Private Sins (Three Rivers Series: Book 1) (5 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Theo was sitting on the back patio cradling a drink, the baby was in a bassinet beside him and Kelly was gardening. Thea and Matthew were assigned a spot for themselves and Kelly was instructing them on how to plant their vegetables. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and the day was cool with a little chill in the air—it was three weeks till Christmas.

Theo’s mother usually came to Jamaica from New York for the holidays but his year she was super excited because she was yet to meet her newest grandchild. She would be arriving in the upcoming week and Theo felt a fissure of excitement. He was always excited to see his Mommy. His Dad had abandoned the family when he was just twelve and his mother had really struggled hard to make ends meet in the early days.

As soon as he had turned eighteen she migrated to America, where she worked as a practical nurse for years. Her retirement was ten years away and she was planning to come back to Jamaica to retire.

She loved Kelly and her grandchildren and usually took her three-week vacation in December so that she could spend every moment with her family.

Theo smiled to himself quietly, and looked into the bassinet as Mark cooed. The baby was awake and smiling too. He grinned and took him out. He was getting bigger and heavier by the day and at four months he was already demonstrating a sharp intelligence that only a doting father would notice. He cuddled the baby and kissed him. He smelled so good and sweet.

He loved a baby's scent; it was so clean and innocent. Mark looked up at him his hazel eyes wide and flailed his arms. His eyes were a unique combination of green and brown, an unusual color. Theo looked into his baby's innocent eyes and laughed. “What are you thinking about little one?”

The baby blew some bubbles as if he wanted to talk to him.

Theo looked over at Kelly and grinned, she was trying to convince Matthew to dig a deeper hole for his tomato seedlings but Matthew was distracted by a worm. He was insisting on taking up the worm to examine it closely. He pushed his podgy hands with the worm that was wiggling like crazy in his mother's face—Kelly was looking decidedly squeamish.

All was well in his world, Theo thought. He was so grateful to God for the blessing of family. Many people did not have this kind of togetherness and he had to count it a blessing that he did.

“That boy is going to be the end of me.” Kelly stomped up to the deck and sat beside Theo. “He pushed the worm at me and told me to stroke it.”

Theo laughed and she looked over at the baby, “hi handsome, I would touch you but my hands are dirty.”

“Do you want us to go for ice cream later?” Theo asked.

Kelly looked at him and smiled. “Sure! I like this, more family outings and you spending time at home.”

Theo shrugged. “When you were pregnant with Mark you were so distressed and depressed; I knew at the heart of that was my hectic work schedule and me not being able to spend more time with you, so I decided that I am going to make more time for my family. I never intended for you to raise the children alone.”

Kelly smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She hadn’t been distressed because Theo was hardly home but because of her duplicity—obviously he had been watching her and taking note of her mood.

She sometimes forgot how observant Theo could be. A month ago when they had gone to the restaurant together and she had shown too much attention toward Chris it’s as if Theo had beefed up his efforts to be the perfect husband. Instead instead of pleasing her, it had the opposite effect—it was making her angry.

Where was this perfect husband when she had been lonely and seeking attention. If he had been around she never would have had that affair. Her little episode with Chris would never have gotten out of hand.

She looked over at the baby and wondered when his powers of observation would kick in and he would realize that the baby didn’t resemble either of them?

Theo hadn’t yet said a thing but she was silently waiting. Several persons had commented on his lack of resemblance to her or the pastor and she could see some of the older church members speculating. Of course they would not dare come out and suggest that her baby belonged to anyone else but she could see questioning in their eyes.

She hardly wanted to take her baby to church anymore and she was sure that it would only get worse. She was living on borrowed time and as long as her husband would have her she was going to hang in there until it dawned on him that something was wrong.

She sighed and then looked at him again, he was watching her closely.

“Where do you go when you zone out like that with a thoughtful wince on your face?”

Kelly forced a laugh, “here and there.”

Theo frowned. “I want us to communicate Kelly.” He rocked the baby, who was chewing on his knuckles. “There was a time when I did not have to guess about what you were thinking.”

“There was a time when I was the most important person in your life,” Kelly retorted and then instantly regretted it. She closed her eyes, “sorry.”

