I couldn't believe my eyes. She was reading a book. Reading a book! You do this in a public place when you're trying to make time pass until the Real Thing happens. Acceptable and understandable behaviour.
But here? Now?!
In the meantime, I was trying to stay fully seated and relaxed in my chair, and I kept finding my mouth disturbingly half-open, while my eyes tried to be everywhere at once and my ears scrambled to keep up to all that was taking place around me. If souls can tingle, mine was.
How could we be in the same room, reacting in such different ways?
The large gathering included a 235-voice choir, a well-known orchestra, and four professional soloists...all gathered to perform Handel's Messiah in a renowned concert hall that seats over 2000 people.
It was dress rehearsal night. I was a member of the choir. She was a member of the orchestra.
I had been anticipating this night for months. For me it was a pinch-me-I'm-here moment. Being able to hear and watch the orchestra up close. Marvelling at the vocal quality and lung capacity of the soloists. And singing...ahhh, singing! Those great words that have lasted for thousands of years, set to great music that has lasted for hundreds.
At the moment, neither of us had a role to play in the music.
I was soaking it in. She was reading a book.
Her book...it felt almost sacrilegious to me. Surrounded by such beauty...and tuning it out to read a book. How dare she?!
*****************
I've thought of this several times in the week since.
When I realized we must have prayed because we always do at That Spot and we were past That Spot now, but I couldn't remember it happening.
When I opened my Bible and couldn't decide if I'd read that chapter yesterday or if that's where I'm to start today.
When the pastor said we're at point #5 and I hadn't caught on that there were numerical points.
When the assigned reading was Luke 2, and I settled in to get nothing new out of this story I know inside out.
*****************
The fire has gone out of my disdain for The Lady with the Book.
I guess it's just plain Old Hat Syndrome. I'm seeking a cure.
