“How did you break your arm?” she asked, but he wasn’t looking at her and didn’t see the question. She reached over and in a gesture similar to the one he’d used on her the previous night, gently tilted his jaw so that he was looking at her. She repeated the question and he seemed to shake himself out of his reverie, but when he spoke again, his voice was so horribly empty.“He was very angry,” he said with a shrug.“ Your father broke your arm?” She needed clarity on this point and wasn’t sure she understood. He nodded abruptly before draining his glass.“I’m exhausted,” he muttered gruffly. “I was wondering, would you and Kayla like to go to the beach with me tomorrow? I’ll fix a picnic lunch. Unless you’ve moved your ladies’ get-together to tomorrow? Since you missed it today?”“A couple of the others had other plans this weekend as well, so we decided not to meet until next week. Anyway, the beach sounds nice,” she agreed absently, not really paying attention, her mind on what he
“This is perfect,” she told him, and his eyes warmed. “Thank you.”He dropped an arm over her slender shoulders and gave her a quick, little one-armed hug.“I saw an advertisement for this place last winter and I knew that you’d like it.” Last winter? At least six months before her return? He had learned about this place and thought of her. Not with any hatred or resentment it seemed. Instead he had thought about something that would make her happy. It was startling to know that he hadn’t always thought of her in anger over the last couple of years, and Cindy wasn’t sure how to process that information.They got home shortly before eight, and Kayla was once again drooping in exhaustion. Gerard took her from Cindy’s arms.“I’ll put her to bed,” he offered.“Gerard,” you’ve been taking care of her all week, I should—”“And you’ve been taking care of her on your own for years. This is the least I can do,” he interrupted, and she protested no further. She knew that he needed to make up fo
“ I know,” she appeased, kissing his chest and neck lovingly before raising her head to meet his eyes. “It’s okay.”“No,” he whispered quietly. “No, it’s not.” He hovered for a moment before, with a growl of brutal self-denial, he dragged himself out of her arms and off the bed all in one swift movement. He stood at the side of the bed, gloriously naked and painfully aroused, to stare at her for a heartbeat before turning away and heading toward the en suite. Cindy watched the door close gently behind him and an instant later, heard the shower going on. She turned her face into the pillow with an anguished sob and wondered at the amount of self-control it must have taken for him to get up and leave her. She was tempted to join him in the shower, but she knew that he believed he had done the right thing. She could not undermine the sacrifice he had just made by stepping into that shower with him.She dragged herself out of the warm bed and to her own room. Knowing that she would get no
“Sorry,Cindy , I thought you were giving her a bath. I didn’t know you were in the tub with her. I’ll talk to you later.” He turned to leave.“Daddy no go!” Kayla demanded, fiercely unhappy that her father was about to leave. Cindy groaned and buried her face between the child’s fragile shoulder blades, then looked up to meet his amused eyes.“You might as well stay; she’ll be insufferable if you don’t,” Cindy said. He nodded, lowering the lid on the commode and sitting down, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his denim-clad thighs and his hands loosely clasped between his knees. Happy that her daddy was watching, Kayla launched into full show-off mode. She decorated her mother’s face and hair with more bubbles before dragging a plastic doll into the water and starting a chatty tea party with it. Soon she was totally absorbed in her game, and Gerard shifted his beautiful eyes from child to disconcerted mother.“I didn’t mean to lose my temper earlier,” he murmured.“I know.” S
“Don’t call me that,” she said. She just felt tired and defeated. He stood there, hand still outstretched and looking miserable, with alcohol dripping from his hair and into his eyes. For a very brief moment she felt herself softening.“I know that I’ve been an utter bastard,” he admitted.“Yes.”His admission strengthened her resolve.“I’m sorry . . . ?”“Is that a question? Or an actual apology?”He hesitated briefly and she rolled her eyes. “Get back to me when you know for sure.” She swept from the room, and Gerard stared at the door for a long time after she’d left.Now that this whole divorce thing was becoming a palpable fact, he admitted to himself that he wasn’t quite so willing to roll over and give her everything that she asked for. He wanted his wife and child but he was a broken man, both physically and emotionally, and it hardly seemed fair to saddle her with his innumerable problems after everything that he had already put her through. Yet he knew that without her he’d
“And that disappointed you?” he asked levelly, trying not to sound jealous at the thought of his wife ogling some other guy. Of course, he had no idea if he succeeded or not, but he hoped that he managed to sound as neutral as he was pretending to be.“No, it was more of a scientific experiment.” Her eyes were on his lower lip, and he wondered what the hell she found so fascinating about it.Going to a strip club was a scientific experiment?” He knew that he sounded like a complete idiot, but he wasn’t sure he was following this weird conversation correctly. He kept feeling like he was missing something.“You have such a gorgeous mouth.” She totally threw him with that one. “Much better than Massive Marvin’s.”“Are you going to compare me to this Massive Marvin guy all night?” he asked resentfully, feeling ridiculous even saying the stupid name.“No . . . not fair, he’d lose.” She went up on her toes and completely slammed him by kissing him. Her arms crept around his neck, and her bo
