WEB NOVEL: SET APART

Mar 31, 2024

Written by Abby Caymol

ABRIELLE

Today is no different from any other day, except it’s colder than usual. I have a thick jacket that’s perfect for this weather. I texted my colleague Jethro to let him know I arrived early on the employee bus. Right now, I’m enjoying my coffee while watching the pouring rain. I wonder when this rain will stop – the weather in Seattle is so unpredictable; it’s mostly rainy. Today, I’m feeling more at peace than yesterday. I’m thinking about Mama Selam and plan to give her a call later. As I enjoyed the quietness, I received a notification on my Bible app. A verse from Galatians 5:22-23 read: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”Today is no exception than any other day. It is colder than usual days. The jacket I got is thick and perfect for this weather. I texted Jethro to inform him that I came early on the employee bus. I want to enjoy my coffee while staring in the pouring rain. I wonder when this rain will stop. The weather in Seattle is unpredictable. Mostly, it’s raining. Today, I have more peace than yesterday. I wonder how Mama Selam is doing. I’m going to make a call for her later. As I was enjoying the quietness, I checked my Bible app. It was an unseen notification. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” A verse from Galatians 5:22-23.

“I wonder what message God has for me today?” I thought to myself as I received the fruit of the Spirit. Glancing at my watch, I noticed that it was already 11:20 am. To my left, I saw Jethro’s car parked beside me. Sensing the rain, I removed my umbrella and knocked on Jethro’s car window. “Jethro, I have an umbrella. Let’s share it,” I said. “That’s fine. I always keep an umbrella in my car,” he replied. Exiting the car and walking towards the shelter, we closed our umbrellas and tried to dry ourselves. “Hey, I see something new on you today,” Jethro commented. “I don’t shop a lot. I prefer to spend my money on food rather than material things. I bought this jacket in the store to match Jeremiah’s,” I explained.

As the bus finally arrived, my heart started racing. I was nervous that only Jeremiah and I would be wearing matching colors, but he didn’t know I liked him, so I didn’t think he would notice. I always talked with Jethro and Charity about my feelings for Jeremiah. We chose to sit in the back of the bus, and I was excited to see him since he usually parks his car in the last shelter’s parking lot. Seeing him every day always brings me joy, but if only he knew how I felt about him…

I wondered if he had The Fruit app, but I dismissed the thought to calm down. As we approached the last shelter, Jeremiah ran towards the bus wearing his usual jacket. Jethro and I looked through the window and noticed that my jacket’s color matched his exactly – it was identical. I felt warm on my cheeks, and I knew I was blushing. Jeremiah sat on his usual seat across from me, scrolling through his phone and not noticing me. We reached our stop, and as we got off the bus, I said goodbye, and God bless you to the driver. Jethro and I walked behind Jeremiah to avoid any awkwardness.

Jethro asked me, “Why don’t you tell Jeremiah that you like him?” to which I replied, “I don’t have to.” Jethro then asked me if I was afraid of rejection. His question cut me open and made me wonder if my fear of rejection was holding me back. However, I firmly believe I shouldn’t confess my feelings to a guy unless he confesses his feelings to me first. If a guy likes me, he will try to catch my attention regardless of whether I have feelings for him or not. Even though the world may tell me otherwise, I stick to what my Dad taught me and what I believe in. In the case of Jeremiah and me, he never even glances at me, but I still believe that if he likes me, he will find a way to let me know. This experience taught me a valuable lesson – always think before interpreting feelings.

JEREMIAH

It has been raining heavily since this morning. When I ran to catch the bus, I got drenched. I’m glad my jacket only got wet. Now, I need to find a place to hang it to dry. I’m trying to stay calm and remember the importance of being patient. I recall a sermon from a pastor at my church in Miami who talked about running the race of life. He said that while everyone runs, only one person receives the prize. To win, a competitor must undergo strict training, requiring self-discipline and patience. I struggle with patience because I get bored quickly, prefer to avoid waiting, and can get annoyed easily. I need to work on this aspect of myself.

Speaking of self-discipline, why wouldn’t I start by being prompt when going to work? I’m tired of running to catch the bus every time I see it coming. I’m feeling perplexed and stuck in my thoughts. But where does patience come from? There’s a mystery hidden in that. While waiting for our briefing time, I thought deeply about self-control. “Penny for your thoughts?” Eden teased and laughed. She asked me if I was OK and seemed concerned. I said I was OK and just upset about my wet jacket. The briefing began, and we were advised to listen attentively to our supervisor. I tried to focus on every single thing our supervisor was saying. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. I noticed that Abrielle was wearing the same color jacket as mine. She was acting strange, and I couldn’t tell if she was looking at me or the window behind me. I didn’t pay too much attention since I was scrolling on my phone.

After the briefing ended, everyone went to their respective checkpoint areas. Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for another day of dealing with passengers. If my parents knew how seriously I practiced my patience, they would be proud of me. It wasn’t hectic today, and some officers were chatting with each other. I crossed my arms and leaned against an X-ray scanner, lost in thought about the secret of patience.

I realized that a higher power like God is the only one who can control my response to people. “That’s right!” I whispered. I remembered yesterday; I saw a verse in my feed on The Fruit app that said, “Be patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.” I kept watching reels from Abrielle. That’s why I see God-related posts in my feeds from random people. I took a deep breath and hoped to have a friend to talk to about my thoughts on patience and self-control. However, there were some things I couldn’t open up to my friends about. I thought about my churchmates in Miami, but we only talked briefly, and I’m too shy to contact them about this. Should I be friends with Abrielle? But I don’t want her to know it was me. “No, no,” I brushed off the idea. Well, I have to figure it out myself. It will take a lot of waiting, learning, and patience.