An Unexpected Miracle--Chapter 11.1

Chapter Twelve

            He was drifting farther and farther away from her and she did not know how to stop it.  Weeks had passed without any resolution to their marital problems.  Mari knew Joe was struggling with more than just the obvious issue of her pregnancy.  His very faith was being put to the test.

Although Joe had been a fairly new Christian when they met, his faith had grown during their years together.  They had put their trust in God to protect and lead them.  The issue of children had come up, of course, before they were married.  Joe admitted to Mari that he had prayed for a wife who would understand there would never be any children in their future.  When Mari broached the subject of adoption it was the first time she had ever seen him truly angry.  No adoption.  She thought maybe Joe saw adoption as a sign of his failure.  Mari did not necessarily agree with that assessment but after much prayer she decided Joe was the man God planned for her.  If that meant no children, then the Lord would help her deal with that.  Still, she always had hope that God would provide a miracle and after ten years her miracle was here.  But her husband was not.

Mentally shaking herself, she slipped the silver ball earring into the lobe of her ear.  Tonight they were attending the wedding of mutual friends.  It would be the first time they had attended a social function as a couple since Joe had left to go to Houston in April.  Jordon Malone and his bride Melinda were part of Joe and Mari’s circle of friends although in the last year or so they had not been able to meet them much socially.  After putting in the other earring, Mari gathered up her purse.  Joe did not want to go to the wedding but Mari was not about to attend the wedding of good friends alone, forced to make up excuses for her husband’s absence.  There was only so much she was willing to do to keep the peace.  He was just going to have to suck it up this time.

Joe was already waiting in the car when Mari came down.  She grimaced.  She was so tired of the tension.  It was making her edgy and irritable trying to make things comfortable for Joe.  Do not look only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  I’ll try Lord, Mari promised as she slid awkwardly into the passenger seat. 

Joe said nothing as Mari entered the car.  He averted his eyes as she got in and started the engine.  The temptation to drop her off at the church and drive away was strong.  He did not want to do this.  There were going to be a great many of their mutual friends at this wedding.  So far he had managed to avoid contact with most people he knew, using work as an excuse.  His closest friends knew why, although they did not call him on his behavior.

“I’d prefer to sit at the back, if it’s okay with you,” the words were whispered into her ear as they entered the church causing a shiver of awareness down Mari’s spine.

“Sure.  That’s fine,” she answered, slightly breathless.  Considering the amount of work it had taken just to get him here, Mari was not about to quibble over seating arrangements.  They settled into a pew at the back of the sanctuary and waited for the ceremony to begin.  Much to Joe’s dismay several other guests crowded into the pew next to them and began talking to Mari.  He heard one woman ask when Mari was due, but he did not hear her response.  He wondered that himself.  When was she due?  When would this child make an appearance?

Once the ceremony was underway, Joe glanced over at his wife.  She was watching the bride and groom, a wistful smile on her face.  He remembered that she had been instrumental in getting Jordan and Melinda together in the first place.  After one blind date set up by Melinda’s good friend Marilee, Jordan and Melinda had been hooked on each other.  Mari had grinned like a fool for a week after that, much to Joe’s chagrin.  He had insisted Jordan would not like Melinda, much less go out with her a second time.  Joe had had to wear Mari’s neon pink baseball cap at softball three Fridays running for that misjudgment.

Jordan and Melinda exchanged vows, their voices strong and confident.  They looked so happy, so excited about the future.  Joe’s heart ached.  He wondered if he would ever feel like that again, so much in love with his bride he wanted to shout it from the rooftops.  The dead weight resting where his heart used to be made that highly unlikely, in his opinion.

The reception was being held at a near-by country club immediately following the ceremony.  The bride and groom wanted to spend more time with their friends and family and less time posing for pictures so there was a rush to get to the reception which worked in Joe’s favor.  It would shorten the time Joe had to be alone with Mari.  The car ride was short and they were promptly seated at a table full of people.  It was a struggle keeping a look of enjoyment on his face while they were eating dinner, but he managed to fool everyone except his wife.

            When dinner was finally over, Joe made a hasty excuse and excused himself from the table.  He killed as much time as he felt he could in the men’s room, then took up a post at the back of the hall near the exit.  Joe leaned back against a pillar, his eyes tracking his wife’s movements around the room as she stopped to speak to other guests.  He had made a concerted effort to ignore her before this point, spending his time eating or conversing with those around him.  Now, as he stood in the background, his eyes were unwillingly drawn to her.  Mari was so beautiful he had trouble catching his breath.  Her face radiated an inner glow despite how pale she was.  Her pregnancy could not be hidden now, the royal blue dress she wore draping gracefully over the roundness of her belly.  Several people had voiced their congratulations, which he accepted with a forced smile, hiding his hurt and betrayal.  He knew for his sake Mari was downplaying her condition.  She was doing everything she could to smooth over the situation.  For that he was thankful.

