Delicate Love

39

Marcus Tullius Cicero once said;

What sweetness is left in life, if you take away friendship? Robbing life of friendship is like robbing the world of the sun. A true friend is more to be esteemed than kinsfolk.

Martins wasn't at rest at all, he hadn't been at rest since the day he betrayed his friends and posted that article to the school's website which was about ten years ago. He didn't know how his childhood friends were fairing and they didn't know how he was fairing either. They didn't know he was suffering terribly. He now knows the value of true friendship which he threw away years ago. If his friends were with him, he was so sure he wouldn't be going through all this he is going through now. Sometimes he feels that it is karma that was happening to him. It was like nature was revenging on behalf of Rose.

Most of the time when he was asleep, he always hears voices telling him to go and apologize to Rose, but he always ignored them. Why should he apologize? He would always ask himself that question. Until last year, when his mother told him the real truth about what had happened twenty-two years ago which made him misunderstand and treated Rose badly. All those years, he had been thinking that her family deserved what he did, but after hearing the truth, his conscience had been telling him to apologize, yet, he was scared. How would he apologize? Would she forgive him for what he did? Did she even know he was the one that posted that article? How was she living? All those questions normally disturb his privacy making him doublethink. Now, he was ready. Ready to confess to Rose and apologize to her, because he feels once he confesses, everything would come back to normal, and all these Calamities that had been befalling him would stop. He hopes that once he apologized and she accepts his apology, his wife would come out of the coma, and when she gets pregnant again, their baby wouldn't die. What made his wife almost give up the ghost, was the death of their fourth child. Each time she tries to deliver, the baby dies. Nobody knew the cause or the mystery behind the death of all their babies. They all thought it was because she wasn't pushing the baby very well, or that she was weak and needed to deliver through C.S, but that wasn't the case, at least he was sure. He was so sure of what was behind the death of their children, at first, he wasn't, but now that their fourth child has died, he knew the cause behind it. He must apologize to Rose, he must. He heard she dropped out of school because of what he did, he knew he ruined her life with that one article. Now the question is, where does she live? How is she living? Has she gotten over what had happened ten years ago? Was she also suffering like he was? There was only one way to find out and that was to call Rhema.

* * * * *

"Susan!!!" Rose called as soon as she saw Susan. She and Charles had decided to visit Susan and her baby this Saturday and seeing Susan now, Rose realized she'd missed her friend. Susan was outside her house door awaiting the arrival of Rose and Charles.

"Rose!!!"

"Congratulations!" Rose said, "where is the baby?"

"Ohh! He is inside."

"Let me see him. It's been long I've held a baby in my arms."

"Of course, come on in. Hello Charles."

"Hey, Susan. Long time." Charles greeted as he saw Susan. Ten years had really changed her positively. She was looking mature and responsible. She was looking like a responsible mother, not the Susan he knew ten years ago.

"Hello, aunty Susan." Bryan also greeted.

"Hello, little boy. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Congratulations ma!"

"Oh, thank you. Come inside." Susan urged them all and they all entered the loving house of Susan.

"Your house looks like home." Rose complimented.