“I’m sorry Seth, I . . . I . . .” He lifts a hand to stop my apology, wiping the blood off using a dinner napkin with his other. I sit back sighing. This is overwhelming. I don’t hit my husband.
“There is no need for you to apologize. I deserve that. I know I keep saying this, but I am sorry for this mess I’ve caused.” Seth throws his blood-stained napkin on the table and rises from his seat. I don’t know where he is going but find out it's not far. He kneels down before me and grabs both my hands.
“Janine, I’m so sorry for everything, I should have told you all that I was doing for her just for full disclosure. But you know everything right now, and I pray you still want our marriage and to start our family.”
“Seth, this is a lot. I mean, you were taking care of her and her sick mother like some sappy love story. Is this marriage what you want? Am I who you want? What if she is pregnant with your child? I didn’t keep my virginity until I was twenty-three years old and married to become your other baby momma at thirty. I have not lived this type of life of church on Sundays, prayer, fasting, ministering to children to become some rage-filled woman that slaps her husband.”
We are in the same position as I make my declaration. I drop my head in defeat as the tears pour from my eyes. I hit him, but I feel as if I am the battered and abused one—like I have been drug through the fire and then through the rain. Having your heart ripped out over and over is a special kind of torture. I want it to end, and life to go back to the way it was before I hired the private investigator. I’m pulled from my double-minded thoughts as Seth wipes the tears from my eyes with the back of his thumbs and reaches up to kiss me on each cheek. Why do I allow it? I will never know. It may be the fact that he is the only man I have ever loved emotionally and physically. When he pulls me into an embrace, I accept him. Lord, help me. I’m so confused.
Seth
I embrace Janine, holding her tightly against me. I know she is confused, and although her physical attack stunned me, I don’t blame her. If I were honest with myself and the shoe was on the other foot, I would probably be in a hotel room right now. But, my wife is a God-fearing woman. She is true to her faith that is why on her wedding night, I was the first to lie with her that is why she is still in my arms. She is love, she believes, she endures, she protects, she forgives. I have to make sure I don’t provoke her any further.
“Janine, sweetheart, never doubt that I want you. I committed a sin with Monica. I’ve repented to you and God. I want only you and our family. If Monica is pregnant, then I can only hope and pray you stay with me as I take care of that responsibility, but I will not ever leave you for Monica or any other woman. Please believe me.”
I pull out of our embrace to make sure she has taken in the words that I have promised her. My heart breaks at the confusion I see in her eyes. I have caused this, and I have to fix this. She doesn’t say a word. I don’t need her to. I pull her back to me and scoop her up. I take her into our bedroom, lie her back on our king size bed, and take off her sandals. I pull back the covers and place her underneath them. I sit next to my sobbing wife and massage her back until she falls into slumber. I make sure that she is asleep, and I do the only thing left to do. I fall to my knees, and I pray.
Episode Ten
Janine
It’s been two weeks since Monica dropped the baby bomb on us. I have to admit that him taking care of her hit me harder than the baby news. I’d accepted the affair, so the chances of a child weren’t far-fetched. Seth and I have continued our group counseling and our separate counseling. When I was with Dr. Whitney this past Monday, she called me out on my silent treatment toward Seth and made me do some soul-searching. I spent a day in prayer asking the Lord for direction. I opened up my heart to the Father.
“Lord, I want my marriage to work, but I don’t know if I can truly forgive him for caring for this woman as he would a wife. If it had just been sexual, and a few gifts, I could chalk it up to him paying for what he got. Dear God, it wasn’t like that. Please lead me, create in me a pure heart that I can do what you want me to do. Right now I’m lost without you leading me. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
The next two days I fasted and prayed. When I didn’t eat dinner with Seth, he asked me what was going on, and I told him I was fasting. The next day he called in to work, and we fasted and prayed together. That is when the stronghold over our marriage was lifted. I now believe that Seth is in this with me. We will face the consequences of his actions together. I forgive him and will continue to be the wife I vowed to be. I pledged to be with him for better or worse; an adulterous relationship qualifies as worse, but I will love him.
