Please, Remember The Bench (BY: Book 3)

An Old Friend

Stef's POV

I woke up that morning, feeling sick, and like a part of me went away when Lena did.... It wasn't like the other times. No, this time when she left, it broke something in me, like... it hurt so much more than the other times. It was almost humiliated if I'm honest, because I was begging her, my wife, while I was naked in our bed, to stay with me, to make love to me and for just one night, forget about her job and focus only on me, on us. I begged, and she left anyway...

Now I can't deny that our marriage is in big, big trouble. And the worst is that usually, I'm the one in denial of those things, and Lena is the one waking up before me AND waking me up, but this time... it's different. She's the one in denial, and no matter how hard I try to open her eyes, she doesn't hear me. She's the one in denial this time, and I really don't know what to do.

I feel like she thinks that everything is okay, that I'm okay, that all of this is just little arguments, but it's not, at all. We're in bad shape, and if she doesn't get it together soon, we might, in fact get a real divorce and a very real separation this time, because I'm exhausted.

I'm exhausted to feel like this, so alone, I'm exhausted to feel like I don't matter, like me and Kamaya are not even one of her priorities. And this, I mean this very thing, could crush our little girl pretty hard, and that I refuse to let happen.

Breaking the news to Kamaya that Lena was gone this morning was hard enough. She literally cried, and I didn't really know what to say to her for I understand her, she wants her mother, and I mean, just like most of our kids, she has abandonment issues, and Lena should take that into consideration, she really should. She used to be the best at this, she used to be the best of the two of us, and I've always love her a little harder for that, but where is that woman today, I have no damn idea.

After trying to comfort my daughter, I took her to school where she manages to cry once again... it literally broke my heart and after that I'm angry, I'm so angry at my wife and I'm not sure that she knows how sick of her behavior I am.

Now I'm on my way to the store to pick up a few things and maybe find something that Kamaya really, really like to try to cheer her up even though I know that it won't be enough.

I was in the wine section when I hear a voice behind me.

"That one is actually really bad, you should try this one."

And as I turn around, I'm very much surprise to see none other than Tess... I mean since Lena explodes on her at our front door once, we never saw her again, and I was in such a state at that time that I was very much glad for that.

However, now it's water under the bridge. I went to enough therapy sessions to fix my issues in regard to how I once felt about her in high school. I even come to term with admitting that what I felt for her wasn't just a crush, that I was very much in love with her, and that she was indeed my first love.

It wasn't easy to work through all of that, but Lena was so supportive and understanding, and just... just perfect that I fell even more in love with her in this rough journey of feeling happy with myself again.

"Oh wow, Tess! What... what are you doing here?" I can't help but ask.

"Well, nice to see you too, Stef." she replied teasing as I felt instantly a little bit embarrassed, but she diffused it pretty quickly.

"I'm just kidding. And I actually live here. I've been doing my groceries shopping here for something like seven years now." she says as I literally widen my eyes, for I didn't expect that.

"Oh really? How come we never dumped into each other, I've been living here for 5 years, and doing my groceries shopping there as well. That's crazy!" I exclaim, for I really didn't saw that one coming.