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ad my lovely wife deceived me and me alone. But, that wasn’t the case. Given Adam knows about her past, obviously other members of the leadership are aware as well. Her deception doesn’t make me look good. In fact, it makes me look weak. That’s why Melanie had to be reprimanded. Not only is she a liar, there was a point that demanded to be proven.
Often when one is called into battle, it is apparent that the best way to go about a thing is indirectly. Keep your hands clean, as my father liked to say. If your opponent hasn’t a clue what you are up to, a defense cannot be prepared.
I haven’t a clue what Melanie’s defense will be. But I know how to find out. For this reason, I start with Beth for answers.
“How is she?” I say to her over the phone.
It takes her a second to respond.
“Beth?”
“Oh…um…I haven’t heard much other than the surgery went well.”
“Surgery?” My gut sets. “I thought she was just going in for reprogramming.”
“You weren’t happy with her, Tom.” She sighs. “So we freshened her up a bit.”
I take this for what it is. A sign. They don’t think my wife’s lie was big enough to extricate her, but they want her to pay for what she’s done. It isn’t that I don’t. The church and I, we often have different ideas where retribution is concerned. “She’s recovering from the loss of a pregnancy…”
“Best to get it all over with at once,” Beth assures me. “This way she’ll return to you good as new.”
“How long will that be?” I know the statistics on single men and I have no intention of living that way.
“Hard to say.”
“It’s her first offense.”
“Tom, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t ask for me to fix her and then say you want her back before the fixing is done.”
“Well, I’d like to see her.”
“And you will.”
“When?” Specifics is what I’m after. If the enemy is settled, make them move.
“Give her some time, Tom.” I hear the smile in Beth’s voice. “You know what they say, about absence making the heart grow fonder. Melanie needs to learn her lesson. And trust me,” she says. I’d be willing to bet she’s broken into full grin. “It’ll be a pleasant surprise for the both of you.”
Beth is wrong. I hate surprises. I say nothing.
“It’ll be like a whole new woman coming outta there.”
I think about the other morning in the kitchen and realize maybe Beth has a point. But I can’t let her think she’s won entirely. “Man should not be without his wife,” I tell her. “We’re practically newlyweds.”
My thoughts drift back to the lasagna I found this morning in the freezer. “Melanie had been preparing meals ahead of time in preparation for the baby.” A girl after my own heart. “Maybe I exaggerated things a little.”
Beth holds her resolve. Which means I must as well. “This will be good for you both. You just have to let go just a bit. Let us do our job.”
“She color coordinated my canned goods.” When I asked about it, she’d said she was bored. Maybe bringing her here was too much too soon.
“Tom.” I hear the warning in Beth’s tone.
“I miss her.”
“I thought you preferred alphabetical order,” she counters unexpectedly. I forgot she knew June.
“I thought so, too. And you know what Melanie said to that?”
“No. What?”
