Body of Ash (6 page)

The best perk about the job was having members of his congregation come to him with their worries and pleas for forgiveness. It filled him with a rush, especially when they asked him to accept a “donation for the church” if he could keep silent about one thing or another. As men
stuffed
his ear
s
with their detailed sins, he began to wonder what he was missing. He had only been preaching a few years when he tasted his first affair. If others could lie, cheat, and steal without being caught, surely he could, too.

Bringing the crystal to his lips, he applauded the fact that he was so clever. He knew how to keep his indiscretions secret, even from his prying wife. Sending Rachel away was tough, but he could live with it. If there was a judgment day, he would be called out, but Brian wasn’t concerned.

If God’s out there, He doesn’t get worked up over the sins of man.

9

MARGE

Thursday 8:55 PM

Marge
wasn’t an unreasonable woman, but she wasn’t one for waiting either. If so, she would still be drownin
g in copier toner at the office supply store in Winsted
. Sitting outside of Brian
Jones
’s home, she fixed her eyes on th
e one thing she truly desired.

His house was on the corner of Maple and Oak. She always dreamed of getting a place in the affluent neighborhood and nagged Williston about moving there for years.
Unwilling to even consider it, her ex was attached to the drafty old colonial he grew up in.
When sh
e heard the judge made him sell it as a part of the
divorce
settlement
,
she laughed in
his face. If she had to move, he should to.
Smiling,
Marge anticipated the triumph she will have
when Williston learns she landed a new husband and a new house.

Marge
loved Brian’s Victorian. It was a stately home. With the turret and second story bay windows,
the Queen Ann styled structure
looked like it should be on the cover of
Better Homes and Gardens
. With her eye for detail – she would find the perfect perennials to plant in the window boxes. Angela planted pansies, but
Marge
knew daffodils and tulips would really stand out. She would have Brian buy the high-end line of Martha Stewart outdoor furniture for the wrap around porch. 

Maybe the
little craft store in Canton
will have Halloween themed wreaths for fall
?

She liked the miniature jack-o-lanterns and little black cats
, Frankenstein cutouts and Styrofoam pumpkins. She couldn’t believe Angela hadn’t put up any orange lights of fake spider webs. Marge
couldn’t wait to
have a hand at
jazz
ing
the
p
lace up.

Christmas will be even better.

His
wife didn’t have any imagination.
Marge would show Brian
how adventuresome life
would be with her by his side.

While parked on the opposite side of the street, her Honda’s engine rattled. The car was
eight
years old and was long past
warranty.
Other than keeping the gas tank full, she didn
’t know how to take care of it.
Although her father had
worked with cars his whole life, Marge had no interest in learning how to care for them. Her mother had taught her early on that v
ehicle maintenance was a man’s job.
Women had no place under the hood of a car.

Brian drove a Cadillac Escalade. She loved the plush leather seats and the built in DVD. The second time they made love – she begged him for a ride in it and teasingly pulled him in the back seat, knowing he
would not
be able to resist her. As he moaned her name, she breathed in the delicious scent of a new car. She would have him buy her
one just like it, but in red.

From where she sat, she could see Brian’s daughter sitting alone on the steps. A single bulb outlined the teens form
. She was attractive in a wholesome kind of way, not like Katie who was blessed with curves, but with a natural beauty. Whenever Marge spotted her around town, Rachel was dressed in shapeless sweaters and jeans, her hair pulled back from her face. Although the teen had flawless skin and big hazel eyes, she didn’t play up her assets.

Her mother has probably never allowed her to use
makeup, poor girl.

Marge
imagined going up to Rachel’s room and sitting with her on the bed.  She would take the girl’s hand and
explain
why
she was her new mother.
They would have so much fun together, even share clothes
.
Marge
was youthful and exciting, all of Katie’s frie
nds wanted to be just like her.

The steering wheel was cold and the cigarette she held didn’t offer much w
armth. She had been debating for
day
s
whether or not she should force hi
s hand or wait a little longer.

Marge
knew Brian wanted her. It didn’t take much to give the pastor of
New Hope Bible Church
a hard on. He was like most men, a little flattery and the willingness to put out and they became infatuated. The fact that he had a cold wife at home made seducing him easier. Knowing she hated Angela
Jones
’s guts made it fun.

Brian’s wife walked around town
like she was God’s gift to New England
.
Marge
didn’t understand why anyon
e liked her.
With her Coach
handbag
and designer clothes, every
one gawked when she walked by.
It wasn’t that
Marge
didn’t try to befriend her, but the woman
would not
give her the time of day. 

She treats me like I’m a cashier.

After
getting over her divorce from
Williston,
Marge
took a job answering phones and taking delivery orders at Lilly’s Florist. Every single Friday, Angela would stop by the shop
and order fresh cut flowers for
Sunday’s service.
Marge
tried making conversation. The first time, she asked about Angela’s afternoon plans. The sec
ond time, she asked
about her scarf, but Angela hardly spoke in return. 

When
Marge
set her eyes on Brian, she found satisfaction in stealing the snob’s husband. 

Now whose high and mighty?

She had planned to give Brian a little more time. He liked his ego stroked and she didn’t mind showing him how pleasurable a life with her could be. But when Katie commented at dinner that
he stopped by looking for her, a sense of unease killed her otherwise optimistic mood. As Marge pressed the teen to give more detail, Katie blurted that
her friends agreed
Marge was disgusting for
sleep
ing
with a guy like Brian
. The forceful comment made her
worry.

Since the divorce, her daughter liked to run her mouth. It wasn’t
Marge
’s fault that Williston decided he was a homosexual. 
Marge
should have suspected that her ex’s friendship with the local tax collector was unusual, but that was the extent of her g
uilt. Katie was pissed off just the same
. She had always been an outspoken girl, but now she didn’t have a filter. She spoke whatever came to her mind.

T
he teen
s comment suggested
she
may have told a few
friends
she caught her mom with the married man. This awareness swamped her thoughts with the need to take action. Brian always insisted they keep their passion quiet for the time being.
If she waited, the
preacher
might panic and
repent to his wife.

Angela could talk him into staying. 

Despite Katie’s disappointment that Marge was breaking their plans, after dinner sh
e
downed
a
nother
shot of tequila and doused herself in her Brittney Spear’s perfume. She rummaged through her closet until she found her tightest jeans
to wear over her new lacey underthings
and paired them with a low neck tank. She didn’t care if she froze; she wanted to take Brian’s breath away.

Opening her car door,
Marge stepped out and
in
haled
the cool
Octobe
r air. After stomping her
cigarette
butt out with the toe of her boot, she straightened her clothing and made sure her boobs were up high. Her body was hot and she had all of the ammo she needed.  

It’s t
ime to throw Angela Jones
off her pedestal.

10

KATIE

Thursday 8:35 PM

Kicking off the fleece throw, Katie’s bare legs drooped over the side of the couch. She was restless. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get comfortable. The living room was hot
. Despite three calls to the maintenance man who was supposed t
o fix things, the thermostat failed to regulate
.
Confined to the miserable apartment, rather than late October, it felt like July.