Kim didn’t realize that she had dozed off. When she woke up, it was already past lunchtime. She moaned lazily as she forced her body to stand up. When she looked at the digital clock at the bedside table, it was already 4 p.m. She even forgot to turn the TV off. A late afternoon Mexican telenovela was droning on and on.

Kim felt her stomach grumble. The mere thought that she has slept for six hours made her rise from the alluring bed. Having slept like that made her wonder how emotionally exhausted she really was. Her body never felt the urge to take a rest that long till now. It was uncanny for her to do that. She began to look for Lilly. How could she have left her alone in Gerald’s care while she herself was conveniently sleeping? It made her panic a little bit.

As Kim made her way to the door, she saw a package wrapped in brown paper on the console table. It had a note on it. It said, “WEAR THIS.” Kim was instantly curious. She hastily tore the package apart. What was inside was a white sun dress with bold, yellow flower prints on it. Also there was a Hawaiian lei made of jasmine blooms and a pair of slippers.

“What the heck?” Kim exclaimed inwardly.

Something told her that it had something to do with Gerald’s plans. She hurriedly went inside the en-suite bathroom, took a quick shower and changed into the sundress he provided. IT fitted her to a tee. Her slim figure was perfect for the highly discriminatory dress. Only a small frame can carry a dress like that. She looked at her relfection on the mirror. She wasn't contented. She groaned lightly, trying to put on a light make-up in complete haste.

By the time she was done, it was already a quarter before 5 P.M. She was suddenly upset with herself at how much time she took. When she got out of her room, the whole house itself seemed devoid of any human activity. She slowly made her way to the kitchen but nobody was there. She tried the basement but nobody was there either. By the time she climbed back up the foyer, she found Lilly standing at the foot of the landing, waiting for her.

“Ate, where have you been?” Lilly asked impatiently. She had the same sundress on except hers was of a different color. She looked cute with flowers on her hair. “We have all been waiting for you...”

“Waiting for me?” repeated Kim. “I’ve been looking for you all over the place...”

“We’re there outside, silly.” Lilly answered. She immediately took hold of Kim’s hand, pulling her towards a long hallway that somehow led into an enormous sun room. Glass windows dominated the massive space. However, outside of that room, in what seemed like a backyard garden, Kim noticed a flurry of activity.

Lilly looked up to her with a sly grin. She started to pull Kim towards the garden area.

What unfolded before her eyes was as surreal as it could get. Outside the sun room was a massive kidney-shaped pool. The cool, blue water in it made Kim’s throat dry from just looking at it. She instantly felt the urge to run and cannonball her way into it.

She looked over to her left and there she saw Gerald and Tommy, similarly gorgeous in their board shorts and their smiles. Seeing Gerald in his topless splendour made even drier. He was more toned than she originally thought. They were both busy manning the grill. Seeing her, the two instantly waved back at her.

Little did Kim notice that she was already stepping on sand until a cold, moist feeling envelope her feet. She looked down and there was real white sand on the ground. It looked like as if it wasn’t originally there but was purposely placed there for the occasion. Her mind started to go haywire. Did he do this just for her?

Her eyes began to wander around. There were Hawaiian lanterns hanging from one end to another. On one side, there was a mini-bar which had a number of appetizing, colourful drinks prepared. Surf music was also playing, though she couldn’t quite figure out where it was coming from.

There were a couple of older ladies present that she didn’t recognize. Based on their uniforms, Kim deduced that they were the house servants. They were a bundle of activity. They seem to be bringing in more food from the main house, which made Kim's mouth water.

“So, what do you think?” Gerald said with the widest smile. HE slowly offered a hand at her, helping her way up the sandy mound.

“What is this, Mr. Garcia?” Kim asked back.

“I said HONEY, remember?”

“Okay, HONEY, now what is this all about?” Kim asked innocently.

“Well, this is still part of phase one!” Gerald gleamed.

“You mean to say, you did all these, just for me?” Kim asked, her heart wildly beating in anticipation of his confirmation.

“Yeah, of course, it’s all part of my plan!” Gerald confirmed. “I really thought you’d never wake up...I’m just glad you woke up just in time...”

“Just in time for what?” Kim asked.

“HONEY!...You know you should really start using it more often....”

“Okay, okay....Honey, just in time for what?” Kim said impatiently. “What’s going to happen....”

“Well, as you can see it’s about quarter after five. Sunset is about 5:30. MY wife and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. There, we watched the sunset every afternoon. So, since we can’t go to Hawaii, I thought of bringing it here instead,” Gerald explained.

“So, hence, the need for the sand and all the ts...?!” Kim added excitedly.

“And the dress...” Gerald reminded her. “By the way, you really look beautiful in that dress.”

“Thanks...” said Kim timidly.

“Yep, you got it. This is all part of the plan!” Gerald sighed inwardly.

“Wow, now this is effort!” Kim said, genuinely amazed.

“Now, am I starting to impress you?” asked Gerald mischievously.

Kim nodded, immediately giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. He was pleasantly surprised.

“I thought you said, the more impressed you are, the better the kiss would be?” he asked with a naughty smirk.

“Pick your battles...honey...” Kim said with a laugh.

Gerald just shrugged his shoulders. “Well, you can’t blame me for trying...”

She smiled at him. In her heart Kim would have encouraged him, “Keep trying, my honey. Who knows where that will lead you...” But, of course, Kim wouldn’t dare say it. It remained a fervent wish.

“Now, why don’t we sit over here....I set up a couple of lounge chairs for all of us. When I bought this house, I liked the fact that at this area here, I have a clear view of the sun setting down on the horizon...”Gerald explained as he pulled Kim towards the four plastic lounge chairs strategically arranged to face westward into horizon.

“Can you really see it from here?” Kim asked.

“Yup, see that big, orange ball...that’s the sun...” Gerald said naughtily. “It will make its way down the sea...”

Kim looked at him mockingly. “Of course, I know what a sunset is, silly...”

“Anyway, it’s almost starting. Come on, sit beside me, honey...” Gerald said as he sat on one of the chairs.

Kim readily obeyed him. She sat and laid her back on the lounge chair. In front of her was one of the most wonderful sights she has ever seen. Through the railings that surround the mansion, she had the most amazing view of the setting sun.

“Kids, come on here, it’s starting!” Gerald called out.

The two excited kids made their way to the chairs. They were almost out of breath when they got there.

“Mommy Kim, have you ever seen the sun sleep before?” asked Tommy.

“Yes, Tommy, but not up-close like this...” Kim answered.

Lilly sat beside her while Tommy sat beside his dad.

“Oh, I almost forgot...” Gerald announced. He immediately stood up, hastily making his way towards the mini-bar. When he came back he had four sun-glasses with him. He gave one to each of them.

Kim put her sunglasses on and lay back on the comfy chair. So did the kids. Both of them looked adorable in their colourful, trendy specs. Lilly had purple-tinted lenses while Thomas had a red pair that matched his board shorts. Gerald finally put on his Oakleys. HE was so breathtakingly gorgeous in it. It was like the glasses were made to fit him. Gerald positioned himself comfortably on the lounger, his hands propped behind his head. She could feel her heart pounding crazily beneath her thin cotton dress, especially knowing how dangerously close he was to her. Kim could almost feel his warm breath each time he breathes in, touching the edges of her skin along the way. IT’s good that she now had her shades on, at least she can now steal glances at him without him noticing.

As if in anticipation of huge cosmic event rather than that of an ordinary every day phenomenon, Lilly grabbed her left hand. Slowly, Kim felt Gerald’s hand reach for her right hand. She slowly sat back up. Kim saw Tommy holding his dad’s hand too. She smiled. Upon lying on her back, she took Gerald’s hand beside her. She felt him squeeze it.

Kim held her breath as the sun made its way down the water from afar.... There they were, all four of them holding hands, smiling contently, lying on the chairs with their shades on, watching one of earth’s most spectacular events...like a real family...

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.
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As the sun finally gave way to the night, the rowdy, pseudo-family of four frolicked around the pool. The two kids chased each other with water guns while Kim and Gerald were busy chasing each other too. Gerald was determined to take Kim with him on the pool. Kim playfully tried to escape. Gerald however bear hugged her and took her down in the cold, shivering water of the swimming pool.

They surfaced out of the chest high water out of breath.

“Cheater!” Kim bantered, splashing him water on the face.

Gerald suddenly turned serious.

“Are you having fun now?” said Gerald.

“Yes...I am...” said Kim, raising an eyebrow, trying to gauge his reaction.

He waded in closer. His face now only several inches from hers. He smiled at her, “Yep, not even a hint of sadness in your very pretty eyes...”

“Why, are you not having fun?” asked Kim, to momentarily break his gaze.

“Yes, I... am having fun...” Gerald said non-commitedly.

“Ooops, I hear a major ‘BUT’ coming...” cut off Kim.

“But ...I’m just trying to commit everything to memory right now. The not-so-fun thing about FUN is knowing how fleeting things are sometimes...and how they will soon come to an end!” Gerald said with much meaning.

“So...you mean to say you are somehow sad of the fact that this might end soon?” Kim clarified. “But we hardly even began yet....no wonder you are sad all the time!”

“I know it’s pathetic, but that’s how my brain is wired!” said Gerald, shrugging his shoulders. “I always feel that things are going to end abruptly. That is why I have to hold back at times...”

“Come on, don’t blame brain or your hormones on this...it’s simple...you are afraid to let go...of yourself!” Kim explained.

“Sorry, I don’t understand...” Gerald admitted.

“It’s simple, one can never be truly happy if you have a lot of worries and a lot of inhibitions...you must learn to...let go of yourself!” Kim further explained.

“Sounds simple but it’s a monumental task for people like me...” Gerald said.

“You need to trust yourself more than anyone else...” Kim said. “Letting go of your fears means trusting yourself...even if you get hurt!”

“That’s the problem, Kim...” he admitted. “I’ve lost trust in myself....and I really fear being hurt again.”

“But, you need to trust yourself enough that whatever the consequence of your action is, even if you get hurt, you know deep inside that you can recover...” said Kim. “If you allow yourself to fear the unthinkable, your inhibitions will not allow you to be more than what you can be. You are forever damned to a life of misery...”

“Spoken like a true believer...” said Gerald with a wry smile.

“Yes, I do believe that. You may think that I may be sad now...” Kim explicated. “but the difference between me and you, is this... I truly believe in myself that I can be genuinely happy somewhere down the line. You, Mr. Garcia...you don’t...”

“Ouch...am I that, pathetic?” Gerald said.

“Pigs that are about to be slaughtered have better optimism than you...”Kim joked.

“Is there a way in which I can develop trust in myself right now, Miss Psychiatrist?” Gerald bantered.

“Hmmmnnn...let me think of something.” Kim fiddled her fingers on her jaw, thinking deeply. Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up as if a light bulb of ideas erupted in her brain.

“what is it?” Gerald said. “what is your grand plan?”

“It’s simple...do you know how to do a cannonball?”

“Yeah..???”

“Okay, now this is what we’ll do....” said Kim, pulling herself graciously out of the pool. She has now changed into a bikini. “You stand over there...” she said, pointing to vacant area of the garden, about ten meters away.

Gerald moved over to the area where she pointed.

“Now, you will run with all your might towards the pool...with your eyes closed,” Kim instructed.

“Are you out of your freaking mind?” Gerald said with a nervous laugh.

“NO, no, I’m serious...this is how you develop trust in yourself and in others...” Kim explained. “Now, when you run, leave all your cares behind. And when I say jump, you jump in a cannonball, okay?”

“NO WAY!” Gerald exclaimed. “What if you say jump and I’m not even in the water yet...”

“See what I mean...you need trust...” Kim said confidently. “Do you think I will allow you to get hurt?”

“Of course not...” Gerald said. “What I’m worried of is, what if you miscalculated and I will end up in my bum...”

“Will you go over that freakin’ line or do you want me to drag your chicken over there?” threatened Kim.

“Okay, okay....calm down, I will go now!” said the nervous Gerald. He gingerly walked over to his starting point.

“Ready?...Close your eyes...” Kim shouted at him.

“Ready!” Gerald shouted, crouching slightly for a speedier start.

“Go!”

Gerald ran with all his might....with his eyes closed.

Meanwhile, Kim didn’t realize that Thomas and Lilly had made their way beside her. Thomas tapped her on the side.

“Mommy, what is daddy doing?” asked Thomas.

“Ohh...daddy is just going to...” Kim said absent-mindedly.

They suddenly heard a big splash from the pool! Gerald had already fallen off!

Kim was momentarily distracted by Tommy that she forgot to give the signal at all. She immediately ran towards the pool.

“Oh my God!” Kim said in disbelief, running over to the edge. “Ge, sorry...I forgot all about you...Thomas caught my attention...Ge?”

Gerald lay perfectly still in the bottom of the pool. Kim’s heart started to race. She called out once more, “Ge, are you okay? Honey...?”

“Mommy, what is wrong with daddy?” Thomas said, sitting beside her.

“Ate, he looks...dead!” said Lilly.

“No, he’s not!” Kim anxiously denied.

“Mommy, I think daddy doesn’t know how to swim....” Thomas observed.

“Gerald!” Kim shouted in alarm.

Kim immediately jumped into the pool. She swam her way frantically towards him. She grabbed him by the neck. She tried pulling him towards the surface but her modest swimming abilities couldn’t move him an inch. His eyes were tightly closed. NO bubbles came out of his nose...that meant...he wasn’t breathing.

BY instinct, Kim lowered his jaw lightly started to blow air into his mouth under water. Nothing happened...She surfaced from the water and then began to do another mouth to mouth underneath.

On her second try of the mouth to mout, she suddenly felt his hand behind her head, pressing her head close to his face. She felt his mouth twitch. Now, Kim was the one who was out of breath. She flailed her hands in panic. She then felt his arms go around her waist and he managed to pull her back to the surface and to the shallower part of the pool.

BY the time Kim had her bearings back, the two kids were jumping up and down and Gerald was laughing maniacally. She now was red-faced in embarrassment.

"Nice CPR moves..." Gerald . "I almost felt like I was taken advantaged of..."

“Arrggghhh...you’re so childish!” Kim said in dismay. “You could have died you know...”

“That is why I don’t trust women...” Gerald said intentionally. “The moment they turn their backs on you...you end up smack in the water!”

Kim was embarrassed.

“Sorry...it was Tommy...I got distracted...” Kim murmured. She wanted to cry in shame.

“I don’t trust you anymore...” Gerald said, laughing rushing out of the pool. “Come on, guys. Enough fun...let’s eat.”

Even if he didn’t mean it, Kim was hurt with what he said. For this whole farce to work, she needs him to trust her with all his heart. And now she was wondering if she’ll ever get it back....

.
.
.

After they got dressed into drier clothes, they had dinner outside, on the sand...under the stars. With the accident at the back of their minds, they joyfully ate their delectable dinner composed of barbecued sea food and fresh fruit. At the end of it, their bellies ached from fullness.

The two kids were now having the time of their lives. They danced endlessly to the Hawaiian inspired music. At one point, they pulled Kim and Gerald together, pitting them with one another. This left the two with no choice but to dance too, much to the kids’ delight.

“Will you forgive me now?” Kim said as she placed her arms around his neck.

“Honey, I can never be angry at you...” said Gerald, his finger tracing her nose. “There is nothing you can do that will ever make me hate you. Even if you almost killed me, I still can’t find in my heart to be angry at you...”

Kim was confused. Was he telling her this as his wife or as Kim, herself? She was much too afraid to hear his answer. She feared her poor heart will not recover if he says it was for his wife. She kept her restless feelings inside.

.
.
.

Gerald had set-up a camp fire on the middle of the sandy lawn. The kids sat lazily on a sleeping mat with Kim, they were now almost sleepy.

Gerald immediately thought of something and then stood up near the fire. His eyes never left Kim.

“Thomas, what day is it today?” Gerald asked his son.

“Daddy, it’s Thursday night!” Thomas said with glee, as if he was anticipating something really big.

“What is it that we do on Thursday nights?” Gerald quizzed him.

“IT’s play-acting night!” Thomas said, jumping up and down excitedly.

“Tito Gerald, can I join?” asked the excited Lilly.

“Of course, honey!” said Gerald, his eyes lit up in childlike enthusiasm. “That is why we are here outside, because tonight we are going to do a special play...a play so magnificent, it will make your blood curl...and your hair stand!!!” Gerald said like a crazy, old person.

“Yeheeey!!” the two kids jumped with glee.

“What is this all about?” Kim stood up, sounding a bit sullen, feeling a bit left out.

“Oh, you can join too, honey...” Gerald answered Kim. “You see, every night of the week, Thomas and I do something special together. Monday is storybook night, Tuesday we had that movie night with you, yesterday was dine-out night. ...and every Thursday night, it has become sort of a tradition between Thomas and me to do a dress-up/ play-acting night...here we dress-up to whoever we want and we do our own story together. It takes us to the limits of our imaginations!”

“Last week, I was Harry Potter!” Thomas said proudly, standing in a magician stance. “Alo..alohomora!”

Kim laughed at Thomas’ endearing antics. She turned to Gerald, “Who were you last week?”

“I was always either the villain or the sidekick...” Gerald explained. “Last week I was Ron Weasley. We had Yaya Puring pose as Voldemort and we basically beat the crap out of her!”

Kim laughed until her eyes watered. She imagined how funny it must have been like witnessing it.

“Yeah...Yaya Puring lost all of her powers in the end!” Thomas added.

“Thomas practically chased her all around the house. The old lady almost had a heart attack...” Gerald said animatedly. “Since, I don’t think Yaya would want to join us anymore, Thomas and I are glad that we have you guys here to join us instead...”

“I would like to join too, Tito Gerald!” Lilly said. “Can I be a princess?”

“Come to think of it, Thomas...” Gerald said to his son. “We’ve never had any princesses join our stories before, right?!”

Thomas shook his head. “Yaya Puring is too old to be a princess...”

Kim smiled. How rightfully so that she would be playing the princess’ role. All day long, she was already feeling like a princess in his storied kingdom.

Gerald pulled out from behind the the mini-bar a rectangle-shaped plastic treasure chest. Inside, were a collection of plastic swords, plastic guns, assortment of bows, arrows, wands...

“Props!” Gerald smiled back at Kim. He winked at her.

“So, honey, you would be Princess Jasmine...” Gerald said to Lilly, handing her a plastic tiara.

“Kimmy, you will be Princess Lea...” he said to Kim, handing her a small cape.

“I’m not familiar with this story...” Kim admitted. “Who will you guys be?”

“Thomas, here’s your sword...here’s mine...” Gerald said, passing over a small sword to Thomas. “We’ll be the swashbuckling pirates...that were about to save you two princesses from the evil...giant squid queen!”

“What should we do?” Lilly asked excitedly. “Where should we go?”

“You guys go there, “ Gerald directed. “You two will act as if you were trapped in an underwater cave! So you will shout “Help me...” or something like that. Kim, I’ll leave you two to improvise. Me and Thomas will start from here. When I say action, everyone has to stay in character. I will be the storyteller. Everyone should follow my lead, okay? Everybody understood? ”

“Yes!” all the other three chorused.

Gerald began his story...

“Once upon a time there lived two princesses. Princess Jasmine and Princess Lea. Their father was King Poseidon, the God of the Sea. One day, when the two princesses were on a stroll, they stumbled upon the very jealous Incredible Queen of the giant squids... Tia Pusit!”

The two kids snickered. Kim and Lilly acted as if they were walking aimlessly in their imaginary kingdom.

“The squid queen were so jealous of their beauty that she wanted to kidnap and keep them in her lair. One morning, they walked and walked around their seaside kingdom, they met the squid queen disguised as a mermaid. She lured them to follow her to the sea. Suddenly, from behind them, the squid queen released her black ink, enveloping the two in darkness. They fell asleep...”

The two followed as instructed. Gerald continued...

“When they woke up they were now inside a giant cave. They tried to get out but the caverns were crazily interconnected they could not find a way out. They were trapped inside. It was their prison...”

“Help...help...” Lilly shouted, snickering in between.

“Help, call 911!” Kim guffawed. "Help, anybody, please call the police!"

Gerald didn’t mind them. He went on with his story.

“One day, two dashing, handsome pirates...made their way to the Black Sea! Their big, wooden pirate ship rode swiftly upon the treacherous sea...the very sea where the squid queen lived...”

“Aye, aye captain!” said Gerald, in a cockney accent. "Shall we go rescue the princesses?"

“Bring us to the princess, matey...” ordered the little pirate captain, Thomas.

“Hey! Where’s your parrot?” asked Lilly, interrupting Gerald's narration.

“Yeah, every pirate captain has a parrot!” seconded Kim, laughing warmly.

“This Pirate Captain had no parrot...it flew away because it couldn't stand sea-sickness!” answered Gerald, still in his tell-tale voice. “The squid queen was suddenly angry at the two princess...because they were too noisy...”

Thomas heartily laughed.

“The squid queen decided to turn them into clown fishes!” Gerald announced.

“What? it’s unfair!” said Lilly. “I don’t want to be a fish!”

“Come on, Lilly...it’s just a game!” said Kim.

Lilly pouted at Gerald who was amused as ever. However, she continued on with her role. She was the consummate actress.

Gerald continued with his story with all of his heart and soul...All four of them acted their roles with gusto.

Soon, it was time for the story to end.

“SO, with his very efficient sword moves the Pirate Captain finally defeated the Squid Queen...and now he was free to claim his bride...”

Thomas moved over to Lilly and placed his hand over her shoulder. Lilly seemed pleased.

Thomas gave Gerald a wink. IT was his turn to claim his own bride.

“Now, the Chief Mate’s heart pined for the beautiful Princess Lea. However, this princess was no ordinary princess. She had a heart of stone...” Gerald dramatically enacted, moving closer to her.

“I protest...I don’t have a heart of stone...” Kim said mockingly.

“Suddenly, the pirate’s heart was so consumed with love for the fiery princess...he took her in his arms...”

Gerald, in Kim’s complete surprise, moved over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist...

“The pirate knew that there is only one way to break the stone that caged the princess' heart...” Gerald said, all the more seriously, his eyes never leaving Kim’s bewildered gaze. He moved his head closer to hers, their noses almost touched.

“Kiss her! Kiss her!” Thomas and Lilly shouted, jumping up and down.

“This is not in the script...what story is this...” Kim protested as Gerald dipped her swiftly on her back.

“The pirate asked himself...what should I do? Will my kiss break her curse?” said Gerald dramatically as Kim pounded on his chest in dissent.

“Yes! Yes!” Lilly said, jumping, never ceasing...like a grasshopper!

“Daddy, kiss mommy...NOW!” Thomas added in glee.

Kim eyed Gerald, she lightly said in between breaths...”Don’t you dare...”

“Will you deny the kids a happy ending?” Gerald said naughtily.

Kim didn’t answer. She just closed her eyes. With her heart pounding like crazy, she waited in torturous anticipation of their mouth’s union. He moved his head even closer. Kim felt his warm breath on her upper lip.

Suddenly, Gerald pulled her back up again. “Enough kids, that is it for tonight....upstairs now!”

This left Kim cold and empty. She slowly touched her lip as if there was a sudden coldness on it that needed warmth.

The kids, with their shoulders hung low, pulled off their costumes and glumly placed them on the chest.

“Awwww...come on...what’s with the faces?” Gerald said. “you had your share of fun...”

Suddenly, Kim felt that she needed to do something.

“Wait...the story is not over yet...” Kim said, her lips quivered.

All three looked back at her in shock.

“The princess with the heart of stone cried as the pirate left...”Kim said slowly. “She felt very hurt when he left her alone....”

Picking up her cue, Gerald answered back... “But the pirate felt the princess will not let him kiss her...”

“Truth of the matter is, the princess was genuinely afraid,” said Kim dramatically. “She felt that he didn’t trust her...he didn’t trust his feelings for her...”

Gerald moved in closer. “But the princess was wrong...the pirate trusted her with his life...”

“They were both stupid...” Kim said, laughing lightly.

“Yes, indeed, they were both stupid....” Gerald answered.

Thomas and Lilly gave each other telling looks.

“The princess waited in her castle by the sea, hoping that one day her pirate will come and save her again...” Kim said, looking at him demurely.

Gerald looked at the kids, they give him an okay sign.

Gerald swiftly wrapped his around her and dipped her again. Kim responded with smile this time.

Gerald said... “One day, the lonely pirate came back. He realized his mistake in not kissing her...he vowed to never make the same mistake twice. This time...he will finally save her....”

Gerald, with all his heart, pressed his lips against Kim’s lips. It was a gentle, soft kiss. But, they kissed for almost an eternity.

The kids were almost rolling on the ground from the giddiness....

Lilly announced aptly in the end, “And they lived happily ever after...”

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.
.

Soon enough the kids were asleep. Kim tucked Lilly on her bed. She had a wonderful day. At that point, she wanted to thank Gerald personally for the splendid time they had experienced.

She found him by the den, watching an old movie...

“Hi, “ Kim greeted.

“Oh, hi!” Gerald said cheerily.

“I just came down to thank you for the wonderful evening...in fact, I really had fun all day...”

“Is that all?” Gerald said.

Kim nodded.

“Kim, we’re only on Day One...” Gerald reminded her.

“I know...” Kim said, feeling slightly giddy. "I'm looking forward for tomorrow..."

"Good, tomorrow evening is music night...I have something special planned.."

"I can't wait..." Kim replied happily. “Why are you still here, you can’t sleep?”

“No...I usually am up this late...” Gerald said. “It’s the pills...”

“Pills?” Kim asked.

Gerald pulled out a small pill box from his wallet. “Antidepressants...some of them cause insomnia...”

“Then why take them?”

“Because I’m a wreck without them...” Gerald admitted.

“How do you know...have you been off them?” asked Kim.

“A couple of times...I wanted to but I can't...” answered Gerald with a bit of frustration. “I ended up worse than before I got into it...you see Kim, some of us had to be chemically induced to be happy. My brain cannot function without these bloody things...”

He avoided her pitiful gaze and switched his attention to the TV.

Kim’s heart went out for him. He was silently suffering. Kim can see he was just putting up a happy facade all the time. For his loved-ones sake. Yet, when he was all alone, that is where the real Gerald comes out. The insecure, unhappy Gerald. The Gerald she needed to heal.

KIm needed this Gerald to heal to have him as a whole. As long as he remains broken...his heart will never be whole enough for her to receive.

“Come here...keep me company...” he said softly, his eyes still glued at the television. His stares were blank though. He was in deep, painful thought.

Kim sat beside him...

Gerald nestled his head on her lap. She ran her fingers on his hair. It seemed to comfort him. A few moments later, she felt warm tears dampen her lap. Kim lowered his head and kissed him on the temple.

“Stay...” he said earnestly.

Kim breathed inwardly. If only she could stay forever....