Emma sat down and roughly scrubbed at the tears. “I don’t know which I hate worse: crying or for someone to see me cry.” She released a short laugh before finally looking up at Marty who was standing in front of her. The understanding and concern she saw in his eyes nearly undid her. “I’m tougher than this.” She said the words through gritted teeth. Why couldn’t she convince herself?
“You’re not being fair, Emma. To me or to yourself.” Marty straddled the obstacle to face her. “It’s not right to compare yourself to anyone else.”
She picked at one of her thumbnails. Only when he lightly tapped her arm did she look at him again. “It’s hard not to when I see how many other people have overcome their challenges while I’ve…” She let the words trail off and ended the sentence with a shrug.
“I could have died in that accident. I faced death that day, and even though I didn’t come out unscathed, I survived.” He leaned closer. “You faced death every day for years, Emma. You could have given up, but you didn’t. You have no idea what kind of courage and strength that must take. If the roles had been reversed…I don’t know that I would have made it.” Marty covered her hands with one of his, his skin warm and comforting. “You can’t keep comparing your journey to someone else’s. You can’t keep looking back and wishing you’d done things differently. Looking back only makes going forward that much harder.”
Emma slowly let her hands relax beneath his. The truth of his words permeated her heart like rays of sunlight reaching through the branches to illuminate the proverbial pit she’d been hiding in for so long. For the first time in a while, she wasn’t sure she wanted to stay there anymore. But the exit still seemed far away.
She nodded slowly. “I needed that reminder. Thank you.”
He ran his thumb across the back of her hand. “I’ll be praying for you, Emma.” Marty released her hand then, and she immediately wished he hadn’t. “You know, I can always use another friend, and I wondered if you could as well.” He gave her one of those smiles that was completely disarming. “I figure we already work together and see each other all the time. It seems convenient.”
The hopeful look on his face was cute, and it took everything Emma had to not let it affect her. She shook her head, but eventually her own smile won out. “Convenient, huh?”
“What do you say?”
“Yeah, I think that would be good.” Emma looked up as someone came into the building. She stood, smoothed out the bottom of her shirt, and looked at Marty. “I should warn you: I talked to Caleb earlier. I’m going to take the Monday, Wednesday, Friday adult class here starting tomorrow night. If it’ll be weird, let me kn—”
“I think it’s great. I’m proud of you, Emma.” He offered her a genuine smile then.
Emma left the floor to help the new customer, her mind buzzing with everything that had happened this afternoon. Could she find a way to put her past behind her? For the first time, talking with Marty made it feel possible. Thinking about his smile and kind words sent tendrils of warmth through her body along with something else she wasn’t prepared to analyze.
And apparently, they were now officially friends. If someone told her that a month ago, she never would have believed it.
9
Hearing Emma reveal part of her heart yesterday had touched Marty more than he wanted to admit. Seeing her there, vulnerable, with tears in her eyes had made him wish for all the world he could take her in his arms and make her see how special, how strong, she really was. He suspected it was a big step for her to admit how she felt aloud to anyone, and he was especially honored to be the person she finally spoke to.
Marty wasn’t kidding himself, though. Emma struggled with a lot of things, and they weren’t going to magically disappear. Just because she opened up to him yesterday didn’t mean she would again. Plus, shortly he’d become her coach, too. Which added a whole other level of complication to their relationship.
Friendship.
Whatever.
He had to give her space, and she desperately needed to find her way back to having regular conversations with God. He still intended to ask her why she wasn’t going to church, but the right time hadn’t presented itself yet.
Marty spotted Emma as she came from the direction of the office. She’d changed into a pair of gym shorts and a flowing shirt, and had braided her long hair to keep it out of the way.
There was a lot about her he didn’t know, but one thing was certain: he cared about her. He could picture a possible future with her, and that had his heart pounding with equal measures of anticipation and trepidation.
Take it slow.
For now, Marty was her coach. Her friend. Compared to the way things used to be, it was a huge improvement. His chest lightened as he welcomed her onto the gym floor with a smile.
After asking everyone to introduce themselves to welcome both Emma and Leslie, another new student, they started warming up. He explained how everyone, no matter their age, should warm up before jumping into the obstacles. “But those of us who are wiser than others may need it even more,” he said, earning him chuckles from most of his students.
He mentally divided the class into two groups. He had several students that were more advanced, and he grouped them together while putting Emma in the other where she would feel more comfortable.
Once divided, he sent the more experienced group to work on the rings and warped wall. Thankfully, Caleb came out on the floor now that it was after five and coached the first group allowing Marty to focus on the second.
He led them to the rock wall on the far side of the gym. He stepped onto the blue rock, showing where he wanted them to start. “Always keep three points of contact. That means, let’s say I’m reaching for that red rock right there with my hand, then I keep both feet and my other hand firmly planted until I’ve made that transition.” Marty showed them exactly what he meant. “I want you to do your best to make it from here to that top red rock and back down again. Remember, three points of contact and take your time.”
Marty didn’t miss that Emma hung back and took her place as the last person in line. She watched the other students with rapt attention until it was her turn to give the rock wall a try. To her credit, she placed her foot on the first stone with determination and waited for him to nod for her to begin.
It was a struggle for her, as it was for many of the students, but she gave it her all and maintained three points of contact. Even though she didn’t get to the top, when she dropped to the ground, she grinned with satisfaction.
“Good job, Emma.” He gave her an encouraging smile. “Okay, Ben, you ready to give it another go?”
