Free More Than I Can Bear by E.N. Joy

treatment again.”
    Norman chuckled. It was a sarcastic kind of chuckle.
    â€œWhat? What’s so funny?”
    â€œChristians, that’s what. Or maybe I shouldn’t dump them all into a single category, just the ones who are glad that Jesus hung, bled, and died on the cross for them, but can’t deal with a proverbial thorn in the side.”
    â€œAre you saying that because I’m a Christian I should have to endure prejudice?”
    â€œNo, not at all, but I’m saying that when you are subjected to it why shoot back? Why not try to take all that Christianity and heal the offender, or at least diplomatically relay to them their offenses? Once a person knows better and doesn’t do better, then that’s on them. Then you just ask Jesus to work on you in how you deal with those types of people. Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr. ran around talking about, ‘Oh, well, I’m not going to stand for this type of treatment. I’m out of here.’ What would have become of the Civil Rights Movement?”
    â€œAre you really comparing your mother’s prejudice and ways to the Civil Rights Movement? It ain’t that serious.”
    â€œBam! My point exactly.”
    Paige stared at Norman for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what his point was. It was to no avail. “You’ve obviously been hanging around Miss Nettie too long. You’re starting to talk in riddles like her.”
    â€œLook, forget it. I don’t want to fight,” Norman conceded. “I apologize for my mother’s behavior. She’s kind of old school in her ways.”
    Paige snapped her head and twisted her lips. “Kind of old school?”
    â€œOkay, way old school.” Norman smiled a little, letting Paige know things were somewhat cooling down. That made her smile.
    â€œI don’t like fighting with my best friend,” Paige confessed. “Outside of Jesus and my parents, you’re the only person in the world who has ever sacrificed so much for me. I don’t take this lightly. I don’t take what you are doing lightly. As a matter of fact, I want to try the whole ‘dinner with your family’ thing, namely your mother, all over again. I will be on my best behavior.” Paige lifted her left hand and placed her right hand over her heart. “Nothing but the God in me. Saint’s honor.”
    â€œHmmmm. Can I trust you?” Norman teased.
    â€œWhy you married me, Mr. Vanderdale,” Paige said in an exaggerated, over-the-top Southern drawl. “You wouldn’t marry a woman you couldn’t trust now would you?”
    â€œNo, and you wouldn’t marry a man who you couldn’t trust would you?”
    â€œNot on purpose.” Paige smiled.
    â€œThen trust me. Everything is going to work out just fine. I’m going to drop you off at your place, head back to mine, and then we’ll do it all over again tomorrow morning with your family.”
    â€œBy the way, what are we going to do about us being man and wife, yet living in two different places? I think I had something about that as rule number ten, but you never let me get that far,” Paige chided.
    â€œHa-ha. No, but seriously. I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it.”
    â€œUh, hello, we’re like standing in the middle of the bridge.” Paige waved her hand that don the wedding band that matched the one Norman wore. The rings were something they had just picked up for show at the mall yesterday.
    â€œAhh, decisions, decisions,” Norman moaned. “Let’s just get breaking the news to your family out of the way tomorrow and we’ll take it from there.”
    â€œYeah, this is probably a moot conversation anyway considering my dad is probably going to kill you for marrying his daughter without asking for her hand in marriage.” When Paige saw Norman turn beet red, she broke out in