INEXHAUSTIBLE LOVE
Once, Paul married out of great affection and a kind of unearthly adoration. Yet, as the years rolled by, love began to seep out of his householdfirst in small drips, then streams, and at last, a broad river. Not even the arrival of their daughter could stem the tide. If anything, it only grew stronger. Pauls love was soon scattered among fleeting romances, passing infatuations, and frequent dalliances.
Paul neither could, nor wished, to belong solely to his wife. He won over women with the easy charm of a true Englishman, coupled with boldness and some mysterious gifts besides. He scattered his inexhaustible affections everywhere: to the slender and the plump, the fair and the dark-haired, the boisterous and the thoughtful, the married and the hopeful. The women were all too willing to return his admiration.
His wife, Alice, somehow managed to remain blissfully ignorant, or so it seemed; she never nagged him, nor did she throw jealous fits. Indeed, Paul never neglected to give Alice her share of attention.
But then, one day, a woman called Jane brought his tireless affections to an abrupt halt. Jane captivated Paul with both her beauty and wit! With herand only her (if one overlooked his wife)he spent all his leisure hours. Jane was married, though she was forever threatening divorces. Paul became, for Jane, a breath of fresh air and the promise of another world. Their affair endured for three long years.
Meanwhile, Pauls daughter, Margaret, was growing up. Once she finished school, she travelled to America on a student exchange. She never returned to England; instead, she wed an American in Los Angeles. There, she bore three children, and kept so busy that she eventually summoned her parents for help. Her husband, David, had only a fatherMichaelsince his mother had passed on.
Paul and Alice flew out to Los Angeles and for two years dutifully minded their grandchildren. Then Paul began making arrangements to return home to England. Alice was baffledwhy the hurry? Paul offered no explanation and simply slipped away. As soon as he landed in his native land, he rushed to Jane at once.
Well, Jane, Im yours. Life without you is no life at all. Only say the word, and Ill stay. Youve bewitched me, Jane, you truly have!
Paul, have you forgotten? Im still married, you know, and while Im pleased to see you, it can be nothing more, Jane replied.
Paul was unprepared for this flat refusal from the woman he adored. Crestfallen, he returned to Los Angeles, where Alice had made arrangements for her own little surprise.
Paul, Davids father and I have decided to join our fates. Youve not a leg to stand on for complaint, Id think? Im letting you go, free as a bird. Well raise the grandchildren quite nicely without you. And what would you teach them, after all? she said with a mean-spirited glint.
You knew everything, didnt you? Paul asked, alarmed.
Of course! There are always friends about to keep you informed, Alice replied, narrowing her eyes in triumph.
Paul retreated to his house in England, and of course, made his way to Jane once more.
Jane, have you changed your mind? Might we not be together? Paul pleaded, hope flickering in his voice.
No! Youll just go haring off back to America while I stay behind, wondering whats next? You ran off and left me! Do you want to know who pulled me out of my misery? Ill give you a hintmy own husband! Paul, its finished, all of it, Jane declared with finality.
…Rejected as both husband and lover, Paul trudged home and locked himself in for three days, not setting foot outside.
One day, there was a knock at the door. On the step was a young woman.
Good afternoon, Uncle Paul! Dont you recognise me? Im a friend of your Margaret, she said, smiling shyly.
Im well, thanks. You must be Emily? Yes, I remember now… Paul replied, barely interested.
Uncle Paul, do you have any… salt? We are neighbours, after all, Emily said, gathering her courage.
Paul took a closer look at his daughters friend. She was sweet and full of charm.
Well, come in, Emily. How about I make us a nice cup of tea? Paul said, bustling about.
Oh, Uncle Paul! Ive loved you since I was a girl. Youve always been my ideal! Of course, I married, but you always seemed otherwise engaged… But Im persistent! And at last, I have waited long enough!
Paul was fifty-six, Emily was thirty-three.
Now, the young household is expecting a new arrivalPaul paused, teapot in hand, caught between laughter and disbelief. He felt the decades slip away, replaced by the flutter of possibility. Outside, the rain began to patter gently, as if the world itself were ushering in a new chapter.
He met Emilys gazeearnest, expectant, tinged with the bravado of hope. For an instant, Paul nearly reached for his old self: the beguiler, the charmer, the man always ready for a new beginning. But something inside him shifted. Perhaps it was the echo of Janes finality, or Alices steely resolve, or maybe it was simply the quiet weariness of a heart too long in exile.
He smiled, soft but genuine. Emily, life has a strange sense of humor. Would you believe Ive spent all these years searching the world, only to find kindness on my own doorstep? He took her handnot as a lover, not as a lothario, but as a fellow wanderer, lost and found.
They sat together sipping tea, the kitchen suffused with lamplight, two souls who understood longingeach in their own way. Without declarations, without promises, they talked: of Margarets growing children, of memories faded and dreams untried, of second acts and forgiveness. Outside, the rain fell harder, drumming out the ghosts and applause of Pauls past escapades.
And in that quiet moment, Paul learned at last what it was to be truly inexhaustiblenot in the pursuit of love, but in its gentle, unexpected arrival.
