Saturday Short Story: Amal By Nadia B

 

Amal

By nadia b

 

Her marriage was on the brink of disaster and Amal was trying her hardest to save it. Her friends could not understand why; she would be far better off without Alan, the world’s biggest philanderer as far as they were concerned, but she was just not letting go.

 

Amal sighed when she thought of Alan. He was her Achilles heel. Amal, beautiful Amal who had everything going for her – she was successful, a great mother, daughter and friend. She worked very hard at her relationships and she hated the idea that she had failed as a wife. She hadn't.. Alan had failed as a husband and as a father, but she could not get her head around that.

 

Alan had not been her great love...that had been Declan. Her childhood love. She had known him from the time she could remember as their families were great friends. They had grown up together. Many holidays had been taken...the beach, the mountains....it had been a wondrous time. And if they had ended up together it would have been quite the perfect love story! They had started dating when she was 16 and she remembered it so clearly...she sometimes wondered if he did. The time he asked her to be his girlfriend, the first time he kissed her as they were walking down the beach… sweet, innocent love. She loved him more, she knew that. And the physical attraction was heady. But they never went beyond kissing and caressing. She would have...but he treated her as if she was fragile and precious and somehow couldn't get himself to cross that line with her even though he badly wanted to. Maybe he knew that they were young, there future together uncertain and he didn't want to risk losing her. They had been together for a while before they both set off to explore the world, hungry for what they thought the it had to offer. He moved away and in time, they lost touch.

 

Years had passed and Declan had moved back. He had been extremely successful in his work and had now decided to return and see what he could do in order to give back to his country. Amal couldn't wait to see him. It had been some time since they had met and she wondered how he would be. By this point she had separated from Alan but was working on reconciliation; not because she missed him, but she wanted the children to have their father in the house. Alan of course was not showing any inclination to be back in the marriage in the way being in a marriage is. His philandering would never stop.

 

Declan, single and happy with his life, arrived at Amals home. Wearing dark jeans and a white polo, his face shadowed with a slight tan, he looked gorgeous. He was used to women, young and old stopping in their tracks as he passed them but he did not take himself seriously and that was half his charm.

 

He hadn't given this meeting or Amal much thought…there had been so many women, that he couldn't remember details of how it had been with Amal. She had been his first love of course and he remembered with a smile how young they were and that euphoric feeling of the first time you fall in love.

 

Amal was wearing a red Moroccan kaftan generously embellished with gold and her long hair was kept in place by a gold hair band. Clear skin with dark eyes, she looked breathtakingly beautiful. She shot out into the garden when she heard him and flung herself into his arms. He laughed and lifted her up, her joy so infectious! As he brought her down, they embraced as any old friends would, but the embrace lingered and he tightened his hold on her. Her stomach constricted and as she looked up at him... he kissed her gently on her lips...and she thought, was her first love going to be her mid life saviour?  She quickly pulled away and embraced him again hoping to lighten the moment and the moment seemed to have passed...

 

Trouble, Declan mumbled into her hair...she stepped back and said if there was to be trouble..it would be him. And in that one sentence, she put out distance and acknowledgement for both of them. But, Declan had fallen hopelessly, in that very moment where he saw her running towards him and when she was in his arms, he knew he would never let her go, again.

 

They spent the day together in deck chairs in her poppy filled garden under a white cotton lace canopy. They caught up on each other’s lives. There were silences too...which gave them time to pause and take in each other and in their minds eye remember their time together all those years ago. Which they did, with hearts that wondered...The air was taut with love, attraction and a certain peace.

 

Day turned into dusk and as the glorious sun was setting he had to ask her about Alan. They had skimmed the topic of her marriage earlier, not wanting to bring in heaviness into this perfect day...but the time had come and Declan asked her where she was in her marriage. Amal's mood immediately shifted, she said she did not want to discuss this and then went on to call it an evening saying she had to go and meet her father. She got up, clearly indicating this day was over for them.

 

Amal had dinner with her father, Nicholas whom she adored. From a strong parent- child relationship they had become the best of friends and if there was anyone she would discuss her most personal troubles or joys with, it would be him. As she sat down with him, he could tell she was distracted. On asking her if she was okay, she looked at him with worried eyes and said Declan was back and that she had spent much of the day with him. Her father smiled. He had always adored that boy. As a child and then as a young man they had spent a lot of time together and he had always wished that Amal and Declan would end up together. Declan had been the son he never had, and now with Declan back he wondered where life would take Amal. He worried about her. Not wanting to probe, he knew Amal would tell him in her own time. Declan had called him on arriving and they were going to be lunching together tomorrow. He was looking forward to it.

 

Dinner was lovely as usual but Amal continued to be distracted and Nicholas didn't question her further. They discussed work and her young children who he loved.  After dinner, while Nicholas was sipping on his cognac and Amal her espresso, Nicholas casually told Amal to join Declan and him for coffee after their lunch. Amal nodded.

 

Declan couldn't sleep all night and was impatient to meet Nicholas. He had been like a second father to him all his life and they had kept in touch over the years. He wanted to ask him about Amal and Alan. He had heard that Amal was trying to work on a reconciliation and that gutted him. Tossing and turning all night all he could think of was Amal and he hoped that they had a chance to be together.

 

Lunch was at the private members club that Nicholas and Declan had always lunched at and Nicholas was so happy to see him. What a fine young man he had grown into. A son every parent would be proud of. Some of the older staff were there and remembered them with much affection, their monthly lunches where most thought they were father and son. Nicholas asked Declan how work was and Declan discussed his plans with him and also said he wanted him to be part of what he did in whatever capacity Nicholas could. Nicholas said he would always be his mentor but Declan needed to have younger people in this new philanthropy project he was working on.

 

The first course of steak Au poivre was served, with a glass of crozes hermitage both their old favourites and as Declan cut into his steak, his emotions got to him. He put his fork and knife down, looked across at Nicholas and said, tell me about Amal.... I need her to leave Alan. I need her with me.

 

Nicholas was startled at this emotional outburst. He cautioned Declan to go easy. That Amal for some inexplicable reason was holding on tight to the marriage and Declan needed to respect that. No, she did not love Alan, but she had some strange idea that the failure of the marriage was her fault and she needed to work it out.

Nicholas did not want to give Declan any more details...it was not his place to do that. Nicholas also knew that his daughter would not start a relationship with Declan while she was still with Alan. For by doing that, she would be no better than Alan.

 

As they were having coffee, Amal entered the dining room wearing a short emerald green dress with many rows of black baroque pearls and black sandals. She looked at Declan and her heart stopped and her body tingled with the sense of him. She couldn’t trust herself. She kissed her father, nodded and smiled at Declan and sat down. The staff knew that she would have the same steak as Nicholas and Declan and she usually had the same wine so they came to her to confirm that. She smiled and said no, she would today have a glass of their best champagne. Her father was surprised and when the champagne came she looked at both of them, raised her glass and said, she had filed the papers for her divorce that morning....