A Life Wasted

Church

While I was in prison Mary and the kids had been involved with a small local church, so I too became a part of the church. At first I really liked the small group, liked all the people involved with the church, but it wasn't long before the pastor and I began to bump heads. Mary had known the pastor and his wife since before we meet so it was awkward when the pastor and I began to see things differently. I wont use the guy's name or go into any details other than to say that my problem with him was that he lied about a disagreement he and I had. The disagreement was over a character issue, his character, but he told everyone from Mary to the media that our disagreement was over a different view regarding the Y2K's potential. While it is true that we saw this issue differently, we never argued over it.

Because of this problem I quit going to his church and hoped Mary would do the same. She kept going to the church and taking the kids, which upset me greatly. This began a deep divide between Mary and I. Sometimes that divide was suppressed but sometimes I slept in the barn. For me this hit its nadir one day late 1998. As usual Mary took the kids to church and I stayed home. We hadn't made any plans for lunch so I decide to surprise her and put on a big spread. I cooked turkey, stuffing and all the fixings and had dinner on the table by the time they should have returned home. After they were two hours late I began to worry. I was about to go looking for them when they finally returned. After church they'd been invited to have dinner at the local college (Grove City College) so they went there with out calling to let me know. I was so mad I walked out to the barn leaving all the food on the table.

This trouble between us continued until the beginning of 1999 when a tragedy pull us back together. Before I go on I will comment about Mary and my troubles. It was never the kind of thing where one of us considered leaving the other. That was never a thought. I can't speak for Mary, but I always knew we'd be fine as soon as she realized I was right. Okay, just kidding about that, but I did know we'd be okay. It bothered me because she took the Pastor's side over mine. Bothered me a lot. But I didn't love my wife any less. I was disappointed though. On the underlying issue of the pastor's character I still maintain that I was right about him. He should have never been a pastor. Shortly after I went on the run he resigned his position and the church dissolved. That had nothing to do with me, but I have no doubt it involved the issue I had a problem with.

Mary ended up being upset with the pastor over something. The word "upset" is an understatement. All I know about this is that the pastor and his wife refused to talk to Mary on the phone or answer the door when she went to their house. Mary, in her standard not so subtle way wrote down all the things she was "upset" about and nailed the paper to the front door of their home. From Saint Mary to Martin Luther. That's the woman I know and love.