A few hours later, after church services ended, Pastor Burke entered his lavish office and closed the door, drained from all the hand shaking and pampering of the congregation members.

His wife, holding the arms of the suede chair, stood up and said, "You lied, darling." She wasn't pleased.

He looked at her a moment. He was madly in love with his wife. He must admit, before he married her he had bad credit, lost his car and was dealing with his wife's death.

Since marrying Olive, his credit rating skyrocketed because she paid off all his outstanding debt. When his late wife was killed by her sister, he didn't want to live anymore, and he promised to kill himself. Now he loved himself, his life and his wife.

He strolled past her and she said, "So you're ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you," he said quickly, sitting down in his high back chair. He poured a cup of coffee and looked up at her. "So you want some coffee, sweetheart?"

She avoided his eyes. "Sure."

He poured her a cup. Just the way she liked. Black.

Handing it to her, she stood before his desk, leaning into his face. "Why did you lie to the congregation?"

He loved her beautiful blue eyes. "About?"

She set the coffee mug down. "Everything you said about hypocrites. You're the biggest one, and you run a church."

"I lead a body of members who want to better themselves through my example."

He shook his head. "Yes. I give them false examples and look what I get in return. God's blessing for keeping his children in the Word."

She glared at him. "I can't believe I'm hearing this...When I married you, you were a very honest man."

His feathers were ruffled. "When I married you I wasn't over my dead wife. You came along and gave me Miss Prissy pussy, had me all in my feelings and I married you because I thought I was in love. I mean, now I'm in love with you, because I grew to love you."

She stood up straight, glaring down at him. Crossing her arms across her bosom, she said, "That is not fair and you know it. I mean, when we met (at a local bar) I overheard you telling yourself that you wanted to kill yourself. I sympathized, because when my late husband was killed in Iraq, I felt like I couldn't go on, so I knew the feeling of loss. I came into your life to help save you from yourself."

He smiled. "And I thank you for that sweetheart."

She frowned. "But you still lied."

He stopped smiling. "Know your place," he said dangerously.

"And what is my place, Pastor Burke?"

His forehead low, he looked up with his beautiful eyes and said, "You're my wife. Trust your husband. Press the submit button and sit your tail down on this subject."

"No," she said, walking around the desk so fast her hair whipped behind her head. "You lied to this church. I'm your wife. I'm a member of this church so that means you lied to me. Your life wasn't perfect!"

He turned away from her and she walked around the chair, and back into his face. "Leave, sweetheart. Please..." His voice dropped. His temples twitched with anger.

"No. Let's put it out there. Tell the church you have a homosexual son. You deny your own blood child. Gay or not, what kind of real man who loves the Lord, who puts God first would deny his child?"

"Fuck that faggot ass bitch!" he exploded, jumping up to his feet and pointing at his wife. "I had it with your accusations of me lying. Shut up and leave this office."

She slapped his hand out of her face. "Listen, sweetheart. I'm not your little wind up dolls."

"I will never accept him. He sucks dick, doesn't he? He wants to be a fucking girl. He's walking around with tits doing shows and dressing in drag. I don't want a transvestite as a fucking son!"

Olive smacked him across the lips. "Not in the house of the Lord! Watch your mouth! You defile God's house."

He slapped her so hard she stumbled back into the wall. She held her face, evil eyed.

"I will not respect my gay ass son. I don't respect a man fucking another man in his ass."

"He's your son! If I were you I would extend an olive branch to my child. Especially after what he's been through in his life. How could you be so heartless, Kayak?"

In his eyes was concern for his son. Even love.

But his own selfishness and what the community would think clouded his judgment. He was never there for his son.

"My son is a he/she with a dick and tits." He walked up to her. "Look, I'm sorry for slapping you. But you struck the first blow. You can't go around slapping me for having feelings and my own personal thoughts and morals."

She walked past him. "I don't know who I married. I think I married a monster." She picked up the coffee and he sat back at his desk.

"I will never accept him."

She turned and dumped the coffee on his crotch. It scolded him so badly he jumped up screaming.

"Don't wait up for me tonight," she went on, walking towards the door.

"I won't!" he said angrily. "Stupid bitch! Go take my gay ass son out for poker or something. I'm going out with the boys. Have some drinks."

She turned to face him. "If you do, pack your shit and get out my house. P.s., and I'll leave with half. Tell your boys whom have no wives to make room for you, bitch!!!"

Check mate.

He fell into a deep silence.