Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: DEVOTED (02/04/21)
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TITLE: Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Love? | Previous Challenge Entry
By Mariane Holbrook
02/07/21 -
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She selected a can of Spam, some rice, and a can of green beans, hoping there was enough flour to make some biscuits.
Ruth's husband was a kind, quiet man who treated her well and with respect.
Though not a professing Christian, he drove her to church every Sunday for years and returned in an hour to drive her home.
After her sons were grown, Bill invited his elderly mother to live with them. This concerned Ruth because her mother-in-law had never relinquished the hold she had on Bill, even after he was married. Ruth acquiesced, though, and made her welcome in her home.
Bill's father had died of cancer when Bill was still an infant, so his mother raised him alone. It was a hard life for both of them, but his mother poured her love onto him and they made it through.
After college, which was made possible through grants and scholarships, Bill found a teaching job but quit after the first year because his shy demeanor gave him the appearance of weakness. The students made his life miserable in class.
He lived with his mother for a few years, working in a shoe store, then selling vacuum cleaners or encyclopedias. On days when it was raining or the snow was falling, his mother encouraged him to stay home and not go out in inclement weather lest he would catch a cold or something worse.
He liked being able to choose his working hours so he began a life-long habit of working for three hours in the morning selling products door-to-door, then taking a long afternoon nap, returning to work for an hour or two in the late evening.
When Bill woke from his nap every afternoon around 4 pm, he would call out, "Mother, coffee!" and his devoted mother would serve him coffee in his bed.
Bill met Ruth at church and after a two-year courtship, they were married. His mother, feigning illness, remained at home and did not attend the ceremony. She was polite to Bill's bride but not particularly fond of her.
Against his mother's advice, Bill and Ruth moved into a rental property in a town two hours away from his mother. He continued his working habits and every afternoon, when waking from his nap, would call out, "Ruth, coffee!"
Ruth was so in love with gentle Bill that she served him graciously. When the weather was bad outside, Ruth would encourage Bill to stay home, as his mother had done. She often accompanied him on his door-to-door selling trips, waiting patiently in the car and reading while he was talking to a potential customer.
After three years, the couple welcomed two sons into their lives and Ruth took in the washing and ironing of clothes to supplement Bill's meager income. Never complaining, she grew very thin, was hospitalized for pernicious anemia and exhaustion, and was ordered to rest in bed until she recovered.
She kept her illness from Bill as best she could and was thankful for the help her only sister gave her during that difficult time.
One day her sister exploded. "Ruth, you're just like your mother-in-law! You both have smothered Bill for so long that you've never let him become a man! He's never been encouraged to assume the responsibilities of a husband or father so you never know from one day to the next if he'll make a sale so you can pay the rent or buy some groceries."
Ruth remained silent. Finally, she answered, "I believe my duty as a wife is to be obedient and loving to my husband, as Scripture commands us."
Her sister wasn't finished. "I've watched you at dinner sometimes. You'll make sure Bill has the best pieces of your wonderful fried chicken, while you serve yourself only a left-over wing. And now you're doing the same thing to your sons! You should indeed show them, by example, to be giving but you never let them experience giving!"
Ruth's sister went on. "When Bill's grandmother died, she left her property to Bill who immediately sold it. You wanted to pay cash for that small, lovely Baptist church parsonage that was for sale! Remember? Instead, Bill didn't work for three years until the money was gone."
Ruth turned away. "If there's such a thing as 'too much love,' then I'm guilty as charged. I'm at peace."
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There were a few places that were confusing like the switch to the backstory, and whether or not she recovered or is still sick since the story opens with her cooking.
Definitely on topic.