I won’t forfeit this life God has blessed me with.
I won’t send my repented husband away.
I won’t harbor resentment in my heart.
I won’t stand in the way of him taking care of his child with Monica.
I will stand by Seth. I will support him.
***
I’m in the kitchen finishing up dinner when I hear the garage door open. I’m giddy because I have big news to share tonight. I have made a special meal for the occasion, Shrimp and Lobster Pasta, garden salad, and breadsticks. For dessert, I picked up a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Corner on GE Patterson Avenue. It’s one of our favorite dessert spots.
“Hey, babe, where are you?” I inwardly smile at the butterflies I feel in my belly.
“I’m in the kitchen.” He walks in looking like a GQ model in his suit. He is a handsome man. He saunters towards me and pulls me into his hard frame from behind and kisses me on the neck.
“Wow, Janine, you are making a special meal tonight. Are we celebrating?”
“Yes, we are. Now go wash up, and I will have dinner ready and on the table when you get back, and I will tell you all about.” He kisses me on the cheek and turns to walk out. I can’t help but smile and sing Donald Lawrence’s “The Best Is Yet to Come.”
Hold on my brother don't give up
Hold on my sister just look up
There is a master plan in store for you
If you just make it through
God's gonna really blow your mind
He's gonna make it worth your time
For all of the trouble you've been through
The best seems double just for you
The best Is yet to come
The best Is yet to come The best is yet to come.
Seth
I dry my hands as I look at the man in the mirror. I can do nothing but lift my eyes and hands in praise here in my restroom. The Lord has shown me mercy. That night, a few weeks ago, I prayed that the Lord would show me how to win my wife back. In an instant, Psalm 51 came into my spirit, and I cried out to the Lord just as David had.
Tonight, I’m a living testimony that He hears your cry and forgives you of your sin and restores to you all that you have lost. This is evident to me because Janine, my beautiful wife, is radiant, and I can’t wait to hear her surprise.
***
“Babe, as always, dinner is good. You outdid yourself.” I say this as I take a glass of the sparkling grape juice she has poured for dinner. We occasionally have a glass of wine, which gives me an idea of what my surprise may be. “So, how long you going to hold out on the surprise.”
She smiles at me with her perfect smile; my wife is beautiful. She has a pure radiance that glows. She doesn’t wear loads of makeup, and her hair is in its natural curls. I can’t believe I almost lost her.
“First, I received great news from my editor. We found an illustrator for Children’s Church, and I should be receiving the drawings this week to approve.” She does her cute clap and happy dance.
“That’s great, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you.” I reach over to give her a simple kiss, but she turns it into a deeper one. When we separate, she is blushing with need that I’m ready to fulfill. I motion for her to stand, but she shakes her head no.
“Not yet, honey, there is more.” I lift my brow as she
begins to rise from the table.
“I’ll be back. We have dessert.” She goes into the kitchen and returns within minutes placing a cheesecake on the table, which is odd because she generally serves me a slice. She stands in front of me beaming. The smile on her face is from ear to ear. She places the cake on the table, and my heart stops for a moment. There is a pink and blue rattle in the center of the cake. I jump to my feet, and lift and spin her in circles as she holds on tightly to my neck. I place her back down and grab both sides of her face with my hands.
“Janine, I’m so happy, I love you so much.” I kiss my mother-to-be with all the passion that I have in me. She has made me the happiest man on Earth. I usher her to our family room and have her lie on the couch. She protests.
“Seth, I haven’t served our dessert yet.” I kiss her on the top of her head. “I know, dear. I will serve it to you.”
I spoon feed my wife her cheesecake, and when we are done, I turn on a Ben Tankard’s jazz CD. I sit on the couch with her head on my lap, and we talk for hours. Tonight, I decide to allow my wife to live in bliss with the revelation of our pending family. Tomorrow, I will tell her about the mediation papers I received from Monica, demanding I maintain her lifestyle until paternity is determined for her child.
Episode Eleven
Seth
How did I get here? That is the question that continuously runs through my mind. I am sitting in a paternity testing lab with a phlebotomist drawing my blood to verify I am Monica’s baby’s father. It was only yesterday that I was in the ultrasound room with my wife, hearing two heartbeats. A week ago when Janine had the pink and blue rattle on the cheesecake, I wondered if that meant twins, but I did not ask. Yesterday was her first official appointment of the pregnancy, and her doctor came in after the urine test and said her HCG levels were high and wanted to do an ultrasound. It was there, in that cold dark room with my wife laying on the table, we saw two babies and heard two heartbeats. Janine and I both cried and held on to each other with joy in our hearts. The ultrasound revealed that Janine was ten weeks pregnant; just two weeks before she enters the second trimester. We spent the afternoon with my mother, sharing the fantastic news. My mom was over the moon about being a grandmother. We even called my sister Elizabeth and brother Lawrence, who live on the West Coast. My sister squealed with joy over the phone and promised to be down soon. Lawrence congratulated us and told us he would set up a college fund for the little ones. He doesn’t come down south for much. He had a baby girl once who he lost tragically along with her mother. It took Lawrence years to confide about his daughter and fiancée who died. Only my mother knows the full story. We all understand his reasons for not coming. I can’t imagine losing Janine and our babies.
“You are all done, sir.” The phlebotomist snatches me out of my thoughts. I rise out of the chair while opening and closing my hand to gain full circulation; that band around my arm was tight.
“Thank you, and when will the results be back?” I ask. She looks down at her chart.
“Oh, these have a rush order on them, so you should know the results within twenty-four hours.” I nod my head to the response.
“Very well, thank you.” As I exit the facility, I text my attorney informing him I have given the blood sample needed. He responds immediately telling me he will let Monica’s attorney know.
I’m baffled that Monica would waste money paying an attorney in an attempt to force me to care for her. She is in for a rude awakening. Janine and I decided to counter with a prenatal paternity test before any discussions would be had. Our attorney told us she protested but had no ground to stand on. Monica was a mistress, one that I was too kind and generous to because I admired how she cared for her mother. Which is why I’m baffled that she would be wasting money she does not have on this lawsuit against me. I can only imagine it’s her best friend Faye doing the pushing. They didn’t count on me pushing back. I drive Monica out of my thoughts and pick up to dial Janine. She wasn’t feeling well this morning when I left. I woke up to her in the bathroom vomiting. It scared me and tore my heart at the same time.
“Hello.”
“Hi, sweetie, how are you feeling?” I can hear her groan, and I’m now pulling off the interstate to head home to eyeball her for myself.
“Babe, it’s like they know we are aware of them and have decided to have their way. I feel awful, my head aches, my stomach is churning, but I’m starving, and I’m horny, but I smell like puke. I think I’m just going to crawl back in bed—honey I have to go . . .”
With that, I know she is heading back to the bathroom, and I’m working from home. There is no way I’m letting her suffer alone.
Episode Twelve
Janine
Today is the day, in which we find out if Seth is the father of Monica’s baby. Attorney Edwards, who is representing us, encouraged that the results be read with Monica and her attorney present. Never in my life did I think I would be in this Maury Povich situation. However, here I sit in a room with my husband, his former lover, and two attorneys. How ghetto is that?
Seth has a death grip on my hand, letting me know he's terrified that the baby is his. I choose to be honest with myself; I would love it if my husband were not the father. Looking across the table, I lock eyes with Monica. She squints them with confidence and gives me, what I can only describe as a victorious glance. I return it with a smirk of my own and decide to concentrate on my husband who is whispering with Attorney Edwards. I inwardly hope the results arrive soon. I feel my stomach churn; morning sickness comes all day long for me. I place my free hand on my stomach and rub it gently praying in Jesus name I don’t have to excuse myself from this meeting. Seth senses my discomfort and turns to me placing his arm around me. Leaning into me, he whispers in my ear.
“Are you okay, love?”
I attempt a smile. “Oh, it’s just that time.”
His look of concern tells me he is aware. He kisses my forehead and turns to Attorney Edwards. “Is it possible for my wife to receive a sprite or ginger ale?” Attorney Edwards nods and calls his secretary on the phone in the middle of the conference table requesting ginger ale and a bag of pretzels. Before he can disconnect the call, Monica abruptly stands up.
“You’re pregnant?” She says it with such disdain one would think she was the wife. I close my eyes for an escape; I don’t have the energy to answer her. I don’t have to because Seth speaks.
“Yes, we are expecting twins. Attorney Edwards, if the results don’t come soon, I will have to take my wife home.”
I open my eyes and find Monica staring at me, only now her confidence is absent. The secretary, Kim, brings in my soda and pretzels. Seth opens them for me, and after one bite and swallow, I thankfully sigh. God bless the inventor of carbonation and pretzels. While I’m enjoying my snack, a messenger holding a brown envelope in his hands enters the room. Attorney Edwards accepts the package, and all I think is Maury Povich. Will my husband get to dance in victory because he is not the father, or will Monica jump on the table screaming, “I told you!”?
I am brought out of my daytime talk dream as Attorney Edwards reads the results. He reads the preliminary legal information about how the DNA is determined. I key in on the “Subject, Seth Owens, is ninety-nine percent included as the father of the fetus carried by Monica Snipes.” Attorney Edwards passes the results to Monica’s attorney. I look at my husband, and he has become green. I squeeze his hand and push my ginger-ale in front of him.
After Monica and her attorney finish reviewing the results, Attorney Edwards moves the meeting along.
“Attorney Whitfield, Mr. and Mrs. Owens have prepared an offer in the event the baby is proven to be his. They are proposing to extend the lease, where Ms. Snipes now resides, for one year and to cover all medical expenses.”
If looks could kill, Seth and I would be dead as Monica leans into converse with her attorney. She has a sinister look that makes me aware that this is not going to be easy. I’m beginning to
think she is a tad bit psycho.
Attorney Whitfield clears his throat, which he seems to do before he starts any sentence. Irritating. “My client does not feel this is adequate for her to care for herself and her unborn child. These are Ms. Snipes terms.” He clears his throat again as he passes the paper that holds her demands. Attorney Edward reads it.
“Two-year lease payment for the current address, the continuation of payment for cable, MLGW, car payment, the monthly allowance of twenty-five hundred dollars, and all prenatal, labor, and delivery costs.”
Seth does not tell his lawyer his answer. He blurts out, “No! My offer is my only offer.”
“Mr. Owens, please let me handle this,” Attorney Edwards plead, but Seth has snapped. He looks at our attorney and shakes his head in the negative.
“No, you have done your job, thank you.” He stands up but still will not release my hand, which is starting to hurt. “Monica, you either take what we have offered or nothing. No law says I have to put you up or take care of you before the baby is born. I don’t have time for this. I have put my wife through enough, and I will not sit her debating with you. Stop acting brand new like I owe you something. I. Do. Not. We are over.”
Seth drops to his seat, and I’m able to free my hand. I rub his back while working out the tightness in my fingers as well. Again, Maury Povich crosses my mind; this is where the show would go to commercial break. But reality is different. It is now time for Monica’s monologue. Calgon take me away. Jesus, this would be a good time for the rapture.
Monica rolls her eyes and smacks her fire-red lips.
What shade is that?
“You don’t think you owe me anything? How dare you say that. I have loved you for two years, I have cooked for you, listened to you, had sex with you, and I believed you when you said you cared about me and would always be there for me.” She pauses to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I’m pregnant just like Janine is, and I deserve the same things as she does.” She stops as her emotions have gotten away from her. Attorney Whitfield provides her comfort by placing an arm on her shoulder and offering her water, only she pushes it away and continues. “I don’t want water. I want ginger ale and pretzels.” She points at Seth. “I want you to rub my back because this is your baby. I want you to be at my doctor visits because this is your child.”
It Won't Prosper: Parable On Infidelity In Marriage Page 3
