Feeling good about her decision, Madeline flipped to Dave’s article. The children were preoccupied with their treasures from the gift shop. She used the semi-silence to read.
The headline read: LOCAL MILLIONAIRE HAS THE MIDAS TOUCH. A few minutes into the article, Madeline slapped the magazine down on her lap, steaming.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Andre asked.
“Yes,” she said, lying. She wasn’t going to alarm the children. They wouldn’t understand anyway. She’d save her dissatisfaction for Dave and him alone. How dare he was what kept roaming through her head, meshed with lines from the article. Much of Dave Mitchell’s recent success can be attributed to the support of his right-hand man, or more appropriately labeled, his personal assistant, Sherry Henderson.
Going on and on about Sherry was bad enough, but adding a photo of her and Dave standing in his office was ridiculous. Madeline’s headache was flaring up again. He was quoted as calling Sherry “invaluable.” A four-page article and not a single mention of Dave’s wife—not a word. She slammed the magazine down again, this time shoving it into her bag.
“Mommy, can we stop for ice cream?”
“Uhn hmm,” she said without offering her full attention. They could have asked for just about anything and gotten a yes. Her mind wasn’t in the car. Madeline’s outrage was manageable, so long as Dave reprimanded the magazine’s editor for the mistake. They’d also demand that the magazine reprint another four-page spread, highlighting Dave and his wife as they should have done in the first place. She’d settle for not a word less.
Chapter 56
The limousine pulled into the circular driveway. Madeline hadn’t allowed the ride to water down her temperament. She was as hot pulling up to the front door as she’d been reading the magazine. It would get straightened out. She’d table the issue until the children were settled inside. Since Dave was taking a different flight, she hoped he was already home. She preferred not to serve her resentment cold.
“We’re home,” she said, attempting to sound engaged and upbeat with the children as they collected their suitcases from the front walkway. The driver left. “Aren’t you glad to be home?”
“No” was tossed at her from each child in harmony. No one responded positively about being back.
“Andre and I were planning to go on Big Thunder Mountain and ride Space Mountain two more times. We were going for a record, but you made us leave early.”
“Yeah, for no reason,” Miss Tamara said.
Madeline was trying to be cheerful for them but she wasn’t interested in petty debates. She couldn’t spare the nerves. Hers was needed for a much larger battle. She opened the door and saw Dave’s suitcase at the foot of the staircase. She exhaled, feeling good that he was already home. She didn’t have to wait long for their talk, which was perfect. She wanted to convey her sentiments while the disdain was fresh.
Andre and Sam dropped their suitcases and backpacks by the door and tore in the direction of the kitchen.
“Oh no, come and get these bags. Take them upstairs.” Whining followed, which she ignored. “Let’s go, you too, Don and Tamara.”
“But we can’t carry our suitcases. They’re too heavy,” Tamara whined.
“Yeah, it’s too heavy,” Don mimicked.
“I’ll get it,” Sam said.
“Good, Andre, you take Don’s. Tamara and Don, both of you can at least carry your backpacks, right?”
“Yes, I can, Mommy,” Don said, taking his steps slowly as he balanced the load on his back.
Madeline rushed the brood up the stairs and got them squared away in their rooms. Next stop was Dave’s office. He was probably in there on the phone with Sherry. Actually, she was surprised he hadn’t gone straight to the office.
She made a pit stop in her bedroom to drop off her bag and then hit the battlefield. She opened the door and found Dave sprawled across the bed. Before organizing her thoughts, Madeline lashed out, slamming the door behind her. “When were you going to tell me about Sherry?” she said, admittedly angrier than the article warranted. She’d psychoanalyze later.
Dave sat up on the bed and let his head hang down. He clasped his hands together and said, “Madeline, I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry. Is that all you can say?”
He kept looking at the floor. “What else is there to say? I made a mistake that I regret.”
“You better believe you made a mistake,” She wailed.
