Faith, Friendship, and Passion Ch. 02

I walked into the kitchen and saw her loading all my dirty clothes and blankets into the washing machine. She threw the last blanket in, closed the door, and pushed the start button.

"You don't have to do that. I'm feeling well enough to take care of it."

"I want to do it." Rebecca said coldly as she walked past me into the kitchen. She turned on the kitchen faucet and started rinsing my dirty dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.

"Please Rebecca, I can clean things up."

She looked at me firmly and answered, "I said I want to do it."

Confused, I sat at the bar height kitchen counter across from where she was working and attempted to take in what I saw. She was wearing another one of her oversized, frumpy dresses. This particular one was made of a heavy light blue fabric that didn't look very soft or comfortable. I guessed it was probably some kind of polyester and cotton blend. It had a square, boxy neckline and bunched, ruffled short sleeves. Rebecca had taken her shoes off when she came in the house and, with bare feet, the ankle length dress nearly touched the floor. It's a good thing Rebecca was naturally beautiful because the dress certainly wasn't designed to be attractive.

Her motions didn't match her normal gentle manner. She was roughly scrubbing the dishes and banging them into the sink and dishwasher rack. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was pissed.

After a couple minutes of watching, I spoke up to say, "I'm really sorry I didn't answer the phone. I should have looked at the clock before I got in the shower."

Rebecca angrily threw the dish brush she was using into the sink and burst out in tears. "It's not you." she managed to get out between her tearful staggered breaths.

I stood up and walked around the bar counter. I put my hands on her shoulders, turned her toward me, and took her in my arms. She withered into me as her body convulsed with her weeping.

I just stood there and held her. Eventually, the tears slowed and her body regained some of its strength. With one arm still wrapped around her, I led Rebecca into the living room and over to sit on the sofa. As soon as we were seated, she leaned over and buried her face into my chest.

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head as she gently sobbed. I sensed she wasn't ready to talk so I did my best to comfort her in my embrace. We must have sat in silence for 15 or 20 minutes.

After she stopped sobbing, I asked, "Want to talk? If not, I understand."

Rebecca didn't respond and we sat in silence for a few more minutes. She then took her face out of my chest and turned her head so that her ear was against my chest.

Without looking up at me, she began to speak softly, "Jonathan and I had an argument last night. It was brewing all day but came to a head last night after my family left. I didn't like that he was ordering me around all day like I was hired help serving a meal. He didn't like me helping you out while you are sick or bringing you a plate of food yesterday."

She continued, "I don't like being bossed around but I can deal with that. It really made me mad that he didn't want me helping you. Actually, it's not that he doesn't want me helping you. It's that he doesn't want me associating with people outside our church. He knows how much you help me with chores around our house and he doesn't like that either."

I interrupted her, "I want to help you but it's not worth it if it's making life miserable for you."

Rebecca quietly answered, "I like it that you help me but that's not what is important. I like that you care for me. I like that you talk WITH me rather than AT me. Jonathan makes it hard to love him. You make...it..."

Her voice trailed off and she fell silent. It wasn't hard to figure out where she was going with that sentence and suddenly there was a nervous tension between us. We both knew we cared for each other but the word "love" had never been used.

Rebecca quickly took a step backward in the conversation and continued, "I'm tired of all the legalistic religious rules and traditions. I'm tired of being treated like a servant. I'm tired of being limited to who I can talk to."

An angry tone was building in her voice as she continued, "I'm tired of my children not being able to play with kids in the neighborhood. I'm tired of superficial friendships with all the 'picture perfect' families in the church."

Rebecca stood up and stepped to the far side of the coffee table as her anger continued to build, "I'm tired of being bound up in this legalistic clothing."

I stared in shock as she reached down and grabbed the lower part of her oversized dress. Without breaking the rhythm of her monologue, she lifted the dress and angrily peeled off over her head. She threw it across the room and continued uninterrupted, "I'm tired of being bound into some fake idea of what God wants. I'm tired of being bound into a fake life with fake religion!"

