When he heard about Ed Watters, Josh was as flabbergasted as Evalyn had been. "He obviously can be pretty blunt - and he's certainly not your basic crowd-pleaser - but I can't picture him as a wife beater."
"I know. He doesn't seem mean! Actually, other than the obtuseness, he's seemed rather nice."
Josh snorted. "Il guess that shows what good judges of character we are!"
"Well, Josh, we haven't really known him, before."
"I know, but we've known her, at least a little bit. Shouldn't a pastor be able to tell when somebody he knows is going through something like this?"
Evalyn decided it was time to quit beating themselves. "Maybe so, in a perfect world. But, remember, we're not playing ‘perfect pastor,’ anymore. We're admitting that we haven't been depending on the Holy Spirit to show us these kinds of things. As Bev would say, our discern switch needs flipping."
"Discern switch?"
"Never mind, it's just something Bev says. The important thing is that now that we know about this, what are we going to do?"
"That's a good question. We have to do something, that's for sure." He thought for a moment. "Maybe we should just take the bull by the horns, tell him that we know, and see if we can help him stop it."
Evalyn shook her head. "That's a logical approach, Josh, but do you really think it would work that way? We have no control in this situation. I'm afraid we might make it worse; he might take it out on her because she told us."
"I suppose that's a possibility, all right. So, what are the other choices?"
"Josh, I think we need to get real professional counseling. I think wife abuse is really tough to deal with, and not something you experiment with."
"Okay, but it's us that know."
"I know." She was silent a moment. "I think maybe we need to pray, and I think we need some good, tough pray-ers to pray with us. Let's get the Newsoms and Allens in on this."
Josh considered. "Okay. I don't think that could be called betraying a confidence. This is too serious."
***
That evening, Josh thought a little guiltily about some other unfinished business. He checked his church directory, and dialed a number. A woman's voice answered.
"Mrs. Hoffmann, this is Reverend Felton.”
There was no acknowledgment over the line.
"Mrs. Hoffmann?"
"Yes, Reverend. What do you want?" He voice sounded vaguely hostile.
"I was calling for your husband. Is he at home?"
Again, no response.
"Mrs. Hoffmann?"
"He's not here."
"I'd like to speak to him. Could you have him call me?"
"No, I couldn't. He isn't living here, anymore. Try his office." The line went dead.
Josh wandered into the living room where Ev and Karen were busy with a sewing project. Evalyn glanced up just as he shook his head and frowned. "Something wrong, Josh?"
"I guess so. I was trying to do a little fence-mending and marriage counseling with Bob Hoffmann. His wife says he doesn't live there, anymore."
"Oh, no!"
"Not only that; I think she hung up on me."
"Oh, Josh, that sounds bad. I wonder if Debbie knows. She's never mentioned it."
"Who's Bob Hoffmann?" asked Karen.
Josh and Ev exchanged looks. They talked pretty freely these days, and hadn't really thought about Karen listening in. "Oh, he's a friend of Debbie's, who's having a little trouble," Josh replied as casually as he could.
"Oh," said Karen, and went back to what she was doing. Josh raised his eyebrows; Ev smiled at him.
"Will you try to get him at work, Josh?"
"Tomorrow. It's probably more important than ever, now. I feel a little guilty that I've let it go this long, but... "
"But we do what we can, right?"
"Right."
***
Bob Hoffmann didn't sound cordial over the phone, but he did say he would meet Josh 'for a drink' after work. They met at the same club where Bob had last seen Debbie. He ordered ‘the usual;’ Josh opted for a gin and tonic.
"I didn't know preachers drank," observed Bob.
"We don't take any pledge against it in our church. I don't do much, but a gin and tonic tastes good once in a while."
They "toasted," and each drank a little.
"So, what did you want to see me about, Pastor?"
Josh had planned his opening remarks. "Well, Bob, I guess I've felt bad since last month, that I wasn't more help when you called on me."
