Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: MARRIAGE (08/25/16)
-
TITLE: A DIFFERENT CULTURE | Previous Challenge Entry
By Karen Benoit
09/01/16 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Bethany smiled.
“Okay Bets, what’s so funny?”
“Ummm...”
“Bethany…this is more than me being my usual cautious self.
You don’t know Ahmad. You just met him.”
“Well…you don’t know him either. Jill, I know you mean well, but…”
“Bets…I love you like a sister. I…I just don’t want to see you make a mistake.
I mean…you and Ahmad…he’s…he’s from a different culture, a new Christian, and…and you’ve only known him for four months.”
“You’re right…but…”
“You know what you’re doing?”
“Precisely.” Bethany smiled again. “Listen Jill, Ahmad and I love each other, and we are going through premarital counseling.”
Jill sighed. “I love you Bets…it’s just that I uh…okay...” Jill stopped, smiled, and bowed her head at Bethany who was giving her the ‘you’re doing it again’ smile.
Hours later Bethany sat in her Pastor’s office.
“Bethany, I think you should wait.”
“Wait for what?”
“Honey,” said Cindy, Pastor Frank’s wife. “You need more time to really get to know Ahmad.”
“Ughhhhhh…this is soooo frustrating. Why is everyone so against him? I don’t get it Pastor Frank. What more do you all want?”
“Bethany…it’s not about what we want. Ahmad is a new Christian, and he needs to grow.”
Cindy put her hand on Bethany’s arm. “Sweetheart, don’t rush this.”
Bethany sighed and rubbed her temples. “We don’t want to wait.”
Seven months later, Bethany watched her husband throw out the sandwich she’d made him. “What’s wrong Ahmad?
“You make me sick!”
Tears stung Bethany’s eyes. “Did I do something to upset you?”
His back was deliberately turned towards her.
“Answer me!” she yelled through her tears.
He turned around and glared at her, then walked out the door.
“Where have you been?” she asked him hours later.
“Where do you think I’ve been?”
“Ahmad…what is happening to us?”
“I want a divorce.”
Bethany’s eyes widened.
“Is this a joke?” she squeaked out as air escaped a throat suddenly gone dry.
“I’m moving out tonight.”
As he strode away from her Bethany sank to the floor and began crying uncontrollably.
“Mrs. Abdallah, I asked you a question.”
Bethany blinked. She sat in a courtroom with her attorney.
Ahmad sat at the opposite table with his attorney.
“I’m…I’m…”
Her attorney whispered, “Stand up!”
Bethany swallowed as she did. “I…uh…”
She closed her eyes. There it was again, that sick feeling to her stomach.
“Mrs. Abdallah…”
She opened her eyes. “Your…your honor…I…”
Bethany ran out of the courtroom, bolted inside the nearest restroom, stood over the closest stall, and soon lost all the contents of her stomach.
Half an hour later the proceedings resumed.
“Mrs. Abdallah,” the judge began, “are you pregnant?”
Bethany felt the color drain from her face.
She’d been nauseous and dizzy for the last two weeks, but she’d chalked it up to stress and nerves. She looked up at the judge and his face kept going in and out. She knew he was talking, but she felt as if she were listening to one of her parent’s tape recorders as it lost battery power. The world then faded to black.
A week later Bethany sat in Pastor Frank’s office. She was six weeks pregnant, and Ahmad asked their Pastor and Cindy to meet with them. He confessed to marrying Bethany to get his papers. However, he’d recognized days before the divorce proceedings that he was about to make a big mistake. What happened in the courtroom was an answer to his prayer that God would intervene. “Bethany, I truly fell in love with you.”
“You’re an excellent liar Ahmad. I don’t trust you.”
Two hours later, after much dialogue back and forth, it was agreed that Ahmad would move back into the home. Both he and Bethany would counsel with the Pastor and his wife once a week for the next twelve weeks/ They started rebuilding their marriage, and Ahmad dove into the process. Bethany hung back, cautious, and not yet trusting. It was not until a month before the baby was born that Bethany allowed herself to accept Ahmad’s love again.
On the Sunday morning before their baby was born, Ahmad held Bethany’s hand as they listened to Pastor Frank deliver a sermon about marriage. As it ended he called them up to the front of the congregation. Still holding hands, they shared their testimony regarding their marriage and God’s healing work. Finally, with tears in their eyes and voices, Ahmad and Bethany Abdallah renewed their marriage vows.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Wonderful writing...
Blessings~
Your story was well written with some trying to help her make the right choice. Your story ended well where many real life stories don't. I don't want this story to be encouraging someone to make a wrong choice.
It was well put together. If this was expanded it could be made into a short story. You could make it have two different endings so readers could choose which ending they liked the best.