She burst out in tears again and collapsed back into my arms as I sat on the couch. I found myself holding a nearly naked lady in my embrace. With her dress now on the floor, Rebecca now wore only a pair of white cotton bikini style panties and a very thin white cotton eyelet bra. Before she buckled into me, I couldn't help but notice how wonderful her womanly hips and heart shaped ass looked in the form fitting panties. I also noticed that the shadows of her areolas and nipples were clearly visible through the thin perforated bra. Wow.

I just held her in silence until her sobbing slowed. I then ventured to ask, "Does he know you are over here now?"

"No, he took the kids to a church Thanksgiving celebration. They will be there until after dinner tonight. I didn't sleep at all after our fight last night so I told him I was too tired to go to church. I'm sure that will cause some rumors among the church wives!"

"He thinks I'm tired because I had to clean the kitchen last night. That is partially true but the reason I couldn't sleep was because I was thinking about how to get out of this religious prison. Now that I think about it, the church wife rumors will probably be justified."

I chuckled a little and said, "True, we are sitting here in our underwear."

Rebecca jokingly tugged at my boxers and said, "We could fix that."

I tugged at her bra clasp and answered, "If I wasn't so exhausted, I would do something about that comment." I didn't intend for it to happen but the clasp sprung open when I tugged on it. Rebecca just giggled and didn't make any move to fix it.

We sat in silence for a few more minutes with her head on my chest. Although for different reasons, we were both tired. Our breathing slowed and our eyelids became heavy.

I slouched down on the sofa a little to prop my feet up on the end table. Rebecca also started to reposition. When she moved, her unclasped bra slipped off her shoulder. Rather than fix it, she just removed it and tossed it on the floor before lying down on her side with her back to me. She rested her head on my hip and kind of hugged my thigh with her arms. I grabbed a blanket that was still folded on the back of the sofa and spread it out over her gorgeous body.

As I saw her lying there in front of me, I was overcome with emotion and impulsively spoke, "You started to say something earlier. I know what it was and I understand how you feel. I feel the same way. I know this is wrong in every way but my heart tells me different. I have no idea what the future holds but I want you to know I love you."

I interlocked fingers with her hand that was on top of my thigh and lifted it to place a kiss on the back of her hand. Rebecca exhaled a large sigh of relief and answered, "I love you too." She rotated her head slightly and kissed the top of my thigh.

As we both drifted off to sleep, thoughts of where all this may lead swirled through my head. I tried to focus on possible results that didn't involve destroying our families.

We slept soundly for several hours. Rebecca came to consciousness before I did. When I did awake, it was to the feeling of Rebecca's petite hand sliding up my inner thigh beneath the baggy leg of my boxer shorts. She was still lying just as she was when she fell asleep...on her side facing away from me with her head resting on my hip. Her left arm reached under my leg and her forearm was elbow deep beneath my boxers. She cupped my low hanging balls in her hand and lifted them as though she was estimating their weight. After a minute or so, she then started gently rolling them between her slender fingers. What a way to wake up!

Rebecca shifted her hand as she played in order to explore my sack from different angles. When she rotated her hand up to feel where by sack met my body, I could feel my flaccid penis being supported by the back of her hand. Somehow, that simple touch flipped a switch in my body and I suddenly became hyper aware of the erotic moment. I could feel the weight of my limp cock hanging over her hand. I was acutely aware of every swinging motion my balls made as she shifted her hand. I could feel the contrast of her soft fingertips and hard nails as they brushed against me. The eroticism was exquisite!

I laid there in silence and watched as her hand move beneath the fabric of my boxers. Rebecca moved her attention from my balls and began softly tracing her fingertips up and down the length of hanging cock. As if she was tired of the hassle, she suddenly withdrew her arm from under my boxers and instead reached through the front opening. She fished around for a couple seconds and pulled my cock out through the opening. Once out, it was within a few inches of her face.

Rebecca wrapped petite fingers around the soft shaft and started very slow and short stroking motions. Every once in a while she would pull it toward her face and rub my head or shaft on her cheek. Her motions were rather relaxed and seemed to lack the intent of getting me excited. It seemed she just enjoyed the feel and sight of my parts. I know I enjoyed hers.

