Fortunately I was also friends with Avia’s brother Fred. We’d go up to the church gym every now and then and he would beat me in a game of basketball. One night it came to Fred’s attention that I hadn’t seen all of the James Bond movies. Fred was an avid Bond fan and owned the complete boxed set. I didn’t have a TV at the time, so he invited me over to their house and we started watching the Bond movies on a pretty regular basis.
This provided me with a great opportunity to spend time with Avia her family. I wanted to see how she interacted with her brother and parents. She would often stay up late and watch the movies with us. I remember one night she was sick and had already gone to sleep. As soon as she heard Fred and I were there, she woke up and came to the living room to watch the movie with us. That’s when I knew she liked me.
As the bond series was ending (21 movies at that time) it became obvious that Avia and I were quickly becoming close friends. I knew my intentions toward her were for more than friendship and felt it was time to define the relationship. After we saw the last Bond movie, I asked her to spend the day with me by going canoeing with a large group and a seeing a movie together. On the ride home I discussed my feelings and thoughts with her and asked her if she would be interested in a dating relationship with a view towards marriage. We both understood that if either of us saw the relationship wasn’t going to work toward marriage, we would break it off immediately. She agreed that we could “try it out.”
Then I did something weird. I asked her parents if it was okay to date their daughter. They had gotten a chance to know me and they definately knew Avia. I valued their perspective. I explained that I was not asking to marry their daughter, but to date her with a view toward marriage. If they said, no, I would respect that. But my heart turned flips when they said yes! I valued their observation and input along the way and welcomed their sound advice. I now look back on this time as one of the most treasured moments of my life. That day God also kindled in my heart a warm appreciation, love and respect for Avia’s parents.
The Hill House 