The man had a horrible mask over his face and his breath rankled of liquor.
“You,” he hissed at Mickey who was cowering in fear at his feet, “get those ropes!”
Mickey looked up to him, with soulful, teary eyes
“Go on, or I’ll tie you up with your oldies.”
“I can’t reach them, “ the boy was sobbing . The masked man pointed the gun at Mickey's temple. “Move!”
There were muffled cries at the other end of the room.
Mickey stared at the masked intruder. He had to pretend he was utterly terrified or he and his parents would never see the light again. He had to!
If he could only inch farther into the other side of the bed where the security camera and alarm were, they would have a good chance of catching this thief and prevent future victims from falling prey to his ploy. He had masqueraded as a minister asking for donations! The nerve! Mickey stood up on wobbly feet and slowly inched forward.
He had played games on his computer where he was the hero, and he felt this was his chance to become a real one. He deliberately tripped himself and wailed painfully as he crashed to the cold floor.
“Get up, you useless moron!” the intruder shouted ominously.
But Mickey refused to move, feigning injury.
The irate man swiftly covered the distance and yanked Mickey to his feet. By then, the boy was an arm’s length from the security alarm. Just as the man was about to smash his head, Mickey deftly pushed the alarm in one smooth movement, and the ringing bell echoed through the neighborhood and at the police station where it was constantly monitored.
“Run Mama, Papa run,” Mickey urged his parents to seek refuge.
The man stood frozen for a moment, undecided on what to do, and Mickey took that chance to kick him hard in the groin. As the man writhed in pain, Mickey pulled the mask off the his grimacing face, the man snarled and cursed under his breath.
The three ran out to freedom!
The sound of the siren was getting nearer, but they kept running. They only stopped when the police car became visible on the road.
Of course, the intruder was no longer found inside the house. People thought, he would never be caught. But because of Mickey’s smart moves, they were able to identify and catch the thief within an hour after the incident.
The security camera had a good picture of the thief’s face! Thanks to brave Mickey!
By Jena Isle “Will you marry me?” he asked breathlessly. Her smile was like the sun breaking through the darkened sky.
“Yes,“ she said, and their hungry lips met to seal their undying love for each other.
What a wonderful love story!
I closed the book and stared dreamily at its cover. There were two figures blissfully entwined in a tight embrace.
Alas! I sighed. Real life stories usually do not have “happily-ever-after” endings. Broken families around me were enough proof of that. I would rather fantasize about my “knight –in shining armor” through the novels that I read than be part of the drama in real life.
July 01, 2000:
Life is one big irony; however, for on this day, I said goodbye to being single. I understood then what lovers meant when they said that “Smoke gets in your eyes” or that “Love is blind.” Indeed, I was so madly and deeply in love with Jayson, that I opted to be “blind” to the uncertainties of the future and was willing to “cross the seven seas” for him. So on this glorious day, we exchanged marriage vows and it was the start of a new life for me.
August 23, 2004:
God had blessed us with two bubbly kids: a boy and a girl. They had their father’s chinky eyes, thick eyebrows, obstinate nose; each complemented all the other facial features to almost perfection. I was thankful they got nothing from my plain looks.
As I had forseen, married life was a bed of roses - with countless thorns. It entailed lots of sacrifices: I was expected to do all the countless household chores even if I had an 8 to 5 daytime job: in the office –piles of paperwork , screaming deadlines, tumultuous meetings; then when I went home – smelly diapers, baby tantrums, sleepless nights and many more. There were also times that I would have to tolerate my husband’s behavior. When he came home from a drinking spree with his comrades in uniform, I would patiently sponge his body with lukewarm water. These were all the sprinkles of salt that had made my married life more meaningful. I had no complaints because I knew these were all part of the package.
June 03, 2006:
Life though had so much more in store for me, for on this fateful day, I sat staring dazedly at the phone. I tried to control the spasms of sobs that rose to my throat. We had three kids by then and they were joyously romping with their father in the backyard. I thought my Calvary was over when Jayson was acquitted from a “robbery case” and was eventually reinstated in the military service a year before, but how wrong I was! Here was another tempest about to wreak havoc in my family.
“Jayson told me that we’ll be together soon,” she had purred into the phone. “A few more years perhaps, until your youngest is of an age to understand.”
I believed her then, for she had known a secret which I had always thought, only I and Jayson knew about.
I did not have enough courage to confront Jayson. What I knew was that I still loved him with the same intensity, after all the years that had passed. Did he still love me? I wanted to ask him then but whenever I started to do so, my eyes would brim with tears and a lump in my throat would choke my words. So, whenever he caught me teary-eyed, I made plausible excuses.
“We are on red alert. I won’t be coming home tonight, please go to sleep early,” he would say, during the nights he was not able to come home. I convinced myself that he was telling the truth, but now and then I would catch a whiff of a woman’s perfume on his shirt.
The kids were unaware of my Calvary, however. They adored their father and he loved them in return, that I wallowed alone in my misery. I consoled myself by reading the Holy Bible. “Love beareth all things…”
September 18, 2006:
During the past two years, my heart became numb with pain from the constant calls of his mistress. I suffered in silence, ignoring his late –nights out, his missing shirts, and the indications of his infidelity. My love for him and our children was greater than my pain. You may call me a fool, but the happiness of my children was foremost in my mind.
But that day, the woman called, “We will be starting a business, do you want to be our guest?”
A nerve snapped in my head and that did it! I had had enough of this BS!
When he came home that night, I confronted him and had hoped to high heavens, that he would deny my accusations, but all I got was the silence of acceptance. I pounced at him when he attempted to take me in his arms and snarled vicious words at him in my anger.
That night after the kids slept, I slept in a different room for the first time. I prayed so hard for divine guidance. God help me to be strong! When morning came, Jayson acted as if nothing happened and I joined his charade in front of the children.
December 24, 2007:
My husband urged our youngest son to light the Christmas candle. We all cheered when it exploded into a kaleidoscope of colors.
“Happy new year!” Jayson kissed and hugged me tightly.
Our children trooped to kiss and hug us both.
I gazed happily at the family that I had fought tooth and nails to keep whole. I thank my lucky stars my love for them was great enough to weather the storms that had crossed our path. I thank God for making me realize that the painful events that occurred were just some of the crosses I have to carry stoically, for they will all come to pass.
It was difficult at first to forgive Jayson when he had pleaded for forgiveness. He realized that he had to choose between his family and his mistress and that he could not have both.
We had moved to another town to start anew , and it was all worth it. The woman attempted to call Jayson several times through his cell phone, but he ignored it. He decided to change his number when it was evident, she would not stop. She was an ardent pursuer –that woman! Any man could fall into her claws just because of her persistence. I thank God, we were able to evade her venomous reach.
Happily- ever- after endings do happen in real life. It takes TRUE LOVE, understanding, and forgiveness to be able to achieve it.
I’m happily snuggled up with my husband right now, as I write the draft of this story. He’s contentedly watching our children opening their gifts.
