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Authors: Monique Miller

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BOOK: Redemption Lake
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Shelby held up her finger and started rotating her head. “Instead of making excuses, Travis should be making arrangements to find and
keep
a job. With all the time he spends making excuses and probably watching the television trying to catch the next segment in a commercial saga, he could be earning something to help his wife put food in his kids' mouths.”
Phillip placed his hands on Shelby's shoulders and massaged them. “Whoa, baby; calm down.”
“I will. I promise I'll be calm by the time we make it back to the cabin, but that stuff he allegedly is doing is a pure mess.” Shelby rolled her eyes again. “And I tell you one thing, I would not put up with that kind of mess. You can say what you want about being in someone else's shoes, but taking care of a grown, able-bodied man is something this sister just wouldn't be doing.”
Phillip shook his head, knowing what Shelby was saying was true.
“If he wants to watch TV so bad, then he can go to Best Buy. They've got a whole wall full of TV's, all shapes and sizes, that he can look at while he's working,” Shelby said.
“Well, all right,” Phillip said. He would be as neutral as he needed to be. But Phillip knew his wife had a point about taking care of a grown man.
“That was more feedback than I expected. What are your thoughts about Nina and George?” Phillip asked.
“Truthfully, I can't believe G.I. Jones is here and seeking advice from us. I read his book,
I Do, I Don't,
and it was wonderful. Much of the book went over some of the same things we're doing here at the retreat.”
“You don't understand why George is here? Matthew 13:57 explains it pretty clearly. It says, . . .
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
”
“So he can teach thousands, but can't teach his own wife?”
“Bingo,” Phillip said with a smile.
“They really haven't said very much about their problems,” Shelby said.
“They're probably used to being guarded about their private lives. Unlike some people who can run their mouths all day, I just think George is the opposite. He's probably feeling everyone out. James 1:19 says,
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
I think we both know that G.I. Jones, the soldier for the Lord, is a very wise man,” Phillip said.
“I don't quite know how to read Nina. It sort of seems like she is bipolar, but the symptoms don't exactly match. Sometimes she seems like she's dragging and tired, and other times, she talks a mile a minute.”
“My grandmother would just plain call it being wishywashy,” Phillip said.
“Maybe so, but it seems a little clinical to me,” Shelby said just before she dropped her flashlight and slapped the backside of her hand. “Ouch.”
“What was that?” Phillip asked. “A mosquito?”
“No, it's too cool out for a mosquito,” Shelby said.
Phillip took his flashlight to shine it on the spot she'd just hit. On her skin was a dead ant.
“That really stung.”
Phillip shined his flashlight back down on the bark of the tree where he saw a stream of ants coming from underneath. “There are more of them. Let's go ahead and get back to the cabin.”
Shelby hopped up off the log, vigorously patting and wiping her jacket and jogging pants. “What time is it?”
Phillip looked at his watch. “It's almost eleven o'clock.”
“It's that late already? Time really does fly when you're having fun.” Shelby scratched at the spot on her hand. “It's still stinging.”
“Must have been a fire ant. Those little jokers don't play. I'm glad a swarm of them didn't bite you,” Phillip said. He put his arm around Shelby's shoulder as they returned to the trail.
“I just wish each couple at the cabin could just squash their problems like I just did that ant. Then we could all relax and enjoy the rest of the week like second honeymoons.”
“The week is still young,” Phillip said.
“It's not that young. In a little over an hour it will officially be hump day.”
Shelby was right. Two full days had passed and it didn't look like the miracle he'd been waiting for was going to happen any time soon.
Chapter 19
George Jones
Wednesday: 5:30
A.M
.
George Jones opened his eyes. He'd been trying for an hour to go back to sleep, but figured it wasn't going to happen. Looking over at the alarm clock, he saw it was already five thirty. He'd be getting up in thirty minutes anyway.
He'd slept fitfully with concern about his wife. She'd been changing and seemed to be deteriorating on a daily basis. She had been acting strange lately. It all started a couple of months prior, just after he'd uncovered some of Nina's secrets.
There was a time when Nina had secrets she didn't think George knew about. But instead of confronting his wife in a room full of strangers, he'd done so in the comforts of their bedroom at home, with the door closed so the maid and cook wouldn't hear them. George hadn't done the investigating himself. He'd hired a private investigator to do so.
When his wife first started acting strange, George started paying more attention to her, watching her as closely as possible. There were inconsistencies in things she was saying about her whereabouts and time lapses which she couldn't give him straight answers on. Often she got short tempered with him whenever he asked her simple questions about the household or how her day had gone.
Then there were times when she acted as if she didn't want to talk to him or be touched by him. George figured some of her actions were because he had been spending a great deal of time focusing on his ministry and a new book he'd been writing. Many days he and Nina didn't have any quality time. So he decided to take a break so they could take a vacation. But Nina had come up with excuses as to why it wasn't a good time for her.
George hadn't fought the subject, but wondered what could be keeping his wife so preoccupied. She had a part-time job working at the church as one of the administrative assistants, she didn't have many friends, and she didn't have any real hobbies to speak of. There were times when she volunteered in the church daycare, but he had no idea what his wife did in her spare time.
Then his mind started working overtime. He put all the pieces together. She was acting strange, didn't want to be touched by him, and was barely speaking to him. George came up with the only conclusion that made any sense. And though George didn't want to believe it, he figured his wife must have been stepping out on him.
He had to find out what was going on. He hired a private investigator to watch the house and follow his wife. After two months of monitoring, the investigator found out exactly what his wife had been up to. Nina hadn't been stepping out with another man, but she had been stepping out to play Bingo.
Upon first hearing the news, George laughed, relived to hear she wasn't with another man. But as the investigator completed his report, the number of Bingo halls she'd been to and the amount of money she'd been spending there weren't adding up. It wasn't a laughing matter after all.
Within the two-month investigation, Nina had played Bingo ten times. Once, she'd driven down to South Carolina, and another time, she'd even gone to Jacksonville, NC and played Bingo all night. Upon reviewing his calendar, George realized he'd been away speaking at church conferences during that time.
The investigator also reported that in the two months Nina had been gambling, she'd spent over $3,000 and had only won back $250. George wondered how many other trips his wife had taken and how much more money she had spent. The investigator also reported that Nina had visited several check cashing places, opening a new proverbial can of worms.
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.”
BOOK: Redemption Lake
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