Soul Mate OR Room mate (standard:romance, 10348 words)
Author: Circles of love	Added: Nov 10 2012	Views/Reads: 3167/2101	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Soul Mates or Room Mates. When does two lovers becomes Just Room mates? “Friends will keep you sane, Love could fill your heart, A lover can warm your bed, But lonely is the soul without a mate.” David Pratt quot.

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responsibility towards our home. Look at me son, I have all the money 
in the world, I have everything I could ever wish for but when you have 
no one to share it with, it's of no use.” 

Daniel continued to stare at him; he tried pretending he was unsure of
what his boss was getting at. 

“Now, I'm not talking about my kids, I'm sure you've seen one or two of
them coming down to my office; I am talking about my soul mate, the 
love of my life that I profess to spend the rest of my life with. Son, 
it's no fun growing old alone. After years of hiding and avoiding 
issues at home; we both became unhappy, well maybe she did. I neglected 
so many things; yes, we had the money but nothing can be compare to the 
moment we ought to have shared together, those times money couldn't 
buy. After a while, she left me and I never ran after her...” he 
coughed and cleared his throat. Daniel immediately gave him a small 
bottle of water on his desk. 

“Thank you.” Mr. Edward said, taking a sip of water.  “At first, I was
secretly happy she was brave enough to leave, at least, and then I 
could concentrate on the more important business without a woman 
nagging at me every day for coming home late or not spending enough 
time with her. I thought she was being silly; all she always wanted was 
me to sit and just stay here, looking into her eyes. Such nonsense! I 
had thought. Those days were gone when you do those things; we were 
growing older and I expected her to snap out of her day dream and live 
in reality. But, she wasn't happy. She spent every day wanting more 
from me but I couldn't understand what she wanted; no matter how much 
she explained it to me, I just didn't get it. 

I took everything she did for granted; she took care of the house and
the kids and I never for once appreciated her. I thought she had the 
easiest job; how hard could it be to sit at home telling the kids what 
and what not to do? I was the one making all the money to keep them; I 
provided to most income, I was the hero in the house and she should at 
least give me that credit and ignore every short coming. 

Can you believe that woman never had a day of break from all these
duties? She never took any holiday alone, just for herself. Even, when 
we all travelled together, she was still up to her duties of making 
sure everyone is fed and all right. I always ate what I wanted, I got 
everything I wanted from her and all she did asked was just me, she 
wanted me and I couldn't understand that” He said, feeling dejected. 

“After many years, I thought I had the perfect family; the kids off to
school, married and all achieving so much. I was proud of myself. My 
hard work and money did all these. 

Then, it became just both of us in the house; the house became empty. I
didn't know what to say to her. All those years, I realized I wasn't 
the one living in there, it was just my house, not my home; those that 
made it a home were gone. 

Months passed by and you could count the number of words we said to each
other. She was miserable, sad and I couldn't do anything about it, I 
mean, I just didn't know what to do. When she finally left me, I was 
secretly glad she was gone; at least she could find someone who could 
make her happy. I wasn't angry at her, far from it. I felt I had failed 
as a man; I couldn't give her what she wanted. I miss her so much, I 
miss everything about her; I didn't go after her, I didn't. The only 
thing I have of her in the house are memories.” Edward became silent 
staring at Daniel. His eyes were fixed on his face but his mind was far 
away. He couldn't hide the sorrow in his heart, the failure that sneak 
all over him. Yes, he has everything but he lost his love. 

“It's been five years now and I still miss her. All I have now is
failing health, high blood temperature, high blood sugar, high 
cholesterol and pains all over me.” He said. “Now son, I am telling you 
all these things because you reminded of me of my youth. Don't get me 
wrong, there isn't anything wrong in success or chasing after money, 
far from it, but when you have someone to run with and share those 
moments with is the greatest of all success. It starts from not going 
home for dinner, then after a while, you forget how to enjoy your 
dinner together with your family. You forget how to sit in the house 
playing and running after each other. Everything becomes a child play 
to you. Walking hand in hand becomes a burden. Sitting there, staring 
into each other's eyes happens only in the movies, going out together 
becomes a waste of time. Then, you forget how to make love together – 
you forget everything.” Edward knew his words were piercing into his 
heart, he knew he was connecting to him. He stood up still staring at 
him. 

“Go home son,” Edward said walking towards the door. “Go home and make
things right, you still have the time.” He said leaving. Just then, he 
heard Daniel voice. 

“Sir,” Daniel said, standing up. Edward turned back. Daniel stood there
staring at him for several seconds. “As long as there is another day, 
you still have another chance with her, it's not too late either” He 
said. 

“Oh boy!” Edward smiled. “My time is expired son.” He said. 

“No sir, if you are still willing, you may be surprised to find out that
it's not too late.” Daniel said. 

“Son, I have survived two heart attacks and a stroke. Going back to her
would not be right. I would only be bringing her back to mourn my 
death, that wouldn't be fair on her part” He said and walked out of the 
office. 

Daniel stood there, staring at the open door. Every word his boss said
pierced into his heart. He was right; he had been avoiding his wife for 
quite some time. He felt Mr. Edward was talking about him, every part 
described him. He slowly gathered his things to leave for the day. His 
heart became heavier than it was before. Issues he had tried hard to 
ignore were flowing back at him. 