He looked up and continued. “But I can promise you that it only happened once. Last Thursday was the only time, and I would take it back in a second if I could.”
Madeline felt a rush of uneasiness. Her deposition shifted from anger to confusion. Dave couldn’t possibly be talking about what it sounded like, no way. “Exactly what did you do with Sherry?” She had to be absolutely certain.
Dave sighed. He must have assumed she knew what he was talking about and began rattling off details. “If you need to hear it, I’m willing to say the words; whatever it takes for us to work this out. The only explanation I can offer is that I was weak. My lust got the best of me and it happened. I could say that it didn’t mean anything, but that would be cruel. What I can say is that it wasn’t worth risking my marriage and family,” he said, fixating his gaze on hers.
After Dave delivered the crippling revelation, a stunned Madeline managed to extract the magazine sticking out of the side of her bag. She hurled it at Dave. “I was talking about the article.” Her control was short-lived once the revelation took root. Dave had actually cheated on her? She stared at him, unable to move an inch.
“I know you want to say something. Go ahead, I deserve it. I can take it,” he said.
She didn’t know what to say. The words and images were rushing forward, scrambling to get out first. They were too jumbled to make sense. A jilted feeling dominated, knocking the other emotions aside. The amount of support and sacrifice that she’d given to Dave and to the establishment of DMI was pressing forward too. “Dave, how could you be so reckless? You not only put our marriage at risk, you’ve jeopardized the company’s reputation. All because you didn’t control your hormones. What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t. I messed up, and I’m sorry. I’ve repented and asked God to forgive me too. Now I’m asking you to forgive me.”
“I can’t think about forgiveness. I’m still in shock that you were so weak. Where was your God when you took your behind somewhere with Sherry and did your business? Huh, tell me, where was your God?” Her words were getting organized and taking center stage.
“Madeline, you know God wasn’t with me in my sinful act. It was my choice and I accept full responsibility.”
She went to the bed, on the opposite side of Dave, and sat down. “You of all people have supposedly committed your life to helping churches and ministers get their acts together, so they can represent the Lord with integrity,” she said, making quotation marks in the air with both index and middle fingers. “Well, where’s your integrity, Mr. Dave Mitchell, the mighty man of God?”
“I’m not perfect, that’s for sure. I sinned. I repented. God has forgiven me, and I have to move on. I can’t reclaim the past, and I won’t spend time trying.”
“How can you be so sure God has forgiven you? Because I haven’t.”
“I’m a hundred percent sure God has forgiven me, because that’s one of his promises. By faith I believe it, no matter how big or little my sin is.”
“Don’t talk about faith with me, Dave Mitchell. I believed you’d be faithful in our marriage, but that was obviously wrong.” Madeline wanted to lunge at him, rip the hurt resting on her soul, and stuff it down his throat, but she didn’t. Her body was too limp to make any moves, but her tongue was strong. It would have to continue fighting for her. “How can you throw our marriage away for a roll in the hay with a woman almost twenty years younger than you are? What can she do for you? Oops, excuse me. That’s a silly question. We both know that answer.” Dave was silent a
s her tirade extended. The mixture of disbelief, anger, and confusion kept her fueled. “This is too much to handle. I need you to leave.”
“Madeline, we’re talking. I’m willing to listen to you without defending myself. I owe you that and more.”
“What you owed me was faithfulness. Apparently that was too much for you. So, I need you to get out. Go.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know,” she yelled. “You didn’t ask for my advice about how to pursue Sherry. You don’t need my advice now. Figure it out so long as it’s outside of this house. Go,” she yelled again. “Get out.”
That forced him off the bed and out of the bedroom. Madeline wanted him out until she could make sense of their jumbled situation. Hopefully he wouldn’t be gone long.
