Chocolate Umbrella

Chapter 2 - Chocolate Umbrella

Chapter 2

October 2004

It was raining so heavily that night. The hard and brittle rain drops were pounding on the roof. The violent sound it made together with the roar of the thunders woke Emile, though he usually slept like a log. He reached out beside him, expecting to gather Alena against him, only could he find a cool pillow next to him. He gently rubbed his eyes and reached for his glasses on the bedside table. Still quite disoriented from sleep, he shook his head and steadied himself as he got off the bed. He quietly walked down the hall and saw the dim nightlight from Candy's room, while her door stood ajar. He gently opened the door a bit more and peeked inside.

"Alena?" he whispered very quietly, worried any noise would wake up the precious baby.

"Ssh." Alena replied and gestured her hand as if to urge him from entering the room. She continued softly humming the familiar lullaby that she always sang to Candy before bed.

Emile leaned by the door, not knowing what to do. He could stay right where he was and played the role of a supportive husband. Or he could go back to bed and had a full night rest, knowing that Alena would not accept much help from him in this kind of situations anyway.

Since Candy was born, Emile would occasionally find that he was being left alone in the bed in the middle of the night. He sure appreciated that Alena seldom bothered him during sleep and would take care of Candy by herself. But he also missed those nights when he could have Alena all by himself.

Perhaps Candy needed the sleep as much as her parents, she quietly drifted back to sleep when Alena quietly laid her back onto the toddler bed. Alena quickly walked out from the room and pushed Emile out of the way. She gently closed the door behind her and hauled Emile back to their room.

"The storm woke her?" asked Emile when he climbed onto the bed.

"Yea, it is just too noisy tonight." Alena sounded so tired. She had been up for almost half an hour since she heard the first cried through the baby monitor.

She patted her pillow, trying to make it comfortable. "Another sleepless night", she quietly murmured and lied flat on the bed as if every piece of her bones needed to be supported by the mattress. The way she was holding Candy in the rocking chair was not very comfortable. Her back was aching and her arms were sore.

Emile reached over and gathered her against him. "Love you." Closing his eyes, he gently kissed her cheeks and snuggled her tightly. He longed the moments when he could hold her tight through the night, having her all by himself.

"I can't move. You are crushing me. Can you move over?" Alena did not appreciate this bear hug. She needed the space to turn and to toss. She was desperate to get back to sleep. Thinking Candy would probably wake up early the next morning, it just made her more anxious to catch up her sleep.

Emile quietly released his arms and turned away from Alena. He was hurt and felt rejected. He shut his eyes tight and hoped this feeling of hurt would pass. Where was his once sweet and loving wife? The one who made him laugh? The one who made him excited? The one full of surprising insights and could carry out a heated discussion on anything? He missed her. He missed his life partner.

Ever since they met in school, Emile and Alena spent most of their lives together. They went to school together, stayed after school in the library together and spent most of the weekends together. They worked in the same companies throughout their careers. Though they were on different teams in the companies, their circles of friends were the same. Emile always felt that Alena was truly his best friend and lover. She knew him inside and out. Her way to dissect office politics and company problems was not only fascinating, but also fed onto him such that he could develop his views on various situations with more breath.