Daniel and his wife, Lara has been married close to nine years now. The
beginning had been so great, inseparable during their courtship and 
first few years of marriage. Their love was unquestionable; everybody 
knew there were great and perfect for each other, there was absolutely 
no doubt about that. Almost eighteen months into their marriage, God 
blessed them with a baby boy, two years later; they had a baby girl, 
three years later, another baby boy. God has certainly blessed them. 
They both have great jobs; Daniel, being an accountant in multibillion 
companies and Lara work as a consultant in a marketing firm. They were 
also devoted Christians who knew and love the Lord. 

Since the last two years, the relationship between them has been
strained. Not necessarily anything to cause an argument or strife 
between them but some underlying issues they both have ignored over the 
years and finally being the root of their problem. Daniel felt he has 
no joy in his marriage anymore, everything became dull; he felt angry 
at every provocation, he felt his wife blames him for every decision he 
made that turned bad, the daily routine became boring; going to work, 
come back home, eat and sleep. Sometime, he even felt his wife was 
holding him back from doing things he would have loved to do. He's not 
implying that he's right about all these but his joy was no more in his 
marriage, he felt stuck. 

At first they both talked about it; what to do to improve their
relationship but after few weeks of trying harder, they were back to 
where they began from. Now, since communication has not resolve the 
matter, Daniel had decided to only keep quiet and see where the wind 
blows them to. First, he keeps himself so busy at work that by the time 
he gets back home, he is so tried that could hardly speak, let alone 
eat, all he does is go to bed and then, the next day, repeats the same 
schedule, and the day after till date. Even on Saturdays, he always has 
one commitment or the other to do, if not for work, maybe, a worker's 
meeting in church or some Programme elsewhere. 

Even days when he was at home, it was lonely. He had thought the word
‘lonely' meant when you are on your own, no one to talk to but he has 
come to realize that even between two supposed lovers, you could still 
be lonely. He no longer enjoys his wife's company, not that they argue 
but they don't talk. At first, as his boss had said, Lara was always 
asking for more of his attention which he couldn't understand. He had 
thought he provided everything she needed. During this time, she was 
still nursing their third child so was staying at home. She would throw 
tantrum and cry each time that he abandons her and never cared about 
her; sometimes, she even asked for time alone with him, more like 
holidays without the kids to catch up. Daniel had never understood why 
she needed all these. 

Then, when she finally started to work, things were different; she
stopped bothering him for his attention. Daniel was secretly happy 
about it, now she can come home tired and not bother him about pet 
talks but gradually, he began to feel the effect of not being needed. 
Lara found a new friend; her blackberry, day and night, she was on it, 
even when she's cooking in the kitchen, one hand is stirring the stew, 
the other hand is pressing the buttons, even on the bed, she is on it. 
She chats all day long. At first, he had cautioned her about this but 
then he realized that even if she stops chatting on the phone when 
she's at home, he wasn't willing to listen to old tales about attention 
and needing him so he left her. But now, the truth be told, things have 
gone so far between them, they no longer know how to smile at each 
other or even laugh at each other's jokes. The only laugher that filled 
the house was that of the kids. 

Its so irony when couples complain that the major issue in their
marriage being sex; not able to have sex with one another regularly. 
But in their own situation, they do still have sex regularly but the 
passion is long gone. Many men would ask him why he's complaining about 
passion when his needs are still met by his wife and not having to go 
out to a stranger. He longed for those days when he could cover her 
mouth with his passionate kiss and moan at every touch, where a tiny 
touch on his body drives him crazy in a good way, even the most visual 
of it brings a tingly sensation to him; days when they could just lie 
there naked together without even making love, just being with each 
other. But all they do now is nothing compare to what they had. Now the 
sex between them is so boring, it has lost every sparkle, passion and 
emotion. 

Sometimes, they just get on with it to fulfill what the bible says about
not withholding it from each other; from the beginning to the end, no 
word is utter, no moan or excitement about the lovemaking is shown. 
After getting done with it, they both just go back to their separate 
side of the bed and drift off to sleep. 

He doesn't know how this will end between them, he doesn't even know
what the future holds for both of them but he definitely does not want 
to end up like his boss. He wished he could return back to his old 
love, the kind of love they shared together. 

............................. 

When Daniel got home; as expected, he kids were already off to bed while
Lara was waiting for him to get back. She greeted him calmly without 
even asking him why he was late to get home. He knew she was tired of 
the excuses and so, she stopped asking. Part of him was sad that she no 
longer cared if he comes home at all and again, he felt he had caused 
this. He ate his dinner in silent while Lara was sitting in the living 
room with her laptop. He asked about the kids and all she had to say is 
‘everyone is fine.' 

Daniel remembered those days when she could tell him every single
details about what happened to each of them during the day, what they 
ate, the mess they made in the house, who fought with who, the new 
thing one of them discovered, what number they were on their numbers 
reading, everything was told back to him in exact order and then, he 
would complain of too much details being given, sometimes, he even 
stopped her in the middle of it that he's had a long day and was tired. 


Now, he misses those days; he wished he could hear all those details
once again, every detail of what happened to her at work today, about 
traffic and what she had for lunch, the new clients she had and how she 
impressed her boss. All of those things he missed. He watched her 
typing on her laptop and he guessed so much she was on face book. Now, 
when he wants to know what goes on with his wife, the first place he 
goes is her face book page; that's where he knows what type of day 
she's had, if she was tired or happy. In fact, he got to know about 
some issues through face book. Even strangers know more about her these 
days than he does. 

