“How’d you meet her then?”
“At church. I was checking out college ministries this summer, and I ended up at her church.”
Church. Good answer. “That’s encouraging. Does she have a major yet?”
“She wants to work with kids, but she hasn’t decided if she would rather teach or work with preschoolers. I told her she should talk to you for the scoop on the teaching side of it.”
“I’d be glad to talk to her. So when do we get to meet her?” Joel stood and turned his chair around, then sat back down. “What? I don’t get to meet her?”
Joel pulled his chair closer and raised his hands. “Mom, just hear me out on this, okay? When I bring Abby home for you to meet her ... I’m also going to bring her son.”
Bobbi blinked slowly and took a long drink, covering the gathering storm of emotion rising inside her. Hadn’t Joel seen what they’d all been through, were still going through, because of Chuck and Tracy? How could he turn around and jump into the same type of mess? Joel betrayed her. Again. Confusion, disappointment and indignation lay just below the surface when she finally spoke. “She’s awfully young to be divorced.”
“Mom,” Joel said, digging in, “she had Ryan when she was fifteen.”
Bobbi set the cup down and rubbed her forehead. She didn’t want to alienate her son. He needed somebody to talk some sense into him. “You need to think about this, long and hard—”
“I have.”
“You have not!” Bobbi shot back, her self-control slipping. “Why would you want to entangle yourself in something when you are completely innocent? Have you missed what’s been going on in your own family these last few years?”
“That’s just it!” Joel’s voice rose in intensity. “I understand what she’s gone through. I saw Dad live it, and I know the kind of grace and compassion a person needs in order to get back on track after it’s all over. I feel like this is an opportunity from God to change lives for the better.”
“This is not a summer mission project. This is your life, Joel.” She closed her eyes, and finished off her cup of coffee. Calm, be calm. “Honey, I really appreciate that you want to be a gentleman, to be gallant and noble, but this is too big. No eighteen-year-old should be saddled with this. She’s not your responsibility. Her son is not your responsibility. Where’s the boy’s father in all this? What about him?”
“Abby and Brandon counseled with their pastor after she found out she was pregnant. They went before their church, just like Dad did, but they decided not to add a marriage neither of them was ready for to their situation. Eventually, Brandon dropped out of counseling, out of church, and out of Abby’s life.”
“Exactly. You shouldn’t have to clean up after this boy.” Joel smiled slightly, and shook his head. “What?”
“Mom, you’re fighting with Dad because he’s trying to do the right thing about his son. Now you’re ragging on Brandon ’cause he skipped out. You can’t have it both ways. Either we fulfill our obligations or we don’t.”
Bobbi’s eyes narrowed, and she leveled a finger at him. “First of all, this is not about your dad. Secondly Joel, you don’t have any obligation to this girl to fulfill!”
“I do if I love her,” Joel answered quietly.
“All right, fine,” Bobbi said throwing her hands up. “You love her and you’re going to marry her. What’s your timetable on this?”
“I just want to get engaged, and make a commitment to her right now. I don’t think we should get married until we’re through with college.”
Bobbi leaned back in her chair. She lowered her voice, consciously trying to speak slowly and keep her emotions out of it. “Do you have any idea how much this is going to complicate your life? You want to finish college in three years. How are you going to be able to focus on school? Chemistry, pre-med is no cake walk, even for you.”
“If it takes me four years, that’s not the end of the world,” Joel said, dismissing her concern.
“What if you lose your scholarship?”
“Mom, please.”
“I’m serious, Joel. It’s tough to stay on top of your schoolwork when you’re tied up in a relationship. When your dad was in law school, he had pressures I never understood, and yet I needed him to be there for me. He was pulled so hard from both directions. It was very frustrating and very lonely for both of us.”
“You’re probably right, Mom. It’ll be hard, but I can’t picture going through school, much less life, without Abby.” Joel’s eyes shone, as tears were just beginning to form.
Bobbi rinsed her cup out, and left it in the dish drainer. Then she dragged her chair closer to him and sat down. “Joel, let me try to explain to you where I’m at on this. My gut reaction is, ‘It’s happening again.’”
“What’s happening again?”
“Tracy, your dad, Jack ...”
“Mom, that’s ridiculous,” Joel said, rolling his eyes. “This is nothing like Dad and Tracy.”
“Not on the surface maybe, but what I see is a woman after my son. A woman preying on his kind heart, trying to manipulate him emotionally into doing something that’s not in his best interest.”
“Mom, that’s nuts. I can’t discuss this with you if you’re gonna be irrational.”
“Joel Anthony Molinsky!”
“Mom, I’m sorry. That was over the top—”
“No, I’m through, Joel,” she said, pushing her chair away from the table and standing up. “No more discussion until you’re listening.” She walked out, leaving him at the kitchen table.
