Frederick held his son’s hand and touçhed his face, Bryan was submerged un-der wires and it was as if he nee-ded those wires to breath. “My child, Daddy is here and I missed you so much, I’m sorry for everything you had to pas-s throu-gh just because I was selfish and unreasonable, my son I promise you that once you open your eyes and get well, i will never be far away from you, plea-se my son, Daddy loves you, plea-se my child, Daddy is sorry for leaving you alone, plea-se forgive me Bryan” Frederick said in tears As Frederick was in tears, Evelyn was at the waiting room praying, She had reconciled with God as she asked God to Forgive her and spare her son’s life. “I’m sorry Lord for moving out of my home and for neglecting my children, I’m sorry for committing Adûlt€ry with Roland, I’m sorry for everything I have done wrong, Lord I ask for a second chance, I promise I will do things right, plea-se Lord spare my son, plea-se God, my son will not pay for my mistakes, he is just a child, plea-se save him” Evelyn prayed in tears Just at the same time Evelyn was praying, Bryan moved his hands and slowly he opened his eyes and Frederick smiled to him, Bryan stared at his father speechlessly without blinking his eyes and that got him scared, Frederick quic-kly ran out to call the doctor and that alerted Evelyn who cam£ in immediately with the Doctor. Frederick and Evelyn kept staring at themselves with out speaking to each other as the doctor examined Bryan, thier son and with the look on the doctor’s face, he had more bad news. “your son sustained a brain injury, your child may not be normal ever again” The doctor shared and Evelyn collapsed, She was rushed into the emergency room for immediate treatment. Roland and Frederick took turn to care for Evelyn as she was unconscious for hours, they kept inquiring from the doctor, if she would be fine. “she is just in shock, plea-se be patient” The doctor told them. Mabel took Gianna home that night and she was so worried all throu-gh the ride home. Mabel prayed for Evelyn and her son Bryan. It bothered Mabel that Roland and Frederick were together in the hospital waiting for Evelyn to wake up. “What if they make a scene in the hospital? I warned Evelyn but she wouldn’t listen, Now see, everything is complicated” Mabel thought. The next day, Mabel arrived the hospital, she was surprised to see Roland and Frederick sitting together in the waiting room. “You two are still here?” Mabel inquired Roland and Frederick stared at her speechlessly, “How is my cousin And my nephew?” Mabel inquired “Evelyn is awake but she is acting weird, the doctor suggest we consult a psychologist, before she loses her mind completely” Roland said calmly. h0t tears rolled down from Mabel’s cheek “And Bryan?” Mabel said in a low tone “Bryan is awake but he couldn’t utter a word, I don’t know what is going on, Mabel this is all my fault, all these wouldn’t have happened if I was a faithful husband, I caused all these, if I was faithful, my wife will not have cheated on me for revenge and we will still be a big happy family” Frederick said in tears. “For your information, My cousin never cheated on you while you guys were living together, she started to dat£ Roland when she heard that your lover moved into your house. The problem both of you have is impatient and lack of communication, I warned both of you but no one listen, now see, When husband and wife fight among themselves, the children would suffer because they at the receiving end of everything that happens between thier parents, I’m so pissed, Gianna told me last night, that Bryan was hungry before he got hit by a moving truck, he had only set out to get lunch for himself and Gianna, I’m so angry with you and Evelyn, I don’t think our lives will be normal ever again” Mabel said in tears and she walked out from the waiting room to the doctor’s office to find out what was nee-ded. Roland got up from the waiting room and headed straight to where he had parked his car, he was exhausted, him and Frederick ba-rely sle-pt last night, they were worried sick about Evelyn and Bryan. When Roland got to his car, he bur-st into tears, “plea-se Lord, Forgive me for coming between Evelyn and her husband, I was so selfish, plea-se Lord I have never asked you for anything but God I want you to heal Evelyn and her son, plea-se Lord” Roland muttered in tears. He felt more guilty, when he remembered how glad he was when Evelyn told him that she would divorce her husband and how he was desperately waiting for thier divorce to pu-ll throu-gh so he could marry Evelyn. “I didn’t even think about Bryan and Gianna, her children, what was I thinking, oh Lord God, what have i done” Roland thought, He drove off heading home in tears, He vowed to disappear from Evelyn’s life, if God heals Evelyn and her son. Few weeks Later, Evelyn was brou-ght before a psychologist and with her weird behavior, it was obvious that she was losing her mind. “Good morning Mrs Evelyn, How are you today?” The psychologist said and Evelyn was just staring at her. “Why are you here?” The psychologist added “I don’t know, plea-se hurry up, I have to go and