He finished his meal and quietly went into his room; Lara was so engross
on her laptop that she didn't notice him leave. 

“I forgot to tell you that I have paid the electricity bill” Lara said,
turning to his direction but he wasn't there. 

The dining table was empty, she noticed he had finished his meal and
probably gone to bed. She inhaled deeply. She closed her laptop, stood 
up to clear the table. Lara knows no matter what she uses to fill the 
void of her husband wasn't enough to replace him. She has exchanged 
talking to him now to staying late on her laptop and catching up with 
friends. At first, she enjoyed the privacy and the freedom to be able 
to do all these without being bothered to wait on him. Not that she 
doesn't enjoy talking to her husband, but sometimes when he complains 
of being tired and having a long day, she resolved to keep things to 
herself. Other times, she had long to do her own thing; stay up late at 
night for herself, just to think for herself without having to tend to 
the kids or her husband. A time to catch up on her own thought not 
having to clean the house or fold the laundry after they've all gone to 
bed, just a time for herself. For a while, she got what she always 
wanted but her sadness has increased in all these. 

She longed for those days when both of them would lie on the couch next
to each other watching a movie, even though the couch was quite small 
to support both of them, they would still squeeze in it as long as they 
were both together and no matter how boring the movie was, they would 
still laugh at the silly jokes and the poor presentation of the movie. 
The main thing was that, they were together, that was all that 
mattered. 

Lara came back to the sitting room and sat down, this time around, she
decided, she's had enough browsing for the day. She wanted to go back 
to bed but the emptiness in that room scared her. Even though Daniel 
was there, she still felt lonely; the small space has become like a big 
football field to her, like a big gap or barrier between them. 
Normally, Daniel would come back from work before the kids goes to bed 
so they could all pray together and when he is held up at work and the 
kids were already asleep, they would both go to their rooms and pray 
with them but now, he doesn't even bother to do that, she has to pray 
with the kids before they go to bed, and even their own private prayer 
was rarely done. Gone were those days when Daniel wouldn't leave the 
living room without her, if she had work to do before going to bed, he 
would either help her out to hasten her job or just sit there and talk 
to keep her company until she was done and then, go to bed together. 

Her heart aches at all this, she was unhappy and every day, coming back
home was miserable. A lot of things she wished she could tell him but 
now, she feels more like a roommate to him than a soul mate. So many 
things have changed about them. She wouldn't blame Daniel for all 
these; she also contributed to what is happening between them. She had 
withdrawn herself a long time ago; this started when she started to 
notice her body, one stretch mark to the other, since her last 
pregnancy, her swollen feet and hands has refused to go down, she's 
been struggling with her weight ever since, she did eat right and try 
to exercise but nothing has remained the same. Then, she began to lose 
confident in herself. She remembered those days when she would wear a 
short and a small top around the house mainly to show off to her 
husband but she dared not do that now with all the stretch marks and 
stomach that refused to go down. 

She does understands that once you have being through pregnancy and all
that, your body wouldn't be the same again but regardless, she wished 
she could at least get something better than this. Even in their room, 
she tried to hide her body from her husband, she rarely changes in 
front of him and even during sex, the light was always off, she 
wouldn't even let him touch some part in her body, she felt so 
embarrassed and disconnected from everything. During their courtship 
and first year of marriage, her body has always been so appealing; 
every curves and feel arouse him but now, she felt like a pig, she felt 
completely out of shape. Although, Daniel has never said anything to 
her but sometimes, when he touches her or looks at her, she felt he was 
disgusted at the way she looked, the way he touched her was not the 
same way he used to. Those days when he would take his time to kiss 
every part of her body; her shoulders, her belly, her tights, but now, 
he rarely does that and she knew he was disgusted and ashamed of her 
body. 

Most time in the shower, she would break down in tears about these, she
wished she could go back to that perfect body she used to have, in 
fact, there were some days when she would earnestly pray to God about 
this, she would ask Him to give her right again, to remove every scar 
and reduced every swollen part in her. Now, she doesn't go out without 
her body magic, that's the girdle she uses to put her stomach into 
place and she wears long sleeve or suit to cover up the stretch marks 
on her arms. 

Apart from all these, she felt Daniel was fed up of her, he no longer
smiles or laughs with her. He makes decisions sometimes and leaves her 
out of it. He comes home and just ignores her and each time she asked 
what was wrong, he always says there was nothing wrong with him and yet 
he gives her the silence treatment. She felt no love from him. At 
first, she had thought he was probably cheating on her but without any 
solid evidence, she had dropped the notion but now, nothing made sense 
to her. He did always cared about her, each time she's depressed or had 
a bad day, he was always there to cheer her up but now, things have 
changed. 

As she thought about all things, she didn't even realise the tears
dropping down her face, to a lot of people, she might seem unrealistic 
and being too hard on herself but she alone understand the pain and 
despair she feels and worst of all, she has no idea what to do. 

.......................... 

Like every other day, Lara was tied up at work. It was time for lunch
and as usual, she had brought some fruit from home to eat rather than 
going out to eat some real food; that was part of her weight loss 
guide. Just then, Mike, her colleague and friend came into her office. 

“Time for lunch Lara.” he called out. 

“You go ahead; I already have my lunch here.” She said pointing at the
fruit on her desk. 

“What lunch?” Mike asked. 

