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“No.” said Paige, “That stuff can’t be believed by any rational thought.”

“But what I have been saying is that it is faith. It’s not about knowing for sure or even throwing logic out the window.” Elijah said with a sort of passion he had never felt before.

“You can’t expect me to really believe that there is a world we can’t see,” she laughed, “I really think those movies are getting to your head.”

Elijah and Paige were on a date in a coffee shop. They had been dating for two years while every month they ran into another large argument. It was always around the basis of religion and things that were more than the two of them could explain alone.

“Well since you don’t believe in angels do you believe in God?” asked Elijah.

“I acknowledge the fact that it is a higher being but I wouldn’t say God necessarily.” Paige replied.

“Then if there is no God what is morality, or better yet truth based on. Wouldn’t the negligence of a God mean the relative morality and truth of each individual?” Elijah said with a bout of confidence.

After a few years of teaching from one of Elijah’s mentors he had brought it upon himself to be the new savior of the world. He had plans that would make Billy Graham feel like he had done an inadequate job. Elijah’s whole life was laid before him and he knew that God had chosen him to become someone great in this world and Elijah had every intention of sending that glory back to the one that had endowed him with his gifts. After all, his name meant “My God is the Lord”.

“Yes that makes truth relative and it is essentially up to the person to choose the morality of their decision.” Paige replied.

“Then where would that place absolute truth? I mean seeing as truth is relative absolute truth must be known by someone?” Elijah retorted.

“I don’t think there are absolutes.” Paige said slowly as her gears began to turn.

“Let me get this straight,” said Elijah, “you don’t believe there are absolutes?”

“Well I don’t think anyone can know the absolute truth.” Paige said as her usually happy demeanor began to change to one that was not so enthused.

“Then there is no truth if there is nothing to base it off of.” Elijah said matter of factly.

Paige said back, with a hint of anger, “No I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that there might be absolute truth but no one is able to know it.”

Nick sat staring at his iced vanilla latte. He never was one for coffee but it had always been Paige’s favorite thing. He knew that because they had been best friends ever since they could remember, but it wasn’t until two years ago that Paige had gotten the guts to ask Elijah out. He was the lead scorer on the soccer team and she was the brightest in the quiz bowl club. They decided to give it a go since the feeling was mutual and they have been dating ever since.

“There is no absolute truth is what you are saying?”He asked.

“No I’m saying that there might be absolute truth. I don’t deal in absolutes because I don’t believe in absolutes.” She replied.

“That is ridiculous,” he chuckled, “that means that there is no truth.”

“Truth is relative to who you are. I literally just said that.” She said almost as if there were a chip on her shoulder.

In fact there was. She was raised with Christian beliefs and probably knew the Bible better than Elijah could ever hope to. Yet the simple fact that she was born a logical person and one with an I.Q. equivalent to most of the Ivy League honors students she couldn’t bring herself to believe the things her grandmother read to her as a child. So to sit here listening to Elijah rant about what she should think made her begin to lose her patience with this man.

Elijah stared into her eyes. Slowly working up the courage to take things a step further, as his mouth opened Paige knew this wasn’t going to be good. “So if truth is relative and there are no absolutes…”

“There may be absolutes” Paige said “saying there are no absolutes, is an absolute.”

“Okay there may be no absolutes” Elijah paused slightly “then do you love me?”

The moment it left his mouth Elijah felt the power shift. Paige looked as if Elijah had physically hit her. There was silence for almost two straight minutes. It was almost as if that question took the noise right out of the already quiet coffee shop.

“Yes I love you.” She said knowing that she was cornered.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Elijah retorted with a smug grin.

She looked around to try and find a reason to leave the table. He had made logical sense since the first word he had spoken about God six years ago. Even when he didn’t he took the time to make sure that he did and would come back to present what he found. That’s what she loved about him, his will to persevere and to succeed no matter what the circumstances. He was her dream but right now he was making her hate him. That made her think, since she felt hatred towards him now does that make love not an absolute but yet another emotion?

“Love can’t be an absolute.” Paige said.

Elijah seemed thrown off. “Why not?” he asked not ready for what he was about to hear next.

“Because right now I don’t feel love towards you, because the questions you are asking are not that of love but out of a heart that only has pride and wants to be right more than it wants to be understanding.”

The tables had turned so quickly. It caused Elijah to regret not praying for the Lord’s help before he put himself into this conversation with Paige.

“So your love is based on how you feel and not what love is.” Elijah said almost zombielike.

“I’m not saying I don’t love you but that right now I don’t feel any towards you.” Paige said not realizing the impact that sentence had on the heart of the man seated across from her.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say.” Elijah spoke slowly with a glazed look in his eyes as he stared out the window.

“Wait that came out wrong it’s not that I don’t love you but-” she stopped cut off by Elijah’s raised hand.

“Tell me now what is love?” Elijah asked.

A slight pause as Paige looked into Elijah’s eyes seeing the hurt that she had apparently caused.

“I don’t know.” Paige said.

Elijah looked at her as one tear fell down his face. He slowly grabbed his coat and walked past her squeezing her shoulder as he always does when he goes home. Started his car and drove away.