“I’ll get my assistant to look into viable homes for you. Once we’ve compiled a list of possibilities, you can decide which one suits you best.” He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Cindy feeling wrung out and deflated by the hollow victory.Gerard waited until he was safely back behind the closed door of his study before bending at the waist and inhaling deeply as the consequences of his promise hit him like a freight train. She was going to leave him and he was going to let her because she deserved her freedom, because it was cruel to saddle a vibrant and affectionate woman like her with an emotionally crippled husband, and most importantly because he still didn’t know how to explain his actions on that long-ago night.A baby, Jesus God, he had thought. He wasn’t ready to be a father! He would be terrible at it. He would be like his own father—abusive, mean, and absent in both heart and soul. He couldn’t have a child yet, not until Cindy healed him some more. Over the last
“You were always so easily distracted from work,” she reminisced. “Like the time you flew me to Mauritius for a long weekend, completely forgetting about that important conference call you had on the Monday.”“I have no regrets.” He shrugged. “That was a hell of a weekend.” They had spent most of it naked on a private beach.“Pierre was furious with you,” she recalled.“He got over it. Besides, we were newlyweds, he understood.”“We’d been married for more than a year,” she corrected.“Your point being?”“Do you remember that street performer who followed us from the marketplace back to the hotel?” she asked, and his eyes lit up with laughter at the memory.“He wouldn’t stop his horrendous serenading the entire walk back.”“You begged him to stop, bribed him, and offered to put his unborn children through university,” she said, giggling.“I don’t think he understood my high-school French,” Gerard laughed.“He was awful!” they both said in unison before lapsing into an awkward silence.
A few years after Rick was given the life sentence. Write a poem for Rick. It could have been his very first poem. He wondered about the hue of his heart, the hue of his words when he sang aloud, the hue of the sky, the hue of the raindrops, and the hue of his need for someone to hold him. He couldn't hold his children, He missed lacing their shoes and wiping their tears, and he was aware that the only way he would ever see them again was to plead with his brother in some way. after second-guessing whether to hire a lawyer. Since his pleadings to his brother are ignored, He's significant other additionally never ask nor care to beware of him, none of he's companions request from him.Truly he did lamented he's activities and presently there believe he should spoil in jail. To tamper with justice and show mercy, he has written so many letters to his brother Gerard. He has unquestionably absorbed his lessons.Rick took a job at the prison's license plate factory in the inking department
Mr bill has begin investigation with the little infor he has got. He has deployed he’s boys to watch the going out and coming in of Rick. “ Rick got no idea that he’s being monitored, and the kidnappers as well never knew that police has very involved, because it’s been tackled on the low to avoid Mr Gerard and daughter not to harmed. And also it shouldn’t be published till Gerard and Kayla is being rescued. “The kidnappers called on Cindy ,” And she told them that the money is complete,how is she going to deliver the montane who’s going to do that, the location and time. The kidnappers told her that they will reach out to her in the morning, they need to confirm she didn’t involve the police. Cindy with all boldness told them that since the incident she has not gone to police not to talk more of involving them. “ you will hear from us tomorrow morning. hangs up the phone.The following morning as early as 6:30 am they called and give the location at which she is goi to drop the mone
Paul pleaded with Mr Bill to visit he’s house for an important discussion. he’s very good friend, they have know each other from childhood, Mr bill was surprised because Paul hasn’t invited him in such manner, he assured him that he will come after work. “Mr bill is a senior police officer, a very dedicated one at that. He’s a professional officer who responds to threats, emergencies, he has helped to keep criminals off the street, and work to protect citizens and their communities from harm. This job is not easy and there are many capabilities beyond strength and bravery that officers must possess to be great at what they do.“He has honed skills in emergency response, decision making , public communication, ethics and empathy. he is also truthful and knows when black is black and white is white, a very sincere officer at that.“Cindy hardly sleep these days, she is now a shadow of herself, thinking it’s eating her up. “How she going to ask for people that donated that they shoul