“This.” She took one of the apples and took a small bite. 

“You mean the fruit” Mike said, laughing. “C'mon Lara, let's go, I will
buy you lunch” he said. 

“It's okay Mike, really.” She said. 

“You know, you have said this twice this week, this is the third time in
a week” he said. 

“Are you counting my lunch?” She asked, amused. 

“Not really, but really, let's go out to eat real food. I really don't
understand what is it with you ladies that would rather eat leaves, 
they call salad and fruit all for the sake of losing weight.” He said. 

“What!” Lara said, laughing. 

“Yes, my wife does that too, she tells me she's losing weight and eat
all manner of leaves, some shakes for lunch and then, when I get home 
after seven in the evening, she refuses to eat dinner, she says it's 
late and not good for her weight loss Programme.” He said. 

“I guess you have to do the right thing to get the right result.” Lara
said. 

“So you have to starve yourself to get the right result?” Mark asked. 

“Well...... not exactly.” She replied. 

“I'm sure Daniel isn't complaining or is he?” He asked, anxiously
waiting for an answer. 

Lara looked at him, smiling profoundly. 

“Alright, if you insist, let's go for lunch.” She said standing up. 

“That's the spirit,” he said in triumph.  “Only wished I could make Lisa
to eat too.” He opened for them both. 

Mike would always respect the relationship he has with Lara. She was not
just a work colleague but she has always encouraged him in all aspect, 
work and family. Each time, he was at the verge of losing a customer, 
she always has the perfect solution for him and other times when he has 
his usual fight with Lisa, she always has the right words to encourage 
him. Sometimes, he envies her and wished his wife could be more like 
her. Since three years he's been married, it's always been one fight 
and the other. Lisa refuses to heed his advice about the kind of 
friends she kept while Lisa had interpreted to him as being controlling 
and asking her to leave her friends. Mike felt that she was married, 
there should be less outing with friends. Lisa always has one outing or 
the other to do with friends every week and most days when he gets back 
home, his house is filled with her friends partying and having fun in 
the house. Although, Lisa had been a young wife but nevertheless, he 
expects her to be more responsible and leave some old ways. Even the 
way she still dresses repulses him; he had tried so hard to talk her 
out of all these, had a fight with her to express his anger but nothing 
did worked. 

He wasn't a man to look at another man's wife but he does respect and
wish he would have someone like Lara. ................................. 


Daniel drove into his drive way but instead of getting out of the car;
he switched off the engine and sat there quietly. He was still baffled 
by the event that happened today. He had received a call from one of 
his old ex-girlfriends few days ago to arrange lunch, she had called to 
ask for his help and he had no reason to object to a lunch. Clara was 
one of the numerous girlfriends he dated during his youth, he was 
indeed a bad boy, even the bad boys called him a bad boy; he was 
reckless when he comes to ladies and changes his lines of girls like 
change of clothing. When he sees a girl, he would chase after them 
until they agree to go out with him or rather, until he gets them to 
bed and then dump them afterwards. It was during his days that he met 
his wife, he had chased after her then but Lara wasn't interested in a 
kind of man like him, all effort was to no avail. Eventually, he left 
her and continued in his ways until he met with Christ and that changed 
him. He realized he had been on a path to hell all the while when he 
thought he was having the fun of his life; God gave him a new life and 
changed his ways. Three years later, he met Lara again and this time, 
there was no going back. 

He had thought Clara indeed needed his help, but when they got talking,
he was stunned and surprised at what he heard. 

“I know this may come as a surprise to you” Clara said watching the
expression on his face. 

“Well, it depends on what you have to say.” he said. 

“Daniel, you have a son.” She blurted out. 

“What!” He said, shocked. “What... do you... mean?” He stammered. “I
mean, what son?” 

“Honestly Daniel, I had no idea he was yours until recently when I had a
fight with my husband and he began to question the paternity of his son 
and true to his suspicion, we carried out a blood test and he's not the 
father.” She said. 

“What do you mean Clara, I am still confused, I mean, it's been what –
fourteen years now?” He said, confused. 

“Actually, he's going to be fifteen next month.” She said. 

Daniel stared at her, his mind was racing; he couldn't believe his ears.


“I know this may come as a surprise to you, I understand but really,
he's your son, It was either my husband or yours and clearly with the 
DNA test, it isn't my husband so he has to be yours.” She said, 
breaking through his thought. 

“How am I to believe that he is also mine?” He asked. 

“What!” She said in anger. “What do you mean?” 

“Alright, let me explain better to you. You told me then that I was the
only one you were sleeping with or rather dating then, which we now 
know it was a lie, how am I sure we were just two?” He asked. 

“I don't appreciate this insult Dan, What do you take me for, a harlot?
After all, you had two or more ladies at the same time we were dating. 
The fact that I never said anything does not mean I didn't know about 
it. I am telling you about a fifteen years old boy who is your son, 
this should be good news to you, you should be happy.” she shouted at 
him. 

“Please, don't raise your voice at me Clara. I'm not sure of what to
make of your news yet; after all, as you said, it's been fifteen 
years.” He said, getting angry by the minute. 

“Alright. I should understand the shock. So what do we do now?” She
asked. 

Daniel stared at her. He inhaled deeply. Of course, he had no idea of
what to do. 

“Give me few days to think about all these, please.” He said. 