Bob had his opening line practiced, too. "No big deal; I don't even know now why I came to you. There wasn't anything you could do."
"Maybe you had the impression that pastors were there to help members of the congregation when they were in trouble." Josh said it with irony, but didn't feel any condemnation, anymore.
Bob laughed shortly. "Maybe so. Anyway, it was a bigger deal then than it is, now."
Josh jumped in. “Your wife said you aren't living at home, anymore.”
Bob drained his glass, and raised it to signal the waitress. "Want another?" Josh shook his head. "No? Well, I believe I'll have one."
The waitress came and went. "You were saying?"
"You're not living at home?"
"Oh, that. Again, no big deal. We're just having a little disagreement. You know wives; we'll work it out."
"A disagreement along the lines we talked about, I assume?"
The waitress brought the second drink, and Bob drank half of it. "You can remember what we talked about? Oh right, you would; Debbie told me she was in your little group, now. You probably know the whole story from her side."
Josh was getting uncomfortable. He had expected a little different reaction. "Not really. She never mentioned you by name, but it seemed too big a coincidence. I put two and two together... "
"And probably got ten! Look, Reverend, I don't know what she told you, but when a good-looking bitch like that comes on to you, what are you supposed to do? She was pretty hot! Stupid of her to get pregnant, but... " He shrugged his shoulders.
Josh had half risen as Bob was talking, but he reconsidered and sat back down, again. "Bob, are you sure that's how you feel? Even in my unsympathetic state before, I got a much different impression."
Bob finished his second drink. He wasn't drunk, but he didn't much care what he said, either. "Well, you were wrong. Simple story; man beds his secretary; she gets pregnant; he tries to help her, but suddenly she's all holy, and won't have anything to do with him. Wife finds out, and tosses him out. Big deal."
"Even so, I'd like to help. I think maybe I can, now."
Bob leaned back in his chair, and regarded Josh clinically. "Thanks for the thought, Reverend, but that was then and this is now. I guess! can handle it okay."
Josh did get up this time. "I hope so, Bob, Keep me in mind, if you do need help."
He held out his hand. Bob slipped his across it briefly. "See you around, Reverend."
***
Evalyn was indignant. “He called her a bitch? I like that!"
"Well, Ev, he's made up a story he can believe, that puts him in a better light. It's easier if Debbie and his wife are the bad guys."
"Even so, to put the blame on Debbie! She never said anything bad about him."
"Well, as I said, he's chosen to make himself out to be the wronged one. Maybe it would have been different if... "
"Josh, it's not your fault. You know that if he had really wanted help... "
"No, I wasn't going to say it was my fault. Everybody's responsible for themselves, in the end. I don't feel any guilt, anymore. I was just thinking that it might be different now if we'd been ready a year ago - or even six months ago.
"So tell God, not me!" She was obviously very angry.
He walked over to her chair, and put his arms around her. “Hey, remember me? Bob said it: that was then and this is now. God can still work, maybe with us and maybe without us. We'll see."
She returned his hug. "I know, but he still burns me!"
As if on cue, the phone rang. Josh answered it.
"Reverend Felton, this is Carolyn Curry. Look, I can only talk a minute, but I need to warn you. The church elders are having a meeting Saturday night. I don't understand it all, but Herb is up in arms about your group meetings, and what he calls ‘other heresies.' He's talking about throwing you out of the church."
Evalyn couldn't hear what was said, but she saw Josh's face go white. "Josh, what is it?"
"Wait, Ev. Carolyn, I don't understand; we haven't heard about any meeting.”
"What meeting?" asked Ev. Josh motioned again for her to wait.
"No, they don't intend to meet with you. It's a meeting about you. Oh, here comes Herb. I've got to go."
"Carolyn." The phone clicked at the other end. "She hung up," he said, unnecessarily. He put the phone down, and walked over to his chair. "It seems that we're the subject of a full elders' meeting Saturday night."
"Oh, Lord!" said Evalyn.
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