Robert sat across from his wife, Hannah, Reminiscing their first meeting. He spoke softly, and his eyes reflected years of laughter and love. “You were so beautiful that day,” he said gently. “Remember? We met at that little park downtown,” Robert continued as he wandered around the room, changing out the old roses that had started to lose their petals. “Your laughter was contagious, and I knew then that you were the one.”
The room around them held memories, from framed pictures on the walls to the cozy chair in the corner, where Hannah used to curl up with a book. Robert´s gaze shifted to the present, to the figure on the couch. A woman with brown hair and a delicate smile, oblivious to the thoughts racing through her husband´s mind.
As Robert spoke, he unfolded the pages of their relationship- the concerts they went to, the spontaneous road trips, the stolen kisses in hidden corners of the world. His eyes wandered again to the woman on the couch, his girl, as he often called her. Even after twelve years, she was still as beautiful as the day they met. He admired her from a distance, lost in his thoughts.
“We had our disagreements, didn´t we?” Robert Acknowledged, his tone shifting slightly. “But that´s normal in any relationship. The passion and fire keep things on the edge and alive.”
He recounted a recent fight, and their living room still had scars from both presents and the current storm – another hole in the wall, broken pictures and ornaments on the floor, and the coffee table’s broken leg.
Robert knew his temper, which surged when he felt threatened or was about to lose control. He wasn´t proud of it, but he believed it stemmed from the intensity of his love for Hannah. “I´m Sorry, Hannah,” he whispered, picking up a broken picture from the floor. Almost as if he were seeking forgiveness from the frozen image of his wife smiling back at him. “I never meant to hurt you. It´s just that… I love you so much.” He paused, looking over at his girl. “Sometimes it overwhelms me.”
Robert had been carefully crafting a façade to cover the cracks in their relationship; roses adorned the living room, strategically placed to mask the subtle odor that had permeated the house. It was a scent that lingered, refusing to be erased.
Robert plucked three roses from one of the vases by the fireplace and settled down beside Hannah. He gently took the withered flowers from Hannah’s cold grasp. The new bright red roses he placed in her little hands contrasted against her pale skin. Robert´s eyes rested on Hannah’s lifeless gaze; he stroked her cold cheek and said, “We promised forever.”
Picture from Pexels; Jovana Nesic