In his thought, still seated in his car, he wasn't sure of what to make
of it. But first, he has to find out if the boy was indeed his own. The 
thought of telling Lara about it made him more confused. The issue Lara 
had with him during their courtship was his history with ladies and he 
had worked so hard to earn her trust over the years. He wouldn't want 
to go back to where he started from. After several minute, he decided 
to go inside. 

........................ 

Lara had noticed Daniel when he drove into the driveway but after
several minute of not seeing him, she peeped through the window and saw 
in seating in the car. She became confused at this and then concluded, 
he was definitely getting tired of being with her in the house that 
coming into his own family has become a difficult thing for him to do. 
She wanted to go into her room and cry herself out, she had always been 
convinced of his love for her from the beginning but now, she wasn't 
sure anymore. After almost half an hour later, she saw him opening the 
door and walked in. His face was gloomy and even when he ate his 
dinner, he was in deep thought. She wanted to scream out at him and ask 
why he was tormenting her with this silent treatment between them, why 
he was punishing her for crimes she wasn't aware of and why he doesn't 
love her anymore or wants to be with her. She had to pull herself 
together and found some other chores to do to avoid breaking down in 
tears. 

............................... 

It's been almost a week since the incident with Clara, Daniel still had
not told his wife about it. Part of him was scared of what was to come. 
He got back home early today, there was no point staying back at work 
when he couldn't even concentrate on the job at hand. He was watching 
the news when his wife asked to use his phone. Lara had no idea where 
she dropped her phone so she needed another phone to call her number. 

Then, she noticed a text message on his screen; the name caught her
attention, then, she walked into the kitchen and there, she opened the 
message and it reads. 

‘Hello Dan, it's been almost a week, still waiting to hear from you. You
should know that I would never do anything to hurt you, I had no idea 
then, please forgive me and do right by me.' Yours, Clara. 

Her heart skipped a beat; unable to stand, she leaned against the wall.
The name wasn't familiar to her but still, that message was saying 
something. She knew something was wrong but would never have imagined 
her husband having an affair. She stood there with her mind racing all 
over, and then she thought she should confront him. Now was the time to 
lie down everything before him. Just then, he walked into the kitchen. 

“Are you ok?” He asked, seeing how startled she was. 

“What!” She said. 

“I asked if you are okay.” He said again. 

“What is this text message about?” She asked, giving the phone to him,
staring at him. 

“What message?” he took the phone and read. Then, he looked at her and
realized what she must have thought. 

Lara continued to stare at him, waiting for an answer. 

“It's not what you think” he said. 

“So tell me what I should think” She said in anger. 

“I think we should go into the room and talk about this” He said but she
was still fixed on his face, after few seconds, she turned to go to 
their room as he had asked. 

“Alright, first, you should know that I was still going to tell you
about this” He said. 

“I am listening.” Lara snapped. 

He looked bewildered staring at her. “Almost a week ago, I got a visit
from an old friend I used to know her, it way before we ever met.” He 
paused to search the expression on her face. 

Lara knew what ‘an old friend' meant; it was one of his former lovers. 

“She called me that she needed help so we agreed to meet and then, she
confessed to me that I have a son.” He said, afraid to look into her 
eyes. 

“What!” Lara shouted with her intense scrutiny still fixed on him. 

“She said she had thought it was her husband's until recently when a
fight broke out between them and he questioned the paternity of the boy 
and after a DNA was carried out, it was discovered not to be his. She 
said there were only two people she was involved with at that time; her 
husband and me.” 

Lara decided to sit down since her feet were beginning to shake. Daniel
came closer to her. 

“Don't jump into conclusion Lara, I'm not even sure the boy is mine; in
as much as she was cheating on me then with another man, I am so 
convinced that there are many other” he said. 

“Can you hear yourself Dan?” She shouted. “This happened almost a week
ago and you failed to tell me only for me to have discovered the text 
message. What if I had not read the message, wouldn't you have kept 
this away from me?” She shouted standing in her feet. “So tell me, what 
were you planning to do, keep it a secret from me, then, you probably 
will rent a house for both mother and son, send the boy to college and 
then what?” 

“That's not it. You got it all wrong Lara” He said back at her. “I'm not
even sure the boy is mine.” 

“What do you think considering the kind of life you lived back then” She
shouted back. 

“What you do mean?” He demanded in exasperation. 

“Even if you no longer love or care about me, don't you dare bring a
strange kid or a strange woman into this house. I can now fully 
understand your strange behaviour for a while now. You come home and 
stay late in your car. Have I become so irritable that you cannot stand 
the sight of me or being with me in the same house? Even when you are 
in, you hardly talk to me or make any contact with me. Tell me, what am 
I to expect?” She said in tears. 

“Lara, this is way out of what you are thinking, you got it all wrong.”
Daniel said. 

“All wrong! Look at yourself. I know you don't love me anymore, the way
you look at me. You take me for granted and don't care about my 
feelings. You make decisions in the house without thinking of telling 
me about it. I have become more like your room mate rather than your 
wife.” She cried out. 

“Where is all this coming from Lara? What...” He said, confused. 

“I don't know what to think anymore. You know, you can have any life you
want to have, with Clara, with your new kid, you can have it. After 
all, you don't even care enough about the ones you have in the house. 
You don't even know how your kids are doing in school, did you even 
know David won a price for the best spelling and grammar competition in 
school did you? The boy waited every night for the past three days to 
tell you this but you come home late every night and leave so early in 
the morning. Are you the only one with a job? You would rather neglect 
your own family. What about Rachael, she's been so eager to show you 
her first tooth that came off for days now, she keep asking me if daddy 
comes home every night. Can you imagine that?” She said in tears, 
standing up to him. 

