It Won't Prosper: Parable On Infidelity In Marriage

by Genevieve Woods

  Karen thought about the singles ministry Bible Study, where Pastor Caine gave the singles the scripture, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. He explained how Christian singles were to resist committing sin with their body. She remembered how she looked at her body when she got home after hearing that it was a temple for the Holy Spirit that dwelled inside of her. With tears streaming down, she got up and read the entire passage out loud.

  “Flee fornication, every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committed fornication sinneth against his own body.” Karen’s sobs were now audible. She threw the bible across the room. It was better not to know this. Now she had to be honest with herself, she wanted to slap Camille for being right. What she did with Frankie, and every man she had ever been sexually intimate with, was wrong.

  Karen continued to wail as if a death had occurred. She had a problem. How could she have it all—the Man and Peace with the Lord? Karen continued to weep as her wails turned to deep moans of agony. Her stomach cramped and her head ached because her spirit was willing, but her flesh was weak. Her sobs lasted for what seemed like hours. She was sinking deep into despair when the doorbell rang. She slowly dragged her aching body off of the couch. On the way to the door, she glanced at her reflection in the wall mirror, her eyes were red and swollen. Karen just shook her head trying to snap out of the pity party she was throwing herself. When she opened the door, there Frankie stood with flowers in one hand and toys in the other. The tears she was trying to hold back burst out as if a levee to her heart had broken.

  Frankie hurriedly nudged her into her apartment, sat down the flowers and toys, and grabbed Karen to him.

  “What is wrong, sweetie? What has happened, is Nikki okay?” Frankie asked while holding Karen around the waist and rubbing her hair as her head rested on his chest. Karen with sobs and hiccups tried to tell him, but nothing she said made sense. He led her to the couch and positioned her on his lap and said, “Karen, I can’t help, honey, if you don’t calm down and tell me what is wrong. Come on, baby girl, tell me the problem.”

  Karen took deep breaths and tried again. This time her words came out audibly. “I’ve messed up with you, Frankie. I should be setting a good Christian example for Nikki, but I did not think twice before sleeping with you. I made a commitment to honor Christ and be holy, but when you told me we could try, I let all my newfound standards and vows go.” Karen wiped away the tears that were now falling again and continued. “I want to be a good woman, Frankie. No more self-sabotaging only to have to spend months and years repairing the damage I’ve done to myself. But, I am not prepared to lose you before we get started, I just can’t.”

  Karen fell back on the couch and shielded her face with her arm. She began to cry again. She knew she looked a mess in front of Frankie. Snot was running from her nose, but she could not stop crying.

  Frankie was at a loss. He thought their being intimate was a good thing. However, Karen was crying as if she committed murder. Frankie knew the importance of acknowledging a higher power for strength; he called on God frequently as a recovering alcoholic. He never thought that something as wonderful as lovemaking could cause Karen or anyone to feel so much guilt. He went to God through prayer in Jesus’s name for his sobriety and his family’s well-being. By all accounts, he considered himself a Christian. Was she implying he was not? He needed to ask Karen questions because she was obviously leading to something he may consider a deal breaker for their relationship. Looking at her now, he knew she was not up for questions. All he could do at this time was to console a sobbing Karen. He wondered if he would lose her to this guilt. After an hour, Karen was asleep tucked in her bed. She had cried for so long that her body was shivering while she slept. Frankie knew it was time for Nikki to be picked up. He decided to let Karen rest, and he went to get their daughter.

  Frankie beamed with pride as he scooped up Nikki in his arms. He rarely picked up Dawn and Autumn from daycare when they were this age because Shayla did that. But having his baby girl lead him around to introduce him to her teachers and friends at the daycare was a memory he would cherish forever. When he had her locked in the car seat, he left Karen a message that Nikki would be with him for the next few hours and not to worry. He was headed straight to Benjamin’s for some advice. Maybe he or Camille could give him a clue on how to help Karen. Hopefully, in the process, he could save his new family.

