order for Bill to achieve his. Now look where it got her.
All she ever wanted was a home and family. She had talked at length about having children of her own before they were married. Children she had wanted him to give her. All he ended up giving her though was grief and misery.
Where had he gone wrong? At what point had he become so selfish that her needs had become meaningless? It’s no wonder she left him. Hell, he would have left him too. It wasn’t too late to repair things, thank goodness. Carla agreed to give him this time to make things right and he was going to do it. Maybe they could also start working on that family they both wanted.
As he turned into the kitchen, the sight that greeted him warmed his heart. He saw her standing in front of the stove, frying corn tortillas. Absolutely beautiful. No woman in the world could compare to her. A lump formed in his throat as he thought about how close he came to losing her. It couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t allow it to happen. Walking up to her, he enfolded her in his arms and kissed the side of her neck.
“I love you, sweetheart.”
She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss the side of his head.
“I love you, too. What brought this on?”
He smiled in return then rested his forehead against hers.
“I’m just glad to come home and find you here.”
“I’m glad to be here. I miss being home.” Carla sighed as she turned to tend to the tortillas.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, Bill quietly suggested “Maybe you should move back in.”
Carla shook her head. “I don’t think that is a good idea.”
Bill dropped his hands from her shoulders and stepped back. “Why? You are here all the time anyway! What makes a difference if you move your stuff back in here?”
“If I move back in now then all this effort we have put into our marriage will be for nothing.”
“For nothing?” He asked angrily. “How can you say that? Give me one good reason why that would be true!”
“Our anniversary.”
Bill looked at her as though she had gone mad. “What? What about our anniversary?”
“Today, Bill. Today is our anniversary. That is why I’m here, that is why I went to all this trouble making your favorite meal. Not that it really means anything to you, I suppose, since it seems as important to you as my birthday!”
When Bill didn’t respond, Carla transferred the tortillas to a plate. “I should leave.”
“Wait.” He grabbed her arm to stay her. “Don’t leave. I’m sorry I forgot. It’s not that it is unimportant, I just have a lot going on right now.”
“Well, I’ll just leave you to it then.” Carla pulled out of his hold and walked towards the door.
“Please, Carla, stay and eat with me. It smells wonderful and I know you put a lot of work into it so you should at least enjoy it.”
“That’s alright. I’ll pick something up on the way back to Abby’s.”
“Carla, please, I don’t want to eat alone.”
The grief in his voice made her pause. How could she walk out and leave him like this? Turning to look at him, Carla saw the sheen of tears in his eyes. Maybe she was being too hard on him. After all, didn’t most men forget their anniversaries?
“Alright, Bill, alright. I’ll stay and eat, but no more talk about me moving back in tonight okay?”
Relieved, Bill agreed. “Okay.”
The meal had been consumed mostly in silence. He knew he had screwed up again and had no way of making it right. After Carla had left for the night, Bill retired to his bedroom to take a shower and get some much needed sleep.
When he entered the room, he noticed the giftwrapped box sitting on the bed. Walking over to it, he sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. He was so tired. Tired of all the stress from his career, from his troubled marriage.
He has never been one to give up when things got tough, but right now
All she ever wanted was a home and family. She had talked at length about having children of her own before they were married. Children she had wanted him to give her. All he ended up giving her though was grief and misery.
Where had he gone wrong? At what point had he become so selfish that her needs had become meaningless? It’s no wonder she left him. Hell, he would have left him too. It wasn’t too late to repair things, thank goodness. Carla agreed to give him this time to make things right and he was going to do it. Maybe they could also start working on that family they both wanted.
As he turned into the kitchen, the sight that greeted him warmed his heart. He saw her standing in front of the stove, frying corn tortillas. Absolutely beautiful. No woman in the world could compare to her. A lump formed in his throat as he thought about how close he came to losing her. It couldn’t happen. He wouldn’t allow it to happen. Walking up to her, he enfolded her in his arms and kissed the side of her neck.
“I love you, sweetheart.”
She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss the side of his head.
“I love you, too. What brought this on?”
He smiled in return then rested his forehead against hers.
“I’m just glad to come home and find you here.”
“I’m glad to be here. I miss being home.” Carla sighed as she turned to tend to the tortillas.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, Bill quietly suggested “Maybe you should move back in.”
Carla shook her head. “I don’t think that is a good idea.”
Bill dropped his hands from her shoulders and stepped back. “Why? You are here all the time anyway! What makes a difference if you move your stuff back in here?”
“If I move back in now then all this effort we have put into our marriage will be for nothing.”
“For nothing?” He asked angrily. “How can you say that? Give me one good reason why that would be true!”
“Our anniversary.”
Bill looked at her as though she had gone mad. “What? What about our anniversary?”
“Today, Bill. Today is our anniversary. That is why I’m here, that is why I went to all this trouble making your favorite meal. Not that it really means anything to you, I suppose, since it seems as important to you as my birthday!”
When Bill didn’t respond, Carla transferred the tortillas to a plate. “I should leave.”
“Wait.” He grabbed her arm to stay her. “Don’t leave. I’m sorry I forgot. It’s not that it is unimportant, I just have a lot going on right now.”
“Well, I’ll just leave you to it then.” Carla pulled out of his hold and walked towards the door.
“Please, Carla, stay and eat with me. It smells wonderful and I know you put a lot of work into it so you should at least enjoy it.”
“That’s alright. I’ll pick something up on the way back to Abby’s.”
“Carla, please, I don’t want to eat alone.”
The grief in his voice made her pause. How could she walk out and leave him like this? Turning to look at him, Carla saw the sheen of tears in his eyes. Maybe she was being too hard on him. After all, didn’t most men forget their anniversaries?
“Alright, Bill, alright. I’ll stay and eat, but no more talk about me moving back in tonight okay?”
Relieved, Bill agreed. “Okay.”
The meal had been consumed mostly in silence. He knew he had screwed up again and had no way of making it right. After Carla had left for the night, Bill retired to his bedroom to take a shower and get some much needed sleep.
When he entered the room, he noticed the giftwrapped box sitting on the bed. Walking over to it, he sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands. He was so tired. Tired of all the stress from his career, from his troubled marriage.
He has never been one to give up when things got tough, but right now
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