“But you should have told me all these, about the kids.” he said,
soberly. 

“I used to but stopped when I knew you weren't interested. If indeed you
cared, you would have found out yourself, they are only tiny feet's 
away from you.” Lara said back feeling the heat of anger in her. She 
had so much so say but careful not to say too much that might come back 
to haunt her. 

“You can go Daniel; you can go and live your pretty lovely life. You
have done so for months now, it's nothing new and I'm damn sure we'll 
very well live without you.” She said in tears 

Those words pierced into him. He saw the rejection in her eyes, he
couldn't handle it, and he couldn't bear to hear any more of what she 
had to say. They were very painful. After what seems like forever 
stillness between them, he walked out of the room. 

Watching him walk out of the room broke her heart, she broke down in
tears. One thing she failed to disclose to him was the fact that in all 
things, she still loves him and he kids also loves him. She missed him 
so much that it hurt. She wished he could understand that every words 
she had spoken today were not of a woman who has given up on their 
marriage but of a woman crying to be heard, crying for her love to come 
back home. 

.............................. 

Daniel tried to sleep the previous night but his mind was full of so
many thought. He was troubled. For the first time in his life, he felt 
like a failure, not able to keep his family. He had always thought 
himself as the hero of the house just like the way his boss had 
explained it but now, he felt like a total failure. He was no longer 
needed in their lives. He lives in that house but had no idea what was 
going on in there. It was just a house to him, not a home. 

He neglected not only his wife but also his children. Truth be told,
it's being days now since he had seen them awake, most night, they were 
already in bed by the time he comes home, although, he occasionally go 
into their room in the middle of the night to check on them but that 
wasn't the same. 

He had stayed in the living room pondering over everything and by the
time he went back inside, Lara was fast asleep. 

He decided to make things right by his wife, first, he had issues to
sort out with Clara, and so he left home very early in the morning. He 
called Clara to meet him up during lunch time and also asked to meet 
the boy. 

As expected, Clara came to him with her son. He realised the boy was
still in stock to know that the one man he has grown to love and called 
father isn't his real father and her mother telling him to come meet a 
complete stranger as his father was enough to make him angry. Daniel 
had planned to take them both straight to the hospital for a DNA test 
and he had even arranged to get the result the same day no matter the 
cost. 

Clara had been shocked when she followed his car into a hospital
building, she had thought he was going to meet his son not going into a 
hospital but she couldn't utter any word when she got out of her car. 
As she had thought, Daniel had brought them all for a DNA test, their 
blood was taken while they told them to wait for the result. Clara was 
hoping to catch up with him for old times' sake but Daniel had been on 
his phone since the test was carried out; he paced around the hallway 
talking all the way. Almost an hour later, her heart skipped a beat 
when she saw the doctor walking toward Daniel; they spoke briefly and 
gave him an envelope and another paper which Daniel read immediately. 
She watched the expression on his face but it was blank. Daniel walked 
up to her and gave her the envelop. 

“Good bye Clara.” he said, turned and walked towards the door. 

Clara was shocked. ‘Why is he going away.' she said to herself, confused
at his reaction. 

“Dan!” She called out but he didn't look back so she opened the envelop
and read the result, it was negative. Her heart sunk, she looked up to 
see her son looking at her and there, she became ashamed of herself. 
She had been hoping Daniel was going to be the father, even though 
there were still some names on her lists but she had so much hoped it 
would be Daniel. Fear gripped her as she realized what shame she had 
brought upon herself. 

Daniel continued to walk downstairs; it was such a relief to know he
wasn't the father. He had feared for his marriage if the result was 
positive. He was about to walk outside of the hospital when he noticed 
a familiar face, it was his boss's son. 

“Hello Alfred.” he greeted. 

“Daniel,” he said. “I suppose you have also heard.” Alfred bowed his
head in grief. 

“Heard what?” Daniel looked confused. 

“About Dad.” he said, feeling disorientated. 

“What?” he asked confused. 

“He died during the night.” Alfred said in sadness. 

“What!” Daniel gasped. 

“I thought you were here because of that.” Alfred said, realizing he wad
just hearing the news. 

“No...., I...., what!” Daniel said, still confused. “He was at work
yesterday; there was nothing wrong with him, how could he have just 
died?” 

“I know, I spoke to him last night before going to bed and had planned
to come over this weekend on a visit to mom.” he said, feeling so sad 
and perplexed. “I don't understand, I really don't.” 

“God!” still in shock, he sat down, then, stood up again. 

“He died of heart attack, the family help found him this morning on the
floor, he was probably going to call for help,” he said in tears. “If 
only....” 

Daniel knew what he was going to say, If only his wife was there, at
least, someone could have helped him. 

“We really spoke at length yesterday; it's been so long we actually
laughed. He was my father.” He said in tears. “If I had known that was 
my last night with him, I would have done something about it, I could 
have...” 

Daniel was stunned; he wasn't sure of how to console him, he had meet
him on several occasion when he comes to the office, he was managing 
one of his father's company. 

“My mom is distraught; she's been admitted here.” He said. 

