THE OTHER SIDE OF FOREVER
(Chapter 6)
That evening, Lucy walked into the living room, her phone in hand. She dialed a number and waited for the person to pick up. Kelvin, who was sitting on the couch, looked up at her with a mixture of anger and suspicion.
“Who are you calling?” he asked gruffly.
Lucy ignored him, her eyes fixed on the phone. “Hey, John. How are you?”
The voice on the other end of the line was deep and smooth. “I’m doing great, Lucy. How about you? You sound a little stressed.”
Lucy sighed, her shoulders relaxing. “I am stressed. Kelvin and I had a huge fight today. He’s being impossible.”
John’s voice was sympathetic. “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
Lucy launched into a detailed account of the fight, leaving out no details. Kelvin, who was still sitting on the couch, grew increasingly uncomfortable as he listened to her talk to another man about their personal issues.
As Lucy continued to talk, Kelvin got up and walked out of the room, unable to bear the thought of her sharing their problems with someone else. He felt like she was betraying him, like she was seeking comfort from another man.
John, on the other hand, was happy to listen. He asked her questions and made supportive noises, his voice dripping with empathy. Lucy felt heard and understood, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
As the conversation went on, Lucy found herself opening up to John in ways she never had with Kelvin. She told him about her fears and insecurities, about her feelings of inadequacy. John listened attentively, his voice full of kindness.
“I’m so sorry you’re going through this, Lucy,” he said. “You deserve so much better than someone who doesn’t appreciate you.”
Lucy’s heart swelled with emotion. No one had ever spoken to me like this before. No one had ever made me feel so seen and heard.
“Thank you, John,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just talking to you makes me feel better.”
John’s voice was warm. “Anytime, Lucy. I’m always here for you.”
*******************
As Kelvin walked out of the room, he was met with a sight that broke his heart. His 6-year-old son, Wills, was sitting in the living room, tears streaming down his face. He was praying to God, his small voice shaking with emotion.
“Dear God, please settle the fight between Mummy and Daddy. I don’t want them to fight anymore. I want them to be happy again.”
Kelvin stood there, frozen, as he watched his son cry. He couldn’t bear the thought of his child being so upset. He slowly approached Wills, his heart heavy with emotion.
“Wills, my boy, what are you doing?” Kelvin asked, his voice soft and gentle.
Wills looked up at his father, his eyes red and puffy. “I’m praying for you and Mummy to stop fighting. I don’t like it when you fight.”
Kelvin knelt down beside his son, his eyes welling up with tears. “I know, my boy. I don’t like it either. But sometimes, grown-ups disagree and say things they don’t mean.”
Wills sniffled, his voice trembling. “But why can’t you and Mummy just be happy again? Like we used to be?”
Kelvin’s heart broke at his son’s words. He remembered the happy times, the laughter, the adventures they had as a family. He wanted those times back, but he didn’t know how to make it happen.
“I want us to be happy again too, Wills. But it’s not that easy. Grown-ups have problems, and sometimes we need time to work through them.”
Wills looked up at his father, his eyes searching for answers. “Can’t you just apologize to Mummy and make up?”
Kelvin sighed, feeling a pang of regret. He wished it were that simple. “It’s not that easy, my boy. But I promise you, I’ll try my best to make things right between Mummy and me.”
Wills nodded, his face still wet with tears. “Okay, Daddy. I just want us to be happy again.”
*****************
After making sure Wills was asleep, Kelvin went back to the room, his heart heavy with emotion. He saw Lucy still on the phone, laughing and chatting with the other man. He felt a surge of anger and jealousy, but he knew he had to calm down and talk to her.
“Lucy, I need to talk to you,” Kelvin said, interrupting her call.
Lucy looked up at him, a mixture of annoyance and guilt on her face. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“No, we need to talk now,” Kelvin said, his voice firm but calm.
Lucy sighed and ended the call, her eyes flashing with anger. “What do you want, Kelvin?”
“We need to settle this, Lucy. We can’t keep fighting like this. It’s affecting Wills,” Kelvin said, trying to reason with her.
But Lucy was unmoved. “You had your turn to cheat, now it’s my turn. You can’t dictate what I do, Kelvin.”
Kelvin’s eyes widened in shock. “What are you talking about? You’re cheating on me?”
Lucy shrugged, her expression unrepentant. “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. But you have no right to question me after what you did.”
Kelvin felt a pang of regret and guilt. He knew he had hurt Lucy in some ways, but he didn’t think she would stoop to cheating. “Lucy, please. Let’s talk about this. We can work through our issues, I swear to you, I have never cheated on you.”
But Lucy was unmoved. “I don’t want to talk to you, Kelvin. You had your chance to make things right, but you blew it. Now it’s my turn to do what makes me happy.”
Kelvin realized that Lucy was not going to listen to him, that she was determined to hurt him the way he had hurt her. He felt a sense of despair wash over him, knowing that their marriage was on the brink of collapse.
To be continued…
