Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“Thank you all for your understanding. I realize this was a shock, but remember, we are all children of god, and tolerance and respect will see us through the most difficult times. We would love to chat with you more, but right now, I need to take care of my wife. We’ll see you next Sunday,” I say with a wave while departing. Mira and Jordan follow me, my wife’s lips pressed tightly together as Jordan takes her hand in his big one.
Slowly, we make our way to my office in the back, and enter the darkened space. The door shuts and I lean against the slab, letting out a long breath. Damn, that was harder than I thought. I knew there’d be some judgment, but I didn’t realize it’d be that harsh.
“I’m sorry,” Mira says in a plaintive voice. I stand up to throw a comforting arm on her shoulder.
“What are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong, baby.”
She shakes her head.
“But I ruined everything. Because you fell in love with me, you lost so much of your church. I’ve destroyed your life’s work.”
“No,” Jordan adamantly responds. “You are not to blame for any of this. Just because people are ignorant and unwilling to accept us does not mean you have messed up. They’re the problem, not us. And our life’s work hasn’t been ruined. Why would you say that? We worked hard before, and we can work hard again. The only thing we’d ever be scared to lose is you.” Mira nods, but she bites her lip and I’m not sure she believes us. Clearly, there’s some self-doubt and she feels awful.
“Are you sure?” she asks hesitantly.
I can sense the pain in her voice and press a soft kiss against her lips.
“Of course I’m sure,” is my firm reply. “You mean the world to us sweetheart, and this is just a temporary setback. Don’t worry, we’ve faced a lot of these in our lives and come out perfectly fine.”
Mira still looks doubtful, but it’s okay. Soon, our wife will see the wisdom of our words, and that this is only one challenge among many. These next few months will be hard, but as long as we stick together, love will show us the way.
18
Mira
Watching everyone leave the room was heartbreaking and tears came to my eyes as I stared mutely at the departing crowd. Barely anyone stayed. They filed out like their pastors had just announced they had murdered people, and were now in the process of escaping jail. I knew that it would hard for people to hear about Jason and Jordan’s relationship with me, but I didn’t think it would be that shocking.
After all, there are so many scandals all the time within religious institutions. Pastors who enrich themselves, becoming billionaires. Pastors who wear designer sneakers which cost thousands of dollars, when their parishioners are scrambling for food. And don’t even get me started on the Roman Catholic Church; I admire and respect Pope Francis, but the RCC will be facing litigation for ages.
So why is our triad such a problem? We’re in love. We respect one another, and I’m not being coerced in any way. Plus, Jason and Jordan preach tolerance almost every Sunday. I guess it’s in one ear and out the other.
Now, the three of us are squirreled away in Jason’s office. Thankfully, no one has followed us back here, so we can let go and relax a little bit in solitude. Emotions are running high and tears fill my eyes again.
My husbands are trying to reassure me that everything will be okay, but I’m not sure if I believe them. Not after seeing that how there was a mad rush for the doors. I mean, can their careers recover from this? Is it possible?
“Come on, Mira. We should probably go home. Let’s lock up and get out of here,” Jason says.
The three of wander through the church, locking up where we need to. We tidy a few things and then leave with heavy hearts.
The walk home is a somber one. All of this has been harder than I expected, but what really got to me was seeing Jessie’s face when she realized where I’d been this past week.
After all, I’ve been avoiding Jessie. I spent very little time in our suite, and merely chalked it up to my new guys. I never told her who they were, and I know she definitely didn’t suspect our pastors. That would shock anyone, come to think of it.
I was hoping that Jessie would be one of the ones who stayed behind, but she left with the others. Her eyes met mine quickly before she turned, her shoulders hunching. And then suddenly, she was gone and my heart broke just a little.
We get back to the apartment, and I go straight for the couch. I’ve been holding back tears the whole time we were out in public, but I can’t do it anymore. The tears flow as I sob, gripping a cushion to my chest.