An unknown time passed by and Aaron was still curled up on the floor. He had not moved an inch from his position. He had let Sara beat him up. He could fight back but then Rock was also there so he let her vent her angst on him. Deep down, he was aware that he deserved every bit of the beating that he got and some more. But he was not willing to admit to that.
His pride won't let him do that.
Pride, is the sole reason for many people's downfall. Many of them won't admit that they lack in any aspect. Some won't accept that other people can be superior to them. Some would not acknowledge their own mistakes.
Aaron ticked all of the above boxes. He was too prideful and a jealous person. He was competitive but also looked down on others. His snob nature was well hidden and others could not easily detect it but the same did not apply on Shirley. She knew him too well to see his true nature.
But she has accepted that she used to say that nobody is perfect and each flaw made a person unique in its own sense.
He stood up, wincing when he pulled a sore muscle. His eyes were filled with guilt of getting carried away with his imagination. Shirley has never done anything that made him upset, especially intentionally. Yes, they fought but afterward, they would make up. She hated cheaters to the bone. So how could he even think of her doing it when he knew that she loathed even the idea of it?
It was only a moment of weakness that yielded this disastrous result. He had heard those sounds and he was enraged. He was not thinking clearly, he was hurt, so he concluded the worst. He argued, how would he know that she was making him a present?
But was it really that, what he called a moment of weakness?
Infidelity is not a casual label that one can easily slap on others. It comes with irrevocable consequences. But he had nonchalantly declared her the culprit. He looked at the table full of dishes. He did not think but slowly sat down at a chair and picked up a fork. With trembling fingers, he lifted up the lid and put it aside. Taking a forkful of the cold meatball and spaghetti, he started to eat.
He was hungry and food was there, so, why suffer? He could still taste the unique flavor that the meat carried. She made this recipe in her own way so that even after keeping it the refrigerator for days the meatball would still be soft and chewy. He slowly took a mouthful after mouthful from every dish placed on the table until his stomach shouted otherwise. His heart felt bitter and remorse reflected in his eyes. But he still refused to acknowledge his wrongdoings.
He had wrongly accused her. But that was not all, he had slept with someone else, caught red-handed by her and then badmouthed her to his fill. He had not stopped to think that all of this might be a misunderstanding.
He could hear all the foul words that he said to her. He felt bad about every single one of them. But what could be done now. Like a house of cards blown away by the gust of wind, his relationship had been destroyed. He could not blame anyone but himself, but he was not willing to admit it.
He was sad that he has ruined what his mates felt jealous of. They had envied his relationship with Shirley, saying it was too good to be true. He never listened to their words but every time someone said anything about his relationship- the trust she put in him, how they were a perfect couple, etc. His chest would swell with pride.
But now she is gone. She did not say goodbye in person.
She at least should have explained to him face to face that she had not cheated on him. Aaron was angry, if she had explained then he also had told her why he did all of this. He was not happy with what he did he reasoned with lies. Again he was blaming everything on her.
He still did not understand that he has hurt him too much and she did not want to see him.
She has only left, for now, she will be back, he thought. He would talk to her and then explain that he made a mistake and he was sorry. He only did what he did because he had misunderstood her and was angry. She should have explained everything to him sooner. But now everything is in the past. She would forgive him and then they would be back together. He decided to leave for his place as tomorrow he had to report about his trip to the boss.
He packed the remaining dishes and left. He has not realized that what he did cannot be forgotten so easily let alone forgiven. His heart knew about his mistakes but he was not ready to admit them, but for how long? Sooner or later, he would have to agree to his wrongs. Truth to be told, that day is not that far.