Happy birthday to Denise Covey and Donna Hole, creator and co-host of RFW respectively. To celebrate, this week's theme for Romantic Friday Writers (RFW) Challenge is birthday madness. Don't know if this is even romantic or if it actually fits the theme, but it's what all the madness did to me.
He stared at the computer in front of him. For days, his life had been put on hold. Nothing else consumed him but the uncertain future that lay ahead. Everything was spinning out of control. Despite his efforts, things didn’t come through. Life had never been this bad.
She was exhausted. Work was tough and there was always something to do. Drive the kids to school, check their homework, pay the bills, clean the house, do the laundry, meet deadlines at work. Still, she knew things could be worse. Life was good.
It was his fault. He had been impulsive. He thought he had everything figured out. Now he knew. He should have listened to her. He hadn’t expected this to happen. Things had turned bad and he didn’t know what to do. He only knew he had to tell her.
It was a good day. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed a lot. Thank God for friends who made her feel good. She wondered if he’d remember. He had kept to himself these days. She knew better to leave him alone when he’s in one of these moods. But it’s been a week. Shouldn’t she know what was wrong?
The alarm clock went off. Rudely awakened, his thoughts wandered off to a picture of his wife sitting at his desk. The years had been kind to her. She remained as beautiful and as gentle as the day they first met. Then he remembered. “No!” he thought.
The door opened. She came in and for a minute, they just looked at each other. Their eyes spoke; one of pain and humiliation, the other of love and forgiveness. Suddenly, there were tears in his eyes. He tried to speak but he hardly recognized his voice.
“It’s your birthday. I didn’t get you anything. It’s been a mad week...” he said reaching for her hand.
“I know,” her voice was soft and warm.
“It’s been madness..." he explained, "I’m sorry...” but her hand reached out and covered his mouth.
“You should know by now. I’d take any kind of madness as long as I’m with you,” and she fell into his arms.
For a long time, they stood there, in each other’s arms. He couldn’t remember a time when life had been this bad. But he knew that with her at his side, life will always be good.
Word Count: 399
Linked up with Romantic Friday Writers
Word Count: 399
Linked up with Romantic Friday Writers
