The Pastor's Other Woman (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Jewel

I sat at my desk inside of my downstairs office and looked at the clock in the right hand bottom corner of my computer screen. The display showed the time as four in the afternoon and six days since Drew left to head to Atlanta. The time and date also reminded me that it had been six days since I last talked to him. If it wasn’t me calling his phone it was Kammy trying to FaceTime him, only to have the phone go straight to voicemail or just ring. As of nine this morning, I had left so many messages that his mailbox was now filled to capacity.

I stopped making attempts to reach him the moment I logged into my personal Facebook page and saw that he had been posting and checking in at different locations in Atlanta. At least he wasn’t dead, but once I reached him, he was going to wish that he was.

Trying my best to take my mind off of what could possibly be going on with my husband, I focused all of my energy and attention on the final details of his pastor’s anniversary that would take place in four days. I was so excited for this new level that God was about to take us to, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like Drew was taking it as seriously as I was. Maybe he was just nervous. This was a big step in ministry, but I knew that he could handle it. Before I had the chance to get back to making sure everything was in order, the house phone rang. Praying it was Drew finally calling, I looked at the caller ID and saw it was my father.

“Hey, my gem,” he greeted me.

It seemed like he sensed when something was going on with me because he would always call at the right time.

“Hey Daddy. How are you? Where’s mom?”

“Oh, I’m fine. We just got back from one of her doctor’s appointments,” he said, reminding me that she did have to go and get another mammogram done.

Since the breast cancer that had claimed her left breast was in remission, her doctor wanted to do regular mammograms and run tests to make sure it hadn’t returned.

My mother, Francis, was a trooper though, a real soldier for the Lord, and no matter what went on with her, she still gave God praise, even in the darkest of times.

“That totally slipped my mind. What was the outcome?” I asked quickly, saying a silent prayer that everything was still good.

I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I heard him say that everything was just fine, and I was able to exhale. My mother was the reason that my father passed up being the head pastor of the church because he knew how much time was required when it came to ministry. His main focus was taking care of his family at home, because if his home life was out of order, there was no way that he could lead a church. I admired that about him, he really loved his family. I knew what it felt like to have such a positive man in my life growing up, and what a husband should be, but there were days I felt like I didn’t have that, no matter how hard I tired ignoring the signs.

“I was calling, baby girl, to see how you are though. God has had you heavy on my heart and mind these last couple of days,” he said.

I had gotten so caught up in my thoughts I forgot he was on the line.

“I’m ok. Just trying to make sure these last minute details are together before Drew gets back in time for the anniversary.”

“Wait, I thought Andrew was home already.”

“No. Why would you think that, Daddy? I told you he had a speaking engagement in Charlotte,” I reminded him.

He had me confused as to what he was talking about. I knew he wasn’t losing his memory, so the fact that he was thinking Drew was home and I had given him the schedule was beyond me.

“Doesn’t Bryce go with him when he leaves town?” He asked me.

“Yes.”

I had no clue what he was getting at.

“Do they always come back together?”

“Yes. Daddy, why are you asking me these questions?”

Now I was starting to worry again.

“I just saw Bryce at the grocery store. I stopped to talk to him for a few minutes about when he was going to finally decide to become a pastor. I see nothing but the hand of God on his life, and I know he will be an awesome addition for the kingdom in that capacity. Unlike….” He trailed off.

My emotions were all over the place, and I couldn’t understand why Bryce was back and I didn’t know where my husband was.

“Daddy, I have to go. Tell mom I’ll call her back later on and check on her. Love you,” I said hanging up the phone not waiting on a response from him.

Something wasn’t right, and I began to wonder if the vision God gave to me the other night was about to come to pass. If so, I was going to need all of His strength to get through this. Before I picked up the phone to call the hotel my husband should have been at and to check in with Bryce so that he could explain why he was home but Drew was MIA, I reached in the top drawer of my desk and pulled out my bottle of Zoloft and popped two into my mouth. God in heaven knows if this didn’t go right my next breakdown might send me over the deep end. The last time I slipped into a deep depression I was stuck in the bed for almost three weeks, and if it hadn’t been for Bryce coming to the house that day to see Drew, my children would have been motherless. That man had really been there for a lot of the most difficult times in my life when my husband should have, but none the less, I was grateful for him.

Hopefully now, he will have some answers for me that contradicted what my mind was already telling me.

Chapter Eight

Drew

Sitting behind the pulpit, I looked out into the faces of my congregation as they celebrated me. This was my church, my ministry, my flock. I ran this show and had been for the last ten years, so today, on this Pastor's Anniversary, I was going to sit back and watch as the people worshiped me. How could they not? If it wasn't for me half of these people would be jobless and without lights and food. They owe
d me, so to speak. I looked over to the woman sitting beside me with the light make up, bouncy curls and wide body and smiled. If I cared even a little bit about my wife I could say that God had truly blessed me with my Jewel. But I didn’t. I was here for only one reason, and that was to make a come up. Tomorrow morning would be the end of this charade I was putting on with both Jewel and Jasmine.

My wife and the mother of our two beautiful daughters, Jewel was some man’s dream, just not mine. My reality didn’t include her for too much longer, but I would act like it. She wasn't enough. I needed more. I chuckled to myself at that thought. Jewel was more than enough, but I meant that literally.

Of course, I heard the warnings daily from the Lord, and even from my best friend, Bryce, but I was too smooth with mine. Unlike most men, I was covered behind the cross. God may have warned me, but He would never expose me. I preached His word to His people like He instructed, and in return, He kept my secrets covered.

