Locusts and Wild Honey, Part II

Yesterday, I posted a portion of my short story, "Locusts and Wild Honey," in which two of the storylines were revealed.  Below, are the opening paragraphs of the story in which another thread is established.  It is also the last one to be resolved.

Reverend Ted Talbot’s personal problems were nowhere to be seen on this Sunday morning; his demeanor and his words gave no indication of the roil that must have been under his surface. The seat where his wife sat on the aisle of the second row of pews was empty. The minister scanned the Sanctuary and without pausing passed over her vacancy, making eye contact with parishioners nearby.


Rachel Talbot was a force in the church of 1500 members. Effortlessly flamboyant in style, dress and demeanor, Rachael exerted influence in the cultural as well as the spiritual life of her community. Reverend and Mrs. Talbot were models of success and decorum in the large suburban town of Newman. She and her husband had raised two children—Dede and Darrel, fraternal twins—had gotten them through college two years ago and now the children were starting careers in Texas and California.


The empty nest and the separation from their children seemed to have been taken in stride by Rachel and Ted as they transitioned to a new phase of their lives. Privately, however, the undertow of the children’s absence, or their new married life together, or the simple tedium of their routine must have exacerbated a fissure in their relationship, unknown or suppressed until recently, when Rachael, unannounced, left Ted.