Page 17
“So, she… told me a lie? ”
“I don’t think she meant to do that.” It’s likely that you got it wrong, and she didn’t bother to set you straight.
Again, Raph was quiet.
“Raph, Tonia has spoilt you for the last 15 years with her love. You’ve taken everything she’s given you for granted. You don’t even know how lucky you are. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to be like you.
Raph’s throat felt thick. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.” At first, I didn’t want to. I genuinely did…
“But you still failed, didn’t you? ”
“Sammy, would you have been able to resist if you were in my shoes? We are both men, and you know how much stress I was under…
“I could have,” Sammy said with confidence. “Yeah, I’m a male, and it would have been hard for me to resist temptation too. But I knew that if I passed that boundary, I might never see her again. I couldn’t take that chance.
He then asked, “Raph, would you have done it if you had known that sleeping with that woman would kill you the next day?”
Raph didn’t say anything.
“You wouldn’t. Life is valuable, and no amount of temporary pleasure is worth losing it. You would be scared. You’d run for your life if you saw her, no matter how gorgeous she was.
“You only acted out because you knew Tonia loved you too much to leave. You thought the consequences wouldn’t be too bad, so you hurt her without holding back.”
Raph thought there was a rock on his chest. It was hard to breathe every time.
“You should be thankful that Tonia came to me and not someone else,” Sammy said.
“Grateful? How am I supposed to be grateful? From now on, she’ll be my cousin-in-law. Is that supposed to make it better?” Sammy said, “It’s a hell of a lot better than her sleeping with some random guy. You backed her into a corner. If she had really hit rock bottom and hooked up with some scumbag, can you imagine what could have happened?
“Maybe she would have been sold into s*x slavery, locked up in a secluded village, chained up, and made to have kids. Or maybe someone would blackmail her with a s*x tape, saying that it would be made public online if she didn’t pay. How would she go on living after that?
“So, would it really be so bad to call her your cousin-in-law?”
Raph took a long breath, let his shoulders drop, and smelt like booze all over. “Sammy, you can say all of this because you won.”
Sammy responded, “No one wins here.” “You lost the one who loved you the most. Tonia fought for years to keep from drowning in misery. And me? I wasted 15 years of my life.
“If I had gone after her first and taken her home that night, none of this would have happened.”
“Raph,” Sammy said, “let me give you one more bit of advise. Don’t make things worse.
“Is that a threat?”
“Yes.” Tonia is finally getting back on her feet and beginning over. Don’t bother her or show up outside her building like a lovesick idiot.
“She doesn’t need it, and to be honest, I don’t think she ever wants to see you again.”
Tonia had already shut all the windows by the time Sammy arrived back upstairs. The atmosphere was so warm and comfortable that his glasses fogged up.
Mingol ran up to her, wagged her tail, and begged for her attention.
Mingol licked Tonia, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hey! I just took a shower!”
Mingol didn’t get it. She only knew that Tonia smelt good and that she liked her very much.
The air smelt like citrus body wash and a little amount of steam that was still there.
Sammy took off his spectacles, and because he was so short-sighted, the room became a blur. But he didn’t care. Even though this place was little, it felt like home.
Sammy became Tonia’s personal delivery man from that day on. She didn’t have time to go food shopping, so he made it a point to bring her fresh fruits and veggies every day after work. He would even get Mingol little things for the house, snacks, and toys from time to time.
Tonia lived by herself and could never finish all the food she made, so Sammy was happy to eat the leftovers. Most evenings, he would go home without bothering anyone. But on stormy nights, he would silently go to bed in the master bedroom and sleep with Mingol.
A night of storms that came out of nowhere was the genuine turning point in their relationship. The wind was so strong that it shook the windows.
The new building she was staying in wasn’t doing well. The lift was broken, and the power went out too. The whole flat went dark.
Tonia was very afraid of thunder. She buried herself behind the sheets, but she couldn’t stop worrying about Mingol.
At that moment, Sammy knocked on the door. “Can I come in, Tonia?”
She was so scared that her teeth chattered and her throat was closed so she couldn’t talk.
He told her, “I won’t do anything.” “I’m just worried about you.”
Sammy said, “Mingol is too. She’s been whining,” when Tonia didn’t say anything.
Tonia could hear Mingol’s gentle whimpering. She took a deep breath and opened the door, even though it was dark.
Sammy stood there with Mingol in one arm and his phone torch in the other. The instant he noticed her pale, scared face, his features softened.
He picked up both Mingol and her and put them back in her little bed, where they snuggled under the sheets. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you both.”
Tonia had no idea when the storm was over. She just knew that when she woke up, Mingol was cuddled up in her arms and Sammy was next to her.
Mingol was a soft ball of fluff in her arms, and Sammy’s warm, firm chest rested against her back.
Tonia was like the bacon in a sandwich, perfectly placed between the two. But she had to agree that this warm, stifling feeling was nice. It made her feel needed, loved, and cherished without conditions.
They were the things that Raph had never given her.
