The Marriage Martyr

You actually left me to be my brother-in-law. Life can be such a cruel joke sometimes.

Marriage is the union of two individuals. It is the term for the legal tie between loving couples. Why then do I see you sleeping on the couch most of the time instead of the bedroom you share with my sister? What about those sleepless nights where I share worried glances with my mum, as raised voices echoed from your shared bedroom?

Despite our painful past, you still sought refuge in my company. You would confide in me over cups of coffee, just like the old times. You never did understand did you? That we could never return to the time we were just best friends. I do not wish to anger my sister too. You are already a married man and have commitments. Misunderstandings occur frequently and it is mostly your fault. Anyone would think we have a weird relationship. It is not strange for her to misunderstand the countless lazy afternoons we spend together in our special café chatting together.

She cried in the kitchen while preparing dinner again. I do not have the strength to reject you each time you ask me out for our usual black café au lait at the nostalgic café nearby. It hurts me however, when I hear the pained sobs while she sliced the onions for the omelette she was preparing for your fourth wedding anniversary.

That night, it was the usual scene once more. She broke down in the corridor, while you apologized repeatedly for forgetting how important the day meant to her. I saw something died in her eyes, when you stopped and left to go for a midnight stroll, with a last ‘sorry’ and a promise to be back after buying a cake to celebrate the occasion.

She turned to look at me and pleaded with me, not to snatch away her husband anymore. She could not bear to continue fighting for your attention with me, your best buddy.

You have always been the one closest to me - even closer than my sister. You always understood me. You read me like an open book. Maybe it is time we stop our friendship, just like how we ended our relationship as a couple six years ago. This time, instead of you leaving me, I should leave, in my last bid to give you two my blessings; and to save this frail marriage. 

Reviews

[Edmund Jonah]

If you're looking to be published, you should not excuse yourself for grammar errors. You have one or two. Correct them.
As you have written this, it is not wholly credible. The problem is, we cannot see the man and wife clearly. i'm not sure if the wife is a whiner or the husband is a b*****d. In these short pieces, your characters have to be crystal clear. Otherwise the story does not hold up. What's lacking is motivation. We don't even know what the sister tells her ex-lover and present brother-in-law when they go on their outings together. Does she condone his behaviour or what? You can see why I could not relate to your story. You need to clarify a ot and give it more punch. You do know how to use words, so - Happy Writing.

[Jas Alejandrino Ramos]

a good story....nice work:)