Day 4 - Sunday
Paige laid in bed long after midnight, staring at her ceiling, searching for a way to make sense out of the previous night. "It just happened" she whispered aloud. The simple statement was the essence of the vortex of thoughts swirling in her mind. How could it have happened? There had to be something to explain it. Her mind tried in vain to wrap itself around this idea, until sleep finally claimed her.
Paige woke up just after noon, much later than she was ever used to. Deliberating a moment on her clothing, she decided to dress in some of her most loose fitting attire. She couldn't take going over to face her neighbor, Lee, and having her body on display in any way. She checked out her window, seeing His car next door, she figured that He must have gotten home. It was humiliating for her to think that He could be looking at her pictures this very moment.
Breathing deep, Paige descended the stairs into her father's den. As she had the day before, she immediately ran to her father and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Good morning, daddy" she squeaked cheerfully, giving him a kiss on the cheek. As it always seemed to do, being in her daddy's embrace made all the bad feelings go away.
After a few moments, Paige's father finally spoke up, "Good morning, honey." Paige just stared up into her father's eyes with a beaming smile. Her father continued on, "Sleeping in has put you in quite a good mood, I see."
She simply responded, "I love you daddy."
Her father finally posed the question that Paige had wanted to avoid, "Are you ready to go next door and talk to Him?"
"I'm not ready yet," she quietly replied, "let me make lunch for you and mom, first. Okay?"
Her father's looked got a tad firmer as he replied, "I'll be there with you. You don't have to be scared."
"I know daddy, just give me a few minutes. Okay?" she meekly replied. Her father acknowledged her and silently returned his attention to his newspaper.
Paige proceeded to make lunch for herself and her parents. For a while, she put out of her mind the fact that she was going to go next door and face Lee soon. She enjoyed having a meal with her parents. The insanity of the past days made her truly appreciate having a normal time with her family and getting to be the little girl they had raised.
Inevitably, the meal slowly disappeared, the conversation began to fade, and Paige's demeanor began to change. She grew quieter and shier, and her head sank slowly as the impending encounter with Lee grew nearer.
Her father, sensing her mood shift, asked "Are you worried that He's going to be upset?" Paige simply nodded in reply. "I'll be right there with you, honey. Just tell Him the truth and everything will be fine. I promise" her father reassured her. Paige could only muster as small sigh and a nod.
Sadly for Paige, lunch ended. She cleared off the table and rinsed a few of the dishes. Finally, she couldn't take waiting any longer. She passed through the den, telling her father "I'll be okay daddy, you don't need to go with me" as she moved past her father's chair.
Her father gently grabbed her arm and stopped her. "I can tell you're nervous, honey. I'll go with you" he said protectively. Before she could protest any further, her father had risen from his chair and escorted her next door.
Paige and her father knocked at Lee's door. He answered, a little confused by her father's presence. Lee greeted the pair with a simple "Hello."
Paige's father replied in kind and continued, "My daughter has something she needs to tell you." Paige felt her father's hand on her shoulder, a silent prod that it was time for her to come clean.
"I got caught up reading one of your books yesterday" Paige lied, "I'm really sorry. I know wasn't supposed to be just hanging around in Your house."
Lee silently took in her confession, knowing full-well it was completely fabricated.
"You're a very honest girl" Lee replied politely. He turned to Paige's father and continued "It's fine really. I know your little girl wouldn't do anything in My house that might make you ashamed of her."
Every calculated word Lee spoke felt to Paige like a knife being twisted into her stomach. He could feel the anger and shame in her eyes as they locked on Him, even as He completely refused to acknowledge her.
Lee continued speaking to Paige's father. "This may sound odd" He said "but I've been so busy lately with work that I could really use some help keeping up My house. I hope it's not out of line to ask if Paige could lend Me a hand. I'd pay her for her time of course."
Incredibly, Paige's father responded to this idea pretty positively. Turning to his daughter, he said, "This could be just the chance you've been looking for to make a little extra money, and you'd be right next door the whole time."
Paige turned to her father, trying hard to hide the terror she felt at the thought of being beholden to Lee again in any way. She couldn't give even a hint that there was anything wrong. Her father encouraged further, "Why don't you see what kind of work He has for you, honey."
"Yes daddy" sprung almost reflexively from her lips.