Giving A Chance

Aisha shut her eyes tightly to prevent the scenes from their hotel room from reappearing in her mind. But they keep on flashing before her overpowering her desire to stay calm right now.

She stepped forward to the action scene, to the bewilderment of everyone present. Rosalia tried to stop her, but she was already in front of everybody.

"Our lady," they all bowed down to her in one accord, including the man and woman who were arguing at that moment.

"I was really just grabbing a bite, you know," she blurted as she picked up a piece of bread and ate it. She needed all the energy for this.

All eyes awaited on what she would do or say next.

"I couldn't help but overhear the commotion. What's this all about?" She lifted her head and asked in a calm manner after she had eaten a mouthful, secretly congratulating herself for being in control of her emotion at that moment.

Her arms crossed together as she looked at the man, who seemed to have no remorse over what he did. The woman's chest was still heaving up and down in rage at the man.

Aisha observed that the kitchen indeed had a lot of servants. "Please go back to your work. You two, come with me," Aisha told the couple before heading outdoors.

"Yes, my lady," they both obeyed her at once and followed after her, together with Aisha's other female servants.

The other servants went back to their tasks. But one secretly followed them, trying to catch juicy gossip to share with the others.

Meanwhile, Aisha inhaled a lungful of air as soon as the coast was clear. She wanted to scold the man. But she wanted to hear what he wanted to say. It may be the reason why Jake replaced her for Melissa.

``All right. Now tell me, what is this about?" Aisha crossed her arms and tried to keep her head leveled.

The two looked at each other, wondering if they would open up to her. But as they glanced at one another, they smirked and rolled their eyes.

It was the woman who opened up about what happened. Aisha was right. It was a case of infidelity.

With a controlled voice, Aisha asked the man. "Why did you do that, sir? You are married to this lady here."

"I had enough of her. She is full of herself. She doesn't listen to anything I say," the man answered her in defiance.

Aisha gazed at the woman, who seemed shocked at what she learned. It seemed that it was her first time to hear about it. Aisha couldn't help but pity her.

She recalled hearing the same thing that Jake said when they were arguing one time.

"You don't listen to anything I say," he yelled at Aisha just as she was expressing her hurt for being stood up when she was expecting him to pick her up.

"Still, it isn't enough reason to be with another woman when you have a relationship with another," Aisha said, not really sure if she was talking to the man or to Jake.

Aisha may have a bad attitude. But she thinks that it's not a valid excuse for him to hurt her like that. She gave him everything he wanted.

The man's fangs and claws seemed to show up, expressing that he was dismayed by her statement.

"You don't know anything, my lady. You grew up with a spoon in your mouth," he growled, making the woman beside her shush him in response.

Jake also said that. Aisha couldn't help but react to it negatively.

"Is that our fault, then? And don't you think we also have the same problems as you do?" Aisha barked with her hands on her hips.

"If you have a problem with her, why don't you talk to her about it first before flirting with another woman? And if you don't want her anymore, then why don't you file a divorce?" She hissed at him.

The chickens who were nearby clucked as they ran away from the fire-breathing lady.

At the same time, the servant who was eavesdropping gulped a lump in her throat. "The female human is as feisty as a bat from hell," she muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, the man was speechless as Aisha voiced out her opinion on the matter. It was as if he realized that she had a point.

The woman sobbed as she wiped her tears and darted her attention away, "Yes, we should have sat down and talked about it as husband and wife. You're always silent and it irritates me more. I feel like you don't care about anything I say. Don't you love me anymore? Why do you hurt me like this? Do you want us to separate now?"

"It's not like that," the man said in a regretful voice. "I'm sorry," he put his hand on his face and buried it in them.

Seeing his remorse, the woman turned back and faced him, "Do you love her?"

The man immediately shook his head, "No, no. I don't want to be separated from you." He turned towards the woman and pressed her arms.

"He's lying," Aisha gritted her teeth. But she kept it to herself. "If he doesn't want them to separate, then he shouldn't have done it."

The woman continued to interrogate the man, "Would you stop seeing her if we stay together?"

"Yes, I will break up with her," the man said in a determined voice, making Aisha roll her eyes.

"All right. I'll give you a chance," the woman said with her head bowed down.

The man seemed to be pleased with her statement that he put his arms around her back and cooed, "Thank you. It will not happen again."

The lady lifted her head and with a smile, she replied, "Me, too. I'll try to change my attitude with you."

They both had warm smiles on her face as they gazed at each other with loving looks.

"Wait, wait, wait. You'll forgive him, just like that?" Aisha asked the woman with her eyebrows furrowed together. Her palms pointing to the adulterous man.

The man's previously wolfish appearance now returned into its kind human face again.

"I haven't forgiven him. But I want to give him a chance. Thanks for clearing things up, my lady," The woman bowed down to her, making Aisha scratch her head.

"But I'm not here so you could mend your relationship. I'm here to break you up," Aisha wanted to say to them. But maybe it's better this way. They seemed to be in a good mood now.

Her lips curled up in an awkward smile and pointed back to the kitchen. "Well, I better be going, lovebirds. I have to make love with my stomach too. I hope you won't cheat again, Lycus man. Or we'll have a human to wolfman talk. I will not be as nice next time," she pointed at him with her forefinger as her feet stepped backward.

"Thank you, my lady," the couple bowed to her.

"Well, I would certainly not forgive him if I were her. Over my dead body," Aisha muttered to herself as Aisha walked back to the kitchen.

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"Reconciliation requires truth telling and empathy and tears. It requires changed perspectives and changing directions (also known as repentance)."

― LaTasha Morrison, Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation