Reginald and Kelley Steele are high school sweethearts turned lifelong partners. Their marriage has since become a strange and beautiful odyssey marked by betrayal and personal reinvention. Married for 32 years, the couple has weathered hardships that would overwhelm most. What’s more, their story was recently shared on the popular “Dear Future Wifey” podcast. It underscores her fight to hold her family together in the face of Reginald’s repeated infidelities.
The Steeles got married in 1993 after Kelley knocked Meyer up. Shortly after their wedding, Reginald strayed from his promise, rejecting what he called a “righteous life.” Instead, he reverted back to the not so productive ways of smoking pot, heavy drinking and chasing after other women. Although his eye may have been wandering, Kelley stayed true to their marriage, creating her own rules of engagement.
“I was okay with it as long as I was first,” Kelley stated regarding her acceptance of Reginald’s extramarital affairs. This unusual set-up enabled Kelley to find ways to assist Reginald in getting ready for his dates with other women. She recounted, “Although he would go out for weekends, I would literally help him get ready to go meet a side chick by ironing his clothes and getting him ready for the night.”
Reginald couldn’t keep up with his harem of girlfriends. Some only lived a half hour away, but one even lived on the same street as his house! He candidly disclosed that one of these ladies would “nourish me and give me things.” This provided a more nuanced understanding of the complicated dynamics at play in their relationship.
Their apartment was quickly transformed into a creative hub for production and socializing. It became the launching pad for Reginald’s romantic pursuits. Kelley’s acceptance of this way of life was rooted in her ambition to maintain the family overall. She thought about her experiences as a child when her own mother had made the decision to leave, which she did not want to repeat.
As unsupported as they had felt, Kelley’s view on her situation started to change dramatically after a few deep, thoughtful conversations with God. “I had a radical heart shift from that moment. I just completely changed as a person,” she noted. This change created a rupture in their romance. It forced them to rethink their marriage and deal with the realities of what cheating means.
Reginald was very upfront, like Kelley, about his extramarital exploits during this podcast conversation. He remarked, “I’d tell her, ‘You’re my starter, but I got other ones on the bench,’” highlighting the candidness with which they approached their tumultuous relationship.
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