ENDURING LOVE
Once, Paul wed Rebecca in the bright flush of youthful passion and mutual consent. Yet, as the years slipped by, that lovefirst trickling, then coursingseemed to ebb steadily from Pauls marriage. Even after their daughter, Hannah, was born, that gentle stream didnt cease; in fact, it soon swelled into a rushing river. Pauls affection splintered into fleeting affairs, passing infatuations, and frequent, fiery crushes.
He found himself unwilling, and frankly uninterested, in belonging solely to his wife. Women were drawn to Pauls easy charmhis audacity, confidence, and something more elusive. Paul freely scattered his seemingly boundless affection far and wide: to the slender and the plump, the fair and the dark, the bubbly and the quiet, the married and those still searching for their fate. Women often returned his affections.
Rebecca, however, seemed blissfully oblivious. At least, she never raised an accusation or delivered any wild lament. Besides, Paul still showed her the attentiveness a husband should.
But one day, this torrent of uncontrolled passion was halted by a woman named Angela. She captivated Paul with her beauty and her wit. He spent all his free time with Angelaaside from what remained for his wife. Angela had a husband herself, whom she occasionally threatened to leave. To Angela, Paul was a breath of fresh air, an entire new world. Their affair lasted three years.
Meanwhile, Pauls daughter Hannah grew up and, after finishing school, left for London through a student exchange programme. She never returned to the English countryside. Instead, she married an Englishman named George in Manchester and had three children. Her life was full of responsibilities, and soon she called upon her parents for help. Georges only family was his father, Charleshis mother had passed away.
Paul and his wife travelled to Manchester to help with their grandchildren, spending two years as doting grandparents. Eventually, Paul grew restless and prepared to return to Sussex. Rebecca was baffled. Why leave now? Paul offered no explanation and flew back home, heading straight for Angela.
Well, here I am! Theres no life for me without you! Just say the word, my dear Angela, and Ill stay for good! Youve bewitched me.
Paul, have you forgotten? Im a married woman, still am. Im glad to see you, but thats all…
Paul hadn’t expected rejection from his beloved, and having been rebuffed, he returned to his family in Manchester. But his wife had prepared a surprise for him.
Paul, Charles and I have decided to tie our futures together. I dont think you have any right to complain, do you? Youre free to go wherever you wish. Well raise the grandchildren without you. And what could you possibly teach them? Rebeccas voice dripped with a quiet triumph.
So, you always knew? Paul asked, taken aback.
Of course. There are always people willing to let slip a secret or two, Rebecca shrugged, her eyes twinkling with victory.
Paul went back to his old house in Sussex, andas if by habitsought out Angela once more.
Have you changed your mind, Angela? Maybe we could finally be together? he pleaded, clinging to hope.
No, Paul! Youd flit back off to Manchester on a whim, and Id be left to regret it? You ran away from me once. Guess who helped me through it? My husband did! Paul, its over, Angela replied firmly.
Rejected both as husband and lover, Paul trudged home. He shut himself inside and didnt step into the garden for three days.
Then, there was a knock at the door. On the doorstep stood a young woman.
Good afternoon, Uncle Paul! Dont you remember me? Im Hannahs friend, the stranger beamed, blushing slightly. Hows she doing?
Shes well. Youre Mary, arent you? Of course I remember Paul answered, though indifferently, stifling a yawn.
Uncle Paul, do you have any salt? You are my neighbour now, the young woman ventured, finding her nerve.
Paul looked more carefully at his daughters old friend. She was genuinely sweet and charming.
Come in, Mary. Lets have some tea, Paul said, suddenly bustling about.
Oh, Uncle Paul, Ive loved you since I was a girl. Youve always been my ideal man! I married in the meantime, of course You were always attached to someone or other. But Im persistent! And at last the time is right.
Paul was 56; Mary was 33. Now, a new and younger family awaits a little one of their own.
Sometimes, what seems endless can shift or run dry, yet lifeunpredictable as the English weathermay surprise us with a chance for true connection when we least expect it. Its never too late to find meaning in love, or to learn that loyalty and honesty are worth more than fleeting passion.