Great. A great start to a long weekend. Bobbi headed upstairs for an aspirin, each step a little heavier. Chuck would take Joel’s side, Brad would take hers, and they’d all be at odds again.
In the upstairs bathroom, she opened the aspirin bottle and shook out two pills, then debated whether to take a third. She settled on two for now, chasing them with a long drink of water.
She felt like the boy who cried wolf, sounding an alarm that was at best ignored, at worst ridiculed. Nobody understood. Nobody saw the danger that Tracy was to her family. Now Joel was too infatuated to see the danger he was flirting with.
Dear God, how do I make them see? It’s not about the kids, Jack or this other little boy. It’s about these women after my husband and my son. Chuck and Joel don’t realize how defenseless they are.
Bobbi heard the front door open, and Shannon’s voice ringing from the entry hall. “Jellybean! I know you’re here! I saw your car!”
Moments later, Chuck found Bobbi. “Joel said you were up here. Everything okay?”
“Is that all Joel said?”
“Yeah. Did he do something?”
“He wants to get engaged to a girl with a three-year-old.” She crossed her arms, and waited for him to tell her what a wonderful idea that was.
“Wow, that’s sudden,” Chuck murmured. “Of course, we did just about the same thing.”
“He used that against me. But Chuck, a three-year-old! Did you miss that part?”
“Honey, how do single mothers ever become un-single unless somebody marries them?”
“Now I see where the insanity comes from! He gets it from you!” She tossed a hand towel at him in frustration.
“Bobbi,” Chuck said, catching the towel, “you may be entirely right about this, but Joel will never see it as long as you’re so reactive.”
“I am not being reactive!”
“You’re shouting.”
“All right,” Bobbi conceded, lowering her voice. “Maybe I’m a little reactive, but marriage? He’s only eighteen.”
“That’s exactly what my mother said.”
“You were twenty-one, and by the time we got married, you were twenty-four. That’s a big difference.”
“He’s not getting married tomorrow. He just wants to start the process.”
“Then you talk to him. You be the voice of reason, because clearly I’m the irrational one.”
“I didn’t say you were
irrational.”
“No, Joel did.”
“He didn’t mean it,” Chuck said, motioning for Bobbi to come closer. He pulled her into his arms. “You love him and you want to protect him. He knows that. He’s just disappointed you don’t trust him on this.” As he tried to kiss her, her hands dropped and she pulled away.
“Why am I the one who has to do all the trusting? You guys never have to trust me.”
“Joel does trust you. That’s why he told you. He wants your input.”
She waved a finger at him. “He didn’t ask for input. He told me what he’s already decided.” Then she looked at Chuck with a teasing scowl. “He’s a lot like you that way.”
“Let’s go eat. I’ll talk to him tonight, then we can all discuss it, and try to find some resolution we can live with.”
“Always a lawyer. You’re not going to charge me for this mediation, are you?” Bobbi raised an eyebrow, and gave him just a hint of a smile.
“Just the standard rate. Dinner, laundry and other intangibles.”
Chuck watched his wife all through dinner, pushing food around on her plate rather than eating, even though Shannon chose one of her mother’s favorite restaurants. He hated that she couldn’t enjoy listening to Shannon and Joel chattering nonstop across the table.
She was creating a burden for herself. Joel had a good head on his shoulders, always thoughtful and pragmatic. He never made a move without careful prayer. Joel begged God for answers, while Brad searched them out the way Bobbi did. However, both boys always arrived at the same unshakeable resolve.
Bobbi knew that about Joel, but it was lost right now in the upheaval over Tracy and Jack. As soon as they got home, Bobbi hustled Shannon upstairs for a bath, but Joel never came in the house. Chuck grabbed two cans of Coke from the refrigerator and found Joel in the garage under his car. “What’s wrong with your car?” Chuck asked.
“Nothing,” Joel said, sliding out from under the car. “Just due for an oil change. There’s a sack on the front seat with the filter in it. Can you get it for me?”
“Oh, sure.” Opening the car door, he said, “Mom said you met a girl.”
Joel dropped his head and smiled. “I bet that’s not all she said.”
“Not exactly, no.” Chuck handed the filter over. “She’s concerned about whether or not you’re making a wise decision.”
“Concerned? That’s putting it mildly.” Joel scooted back under the car. “She thinks I’m crazy, but I think she is too, so we’re even.”
“Probably not your best strategy for winning her over.”
Joel slid out from under the car once again, and sat up on the garage floor. “Dad, I handled it poorly with Mom, I admit, but I know this is the right thing. God brought Abby to me, and I know it’s because I’ve seen how to deal with sexual sin. You and Mom showed me.” He pushed his hair back from his forehead. “I saw how hard it was to rebuild everyone’s trust, and how committed you were to erasing that black mark. I can walk through this with her in a way that nobody else can.” Joel lay down and pushed his way back under his car.