Daniel stayed there a little longer; clearly the boy was confused; he
was just young man. His heart went out to him. He couldn't believe his 
boss was gone, just like that. He had probably planned to make things 
right by his wife but time wasn't on his side. He feared for his own. 
After leaving the hospital, he headed back home, today was the day he 
has to make changes, he would make things right by her; he would beg 
her and ask her to give them another chance. 

....................... 

Lara tried to concentrate at work but her heart was heavy, so many
thought ran through her. She couldn't imagine Daniel bringing in 
another son into their lives, a son from another woman. She looked at 
the time, it was fifteen minute pass six; normally she could have been 
at home by now but since the kids were staying with their grandparent, 
there was nothing at home for her. She didn't want to go home and face 
Daniel again; the mere thought of seeing him brought tears to her. She 
tried praying to God to help her and give her strength during this time 
but her words were turned to tears but still, she cried out to God to 
help her and restore her marriage. God should bind them together with a 
cord of love that can never be broken. 

For a while during all these, she had also neglected the place of
prayer, since they have stopped praying together as couple, she 
occasionally prayed alone, she had been so angry and never took time to 
seek the face of God. Although, before it got this far, she had 
constantly prayed about it but when things become much worst and 
unbearable, she gave up her place of prayer all together. 

But now she has no other to go to except back to the restorer, to
restore her marriage and save them both. In her office, she cried out 
to God to help her and save her marriage. She confessed her own wrong 
to him and asked him to forgive and heal her. She had looked down on 
the image of God and what God took time to create, which he also 
brought beautiful fruit out of – her body. She lost faith in God and 
his ability to make all things beautiful. It wasn't just her husband 
she neglected; she also neglected her first love- God. All she could do 
now is cry for mercy and restoration. 

She glanced up when she saw the door open, quickly, she wipe the tears
from her eyes. 

“I'm sorry to barge in,” Mike said. “I've been knocking.” 

“Oh, sorry about that, She said, trying to hide her face. “I didn't
hear.” 

“Lara, what is wrong? Have you been crying?” He asked. 

“Oh no, I'm ok.” she lied. 

“Oh dear, I noticed since you came in this morning, I wasn't going to
ask you anything but seeing you now- 

“Seriously Mike, I'm ok.” She smiled faintly and then her expression
changed to sadness. . 

“C'mon Lara, you know you can talk to me. Sometimes you need another ear
to hear us out. That's why I always come to you.” He smiled. 

“Oh Mike.” She said and then she busted into more tears. 

“I don't know what to do, I am so confused.” She continued to cry. Mike
went to her. 

“Please, don't cry.” he said. 

“I don't know what to do if things turn so bad, I have no one.” She said
in tears. “I wish things haven't gone too far.” Mike brought her into 
his embrace which she accepted. She continued to cry on his shoulder 
while Mike rubbed her back gently. He didn't interrupt her. 

“He's slipping further and further away from me, I am so scared....” She
cried out. 

“It's going to be alright” He said. “Everything would fine” He brought
her face and looked into his eyes. “Don't think of the worse Lara, you 
have to stay positive in all things” He said smiling at her. Still held 
in his arms, Lara felt such warm tingling in her belly, his touch on 
her face was warm. 

“Maybe I should have been more patient, more considerable, a better
lover; I should have done something.” She said in tears. 

“You are the best that I know, you did your best.” Mike said. 

“But that wasn't enough, maybe, I should have worked better on my
weight, I should have lost more weight so he would find me more 
attractive, I should have done better....” 

“Oh dear, you are so perfect the way you are, he should be glad to have
a woman like you in his life. There is nothing wrong with you dear, you 
are perfect and beautiful” He said looking into her eyes. 

“Everything about you is beautiful, beyond words...” he gently strokes
her cheek. Lara shivers. She felt the tingly sensation in her belly 
then, gently, their lips were coming together when suddenly, she pulled 
away. 

“We can't do this,” She said, walking away from him. “We are both
vulnerable now, we both aren't thinking.” She said walking further away 
from him. 

“I'm sorry...” Mike said, pulling himself together. “I wasn't
thinking...” He apologized. “I would never do anything to jeopardize 
our friendship.” He murmured over his words. 

Lara stood there staring at him. She knew he was concerned and he would
never take advantage of her but now, both of their emotion is swirling 
around and she knew he's also struggling in his marriage but them being 
together would never solve anything. 

“You know what,” Lara said. “I have to go home now.” She took her keys
and bag. “Go home to Lisa, you need to speak with her; you need to pour 
out your heart to her, listen to her and work this out. You both have 
something great together if you are both willing to work at it. Go home 
Mike.” She said and left him standing there in her office. 

She knew she had to leave now, another moment there might lead to
something they would both regret. As she drove, her mind was all over 
places but she knew of all certainty that she has to work this out with 
Daniel, she has to listen to him and talk her heart to him. She loves 
him so much; every pain she felt was because of the love she has for 
him. She just wanted him to understand her and love her the way he used 
to. 

As she drove into their compound, she was surprised to see Daniel's car
parked outside. He was definitely early today. 

Daniel watched silently as the door knob was opened; 

Lara opened the door and found Daniel on his feet, standing in the
middle of the living room. 

“Before you say anything, I have something to tell you. Please, come sit
down.” he said. 

Without hesitation, Lara walked to the nearest couch to sit. 

