Chapter 31 Teddy bear

They got to church late so Gabriel decides not to sit in the choir so he sat beside Diane instead with Karen on the other side of her. After a while, Diane got up to go to the bathroom and Karen followed her. "I can't believe he was going to kill himself; what a coward," Karen said when Diane steps from the bathroom stall. Diane shrugs and she continues.

Thank God for Gabriel again huh; he's always saving people; were you the one who sends him over to Josh's house?" She asks as Diane made her way back to the church entrance. "No; this was the work of the Holy Spirit." She said in a tired tone. "You okay?" Karen asks. "Yeah, just a little tired." She said sitting on one of the chairs near the entrance.

"Carrying twins is really hard huh?" "Yes, it is," Diane replied rubbing her stomach. "Mind if I ask how you guys met," Karen said looking down at her lap. "Funny story really; we met when he got baptized in Mobay; I was asked to be his mentor and next thing I knew he was asking pastor permission to court me." Diane smiles.

"Do you find him dominating and aggressive?" Karen asks again. "Who Gabriel? Nah he's my big teddy bear." Diane laughs.

"Wow, he really has changed," Karen whispers more to herself than to Diane and once again she was reminded that her husband and this woman shared a past that leaves a bad taste in her mouth so being pricked with jealousy she got up and walk back into the church and sat down beside her husband with Karen right behind her.

After church Josh and his wife went and talk to the pastor; then they went to find Gabriel who was on his way to his vehicle. They told him that Josh was now relieved of all his church duties and even though they were scheduled for a few sessions with the marriage counselor they still seek additional advice from him about where to go from where they currently were and he didn't hold back; he told both of them what he thinks they should do; keyword being, compromise.

He also told them to keep him up to date on their progress. They thank him and left. He had just finish organizing his books on the back seat when Karen asks him if he could drop her home; he was about to let her down easily but the lady that was guarding her came up to them before he could and offer to take her back home seeing as though she was the one who brought her there.

Karen obviously wasn't pleased about the outcome but she shrugs and went with the woman anyway. Gabriel then sighs in relief as he got in his vehicle. He really wasn't comfortable being around Karen; she was a constant reminder of who he was and that was something he would really rather forget.

It was now Christmas Eve; Diane and her sisters were in the kitchen preparing food for the following day and Diane took the opportunity to update them on the Josh situation, they spend most of the morning talking about him while they cook and bake. Diane's family was all planning on coming over tomorrow for Christmas dinner.

Gabriel got home around six-thirty and her sisters left at that point so they could do a little Christmas Eve shopping. She notices that he had been to the hair salon; because his hair had been cut and colored and it now glistened under the lights, after putting an over-excited Jasmine to bed they took a shower together and went to bed.

On Christmas morning, they woke up Jasmine and had a half-hour prayer session; they then had breakfast then went and exchanged gifts. They spend most of the afternoon in the living room helping Jasmine put together a puzzle with three hundred pieces that she got from one of her aunts. They had lots of fun as the three of them scrambled to fit the pieces together; at three pm Gabriel and Jasmine began setting the table for Christmas dinner. Her family began arriving at quarter to four and by five pm the house was full.

Doreen's daughter Treesia was also there but Doreen made sure she wasn't anywhere near Gabriel; his aunt was also there, his friends and their fiancées and their children, even Alex was there and everyone helped themselves to whatever they needed.

They played music, ate, and exchanged gifts while the children help themselves with food and sweets and played with their Christmas toys. Alex told him that his mother would be in rehab for a few more months after which he was hoping she would be well enough to come to Jamaica to live with him.

He seems excited and scared at the same time but Gabriel told him that getting reacquainted with his mother was going to take time and that he shouldn't rush the process; which he agreed was a good idea.

And once again during dinner, Diane's family made him laugh so hard that juice came through his nose; they always managed to do that to him and he loved every minute of it. It was now getting late and some of his guests decide that it was time to leave.

The guys and their girls left first, and then his aunt, then Alex but her sisters stayed and packed some of the leftover food in dishes to take home and the rest in his fridge before they leave and since Gabriel had the biggest fridge any of them had ever seen it was not a problem.

Her sisters were there with her the following Thursday while Gabriel went out to do some business and checks on the family of the driver that died; she had many women friends from her church and from the community where she grew up but she had to admit that her sisters were her best friends; which in her opinion was cool.

When he came home that evening he told them the family had decided to keep the funeral that Saturday because there were a few family members overseas that wanted to attend the funeral but couldn't get away before the holidays, unfortunately, Saturday was also the guys wedding day and since Gabriel had to be there he told the family that he wouldn't be able to make it but since he had practically covered all the expense of the funeral they didn't mind.

Most of Friday was spent supervising the decorators as they got the grounds ready for the reception. The guys all wanted their favorite colors to be in the decorations so they agreed on pink, green, and gold, and with those three colors combined along with the colors on the cake, it was spectacular.

The gazebo was decorated in a unique fashion because that was where the grand wedding cake would be placed. The decorators stop working at eight pm and since it was the night before their wedding, the guys came over to spend the night with her and Gabriel, and then in the morning, they would all go to the church together. It was a strange situation for Gabriel to be the best man for all three of his friends but he was willing to do it for them.

