Chapter 15

            After everyone was gone, Aaron and Cheryl sat at the dining room table.  Aaron held his head with one hand while gently beating his fist on the table with the other.  Cheryl slouched down in her chair with her arms over her chest.

            “What are you going to do now?” she queried.

            “I don’t know” Aaron began to reply, “I guess we have to go on without them.  I had no idea Kyle was such a henpecked husband.  I mean Terry just runs their entire show!” he despaired.

            “What do you mean?” Cheryl exclaimed.  “Can you blame her?  She’s trying to protect what’s hers!  In fact I think she’s doing the right thing.”

            “You do?” Aaron questioned.

            “Yes, she doesn’t want to lose her husband to another woman and she doesn’t want her husband thinking he can have more than one wife.  And I don’t either.”

            “Yeah, that’s fine.  But what does God want?”  Aaron responded. 

            “What does God want?”  She repeated incredulously.

            “Yes, have you ever considered that God might want something different than what we want?”  Aaron said as he grew bolder.  “Have you considered that we are His servants, He is not ours?  You women seem to think that the only reason a man might have more than one wife is because he’d like a variety of sexual partners, but have you ever considered that God might be concerned about those single Christian women and the widowed Christian women?  Maybe God wants their needs taken care of and He chooses certain men to do it by becoming their husbands.”

            Cheryl’s eyes widened as he talked.  She began to visibly shake.  Aaron knew he was shocking her and yet he went on. 

            “There was nothing, and I  mean absolutely nothing, going on between Mrs. Chandler and me, but suppose, just suppose God spoke to me or George to take her in as a second wife.  Either one of us could afford to do it.  Then I could give her boys the father figure they need and she would have a man to love her and take care of her.  Would that mean you or Juanita if God chose George to do it would be loved any less?  No!”

            By this time Cheryl had burst into tears.  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  In a flash she was up from the table ran to their bedroom.  

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They were to have arrived at the international airport three hours ahead of time.  Charles was there, waiting and looking for the others.  A half hour went by -- still he was alone.  He began to wonder if he’d be making the trip alone.  Finally, two hours before departure, he saw George and Juanita hurrying to the checkin stand.

            “Hey, glad to see you,” Charles greeted them warmly.

            “Glad to be here,” George returned grabbing Charles’ extended hand and giving a firm handshake.

            “Where’s Aaron and Cheryl?” Charles asked.

            “I don’t know,” came the reply from George, “They should be here.  Let’s wait another half hour before we check in, maybe they were delayed.”

            The three pulled all six of their large suitcases to the side and sat down in a row of chairs.

            “You know,” George began, “Juanita and I had a long talk last night.  We prayed together too, and we came to some agreements.”

            “Yes, go on” Charles encouraged him.

            “The Bible says,” he continued, “the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man.”  He paused.  “No offence to them but when I look at Kyle and Terry, I see a couple that is just totally out of order.  We decided if our house was going to please God it had to be in order.  That means I lead and my dear wife follows.  So I told her we’re going.”  He paused and smiled at his wife.  “I know it was hard for her to swallow and say it but she did.  She said, ‘Yes, dear.’  So regardless of anyone else we want to go on with God.”

            “Great!  That’s great, George” Charles said and then turning to Juanita he added “You, my dear sister, are very pleasing in God’s sight.”

            “Well, to tell the truth,” Juanita began to admit, “I hope George isn’t called to have more than one wife, but if he is I pray I can deal with it.”  She sighed.  “Part of the reason I wanted to come even after last night is to see how your two wives could both love you and get along with each other as well” she said.

            “You’ll see” Charles chuckled “you’ll see.  We have a small 40 acre farm.  There is the main house where I live when I’m there, and each wife has her own smaller house nearby for her and her children.”

            “You have children?”  Juanita asked, being surprised by the revelation.

            “Ah yes, my first wife Rachel has 3 boys and 2 girls and my second wife Elizabeth has 2 girls and 2 boys,” he revealed.

            “Women must be different there than here.”

            “Ah yes, this is true” Charles said.  “You see, in the country and in the small villages we don’t have women’s liberation like you do here in America.  Wives cannot divorce their husbands and take the children and the possessions” Charles continued.  “Our wives give us great respect as the Bible says they should.  If they do not we can suspend them.

            “Suspend them?  What’s that mean?” George asked.

            “It means we send them back to their parents for better training” Charles explained.

            “How long” Juanita questioned.

            “Oh, up to five years” Charles answered.

            “Wow!” George exclaimed, “that’s different!” 

            George’s eyes widened as a revelation came to his mind.  “Now I understand why you work so hard and live so meagerly.  You’ve been sending money home to support your wives and children,” George said as things began to click in place.

            “Yes, that’s right my friend” Charles continued. 

            “But why don’t you get a higher paying job?”  George questioned further.

            “Life here in America is not as kind to us of a darker hue as it is to you lighter brethren,” Charles explained.

            George and Juanita looked at each other a little sheepishly.  They, like many whites, had thought racism and discrimination had ended in the sixties.

            “Hey, there’s Aaron” Charles exclaimed.  They all stood up as they saw Aaron jostling his way tugging along a large suitcase and carrying another.

            “Hey buddy!  Praise the Lord!  Where’s the wife?”  George asked.

            “She’s not coming” he revealed.  “And she said she’s not sure she’ll be there when I get back,” he shared slowly with eyes cast down.

            “But one thing I know,” he said as he looked up again, “I must follow God and where He leads me.  I must walk in His truth as His Spirit guides me.”  He paused.  “Let’s check in and go to Africa!”  

The End
( Of Part I )