With that thought, I made my first movement since I had awakened to Rebecca playing with me. I lifted my left hand and pulled back the blanket that covered her nearly naked body.

Rebecca rolled her head to back to look up at me and said, "Hello sleepyhead."

"Hi," I said in return as I placed my hand on the side of her narrow waist just above her hip. Her torso twisted when she turned to look up at me and presented a perfect opportunity for my hand to explore up her ribcage toward her breast. My hand quickly found it and I began kneading the soft, milky flesh with my fingers. It wasn't long before I felt her nipple hardening against my palm.

Rebecca rolled her head back to its original position to face away from me. She angled my shaft toward her face and gently kissed the head of my soft cock before releasing it and sitting up on the sofa.

"It's almost 2:00. Time for your medicine." she said as she stood up. Rebecca walked into the kitchen wearing only her white cotton panties.

My eyes followed her every move. Her perfect womanly, heart-shaped ass delicately swayed as she walked. Its shape was the perfect contrast to her petite waist and toned legs. She filled a glass with water and walked back toward me. I stared just as much as when she was walking away from me. Her flat stomach accentuated her pear shaped breasts. Even though the B-cups sagged a little from motherhood, her nipples still pointed slightly upward and the soft flesh had just the perfect amount of jiggle as she walked.

"Your body is absolutely incredible. I wish I was feeling better." I said.

Rebecca gave shot me a knowing smile and said, "Why?"

"Let's just say I don't have the energy to do what I want to right now."

She handed me my pills and glass of water and then headed back out to the kitchen. Again, my eyes followed her gorgeous body the whole way. She pulled a couple aluminum foil plates out of the refrigerator and spoke across the living room, "I brought some Thanksgiving leftovers if you are hungry."

"Sounds great!"

Rebecca spent 15 or 20 minutes in the kitchen re-heating the leftovers and then delivered the feast to the living room. She sat in an armchair next to the sofa while we ate. She was still wearing only her panties. I think I stared at her the entire time we ate. She truly was a natural beauty.

After we ate, Rebecca cleaned up the dishes and then we sat on the sofa in each other's arms for another hour. My cell phone rang as we sat there. It was Trisha calling to ask how I was doing just like she had done once each day. I told her I still wasn't back to normal but was feeling much better.

Trisha asked if Rebecca had been over to check on me yet today. I said, "Yes, actually she is here right now." Trisha sounded grateful and asked me to pass her thanks along to Rebecca. Before hanging up, Trisha said she and the kids would be home by the following afternoon, a day earlier than planned. They were appreciative of me allowing them to go to Thanksgiving but felt guilty for leaving me alone while I was sick.

After I hung up, Rebecca and I sat together and chatted about meaningless stuff for another half hour. She looked at the clock and said, "I better go. Jonathan and the kids will be home in a little while."

I nodded my head and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She stood up and began collecting her bra, dress, and shoes. She set all the items on the coffee table and stood before me as she put her bra and dress back on. As she was slipping her dress on over her head, she said, "Thank you for listening to me this morning. I'm sorry I lashed out like that."

"Don't be sorry. That's what a real relationship is about. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough with me to share your feelings. It means a lot to me."

Rebecca had a look of indecision on her face before she responded, "I love you, Brad. I wish I could stay."

"I know you need to go. I love you too."

Rebecca blew me a kiss and walked home. I had really enjoyed her company and our conversations during the day. My heart felt emptiness as she walked out the front door. I really did love her.

Rebecca continued her medicine reminder calls that night and Saturday morning until Trisha and the kids returned home. After a couple medicine cycles without Rebecca's reminders or visits, the emptiness I felt for her deepened. I was confused. My beautiful wife was here with me but yet my heart was longing after another.

*******

In some ways, my life returned to normal over the next few days. My body was kicking the Pneumonia and my energy returned. I went back to work and renewed my daily routine. However, my emotions were far from normal. I vacillated on what seemed like an hourly basis between devotion to Trisha and love for Rebecca. I was conflicted between my marriage vows and the rediscovered feelings of love that I had been missing for years.