  ****

  It was like the 1980’s movie, Three Men and a Little Lady. Nikki had Frankie, Benjamin, and Kevin strung out after a few hours. She had them playing tea party, watching episodes of Shopkins, and finally she “let it go,” while they watched Frozen. She fell asleep before the movie was twenty minutes in. All three men were worn out and grateful that the three-year-old had succumbed to siesta.

  Frankie cleared her leftover chicken nugget kid’s meal off her cartoon dinner tray. Uncle Benjamin had purchased the dinner tray the last time she and Camille were over. Frankie was grateful for the bond Karen and Nikki had with family and friends. They all were fast becoming his family as well, which led him to join Ben and Kevin in the game room. The room was definitely a man cave. It had a one-hundred-inch flat-screen television mounted to the wall with a digital surround sound system. The furniture was oversized brown leather sofas and La-Z-Boy chairs. There was a pool table, three different gaming systems, and a bar that did not appear to be stocked with alcohol, for which Frankie was grateful. There were energy drinks and bottled water instead. The men sat at the high top table talking as if they were having a meeting of knights at the round table. As soon as Frankie sat down, Benjamin got to the point.

  “So, Frankie, I am sure you did not just come over to let Kevin and I know what babysitting felt like. How are things going with you and Karen?”

  Frankie dropped his head and said, “Man, I came for advice. Karen and I moved our relationship to the next level a couple of days ago. It was magic. I never felt anything like what we shared before, even after being married to Shayla for years. So today, when I got off work, I rushed over to her apartment with flowers in hand for Karen and toys for my baby girl. I was thinking I was going to recreate the magic before we had to pick up Nikki. But what I got was a sobbing Karen. It was like she had committed murder, or her best friend had died. I tried to console her, so I could figure out what was wrong. But she only babbled stuff about her letting Jesus down and not keeping her vows and commitment.”

  Frankie ran his hand across his head and dropped his forehead on his arms as he folded them on the table. Ben reached over and patted him on the back.

  “My friend, you are dealing with a woman of Christ who feels guilty for backsliding.”

  Frankie lifted his head. “Backsliding from what?” Frankie was so confused, and Benjamin could see it all over his face. Kevin looked on because he was just as lost on how to respond to Karen’s reaction.

  Benjamin raised his hands in surrender. “I understand how you could be confused if you did not grow up in the church. Fortunately for you, I did. See, when a woman has committed her life to Christ and become saved, she can no longer commit sin. One of those sins is fornication or sex outside of marriage.”

  Frankie was puzzled. “What? Why? Because she is a sex addict she has to abstain, like I am a recovering alcoholic, so I can’t take a drink.”

  Benjamin shook his head. “No, it’s not that she is a sex addict. She has accepted that her body is the temple of the Lord and has to be free from sexual sin until she is married.”

  Frankie was not believing his ears. “Ben, I attend church almost every Sunday. I haven’t heard I can’t have sex if I am in a committed relationship. But then, I really don’t know what Shayla’s pastor is whooping and hollering about half of the time. I know that I go to God as my source. He is my higher power to help me with my sobriety. So, you mean to tell me, Karen is not a Christian if she makes love to me? That she is going to Hell because we are not married?”

  Benjamin could see the rise in Frankie’s temperatu
re, and he understood. He had been there with Lauren and all the other women he dated until Camille. He would let them know he was not ready for marriage and was not practicing celibacy. However, with Camille, he was honoring their vows to the Lord and honoring her body as the temple of God it was. It was hard to hold out because Camille’s body looked like it was the truth. He thought for a few minutes on what to say to Frankie, knowing that he who won a soul was wise. It was not lost on him that Kevin, a non-believer, was in their company as well. Kevin and Paige definitely needed Jesus in their relationship.

  “Frankie, the best thing I can tell you is to talk to Karen. It’s great you have given her this time to get a cooler head, but you must talk this out. Then I advise you to attend a Bible class at our church for dating while saved. It is called ‘Don’t stir Up or Awaken Love Until it Pleases.’ It covers why Christians should abstain from sex and gives great direction on how to avoid getting caught up. It has been a blessing for me and Camille. I am not telling you it is easy to abstain, but this class will give you the Biblical reference to show why it is the Lord’s will. If Karen is worth it, you will attend the class with her and wait until she is ready.”

