Sandra and her best friend Janet were having a fun time at a fancy Mexican restaurant, and their laughing could be heard all over. But her happiness didn’t last long. Sandra’s life would never be the same after Janet’s simple comment set off a chain of events.
“Isn’t that Mark over there?” Janet asked with a nod toward the busy eating area.
Sandra’s stomach dropped when she saw Mark, her husband, with a beautiful young woman. Sandra’s mind was racing when he kissed her hand in a close, private way. Was Mark seeing someone else?
The words that Janet used to calm her gave her hope. “Maybe it’s a business meeting.” Sandra’s gut told her not to, though.
Sandra’s feelings went back and forth between anger and hopelessness as they watched Mark and the mystery woman from a distance. Janet’s calm words of advice helped Sandra keep her cool.
Sandra chose to talk to Mark in person at his office the next day. She had more questions than answers after the meeting. Eliza was introduced by Mark as his new secretary, but Sandra still had her doubts.
Sandra got very angry when she found by accident a bill for custom-made earrings that looked exactly like the ones Eliza wore. “That brazen little witch!” she yelled.
Sandra was more determined to talk to Mark at his launch party because Janet always stood by her. In order to sneak into the event, they came up with a plan, with Janet coming up with a smart distraction.
Sandy was very angry when she walked into the party. Mark was accused of cheating on her, so she yelled, “You filthy, deceitful rat!”
But Mark’s news shocked Sandra so much that she couldn’t speak. “Eliza is my daughter,” he admitted, talking about a college crush and how he had just recently learned about her.
Sandra’s anger started to fade when she saw how much Mark looked like Eliza. She saw that Mark’s fear, not cheating, was the real problem.
Sandra felt better as Eliza cried. “None of this is your fault,” she told Eliza as she hugged her.
Sandra chose to forgive and understand at that time. “There are no more secrets now, and everything’s going to be okay.”
Some thoughts:
Being honest can fix relationships that have been hurt by secrets.
Hastily drawing conclusions can cause more harm than good.
Being able to forgive and understand can help people be saved.
What would you have done differently if you were Sandra? Say what you think.
