096: Aubrey

I did, and he followed. I rolled to the far wall. Rafe lay on his back and dialed a number. I was quiet, not wanting to interrupt, but wondering why he'd chosen to call someone right in the middle of our serious conversation.

"We're losing two hours as we drive." He said to me, and looked at his phone to confirm the time.

"But right now we're in the same time zone as my family." I said softly. "Mountain Daylight time."

"Hello, is Bishop Bradley there?" It would have been close to ten p.m. I was shocked he was actually making that call. At all.

"Hi, Bishop, this is Rafe Stryker, how are you doing?" I couldn't hear the Bishop's response, and felt a little funny listening to Rafe's side of it, as I thought it might end up being a very personal conversation. But he knew I was there. If he'd wanted to do it privately, he knew—

"So what did you find out?"

Okay, now I was more than surprised. This meant he'd already talked to the Bishop about something recently. He listened intently, nodding now and then. He told him we'd be in Monterrey tomorrow. He told him we wouldn't be near another temple for nine days. I felt my body tingle with adrenaline. He had thought about things.

Finally he said, "She is planning to stay on tour during our time in Mexico, a little over a month.... Yes, yes, yes, we have a hard time keeping our hands off each other. Yeah, no. Nope. Nope. Not at all. Thanks. Yeah."

I was dying to know what was being said. I felt the blood pumping hard in my veins, and my breathing was shallow. When Rafe hung up I could barely just lay there.

"That was my Bishop." He said unnecessarily.

"Our Bishop." I corrected. I wanted so badly to start pummeling him with questions. Remaining silent, or supportive as he decided what to tell me was killing me. But I did. I just laid there.

"So, this is the deal. I'm to find the missionaries in Monterrey tomorrow and get a blessing. You can come with. I need to download several articles and books including the Book of Mormon to my iPAD and start reading every day. You will have to help me with this. I'm not a big fan of reading long things, and I have the feeling this is going to be long. I'm to pray morning and night, and in between."

"What are you supposed to read?"

"Book of Mormon."

"I have that."

"Temple ready handbook."

"That's easy to get and I should read it too if we are preparing to go to the temple. I have to take the classes as well."

"You, why?"

"Everybody does."

"Oh." Now he didn't feel so singled out.

"What else?"

"The Miracle of Forgiveness by Kimball."

"I have that." I drew in my breath sharply. It was one of my favorite books, but I could see how you'd feel differently if you'd sinned. You really came to see sin as sin, reading that book.

"Aubrey, what are the actual questions in the recommend interview? Ask them to me right now."

I got out the Kindle and turned to Exodus 20 in the Bible. "How about if we start at the beginning? How about the 10 commandments?"

"Okay, assuming I believe in God at all, right?"

"Do you?"

"Yes."

I looked at him carefully. "Is this going to make you uncomfortable? You don't have to do it with me if you don't want."

He gave me a huge enigmatic grin. "This is an attempt to keep my hands off you--- I am not the least uncomfortable talking to you about the 10 Commandments. Let's see how I do."

"Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."

"I don't." He said. "At least--- well, what's your take on that?"

"Aside from the obvious? Like false Gods and witchcraft? Just, do you put other things above God in your life? How important is God to you?"

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I do. I put other things above God."

I slid sideways and leaned up on an arm. "Graven images."

"Do I worship them?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Okay. Taking the name of God in vain."

"I'm stopping. It will be the first thing I repent of."

"Sabbath day."

"Working on it."

"Not supposed to work on it."

He grinned. "Cute, there, little missy. Okay, I understand it now and am trying harder to apply it in my life."

I nodded. "Honor thy father and thy mother."

"I do. I love them and take care of them, and try to reconcile my differences with them."

"Don't kill."

"I don't."

"Don't steal."

"I don't."

"Don't lie."

"I don't."

"Don't covet."

"I'm good. I don't covet."

"Okay then...."

"Where's the one about chastity? I know there's one about chastity."

"Well, we both know the answer to that one." I screwed up my lips. "Yeah."

"Give me the recommend interview." I easily pulled it up online.

"Do you believe in God?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe in Jesus Christ? The Holy Ghost?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a testimony of the restored gospel?"

"Joseph Smith and the plates and the angel and modern prophets?"

"Yes."

"I don't agree with everything they say, but I believe they are who they think they are. I believe in the church, Aubrey."

I swallowed hard, and he smiled, recognizing my relief and my anxiety.

"So, do you sustain the prophet and the general authorities of the church?"

"I don't agree with everything they say, but I don't think they are not inspired by God."

"But do you think they have the authority from God to speak for and to the whole world?"

Now it was his turn to screw up his lips. "I believe that's what they do, yes."

"Do you live the law of chastity?"

"No."

"Do you in any way mistreat your family?"

"No."

"Do you sympathize with anti-Mormon groups?"

"Yes."

"Do you try to do your duties at church, go to meetings, etc etc?"

"No."

"Are you honest in all your dealings?"

"Yes."

"Do you pay your tithing?"

"Yes."

"Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?"

He laughed. "No."

I read through the next couple and they didn't apply to him. "Has there been any misdeed in your life that should have been resolved with priesthood authority but has not?"

"Yes."

"That's it." I said. "You have a few things to work on Brother Stryker."

"How do you think I did?"

"Pretty good, you haven't killed anybody and you pay your tithing, you're up on the basics for sure."

"I'm not abusing drugs Aubrey. I have an occasional drink, obviously not around you, and I've smoked pot once in the last month, tonight."

"That shouldn't be too hard to stop then."

"I usually drink a lot more coffee."

"But you're off now, just stay off."

He contemplated that, and I could see the tightening of his lips. But I didn't want to get into it right now. That seemed so resolvable to me, I wanted to hear how he felt about the big things.

"Except me, since you've known me, you've been celibate? Right? You told me that."

"I haven't even looked at another woman, Aubrey. Wanting you has kept me pret-ty focused."

"Did the Bishop ask you about that?"

"Yes, I was honest. You heard me."

"You said yep, and nope, and yep."

"And that we couldn't keep our hands off each other." He turned and ran his hand down my arm to my waist.

Then he took my hand and placed it on his chest. He was wearing his t-shirt tonight, so I felt a little better. The sight of those amazing tattoos---- on that firmly muscled chest----

"But we haven't violated the law of chastity, have we?"

"We've pretty much seen each other naked." I said, disgusted with myself. "I've seen a lot of naked people, but you are far more interesting than all of them. You are my---."

"Bae?"

"Excuse me?"

"Lover?"

"Yes."

He looked exquisitely satisfied. Both arms rose above his head and clasped against the pillow. "I'm hot."

I chuckled. "You are. But you don't need me to tell you that. You've very well--- blessed."

*********