Authors: Nancy Hopper
When Tim walked through the door, her big, dreamy eyes fastened on him in sheer delight.
"Hi, Robin. How are you?" he asked, going past her to his private office. "I'm glad you could come and help while Dana's gone. It's very much appreciated."
"It's my pleasure, Tim." She answered sweetly.
"There's going to be a lot going on." He said, coming to the door to look her squarely in the eye. He hated to, but he had to do it right away. He smiled at her.
"I'm getting married, so things are going to be hopping with all the arrangements that have to be made." He couldn't help the wince he felt, at the stricken look that came over her face.
"Her name is Tasha. When she calls, I don't care where I am or who I am with, I want to take the call." He told her with a lazy grin. "Today, I'll only be here long enough to drop off some things, and pick up my messages. I need to go see Dana."
"Sure. Tim, congratulations. I wish you the best." She said, in a daze.
Tim felt like a heel, but it couldn't be helped. It was better that she hear it from him; and, right away.
Dana was not good; she was extremely depressed. When Tim got home, he found her sitting in her room, just staring. He sat on her bed, and pulled her up into his lap. She let him hold her, and she just began to cry. It went on for several hours.
Timothy was very glad he'd come home. It certainly appeared that his father and Tasha's assessment had been correct. Dana needed a man to hold her, and the only one who could do it at this particular time was her big brother, whom she adored.
Tim went downstairs that evening for dinner, a very sobered man. Dana did not join them.
His father put his arms around Tim and hugged him soundly. "Thank you for coming, Tim. I don't know that we would have made it without you." He said brokenly.
Tim held his father tightly and willed him strength. "I am glad I can be here." He said. He found that he meant it.
As they sat down to dinner, Tim began to see that the recent events in his life and Dana's had taken a heavy toll on his parents. His mother was silent and drawn, and his father looked ready to throw in the towel.
He bowed his head, and silently asked God for forgiveness. He could see that he had in fact, let his family take a beating for his sake. And he hadn't given them his support. He'd been so preoccupied with Tasha that he just hadn't thought about it.
He looked up again to find them both watching him. “I’m so sorry, you guys.” he sighed. “Things have been happening so fast and furious, I’ve been hard pressed. I just didn’t realize how devastated Dana is, or how messed up everything was getting. I don’t know what to say.”
"Son, why don't you start by telling us a little bit about this girl you say you want to marry?" Jerome suggested with a tired smile.
Tim shook his head. "I don't really know where to begin. I met her in Salt Lake, and the Holy Spirit told me to talk to her. He made me promise I'd get her to the conference. So, I tried to strike up a conversation and discovered I wasn't going to get anywhere. So, He helped me enough to give me her first name. That got her dander up, and I gave her the hard sell while the door was open. She agreed to come just because she could tell I wasn't going to quit until she did."
Tim chuckled as he looked back on it. "It was the hardest job I'd ever been given. She was as prickly as a cactus, and living in a fortress I could never have gotten through, on my own. We had this roller coaster relationship. It was absolutely bizarre. One minute she’d take a slap at me and I'd be turned off, and then I'd be wanting to kiss her, and then she'd make me mad. And when I was ready to walk away, the Lord would stir compassion for her in my heart.”
"About the third or fourth night of the conference, the Holy Spirit fell in a fire – like nothing I've never known. And all of a sudden, there were no more defenses. We were both as open and innocent as newborns."
He sat and stared at his tea, and shook his head. "I couldn't see what had caused it, but I could see a path of devastation that started the day she was born. This girl has known more pain than most people see in a lifetime. I was devastated to have to feel it.
"And all of a sudden, her heart was open to me. She was soft as butter, and kind, and gentle. She’d somehow come to realize that I was just trying to get her back to the Lord."
Tim laughed at himself as he recalled the struggle he'd gone through. "The Lord tricked me. I fought like a dog on the end of a rope. I didn't want to get involved, I didn't want to fall in love. I was mad as hops when I realized I couldn't keep my eyes off this girl. So I fought it for a couple of days; but finally, I gave in."
He looked at them, and tried to find words. "Finally, the Lord let me minister to her. She broke open like a dam, and the river started to flow. And all of a sudden, I knew. And Tom Phillips knew. We both understood at the same time that she was the one God had for me.”
He paused. “There is so much that happened; it's hard to keep it all in order. Tom had given me a prophecy to end all prophecies. All that has happened since I met Tasha, he prophesied to me at that conference."
"What did you do, Timothy? Did you tell her?"
"Oh, yeah. I blundered right in, and tried to do it myself." He admitted. He laughed harshly. "She was pretty nice to me, actually. Told me very nicely that it was never going to happen. I figured a kiss or two, and I'd have her eating out of my hand. Wrong again."
"So, I went on my tour, and wrote her love letters. Nothing happened. Finally, I decided I had to go see her. I went to her house and she was not exactly delighted to see me. But, I kept pushing; and finally, she decided she probably could get rid of me by suggesting we have an affair. She figured the worst that would happen was that I’d agree, and she could give me a whirl without any commitment. It’s the commitment that had her so scared. But she was really banking on my refusal. She thought that was the one thing that would get rid of me.”