He brought the punch cup up to his lips, sipping absently.  This wedding was the first social function they had attended together in the weeks since Mari had broken the news of her pregnancy to him.  He would have tried to get out of it but Jordan was a good friend and Mari had put her foot down, announcing that they would attend his wedding together.  His reluctant acceptance had earned him a roll of hazel eyes and an exasperated sigh.

“What’s up good looking?” the sultry voice came from behind him as red-tipped fingers slid up his arm. 

Joe stifled a groan.  The last thing he wanted was to get trapped in conversation with Sydney Warren, female barracuda.  The woman had been after him since he joined the firm, despite his married state.  “Hello, Sydney,” Joe said, stepping away from the woman’s hand.

Sydney gave a husky laugh at his attempt to move to a safe distance.  She crowded closer to him.  She had been watching Joe and his wife all evening and could tell there was something not quite right between them.  This might just be her chance to gain Joe’s attention.  Not one to miss an opportunity, Sydney stealthily made her way over to Joe, coming up from behind him so he could not avoid her as he normally did in social situations.  She glanced around the room looking for Mari, spotting her talking with the bride and groom.  With any luck Mari would see Joe and her together, driving an even bigger wedge into the couple’s relationship.  Sydney would be ready and waiting when Joe and Mari split.

“So, what’s a handsome man like you doing alone at such a romantic event?”  Sydney lifted her baby blue eyes up to his face.  She considered her eyes one of her best features and if the men in her life could be believed those baby blues were hard to resist.

“I’m not alone,” Joe contradicted, his hand tightly gripping his punch glass.  He nodded his head in Mari’s direction.  “Marilee is right over there talking to Jordan and Melinda.”

“Well, allow me to keep you company until she decides to come back to you.”

A pain pierced Joe’s heart at Sydney’s choice of words.  There was no way she could know Joe had his doubts about his wife’s fidelity.  But obviously he was not hiding the fact there was something wrong very well, although when it came to men’s marital problems Sydney seemed to have very well honed radar.  She showed up at social events regularly with newly divorced men.  Despite her reputation, he did not have it in him to just rudely dismiss her.  “So how’s the new job going?” he asked.  Sydney recently had left the company Joe and Jordan worked for to join a large advertising firm in downtown Detroit.  He was hoping the question would take her mind off seducing him.  The redirection worked and Sydney began describing her new job with enthusiasm, her hands fluttering around her body in a manner meant to draw his attention.

While he was trying to avoid Sydney’s tentacles, Joe felt a light touch on his shoulder.  Mari’s hand slid down his arm and came to a stop on his forearm.  He felt a gentle pressure as she gently squeezed.

“Good evening, Sydney,” Mari greeted the blonde woman.  She kept her voice even with great effort.  They might have hit a rough patch, but Joe was still her husband and Mari was not about to let Sydney Warren forget it.  Joe belonged to Mari and she was not going to share.  Inwardly shaking her head at this unexpected bout of jealousy, Mari flashed Joe a conspiratorial smile.  The poor man seemed ready to bolt.

Not sure what was worse, the company of the blonde octopus or that of his unfaithful wife, Joe stood absolutely still.  Sydney might be annoying but Mari’s touch was far more dangerous to his piece of mind.  This was the first time he had allowed his wife to touch him for any length of time in almost eight weeks.  He had not realized how much he missed it.  Her hand was light and gentle on his arm.  Her scent surrounded him, a subtle blend of vanilla and spice that reminded him too much of more intimate moments.  He wanted to ignore the comfort her nearness gave him but it just was not possible. His body reacted before he could stop it.  He missed her so much.  His hand rose of its own volition to cover her smaller one as it rested on his arm.  He felt a small tremor run through her and tightened his grip slightly.  Their gazes locked and everything else seemed to fade into the background.

The hurt Joe felt at the circumstances was still there, but for the first time a glimmer of hope pierced the wall he had erected around his heart.  She’s never lied before, it whispered, even when she knew it would make you angry.  Not when she gave your favorite sport coat away, not when she lost your car keys at the baseball game and they had had to call a locksmith, not even when she deleted all your financial files on the computer.

The moment was broken when Sydney bumped into Joe.  “Sorry,” she said before she moved off in a huff.

“We need to talk, Mari,” Joe stated abruptly, taking her hand and moving swiftly towards the door.

Before they reached it, however, they were stopped by another couple. Maintaining his politeness with difficulty, Joe began to offer excuses, but before more than a few words could be uttered, they were joined by two more couples.  Mari’s eyes met his, her own reflecting both wry amusement and annoyance over their predicament.  She leaned over and whispered “later”, before she was swept away by some of the women to discuss an upcoming church event.