Page 146 of Sing with Me

In her mind, she asked a question that she dared not voice: What about his drinking issues?

Perhaps that was something that Pastor Gonzalez or Ivan would have to address or confront. Skye remembered Brinley saying that her brother was a casual drinker. However, what Skye saw on Saturday morning questioned that premise. Clearly, Diehl had used alcohol as a coping mechanism when he found out that the two children he had been raising since their births were not his, and that his wife, whom he had remarried twice, had cheated on him throughout both marriages.

It must have made him look terribly foolish, especially for a businessman who had been successfully managing a multi-billion-dollar corporation.

How many times had Diehl used alcohol to manage his personal problems?

Skye had avoided thinking about that matter since Saturday’s chaos. It wasn’t her problem unless she made it so. After all, even though they had kissed and spent time together, Skye could not imagine Diehl lasting more than the season. After summer, he’d go home to Atlanta, and that would be the end of their relationship. Whether he drank or not, it would not be Skye’s problem anymore.

“Are you thinking of what I am thinking?” Diehl asked.

“What is that?”

“You’re trying to tell me that as a Christian, I shouldn’t be drinking.”

“Well, the Bible does say that kings shouldn’t drink. ‘It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted.’ That’s from Proverbs 31:4-5.”

“Interesting that there’s such a verse.”

“I know that some Christians drink alcohol. I don’t because I have a testimony to protect and I need to be in full control of my faculties—I cannot afford to be intoxicated even for a moment—but this is my choice. You make your own choices. We all have to answer to God individually, so you can’t answer for me and I can’t answer for you.”

“But you would prefer that I don’t drink.”

“I would ask that you pray about it as a matter of being a leader—a king, as Proverbs say—setting an example for your children.”

“I’ve thought of that long before I was saved, especially since their mother was a heavy drinker.” Diehl went quiet.

“My parents were alcoholics and they died because of their disease. My brother and I have to live with that the rest of our lives. Neither of us drink because we cannot go down that path. In my house, there is no alcohol—and there will never be. My chefs might cook with it, but I don’t.”

Now Diehl was silent.

Perhaps it was what she just said.

In my house, there is no alcohol—and there will never be.

That was to say, due to a family history, she could never marry someone who drank. She would not inflict such pain on her future children.

Where could she find a husband who could kiss her as passionately as Diehl and yet was a teetotaler?

Brinley found Ivan. Sebastian found Emmeline.

What about me?

“It’s late, so let’s get some sleep,” Diehl said. “Good night again.”

This time he did not saysweetheart.

“Good night. I’ll be praying for Elisa’s safe return. Keep me posted, okay?”

“Will do.”

When he hung up, Skye prayed. She did not want to judge Diehl, and God knew she hadn’t. However, when it came to her own personal life and future, she could not compromise her own convictions.

If Diehl believed that he could still get drunk with impunity after salvation, that would be something between him and God.

As for me and my house, we will be alcohol-free.

At some point in time, Diehl would have to go home to Atlanta, back to his job in the corporate world. His father could not possibly hold the fort for long while Diehl stayed on St. Simon’s Island with nothing much to do.

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