NOTE: This is a fictional retelling of a Bible story. See the footnote at the bottom of the narrative for
the scripture passage that inspired this modern version of the biblical account.
Patty Loveless disliked being the wife of a
children’s pastor at the church down the street. Her husband, Patrick, made
that ministry decision for the both of them soon after they were a married
couple without asking her how she felt about it. Being a pastor’s wife was a
fishbowl existence. The congregation had unrealistic expectations for their
family than they would for themselves. Being frail humans was never an option.
Though most congregation members were good at
heart, there were a few that enjoyed gossiping near a pastor’s wife negative
information about their spouse (a pastor) without a thought for their family’s
feelings. One might believe the pastor’s family was expected to be above all
this, but they weren’t. Patty resented being forced into a church ministry she was
not equipped to do that was expected of her just because she a pastor’s wife.
In the midst of Patrick’s many ministerial
duties, he often was too tired or forgot about his responsibilities at home as
a husband when it came to love and affection for Patty. She enjoyed her regular
man gazing visits with their lawn service, His Masters Trust Landscaping and
Lawn Care Service. The owner, Jordan, was a well-built, attractive college age
man that Patty loved watching work, flex, and sweat as he was much of the time
shirtless. Patty viewed all of this from her curtained bedroom window.
Patty felt this was the day to take their
cordial friendship to the next level with an invitation into her
air-conditioned home for a simple glass of pink lemonade on this unusually warm
spring afternoon.
Once Jordan was inside, Patty made her move
after his first sip of pink lemonade with a sexual invitation to her bed. Her
fickle husband was at work, and her son was having a play date at a friend’s
house. The afternoon was young, and who knew what could happen.
With the look of horror on Jordan’s face, Patty
realized she’d made a major mistake, but she was past the point of caring about
her reputation at this exact moment. Jordan quickly put his shirt back on and
hurriedly spoke as he prepared to exit through the kitchen door.
“Mrs. Loveless, Pastor
Patrick has entrusted me to do a job for him, and not the one you are wanting.
Lately, I’ve caught on to all of your romantic hints, and I am not interested.
You scare me. What you want me to do now would ruin both my personal and
professional integrity. Maybe you should find another landscaping and lawn care
service.”
With that Jordan tried
to leave before a very strong Patty ripped the logo decaled shirt right off of
him. She would not be scorned by a man twenty years younger than herself. Once Jordan ran out, Patty decided she would
ruin him with two simple phone calls. One was to her husband, and another to
the police. She would lie about being raped with Jordon’s shirt as proof of
that. An Internet complaint to the Better Business Bureau would put His Masters
Trust Landscaping and Lawn Care Service in a bad light in Bryant County. [i]
“Joseph did not endure the pit, Potipher’s house, and prison, because he
knew he would end up in Pharaoh’s palace. He simply remained faithful wherever
he found himself. God did the rest.” (H.B. Charles Jr.)
[i] Adapted from: All for One: The Towns of Ohio
Completer Trilogy by Robert Kinker, Book One: Chapter Eighteen ”A
Woman Scorned,” Genesis 39:1-18
No comments:
Post a Comment