"I am Not going to be ignored, Dan!" Those are the famous words of Alexandra "Alex" Forrest (Glenn Close) from "Fatal Attraction", the second highest grossing film of 1987. "Fatal Attraction" is thriller with a spice of horror, starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer. It is the story of a married man (Dan Gallagher) who has an affair with a woman (Alexandra Forrest) who refuses to let it end, resulting in emotional blackmail, stalking and ensuing obsession. There are a few similarities between my story and the plot of Fatal Attraction but for the twists in my story. One twist is what actually happened in the bedroom of the woman in my story. The other is in how my story actually ends compared to the ending of Fatal Attraction. It is not really my story but my own spin on a famous story from antiquity.
This is really my version of Fatal Attraction. Except in my version no one really dies. It is the story told from antiquity of a very attractive wife of a certain highly placed government official who made an unusual request of her young immigrant butler. Her request was of a sexual nature and borders on seductive aggression. Like most acts of seduction, it involved a calculated attempt in enticement [James 1: 13-15]. And like all sexual sins, the seed was also planted in lust. The woman in my story has no name just like she did not in the original story. She was really referred to as someone's wife. In my version of Fatal Attraction we can just call her "the seductive mistress". And we will call the immigrant butler "Joe". Someone got to have a name. The seductive mistress kept asking Joe day after day, but he refused to go to bed with her or even be in her presence for that matter. But after much contemplation and persuasion, the seductive mistress finally went on the offensive. It was not a very difficult struggle for her as she had became obsessed with Joe for a while. In what appeared to be a perfect opportunity of place and time, she made her move. And in a moment of desperation, she launched out at the young butler and pleaded with him, "sleep with me, please, sleep with me!” But Joe resisted her advances and quickly began to make his own plea. He pleaded with his mistress about the inappropriateness of her request and action, about what is right and about what is wrong, and about trust and loyalty, but she refused to be ignored. Finally, when he ran out of pleas, he reasoned with her about righteousness and unrighteousness. But overwhelmed with lust and desire for this young man, the mistress would not yield to the voice of reason. "I am Not going to be ignored, Joe" she said. In one desperate move after another she tried to wrap herself around him, but he kept pushing her away while at the same time trying to figure out a way out of this situation. And in one last desperate move of his own, the unwilling butler finally freed himself and made a dash for the door, escaping the grip of the seductive mistress. Now you are saying, "That story sounds kind of familiar." Maybe!
Conscience plays a major factor in the story you have just read. Conscience could either be preventive or be consequential and is always a major factor in moral dilemma situations. Conscience could be preventive when it prevents one from making particular decisions or from acting in a particular way one could come to regret later on. Preventive conscience is always rooted in the fear of God. Conscience could also be consequential in the case of which it is the emotional outcome or response to a particular action or decision one has made. Consequential conscience is always driven by regrets such as in the case of Peter and Judas [Matthew 26: 75; 27: 3-5].
My version of "Fatal Attraction" is simply told to illustrate how preventive conscience operates. Joe's resistance and unwillingness to participate in sexual immorality with his mistress, demonstrates how preventive conscience works in restraining someone from succumbing to sin. The seductive mistress’s action was rooted in unrighteousness. The young butler’s position was planted firmly in the fear of God and on the ground of righteousness. You can never be wrong when you make decisions based on the fear of God and on the ground of righteousness. Just in case you are still thinking that my version of "Fatal Attraction" sounds a little bit familiar. You are probably not the only one who thinks so. It is simply my own spin on the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife [Genesis 39: 1 – 12]. And it simply came out of the overactive imagination of an aspiring Christian writer.
Fatal Attraction did not have to be fatal if only Dan Gallagher had said "How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God" [Genesis 39:9]. Have you taken into consideration that the future of two nations [Egypt and Israel] rested on Joseph's statement and decision? It was really that decision that God used to preserve posterity. And if Joseph had not made that decision, the outcome would have been fatal indeed. And I am praying that YOU discover life the way God intends.
K. George Olubodun
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Take care.