Chapter 57
Dave had tried reasoning with Madeline unsuccessfully. It was barely after five o’clock; so he opted to drive into the office. He could camp out there for several hours until Madeline gave him the okay to come home. He went into the building expecting Sherry and the rest of his staff to be gone. Riding in the elevator, his mind rested on Madeline. He acknowledged her pain and was sensitive to it, but he wasn’t going to dwell on guilt. It bared no fruit.
The elevator door opened and there was Sherry carrying a stack of papers. “Oh, you’re here,” he said, caught off guard.
“I might as well stay late since there’s no reason to go home early. Edward is gone and you were too,” she said. “I don’t have anyone to go home to.”
Maybe her being there was a blessing. They had to talk. “Can you please come into my office?” She set the papers down and followed him into the office. Dave started to close the door but decided not to. “Have a seat,” he said, pointing to a chair at the table. He intentionally sat on the other side, several chairs away. Distance was necessary.
“I didn’t expect you in the office until Monday,” she said.
“We decided to come home early.” He wasn’t interested in small talk. The critical issue had to be addressed directly. “Madeline knows what happened.”
Sherry gasped. “Oh no, how did she find out?” She appeared terrified.
“I told her,” he said. The revelation hadn’t been intentional, definitely not in the way it transpired. That wasn’t Sherry’s business and he didn’t tell her.
“I’m so sorry. How did she react?”
Dave smirked. “Not well, as you can imagine.” He leaned his elbows onto the table. “Sherry, I have to apologize to you and ask for your forgiveness too.”
“No, you don’t owe me an apology. I knew what I was doing. And, Dave, I have to tell you, I don’t regret the time I spent with you.”
“It was a mistake and can’t happen ever again.”
Sherry maintained her disturbed demeanor. “I guess this means you’re going to fire me?”
Letting her go hadn’t entered his mind. She needed the job before. After her fiancé relocated, he figured she needed the job even more. He didn’t feel right firing her because of his mistake. He was the boss, the older one out of the pair. He should have known better. Dave’s compassion kicked in. He wouldn’t have Sherry double penalized. They’d have to work out how to function together in close proximity, but he was willing, even if it meant moving her to another department. “You can keep your job here as long as we both set aside the past and move forward appropriately. Is that something you can do?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Sherry wasn’t convincing but he’d accept her response for now. Each day would determine how much further they’d be able to go.
Chapter 58
A month passed and the bitter sting of his adultery hadn’t lessened. Madeline hadn’t allowed it. He’d let her have the space required to heal as long as she understood that Dave wasn’t giving up on reconciliation. He straightened the sheets on the queen-sized bed in the smallest of the two guest rooms. The solitude would normally be refreshing, but his equated to isolation. “Father, let your will be done. I am born of flesh and my strength comes from you. Let my decisions today be pleasing before you, God. Let me walk in your ways,” he prayed. “Let your will be done in my marriage.” Dave sat alone in the room, soaking in the quiet.
He heard a noise at the door and looked up to see Madeline standing there. “Are you busy?”
“No,” he said, leaping to his feet. He couldn’t remember the last time she woke up this early in the morning.
“Can I come in?” she stammered.
“Absolutely,” he said, maneuvering toward the doorway. In September they’d celebrate thirteen years of marriage, but in that moment they were like teenagers on a first date. Their awkwardness lingered and he didn’t mind. Having her talk to him after a month of virtual silence was not only an answer to his prayer, it was encouraging.
“Can we talk?”
“Yes,” he said, patting a spot on the bed for her to sit. He bounced around to the other side, automatically assuming she didn’t want him too close. He’d gladly accommodate. Keeping the dialogue flowing was his goal.
“I’m not going to beat around the bush. You screwed up, that’s the bottom line.”
“You’re right,” he said.
“But I’ve invested too much into this marriage, into the company, and into you to let a teenybopper sneak in and steal our way of life. I’m not letting that happen. You’re my husband, and if little Miss Sherry Henderson thinks she’s moving in, she’s got another think coming.”
