Redeemed By Love

Flora's life had been one of a constant battle against the absence of love in its truest forms. Abandoned as a child, she had gone through survival mode in a series of joyless foster homes, she thus grew up with a very hardened heart and a sense of self in all she endeavored to do, believing that love was only but a fleeting illusion that made people act illogically. Against all odds, she forged her own path in life and business, building a successful career and surrounding herself with lots of material accomplishments. She took a lot of pride in the things she could accomplish for herself and never failed to flaunt it in the face of all she came across.

The walls she both meticulously and unconsciously fabricated around her heart and her life served her so well that no man could come even close to getting her attention talk more; her love. In fact, her success she believed; even served as a better scare to many she thought to herself every night in her bed. Cedric served as a project consultant on a project she had recently begun and for some weird reasons, she could not take these lingering thoughts of him out of her mind. Work schedules meant they spend hours together and were very soon sharing meals together as well. Flora had now grown fond of Cedric and couldn’t do anything about it. She lately spent countless hours awake because; when she closed her eyes to sleep, all she could see was Cedric’s well sculptured physique, his pearly white smile and the cool waft of his musky cologne messing with her head.

There were some nights that Flora could feel his presence strongly in her bed. She had on countless occasions; dreamily turned, stretched forth her arm to hold Cedric only for her arm to return to her with a handful of her own Duvet. Cedric with time realized the effect his presence had on Flora and thus consciously made it a practice and increased his visibility. He was of a tranquil persona and acted so composed and calculatedly. Flora fell deeply in love with him as she could no longer bear the burden of holding back on how she felt for him. She desired and yearned for this man so badly it made no sense to her. Her defenses had totally failed with this man. She had lost all semblance of sanity around him and was in for the long haul. Her attempts to see sense was blinded by her hearts doubts guzzled up by belief and the possibility of experiencing love. Flora with her guard totally let down, opened her heart for the first time in ages to let Cedric in.

It was a fairy tale kind of love with princes and princesses walking about in castles making merry and seeing the world as and when they pleased. Every day was fun packed; long walks at the beach, long drives at the country side stopping over at countless resorts to enjoy private moments, you name it. It was so surreal and yet Flora never did want to wake up from this Dream. Twelve weeks into the relationship and they had moved in together; things were moving so fast, the relationship got serious and intense, the hand of destiny was just at play. Flora was returning earlier from a business trip just to put up a surprise for Cedric when she realized that his car was already parked in the driveway. All fired up, she quickly threw her bags onto the couch in the living room and stripped into the red lingerie she had purchased on the trip. She grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses from the bar and tiptoed silently towards the bedroom.

Flora flung the door open and in her sexiest voice, hands stretched and bottle of champagne pouring, whispered “Baby…” Her words suddenly got stuck as the muscles in her throat constricted, the bottle of champagne together with the glasses came crashing to the floor. Her knees felt like jelly and began to wobble, she reached out quickly to grab the doorpost for support. She was just not quick enough and so her body slumped and came crushing to the floor with the last image in her mind’s eye being Cedric’s sweat drenched body kneeling in a ‘doggy style position’ behind her own intern Magdalene. When Flora woke up, she was tucked in the sofa with Cedric sitting across from her looking all scruffy with his head buried in his palms. She quickly sat up and Cedric to his feet. In a swift motion he moved towards her but was met with a stinging slap right across the face. “Just get out” was all she could manage to say as she passed out again.

It was not until a quarter past midnight that she woke up. Cedric still sat there but this time, at a farther distance. When He noticed she was awake, He said, “Look, I just wanted to make sure you are okay” He got up and went through the door leaving his keys on the kitchen counter. It was obvious now that Cedric's love was only a smokescreen, a well thought out maneuver to gain entrée to Flora's wealth and accomplishment. He had callously exploited all her vulnerabilities, leaving her so shattered and broken. The world, the wall and the security systems she had carefully built around her had crumbled when he came into his life and now all she felt was an eerie feeling of naked vulnerability, leaving her on the brink of despair.

Lost and on the verge of giving up on life, Flora found herself in the most unlikely of places. A very small, smelly café tucked away in a forgotten corner of town. Here she would sit for hours unending staring into inconspicuousness. Whenever she came to self, she would gulp down the glass of whiskey in front of her and raise her hand to order another glass. This had been her routine for the past eight weeks and counting. Today she has already gone beyond her daily limits and the bar tender noticing this, wondered how she would even get to her car. Oliver, a gentle soul with eyes that held a spark of compassion and understanding for whatever she was going through could no longer bring himself to sell alcohol to her again.

Cedric, was a kindhearted artist with a zest for life, he worked in his spare time at the café and had noticed this new patron who would over the weeks walk into the café early and stumble off in the wee hours of the night drunk and looking totally spent. Observing her for some time now, he saw past the invincible walls Flora had erected around her. Intrigued by whatever her pain was, he approached her this evening with empathy as she signalled to him for another round of shots and sternly said; “I am not selling anymore whiskey to you tonight Madam” with the intent of offering a listening ear and a shoulder to lean or cry on, He was caught off guard with a resounding slap and yell into his face; “Who the Hell do you think you are, my husband…?”. Cedric had experienced his own share of heartaches in life, his patience, kind heart and understanding persona would soon resonate deeply with Flora’s wounded soul. He Overcame his shock and just smiled as she unconventionally broke down and wept like a baby spilling it all out to this stranger, how unfair life is to her, how nature abhors her personality and why she thinks life is not worth living anymore.