“I know I have hurt you, I have hurt you so much dear and I feel
terrible. So many things I should have told you. I am deeply sorry 
dear, I took you for granted; I took everything you did for me, for us 
as a family for granted. I was selfish and ungrateful. Please forgive 
me. I should have told you earlier about Clara's visit, I should have 
and to this, I am deeply sorry. I took them for a DNA test today and it 
was negative.” 

He noticed the relief on her face. 

“But still, in all these, I have wronged you. I neglected your needs. I
am sorry. Weeks ago, my boss walked up to my office after closing hours 
and asked me what I was still doing at work by this time. He told me a 
lot of things about not neglecting our primary responsibilities all for 
the sake of chasing after money and success. He told me about his life 
how he went after success and left his family unattended to and today, 
he regrets his actions. He has all the money but no one to share his 
time with. He told me I still had the chance to make things by myself. 
Can you believe he died today? He died of heart attack, he had planned 
to go back to his wife and ask for forgiveness but he died before he 
could have the chance to do that.” Daniel broke down in tears, resting 
his hand on her knees. 

“I don't want to grow old without you by side. I don't want to grow old
alone. I want the love of my life by my side all the way. I love you so 
much Lara and I will do anything for you. I miss all those times we 
shared together, I missed everything. I realized that I have gone so 
far away from home, from you. My house became just a house to me rather 
than being a home. I want back honey, I want you back. Please.” He said 
in tears. 

Lara was already in tears. She had thought he was cheating and probably
doesn't love her anymore. 

“I thought you didn't love me anymore.” She said in tears. 

“Oh no dear, I love you so much, you are the love of my life, and you
are everything to me.” He said holding her hands. 

“Look at me, I have become so fat and stretch marks all over. I had
thought you were disgusted with by body. I thought you were shamed of 
me.” She said in tears. 

“No dear, I was never ashamed of you. My love, every scars and stretch
mark is because of the sacrifices you made for us, those marks brought 
forth our beautiful kids, you gave me babies and to that, I am so 
grateful and for all he sacrifices you made. You stayed at home to take 
care of them; you gave them love and protected them- 

He bowed his head in regret over all that had happened and then looks up
into her eyes. 

`“I love you honey, please forgive me. I will listen to you more, I will
spend time with you, I will work at this, I will... 

“Oh honey, I have forgiven you and I ask the same of you, I also caused
it. I should have been more patient with you, I should have opened up 
my feeling to you, I shouldn't have given up trying, please, forgive 
me....” She said, searching his eyes. 

“Honey, I have learnt that when we take God out of our lives, we lose so
many things. We forget how to love. We need God constantly in our lives 
to keep our marriage and help us through.” Daniel said to her. 

“Oh God, please, have mercy on us and forgive us, forgive me Lord”
Daniel said. “Help us and restore us back into your presence, restore 
your love back to us and renew us” He held Lara's hands and continued 
to pray for mercy and peace in their home. “I allowed the enemy gain 
entrance into our home, I neglected the place of prayer and took 
advantage of your mercy, please forgive me Lord. We ask you as a couple 
to please come back into our lives, come and take you place in our 
lives Lord, please Lord, come back...” He prayed in tears. 

After several minutes of praying, they cried together and prayed. He was
ready to work harder in his marriage and include God in every decision 
in their lives. He took her hands again and looked into her eyes. 

“I love you honey.” Daniel said. He took off her suit and carefully
unbuttons her shirt; his eyes were still fixed on her. Then, he gently 
kissed her hands and worked his way out to her shoulders, every stretch 
mark, he pressed his lips against, then, brought his lips up to her 
neck and worked his way up. 

“We are soul mate honey, we are lovers for life.” Daniel said and then
continued to explore every part of her body. He held her so close and 
continued to show his love for her. Lara felt such outpouring of love 
like never before. Every single tiny touch drove through her. She 
exhales and felt like releasing her whole body to him at once 

She took his hands and led him carefully upstairs and there, Daniel
unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off. When he turned to look at 
her, his wife stood naked before him, waiting for him. She was 
breath-taking. The most beautiful creature he's ever seen. He walked 
closer to her and covered her mouth with his and led her to the bed. 
They made love to each other like never before. As he stretched out 
beside her on their marriage bed, he marvelled at how she fit him, 
flesh to flesh, moulded just for him. 

“Oh, God!” he whispered, awestruck and captivated by the gift. 

He felt a kind of grace and holiness that come through couples when
making love. It was pure and everything was holy and acceptable before 
God. 

Daniel knew there would be greater days ahead and the decision to spend
it depends on the willingness of both couple to work at it. A great 
marriage doesn't just happen; it needs an unrelenting energy, 
commitment, and determination to make it work. In as much as he loves 
his wife, he realized that he has to keep showing and telling her how 
he felt about her and they need not to forget where they started from; 
cherish every moment spent together and not take each other for 
granted. 

Someone once said that a successful marriage requires falling in love
many times, always with the same person. You have to keep falling in 
love over and over again. 

Lara now realizes that she has to stay open minded with her husband
knowing that they are both fighting for the same cause. Instead of 
staying angry at him, she should instead take all her worries and fear 
to God to teach her and give her wisdom to do the right thing. She 
wrapped herself in his arms and wished she could stay in that moment 
for the rest of their lives. 

“We are Soul mates.” Daniel whispered into her ears. 

“Yes we are.” She smiled. 

The End.... 

© Circlesoflove 2012 


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