P21The Curious Life of a Preacher's Wife

Plot: Complications

1. Azul can't leave Paraguay because her passport as a US citizen was delayed from the US Consulate past the date of her departing flight. She is allowed to stay in Paraguay easily enough because her Paraguayan passport is still in force, having maintained dual-citizenship for most of the years of her family's ministry in Paraguay. Dual-citizenship does have its perks, but still, she has to go through the grief of rescheduling her flight to DFW, which is a pain, since it includes a fee for the rescheduling process.

2. For the second time in a row, Azul has to reschedule her flight to DFW. This time it is a power grid, that affects airport computers, making even onboard circuitry a little iffy since it has to communicate with the ground. More time waiting, but at least she doesn't have to pay to reschedule this time, since the problem is on their end, not hers.

3. Compound both of these issues with the backstory words of Azul's "imaginary friend," Oscar, who is very real to her. She sees him often, and he torments her by "getting inside of her head." Directly after the problems at the airport surface, Oscar says things like, "I told you we shouldn't go back to The States. 'God' wants you to stay in Paraguay. Maybe you should just finish your days on Earth as a Mennonite, living in the Northeastern part of the country." "I told you we should have mailed off the month before, but did you listen to me? No!"

4. When Azul does finally make it to DFW, the border patrol agents accuse her of nefarious intentions, since her husband is not with her, (due to having died,) and their ministry paperwork has both of their names all over the contracts. "Why have you returned to The States after 40 years abroad as a dual-citizen? Are you really a Christian minister? Or are you working for the Paraguayan government?" Oscar continues his snarkiness. "See what I meant? You should have stayed and died in Paraguay."

5. On Seminary Hill as Azul sits on a blanket, soaking in the sun, waiting for the Lord's next step in her life, she hears a booming bass voice walking up behind her. "Is that you Azul Gozo? I haven't seen you in years." She turned to face John Gospel, one of the Vice-President's of SWBTS (aka Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,) and one of her old flames before she met and married Fuerza. "John? I didn't even know if you would still be here on campus." "We never left, but Jill died about 10 years ago. My heart still hurts. I'm sorry to hear about Fuerza. The potential joy of renewing the love of an old flame can be a problem when one considers the potential pain of outliving a second spouse.

6. When Azul arrives in Sycamore she realizes in short order, that friends and family in the town and surrounding countryside don't want her there because of things she did or said when she was a teenager, that "hurt their feelings." As the old adage goes, "Feelings have a very long shelf life." She learns this first-hand when Suzie Granger, who was supposed to be a long-lost high school friend, nearly knocks down Azul's front door. Apparently, Azul "stole my boyfriend in tenth grade," and forgiveness was an unknown concept to this dear lady's heart.

7. The last great conflict of Azul's life is the realization, that try as hard as she might, she can't "make amends" with everyone she has ever offended because some people seem to enjoy being offended more than the possibility of true and lasting friendship. Azul wants to finish life on Earth with the closure of true forgiveness from all those she has ever hurt, intentionally or unintentionally. She wants the love of real continuity between hearts and respect, which includes the restoration of honor with everyone she knows. This conflict explores the emotions she must deal with as she finishes her last days on Earth with the knowledge, that there are issues outstanding, and conflicts, that may never be resolved, even when they both stand in the Presence of the Lord.

by Jay O’Toole
on October 19th, 2021