Free Love Finds a Way by Wanda E. Brunstetter Page A

floor began to move and the walls swayed back and forth in a surreal manner. Lorna had heard of bells going off and being so much in love that it hurt, but if this weird sensation had anything to do with the way she felt about Evan, she didn’t want any part of loving the man.
    Evan grasped Lorna’s shoulders as the floor tilted, and she almost lost her balance. Knowing she needed his support in order to stay on her feet, Lorna leaned into him, gripping both of his arms. “What’s happening?” she rasped.
    “I believe we’re in the middle of a bad earthquake.” Evan’s face seemed etched with concern. It was a stark contrast from his usual smiling expression.
    Lorna’s eyes widened with dread. She looked down and thought she was going to be sick. The floor was moving rhythmically up and down. It reminded her of a ship caught in a storm, about to be capsized with the crest of each angry wave.
    “This is a bad one!” Evan exclaimed. “We need to get under a table or something.”
    She looked around helplessly; there were no tables in the hall and none in the anatomy class either. The room only had opera-style seats. “Where?”
    Evan pulled her closer. “A doorway! We should stand under a doorway.”
    The door to their classroom was only a few feet away, but it took great effort for them to maneuver themselves into position. Lorna’s heart was thumping so hard she was sure Evan could hear each radical beat. She’d been in a few earthquakes during her lifetime, but none so violent as this one.
    A candy machine in the hallway vibrated, pictures on the wall flew in every direction, and a terrible, cracking sound rent the air as the windows rattled and broke. A loud crash, followed by a shrill scream, sent shivers up Lorna’s spine. There was no one else in the hallway, which was unusual, considering the fact that classes were scheduled to begin soon. Where was everybody, and when would this nightmare end?
    Another ear-piercing sound! Was that a baby’s cry? No, it couldn’t be. This was Bay View Christian College, not a day-care center.
    “I think the scream came from over there,” Evan said, pointing across the hall. He glanced down at Lorna. “Did that sound like a baby’s cry to you?”
    She nodded and swallowed against the lump lodged in her throat.
    “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” Evan handed Lorna the paper sack he’d been holding.
    “No, don’t leave me!” She clutched the front of his shirt as panic swept through her in a wave so cold and suffocating, she thought she might faint.
    “I think you’ll be okay if you wait right here,” he assured her. “Pray, Lorna. Pray.”
    The walls and floor were still moving, though a bit slower now. Lorna watched helplessly as Evan half crawled, half slid on his stomach across the hall. When he disappeared behind the door, she sent up a prayer. “Dear God, please keep him safe.”
    At that moment, the truth slammed into Lorna with a force stronger than any earthquake. Although she hadn’t known Evan very long, she was falling in love with him. In the few short weeks since they’d met, he had brought joy and laughter into her life. He’d made her feel beautiful and special, something she hadn’t felt since Ron’s untimely death. They had a common bond. Both were Christians and interested in music, and each had a desire to work with children.
    Children
. The word stuck in Lorna’s brain. She had always wanted a child. When she married Ron, Lorna was sure they would start a family as soon as he finished med school. That never happened because her husband had been snatched away as quickly as fog settles over Puget Sound.
    She leaned heavily against the door frame and let this new revelation sink in. Was going back to school and getting her degree really Lorna’s heart’s desire? Or was being married to someone she loved and starting a family what she truly wanted?
It doesn’t matter. I can’t have a relationship with Evan because he doesn’t