  Frankie had a look of bewilderment. “Has Karen been attending this class, Ben?”

  “Yes, she has been there every time I’ve made it with Camille. Just come, and you will see why she feels the guilt she does.” Ben looked to his friend Kevin with a lopsided smirk. “Yo, Kev, it would not hurt you and Paige to attend either. Because one of you might be doing time if this thing with her and your mother is not settled.”

  Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Really now, Pastor Ben? You have been celibate for what, three of four months? This is after years of whoredom. Okay, I will take it into consideration. I will see if I can fit that into my schedule. Although, I am up to my neck with paperwork and still coming up empty on the driver of the Expedition that hit your Holy Woman.” Frankie and Kevin laughed out loud at that comment.

  Ben just gave them both a nod in acceptance and said, “Hey, make all the jokes you want. I have found my soul mate, and we are proceeding along nicely to a happily ever after. So you clowns take all the jabs you want. I can guarantee you I won’t have years of celibacy. I am ready to put a ring on it.”

  Kevin put up a stop signal with his hand. “Dude, calm down, I hear you I am just serious, I mean joking.” They all laughed, and then a thought occurred to Frankie.

  “Kevin, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something a friend of mine let me in on that may help the hit-and-run case,” Frankie said. Both Ben and Kevin ceased all movements.

  Kevin turned one hundred percent into a prosecuting attorney. “What information do you have, and why haven’t I heard of it before now?”

  “I am sorry, Kevin. I was waiting until you were in your office when I dropped off the mail, but you been MIA.”

  Ben, frustrated with the small talk, jumped in. “Frankie, tell us what you know.”

  “Okay, I ran into one of the guys I had dinner with the same day you all said Camille was hit. It was in the afternoon, a pre-bachelor party so to speak. Well, I found out the wedding didn’t happen because the groom got drunk and hit something, he could not remember what. He had gone to an ex’s house, where he was found the next day when he should have been at the wedding. Long story short, it struck a nerve, being the same date and all. So, I asked what type of car he drove, and it is indeed a Ford Expedition.” Benjamin did not know whether to hug or strangle Frankie, but he kept his composure because they now had a lead.

  Kevin asked the name of the driver. Frankie gave him Brian Andrews’ information, including his home address. Kevin took the information and left to do some investigating with his staff.

  Frankie parted ways soon after as Nikki woke up, saying she wanted to go home to her mommy. He wanted to go home to her mommy too, to settle this backsliding issue. He was determined to make this work, and if going to this Bible class would keep him from seeing Karen that way again, then that was what they were going to do.

  Camille’s Apartment

  Camille sat in her bedroom on the edge of her bed in a white terry cloth robe after a hot shower. The last week had revealed so much in her life and circle of friends. She had yet to speak with Karen about them being half sisters. Karen had called in sick the remainder of the week after their fight. She had not answered any of Camille’s phone calls over the weekend. Then there was her dad who was set on just leaving things as they were and actually left the country saying she was in good hands with Benjamin and her friends. He had received a call from his superior’s overseas. There was an urgent matter only he could handle. Camille did not believe that for one minute. Camille knew it was wrong, but she wanted to slap her dad and tell him a thing or two. If she could have just called him the biggest coward to his face, it would have subsided some of the turmoil she felt inside. How could he be a wonderful father to her and not so much as want to acknowledge he helped create Karen and had a granddaughter?