Theo grimaced, and then caressed her chin with his finger. “You are always the most important person to me, never ever doubt that. I love you now and I'll love you always. I have reformed somewhat, haven’t I? I am home by four most days and I have shifted my workload a bit. I am helping out around the house and I am chief babysitter to our youngest. I aim to do more.”

Kelly looked at him with tears in her eyes, thinking of how stupid she had been. “I really am sorry, Theo.”

“I know.” He reached over and kissed her. “You are forgiven. Let’s tell our two gardeners that we are going to get them cleaned up and give them a treat.”

CHAPTER NINE

Chris was invited to Sunday brunch at his parents’ house, and as he drove up to the house he saw several cars in the driveway—his sisters must have arrived. He sighed. The house would be a hustle and bustle of nosy nagging women, noisy kids and good-smelling food.

All three of his sisters had come down from Canada for the holidays. They always arrived together in the first week of December, but one by one they would leave by the end of January.

Camille, the youngest of the three, was usually the last to leave, preferring to spend an extra four weeks in Jamaica. She would move in with Chris when her husband and everybody else had returned to Canada.  She enjoyed spending the extra time with him so that she could boss him around in his own house.

He grinned as he headed up the steps into the house. Just as he anticipated the scent of jerk chicken hit him at the front door.

He licked his lips and yelled, “where’s everybody?”

“Uncle Chris, Uncle Chris.” Three little bodies hurled themselves at his feet. His eldest nephew hugged him around the waist and he took up his youngest niece.

“At least there are people here that are happy to see me,” Chris kissed his nieces face. “How are you pumpkin?”

“Fine Uncle Chris,” she giggled her hazel eyes beaming, “Mommy was just telling Grandma that you were acting weird and heart broken when you came to Canada three months ago and grandma said you would have to tell them the story yourself. Can I hear the story Uncle Chris, can I?”

“Yes, Uncle Chris, can we hear the story?” the other two asked, looking at him in anticipation.

“Give me a minute.” He put down his pleading niece. “I am going to have some words with your grandma.”

“Okay,” they agreed.

He went into the television room and greeted his brothers-in-law, who were eating snacks and watching television.

“Yow Chris,” Keith greeted him. He was married to his sister Marie and was always trying hard to talk with a Jamaican accent; the rest of the family found his attempts hilarious.

“Yow,” Chris greeted them and then headed for the kitchen. “Mom, Marie, Fiona, Camille,” he nodded to them all, a frosty expression on his face. “There is no story. Do not hatch plans to assault me with questions or badger me about anything. I had a relationship, it's over! I am even seeing someone new—end of story.”

“Okay,” Marie said, nodding.

“You can't talk anything around children.” Fiona kissed her teeth. “So who was the relationship with and who are you seeing now?”

Chris sighed, sat down in the breakfast nook and looked across at them. “Don’t you think its less than manly for me to be hanging around in the kitchen gossiping with women, when Dad and the rest of the guys are in the TV room watching football?”

“Nah,” Camille said, sitting on a bar stool, “after seriously cross examining Daddy he said you broke the seventh and the tenth commandment, all in one go, and that you have dragged him and Mommy into sharing your guilt by breaking the ninth.”

“Lord, help me.” Fiona headed to a bookcase in the corner and reached for a Bible. “It is an indictment on me that I have to go to look up which commandment is which.”

“Not you alone,” Marie laughed.

“Give the boy a break,” Hyacinth opened the oven to turn the baked chicken. “He is aware of his guilt.”

“But he is an elder in the church,” Camille said shocked, “so many commandments broken at once. Have you confessed your sins to Jesus?” Camille asked Chris wide-eyed.

Chris ignored her.  “That’s none of your business, and I am no longer an elder.”

“You are supposed to be setting an example for others. You did lead the church. Sin cannot be taken casually,” Camille said, “and before you call me self-righteous, I am aware that I am also a sinner.”

“Hold on,” Fiona said, thumping through the Bible. “Before you give Chris a lecture, let me see what commandments he is supposed to have broken. Okay.” She reached Exodus 20. “The first commandment is ‘y
ou shall have no other gods before me,’ that makes, one, two three.” She ran her hands down the commandments. “Seven being, ‘you shall not commit adultery.’” Her eyes widened and she looked up at her brother,

“What! You committed adultery!”

