The Perfection in Love - Part One

Chapter 8 - Proverbs 31

Oyin sighed as she dropped the phone receiver. This was an irritating deja-vu moment. The only difference was Henry had made an effort—efforts! —to talk to her the last time. Every time that she had ever withdrawn from him, really. But it had been three days since that ill-fated conversation.

Three days!

Her stomach twisted in anger and jealousy. Maybe the sting of her withdrawal did not hurt as much because Olive was around.

What made the situation worse was that she and Henry were never really alone. And when they finally were, one of them was sleeping.

Oyin missed her husband, but she was not going to break first. If he didn't want to talk to her, if he'd rather talk to Olive, then so be it.

Or you could talk to him. She heard the Lord say.

Oyin shook her head. He was the one at fault. He was the one who brought Olive into their matrimonial home. He was the one flirting with her at the lunch table, in front of her parents! He was the one who needed to address the issue. But if he would rather not, two could play the game.

"I'm sorry, Lord. I don't want to offend You, but he doesn't get to flirt with Olive in front me and have it be okay. You understand, right?"

The peace she was expecting did not come.

She sighed again.

***

Oyin tapped her hand on the wheel impatiently, as she waited for the traffic light to turn green. Today at work had been awful. She loved her job. She loved creating new designs; she loved the autonomy and freedom. But most of all, she loved seeing her clients' faces light up when they saw a design that they loved. She had felt none of that today.

"Lord Jesus, I need Your peace."

Nothing.

Thankfully, there hadn't been much to do. The next deadline was months away. So, she had done some high-level micromanagement and eaten a solo lunch. Henry hadn't called to flirt with her as he usually did when he got a chance.

Her stomach had been in knots all day. As she pulled into her driveway, the knots grew even bigger.

She parked her car in the garage, picked up her purse and headed for the kitchen. She hoped a glass of cold water would help ease the knots in her stomach.

She was not prepared, however, for the sight that greeted her, as she entered the kitchen. Olive and Henry were sitting very close, looking like the picture-perfect couple, straight from the covers of Thriving Family. Henry was smiling at something Olive had said.

Her stomach decided to abandon knotting and started cartwheeling.

"Hi." She hated how tiny and injured her voice sounded.

They both looked up. While Olive at least had the decency to blush, Henry, Mr-I-blush-easily, did not even flinch.

"Hey Oyin. We were just working on my thesis. Come on in." Olive said, with a smile.

Henry said nothing.

Oyin gritted her teeth.

Come on in?

She resisted the urge to shout, 'It's my house, my matrimonial house. Not yours!'

She pasted a smile on her face. "It's okay. I just wanted to grab a bottle of water. If you need me, I will be in my study."

The slight reddening of Henry's face indicated that he had understood the jab.

It was their study. She knew that her word choice would hurt him. It did.