Short Stories

The Silence in the room was becoming uncomfortable for Mary. She had expected the wife of the local pastor to preach to her about the attributes and lifestyle of the virtuous woman as soon as she entered her office,but the woman just sat there , staring at her in a strange way.”Well, whatever happens here “,she said to herself,”I’ve heard enough of that man.i’m not going to hang around long enough for him to kill me. Christianity is not Stupidity.”I’m leaving him”.

          The pastor’s wife suddenly broke her silence when Mary started feeling uncomfortably in her chair.”sister Mary”,she called.”it looks as if you are set to leave your husband?”,shocked by what she had just heard,Mary’s head shot up as she stared at the pastor’s wife. How did she know what I was planning to do?she thought.

However,she gathered herself together and told her counselor how abusive and violent her husband had been,and how their marriage had gone sour.

         

The pastor’s wife nodded knowingly. She stood and came over to sit on the edge of the table facing Mary.”I understand how you feel,Mary. And from what you have just told me, your husband must be a terrible man”.Mary quickly nodded in the affirmative, feeling the pastor’s wife was on her side.”Mary,can I ask you a question? can you say with all sincerity that you’ve been BLAMELESS in all this?”she asked.”can you truly say you haven’t contributed to the problem in your marriage?Has your attitude and behavior towards your husband at this point been free of blame?”A long heavy silence pervaded the room.

Mary knew she hadn’t been BLAMELESS. But to cover up,she got up and retorted,”I’ve tried my best. I cannot continue to be a slave to a man who cares nothing about me. The last time he assailed me,I gave it back to him. Ma’am,I have decided to move out. I think enough is enough”.

“Mary, would you love to see a change in your husband?” The pastor’s wife asked.”Do you love him enough to help him become a transformed man?”Mary was silent.”well,i’ll take your silence for a yes”she continued.”you can’t leave your husband.That’s not the solution because God hates seperation or divorce. You told me earlier on that you fought back the last time your husband assaulted you. That’s not the way to go either it shows that you are part of the problem. You can’t win your husband by retaliating actions.

That will make him furious and assault you the more,you see my dear, many other women have had their challenges in their marriages, but they neither fought their husbands nor left them, They didn’t give up on their marriage. They stayed put and won their husbands back by living A BLAMELESS LIFE .” Or don’t you want your husband back?” Mary nodded her head,tears rolling down her cheeks slowly.”you can win him back! I strongly believe so”,the pastor’s wife added softly and gave her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.