We
search for the right mate, hoping for a long life together. However, this might not be
the easiest task.
Then,
one day that special person enters our life. At first, our world seems wonderful, but,
as time goes on, things change and we ask, . . .
“Did I Marry My Mother?”
She
looked at me with daggers in her eyes. I didn’t know why. I cringed, not
knowing what to do. We’d been married for almost six years and I thought she was
the one.
But now I
was unsure. I gasped for breath. “If I did something wrong, how can I make it right?”
I uttered.
“Make it
right? You shouldn’t have made it wrong in the first place, Daniel.”
“What did
I do?”
“Are you
saying you don’t know? What are you—a little child who needs to be taken by the
hand to ensure you stay on the right path?”
“No, I’m
not a child. But I’m confused, Jessica.”
“About
what?”
“What you
think I did. I thought we had a good marriage.”
“A good
marriage? How did you come to that conclusion?”
“Because
my mother taught me to do the right thing. It was the only way—her way.”
“I’m not
your mother. In my mind, you erred big time. So why should I forgive you?”
“You may
not be my mother, but you sure do sound like her—bossy and controlling.”
“Well, maybe
that’s what you need.”
“No, I
need you—the beautiful, enchanting woman I met six years ago.”
“You’re
making me sound like I’m a princess from a fairy tale. Live in the real world,
little man. Life is not fantasy.”
“God, I
can’t handle this anymore.”
“You’re
free to go. Just disappear from my life.”
And so I
did. I drifted into a sea of loneliness. Yet this is not what I wanted. My
world had been turned upside down. Apparently, I’d dug a hole from which I had
to climb out. Just thinking of how to do this scared the hell out of me.
Well, it
is said, “Time heals all wounds.” Ten months later, with Jessica buried in the
depths of my mind, I emerged from the pit I was in, scrubbed the dirt from my
body, and began life again.
“Daniel.
Daniel,” a soft alluring voice chanted.
I removed
the pillow covering my eyes, as I lay in bed, and looked around the room, but
saw nobody.
“Daniel,
grow up and become the man I raised you to be.”
“Mom? Is
that you?”
“If you
don’t know, I’m not going to tell you.”
“But
you’re dead. This is a dream, right?”
“If it’s
a dream, why are you talking to me?”
“Did you
break up my marriage?”
“What are
you implying? You think I don’t want my only son to be happy?”
“Well,
no, but . . .”
“But
what?”
“You and
Dad broke up.”
“So. He
never listened to me.”
“But I
did what you did. . . . I broke up.”
“You
never listened to me, either. Just do what I say, not what I do. Marriages
should last forever.”
“But . .
.”
“There
you go with the ‘buts’ again. You never pay attention.”
This
conversation was getting ridiculous. I have to make her go away, I
thought. But how? Clear my head. It’s all in my mind. Yes, that’s it. “Goodbye,
sweet Mama.”
To my
amazement, I began to feel better. I listened, but didn’t hear anything. It’s
over, I believed, and my new life is about to begin.
I
dressed, ate a small breakfast, and got ready for work. A new day was mine to
behold.
The wind
blew through my hair, as I walked down Adams Avenue toward the office building
where I worked. I was blessed to have a good job. Unlike marriage, at thirty, I
was a successful Junior Marketing Executive, respected by both my bosses and
colleagues. If only I could market myself in the same way I did our company’s
products, I knew I’d find the love of my life.
I opened
the building’s large double doors and walked toward the elevator. As I reached
for the “Up Button,” I saw an attractive woman’s image reflecting back at me
from the mirror surrounding the buttons. She looked familiar, but why she did,
I had no idea. I turned to see who she was, but she was gone. How she
disappeared so quickly bewildered me.
When I
got off the elevator on the sixth floor, I heard someone call my name. The
voice sounded female. And I believed I’d heard it before. However, when I
turned, all I saw were three men I didn’t know.
I decided
I wasn’t going to let these events bother me. My future was ahead of me and I was
going to jump each hurdle placed before me with grace.
Entering
the offices of Lockman, Warner, and Pride, I was greeted with a smile and a
warm, “Hello,” from each employee I encountered. My future was bright.
As I sat
at my desk, my secretary, Melinda, poked her head into my cubicle. “Daniel,
there’s a young woman asking to see you. I have no idea who she is and she
wouldn’t give me her name.”
“Tell her
I’m busy and have her make an appointment.”
“I
already tried that, but she wouldn’t do it and insists on seeing you now.”
“Well,
then send her in.”
“All
right. But you’re sure it’s okay?”
“Is she
attractive?”
“That’s
not my call to make. And she’s wearing large sunglasses, so it’s hard to see
her face.”
As
Melinda left, I sat staring out into the open area in front of my cubicle and
awaited the mystery woman’s arrival. I had no clue what she might want or what
to expect.
Minutes
turned into hours. Hours into days. Days into months. Months into years. And the
mystery woman became my wife.
But
Angelica was not my angel. She controlled my every move. She hung a report card
on the refrigerator, with grades for how I treated her—what I did right and
what I did wrong. It was clear I was never going to graduate from her marriage
academy.
I was
devastated. I moaned, “What did I do to deserve this?”
“You
really don’t know, do you?” Angelica said.
“I keep
trying. I thought you were the one—my forever angel. But . . .”
“There
you go again. Every statement you make ends with a ‘but.’ You never make a
final decision—draw a conclusion we can agree on.”
“But I am
your husband and we are . . .”
“Nothing,
unless you become the man I want you to be. Unless you listen to my every word,
do as I say, and make the world a better place for me, you are still a little
boy.”
“But . .
.”
“Enough
with the ‘buts.’ You never pay attention. I’ve had it with you.”
I bowed
my head. Not knowing what to do or say, my body quivered out of control. I
didn’t know what I had done to deserve this.
And then
Angelica bellowed, “Just leave me alone. Come back when you’ve grown up and
maybe we can work this out.”
“Okay,
mommy,” I whimpered.
“I’m your
mommy, not her,” a voice echoed in my head.
“Is that
you, Mom?”
“Who else
would it be? I thought I taught you to be smart.”
“But . .
.”
“There
you go again with those ‘buts.’”
“Grow up
my little man. Angelica is the younger me. Treat her as your angel and all your
dreams will come true. She will groom you to be the man you were meant to be.”
“Why?”
“Because
I said so.”
“How?”
“In my
way—the only way. And no . . .”
“But . .
.”
“I told
you, no ‘buts.’”
No longer
confused, I knew I’d married my mother.
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