“I don’t think she meant to do that.” It’s likely that you got it wrong, and she didn’t bother to set you straight.
Again, Raph was quiet.
“Raph, Tonia has spoilt you for the last 15 years with her love. You’ve taken everything she’s given you for granted. You don’t even know how lucky you are. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to be like you.
Raph’s throat felt thick. “I didn’t mean for it to happen.” At first, I didn’t want to. I genuinely did…
“But you still failed, didn’t you? ”
“Sammy, would you have been able to resist if you were in my shoes? We are both men, and you know how much stress I was under…
“I could have,” Sammy said with confidence. “Yeah, I’m a male, and it would have been hard for me to resist temptation too. But I knew that if I passed that boundary, I might never see her again. I couldn’t take that chance.
He then asked, “Raph, would you have done it if you had known that sleeping with that woman would kill you the next day?”
Raph didn’t say anything.
“You wouldn’t. Life is valuable, and no amount of temporary pleasure is worth losing it. You would be scared. You’d run for your life if you saw her, no matter how gorgeous she was.
“You only acted out because you knew Tonia loved you too much to leave. You thought the consequences wouldn’t be too bad, so you hurt her without holding back.”
Raph thought there was a rock on his chest. It was hard to breathe every time.
“You should be thankful that Tonia came to me and not someone else,” Sammy said.
“Grateful? How am I supposed to be grateful? From now on, she’ll be my cousin-in-law. Is that supposed to make it better?” Sammy said, “It’s a hell of a lot better than her sleeping with some random guy. You backed her into a corner. If she had really hit rock bottom and hooked up with some scumbag, can you imagine what could have happened?
“Maybe she would have been sold into s*x slavery, locked up in a secluded village, chained up, and made to have kids. Or maybe someone would blackmail her with a s*x tape, saying that it would be made public online if she didn’t pay. How would she go on living after that?
“So, would it really be so bad to call her your cousin-in-law?”
Raph took a long breath, let his shoulders drop, and smelt like booze all over. “Sammy, you can say all of this because you won.”
Sammy responded, “No one wins here.” “You lost the one who loved you the most. Tonia fought for years to keep from drowning in misery. And me? I wasted 15 years of my life.
“If I had gone after her first and taken her home that night, none of this would have happened.”
“Raph,” Sammy said, “let me give you one more bit of advise. Don’t make things worse.
“Is that a threat?”
“Yes.” Tonia is finally getting back on her feet and beginning over. Don’t bother her or show up outside her building like a lovesick idiot.
“She doesn’t need it, and to be honest, I don’t think she ever wants to see you again.”
Tonia had already shut all the windows by the time Sammy arrived back upstairs. The atmosphere was so warm and comfortable that his glasses fogged up.
Mingol ran up to her, wagged her tail, and begged for her attention.
Mingol licked Tonia, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hey! I just took a shower!”
Mingol didn’t get it. She only knew that Tonia smelt good and that she liked her very much.
The air smelt like citrus body wash and a little amount of steam that was still there.
Sammy took off his spectacles, and because he was so short-sighted, the room became a blur. But he didn’t care. Even though this place was little, it felt like home.
Sammy became Tonia’s personal delivery man from that day on. She didn’t have time to go food shopping, so he made it a point to bring her fresh fruits and veggies every day after work. He would even get Mingol little things for the house, snacks, and toys from time to time.
Tonia lived by herself and could never finish all the food she made, so Sammy was happy to eat the leftovers. Most evenings, he would go home without bothering anyone. But on stormy nights, he would silently go to bed in the master bedroom and sleep with Mingol.
A night of storms that came out of nowhere was the genuine turning point in their relationship. The wind was so strong that it shook the windows.
The new building she was staying in wasn’t doing well. The lift was broken, and the power went out too. The whole flat went dark.
Tonia was very afraid of thunder. She buried herself behind the sheets, but she couldn’t stop worrying about Mingol.
At that moment, Sammy knocked on the door. “Can I come in, Tonia?”
She was so scared that her teeth chattered and her throat was closed so she couldn’t talk.
He told her, “I won’t do anything.” “I’m just worried about you.”
Sammy said, “Mingol is too. She’s been whining,” when Tonia didn’t say anything.
Tonia could hear Mingol’s gentle whimpering. She took a deep breath and opened the door, even though it was dark.
Sammy stood there with Mingol in one arm and his phone torch in the other. The instant he noticed her pale, scared face, his features softened.
He picked up both Mingol and her and put them back in her little bed, where they snuggled under the sheets. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you both.”
Tonia had no idea when the storm was over. She just knew that when she woke up, Mingol was cuddled up in her arms and Sammy was next to her.
Mingol was a soft ball of fluff in her arms, and Sammy’s warm, firm chest rested against her back.
Tonia was like the bacon in a sandwich, perfectly placed between the two. But she had to agree that this warm, stifling feeling was nice. It made her feel needed, loved, and cherished without conditions.
They were the things that Raph had never given her.