I Think I Do

By Ahmad Williams

Oftentimes when couples get married they do not stop to think about who will run the finances, what the credit reports look like, or what the family system is like for both parties. Do they both believe in God, or is he or she an atheist? Has this person always been a heterosexual? What are their goals for the future as a family? Lamar and Stephanie learn the hard way that these are just a few of the questions that need to be taken into account before there is any broom jumping.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MORTIFIED BOOKS
• Release date: May 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524269548

Ahmad Williams

Publisher and CEO of Mortified Books,Ahmad Williams is a native of Vineland, New Jersey and is a graduate of both Trinity Lutheran Seminary (MTS, 2008) and The Ohio State University (BA, History, 2004). He is the owner, CEO, and co-founder of Mortified Books along with his wife Crystal. Ahmad is ordained by the World Wide Fellowship of Independent Christian Churches (WFICC) and currently serves as a commissioned officer in the United States Army. He is married to the former Crystal Childs and they currently reside in Pataskala, Ohio with their seven children.  He has always been a talented writer of short stories throughout elementary school and never received any grade less than an A in all English classes taken throughout his academic career. "It's just something that I have always trained my mind and fingers to do, so I decided to incorporate it into a skill. Most people think that I am just an indie author. But I am a book publisher, who happens to write as well. We are an intimate publisher who works with first time authors to customize all of their projects with a step by step process. We hold the author's hand from pricing all of the way to cover design and distribution costs. Not only are we the least expensive, but the quality is second to none." When he is not writing he loves to do bodybuilding and play with his kids on the weekends while his wife spoils him with tailgate food. Some of his inspirations come from Richard Wright, W.E.B. DuBois, and James Baldwin. 

Book preview

TO MY WIFE CRYSTAL AND ALL OF OUR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever thought about what ultimately leads a couple to the altar? For some couples it’s pregnancy, some marry for money, and there are others who just want the excitement that a wedding brings. As opposed to most of my short stories, we are going to stick with one couple’s experience.. All of these scenarios are based on true stories, but names and places have been changed to protect the innocent.

I believe that the divorce rate is so high because there are couples out there who honestly don’t know how to be married. They enter into this lifelong relationship with their own expectations, traditions of child rearing, and being a family.

Some people truly believe that premarital counseling is just something that they do not need to bother with. . The typical mindset is, We’re in love and everything else will work itself out. That is what I would call wishful thinking. No one gets married to get divorced... unless you are Liz Taylor or Jennifer Lopez. Divorce can be very costly. In fact, it is a big business in America. Some attorneys who are struggling in the recession are thrilled to hear that someone is interested in filing for divorce. The average cost of a divorce is $15,000! I will say it again. THE AVERAGE COST FOR A DIVORCE IS $15,000. The divorce industry right now is worth about $28 billion dollars.

Let me cut to the chase. Getting married is a highly emotional decision. It is great to hear about all of the fun and glamour that comes with the wedding ceremony and the honeymoon. There is a special adrenaline that comes with getting wedding invitations ready, arranging seating charts, and choosing groom’s men, and bride’s maids. For some families, the ceremonial traditions all come back to life, and there is nothing greater than seeing the elders happy on such a joyous occasion. But to stay married is truly a spiritual decision. Oftentimes when couples get married they do not stop to think about serious matters such as: who will run the finances, what each other’s credit reports look like, what the family system on both sides is like. Do they both believe in God or is he/she an atheist? Has this person always been a heterosexual? What are their goals for the future as a family? Are they both getting married just to have legal sex? These are just a few of the questions that need to be taken into account before there is any broom jumping.

The truth of the matter is, no one truly ever knows who they are marrying. That’s alright though, because that is part of the process of growing together as one. It’s challenging to do, because when a couple decides to get married, they realize that in some cases they may have to break down decades of training and ways of thinking in order for the relationship to work for both spouses.

OH, NO SHE DIDN’T

Girl, I cannot believe that you are getting married after only knowing the man for three months, Gladys gasped ruffling Stephanie’s wedding gown-to-be.

"Now how many times do we have to