pick my children from school” Evelyn said and the doctor smiled as she un-derstood what was happening to Evelyn. “But your children did not go to school today, Bryan is here at the hospital because he had an accident few weeks ago and Gianna is home with your relative” The doctor said and stared at her for a while and continued. “You have to deal with your pres£nt, accept your mistakes and move forward, What happened to your son is completely not your fault, you and Your husband have the responsibility to look out for your children but you were both vengeful towards each other” h0t tears rolled down from Evelyn’s eyes. It was obvious that the thera-py session was working alre-ady on her alre-ady. “how do you know so much about my life, my children are at school and I nee-d to pick them up, My Bryan is fine and healthy, He is at school with his sister, Gianna” Evelyn said in tears “Evelyn, Face your reality, nothing is impossible when we believe, I want you to believe that your son will be well again, learn from your mistakes and correct your wrongs. Life is offering you a second chance to correct your wrongs, now is the time to tackle your problems, Bryan nee-ds a healthy mother, don’t fail your son again” The doctor said and ended the session. Evelyn cam£ back for more sessions with the Psychologists and in few weeks she jacked back to reality and accepted what has happened to her son Bryan but she always cried and prayed for Bryan’s speedy recovery. One of the ha-rdest things about being a doctor is seeing the grief of parents as their child suffers from one ailment or injury,especially a traumatic brain injury (TBI) like in the case of Bryan, The boy had been in the hospital for close to 2 months and the medical bills was one of the least thing that was bothering Frederick and Evelyn. Frederick and Evelyn had started to treat each other like they were new friends, They had set aside thier differences, Everyday at the hospital, they surfed the internet and they re-ad online all those written articles about childhood brain injuries, they Always got scared each time they re-ad about how such injuries affects a child’s cognitive function, IQ and behavior. They always prayed for a miracle. The worst was that the doctor had told them the same thing. Bryan may suffer even more dire consequences to his ability to learn and that may affect how well he achieve throu-ghout his lifetime. “Lord plea-se heal my son” The estranged couple had prayed ceaselessly for two months. Many medical tests were run on Bryan to see the intensity of the injury, he sustained in his brain. “The main reason for this tests is to know if the injury your son sustained was mild, moderate or severe so we could act fast” The Doctor had told them. Of course the test was so expensive but the desperate parents doesn’t mind, anything for Bryan at that moment was worth it. Many medical tests were run on Bryan to examine the intensity of the injury, he sustained in his brain. “The main reason for this tests is to know if the injury your son sustained was mild, moderate or severe so we could act fast” The Doctor had told them. Of course the test was so expensive but the desperate parents doesn’t mind, anything for Bryan at that moment was worth it. “Don’t worry Mr and Mrs Frederick Thompson your son will be fine, I believe your son was raised in pure love, stable and caring home, a child’s home environment can positively influence recovery if the child lives in a stable and a caring home. A quality home environment and access to appropriate rehabilitation is critical to maximize outcomes,” Doctor Anderson had said to encourage the anxious parents but that got them even more worried as they knew that thier home and family was not stable and caring as they lived separately for A year and was at the edge of divorce when the accident happened. Evelyn and Frederick was speechless as the Doctor walked away, they were both losing thier mind and was dying of guilt and shame for being the worst parents ever. God showed Evelyn and Frederick mercy, when the Doctor returned with a good news. “The injury your son sustained is not severe as we thought, it’s not a lasting damage, with the right treatment, he would be healed, but it will only take time He will be discharged soon” The doctor had told them And also the doctor stressed the importance of a strong, stress-free environment with ample support from them as Bryan’s parents to increase the chances of a strong, lasting, and balanced recovery. All Evelyn and Frederick un-derstood from what the doctor had been saying to them was to spend more time with Bryan and also give him a less stressful but caring and loving environment. Which implied that they have to set aside thier marital problems and help thier son recover and be normal again. Before Bryan got discharged from the hospital, Evelyn moved back to her matrimonial home as Frederick had s£nd away his lover ever since he Learnt the whole truth from Mabel. “I pushed my wife into the arms of another man” He had blamed himself many times. When Bryan got discharged, Evelyn and Frederick took turn to take proper care of