Flora woke up the next morning to the smell of eggs, the sizzling sound of bacon on fire and a heavenly whiff of freshly brewed coffee. Her senses returned to her as she immediately realized that she was in a different and an unfamiliar environment. She lay in the bed of a very minimalist studio type apartment that looked so well kept and had a lot of order. She noticed amazing scenic paintings lined up by the wall and one which was obviously still in production on an easel. This was certainly an apartment below her standards yet it felt so warm, cosy and surprisingly comfortable to her. She immediately tried to reconfigure her thoughts to understand current her situation but her thoughts returned blank until she they were suddenly brought to an abrupt end when Cedric walked in and smiled at her. He was clean shaven, had an athletic build and looked the height of a basketball star. Her jaws dropped immediately as she had a quick flashback and recalled seeing his face before. She knew him from the café.

“Wait a minute, you are the bar tender from the café, What did you do to me... Did we…. What is going on here?” she looked under the duvet and noticed that she was wearing only her Bra and panty. She automatically grabbed it closer upon noticing that she was half naked. “What did…?” she asked. Cedric apologized and explained that she had passed out during her last drinking spree and nothing he did could get her to disclose her address after she had been revived. He had no choice other than to bring her over to his place in order to make sure that she was safe. He assured her that nothing untoward happened and that he would never take advantage of a woman especially when she is in the state she was. At this moment, Flora felt a bout of pain course through her head that made her want to smack her head. Cedric smiled and pointed out a glass of water and some pain killers set besides the bed. She gingerly swallowed the medication and gratefully finished the breakfast that was served her in bed for she was famished.

“What time is it?” she asked as she opened her eyes and saw Cedric sitting by her bed reading a Novel. He took a glance at his watch and said “just about time you got out of bed, took a shower and come over to the table for dinner”. Immediately after the breakfast she had slept off again. “I am so sorry, didn’t you have to go to work at the café or something?” Flora asked with a puzzled look on her face. “I called in and took the day off, I was not sure about leaving you all alone here” He answered. “And Oh! I took a quick dash to the shop to get you some change of clothes, they are on the dresser in the bathroom. I just hope they are a good fit.” His last words were drowned by distance as he disappeared into the other corner of the apartment but she was sure she heard something about bathing and dinner will be served in 20minutes. Flora got out of the bed and found her way to the bathroom praying all along that he would not have any plan of walking in on her as she took her bath.

Dinner was just magnificent. It beat every bit of her imagination. She expected it to be good because the breakfast had been perfect, she however didn’t expect his cooking to hit every nerve in her body. They had ate dinner in silence, excepting the noise of their cutlery having intercourse with their plates; one could only hear the sound of pleasant embarrassment whenever their eyes met across the table as well the loads of unspoken questions and answers thereon. Flora's voice finally cut through the silence “I am really sorry for being a bother to you, thank you for everything. I will get ready and leave your hair but would want your account details so that at least I can send you something for all the inconveniences especially your loss for not being at work today.” He just smiled and said calmly. “No one is chasing you out. I however do think that it is kind of late and you still need a bit more rest to get all that whisky you ingested out of your system. And… don’t mention payment to me again” She heaved a sigh of relieve and lowered herself back in her seat for she didn’t really wish to leave. At least not now.

They spent time together that evening making small talk and getting to know each other, Flora strangely felt that there was still the possibility of unimaginable love in its purest form out there. She didn’t know this man from never yet, she had become so comfortable around him and conversation was coming naturally to her as she had never experienced before. It was like their souls connected at a certain frequency. Only a few hours together and they realized they shared a lot of things in common. They had begun to finish off each other’s sentences already. Flora was trying so hard to wake up from this dream if it was indeed one, she tried to pinch herself and remind herself of her recent pain and anguish, she was more than convinced in her mind that all men are snollygosters and yet here was Cedric, who showed her there was beauty in vulnerability, teaching her that her true strength lay in opening herself to the possibility of joy and connection. He nurtured her broken spirit, patiently mending the pieces of her shattered trust.

With Cedric by her side, Flora felt a new sense of serenity, reassurance, peace and realized that she didn't have to face life's battles alone. He became her rock, supporting her as she rebuilt her life from the ashes. He was very simple and unassuming as she would later discover to her surprise that, Cedric actually owned the café and a couple of others yet none of the staff nor managers even knew who he really was. He always maintained a simple outlook to life and living. Together, they created a sanctuary of love and compassion, where the wounds of the past could heal and the seeds of a new beginning could sprout.

As Flora embraced Cedric's love, she also awakened to a renewed sense of purpose. Their bond became a catalyst for her to extend kindness and empathy to others who had experienced similar pain and betrayal. Together, they embarked on a journey to make a difference, using their shared experiences to bring healing to those in need. Flora's life, once filled with darkness and despair, had taken a turnaround and now flourished with the vibrant hues of love and redemption. She realized that her past struggles had prepared her for the profound joy she found in Cedric’s arms and equipped her with rich experiences to share and help coach others going through same. Their love story became a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love’s unexpected connections.

In Cedric, Flora found the love she had never expected throughout her tumultuous life’s journey. He became her guiding lighthouse, leading her out of the shadows and into a future that was filled with the warmth of unconditional love and three beautiful babies that she would love and hold so dearly. Flora made it a point everyday to look Cedric in the eye and whisper "I Love You" for the rest of their lives.