WEB NOVEL: SET APART

Written by Abby Caymol | Apr 19, 2024

Abrielle

I talked with Eun-yeong about the unknown viewer who checked my stories on Blessbook. She suggested that it could be Jeremiah and his friends checking my reels on The Fruit app. Eun-Yeong had an idea to find out if Jeremiah viewed my stories on Blessbook. She said that if I see Jeremiah at the checkpoint after I post a story and it gets viewed immediately, it means it wasn’t him because he can’t use his phone on duty. This idea made me nervous because what if it wasn’t Jeremiah? I wasn’t sure if I was ready for disappointment. I told Eun-Yeong that I would be getting a passenger at the Ticket Counter so we could pass by the checkpoint area. My stories usually get viewed from around 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm, which could be Jeremiah’s break time. I don’t know for sure, but I am ready to find out if it was indeed Jeremiah who viewed my stories on Blessbook.

A passenger arrived, and I assisted them in a wheelchair. Only a few people were in the checkpoint area, and I couldn’t see Jeremiah. Was he assigned to this checkpoint or a different one? We proceeded inside, and as I placed my passenger’s belongings on the tray, I scanned the area to see if Jeremiah was around, but he was nowhere to be found. I quickly posted my story, and once my passenger was settled, we left the area and headed to the subway. We had to go to the other side of the airport because my passenger’s gate was there. I rechecked my story, but it had not been viewed by the other viewer yet, and it was already 3:30 pm. I shook my head in disbelief, wondering why I had to be interested in these things. I couldn’t believe I had dragged my friends, like Charity and Eun-yeong, along with me out of curiosity. I didn’t want my interests to involve them.

I wish I knew Jeremiah’s Blessbook account to add him as a friend and check if he was viewing my stories. The train arrived, and we boarded. After helping my passenger with the gate, I faced the tall glass window. I realized I was too preoccupied with finding out who this other viewer was, and I failed to appreciate the beauty of heaven and God’s creation of the autumn season. I sighed and wished I had more self-control, but my curiosity still controlled me without noticing. I need to gain more knowledge and wisdom about this absurdity. I took out my phone and searched for a Bible verse about self-control. I found 2 Peter 1:5-7 and decided to read it in my Bible instead of on the phone app. It says, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.” This verse gave me hope and reminded me that I must cultivate self-control to live a more fulfilling life.

As I pondered, the words knowledge, self-control, and steadfastness lingered in my mind. It dawned on me that God has given us the knowledge to use righteously and not for personal gain or misuse. However, the knowledge that the Lord has bestowed upon me has become uncontrollable, and I couldn’t help but think about the unknown viewer on my Blessbook. My curiosity has taken over my mind, and it has caused me to be unsteady and restless. I feel uneasy and lack peace in my heart because of it. My constant interest in figuring out who the other viewer was has taken a toll on me, making it hard to control my thoughts. This is reflected in my sometimes absent-mindedness, and even though I know the answer, I couldn’t absorb it enough. My eyes feel tired, and my mind is exhausted. My body needs to relax as well. While lost in my thoughts, Charity asked me if I could pick her up at work later tonight at 11:30 pm, as she is working her part-time job and her husband is unavailable to pick her up due to overtime at work.

I agreed to pick her up and return to the office to check for more assignments. After my shift, I went to the parking level, where we were supposed to wait for the bus. While waiting, I heard people talking behind me and saw Jeremiah and his friends approaching. Jeremiah called his friends by their names, which I remembered. I felt uneasy as my heart started beating fast. When the bus arrived, I let them board first and sat at the back. Instead of reading a book this time, I put on my earbuds and listened to some worship songs. Jeremiah sat in my direction, and I pretended to look out the window while peeking at him.

Upon arriving at the employee parking lot, we disembarked from the bus and went to our respective cars. As I settled into my car, I realized my hands were freezing. It had been a while since I had seen Jeremiah on the bus, so I felt nervous and happy when I saw him. I drove home, had a relaxing dinner, and briefly read my book. When it was time to pick up Charity, I returned to the airport. Upon her arrival, we set out on our usual route. Due to the late hour, very few cars were on the road. Suddenly, we heard a loud “bang” behind my car as we turned in the right direction. The impact was intense, causing us both to jump in our seats. We had been hit by another vehicle. Thankfully, the police arrived quickly as someone had reported the collision. I was extremely nervous and asked Charity if she was okay. She replied that she was slightly fine but had been somewhat shaken by the impact on her back.

We resolved the issue with the police and got settled. I am grateful that my car was still operational. On our way home, Charity mentioned that she noticed no vehicle approaching from behind. It was like it came out of nowhere. I clarified to her that I made the right turn as I didn’t see any car coming behind us, so it was safe to turn right. Before the accident, we discussed Jeremiah and his friends. Charity assumed that I got distracted. She added that even though we saw no car approaching, God might have been trying to tell me something. God wants to remind me not to pay too much attention to Jeremiah and the unknown viewer in Blessbook. I told Charity I was grateful to God that we were safe and nothing worse had happened. Charity might be right. It could be a sign from God. I felt so bad that Charity was with me when the accident occurred.

I should have been more careful and not let my emotions get the best of me. I couldn’t effectively preach the gospel and, at the same time, indulge in my attraction to Jeremiah and believe that he was viewing my stories anonymously. I’m so over it. Charity asked me if I had informed my dad about the accident, so I told her I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. I sent him a text message instead about the accident and said that we were okay. I also posted the accident photo on Blessbook and shared it on my stories. Some friends who were awake then tried to reach me through phone calls and private messages, but I couldn’t respond. Meanwhile, Charity commented out of nowhere.

“Bestie, I understand you value honesty, but you might intentionally post things for a specific purpose. So, let me ask you this: When you post words of encouragement, do they truly come from your heart? Or are you doing it to try and catch someone who is secretly viewing your posts? Please reflect on this and stay true to your faith. Don’t let these thoughts lead you away from the truth. This feeling may make you happy temporarily, but it is still counterfeit. Please consider these things carefully.”

When I arrived at Charity’s house, I apologized for what had happened, and we hugged. She reassured me that everything was fine and expressed gratitude that we had made it home safely. As I was leaving, she reminded me to drive safely. As I drove home, I couldn’t help but shed tears. I felt a deep sadness and shame in front of God. I knew that I was not fully committed to my faith and had allowed other things to take the place of Jesus in my heart. Despite this emotional turmoil, I made it home safely and realized that God had been watching over me all along. Jeremiah didn’t even know me and didn’t know what I was going through; I felt compelled to bow my head and hold onto the steering wheel tightly.

I was still crying, completely overwhelmed. No matter how hard I tried to stay focused, the enemy tried to break me down. I knew I had been running a good race and that every athlete exercised self-control. These were the things I needed to focus on. But at this point, I felt like I was running aimlessly, throwing punches at nothing, like a city without walls. I couldn’t keep my emotions under control, and I was afraid I would be disqualified. I remembered that no temptation that is not common to man had overtaken me. I knew the Lord was faithful and would not let me be tempted beyond what I could bear. He would provide a way out so that I could endure it. But I needed to abide by God’s plan to get through this. I needed to listen to His instructions and follow His steps. Just then, my phone rang, and I saw that it was my Dad calling me. I told him I was in the driveway, and he immediately came to see me. As soon as he saw me crying, he hugged me tight. It had been a long night, and this was exactly what I needed.