Fun with Secrets

In Revival, my non-denominational local pastor is smitten with the local bartendress, which of course is a secret because people would talk. As revealed earlier, said bartrendress has a prominent scar on her neck and for her own amusement times how long it takes for a newcomer to gawp at it. Having never been in her bar, Pastor Jim doesn't know about the "local custom," and winds up misunderstanding their first encounter:

“The scar doesn’t bother you?” [Graham asked.]

“Actually, I think if she didn’t have the scar I wouldn’t have noticed her, but that caught my eye, and then I saw that it didn’t matter to her – when she saw me seeing her, she just smiled. I’m sure I looked like a complete DORK smiling back. Then she raised her hand and wiggled her fingers at me then gave me a thumbs-up and left. It couldn’t have been much more than five seconds since I walked into the grocery store where she was shopping before I noticed her, but ever since I did, I’ve been in love.

Graham debated whether he should tell Bromfeld what the five wiggling fingers and the solitary thumb meant, but who knows, maybe she was smitten too. Bromfeld wasn’t hideous looking: average build and height, but with his sun-blonde hair and pale blue eyes he could pass for a second- or third cousin to Robert Redford.

That conversation occurs at the beginning of Part Two: Wednesday. At the end of Part Two, Graham and Pastor Jim meet up again, sharing a special moment:

When Graham got up to leave, Pastor Bromfeld was standing inside the door, picking the bell off the floor. As he headed out, the two made eye contact. Graham gave him a five-finger wave. Bromfeld shot him back a thumbs up.

(daily word count (11/21): 2,498 words; total word count: 46.747 words; words remaining: 3,253)