“You don’t have to be concerned about Sherry. I spoke with her right after you found out and made it clear that our one-time mistake wasn’t happening again. She was in total agreement. I’m not sure if this matters to you, but Sherry feels awful about what happened too.”
“Uhn hmm, right,” Madeline said. Dave might have been smart in business, but he wasn’t immune to flattery. Sherry had the power to bat her eyelids, and open the gate wide for her lying tongue to flow. Madeline had seen her kind and was on alert, especially since her husband wasn’t. She decided that his so-called anointing only applied to business. No worries, she’d make up the difference. “If we’re going to work this out, I have a few requests that are non-negotiable.”
“And what would those be?”
“You’ve used your one and only chance to be forgiven for infidelity. This can’t happen again,” Madeline said firmly, harshly, to be certain he understood that she was serious.
“It won’t.”
“I mean it, not ever again.”
“Done,” he said. “What else?”
“The second requirement is that you have to fire Sherry. She has to get out of DMI. I don’t ever want to see her again.” Madeline wanted the freedom of stopping by DMI any day, and she didn’t want the wayward woman making her visit unpleasant. No question, Sherry had to go.
Dave shut his eyelids and let his head drop. “Do we have to fire her? What happened wasn’t her fault. I take full responsibility.”
“She’s a grown woman. You didn’t force yourself on her, did you?”
“Absolutely not,” he rose up to say. “You shouldn’t have to ask me that question. You know me.”
“Thought I did, but you’ve proven me wrong.” Madeline felt tinges of anger slowly percolating and chose to ignore them. She wanted to stay in a positive place with Dave. Her anger had spoken loudly by keeping silent for a month, but her love for him was real. She let her heart do the talking for a change.
“If Sherry has to be fired, then it’s done.”
Madeline could tell Dave wasn’t convinced that Sherry had to go, but he’d better not say it, otherwise the harmony floating between them would evaporate instantly. Sherry wasn’t getting the slightest consideration. As far as Madeline was concerned, when Miss Henderson chose to lie down with the head of the company, she should have been prepared to get up looking for a new job. There was zero compassion being spent on her.
Dave continued. “I want you to be okay with this going forwar
d. Like I said before, I’ll do what needs to be done to make this right between us. You’re my wife and I love you.”
There was a long pause in the room. Madeline hadn’t expected Dave to agree to her demand so quickly. She was prepared to fight and none came, causing her to be unsure. Should she celebrate or remain cautious? She simply didn’t know. Dave broke the silence. “Before Sherry and I caused a stir in our marriage, we had problems. You know it and I know it.” Madeline fidgeted. “If we truly want to fix what’s broken in our relationship, let’s go the full distance. We can get counseling, go away together, I’m open to suggestions.”
Madeline spoke without fully processing what Dave was saying. She only heard the part that said their marriage was already in trouble, making it easy pickings for a floozy like Sherry. “Our marriage is like any other long-term marriage. We have our ups and downs but don’t think for a minute that our problems gave you a license to cheat.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“That’s what it sounds like to me.” She was annoyed at the accusation and her tone reflected the agitation.
“I’m only saying that we have other areas to improve in our marriage. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Tell you what,” she said, standing. “Let’s handle one problem at a time since, according to you, we have so many. Sherry is the number one priority. Fire her behind and then we can talk about the number two priority. That works for me,” she said, crossing her arms and letting the words marinate with Dave.
Chapter 59
Dave was putting home at the front of his decisions. Negotiations were finalized with Madeline, and he drove into the office prepared to close the deal with Sherry. He prayed. “Lord, even in my calamity, you are the God of peace. Even when I fail you, God, you lift me up, dust off my transgressions, and renew my faith in you. Where I am weak, thou art strong and I rest in you.”
Since the conversation with Madeline had taken awhile, it was already well after eight o’clock. Dave was pleased finding Sherry sitting at her desk. She’d been out sick for several days.
Anointed (Urban Books) Page 19