The Politician's Wife

by Vanessa Miller

“Remember what the good book said, ‘the only sacrifice that God requires is that of a broken spirit and a contrite heart.’ Turn to Him, Linda. God will heal and cleanse you and then He will help you get your family back.” Joel stood to leave.

  Linda touched his hand, stopping him. When he turned back to face her, she said, “Thank you.”

  “Sure sweetheart, now try to get some sleep. You’ll be ready to go back home soon. You’ll need to be rested up for that.” Joel left the room humming a song that Linda didn’t know, but instinctively knew it was a song of praise to God.

  Joel had told her to get some sleep, but Linda was too busy wondering whether she would ever be able to sing a song of praise to God, or if her family would ever trust her with their hearts again. When she was done wondering, she turned her thoughts to the three miscarriages that she’d had, which had turned her world upside down.

  Each miscarriage sent her further and further into a black hole of depression until she just couldn’t deal with life and all its miserable realities. Eric never understood why she couldn’t be strong like him and just be happy with the one child that they did have. But Eric had a job to go off to every morning… people who needed him… decisions that had to be made. She had nothing to take her mind off of her three, forgotten-by- everybody-but-her, children.

  Just as she was about to dive back into the abyss of despair, she remembered the scripture that Joel read to her the other day. The one about her being able to ask God for what she needed and being able to trust that God would provide what she needed. She turned her face toward heaven and stepped to God like she had every right to come before His throne of grace.

  “What can I say, Lord? I see now that You have tried to be good to me. I had a family that loved me… these days it seems as if the love is gone. But I don’t blame them; I’m the one who messed up. But with Your help I believe I can get back everything that the devil tried to steal from me.

  “I want to give my life to You. All I ask is that You help me stay away from alcohol. If You can do that, I believe that life can be beautiful again. I now understand that my husband and daughter are precious and I want to go home and show them how much they mean to me.”

  ***

  “So, how discreet can you be?” Eric asked as he sat in Thomas Hopkins’ law office.

  “I’m going to be real honest with you, Mayor Morrison. You are a political figure, and if your wife is the ticking time bomb that Darien described, I can’t guarantee that we can keep this quiet.”

  Why on earth did Darien discuss his wife in such a derogatory manner with this man? Eric was the one who wanted the divorce and he didn’t even feel comfortable bad mouthing Linda. “I don’t know what Darien told you, but although Linda and I have our differences, she’s not some evil, despicable person.”

  “Then why do you want a divorce?”

  Eric averted his eyes. “She’s done some things that I just can’t forgive. I don’t see how I can stay married to her while I’m feeling like this.”

  “And yet, you don’t want word of this divorce to get out before next year’s election?”

  “Is that possible?” Eric asked with hope in his eyes.

  Thomas leaned forward and rubbed his hands together. “I think you have a better chance of seeing this blow up in your face on CNN, than divorcing your wife in secret— especially if she doesn’t want the divorce.”

  That gave Eric an idea. “What if she files for the divorce?”

  Thomas smiled at that. “We could always spin it to make you look like the aggrieved party. You tried everything to make your marriage work, but your wife is walking around with an undiagnosed mental illness – you know… something like that.”

  Yes, that’s what they would do. Linda owed him for all the years he stood by her and allowed her to destroy his integrity to the point that he didn’t even recognize himself anymore. Oh yeah, she would file for this divorce or risk never seeing Kivonna again. But the more he thought on that, the more he realized that he couldn’t threaten Linda with the loss of another child… that was cruel and he could never be that cruel to her. He would just have to find another way to get her to file those papers.

  Chapter 8

  The house was empty when Linda arrived home. She went to the refrigerator and grabbed a green apple and a bottle of water. She’d lost ten pounds while at Joel’s house detoxing from the demon liquor as Joel had called it. On the plane ride home, Linda made herself a goal of dropping another ten to get back down to her ideal weight of a hundred and forty pounds.

  Linda didn’t believe she had to be a stick figure to be beautiful. She saw nothing attractive about having her bones and rib cage practically poking through her skin. She had looked good at a hundred and forty pounds. It had been those extra twenty pounds she’d put on that caused her face to swell and stomach to protrude. So, first thing tomorrow she was going back to the gym.

  Tossing her apple in the air, she headed upstairs. Halfway up, she noticed that she was humming. She stopped and smiled. Had her father-in-law really rubbed off on her that much? Linda could only hope so.

  Linda headed to her bedroom and called Dee Dee. That was another thing that had changed. She and Dee Dee had never gotten along. Linda thought Dee Dee was too self-important, pretentious and just downright mean. And Dee Dee had been all those things, but then, as Dee Dee told her, she’d given her life to the Lord. Now that Linda had done the same, she and Dee Dee had something in common.

  When Dee Dee picked up the phone, Linda said, “I just called to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “No thanks needed, girl. What are sisters for?”

  “Dee Dee, you don’t understand. If you hadn’t gone out of your way to help me last week, I don’t know if I ever would have had the courage to stop drinking and give my life to God. But I did both of those things.” Her voice caught as tears came to her eyes. “And I have you to thank for it.”

  “Oh Linda, I’m so glad to hear that everything worked out for you. Drake and I have been praying for you all week long. Daddy said you were doing well, but he never said anything about you allowing the Lord to come into your heart.”

  Wiping the tears from her face, Linda said, “It just happened two nights ago. God has taken the taste for alcohol out of my mouth, and I will be His disciple for the rest of my life. I want to run out into the streets and tell the world how God freed me from alcohol.”

  “What did Eric say when you told him?”

  The smile on Linda’s face evaporated. “I haven’t talked to him since it happened. I’m home now, but no one is here.”

  There was silence on the line and then Dee Dee said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to give you a bit of advice.”

  “I think I could use some advice, because to tell you the truth, I don’t even think Eric wanted me to come back home.”

  “Don’t try to push him, or make him believe that you’ve changed. Just show him day by day with your actions. I thank God that Drake didn’t give up on me. So don’t you let him get away with giving up on you.”

  “Okay,” Linda said, then changed the subject. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I lost ten pounds. I’m going back to the gym starting tomorrow so that I can lose some more.”

  “Look Linda, I owe you an apology. Through the years I’ve said a lot of mean things to you. But I should have never called you fat. You are not fat, and I hope you don’t feel the need to lose weight because of anything I said.”

  “You are forgiven, Dee Dee. And don’t worry, I’m not talking about anything drastic. I just want to take off another ten pounds.”

  “Oh, well then girl, do you. I’m all for lightening the load.”

  Linda laughed. “Let me get off this phone and get myself prepared to get my family back.”

  “All right, I’ll talk to you later, sis.”

  That sounded good to Linda, she smiled as she hung up the phone, liking the idea of Dee Dee an
d her being sisters. She went into the bathroom and ran a hot bubble bath. She turned her radio to the oldies but goodies station and then got in and immersed her body in the hot water. The sensation felt wonderful to her. The first few years of her marriage, Linda would soak in the tub while reading a romance novel or listening to music. Eric would come in and soap her back for her. Then she’d try her best to get rid of him so she could continue with her me time. Most of the time, she would lose that battle and Eric would join her in the tub, smiling as he said, “Why do you think I ordered the larger tub with whirlpool jets?”

  “Because you know that I love to soak in the tub,” she’d answered.

  “Because I planned to ambush you in here. So, move over woman; I need you to soap my back now.”

  She would laugh and then allow him to join her. However, one time she’d brought a bottle of wine and a glass with her to the tub. She’d drunk so much that she ended up falling asleep. If Eric hadn’t come into the bathroom when he did, she probably would have drowned. At that point he made her promise to just take showers. Another by-product of her drinking had been the loss of her me time. It felt so good to be able to do it again, that Linda turned on the whirlpool and closed her eyes. An oldies but goodies station was playing as she leaned back against the wall of the tub and let the music take her back down memory lane.

  Linda didn’t know how much time had passed, but then the bathroom door opened and Eric screamed her name. Linda jumped. “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t take long baths anymore?” he barked at her.

  “Calm down, Eric. I’m okay. I’m not drinking, so there’s no reason why I can’t soak in the tub.”

  “You were asleep.”

  “I had my eyes closed listening to the music.” Feel the Fire with Teddy Pendergrass was playing. She wanted to reach out and touch her husband, but she had lost his love. “Don’t you remember how I used to lounge in the tub reading a book or listening to music?”

  She saw the pain in his eyes as he struggled to turn away from her.

  “Eric, I’m better now. I really am.”

  He turned and walked out of the bathroom without saying another word to her. Give him time, Linda, give him time; she reminded herself to be patient. Eric had suffered through years of her alcoholism, so there was no way that he was going to trust that she was done with all of that just because she said so.

  She unplugged the tub and got out. After drying herself off and putting on some lounging pajamas, Linda went in search of Kivonna.

  Kivonna and Eric were in the kitchen chatting away. That is, until she walked in. Kivonna’s mouth clamped shut as she sat there staring at her mother, unsure of what to do.

  Linda walked over to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her. “I missed you so much, honey. I’m so glad to be home with you and your father.”

  Kivonna’s arms hung at her sides as she stiffened at her mother’s touch.

  Linda stepped back, trying her best not to cry. “How have you been doing, honey?”

  “I’m okay,” Kivonna said.

  “I was hoping that you and I could spend some time together this weekend. Would you like to go to the mall with your mom?”

  Kivonna’s eyes shifted to Eric and then back to her mom. “Daddy says I can’t ride with you.”

  Linda was offended. She wanted to lash out at Eric for saying that to their daughter, but she knew that wouldn’t win her any points with Kivonna. So she simply said, “I don’t have a car right now, anyway. How about we catch a cab to the mall? We can do a little shopping and then watch a movie. Then maybe your dad will pick us up.”

  Kivonna’s eyes brightened as she asked Eric, “Would you, Dad?”

  “Sure thing, sweetheart. Just let me know when and where.”

  Turning back to Linda, Kivonna said, “Dad bought me the new Lion King DVD; do you want to watch it with me tonight?”

  “I’d love to. Just let me grab a sandwich and I’m all yours.” Linda opened the refrigerator and then asked, “Do you want a sandwich also?”

  “Naw, Dad and I just ate some pizza.”

  Linda and Kivonna went into the family room, kicked their feet up and watched the movie together. It was the first mother and daughter movie night they had shared in a long time. Kivonna ended up falling asleep in her lap, so Linda carried her upstairs and put her to bed.

  When she walked into her bedroom, Eric was sitting on the lounge chair watching the local news. Pictures of Terrell Anderson at his rehabilitation facility flashed on the screen. Eric turned the television off and glared at her. “So, I guess you got what you wanted.”

  She willed herself to not be intimidated. “It was the right thing to do, Eric. Your father donated that money anonymously, so no one will ever know where it came from.”

  “That’s what you think. But trust me when I say that word will get out.”

  She walked over to her husband and sat down next to him. “What’s wrong, Eric? This isn’t like you. The man I married was always willing to lend a helping hand.”

  “You’ve changed me, Linda, or haven’t you noticed what a liar I’ve become?”

  And that was the crux of their problem. The moment Eric told the first lie to protect her, their relationship had been doomed. He was a man who prided himself on integrity; that had been what she loved most about him when they first got together. Eric wanted to be king of the world, but he’d told her that he would never lie, cheat or steal in order to accomplish his goals. But here they were, and it was her fault. “All I can say is that I’m sorry, and that I’m fighting hard to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”

  “A little late in the day for all that, isn’t it?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so, and neither does your father.”

  “My father is a sucker for a hard luck story. The man takes in stray cats, so don’t think that what he did for you was anything special.”

  She touched Eric’s leg; he scooted over. She ignored it as she said, “I will always consider what your father did for me as something special. With his help, I’ve changed my life.”

  Eric wasn’t buying it. Rolling his eyes he said, “Look Linda, you might as well know that I don’t intend to sleep in this room with you. I waited in here so I could talk to you about something.”

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “Shoot.”

  “First, I want to make sure that you’re doing okay… I mean, you’re on firm footing, right?”

  “Yes, Eric, I’ve never felt better.”

  “Good.” He hesitated for a moment and then said, “I want a divorce.”

  As if she’d been slapped, Linda’s head swung back. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. I want a divorce, but I need your help.”

  Slowly, she asked, “You… want… me… to… help… you… divorce… me?”

  “After all I’ve done for you over the years, I figure it’s the least you can do. The bottom line is it would hurt my campaign if I initiated the divorce proceedings. So, I want you to do it.”

  Her body shook from the fear that his words brought to her very being. She couldn’t live without Eric… simply refused to. Linda stood up and pointed an angry finger at him. “Now you listen to me, Eric Morrison. I have loved you for so long that I don’t know how to stop. Maybe you can simply dismiss me, but I’ll never do such a thing to you.

  “So either divorce me yourself, or give me a chance to prove to you that I’ve changed. Because I will never divorce you… do you hear me – never!”

  He opened his mouth to respond.

  Linda lifted a hand to silence him. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore tonight. Please leave my room.”

  Eric stood, but he made no attempt to leave.

  Linda walked over to the nightstand, opened the bottom drawer and pulled out the Bible that Joel had given them the day of their wedding. Neither Linda nor Eric had bothered to read it, but they’d kept it because it had come from his father. Now Linda need
ed to read the words that filled the book. She needed to receive counsel from God on how to handle a husband who didn’t want to be a husband anymore. Because right at that moment, she just wanted to knocked some sense into him.

  She got into bed, opened her Bible and then looked over at Eric as he stood by the lounger. “Are you still here?” she asked.

  Eric wasn’t used to the woman who was sprawled out on the bed in front of him. The Linda of recent years would have been on her knees begging him not to leave her, not angry and telling him to get out of her room. Lord help him, but the Linda he was looking at now, was more like the one he’d married over a decade ago.

  Chapter 9

  Linda had been back two weeks and her house was still a liquor free zone. She and Eric were not exactly on the best of terms, because he refused to believe that she was serious about having made a change. She ignored his attitude, took care of the house and made sure that dinner was ready when he arrived home every night. The only thing that she asked of him was that he eat with the family. He granted her request, but it was like pulling teeth to get him to join in on the conversation.

  The next morning he had the audacity to ask her to plan a dinner party for him. After she’d agreed to do it, he’d pointed a finger at her and said, “No booze.” As if she was just itching for a reason to bring alcohol back into their home.

  She hadn’t even responded to his insult. She’d turned away from him, picked up her gym bag and left the house. She had a new Lexus now and she swore to herself that she would take better care of this one than she had the last.

  At the gym, Linda wore herself out on the treadmill, EFX and made a twenty minute run around the track. When she’d finished with all of that, her trainer told her to lift weights for twenty minutes and then go to the Zumba workout class. Halfway through Zumba, Linda wondered at the sanity of joining this weight loss boot camp. But she had lost another five pounds and was now able to wear the clothes she’d pushed to the back of her closet about three years ago.