It was now nine thirty and Diane had just finish putting Jasmine to bed. She came downstairs to find the guys in the living room playing video games and drinking sorrel. Gabriel was like a sixteen-year-old again, playing, joking, and poking his friends every chance he got.

They were like four little children playing around and she enjoyed watching them. Gabriel hands Marlon his control and walks over to her, bending down in front of her he kisses her stomach and rests his head against it listening to the babies as they move around inside her.

"I love you little ones." He whispers with a smile. Justin came over and sat in front of them shaking his head, Gabriel knew that look and he knew Justin wanted to say something but didn't quite know how to put it in words. "Go ahead Justin; spit it out, before it chokes you," Gabriel said smiling.

Justin pauses for a few more seconds before speaking. "Well I was just thinking that for as long as the two of you have known each other and for the year that you've been married, I've never seen you guys quarrel or even get angry at each other, it's kind of strange that the two of you always seems to be so happy."

"Yeah what's up with that?" Mike asks joining the conversation. "I don't understand what you guys are asking me?" Gabriel said innocently while gently massaging Diane's stomach. "Okay, then let me put it this way, Claudette and I haven't been together for very long and I can think of about three different occasions where she got so angry at me that she refuses to speak to me for at least a day or until I go crawling on my hands and knees, begging for her forgiveness, and I'm sure the guys can relate, can't you guys?" Justin asks and Mike and Marlon both nod in agreement. "So I guess what I want to know is this, don't the both of you ever have arguments, disagreements, or nights when she put you in one of the spare rooms to sleep by yourself?" Justin asks.

Gabriel looks at Diane and smiled. "Well there was the situation with her niece; other than that we're cool." "So wa you a try say; the two of you never had an argument?" Marlon asks.

"Sometimes the less you say when you're upset the better besides why would I waste precious time quarreling with my wife when I can spend that time loving her?" Mike rolls his eyes. "We know you love each other, but surely you can't agree on everything all the time?" "Well, not everything but that's why we compromise and so far so good well except for that one time with the photos," Gabriel said sadly.

"That doesn't count, because you weren't angry at her, you were more scared out of your mind than angry," Mike adds. "That's true too but listen, guys, I love this woman and I would do anything and I mean anything for her, I try to come up with a different plan every day to show her how much I love and appreciates her, I made a vow to love, honor and cherish her for the rest of my life and that's exactly what I intend to do." He said firmly.

"I'm sorry if I seem strange to you but that's just the way I am; I do crazy little things every day just to see that beautiful smile of hers and I really don't think that quarreling with her is going to achieve that." His friends look at each other then back at him and Mike got up and walks towards him.

Holding on to Gabriel's head he began turning it this way and that way. "What are you doing?" Gabriel asks laughing. "I've always had my suspicions but now I'm absolutely sure that you're not human," Mike said continuing his examination of his head. "What! Are you crazy? Get off of me; you guys think I'm not human because I don't spend most of my time quarreling with my wife but you guys are okay because you do?" "Um…..duh." Mike drawls standing up and looking down at Gabriel.

"Hold on a minute Mike; I get it now; them going to be like the two old people that live next door my mother, they have been married for more than fifty years and every time you pass them on their veranda them always laughing, talking and holding each other hands, that's going to be Gabriel and Diane in a couple of years. But the truth is that if we want our marriage to last I think we should all take a page from their book." Marlon finishes,

Justin scowls at Marlon. "Really Marlon, you and your woman can't even go three days without ripping into each other." Marlon scratches his head. "True dat, true dat but that no say we can't change."

Gabriel got up and ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright guys, you're all getting married tomorrow, and even though I don't make it a habit of quarreling with my wife; you guys might but before you start an argument, just stop and think for a while; ask yourself if this is really worth quarreling about; because trust me, some of the things people argue about really isn't even worth the effort. And if you guys have already gotten into the argument just stop and listen to yourself; you would probably laugh your heads off at how stupid you sound; yeah of course what I'm saying now may sound strange but trust me just try it." He said rubbing Diane's back.

"Well I can't say that it's going to work for me but I'll give it a try because I hate it when Claudette is angry at me." Justin pouts. Mike folds his arms across his chest and made a funny face at Gabriel. "Damn you're contagious; I'm going to raid your fridge before you rub off on me too because the best thing about a quarrel is making up afterward and how I love to have make-up sex; especially when I throw in a little of that massage oil. Wow, I'm going to be inventing ways to tick off my wife." Mike laughs as he heads towards the kitchen.

An hour later they were in the gym practicing their dance for their performance tomorrow and she had to say her husband looks mighty fine shaking that sexy butt of his and if she wasn't hot and bothered enough they then had a just dance battle and wow the other guys could dance but she literally couldn't take her eyes off Gabriel; damn it was a sin for one man to be so damn sexy.

They then had a karaoke match; then after that they had an intense game of dominoes and Marlon dust them all with a six love and everyone cries rematch and he ended up whipping them all again with another round of six; then being the sore losers that were they tricked him on going outside for the Pizza where they all gang up on him and douse him with cold water; needless to say there was no Pizza in sight.

And even though they were all rolling on the ground with laughter, Marlon swore to get them back.

Food for thought

Those who think they don't need the church

Don't think much of the one who founded it.

Thank you all for reading and voting; lots

of love.