FICTION

A Return Back to Love — Part 1

A Love Story: The process is not always easy, but it’s always worth it in the end…

It was a Tuesday when they met.

Alyssa and Pete, the all-American couple.

They met seven years ago when she was 21 and he was 25.

He was driving by in a hunter-green, old-school jeep.

She was on foot, walking her dog, with two of her girlfriends.

He drove by and was blown away when he laid eyes on Alyssa. So he circled back around the block, slowed down, and motioned for her to come over.

Alyssa slowly, shyly made her way over to the car. It was love at first sight. They went to the movies later that night and were glued at the hip from that point on.

Alyssa was definitely attracted to his lean build, massive chest, and broad shoulders. But it was his welcoming smile and pretty white teeth that really did it for her.

His olive-toned skin which glistened in the sun was only icing on the cake. And Pete wasn’t just handsome, he was also charming. He laid the flattery and the compliments on pretty thick, and she was hooked.

Alyssa was pretty fit as well.

She was of average height, but her long legs made her appear taller. She had mid-length brown hair and a shy, flirty smile. Her bronze skin nicely complemented Pete’s olive tone.

Everyone that saw them together always mentioned how cute they were together.

So after seven dates and a lot of conversations (over the phone and in person), they mutually decided to take it to the next level.

So she moved in with him after 7 dates and a whole lot of in-depth conversations.

It was bliss in the beginning. They had so much fun enjoying each other’s company.

They both worked throughout the week, but they enjoyed eating dinner together in the evenings while watching their favorite TV shows. On weekends, they would go out to eat, hang out at their favorite jazz club, or just sit at home on the couch binge-watching Netflix movies.

It was great…

Until it wasn’t.

Eventually, the 7 dates turned to 7 years, the bliss turned to bland, and the passion turned to passive indifference.

Now they were like two ships passing in the night, with no set mission, no gps, and no direction…

Just existing.

Holding on to something that once was.

She wasn’t really sure when it started or why.

Maybe it was when he took on that extra position at work, or after he started taking all those business trips, even on the weekends.

Or maybe it was when she put on those few extra pounds which had crept up to 35 extra pounds.

It seemed he just didn’t look at her the same way.

Now here they were, after seven years, at a crossroads, trying to decide if it was even worth it anymore.

Alyssa stood looking at her reflection in the full-length mirror. If she was honest, she didn’t love the image she saw staring back at her.

Pete was away on yet another business trip, so she was taking advantage of this alone time to really analyze herself without Pete’s prying eyes.

If she was brutally honest with herself, she had to admit that she was not at all happy with what she saw.

Between work and trying to balance the responsibilities of being a wife and maintaining a home, Alyssa had started to put her needs last.

Being a lawyer, she worked a lot, all the time, really. So instead of making home-cooked meals for herself and Pete, she often cut corners by heating up TV dinners.

And although she was a faithful member of her local gym, and paid the fees religiously, between work, overtime, cleaning, paying bills, and squeezing some time in for Pete, she was way too exhausted to even think about going to the gym.

And other areas were suffering as well. Their once hot and heavy, spicy sex life was a far cry from the glory days when they first got together.

Their motto of doing it anytime and anywhere had now turned to let’s see if we can schedule it in.

Yes, it was a far cry indeed.

When Alyssa thought about it, she became very depressed.

And now, as she stood in front of this full-length mirror, the weight of it all just became too much and the tears started flowing…

Slowly at first, and then, like a raging river.

Staring at her body only added to the misery.

It was another reminder that she wasn’t happy, her life was out of balance, and her marriage was falling apart.

The 35 pounds she had put on was her mortal enemy. The unwanted flesh reared its ugly head in places it had no business being.

It attacked her whole body and settled into the once dainty, once delicate curves she once loved.

Her once svelte and slender physique would now be considered stocky and chunky.

The tiny, cinched waist for which she received so many compliments was now far from it.

And her tummy, which once bore sculpted abs, was now covered in mounds of jiggly flesh.

It was just all too much to bear.

The tears came down even harder.

In the back of her mind, she wondered…

How did I get here?

Could things get any worse?

Does Pete still love me?

How can we get things back to the way they used to be?

Who am I really without him?

How do I get myself and my life back on track??

The following morning Alyssa woke up with heavy eyelids and puffy eyes. Her eyes were red and irritated from crying all night.

Pete was back from his business trip.

That morning, when she entered the living room, Pete barely spoke a word to her.

After taking the time to consume a light breakfast consisting of a muffin and some blueberries, she chugged down her third cup of coffee and mustered up the strength to say, “Pete we need to talk.”

“Talk? About what?” Pete replied, annoyed.

“About what? Seriously?” Alyssa’s response reflected her frustration and the fact that she was losing her patience.

“Yeah, seriously.”

“How about the fact that I barely see you, and we hardly ever talk anymore.”

“Talking is overrated,” Pete responded in a flat, dismissive tone.

“Overrated?!?!” Alyssa belted out. The dismissive indifference with which he spoke those words made Alyssa furious. The indifference was worse than anger. Because in her mind, indifference simply meant you no longer cared.

“Look, I just got back. I’m tired and drained. The flight was three hours long. I just need a little downtime right now…some time to destress,” Pete replied, making eye contact so as to reassure her that he was serious. “Just give me a few hours, and we can talk over dinner this evening.” “Deal?”

Alyssa reluctantly replied with a faint, “Deal.” But she knew all too well the risk she was taking agreeing to talk later. With Pete’s busy schedule, anything could come up at any given time. And she had the sneaking suspicion he liked it that way (just another reason to avoid her).

So Alyssa tried to be understanding and go on about the business of her day. She took a shower and washed her hair.

It was a Saturday, so there was no shortage of things to do. She needed to wash clothes, change the sheets on the bed, clean the bathrooms, and go grocery shopping.

It would definitely be a full day, but she looked forward to spending time with Pete and having a much-needed talk with him in the evening.

After a few hours of downtime, Pete said he was going to meet up with friends for a few hours to catch up. Alyssa didn’t mind because she had some running around to do as well.

After cleaning all morning, Alyssa hopped into the car to go grocery shopping. She had a detailed list and she was in and out.

As she hopped back into the car, she heard her phone beep signaling an incoming text message. Her heart dropped a little because she sensed it would be disappointing news. And as she clicked the message and read it aloud, her suspicions were confirmed.

Sorry, can’t make it tonight. Carl got food poisoning and I had to drive him to the hospital.

“Hmmm…food poisoning,” Alyssa spoke aloud to herself. “Ok, but he’s a grown man, and no one else could take him…??”

It all seemed very random and didn’t make sense to her. But she was used to it, unfortunately. And while she suspected Pete could be cheating (because there was just way too many coincidences) she didn’t have any proof, and she couldn’t bear to bring herself to believe that it could actually be true.

So, Alyssa sat in the car for a few minutes calming herself down and bracing herself for yet another lonely night even when Pete was in town. She clicked on the ignition and slowly drove off in a dust cloud of gloom and disappointment…

…Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon…

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