Their entire marriage, Nina had been the one to handle their accounts. The bank accounts and other credit accounts were managed by her. She’d told George he only needed to focus on the ministry, and she’d take care of everything else.
She had taken care of everything around their home too. George didn’t even know how much they paid the maid and cook. When it came to their home, Nina was always on top of things. The house was immaculate, George never missed a doctor’s appointment, and their vehicles were always serviced on their proper maintenance schedules.
With the can of worms opened, George called the bank to look at their accounts. He requested a year’s worth of statements. What he found made his mouth drop. Their personal joint account had dwindled in the first couple of months of statements, and then began going into overdraft. Their emergency fund account, which was connected to their personal account, had been dwindling also to cover the overdraft fees. So the emergency account, which had been opened with over $20,000, was now down to only $6,666.23. It was then that George began having a sinking feeling, knowing the devil was truly at work.
After receiving the information from the investigator, George did further self-investigation. He found mail Nina had been hiding in the bottom of her desk draw at the church. He also uncovered some of the bank statements, along with credit card bills and rejection letters for personal loans which were not only in Nina’s name, but his name also. The biggest surprise he found was letters from their mortgage company stating they were about to be foreclosed due to their house payments being in arrears for over $30,000.
Later that week, he’d asked his secretary to pull some of the church’s bank statements—the ones in which Nina had access to. He’d found copies of checks Nina had cashed. Her distinct, and clearly legible, script was neatly written on the bottom right corner of each check. He’d stuffed all the papers in his briefcase and confronted her with all he found that evening at home.
Now, in her twin bed, Nina stirred under her covers and mumbled something in her sleep that George couldn’t understand.
He sat up on the edge of his bed, then slipped down to the floor, turning to face the bed and pray. With his head bowed he said, “My dear Father in heaven. Lord, thank you for this, another day—the third day. On this day I’ll remember the trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I’ll remember that three represents divine perfection, and I’ll be relying on you to step in today during this retreat and show your divine intervention.
“Dear Lord, I pray for each couple here this weekend. I pray that you will continue to bless Phillip and Shelby Tomlinson’s marriage. Continue to impart wisdom into their lives during their quest to help married couples. I pray also for Travis and Beryl, Lord. I pray that you’ll open their marriage for effective communication, and Lord, I pray to bind the spirit of a reprobate mind when it comes to Travis.
“Lord, I pray that Xavier and Charlotte’s marriage will be saved. Loose Xavier from any unnatural appetite for women he may have. I pray this couple will come out stronger after this storm in their lives. Bless them, Lord, and show them what you have purposed for them to do.
“And Lord, I pray for my dear wife. I pray that whatever demon is trying to keep hold of her, will be sent back to the pits of hell. I plead the blood of Jesus in my marriage, and I thank you in advance for the miraculous things you have in store for us. I know you will help us turn this around. I have faith in you, Lord, and only you. I say thank you. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah unto you. Amen.”
Concluding his prayer, George rose and took a shower and dressed. Then he gently shook Nina to let her know what time it was.
She stirred awake.
“Good morning, honey,” George said.
“Morning,” Nina mumbled.
His wife’s hair looked as if it were matted to the side of her head due to the sweating she’d done during the night. And the other half of her head was a tangled mess. She had slept even more fitfully than George had. He couldn’t actually remember the last night she’d slept well. Nina had forgotten to wrap her head with the scarf she normally used to keep her hair in place. She seemed to be forgetting a lot lately.
George knew once she realized her mistake, she’d be upset about it for a while. He wondered how she was going to fix the mess since she usually let her hairdresser at home do her hair at least once a week.
“How’d you sleep?” George asked.
Nina groaned. “Awful. I feel like I’ve been hit by a train. My body is achy, and I still feel tired.”
“I wish you would go to a doctor and get checked out. You’ve been entirely too tired, and your self remedies don’t seem to be working.”
“I told you, I’m fine. I just need to get up and start moving around, that’s all. And once I take one of my vitamins, I’ll feel a lot better.”
George shook his head. For weeks he had been witnessing his wife’s overwhelming tiredness that sometimes caused her to lose coordination. Then there were days when she had unexplained sporadic surges of energy. He’d encouraged her to go to the doctor to see why her body was acting so strangely, but she refused. Likewise, she had also started having mood swings, especially when George or someone else corrected her about something she’d said.
Nina had been trying some home remedies, ranging from doing yoga to drinking herbal teas. Now she was taking some kind of vitality vitamin she’d said a friend told her about. So far they had been the only thing that remotely seemed to work. But in the past week, even the vitamins didn’t seem to have the positive effect they once had.
Nina pushed herself up into a sitting position and felt her head. “Oh my, where’s my scarf?” She felt around the bed.
“You didn’t put it on last night.”
“I didn’t?”
“No.”
“Oh, man? I need to call Vera.”
“For what?”
“I need to get my hair done!”
“We are in the mountains, and I am not driving all the way back to Greenville just so you can get your hair done. You’ll have to figure out something,” George said.
“But G.I.—” Nina started to say, but George cut her off. She always called him G.I. when she wanted something.
“No, Nina. There’s some shampoo and conditioner in the bathroom, and I brought along some hair grease. Work it out, and use a few of those hairpins already in your head. We’re at this retreat for a reason, and we will be staying to see it through to the end.”
Nina pouted, poking her lips out. After taking a few deep breaths she said, “I could use some tea. Do you mind making me some?”
“What kind?” He knew she was probably only asking him so she could get him out of the room.
“My herbal tea.” Nina pointed toward the dresser. “The box is right there on the nightstand.”
George didn’t correct his wife to tell her it was the dresser and not the nightstand. In three short steps, he crossed the little room. Next to her box of assorted herbal teas was her bottle of vitamins. “Which packet of tea do you want?”
“You choose. Let it be a surprise,” Nina said.
And so he did. Figuring one was just as good as any other, George pulled the first one his fingers touched. “This tea is pretty good, huh?” he asked.
“Yeah, you should try one.” Nina rubbed her eyes.
George pulled out another pack of tea to make for himself. “I think I will try some.”
Nina stood and stretched.
George looked back down at the dresser and picked up the bottle of vitamins. Shaking it, he said, “Maybe I should try some of these vitamins also. They do seem to give you energy.
Before he knew it, Nina was standing next to him. “Uh no, you can’t take any of these vitamins.”
She grabbed the bottle with both hands. The tired sleepiness she’d just been displaying was completely gone. Nina smiled, trying to cover her abruptness. “Honey, these vitamins are made for women, and there’s no telling
what they might do to your body.” She turned to tuck the vitamins in her toiletry bag. Then she placed her arms on George’s shoulders. “Now, sweetheart, why don’t you just go and make that tea for us.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is. All it’s probably got is a little more calcium or something for osteoporosis,” George said.
His wife was probably having another one of her mood swings, and he figured he’d leave before it escalated any further. It was too early in the morning to have to deal with seesawing emotions.
Nina chuckled as if trying to make light of things. “Get your own vitamins, mister.”
George shook his head. “Go ahead and wash that hair of yours and get dressed. I’ll have some tea for you when you come out.”
Nina rolled her eyes as she touched her matted hair again.
He left the room and headed for the kitchen. As he opened the cabinet looking for a couple of mugs, Phillip rounded the corner of the kitchen.
“Good morning,” Phillip greeted.
“Good morning. How was your walk last night?” George asked.
“Pretty good; no mosquitoes. What about you all? How did the marshmallows turn out?”
George chuckled. “You all must have thought we were crazy, two grown people outside roasting marshmallows.”
“Not really. To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have minded roasting some too,” Phillip said. “It reminded me of when I was in the Boy Scouts. We used to roast marshmallows on our camping trips.”
George stopped while holding one of the mugs he’d just gotten from the cabinet in mid air. “I knew there was something special about you. So you were in the Boy Scouts too?”
“Yeah, I had some really good times in my troop. Although I never quite learned how to make fire with two sticks,” Phillip said and laughed.
“You either? We were finally able to make a fire with a couple pieces of flint,” George said. He placed the cup down on the counter. “You want some tea or coffee or something?”
“Nah, I’ll get some coffee after Shelby makes it,” Phillip said.
George looked at Phillip, thinking he was the type of man to wait for his wife to serve him.
Phillip put his hands up quickly. “I see that look in your eyes. I am not one who wants my wife to wait on me hand and foot, but when I make the coffee it’s always either too weak or way too strong. My wife has banned me from coffee making and I can’t say I blame her.”
George filled a kettle with water and set it on the stove to heat.
After a few moments of silence, Phillip said, “So how’s everything going so far for you?”
George looked around, making sure no one was within listening range. His gut told him Phillip had a sincere, concerned spirit. He felt comfortable talking to him. “It is going good for me. Everything you’ve gone over with us parallels with what I teach. Much of what you’ve said is in I Do, I Don’t.”
Phillip’s gaze turned sheepish. “George, I have to admit that I haven’t read that book, or any of your books for that matter.”
George nodded his head in understanding. “The sad thing is, my wife hasn’t read them either. I’ve encouraged her, but often times, it’s hard to get the ones closest to you to value the gifts God has given.”
Phillip nodded.
“When I wrote the letter applying for this retreat, Nina and I had talked extensively about the problems in our marriage at that time. You know, the credit cards, the gambling my wife was doing, and the pending foreclosure.”
Again Phillip nodded his head, listening and not interrupting.
“We’ve worked through those things. I’ve taken over the finances, and to her dismay, taken her name off our joint accounts. She still has an account, but I felt it wouldn’t do any good to still have her connected to the other accounts which might cause her to deplete them,” George said. “That didn’t go over easy at all. We both went to the bank, and she had to sign stating it was okay to take her name off.
“And I am glad to say we’re out of foreclosure status, praise the Lord. The check cashing places have been paid off, and the amounts for the church bank accounts have been restored, using the little bit of funds we had left in our emergency account,” George said.
“That’s good,” Phillip replied. “You’ve been able to correct most of the damage in a fairly quick amount of time.”
“The monetary damage, yes. But the emotional damage is another story. Sometimes she just seems to be going with the flow. At first she was fighting me on the changes I was making with the finances and bills, but now if I say something about them or ask for her input, she’s nonchalant. And let me just tell you, my wife, the Nina I know, doesn’t have a nonchalant bone in her body. It’s like she just doesn’t care at all, and even when I find something else dealing with the finances she’d forgotten about hiding from me, and I confront her with it, it doesn’t seem to faze her.”
“Why do you think that is?” Phillip asked.
“I don’t know. It’s like she’s another person. And the latest thing that you all have been able to witness is her mood swings. They aren’t part of my wife’s personality either. I bet everyone here probably just thinks she puts on a front with me in public and on television and is a true witch at home, and when the cameras are off. My wife is a diva, but normally, she’s a classy diva.” George shook his head in confusion. “These displays of irritability and tranquility she’s been displaying are totally new to me,” George said.
Phillip was about to speak when they both heard a door close, soon followed by Travis shuffling into the kitchen.
Phillip looked at George, signaling with his eyes that they’d talk later. George nodded his head in agreement.
Chapter 20
George Jones
Wednesday: 8:01 A.M.
As George sat down at the breakfast table, he looked toward the hall where their room was situated. Nina still hadn’t emerged. As he stood back up to search for her, she rounded the corner of the kitchen bopping up and down like a teenage cheerleader ready for her first pep rally.
“Good morning, everyone,” Nina said. She took a seat next to George, picked up her mug of tea, and took a sip. Her hair had been washed and smelled like the shampoo and conditioner he’d been using the last couple of days. She’d pulled it back into a ponytail, which fell to her mid back. George hadn’t realized her hair had grown so long since she always chose to wear it in some sort of up-do.
“Mmm, this is good. It’s a little cool, but don’t worry about it,” Nina said. George wanted to say to her that it had been ready for her thirty minutes ago, but decided to let it go. “So, Shelby, what’s for breakfast this morning?” Nina asked. Her voice was so full of cheer, George wondered what had happened to the woman who could hardly speak in more than mumbles just an hour ago. If he hadn’t known any better, he’d have thought Nina had gotten a hold of one of those caffeine-laced drinks he often saw on display at the convenience store.
“I’m making Belgian waffles, and you have your choice of topping,” Shelby said.
“Do you have any strawberries?” Nina asked.
“I do. And I also have blueberries, cherries, regular syrup, and this new stuff I’ve never tried with caramel and pecans.”
“Oh, that sounds good. I think I’ll try some of that too,” Nina said. She took another sip of her tea and gave George a firm pat on his leg. “Umm, this tea is good.”
“What kind of tea is that?” Travis asked.
George saw the way Travis had been eyeing Nina’s ponytail. George figured Travis probably thought Nina’s hair wasn’t real—either a weave or a wig.
“It’s an herbal tea I get from an Asian store,” Nina said.
“Beryl, ain’t that the same kind of tea you like; that herbal tea?” Travis asked his wife.
“I drink it sometimes,” Beryl said. “I mainly like to drink the green tea for its antioxidants.” She directed her comment to Nina.
George sat in awe as he watch
ed the exchange between his wife and the other ladies at the table. She’d been so standoffish and snobby toward them the previous days, he was surprised they were even speaking to her at all. But deep down he knew most people had forgiving hearts and was glad these two women had wiped the slate clean, dismissing his wife’s former behavior.
He’d sat throughout breakfast enjoying his waffles, topped with warm blueberries and whipped cream, barely saying a word unless spoken to. His wife’s behavior continued to puzzle him. George wondered when the current high she was on would drop to an infamous low. Bracing himself, he sat ready for the other shoe to drop.
After breakfast, everyone gathered back in the meeting room at The Round Table. Charlotte hadn’t said a word to her husband. Xavier looked as if he’d lost his best friend.
“How’s everybody doing this morning?” Phillip asked.
A trio of ‘goods,’ a couple of ‘fines,’ and one ‘great’ was emitted from around the table. One of the ‘goods’ came from Charlotte while her husband sat looking bleak. The great, which was louder than anyone else’s reply, had come from Nina.
“Glad to hear this. I’m doing pretty good myself. I slept like a baby last night,” Phillip said.
“I beg to differ,” Shelby said. “Babies don’t snore as loud as you did.”
“I don’t snore,” Phillip said.
Shelby pointed at the bags under her eyes. “While you slept like a non-snoring baby, I was pulled out of my sleep a few times.”
Phillip placed his arm around Shelby’s shoulder. “You still like me?”
“Naw, I still love you, silly.” Shelby nudged him in the arm.
“Aw, ain’t that just lovely,” Nina said with visible admiration. “Are the violins going to be piped in here soon?” There wasn’t a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
George did a double take.
Phillip cleared his throat and sat up. “Okay, okay, we’ll stop with the mushy stuff.”
He stood next to the dry erase board and wrote on it as he spoke. “Seven steps to rebuilding your marital house. I couldn’t think of an acronym for this one, so we’ll just number them one through seven.”
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