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Cinnamon Rolls

Aundrea was rolling out dough for another batch of cinnamon rolls when she heard Jenny talking to a man with a familiar voice. Not Jeb. Probably just a customer.

“Sure, she’s right in there.”

Salesman?

“Knock, knock.”

She turned around to see who was attached to this familiar voice.

“Pastor.”

“Missed you yesterday.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I overslept.”

“Sure, that happens. The holiday rush and all.”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

“Alright, well, I see that you’re really busy. I just wanted to stop in and remind you of the Christmas Eve Ball.”

“Oh, I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

“That’s a shame. You must be very busy.”

“Yes. A lot of business on Christmas Eve, Pastor. I’ll be all tied up in my daily receipts.”

“Like Jacob Marley, but with register tape.”

“Sorry, who?”

“You’re not a fan of Scrooge movies?”

“No. I don’t really have time for movies. I’m more of a musical fireplace person.”

“Of course. Movies would distract you from…”

“Exactly, Pastor. I don’t need any distractions. None at all.”

“Sorry if I hit a nerve. I’ll just make one more pitch for the Christmas Eve Ball. It will run pretty late for busy folks like yourself.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“Thanks, Aundrea. I think it will be a night to remember if you can find the time to make it. Besides, you’ll get a chance to taste some of your work.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Don’t you have an order from Herb Galloway for Thursday?”

Aundrea pulled out her phone and thumbed through her calendar. “Yes, I do. It’s a big one. Let me add a note, I’ll need to call in some help getting it delivered and staged.” She began thumb-typing furiously. “Okay. Thanks for reminding me of that.”

“You’re going to be there delivering your order? You could just bring something to change into and stay a while. Couldn’t you?”

“I don’t know. After I deliver the order, there’s a lot of paperwork that needs to be processed.”

“You’re very diligent. I have an office at the church you could use.”

“You’re very persistent.”

“I’m very concerned about nobody showing up to the ball. At least you’re coming to deliver food. A lot of people have been hemming and hawing about it and I don’t even have as much of a hook as I do for you.”

“Okay, okay. You win. Since I’ll already be there, I promise I’ll change into something and stay a bit. I can always do the paperwork on Friday when I get up.”

“Thanks, Aundrea. I’m looking forward to seeing your layout.”

She pulled out her phone again and tapped up the Galloway order. “Gee, I haven’t come up with a design yet. I might have to put you on retainer at this rate.”

“You seem a bit harried, Aundrea. Is it typical for the holidays to get you in such a state?”

“I don’t think I’m in a state. Do I seem like I’m in a state?” She was thumb-typing away.

“It’s not really my place to say, but you do seem a bit out of sorts today. Is something weighing on you?”

“I need to get back to my cinnamon rolls.”

“Of course. I’ll see myself out.”

“You don’t have to go. I just need to get this batch done.”

“I’d be glad to stay if I can be of help to you.”

“Pastor, I think I’ve made a colossal mistake. I think I’ve made a mistake I can’t ever fix.” She deftly rolled out the dough and began working through the steps to transform a fairly innocuous lump of dough into a batch of decadent, melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls. “It wouldn’t be the first.”

“And it probably won’t be the last.”

“That’s very encouraging.” She said with a frown.

“I find that it helps a conversation to go more smoothly if I agree a lot. Was there something specific that you would fix if you could?”

“Do I ever.”

“As a pastor, my first impulse is to tell you to give it to God. That being said, God helps those who help themselves. Is this mistake that can never be fixed something that would be able to be fixed with someone’s help?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is there something that I could say or do that would help to console you on the matter? I could start by saying how sorry I am that this matter cannot be fixed but that, typically, God finds a way to rearrange the broken pieces of people’s lives and make a beautiful mosaic.”

“I wish that was true.”

“It is.”

“I wish it could be true for me. I can’t imagine how my problems could be turned into anything but bigger problems.”

“Well, God is kind of a big picture guy. We usually don’t see the big picture until a big storm or two have blown through. Look at this. Isn’t this one of Jeb’s utensils?”

“Yes, he’s very talented.”

“That’s all?”

“He’s nice and he’s talented.”

“That’s true. Would it be fair to conclude that he’s one of your problems?”

“Jeb? No. Why would Jeb be a problem?”

“He seemed concerned.”

“Concerned?”

“He’s worried that he offended you somehow. He’s not entirely up to speed on the social graces. He told me you’ve been avoiding his company and he didn’t know what he might have done to turn you against him.”

“Oh, no. Oh, no. It never occurred to me. Poor Jeb. He must be so confused.”

“May I ask what actually happened?”

“After that mess last week, I asked Jeb to drive me home. We talked about a lot of things while our clothes were in the washer. He stayed for dinner and we talked some more.”

“But?”

“There were some things…”

“He may not say a lot but he thinks and feels deeply, Aundrea. He’s innocent in a lot of ways but he realizes there might be things you’re not ready to talk about. He just wants to be a friend to you. If you can talk about it, he’ll listen. If you can’t talk about it, he’ll accept you just as you are until you’re ready.”

“He said that in the truck.”

“He doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean. He regrets all the time that has been lost between you and he just wants to be whatever you need him to be right now.”

“Is he coming to the ball?”

“Well, he has a delivery to Wyoming Pass but he promised he’d be back.”

“Wyoming Pass? That’s a haul. The weather is supposed to get messy later this week. That’s horrible.”

“What is?”

“The thought of him rushing to get back in awful weather. Anything could happen. Oh, Pastor, please tell him to be careful”

“I think he’s stopping in tomorrow with some more pieces. Maybe you should tell him yourself.”

“Oh, oh, oh, I…”

“You’re still worried about this problem you can’t bring yourself to tell him.”

“Well, we barely know each other. I don’t want to burden him with something like that.”

“Can I just say? He loves you, Aundrea. He doesn’t know it because he has no experience with such things. He has no idea what to make of these feelings, but I can tell you that he is dedicated to making you happy and taking care of you and being your best friend for the rest of his life. I don’t know if that makes it easier or not. You should consider letting him help you to shoulder your burdens.”

“I wish it was that simple, Pastor.”

“When things get out of control, Aundrea, the thing to do is let go and let God.”