“Cindy was rushed to the hospital, she was unconscious for 2 day’s, during the time she was in the hospital, Rick wasn’t doing anything. “Celeste keep wondering, who Gerard must have offended that they had to do this to him and even went ahead in kidnapping Kayla he’s daughter, who must be feeding them with viral information,and how did they get to kidnap Kayla and well, and even getting to know where she schools, does it mean that there’s no security in the school, what must have lead to all this. “ these are the questions Celeste keeping asking herself but couldn’t get answer . And she pray Cindy don’t lost her life in the process, innocent woman she has passed through a lot.“ Cindy is getting back to fit, after the shock of her daughter also being in the kidnappers den, and also the fear of not reporting to the police, the voice keeps ringing in her head” don’t get the police involved “ she gave up the thought on reporting to the police because she don’t know who might be their n
“ Hello babe I received call from Celeste, she said Gerard has been kidnapped, that she has been trying to reach out to you, but you not answering either.“ Rick roared over he’s voice” How dare you woman talked to me in such manner, Lisa was shocked and recalled very well that she talked to the husband in a polite well, so why this. “Rick continued is Celeste supposed to call you or me, so tell me when you became man of the house , that she has to confide in you before calling me your husband, who does that, Lisa interrupted but my husband she said she called multiple times but you didn’t answer her calls either..“ Rick shouted at Lisa and slapped her, how dare you talk when am talking, “ Celeste’s was so eager to hear from Lisa or rick but seems their call is not coming, she had to dial Lisa’s number again. “Lisa was very very confused , what exactly has come over him, is this the man I married, how would her slap her, all this was running through her mind, when her goo e rang a
‘Kayla was doing very well in her academic’s, making her parents proud, she was truly a good daughter, she is obedient, hardworking, authentic and genuine, intelligent, and God fearing. Gerard had a very terrible dream where he was being chased in the dream.”in that dream he was running for safety when he ran into a river and a masquerade get hold of him in the dream”when he woke up he was confused he has never had such terrible nightmare.”there Gerard was trying to spot the meaning of the dream and also explaining to Cindy about the dream he had but nobody could be able to explain the meaning of the dream. so he was about to stand up from the bed and something fell on the ceiling but couldn’t find what it was. Who would have told Gerard that’s bad omen, he should just stay back and don’t go to work that very day. the family had their morning devotion. Gerard got ready and He left for work. on he was he was kidnapped. Cindy had tried calling that morning to check oh he has gotten to
One faithful Friday evening Gavin began to fuss. his tired little eyes looked haggard and distressed. Cindy did her best to keep him comforted and fed, but it seemed Gavin didn’t enjoy eating. Gerard walked the floors at night with Gavin over his arm so that Cindy could get some rest. During the day, Elder sister Kayla spent hours carrying Little Brother Gavin around until he fell asleep. Months slipped by, and Gavin grew. He rolled over and crawled right on time. The family cheered when Gavin took his first unsteady steps, but still, Gavin was seldom happy. His troubled little face made Cindy and Gerard concerned. They took him to the doctor, but the doctor didn’t seem concerned. The time came that Gavin should start talking, but he remained silent. A distressed little soul in a prison of silence. He couldn’t say when he was scared. He couldn’t say when something hurt. He couldn’t say when he felt lonely. He clung tightly to his daddy and was terrified to be separated from him.In h
Gerard felt for Cindy so much, that he had to fly Cindy to Singapore for proper medical check up, he can’t stand and watch the mother of his kids pass through all this . They had appointment with a neurologist, geriatrician, urologist or orthopedist. "He was convinced this is something organic - that it has an underlying biological cause."A series of neurological evaluations ruled out the obvious suspects: Cindy didn't have the tremor typical of Parkinson's, a devastating, progressive disorder, and she did well on cognitive tests.It was as if different medical personnel’s with their different result’s. Next, Gerard and Cindy went to see an orthopedic surgeon. He said she had stenosis, or narrowing of the open spaces of the spine, and recommended surgery.She underwent a complicated, potentially dangerous back operation, and she seemed to be walking more smoothly afterward - for a few weeks they spent in Singapore. She developed other symptoms. Perhaps because she wasn't exercising,
It’s 9 months and Cindy has not yet put to bed, no sign of labour, what’s should be the cause, she was frightened and same with Gerard, this has not happened before, what will be the cause that is delaying her delivery no sign of delivery what’s happening. They went to different places for solution, hospital and church ad well, they fast and pray, It was. On the Tenth month. Very sunny Friday, she her begins to have signs of labour. a couple of hours after she first felt twinges, cramps and contractions, she and her husband set off for a hospital , but when she arrived, the midwife who examined her told her she wasn’t in labour. “I knew that not to be true,” she says. “I knew I was in labour.”They were told to go home for a few hours; Cindy asked if she could stay, but was told she couldn’t unless she wanted to wait in the corridor. Her husband booked them into a nearby hotel to wait it out, and they walked around the corner, with Cindy, wearing pyjamas and a coat, steadying hersel