him. With the look of things, The couple were prepared to give Bryan a long-term care and a solid, stress-free environment at home as the doctor suggested. The doctor had told them that the time Bryan spent on recovery is key to returning him on a positive road for the rest of his lives. And they were both determined to correct thier wrongs and make up for all the pain they caused thier children especially Bryan. Evelyn had quit her job at Roland’s company to care for her son full time as well as physical thera-py and mental thera-py. It was not easy for Evelyn and Frederick to take care of Bryan, most times, they would become emotional, each time they look at Bryan staring at them speechlessly, Bryan used to be a vibrant, intelligent and very smart young child, they will both cry, blaming themselves for what had happened to thier beloved Bryan. Whenever Evelyn was alone with Bryan, she would be in tears, most times she would hide her tears but Bryan always noticed that his mother was in tears because of him. Even though he was mute and drooling, He saw how much his parents loved him and how close they have become because of him. Evelyn had lost weight overnight. She still feel responsible for what happened to Bryan. One-day, Frederick who had began to care about his wife said to Evelyn, “Eve, you have lost weight, I think you nee-d more rest, Let’s hire the service of the nurse, you nee-d to rest, you are the only one who takes care of Bryan when I’m not around, we nee-d a nurse” “No, we don’t nee-d a nurse, it’s my fault that Bryan is in this condition In the first place and I have to take care of him” Evelyn replied smiling faintly. “Stop being so ha-rd on yourself, we are both responsible for what happened to our son” Frederick said in tears and Evelyn hugged him “If I had been transparent with you, all these wouldn’t have happened, I’m sorry about everything, I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of our children when I moved out from home,Bryan got injured on my watch, I’m sorry” Evelyn said in tears “No I’m sorry for my unfaithfulness,for accusing you wrongly and for bringing another woman into our home, I’m sorry ” Frederick pleaded too After that heart felt reconciliation with Frederick, Evelyn began to feel happy again, the sparkle that has left her face returned, You know that little twi-nkle that pops when you smile–it’s was gone but after the reconciliation with her husband it returned. In no time, Bryan began to improve, the young boy was excited within him, each time he sees his parents together. Little by little, he began to talk, sit and even feed himself. Frederick and Evelyn were so glad When they visited the hospital for Bryan’s regularly scheduled check up, the Doctor was surprised that Bryan’s recovery was happening too quic-kly “Wow, Whatever you guys are doing for Bryan, plea-se keep doing it because it’s working, your son will recover so quic-kly if you continue like this” The doctor had said in excitement. One afternoon, Frederick was at work, Gianna was at school and Evelyn was at home with Bryan, she was re-ading a book to her son, Bryan who was listening attentively. It was almost 3:00pm and Gianna would be back in few minutes, Mabel had volunteered to help Evelyn with Gianna, Mabel picks up Gianna from school and brings her home to Evelyn every school day. Evelyn and Bryan were expecting Them and when the door bell rang, they thought they had arrived. “Mom…. Gigi and aunt Mabel… Is here” Bryan stammered “Yes, let me get the door”Evelyn said as she walked to the door. When she opened the door, She lost words when she saw who was standing at the door. She was dumb for few minutes before she got her voice back. “Roland, why are you here?” She asked. Roland ignored the question and walked into the living room and walked straight to where Bryan was sitting. “Big boy, how are you feeling” Roland asked Bryan, The young boy reminisced about the first day he had met uncle Roland and how he took them to an eatery and Evelyn his mother had introduced him as her old school mate, Bryan recalled how his father felt the day he mentioned his name in the kitchen, the child thought of how he would visit them at Aunt Mabel’s house when His parents got separated. “Mom would leave my daddy again, if my mother becomes friends with uncle Roland again, oh God, plea-se don’t let my mom and uncle Roland be friends again, plea-se God” Bryan thought. “Bryan how are you feeling?” Roland said and Bryan gave him a weird stare. “Roland what are you doing here?” Evelyn ch!pped in “I cam£ to see how you and your son is doing?”Roland said “We are fine, thank you ” Evelyn responded “Yes, I can see that, you have even returned to your husband despite everything he did to hurt you, I never knew you could leave me so easily, despite how much we love each other” Roland said calmly and Evelyn stared at him speechlessly. “I know we all got emotional and we thought only about Bryan, When I saw the awful state you and your son was, I even vowed to disappear from your life when God heals you both but now I un-derstand that I was just being emotional then and I said things