Soon after I started spring classes, I received another letter from Dominique. He had exciting news to share. His aunt had offered to pay his air fare to come and see me during a school break in April! Happy day! We would have almost the whole month together again!

I especially looked forward to that because the situation at home was bad again. The fighting, quarreling, yelling, and beatings continued. I had chosen to live at home my senior year of college, and there were times I could hardly keep from cracking mentally, unable to endure the pressures of mounting tensions day after day.

During one of his rampages, my father threatened to call Dominique on the phone and tell him about the abortion! He didn't. But I was abruptly faced with a scenario I hadn't thought of before. What would happen if Dominique found out about this from someone other than me? Wouldn't that be worse?

"I'm afraid of losing him by telling him about this, but wouldn't it be worse to be married to him and then lose his trust forever if one of my family members told him about this? NO! This is final! I cannot face a marriage like that, and this sort of dishonesty is no way to begin a marriage, let alone try to build one!" Now my decision was firm. I would tell Dominique when he came in April, come what may!

I had begun attending church services once again at the First Baptist Church of West Chester where I had become a Christian. There was a new pastor, and under his powerful preaching I was steadily regaining lost ground in my daily commitment to walk with God and do things His way. I was amazed as the teaching revealed things in the Bible I didn't know were there. Though a great help, this proved to be a new source of trouble facing Dominique's visit in April.

My growing respect for our new pastor and his ministry had led me to ask him to be the pastor to marry Dominique and me. During and interview with him, I was surprised and caught off guard when he asked if Dominique was a Christian.

"What's that got to do with it?" I reacted inside. But outside, I was quick to say, "Well, sure!" because I was certain that was what he wanted to hear. However, I have never been able to restrain my curiosity, so I asked him why he asked that. He explained by opening his Bible and reading scripture which bluntly warns that Christians should not marry non-Christians, something about being unevenly yoked.

"YOKED? Good grief! Sounds like we're talking about a couple of plow horses, not marriage!" I squirmed inside. I listened to the rest of the scriptures he read, and his explanation, and then politely reassured him Dominique and I had discussed his faith and I was quite certain he was a Christian.

I may have left that interview looking like the contented bride-to-be, but certainly, on the inside, I was not. Here was a new problem. As I searched further through the Bible on my own, I became increasingly convicted that Dominique was not a Christian. Now what was I supposed to do?

"I love this guy! Why didn't somebody tell me I wasn't supposed to fall in love with a guy who's not a Christian BEFORE I did it?" I was growing stronger and more fervent in my love for God's Word and His church, loving the fellowship I found in both places. I knew these had become an undeniable part of my life, and I would never be happy without complete freedom to pursue full participation in both.