“I just don’t know what to do, Jennifer,” Mari wailed at her friend. Jennifer Nolan, Mark’s wife, had come into the lab Tuesday afternoon to drop off some of the data she had been analyzing for Greg’s latest set of experiments. Mari knew her husband was supposed to have met with Pastor Mark that morning so when Jennifer showed up that afternoon, Mari broke down and told her about the pregnancy. Hands gripped tightly together, voice wavering, she told of finding out just minutes before Joe walked into the room. Her mind vividly replayed all that had happened since, and she relayed what she could to Jennifer. If her mother had been alive Mari would not have hesitated to go to her for advice. Jennifer had been almost a second mother to her since she was two, so being able to go to Jennifer for help was the next best thing.
“I’m sure you don’t, Mari,” she replied gently. “It’s a pretty tricky situation. You love him, right?” Mari nodded. “Then keep loving him. God has a plan, you know that. Deep down, so does Joe.”
“I’m so angry with him,” Mari confessed, head bowed in defeat. “He avoids me as if I’m carrying some dreaded disease instead of a child. I told him last week and I’ve hardly seen him since then. When I do see him he looks at me like I’m some sort of disgusting bug that he wants to step on.”
Jennifer hid a grin. “I’m sure it’s not that bad, Mari.” When Mari grimaced she continued. “This is a big thing, Mari. You’re pregnant. Joe doesn’t believe he can father a child which leaves him wondering about your fidelity. You know you haven’t had an affair, but he can’t be certain because for him to be the father of this child it would be a miracle and it may be that he has a hard time believing a miracle could happen. Just love him through this, Mari. Let God work and keep praying that His will be done. Even if Joe doesn’t come around, you’ll know that you did your best to be a loving and faithful wife.”
“But what if he leaves?” Mari whispered her deepest fear.
“Don’t stop loving him. Joe’s a smart man going through a crisis of faith. Give him time to come to grips with everything that’s going on. Don’t make a big deal out of your pregnancy when you’re around him. Don’t try to hide it; just don’t make a big deal out of it. Try to keep things as normal as possible for the time being. You said he was seeing Mark?”
Again Mari nodded. “He was supposed to meet him this morning, I think.”
“Then let Mark counsel him. You need to be patient and let the Holy Spirit work.”
“Patience has never been my greatest asset.”
“Really? I never would have known that,” Jennifer spoke tongue in cheek. “You’ll have to work on that, too.”
Mari leaned back in her chair, trying to relieve the ache that had settled into the small of her back. The changes her body was going through were coming faster than she could keep up. In the short time since she had found out she was pregnant her stomach had rounded to the point her clothes were more than just uncomfortably tight. She had to keep her pants unbuttoned and partially unzipped to wear them at all which meant she had to cover it by leaving her shirt untucked. Not only that, her feet were beginning to swell, as well. Marla warned her she needed to take it easy, but the anxiety she felt over this whole situation made her tense and irritable and unable to rest.
“I know this is hard, Mari,” Jennifer said, taking Mari’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “But you’ll get through it and be stronger in the end. Just don’t lose faith.” She pushed the lab stool back towards the tissue culture hood, stretching as she rose. “I have to get going, but we’ll talk again. And take it easy. You’ll run yourself right into the ground if you keep going the way you are.”
“I’ll do my best,” Mari sighed. “But I miss him so much.”
Jennifer reached over and hugged her hard. “I know, honey.” Jennifer ached for this woman, who had lost so much in the past and stood to lose even more now. Not being able to have children was a pain Jennifer was very familiar with but God had been gracious and granted Mark and Jennifer a congregation full of “children”. Mari was as close to a daughter as it was possible to have, and it hurt Jennifer to watch her as her world seemed to crumble. There was nothing she could do but pray for her and Joe, although Jennifer would dearly love to go knock that boy upside the head.
“Go home and rest,” Jennifer advised as she walked to the door. “You have someone depending on you now. You need to remember that.”
“I will and I do know that,” Mari said, following her friend to the door. “Tell Mark I said hello,” she called to Jennifer before she turned the corner.
Mari went back to her desk and sat down. Staring out the window, she absently rubbed her stomach. It was going to be difficult, but she would get through this. She loved Joe, but she knew that she could not control how he felt or what he did. She determined to love him through this, and with that went back to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment