Chapter 2 of a new Life
"What is it Reverend?" The Reverend sighed…"Im not the perfect Christian as every seems to think I am, I have done some bad but not terrible things in the past. Three years after Jamie's mother died, I had a fling with this other woman. Soon after that she found out she was pregnant with my child. I felt bad because I still loved Jamie's mom even when she was dead. I never married the woman but I did see my daughter and son born the next February. They took my last name the children did but I didn't see them much after that. The girl was named Bethany Nichole Sullivan and the boy was named Jonathon Blake Sullivan. There about nineteen now….I feel so bad for what I did. But I needed some comfort from losing my wife. I was thirty-three and she was twenty when she got pregnant. She had no money to her name and I couldn't help her because I didn't either. It was hard enough raising Jamie all these years. Her name was Sue Ellen Richmond. I never did marry her even though I should have. She had a bad reputation after that but still she was a good mother to her kids. I have hardly seen them growing up even though they took my last name they never really got to know Jamie and me." I felt anger bubbling inside of me. Where was Jamie when the Reverend was doing all these shenanigans? I didn't show the anger but looked up at Reverend Sullivan. "Where was Jamie when all this happened?" He sighed and said. "I left her with her Aunt Theresa. Jamie always loved Aunt Theresa. I should have married Suellen to save her reputation. No one knew I was the Sullivan father of the children." Tears rolled down the Reverend's face. I felt my anger vanish as I watched the Reverend cry. Sue Ellen died last year. She remarried Charles Woods when she was twenty-five. They had four children within the next ten years. They had three sons and a daughter. Even when she married him she still had a bad reputation for having Bethany and Jonathon." Tears started to well up in the Reverend's eyes again. "It's gonna be okay Reverend that was years and years ago". I mean it was pretty bad but it's all in the past" I said comfortingly. The Reverend wiped his eyes and said "that's not all Landon. After I stopped seeing Sue Ellen I had a bitter hatred toward my daughter. I was very mean to Jamie when she was growing up. I wasn't physical abusive just verbally. I know that probably makes you mad and all but I blamed Jamie for the way my life was going until God came into my life for real. I started treating Jamie the way a real father would to his daughter soon after." I stared at the Reverend in bitter amazement. "My father left my mother, Landon, with six children to raise. I guess I was like her. She didn't do everything for us but she was always there. I promised myself that I was always going to be there for my children no matter what. But I haven't Landon; I have been a bad father. I was never there for Jamie, and I was never there for Bethany and Jonathon." Tears were streaming down the Reverend's face. I stood up and hugged Reverend Sullivan. "Reverend, everyone makes mistakes but we have to put it past us. I made a bunch of mistakes growing up and still will. God loves us all the same and he knows we will always sin, but he will forgive us with open arms. Jamie forgives you, Reverend, so do I. We all make mistakes Reverend, I know I did. I didn't treat Jamie all through childhood. If I did we might have spent wonderful years together. But Jamie has changed my life in a way I will never forget. Jamie was and still is a wonderful person to this day." The Reverend smiled and said "Thanks Landon it means a lot to me. But there's something else I would like to talk to you about but later on not at this exact moment, I know you have a class in about half an hour". I looked at my watch and gasped he was right I do have to get back up to school… "Well Reverend, I have to go but I will come back tomorrow at noon to talk to you again. Bye Reverend." He waved and said. "Thanks for everything Landon, see you tomorrow. I rushed out of his house. My heart was beating I had to rush to be back at school.
This chapter ends here…In the next Chapter Landon is going to meet the Reverend's second daughter Bethany. Jamie's half sister.