The Fine Art of Insincerity by Angela Hunt

Author:Angela Hunt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Howard Books

GINGER

There’s a baby.

My husband is having a baby. With another woman. A difficult situation involving one interloper has become an impossible situation involving two.

Michael’s latest confession has left me anxious and bewildered, too agitated to sleep. I’m still awake when I finally hear the front door close, followed by the roar of a car engine and the pop of tires over gravel. I’d heard voices from downstairs, so one of my sisters must have talked to Michael before he left. I can’t imagine what was said.

I hope he thinks about what he’s done to our family on the drive home.

Still … in the solitude of my room I have to admit I had hoped Michael would say something that would help me make sense of this situation. At first I’d clung to the hope that he’d tell me the woman was going through a divorce of her own, so he’d been a friend and counselor, nothing more. But he and this woman have created a baby … and, knowing Michael, he will want to do the best thing for all concerned. Which leaves me to do … what, exactly?

I lie in the darkness, staring at the moonlit walls while my imagination cobbles together possible outcomes: obviously, I could divorce him, release him to marry his lover and be a father to her child. I would be left alone and our sons would lose a lot of respect for their father. They’re old enough to understand what Michael did, and they might not want to forgive him.

If Michael and I divorce, I would be asked to resign from my job at the church. St. Paul’s is a conservative congregation, and Reverend Howe has often stated that divorced people shouldn’t fill leadership positions. Though not everyone would agree with my termination, I wouldn’t want to be the center of a public debate.

With no job and no husband to hold me in Savannah, maybe I could move somewhere else … to Jacksonville, to be near Rose, or to Gainesville, to be near Penny. The boys might complain about me leaving their childhood home, but once they heard my reasons, they’d understand. Soon they’ll be establishing their own families, so without the old homestead to keep them close, our family will scatter to the four winds.

And who says I have to live near my sisters? I could move to Ireland, a country I’ve always loved. Or Italy, where I could imitate Frances Mayes and create a new life for myself under the Tuscan sun. I’m young enough to start over; I could go to some city where no one knows me and teach music while I build a new network of friends. My life doesn’t have to end just because my husband couldn’t keep his pants zipped.

A blush rises to my cheeks. How tawdry it all is! The story will spread around the college, our neighborhood, our church. People who love Michael might hear the rumor and grant him the benefit of the doubt, but the baby will be proof of his guilt.

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