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)
“Mira.” I feel a gentle hand on my back, trying to console me. I don’t know who it is, and, honestly, I don’t care right now. I’m just too sad about what’s transpired.
“Mira, Mira,” they say while rubbing my back, a second hand joining the first.
My cries subside a bit, and I wipe my nose noisily. I’m sure I look like a mess. Hesitantly, I glance up at husbands, still sniffling.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” I manage, trying to regain my composure.
“Done what? You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. It’s not wrong to cry, and we totally understand that coming out to the congregation was hard. Maybe we shouldn’t have them told exactly like that, but it had to come sooner or later.”
I sniffle again.
“That’s not why I’m crying. I’m crying because those people are fakes,” I say with a quiver of rage in my voice. “They make themselves out to be good Christians, but they’re not at all.”
Jordan and Jason shake their heads.
“Sweetheart, give them time. We were shocked too by the outflow, but then again, our congregation hasn’t shunned us. I know it looks like they have, but it’s not true. Give them time, and they’ll come back.”
I shake my head tearfully.
“I don’t know,” is my trembling voice. “A lot of people were whispering maliciously and throwing me dirty looks. It was like I was some kind of Judas who’d just stabbed Jesus in the back, it was that bad.”
Jason shakes his head again, his voice soothing.
“I already told you, you did nothing wrong. Jordan and I should have handled it better, and not at a coffee hour. Come to think of it, what were we thinking bro?” he asks his friend. “We kind of fucked up.”
Jordan merely shrugs.
“Well, we can’t take it back now. The information’s out there, and we just have to see where the pieces lie. It’s going to be fine, honey,” he says to me again. “Just give it a little time.”
Jason and Jordan sit on either side of me. I rest my head on one of their shoulders, taking deep gulping breaths. We merely stay silent for a moment, quiet and reflective. Slowly, the sun sets outside and the room darkens as dusk fills the air.
My emotional state stabilizes a bit, but I still take a big, shuddering inhale. My mind feels mushy and my psyche fragile.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Jason asks.
“Yeah,” I nod. I look between the two of them and smile. It’s been a hard day, but, like both of my husbands have said many times, as long as we stay together, we can get through anything. I just need to keep my head up.
“Are you sure?” Jordan asks gently, stroking the back of my hand with his thumb.
“I will be. I just needed a good cry, I guess.” After all, today was a bump in the road. Those happen, and I’ve already had many in my life. I just need to keep on keeping on, like Jessie would say.
But for now, I’m going to enjoy my time with my husbands.
“We should eat,” I say in a trembling voice before going over to the kitchen and starting to riffle though the cabinets. “Are you guys hungry?”
If I keep busy, it should be enough to at least get me through the rest of this day. Both men smile, so handsome on the couch, and yet gentle and forgiving too.
“Yes, sweetheart. Just remember that time solves everything,” says one.
“We’re going to be just fine,” adds the other, and slowly, I let out a long, shuddering breath. Even though I’m a mess, with these two men by my side, I can overcome anything. I’m worried about our future, but not about being together, if that makes sense. Because no matter what the world says, my love for these two men is strong, and we will prevail no matter the challenges.
19
Mira
One month later.
Things haven’t improved. Despite my husbands’ reassurances, ever since Jason and Jordan announced our marriage, things have totally gone down the toilet. They used to have a congregation of hundreds of people, and now we’re lucky if twenty show up on Sundays. It’s been horrible.
Plus, I’ve keep reaching out to Jessie, who’s my only real friend in the city, but she’s been giving me the cold shoulder. I called several times, and she didn’t answer. I emailed too, but never heard back. Quickly, I realized she was ignoring me, and my heart cracked a little more.
That was when I started to lose hope because if Jessie won’t listen, then who will? Jessie gets me more than anyone in the world, and she’s my closest confidant. If she hates my guts now, then why would anyone want to be associated with us?
Jason and Jordan have tried to act like it doesn’t affect them, but every week when they see the small crowd, I can tell how much it’s hurting them. My men are strong though. They soldier on, their eyes clear and their shoulders straight, but I see how their heads bow when they think no one’s looking. I see how Jordan swallows heavily, and how Jason stares at his notes like a man possessed.