rose in his throat as he rushed to the toilet, speaking peace into his soul after emptying his gut and dry retching. After the whole process, he sat back on the bathtub and asked for mercy, just like he'd done so many times. On nights like tonight, it was very easy to fall back into that pit of guilt and shame. To forget that he'd been forgiven and all his wrongs were forgotten. His mind ran over so many scriptures and he spoke them aloud; "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed my transgressions from me; He blotteth out my transgressions for His own sake, and will not remember my sins; I have redemption through His blood, and forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." He kept reassuring himself that Christ had forgiven all and banished the voice of the accuser.

Moving to his bedside, he knelt and prayed for Esther, just like he'd done every night since he found Christ. Halfway through, Mira came into mind, and tonight, the words were clear. He prayed for healing for her. Healing for her wounded soul, healing for her heart and he also prayed she found the beauty of life in Christ.