He Helps Those Who Help Themselves

Prompt: A wife finds her husband’s secret diary, and is shocked to discover that he’s leading a double life. Write a STORY (Mystery, Drama, or Comedy) about her discovery, including what his double life involves, and how she deals with it.


         Molly sat in the front row watching her husband preach fervently to his attentive audience. They had only been in Cottondale a short time, but Molly was beginning to think that this new community might be the one where they could finally put down some roots and begin to put together a permanent home.

         Alan had been raised to do what he was doing now; speak the truth of the Lord. Molly knew when she married him that being a preacher's wife meant taking a backseat to his primary mission in life of bringing the Word to those who needed it. She just hadn't expected it to be quite as challenging as it had been to find a following. They'd spent the last year since their marriage looking for a place to settle, but each town that had welcomed them to start up a small mission, had not worked out. Alan inevitably ending up announcing one morning at breakfast that "the Lord wants us to move on Molly", and like the supportive wife she was, she never questioned his judgment or decision. Although it did often puzzle her that they always left a town quickly, without ever saying good-byes.

         But Alan was a good provider, and she had no reason to question his plans for them. Each town they moved to, he made a point of finding a clean, comfortable and well situated home for them. What they needed, Alan made sure they had. She often wondered how Alan managed on his meager salary to afford the things he did, but whenever she inquired as to finances, his reply was always the same, "The good Lord provides Molly, the good Lord provides." She knew further inquiry would garner no additional information from him; she trusted him and let his answer stand.

         The meeting and revival in the library basement that night had gone well. It had been 3 weeks now, and Molly knew that Alan was happy and comfortable with the way more and more people were joining in each week. They might have to start looking for larger quarters to hold their meetings in soon, and the thought of that made Molly smile; she so wanted to stay this time, and perhaps be able to start thinking about starting a family.

         They were walking home in the cold dark night, and were about a block from their house when Alan turned to her, "Molly, I just realized I left my bible and notes back in the library room. I'll run back and get them, sure can't afford to lose either. We're close enough now that I feel safe with you walking the rest of the way alone." He kissed her briefly, and before she could even reply, he'd hurried off into the night.

         With a sigh, she walked the brief distance home, thinking how like Alan it was for him to be so distracted. She was used to it now, although she had to admit it bothered her at times. She always wrote it off to his passion for his life's work; if that meant less attention and time for her, it was a price she felt she needed to pay. She loved him dearly.

         She lit the porch lantern for him, and headed for the bedroom. It was cold, and she quickly changed into her warm flannel nightgown, and settled under the quilts with her book to wait for Alan. "It's too cold, " Molly thought to herself, after lying under the quilts for 10 minutes still left her shivering, and so she ventured with her book into the parlor to light the wood stove, thinking she would read in there until Alan came home.

         She filled the wood from the stack in the woodbox, and reaching for a match, discovered the last one had been used. "Darn it, now I'm going to have to head out in this cold to the shed to find Alan's spare box," and with that she grabbed his large canvas coat off the rack to keep her warm and ventured out. Stepping on to the back porch, the biting cold made her draw in her breath, and she tightened the coat around her as she grabbed a lantern and made a dash for the shed. Entering the shed, she suddenly became aware of something hard and uncomfortable rubbing on her chest through the coat. Puzzled, she opened the coat and found a small notebook tucked into an inside pocket.

         She removed it, and curious as to what it contained, opened it randomly. It was filled with Alan's handwriting, and seemed to be a journal of some sort, each page dated at the top. "Must be sermons," Molly thought to herself, until a sentence jumped out at her.

         "Don't think security officer takes an outside lunch break; have yet to see him leave bank except at end of shift."

         Puzzled, Molly set down the lantern on a crate, and sat down on a hay bale to read more. The minutes passed as she sat in silence reading page after page of what appeared to be detailed notations about security details and employee habits for every bank in every town that she and Alan had lived in for the past year.

         The next morning dawned clear and bright. As usual, Molly had risen before Alan and made coffee and breakfast for him. He came into the kitchen and took his place at the table. She came and stood by his side as he said a quick grace. Carefully unfolding his napkin and placing it on his lap, he took a sip of coffee, looked at her and said "the Lord wants us to move on Molly," as he put his mug down and began to dig into his plate of eggs.

         Molly took her place at the table with her plate. She unfolded her napkin, looked up at her husband and calmly said "the good Lord always provides doesn't he Alan? The good Lord always provides."