that would be impossible for me to do, I can’t leave without you, I want you back in life, I’m here with a suggestion, if the divorce proceedings pu-ll throu-gh, I will suggest you leave your children with thier father, they are better off with him than you” Roland added, Those words got Evelyn mad and she reacted. “All divorce proceedings had been cancelled, Roland I’m not leaving my children or my husband, they are my world and I love them so much, I don’t know what happened to me when you reappeared into my life, I guess it was because I was vulnerable and my marriage was vulnerable too but right now, I know how I’m feeling and I know that I don’t want you anymore, go back to your wife and children. Go and reconcile with them, your spouse and children should be your top priority, I’m sorry I lead you on but I have come to realize that I don’t love you, yes I once did but not anymore, I love my family and I’m never going to leave them ever again” Evelyn said calmly and Roland walked out in tears. Evelyn and Frederick’s relationsh!p Was not improving, They kept treating each other so casually, they had forgiven each other but was finding it ha-rd to forget all the wrong they committed against each other. Frederick couldn’t live with the fact that another man had touçhed Evelyn, his wife. And Evelyn had not forgotten about Frederick philandering lifestyle and the worst was he lived with his lover for one year in thier matrimonial home. But in all these, they both felt guilty and they battled with themselves everyday to erase the guilt they felt. They had sleepless nights trying to find out why they felt guilty until the answer they sought dawned on them. They finally realized how wrong they had been. “two wrongs can’t make a right and the only way their marriage can work is if they avoid throwing blames at each other and forgive each other wholeheartedly. “i supposed to be your strength when you are weak and also pu-ll you up when you fall. I feel betrayed and hurt by what you did that is going back to your ex, although I pushed you into his arms and I’m sorry, I have come to realize that we are both human and we are bound to make mistakes. It takes two to tangle, so for this marriage to work again, the both of us would have to want it to work; we have to work like a team, Evelyn, I still love you and would always love you, And I promise I will never be unfaithful to you again, I have learnt my lesson and I will never hurt you ever again” Frederick had told Evelyn one evening after dinner. Evelyn couldn’t believe that her husband still loves him after everything that had happened between them. For a moment, she thought it was all a dream and was waiting for someone to wake her up. she never believed her husband, a chronic wom-anizer would ever promise to change because she saw in his eyes that he meant every word he had said. Evelyn couldn’t believe that her husband still loves her after everything that had happened between them. For a moment, she thought it was all a dream and was waiting for someone to wake her up. she never believed her husband, a chronic wom-anizer would ever promise to change because she saw in his eyes that he meant every word he had said. “Evelyn I now un-derstand how you felt, each time you discovered that I cheated, I felt like dying when I suspected that you were having an affair with Roland and after you moved out and I saw you and Roland together, I almost died of heartbreak, I felt my heart breaking, I don’t want to lose you again” Frederick added ” Fred, I died a thousand times whenever I found out that you were cheating on me, I felt like I was not good enough for you or there was something I lacked as a woman, but these few months and everything that had happened, I have grown to love you again like I used to, you are still the best thing that happened to me, you and our children means the whole world to me and I’m sorry for all my mistakes and wrong doings” Evelyn said in tears and her husband gave her a warm hug and reas-sured her of his love and there Evelyn suggested they consult a Marriage counsellor(Thera-pist), Who will help them rebuild thier marriage. It took all this to happen for the couple to realize that they love each other so much and they were carried away by shadows and glittery reflections of the things they thought they wanted, forgetting that they are to stay married for life. As Evelyn and Frederick were still in a ti-ght embrace, thier children stared at them excitedly, Especially Bryan, his face lightened up with a warm smile. Frederick missed his wife and wanted things to go back as normal too and if by seeing a counselor would bring their marriage back to normal, he was re-ady to give it try. When Bryan began to feel alot better and was able to return to school. Frederick and Evelyn began to attend marriage counseling sessions. They went to a marriage counsellor for advice and solution to their marital problem. In no time, The counseling began to help them recognize and resolve conflicts and improve their relationships. They began to make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding and strengthening thier