*******

By mid-December, Chicagoland received its first measurable snowfall of the winter. The storm began with a period of freezing rain that created a thin layer of ice on everything. The freezing rain was then followed with 3" of heavy, wet snow. The weight of the ice and snow resulted in a lot of broken branches, downed trees, and broken power lines around the area. By morning, the power was out in most of our suburb and all the local schools had cancelled classes.

By 9:00am, the snow had stopped and the house was beginning to get chilly without power to run the furnace. I bundled up and went outside to start the house generator. Once it was started and the furnace was running, I turned my attention to clearing the driveway and sidewalks of snow. My thoughts drifted to Rebecca and Jonathan as I walked the snowblower up and down the driveway. The snow made me think about how Jonathan expected Rebecca to do all the household chores including snow removal. My anger toward Jonathan's "religion" steadily grew as I continued pushing the snowblower and thinking.

I finished our driveway and was just about ready to go begin clearing Jonathan and Rebecca's when I saw their garage door open. His white Cavalier and her maroon Town & Country were parked in the driveway and covered with snow. I paused as I watched Jonathan shovel a narrow footpath to his car. He discarded the shovel by leaning it against Rebecca's minivan and then brushed the snow off his car onto the driveway. My anger boiled over and I couldn't hold back any longer.

I shut off the snowblower and left it sitting on the sidewalk. I walked swiftly toward Jonathan. He saw me coming and practically dove into his car in an attempt to avoid talking to me. His action only succeeded in pissing me off more.

He had started the car and was about to begin backing out of the driveway when I knocked loudly on the driver's door window. He looked down into his lap hoping that would somehow make me go away. Instead, I opened the driver's door and very firmly said, "Get out."

Jonathan sat there in the seat still looking down into his lap. I repeated myself more loudly, "Get out!"

He sensed my resolve and obeyed. Jonathan stood beside the car and looked down at the ground. At that instant, I decided if he was going to act like a little boy, I was going to treat him that way.

"Look at me." I said. He continued looking at the ground.

"Look at me!" I repeated very loudly. It actually came out of my mouth with more volume than I intended. I glanced around to see if other neighbors were outside. There was one other guy a few houses down but he was running a snowblower and couldn't have heard me. As my eyes returned to Jonathan, I caught a glimpse of Rebecca peering out the corner of their front window. I would have preferred to not do this in front of her but, at this point, I didn't care.

When my attention focused back on Jonathan, he lifted his chin to look at me. I looked him directly in the eyes and unleashed, "You can ignore me all you want. I don't care. What I do care about is the way you treat your wife like a servant. You and I both know you just did the minimum possible to get what YOU wanted and then left everything else for Rebecca to shovel. That's beyond inconsiderate. That's going out of your way to make work for her. You do the same thing when you walk into the house empty handed after a shopping trip and leave her to carry in loads of bags. Jackass."

I continued, "I'm not sure what your Bible says but mine tells me to love my wife the way Christ loved His church."

A cringe went through my body as I said that. I had fell in love with Rebecca and hadn't been treating my own wife the way God intended. What a hypocrite.

Despite my internal recoil, I continued without pause, "I seriously doubt Christ's intent was to love His church by treating its followers as slaves. Actually, evidence is just the opposite. He humbled Himself to serve the most undesirable among them."

I was on a roll and still giving Jonathan a death stare. "You know, there is a difference between 'religion' and 'faith'. What I see in your life has nothing to do with Biblical faith. It has everything to do with arbitrary, legalistic religion and it's killing your wife."

By this point, Jonathan was shaking like a leaf. I'm not sure if it was from fear of me or from anger about what I said. Honestly, I didn't really care which it was.

If possible, I intensified my angry stare even more and finished my speech by saying, "I suggest you do some thinking about that." I reached over and grabbed the shovel Jonathan had discarded against Rebecca's minivan. I pushed it into his chest and firmly said, "And I suggest you think about it while you humble yourself."

Jonathan raised a shaking hand to grasp the shovel handle. I released it and walked away. As I did, I saw the curtains in their front window flutter shut. I went back to my snowblower and put it away in the garage as skinny, lanky Jonathan struggled to shovel the heavy, wet snow from their driveway.