Chapter 8: Peter and Joan Meet Up at Washington’s

Peter was walking with his wife on one hot afternoon. They were heading to Washington's place. Peter had been putting off seeing him. He kept on coming up with all kinds of excuses. However, he decided to come because Washington contacted his wife, much to his ire. Joan wondered why her husband was reluctant to visit him. She could see how annoyed he was and decided to ask him, "It is clear you hate Washington, why is that?"

He ignored her question and continued walking. She refused to be ignored and asked her question over and over until he gave in. "I find the guy boring. That's it," he answered. "Boring? How?" she asked. "Do you want me to detail how boring he is? All you need to know is that he is boring. Besides being boring, he lacks boundaries. Why would he call you instead of me? Also, how did he get your number?" he asked her furiously. "Whoa, please calm down babe. I don't know how he got my number. It seems he really needed to speak to you, that's why he looked for alternative ways of reaching out to you," she answered.

The couple decided to stay quiet for a while. Just then, Joan remembered she had to ask her husband something, "By the way, is that why you lied to him about a family emergency? You were doing it to avoid him." Peter was enraged not just by the question but by how she handled the matter regarding the 'family emergency.' He asked, "Why didn't you cover for me? You had to tell him we had no family emergency. I thought you were supposed to have my back as my wife." Joan was a moral woman and didn't believe in lying and said, "Sorry babe, I am willing to do anything for you. However, I will not lie for your selfish reasons."

Abruptly, Peter stopped walking and turned to his wife. His countenance showed mixed expressions of anger and calmness. He also raised his fist as if he wanted to punch his wife. "Honey! What's going on with you? Are you mad at me? You look like you want to punch me," she asked him. "I wish I could knock you out cold. You are the most useless woman I have ever had the pleasure of marrying. What kind of wife can't lie for her husband? I am willing to lie to protect you, but you cannot do the same for me," he lost his temper. His shouting attracted the attention of passersby, which didn't do anything for his rage. "WHO THE HECK ARE YOU LOOKING AT? MIND YOUR BUSINESSES!" his voice cracked as he shouted at them.

Joan grew nervous of her husband. She was wondering whether or not she should accompany Peter to Washington's place. She became teary-eyed and he noticed that. "Seriously, woman? WHY DO YOU WANT TO CRY? YOU ARE THE REASON I AM VISITING A MAN I HATE. If anything, I should be the one crying?" he angrily asked her. Embarrassed that passersby would look at them, she pled with her husband not to lose his temper. He nearly said another word to her, but he held his tongue. The couple resumed their walk to their destination in awkward silence.

Eventually, the couple arrived at Washington's doorstep. Peter turned to his wife and saw she was still teary-eyed and said to her, "You may want to wipe your tears. We are not entering someone's house with you looking miserable." She wiped her tears and tried to appear cheerful. After ensuring she dried her tears, he knocked on his door. Washington opened the door and was elated to see the pastor and embraced him. Peter didn't reciprocate the hug by remaining stiff. With a fake smile, he said to Washington, "It's good to see you Washington." Washington then hugged Joan and welcomed the couple into the house.

The couple sat on a sofa and Washington asked whether he could get the couple anything. They asked for water and that is what they got. Washington's wife and two daughters were also present and greeted the couple. Once everyone settled, Peter began the sermonette session with a prayer. After everyone sat, he decided to preach a message from Proverbs 11:13. The verse talks about how gossip negatively affects relationships. Therefore, it stresses the importance of keeping secrets. He asked his audience to open the verse from their Bibles, which they did. The pastor then asked his wife to read the verse out loud for everyone to hear.

Joan read out the bible verse and she quickly picked up on something. He was using the bible verse to throw shade at her. Peter pretended not to have heard her the first time and he asked her to read the verse again. Joan nearly lost her cool but she decided to read the verse as instructed.

Peter proceeded to interpret the verse and used examples that Joan could pick up on. Rather than use his wife's name, he used Mary. He talked about how Mary may gossip to her neighbor and reveal her husband's secrets. He explained how Mary's inability to keep quiet may rock her marriage. Washington and his wife nodded attentively and agreed with the message. Sadly, Washington didn't know Peter was also shading him. As he continued preaching, Joan's anger was boiling. She only cooled down when he finished preaching. He closed the session with a prayer. Joan was begging Peter to leave with her but he wouldn't.

"Honey, why are you in a hurry to leave? We just got here," Peter said condescendingly while patting his wife's head. Washington then chimed in, "Yeah, you don't have to leave just yet. There are some snacks that my wife will bring. Also, this is a chance to get to know each other. Who knows, we may end up being very close friends?" Joan knew she couldn't convince Peter so she stayed.

Meanwhile, Peter had a bone to pick with Washington. He asked to speak to him privately, to which he agreed. "Hello Washington, thanks so much for your hospitality," Peter told him. Washington smiled and responded, "Of course! I always like having you around. Your sermonettes are always enlightening." Peter tried to act friendly but his mask soon fell off when he asked him, "What gives you the right to contact my wife?"

Washington smiled nervously and stammered for a while. He had never seen the pastor that angry before. "I believe I asked you a question," Peter reiterated after Washington remained quiet for a while. "Well, pastor, I apologize for contacting your wife. I couldn't find you so I asked her about you. Sorry about that," Washington finally responded. "Really? Didn't I tell you I had a family emergency and would contact you soon?" Peter asked him.

Washington was scared to answer the question Peter asked. Deep down, he knew he was lying. After all, Joan already confirmed to him there was no family emergency. However, he wasn't ready to confront him about his lie. He knew the best thing would be to play along. "Yeah, I am aware you said you would contact me soon. However, my family loves listening to you so much. They claim they learn more from you than other pastors," he responded to Peter. Although Peter was flattered by what he said, he was still angry with him.

"Mr. Washington, let me explain some rules to you. Under no circumstances should you contact my wife or anyone I know about me. You should only contact me. If you contact anyone behind my back, I will stop coming here," the pastor firmly explained to him. Washington nodded in agreement. "Also, you should always believe what I tell you. It's clear you contacted my wife to confirm whether I had a family emergency," Peter added. Washington tried to deny it but gave in when he saw no use in lying.

Peter realized he scolded Washington and decided to calm down. He adopted a polite demeanor and said, "Here is the thing, when I told you I had a family emergency, I didn't tell my wife about it. When my wife discovered I hid this from her, she nagged me for it. That caused us to have a big fight." Washington was remorseful and began apologizing profusely. "I accept your apology. The emergency had to do with one of my kids. Evans was ruthlessly beating up a man he claimed was trying to rob him. The police nearly arrested my son, so I had to intervene," Peter lied to him. Washington again apologized and promised not to put him in an awkward situation again. The pastor smiled and hugged him to reassure him he had no hard feelings about him. Washington was relieved and the two men joined the rest in the living room.

Joan seemed to be having a good time because she was laughing with Washington's wife. By this time, Peter was ready to go and asked his wife to join him. Joan didn't want to. Peter grew irritated by this. However, he knew the best thing to do would be to remain calm. If he had an outburst there, he would make everyone else uncomfortable. Also, Joan needed a distraction from the conflict they had earlier. She knew if they went back together, Peter would stress her. Peter decided to bid Washington's family goodbye and left her wife there.