relationship as husband and wife. The counseling was provided by Mrs Ochonogor, a Licensed thera-pists known as marriage and family thera-pists. Mrs Ochonogor was so good at what she does. The Counseling was short term. Evelyn and Frederick had 10 sessions with the thera-pist. And in no time, their marriage improved. Everything started becoming less awkward between them and they fell in love with each other all over again. Everything becam£ almost normal as possible But Bryan was not as smart as he used to be but they were grateful for his life and the improvement in his health. One fateful night, Evelyn and Frederick were awake talking about how far they had come and how they were happy for not giving up on their marriage. That night they renewed thier wedding vows and promised to be faithful and loyal to each other. That night they also reaffirm thier love for each other and also renew thier commitments. They promised to love each other without conditions, To be there for one another throu-gh thick and thin, Evelyn was overwhelmed with pure joy when Frederick promised to have eyes for only her and no one else and be the best man he can be for her and Evelyn promised to always put her husband first in all that she do and be a good wife to him. ” I love you today and forever” The couple told each other and kissed. From that day thier marriage took a good direction but Bryan’s abnormalities caused by the brain injury was always pres£nt to remind them of thier past wrongs doings. Marriage is beautiful, but only when protected. Most marriages failure starts when husband or wife neglects each other. When a man neglects his wife, it is like a farmer who neglects his farming land. Giving room for trespas-sers and wanderers to cultivate the land and do as they wish. In marriage terms, I will describe this as the husband and wife failure to form a bond The worst thing that can happen to anyone is to be tied in a ‘marriage’, as a stranger to whom they call wife or husband, someone with whom they share no de-ep connection..Just living with, having S-x, ma-king babies, paying bills, being seeing in same outfits, walking together but has no shared de-ep and rooted emotional and spiritual connections. Women especially are very vulnerable in this situation. Unlike men that may find it easier to have S-x outside of their marriage for the fun of it, women are most likely to form bonds and emotional attachment when they sleep with another man other than their lawful husband. Arguably, a woman requires a dee-per s-en-se of emotional connection for her submit herself into allowing another man defile her, especially if she alre-ady has a formed emotional and spiritual connection with real marriage. And once that happened, the communication process will be affected… because with love and trust, it’s just impossible to serve another master. And whenever there is a breakdown in communication, the doors of deception will open itself to let in intruders. As you may know, humans are not designed to live in isolation. It is possible for people to live successfully and peacefully together un-der the same roof without talking to one another, but it’s just not possible for people to remain as one-in-love, as husband and wife who are successfully and peacefully married without communication. Hence I say, don’t take for granted the love you share with your spouse by un-dermining your spouse and daring what he/she could do or not do. No human is immune to temptation, what varies is our resistance and what triggers every human to fall differs from time to time. The fact that you met your wife as a virgin does not mean she won’t sleep with another man if she feels unwanted by you. The fact that your husband is a fire brand Pastor does not mean he cannot fall as prey to that church sister if he’s denied the respect and attention nee-ded at home. Believers and unbelievers alike, we are all open to temptations. None of us is strong enough. No! not when we intentionally open our lives to temptations. No goat or dog will break a fence to eat from your farm land if you take the right precaution to deter them. It is true that some people will always be dog regardless of how well they are treated, but at least you’ll be confident you are doing your very best to uphold your covenant, your vow… and come what may, it will always be well with you. Whoever breaks the fence; is who the serpent will bite. Always do your best to ensure your marriage and home stay protected. That’s your calling in marriage, that’s your vow. Flew from all manner of temptation and stay faithful to your partner. Being faithful to the person you’re dating or married to isn’t a favor to them, but an integrity to yourself as an individual. Why cheat on someone you don’t want to lose with Someone you don’t want. Being someone’s first love may be great but to be their last is priceless. Being pretty won’t keep a man, going throu-gh his phone won’t keep him either, in fact it will cause more problems, The only thing that will keep a man is a man that wants to be kept. THE END @Author Marvelous
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