“He's not married,” Fiona laughed, taking the bible from Marie, who was contemplating her brother in shock.

“This is ridiculous,” Fiona snickered. “So what's the tenth commandment?” She looked in the Bible. “Y
ou shall not covet your neighbor's house, wife, servants, animals, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Marie still looking at her brother in incredulity whispered, “House, wife, servant, animal.”

“Wife!” both Fiona and Marie said together.

“Oh, Chris,” Camille shook her head. “You had an affair with her didn’t you?”

“You mean Kelly?” Fiona's jaws dropped.

“He's been living in sin for eleven years,” Marie whispered. They all looked at Chris bug-eyed. “Coveting his neighbor's wife.”

“The pastor's wife.” Camille clarified. “So how is it that you caused Mommy and Daddy to sin?” She was looking at Chris and shaking her head in disappointment

Chris looked at them in half amusement. Secrets didn’t last long in his family, he was quite aware of that. When he told his parents what he didn’t expect was for them to parade his guilt around and for him to feel so wretched. He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the wall.

“The ninth,” Fiona said running her fingers through the commandments again, “is you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. How does that fit in?”

“False testimony is when you lie,” Marie said squinting. “So he caused Mommy and Daddy to lie for him…how?”

They turned to Hyacinth. “Mommy you are silent around there. How did you lie for Chris?”

Hyacinth shrugged. “We haven’t exactly lied for him, just omitted to tell the truth to Theo, I can barely look him in the eyes at church and I have been avoiding Kelly.”

Camille nodded, “since you know about the whole affair and you haven’t told the pastor you are like accessories to the crime that Chris committed.”

“Something like that,” Hyacinth said, getting vegetables from the fridge.

“That would make us accessories too, now that we know,” Marie said, “first thing next Sabbath I am going to church and I am going to sing to the pastor like a canary.”

Chris opened one eye. “You will do no such thing.”

“You need to come clean,” Camille said heatedly. “Tell the man that you slept with his wife and then confess your sins to God.”

“And,” Marie said, “when they break up maybe then you can get your chance, marry her and you two can live together then. Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

“Not so fast,” Fiona held up her hands, “if he marries Kelly after a divorce she is the guilty party then they would be committing adultery. She would not free to remarry.”

“Huh,” Marie said glancing at Fiona, “where'd you get that from?”

“The Bible,” Fiona said smirking, “somewhere in Matthew 19, I think its verse 9.”

Marie sighed. “That’s so sad, now my little brother is going to be single for the rest of his life. You know, I like Kelly and from the looks of things, he's never going to find anyone else while Kelly is still alive.”

“He did say he found someone else,” Camille reminded Marie looking over at her brother, “who is she? And why didn’t you bring her to brunch so we could check her out … I mean welcome her to the fold of this loving family.”

Hyacinth snorted, “I don’t like her, she's too high strung and snobbish.” She shuddered. “I think he went from one extreme to the other in choosing this girl. She is the complete opposite of Kelly. I think she's obnoxious, though I've met her only once.”

“What's her name?” Marie was looking over at her brother, who was pretending to be meek and quiet as he usually did when he found himself in the midst of their discussions.

“Estella,” Chris said smiling; he opened his eyes. “Estella Williams, she goes to the Great Pond church, sings on the choir. She has a lovely personality don’t listen to Mommy.”

“Are you still in love with Kelly?” Fiona asked earnestly.

They all looked at Chris and waited. He looked from one to the other, his heart giving him a little squeeze each time her name was called. Was he still in love with Kelly? Of course, but he wouldn’t be telling them anything.

“When is dinner going to be ready?” He asked half smiling.

“I knew he wasn’t taking this seriously,” Camille murmured. “Go join the men, we have plenty of things to talk about behind your back.”

Chris grunted, “Can I get a drink first?”

“Sure,” Fiona handed him a drink.

“I am sending in the kids,” Chris said to them, “that way I am sure to get a blow-by-blow account of this chat. Carry on.”