Sandra and Andrew faked their way through breakfast the next morning for the sake of the boys. She even kissed him good-bye when he headed off to the church, resisting the urge to wipe his taste from her lips after the kiss was over. For her kids, she could act. She just didn’t know for how long.
Her plan was to go back to bed after the kids were off to camp and forget her troubles in a daylong sleep marathon. Mrs. Willis, their cook, stopped her. “First Lady,” she said. “Do you want to make any changes to today’s brunch menu?”
Sandra slapped her palm against her forehead. She’d totally forgotten about her brunch plans with Vickie McCorry. After the McCorrys had been unable to make the house-warming, the two women had agreed to brunch. Sandra had eagerly offered to host it, mainly to rub Vickie’s nose in her good fortune. She’d planned to show Vickie how God had blessed them despite the McCorrys’ lack of support. She’d wanted to show the older woman how much bigger and better everything she and Andrew had was compared to what she and Pastor McCorry had. Now those plans seemed petty and meaningless. She wanted to cancel, but it was too late.
“The menu is fine,” she told Mrs. Willis.
“Will you still be eating on the patio by the pool?”
Sandra nodded. She didn’t have the wherewithal to make any changes at this point. Her best bet was to stick with what was already arranged. That settled, she trudged back up the stairs and headed for her bedroom and closet. She’d chosen her outfit days before, just the dress to show off her newly toned arms and her newly acquired designer tastes.
She took her outfit—lingerie, jewelry, and shoes included—back with her to the guest room. She no longer belonged in the master bedroom with Andrew. Not after he’d betrayed her again. She placed the clothes across a chair in the guest room and then fell back into bed. She may not have been able to sleep the entire day away, but she’d gladly take the next three hours. She quickly fell into a deep sleep. She didn’t awaken until Mrs. Willis knocked on her door.
“It’s eleven, First Lady,” she said, through the door. “You’re going to be late for brunch if you don’t start getting ready.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Willis,” Sandra mumbled into her pillow. “I’m up. I’ll be ready.”
Sandra stepped into the guest shower and exited refreshed. The warm water had soothed her. Had she known how much better the water would make her feel, she’d have showered sooner. She quickly donned her outfit and made her way down the stairs. The doorbell rang just as she hit the bottom step.
She checked herself in the full-length mirror opposite the door and, pleased with what she saw, pulled open the door, a practiced smile on her face. “You’re right on time, Vickie,” she said, taking in the woman’s appearance. It was obvious she too had dressed to impress. “You look lovely. That’s a beautiful outfit.”
“Thank you,” Vickie said, entering the house. “You look stunning. And this entranceway is marvelous, so majestic. I guessed from the outside that this house was a masterpiece, but my guessing didn’t do it justice. I can’t wait to see the rest of it.”
Sandra relaxed a bit. Vickie’s enthusiasm and sincerity took some of the edge off. “Let’s do the tour first and then we’ll eat,” she said.
“That’s a good idea,” Vickie said with a laugh. “I don’t think I could enjoy my meal otherwise. Let’s get started.”
Sandra started in the foyer and moved left to cover the first floor. When they had made the circle, she took Vickie up the winding staircase to the second-floor living quarters. From there, they took the back staircase down to the patio where they would eat.
“Whew,” Vickie said after she was seated at the patio table. “This place is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. The floor plan is to die for, and you’ve done a masterful job with the decorating. Did you do it yourself or did you hire somebody?”
Mrs. Willis brought out tea and served them both a glass, leaving the glass pitcher on the table.
“I hired a decorator,” Sandra said. “I can give you her name.”
Vickie shook her head. “I’m sure she’s out of our price range. You and Andrew are living on a much grander scale than me and Pastor.”
Sandra took a bit of satisfaction in those words. After all, she’d wanted Vickie to recognize and appreciate what she and Andrew had accomplished. She became angry again when she thought how Andrew’s gambling had put it all in jeopardy. Maybe Vickie would have the last laugh after all when she and Andrew were evicted from this majestic estate. She shook off the negative thoughts. Maybe Andrew could fix it. She hated to admit it, but she liked their lifestyle and didn’t want to lose it. “You and Pastor taught me and Andrew to dream,” Sandra said honestly, surprising herself. “You showed us what was possible with God.”
Vickie took a sip of her tea. “Now you’re making me feel bad.”
At that point, Mrs. Willis brought out a cart with their meal. In her desire yet again to impress Vickie, Sandra had instructed Mrs. Willis to prepare a variety of exotic dishes for sampling. She’d gone to a luncheon with a similar menu a couple of weeks ago and had been bowled over with both the presentation and the tasty dishes.
Vickie’s eyes lit up. “What is all of this?”
Sandra smiled. “Just a little something, something. There are a variety of dishes from more than fifteen different countries. I had Mrs. Willis label them for us. Feel free to try everything. If you don’t like something, don’t eat it.”
Vickie grinned at her. “My fear is that I’ll like everything. Are you trying to get me fat?”
Sandra laughed. A fat Vickie would be a sight to see. She handed Vickie a designer plate and took one for herself. “I guess we’ll be fat together.”
Both women laughed as they loaded their plates.
“Everything is delicious,” Vickie said. “Your cook will have to give me all the recipes. I’m going to have to host a luncheon like this for the ladies at Praise City. They’d love it. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks.”
“I wouldn’t call you an old dog,” Sandra said, wiping her lips with her linen napkin.
Vickie put down her fork. “I owe you an apology, Sandra,” she said. “I’ve come to realize that some of the things you said the night you and Andrew came over to tell me and Pastor about your plans were right. Deep inside, a part of me took personal pride in being First Lady and in all the trappings that went with it. I was a little threatened when you and Andrew decided to go out on your own. I guess I knew deep down inside that what you two would accomplish would overshadow what Pastor and I had accomplished. I’m ashamed of that now. I am happy that you and Andrew are achieving more. You should be. Pastor and I count you as fruit from our ministry and celebrate that the fruit is better than the tree. I wasn’t looking at it that way back then, and I’m sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
Sandra was so surprised by Vickie’s candor that she didn’t immediately answer.
“I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me right now,” Vickie said, misreading her silence, “and pray that one day you’ll be able to. I also want you to know that this is about me, not Pastor. He really felt that the time wasn’t right for you and Andrew to go out on your own. Now I’m wondering if that was because I wasn’t ready for it, rather than you two not being ready.”
“You’re a wise woman, Vickie McCorry,” Sandra said. “I’ve always known that. But you’re also a humble woman because it took a humble woman to admit what you just admitted. You’re my role model. I accept your apology.”
“Let’s not get carried away,” Vickie said. “Let’s just try to rebuild our friendship.” She reached over and squeezed Sandra’s hand. “I miss you.”
Sandra squeezed her hand back. “And you have to forgive me. I invited you here to show off what Andrew and I have. That was wrongheaded and wronghearted of me, and I’m ashamed.”
Vickie laughed. “We First Ladies are a competitive bunch,” she said. “So you fit right in. Just don’t let the competition get the better of you. Compete in the important things like doing the will of God and helping people, not the trivial things like cars and houses. That’ll mess up you, your marriage, and your ministry. In the hustle and bustle of ministry, sometimes we lose sight of that. Don’t let it happen to you and Andrew, because if you lose that then you have nothing.”
Sandra soaked up Vickie’s words, knowing they were God’s message to her and Andrew. They had some changes to make. She prayed they’d be up to them.