  In the next instant, Camille’s mind migrated to Paige who was in her spare bedroom. Camille had spent Friday and Saturday consoling Paige. Although Paige informed her that she left Kevin’s place with vigor and her dignity intact, Camille wanted to know where it was lost between his house and hers. Paige had been a babbling, crying love fool all weekend. Thinking of love snapped her mind to Benjamin, her president and leader of her heart. The heart that was racing as she thought about him. She had not seen him this weekend because of dealing with her dad and Paige. She missed him fiercely. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled thinking about all the kindness and love he bestowed upon her. She shook her head at the sudden nervousness that came over her as she thought about meeting his extended family after church later today. She felt good knowing Mother Ellen was on her side. Mother Ellen was a powerful woman of God that Camille was grateful to have in her life. She could not wait to get to church. Surely, Mother Ellen would help Camille with her half sister crisis and maybe even help with Paige. Paige was joining her at Liberty this morning. She knew Kevin was going to come with Benjamin too. Camille got up off the bed to dress for church, and silently, she said, “Father God, please heal, deliver, and set free today in your sanctuary. We all need your power, In Jesus Name, Amen.”

  Chapter 5: Exchanges

  Liberty Fellowship Church

  Liberty Fellowship Church was a medium-sized church with a congregation of 1200 to 1500 members who attended the two Sunday morning worship services. Camille had become a member after falling in love with Mother Ellen who taught her Women’s Sunday School class, and the teaching style of Pastor Derrick Caine. Pastor D, as he was passionately called by the congregation, was in his mid-forties and approached the Gospel of Christ with authority while making sure his members could apply the word practically to their life. The church was non-denominational. Pastor D had stated in the ‘First Things First Class’ Camille attended that he wanted a church that embraced all cultures and promoted kingdom building by meeting the natural and spiritual needs of all members. With all the outreach ministries the church had, Liberty was accomplishing that goal. The church offered free counseling provided by licensed therapists who were Christians, food pantries and shelters for those exiting prison, domestic abuse counseling, foreign language classes, and so much more.

  Camille was supposed to start volunteering in the Children’s ministry with Karen. Now that was up in the air because she had upset Karen by being judgmental. Camille regretted their fight, and not just because Karen could be her sister, but because she should have just prayed about the situation and kept her mouth closed.

  Camille was snapped out of her thoughts when the Pastor’s wife, Emily, came and gave her a sincere hug and told her how wonderful she looked. She also told her she could see God’s physical healing was almost one hundred percent. Camille believed her because all of her scars were gone. Her hair was even on both sides now, and she loved it being shoulder length. Through physical therapy, the limp
she had was gone, and there were no signs of any brain damage on her last scan. She had been truly healed by the Lord’s stripes. Camille was blessed and thankful. Camille could feel the love and sincerity radiate from First Lady Emily. She was a pure soul, and after Camille had heard her testimony in the First Things First class, she was a kindred spirit with Camille. After the two stopped embracing, they both turned to see Benjamin dressed in an expensive, Italian, navy blue suit and imported shoes.

  “First Lady Em.” Benjamin smiled using the nickname he’d given her. “How are you doing today?”

  “Hi, I am well, Brother Benjamin. You are looking handsome on this fine Lord’s Day.” Camille saw a twinkle in Lady Emily’s eyes as they bounced between her and Benjamin.

  Benjamin thanked her for the compliment and offered his own to her, with a brotherly hug. They said their goodbyes to Lady Emily and walked into the sanctuary together as she moved on to speak to more of the members and visitors. Camille and Benjamin normally sat together in the middle section of the sanctuary with his mother. It was the best seating to them both because they could clearly see the monitors, and the speakers were just the right volume midway.

  Camille liked that the traditional praise and worship songs were delivered by an anointed praise and worship team. The lighting crew was awesome, knowing how to usher in the presence of the Lord with dimming the lights at the right moments. Some people felt it was too much of a production, but Camille enjoyed all the effort put into making sure the congregation got into the realm of true praise and worship. It was more effective to her than having praise and worship leaders ranting for the congregation to join in with them. Some churches did that because they did not understand how to lead people into worship. Rather, they wanted the people coming for a refreshing and to cheer the praise team on instead of bowing at the Lord’s feet in praise and worship. Camille came to understand the difference during a Bible study taught by the Women’s Ministry Director. As the Praise and Worship team sang the beautiful, and time appropriate, song of Crystal Lewis “Beauty for Ashes,” Camille stood to her feet and let her troubles go. The praise ministry delivered words of deliverance through song, and she thought of her family and circle of friends and said a silent prayer for them all.