“Mom doesn’t see that right?” Bobbi’s car was parked next to Joel’s, and Chuck carefully leaned against it.
“She started in with all this crazy stuff about Abby being like Tracy all over again, that she was after me to destroy me.” Joel slid out from under the car again. “I don’t want to have to choose between Mom and Abby, and I’m afraid that’s where this is going to end up.”
“It’s a Petrocelli thing. They all react emotionally and then once they calm down, they do the right thing.”
Joel uncapped a quart of oil and poured it in the reservoir. “Excuse my skepticism.”
“This is my fault, Joel. Mom’s misgivings aren’t about you getting engaged, or even the girl. It’s recycled mistrust. You’re seeing the scars that I caused your mom when I cheated on her. Her suspicion is a direct result of my affair. It’s just another way I hurt her, and now it’s hurting you, too.”
“She immediately thinks the worst though.”
Chuck nodded. “She’s seeing everything through the infidelity filter. Objectivity goes out the window and everything becomes a threat.” Chuck handed Joel the can of Coke he brought out. “She wants to protect you from every possible emotional danger. She doesn’t want you to go through anything remotely like what she did.”
“It’s not her job to protect me anymore.”
“You’ll never convince her, or any other mother, of that,” Chuck said with a smile.
“So what do we do? I’m not budging, and I doubt she is either.”
“We bring in outside help.” Chuck gulped from his Coke.
“Outside help?”
“Yeah, like Glen.”
“And you think Mom will go for that?”
“He’s an objective third party.”
“Yeah, but what if he says Mom’s right? I’m gonna marry Abby with or without Mom’s approval.”
“Joel ...”
“Dad, you think raising Jack is the right thing to do, and you’ll stand up to anybody over it, even Uncle Gavin, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then you of all people should understand. I believe God is behind this, and I’ll defend it from now on.”
“I do understand, but this stubborn posturing and pressuring your mother will make things worse, not better.” Chuck took a long drink from his Coke. “Have you told Brad?”
“Yeah, he predicted Mom would go off.” Joel grinned broadly, as he poured another quart of oil in. “Of course, he’s got far more experience than I have judging what will set Mom off.”
“Almost as much as I do,” Chuck said. “So when do we get to meet Abby?”
“Not until this is settled. I’m not bringing her home while Mom’s like this.”
“I’ll tell you, and you can tell Abby, Mom will be okay with it. Give her a little time. Grandma thought I was nuts when I got engaged, but she figured out pretty fast what a genius I was for wanting to marry your mom.”
Bobbi had stared at the same two pages in her novel since she opened the book. Chuck would never change Joel’s mind. They were too much alike.
She was just about to give up the pretense of reading when Chuck came in. “So did you talk some sense into him?” Bobbi closed the book and laid it on the nightstand.
“Only if I can talk some sense into you.” Chuck sat on the edge of the bed beside her.
Bobbi crossed her arms. I knew it. Here it comes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I want you both to talk to Glen as an unbiased third party.”
“Glen Dillard is not unbiased. He’ll take your side.”
“I don’t have a side in this.”
“Yes, you do. You took Joel’s side.” She pointed toward the doorway. “I knew it as soon as you came in the bedroom. You wouldn’t make eye contact with me, and you didn’t answer my question.”
“Bobbi—”
“No! We’ll meet with Glen, and it’ll be three against one. Joel will think he has a big seal of approval on this.”
“You’re not giving Glen much credit. He’s extremely objective. He’s said some harsh things to me at lunch and in some of our counseling sessions.”
“I’ll go on one condition,” Bobbi muttered with a scowl. “I want Gavin and Rita there. That’ll even things out.”
“We’re not taking a vote on this. You don’t need to line up your troops.”
“You want an objective third party? Well, I want my own objective third party there. I trust Gavin.”
Sunday, September 2
Bobbi settled in the study with her Bible, ready to look at Psalm 91, just as Glen had assigned before the meeting tomorrow. After a weekend of Joel avoiding her, refusing to be in a room alone with her, she expected another disaster once they met.
Chuck’s grand arbitration would only force everyone to take sides. She resigned herself to an hour of emotional bullying and shaming to try to force he
r to give in. It wasn’t happening. Joel was too young and the situation was too complex. Period.
Before opening her Bible, she whispered a prayer. “Father, it’s going to be very hard for me to read this objectively. I want to find something I can use to prove to Joel that I’m right. Give me a clear understanding of Your truth, and not my version of it.” She read slowly, out loud.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence ...
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways ...
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series Page 10