In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. Robert Anderson
Rena gathered the last few items of clothing and toiletries and placed them in her carry-on luggage bag while Robert stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, and a deep furrow on his brow. His bearded face revealed it had been some time since he shaved, something he used to be obsessed with doing. Lately, things had been on shaky ground for him and Rena.
"So how long are you going to be gone this time?"
"What do you mean by that?" A deep wrinkle stretched across her own brow as she spoke. Her voice escalating in an unpleasant tone, she continued. "Look, I don't know what you're insinuating, but the last I checked I was not your slave, Robert. I'm your wife. So get over the attitude already."
"Attitude? I wouldn't call it that. I'm just sick of you running to Memphis to that dang church every time you hear about something going on there. What is it about that place, Rena? You would think that after five years together and four kids that you would be over dude."
"Is that what you think this is about? Or should I say is that who you think this is about? Stiles? Get over it, Robert. It's Holy Rock’s fortieth Jubilee, and I don't see one reason why I shouldn't be able to go to Memphis with my parents to celebrate it without you making a stink over it. Mom and Dad aren’t getting any younger, you know, and I don’t see why you have a problem with me traveling with them."
"Have it your way," Robert shrugged his shoulders, turned around, and walked away.
"Uhhhh," Rena said aloud.
Her text notification sounded, temporarily distracting her from what had just happened between her and Robert.
"You ready sweetheart?" her mother texted.
"Yes, you and dad otw?"
" be there shortly."
"K. See you in a few," Rena replied.
"Bye," her mother responded.
Rena finished the last of her packing and then hurried to the family room to tell the kids goodbye. She was determined not to let Robert dampen her mood or rob her of her joy. She parked her luggage at the front door then went to the family room where she saw the kids piled up on the sofa watching a movie on Netflix.
"Make room for Mommy," she told one of the kids.
Rena looked at the faces of each of her four kids. Two though she hadn't given birth to, were just as much hers as the twins who she conceived with Robert. They were the four reasons she continued to fight for her marriage to survive. Granted, lately she may not have been fighting as hard as she probably could have, but nonetheless she was in the fight to win.
For the past year, she and Robert's relationship seemed to hit one brick wall after another. Rena didn't know if it was the routine of their relationship, their up and down financial situation, or if it was the fact that she felt like Robert's feelings had changed somewhere along the way. Initially, when she noticed the change in him, she thought it had to be another woman but she soon dismissed that thought. Robert was not the cheating kind. At least Rena didn't believe that he was.
The fact that he was so upset that she was going to Memphis for the weekend with her parents was almost too much for her to take. She wouldn’t describe Robert as a jealous man, but ever since she and Robert met and fell in love, Stiles had been the thorn in Robert's side. Robert told Rena and her parents on numerous occasions throughout the years that Rena had never gotten over her feelings for her ex. Rena couldn't understand that thought process because as far as she was concerned, Stiles was nothing but a distant memory from a painful, long ago past. Sure, she was concerned about him and his family and probably always would be, but that was the extent of it. After all, before Robert, Stiles was not only the first, but he was the only man, she had ever slept with or fallen in love with, so of course it would stand to reason that he would hold a tender spot in her heart, but nothing more. If Robert couldn’t see after all the years they'd been together that she loved him, then that was his problem. She had enough day-to-day worries dealing with the kids and her career.
Mr. and Mrs. Jackson arrived, came inside, and said their hellos and goodbyes to their son-in-law and their grandkids. Rena followed suit by kissing and hugging her children, forewarning each of them to be on their best behavior for their father while she was away.
Robert walked them to the door, barely saying two words.
"I love you. I'll see you Monday," Rena told him and kissed him on his cheek.
"Enjoy yourself," he said dryly, as he waited for her to exit the front door after which he abruptly closed it.
Rena shook her head, pursed her lips, and walked toward her parents' car. She couldn't hold back the excitement swelling inside at the thought of getting away from Massachusetts, if only for a few days.
‡
Stiles wasn't particularly looking forward to his trip to Memphis. His emotional wounds and pain remained fresh. Since leaving Memphis after the death of Baby Audrey two years ago he hadn’t returned to the city. The thought of returning to Memphis and to Holy Rock only served as a cruel reminder of the devastation he experienced there. Losing his little girl because of the stupidity of his lying, cheating, ex-wife, Detria, made his anger fester until he could hardly manage to get through each day. Several of his newfound church friends tried to tell him that holding on to his grief in the manner in which he was doing, was not good for him. But how could they know if they never experienced losing a child, an only child at that. People could say what they wanted to say, but Stiles didn't care. He couldn't let go of the anguish inside no matter how hard he tried and how much he prayed. The thought of Detria and how she ruined his life was ever present.
His friend and confidante back in Memphis, Leo, was the one to tell him that Detria’s baby daddy and Stiles’ former friend, Skip, was still married to Meaghan. Meaghan was the girl Skip was sleeping around with while he was seeing Detria. Skip and Meaghan had a baby of their own, too and with all the money Detria had shelled out to him when she got her high seven figure settlement from the car accident, Skip opened several Subway franchises, and was doing quite well for himself.
Elijah, the little boy he had with Detria, lived with him most of the time. Detria never really cared much for children, which was obvious when Baby Audrey was alive and now evident with her son. Stiles had heard that she hadn't put up much of a fight to keep him from Skip once she got over the initial fact that he was married and had moved on with his life. On the contrary, she had fully recovered from the tragic accident and except for limited mobility in her right arm, she was back to the old slick, conniving, selfish Detria.
Stiles chuckled lightly to himself as he thought about how she had all of that money but probably no peace. He packed his last few items and said aloud, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord."