A bed of trials episode 3
A Bed Of Trials (episode 3)
The fastest way to kill a person emotionally is to rub their weakness to their face and constantly remind them of their failures. No one wants to be reminded of a pain they are already aware of and secretly battle with on a daily basis; especially if this mockery is coming from someone in their inner circle that ought to comfort and lessen the pain. Olivia crossed the line when she reminded her husband that he was jobless, only because he made a mistake no one was above making. It’s understandable that she was upset due to the fact that Edward lost her money but that wasn’t enough to unleash such derogatory words on him. Without knowing, she had successfully worsened his depression and had created a looph0le in their marriage for the devil to come in. However, it’s refreshing to see that she was now remorseful of her actions but saying “sorry” doesn’t automatically erase the wound her words had inflicted on her husband. Too bad!
As Olivia apologised to Edward with tears flowing from her eyes, he lifted up his head and looked into her eyes. It was at that moment that she realised that there was tears in his eye too, and on seeing his teary eyes, her heart dropped. “Baby I didn’t mean anything I said to you earlier, I was just angry at the moment and wasn’t aware that I had crossed the line. I take back everything I said and beg you to forgive me. Please babe, don’t cry because my heart can’t stand to see those tears in your eyes” she soberly said.
Without utterly a word, Edward stretched forth his hands and gave Olivia a tight hug. Immediately his arms wrapped around her shoulders, she burst into tears and locked her arms behind him back. They both knelt on the floor as they sobbed uncontrollably. Edward tried to console and assure her that everything was OK but that didn’t help to calm her disrupted emotions. Unable to get her to stop crying, he held on to her tightly and shed a few tears too. It was such an emotional moment for the couple as they reminisced on all they were going through. However, it’s a relief that Edward forgave Olivia but the sad truth is that it was hærd for him to forget all the demeaning things she said to him earlier while they were arguing. The nail had been removed but it sadly left a h0le in his heart. This is why words are powerful and should be thoroughly checked before it leaves your l-ips.
After that day, the couple became extremely careful with their words and actions. Olivia tried to make it up to Edward by treating him to a sumptuous meal and it worked because they happily ate together and talked about the good old days. As time went on, Edward slowly began to let go of every hurt he harbored in his heart for Olivia and prayed to God to help him forget about the negative memories that lingered in his mind. Despite still being slightly depressed, he began to look at life from a new place of gratitude. Whenever he was down, he remembered that a living dog is better than a dead lion and this inspired hope in him.
It’s been a while since Olivia’s mother came to stay with them and it was sadly time for her to leave. Edward rallied around to raise money to buy her some gift as a token of his appreciation for the immerse help and assistance she had rendered to them since the birth of their daughter. It was such a delight for the elderly woman to receive the send-off gifts from her son-in-law and she blessed him from the depths of her heart before saying “Goodbye” to the couple.
With Olivia’s mum gone, all hands were now on deck to fill in the void she left. They were still not financially ready to get a helper so that meant Edward had to work even h-rder to ensure that his wife and baby were stress-free and well taken care of. Luckily, they had a washing machine so it was easy to do the laundry. He would tidy the house and help Olivia in the kitchen every day. Despite going through a tough time, they still managed to be happy, contented and in-love.
After about six month later, Olivia had to return back to work so that meant Edward spent most of his time babysitting. He loved it because it gave him enough time to bond with his daughter. While Edward stayed home babysitting, Olivia was doing all she could to ensure that she secured a good job for him. She pulled all the strings she could and exhausted all her connections but it seemed as though the wh0le universe was against Edward getting a job that was befitting to his standards and qualifications. Everything began to get tiring but she wasn’t ready to back down anytime soon.
“Baby how did it go?” Edward asked one evening his Olivia returned from work. She took a deep breath and sighed in disappointment; “I just don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know why securing a good job with all my powerful connections just seems impossible all of a sudden because it’s my husband who needs it. Honestly babe, I am getting tired and don’t know what to do anymore. The agent you rented the real estate agency office and cafe space from just called to inform me that your rent will be due soon. I don’t see how you can pay to retain the space when you haven’t even profited a dime for those businesses. Everything is just happening at once and it’s a bit frustrating” she sadly said.
When Olivia was done talking, Edward was silence for few seconds then broke it. “Babe I think it’s time for me to come down from my high horse and accept these less qualifying offers. At this point, I see no reason why I should continue waiting for a befitting job offer that might never come. I can’t keep on letting you carry these weight alone so it’s time I put a stop to this joblessness” he said. When he was done talking, Oliva’s eyes opened and she suddenly became interested to know what job he wanted to settle for. “Babe which job offer do you intend accepting?” She curiously asked, “the only one available now is my friend’s fish farm business. He owns a big fish pond and has been asking me to come work with him. I have always declined but I don’t think I have a choice anymore” he revealed.
Immediately Olivia heard that her almighty corporate business husband was about to work in a fish pond, she lost it. “Baby I can’t support such job. No no no!! Babe please don’t stoop so low from your level, I know I am sounding spoilt but it’s because I don’t know how to accept this news” she said. Despite understanding where Oliva was headed with her disapproval, he didn’t let that get in the way of his decision. “Babe don’t sound this way, fish farming is a very lucrative business and even pays more than those that put on suit and tie every day. Most of these fish farms make a lot of profit and I stand a chance of getting paid handsomely. I can’t continue to sit home and wait for a high class job when I can soil my hands and make good money. This joblessness can’t continue now our daughters is here. Whenever God decides to hear my cry and come to my aid, then fine but till then, I have to do something” he calmly said.
It was when Edward finished schooling Olivia properly that she began to see things from a different light. Deep down in her heart, she was low-key happy that her husband was taking such a bold step and it made her heart glad. She got up and planted a soft k-ss on his l-ips with a smile on her face; “I trust you” she said and pecked his forehead. That k-ss was enough to ginger Edward to conquer the world. He was glad she wasn’t against his decisions and was now on his team. “I love you so much that it hurts” he said and reciprocated the k-ss. “I love you more” Olivia replied and locked her l-ips with his.
They k-ssed passionately for as long as they wanted and began to car-ss each other. Olivia smiled as Edward touched her and it suddenly dawned on them that they had been so caught up with their problems to the extent that they forgot how much they missed each other intimately. Actually, Edward hadn’t touched his wife since she gave birth and also few months before then. He missed and wanted every bit of Olivia; some with her.
From k-ssing to car-ssing and finally to taking each other’s clothes off. Olivia held Edward extremely tight with her arms and locked her legs behind his wa-ist. He s-cked and held her br-asts that were heavy due to br-ast milk but no one cared. Olivia mo-ned in excitement as she ran her fingers through his hairs. They made love like they hadn’t done in a long time before the cry of their daughter brought them back from cloud nine. However, the little moment they shared together was priceless and it seemed as though it was a sign from God that the fish farm work would bring good fortune and blessing.
Few days after the couple spoke about the job offer, Edward resumed work in the fish farm. To balance their new lifestyle and make it work, Olivia had to hire a nanny since her husband was now working. She managed to take out some money from the household expenses to fund the nanny. Everything suddenly felt as though it was going to get better and that hope kept them happy despite the hurdles they encountered on the way.
Back at the fish farm, Edward was doing great and was picking up fast. He began to fall in love with the business and usually looked forward to going to work every day. The change in Edward’s attitude made Olivia’s heart glad and gradually restored the spark in their marriage. However, Olivia’s happiness knew no bound one fateful day she returned home to a surprise.
It happened that Edward made some money after a month of working in the farm. The joy he felt when he collected his paycheck was next to none. The first thing he did was divide the money into three: one for savings, one for buying his wife and baby a gift and the other for buying food items for the house. On his way back from work, he drove to the grocery store and bought the food items they were lacking at home. When he arrived home that day, the smile on his face beamed as he carried the items into the house. Olivia wasn’t home yet so it gave him some time to surprise her.
Few minutes after Edward returned home, Olivia’s car drove in and she was glad to see her husband’s car parked in their compound. As she walked towards the door, she was only expecting to see her family and had no idea that her husband had done something he hasn’t been able to do since he lost his former job. Immediately she entered into the house, the first thing she received was an unexpected k-ss from Edward. It was surprising especially when she saw the smile on his face too. “Babe why are you so happy?” She happily inquired and Edward gave a her nice shopping bag to open. When she opened the bag and saw a nice dress, her face instantly Lit up. “Awwn, babe you shouldn’t have” she said as she blushed. Without uttering a single word, he guided her to the kitchen and immediately her eyes saw the food items, she jumped for joy. “What!! Babe what’s going on?” She happily inquired as she looked through the bag of groceries. It wasn’t too much to cover the house for a month but it was the thoughtful gesture that mattered.
Mesmerized and grateful, Olivia gave Edward a big hug and happily said; “Thank you so much babe, I am grateful”.
End of episode 3 😉
Stay tuned tomorrow for the next episode to see what happened next.
✍🏼 Written by Sonia Okehie