The Wedding Aniversary

Anxiety and the feeling of being miserable surrounded my thought as I was expectant of Leonard . “Won’t my husband come to celebrate our third anniversary? Or was the prank not yet over already?”I thought to myself.

“He fell out of love?”What could make him fall out of love? I began to wonder Was it my looks? Or the way I dress. I dress the way a person of my age ought to dress and I still look the same way from the time we got married.

Or was it another woman? No, I know Leonard to not be that kind of man. From the three years that I had worked as his secretary, he was not a promiscuous man with the amount of women that pushed themselves on him. He does not give them a face at all.

Was it that he did not love me at first but played along the three years of our marriage? But why would he want to do something like that; to profess his love to me, if he wanted to extend the contract?

I was all alone sitting in the dining room looking elegantly dressed since morning and the time was just 2:00 pm. Leonard was not there to celebrate and dine with me on our anniversary. I was seriously hungry and had not eaten because of Leonard. I did not want to start eating without him.

“Ma’am, you have been sitting all here alone and you have not eaten anything” Melissa, one of my maids said showing concern for me.

“Melissa, don’t worry about me. I am fine. Just go and do what you are doing in the kitchen. I will be alright.”

I began to wonder what if I had invited friends to the wedding anniversary ceremony, was that how Leonard embarrassed me? I don’t even have close friends. So that would not be a problem. I guess he did not invite any of his friend or even informed any of them.

After waiting for about four hours later, Leonard just strolled inside the house.”And where are coming from Mr.Man?” I asked with annoyance written all over my face.

“The time is just 6 PM now and you are just coming from where God knows. Have you forgotten that today is our wedding anniversary? I have been waiting for you since morning.Because of that, I have not eaten because I was expecting you. I even tried calling your number and you were cutting the phone on purpose. What if I had invited my friends or visitors? Is this how you would have embarrassed me.”His action had got me as he stared at me as I was nagging .

“Have you signed the papers already?” His cold nature had got me surprised.

“What? Are you serious?” I began sobbing. “What has gotten into you, Leonard. After all I just asked you,that is just what you are going to say right? But why would you lose feelings for me?”

“Is it the way I dress? Or my looks… un? Answer me!” I said crying out loud.

“Look Cherry, I have nothing else to say to you. I just need you to comply with what I want ,if you truly claim to love me as you said. You would sign those papers. And by the way, I will need you to follow me to Mathew’s event tomorrow.”

“So I don’t know if you would leave what you are doing now and make preparations for tomorrow. I don’t want any of my friends to know that we are getting a divorce yet because I don’t want any unnecessary attention.” He continued.

“All of the attention needs to be focused on Mathew and not me. Take care, I am going upstairs. I am really tired.”He said walking out on me.

I began to start thinking of how to save my marriage because I was madly in love with Leonard. I was thinking of getting a therapist or marriage counselor.Our marriage could still work through a good dialogue, I guessed.

Yeah, I knew what to do. I would be calm and eat my food. I would relax and prepare for the event that Leonard was inviting me to because I would also not want it to look like we were having a misunderstanding. It would look a kind of way if all of his friends came with their wives and he didn’t come with his.

“Everything would be alright.” I assured myself. After the wedding, I was planning on calling his mother because she seemed to be the only one he was accountable to and listened to. At least ,he would listen to his mother and maybe I could give her a suggestion on getting us a counselor.

On the 10th of August, which was Mathew’s birthday. I woke up from bed and saw Leonard with a towel tied round his waist. I hurried up and got prepared. I rushed into the bathroom and took my bath. After I came out of the bathroom,Leonard was already dressed.

“You are dressed up already, I see. Ummm-mm,you can go downstairs while I put on my clothes. I prepared food for our anniversary yesterday and you didn’t eat them,so I stored them up for Melissa to help you warm. She would just put it in the microwave “I said while trying to show concern because I do not know what he ate the day before.

“Thank you, I am not hungry. Please get dressed on time.”Leonard quickly got downstairs while I dressed on time. I got downstairs quickly to not get into any disagreement with him. I was a little bit hungry but I could still endure my hunger pangs because I would be given food in the party.I got downstairs and I could already see the black limousine waiting already.

“And what took you so long ?”He questioned with a frown.

“It’s nothing.”My face looked down.

“Please can we go now” I said to the driver.

We got to Mathew’s mansion where the party was hosted.People of high status and caliber attended the party.It was all glamorous. Mathew has been a very good long time friend to Leonard. To sum it up, they were business partners.

Most of Mathew’s friends were Leonard’s friends and were in the same cliques. All of their wives came from rich and successful families unlike I,who was only the only that came from an humble background. Most of their wives became friends with me but we were not that close, but that does not mean that they excluded me or did not want to be friends with me.

I made friends with the ones I could make friends with. I can say I am closer to Mathew’s wife, Cordelia.

”You are welcome, Leonard” Mathew stays at the entrance of his mansion and starts to welcome everybody and he gives Leonard a shake.

“How are you, Cherry?”

“I am fine, Happy birthday.”We both extended greetings with a hug. After greeting Mathew and Cordelia, I and Leonard went inside to take our seats. Some of Leonard’s friends with their wives came where we were sitting and we all greeted each other.

While Leonard was having a conversation with his friends, I just noticed he lost his focus on what they were doing out of a sudden. I looked at the direction he was staring at and saw a very beautiful curvy lady.The kind of gaze he gave the lady was the kind he gave me when we officially started our relationship.I felt uneasy and uncomfortable at the way he was looking at her.

Vivian, a former beauty queen, is one hell out of a lady.She comes into the party and everyone that I knew walked toward him to greet her.

“Wow, she must be so loved by everyone,” I thought to myself. I could not deny the fact that I was also staring at her. As I was staring at her, I did not know when that the wine I was sipping was not placed well in my mouth properly before it slipped right all through my dinner gown. It was half the drink that slipped.

“Arghh!”I screamed after I noticed the drink had poured on my dress. I felt so embarrassed that I tried to go to the bathroom to maybe get a towel or tissue to clean my dress. Leonard left where we were sitting to meet this Vivian of a lady not even paying attention to my dress.

“Well, I guess I should just go to the bathroom now.” I told the people that I was surrounded with.As I tried to go the bathroom, I did not know when I stepped on my long dinner gown and fell. I guess my embarrassment was double in that way.

All eyes were on me. Some of the wives of Leonard’s friends came to help me to get on my feet. I could not believe that Leonard saw me as I fell to the ground and did nothing. He did not even come to help me get on my feet.

After seeing me fall to the ground, he carried his face away from where I fell and continued talking to the Vivian lady. He was still smiling at her. I was so pissed off from the way he was acting towards her.

After I had gotten up from the ground, I quickly rushed to the bathroom.“Are you Okay? Can you stand on your own? Do you want me to follow you to were you are going to.”Cordelia asked so affectionate before I quickly left for the bathroom.

“Please don’t worry. I really appreciate your kindness.”I said with a timid smile.

“I am good”.Tears were about to rush out of my eyes but I had to control it so as to not look ashamed.