I sat up in my seat and straightened my tie while the choir sang about His goodness. Yes, He was good, very good, but I was a little better. I was the epitome of a Man of God on the outside, but on the inside, that real life I lived was what kept me going. Something about this other life of mine kept the fire burning in me. Yearning for more. The excitement of knowing my wife, children and church would never know I pulled the wool over their eyes daily gave me a sense of power like no other.

I guess I owed a little thanks to Jewel for getting me here though. Had she not been about to receive some big inheritance, there was no way I would be getting ready to head to take her for all she had. I couldn’t care less what she and the girls would be left with once I was gone because I was sure I would be good for the rest of my life.

When the choir finally stopped singing and the people in the congregation got themselves together I stood to give my thanks as a feeling hit me like a ton of bricks. Another warning from God I suppose.

"This is your last warning, son," I heard but shook it off.

He'll never expose me for who I really am, I'm His servant,
I thought to myself. I looked over at Bryce, and he had a look of satisfaction on his face. Not sure what that was about but I turned to my other side, and as I bent down to kiss Jewel, as I always did before preaching, instead of her kissing me back, she turned her head to face the many faces of Living Testimony Christian Center.

Taken aback for just a quick second, I gathered myself, smiled and walked up to my podium. Right as I was opening my mouth to start my speech, the doors of the church opened, and I heard a voice that made me sick to my stomach.

"Good evening everyone. I'm Constance, the Preacher's other woman."

Chapter Nine

Jewel

To say I was speechless would be an understatement. My whole body went numb as the revelation of my husband’s infidelity hit me like a ton of bricks. I looked over to Bryce, who wore the same shocked expression on his face that I had on mine. So many thoughts were going through my head, yet nothing was forming to make sense at the moment.

I thought my heart had shattered when Bryce told me what Drew was up to, but right now I felt like my heart was non-existent in my chest. God had allowed this man to snatch it right out of my body, and I didn’t understand why. I was a good wife and mother and tried to be the woman that Drew needed, but it still wasn’t enough.

“Good evening everyone,” the woman named Constance said again.

“Babe, what are you doing here?” Drew said, clearing his throat.

You could hear a pin drop the church was so quiet.

“Drew, what’s going on?” I asked finally finding my voice, but I couldn’t stop it from shaking.

“Shut up, Jewel. Answer the question, Constance,” he said, not even looking at me.

“NO!” I said, letting them all know I was not playing this time.

“What’s going on, honey, is I’m tired of not being able to have my man home with me and our children on a regular basis,” Constance informed me.

There was no way I could keep the tears from flowing no matter how hard I tried. Looking at this woman stand in front of me made me sick to my stomach. She was gorgeous. I knew her hair wasn’t real, but the long blond weave was freshly curled and fell around her caramel colored face. Her eyes were dark and slanted, almost like if you wore a ponytail too tight and it caused your eyes to be stretched. As bad as I didn’t want to look at her body, I couldn’t help it. The woman was flawless compared to me. She wasn’t real tall, but she was taller than me, and her weight complimented her frame well. Constance was everything I wasn’t, and thoughts of Romeo came flooding back to my memory.

Without a second thought, the embarrassment I felt carried me down the stairs of the stage and out of the side door leading to my office. I had to get out of there, and I needed to fast. If I didn’t, the rage inside of me would have taken over at that moment. Although I wanted my husband to come behind me to make sure I was ok and to let me know that this was all just a misunderstanding, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.

Drew looked at her with so much love in his eyes. Love that in the last eighteen years I’ve known him I’d never once seen. That’s when it hit me. Andrew Webber did not marry me because he loved me. He married me because he wanted what I had to offer. Bryce had already filled me in on what was going on, but I didn’t want to believe him. I had no choice now. The truth just walked in and stared me in my face.

I heard the door to Drew’s office slam shut and was immediately followed by arguing.

“God give me comfort because if you give me strength to handle this situation I’m using it, and I’m going to jail,” I said out loud.

Before I could reach the doorknob on the adjoining door that led to the Pastor’s Study, my main office door opened and Bryce came in.

“J, just go home. Let me handle this for you,” he said.

Instead of listening to him or responding, I opened the door and walked through it.

******

“I told you that if you didn’t leave her I was going to make sure she did myself!”

“You had no right! I told you that I was going to leave once everything was final.”

“So this was planned, Drew?” I asked, startling them both.

“What do you think, Sherlock?” Constance said to me.

The beautiful woman I had just seen ten minutes prior was now so ugly to me.

“Man. Go on, Jewel. I’m talking to my fiancé,” he said without a hint of remorse.

Red. That’s exactly all I saw right now, and as I charged at the both of them, I felt Bryce grab me from behind to stop me.

“I hope you ate your Wheaties this morning, bro, ‘cause that’s a big one you holding back,” Drew said laughing.

“How could you say and do something like this, yo?” Bryce asked him as I continued to cry.

Before Drew could answer, the main door to his office opened up and in walked Jasmine.

“Yea, how could you do this, Drew?” She asked, walking further into the room with my three year old God son in tow.

I felt the grip Bryce had around my waist get tighter, and I wondered why. And what was Jasmine doing here anyway? When I invited her to the anniversary she told me that she couldn’t make it because her son, DJ, was sick.

“Jaz, what are you doing here?” I asked.

Instead of her answering me, she kept her eyes trained on Drew. That’s was when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Jasmine wasn’t asking why he did this to me. She was asking why he was doing this to
her
.

“Who are you?” Constance asked, looking from Drew to Jasmine.

“I’m the mother of his child,” she simply replied.

“Oh God, no,” I said as I felt like the air in the room was slowly being sucked out.