“
So, Pattie caught her wearing a Paris nightgown, and had a heyday with us. Heck of it is, Tasha kicked me out when I wouldn't take the bait, and there was no relationship, anyway. Pattie’s fondest wish would have become a reality, if she’d only left well enough alone."
He couldn't help laughing, as he thought back on it. "Pattie put her foot in it so big when she did that story." He marveled. "Tasha was scared to death! She suddenly understood beyond a shadow of a doubt why we couldn't have any nice little affairs that she could back out of. It drove her straight into my arms. She was sorry, she was scared, and she wanted to save me from Pattie. So, we flew to New York and I was able to leave New York with a kiss and a promise, and a pretty successful save on television."
"Then I got to Brazil, and my friends faxed me the second story. Tasha was extremely upset. She just didn't think she could take any more. I wasn't sure I could salvage the relationship, but I sent Rick Snyder out to do PR and be a guard for her, anyway. I figured I owed her that much.”
"And then, Pattie hit her in public, and unleashed the third story. And Rick got his head turned, and went after Tasha. She finally cracked, and went to L.A. to do the Nielsen show, and I caught a plane for L.A. So did Snyder. When I got to the studio, I found him all over my lady, begging her to run off and get married."
"It was such a nightmare. The press was crawling all over us. It's a miracle that we've survived the mess. I called Dana, and told her about Snyder. Then, I had to take care of Pattie Danniels at the airport, and get Tasha safely home again, to her father.”
"When we got there, the Holy Spirit showed up and I read Brent Charles' mail big time. The whole house ended up saved before I left."
They just looked at him.
"I know. It's unbelievable!" He agreed simply. "I can't believe I didn't lose her. I mean, I did, actually. Several times; but the Lord always came through, and restored her to me."
"Son, I know she's beautiful. But – is she sweet -- on the inside?"
Tim gave his father a lazy, wicked grin. "Like the sweetest honey." He answered in a thick voice. "She's ... awesome. Beautiful. Perfect."
"Timothy, did you see her on television?" Jerome asked worriedly.
"No. I was on a plane. Or in a taxi, or someplace. Why, did you tape it?" Tim asked curiously. “I’d be very curious to see it.
"You know, come to think of it, I still don’t have a clue what that last reveal was all about.” he frowned. “And it had to be bad, to drive her out of hiding and onto television. She's a very private person. You must know more about that, than I do. You did tape the show?”
"Did I tape it?" Jerome scoffed. "I've watched little else but these crazy talk shows, trying to make some sense out of what was going on."
"Play it for me." Tim insisted, pushing his dinner plate away.
His mother started to object, but Jerome silenced her with a look. He got up from the table, and put the tape on, for Tim to watch. Then, he left his son alone, and went back to his dinner.
They could see Tim sitting in the chair in the living room, from their vantage point at the dining table. They saw incredible pain mirrored in his eyes as he watched Tasha go through hell for him on that television show.
The tape started with a clip of Pattie confronting Tasha about Deming, at the restaurant with Rick. Then it went on, to the Norm Nielsen interview.
When it was over, Tim just dropped his head in his hands and silently wept. His heart was broken in two. To hear about what Deming Smith had done to her; to see her talk about her father, about Deming Smith, about Gary, and about him ... for her to share publicly what she truly would rather have died to keep from exposing to a single living soul ... Tim knew that there was no greater proof of her love. He was simply undone.
Jerome held his wife's hand; and as they watched Timothy, they began to understand a little bit more. Precious little, but enough. It was baffling that their fine son, who had always seemed to be so together – so in charge of things, could be in the middle of such messes!
Yet, looking at him, they knew not to interfere. There was nothing they could do. Timothy was in love, and it was obviously not an easy road that he was on. But they knew that they would not have the intimate visit with their son that they had so hoped for. Tim would not likely be 'quite himself', for some time to come.
Finally, he went back to them; and sat silently at the dinner table. He lifted his head, and tried to go on explaining to them.
“
And then – to find out she was married to Gary …
our
Gary,” he specified, “almost broke my heart. They had two of the sweetest little kids you ever saw. They look just like him.” He said, brokenly.
“
Then once when I called Tasha, she told me … told me that he spoke of me. Asked her to give me his blessing. Almost as if he knew I was going to come along later, and find her, and …” Tim got up and left the table, before the tears overtook him completely.
His parents looked at one another. "What do you mean, '
our Gary
'? Jerome asked skeptically.
Tim shook his head and sighed. "My friend, Gary Taylor. From college? That great guy I brought home on holidays a lot. He helped Tasha get saved, and married her when she was twenty. He died … of cancer, about four years ago."
Tim's mother gasped, and tears began to flow. "No. Oh, no." she objected. “No, no, no!”
"Timmy, we never made that connection. We never knew what happened to Gary, after college. We knew you still kept in touch from time to time, but... "
"Yeah. I know." Tim acknowledged. "Well; I believe with all my heart that God wants me to marry his sweet widow, and raise up those two kids; I'd do it for Gary, even if I didn't love Tasha. But I do. I do, so much."
Tim's parents just searched his eyes, more puzzled and worried than ever.
The next day, Tim slept until about eleven. Then he rousted Dana out of bed. "Come on, take me for a walk around the lake." He insisted. He managed to get her there, and he was careful to be quiet and unobtrusive. She didn't seem to object to him being there, but there wasn't a lot of enthusiasm to speak of, either.