In their twenty-six-year marriage, much had occurred. Zulady and Josue had three beautiful boys. Zulady deeply loved her husband and still felt enamored by him. She had a happy home life until she discovered Josue’s indiscretions. Zulady equates her feelings to the irreparable shatter of a crystal vase. Things were never the same. She chose to stay in the marriage given her convictions. Zulady felt betrayed by her husband. As the years passed, she forgave Josue and put it all behind her. Somehow they managed to rekindle things. One day Zulady and Josue had an outing and invited his best friend along with the brother of the best friend. While dining at a restaurant, Zulady excuses herself and goes to the restroom, on her way back to the table, his best friend grabs and kisses her. Although riddled with guilt, Zulady returns his advances.
Texting and phone calls become the norm. An agreed-upon time and location are decided. The affair is consummated. Zulady thoroughly enjoyed the experience although felt shame in its aftermath. She asked if I thought less of her given her infraction. I assured Zulady, I was not in a position to judge. While sharing guilt and shame are a complete waste of time.
Optical Illusion
Marisol worked as a hairdresser in Harlem. She had a long-distance love in D.R. and locally someone to keep her warm at nite. Marisol traveled to D.R. between three and four times a year. Every trip to D.R. represented a considerable financial investment. The end goal was to have the boyfriend secure a visa and ultimately marry him. The boyfriend obtained an appointment with the consulate to determine whether he would secure a visa. On the last trip to D.R., Marisol patiently accompanied the boyfriend to the consulate and anxiously waited for the boyfriend to be granted a visa. The visa was denied, and the boyfriend told Marisol how he really felt about her. He told her how he never loved her and how she was a placeholder in his life. The only reason he decided to enter into a relationship was in hopes of securing entry into America. Marisol felt disenchanted. Her world with him crumbled in minutes. At that moment, Marisol could not understand why the boyfriend felt such disdain toward her.
Forbidden Fruit
Lola attended Julliard for piano garnering international recognition. Following several years on tour, she decided to settle down, and open her very own music school teaching piano. Lola taught piano for years while also being the lead pianist at the local church, where she met her husband. The church had a considerable congregation with multiple services and ministers. Lola and her husband had two beautiful boys to whom they were devoted. Her husband did well for himself, a great father, and provider. Lola believed in the institution of marriage however she was never attracted to or desired her husband. She habitually found herself in and out of love with countless men, which served as distractions. One of the ministers at the church was visibly smitten by Lola and never attempted to conceal it. The minister’s wife and mother in law were keenly aware of his affinity for Lola and never acknowledged her. Lola’s husband was also aware of how the minister looked at his wife and although unfounded, accused her of an affair. The truth was Lola was deeply enamored by the minister and obsessed with thoughts of him. Things did not appear to be going well in the minister’s household, as his wife stopped accompanying him to church services. Lola felt sermons were somehow directed to her, as they often mentioned remaining in loveless marriages for the sake of children. Lola was willing to leave her husband and children for the minister only if he divorced his wife and asked for her hand in marriage. Everyone in the congregation knew how the minister pined for Lola and presumed they were having an affair. Lola would drive past the minister’s home incognito to ascertain if he spent any time at home when he was not in the ministry. What she uncovered was, he spent an inordinate amount of time outside of the matrimonial home and the wife was residing in a separate residence. The only thing keeping Lola from having an affair with the minister was her concern he would not remain silent and tell her husband.
Melancolia de mi Vida
Santiago drinks in excess to numb himself, to forget the pain. Sometimes, while in a drunken stupor memories of his childhood abuse sober him up. He has long forgiven his mother, although the pain lingers. Disdain and lack of compassion were his reality. Santiago felt his mother hated him more than she could ever love him, and punishing him is how she felt alive. She was enamored with being the center of attention. She would conspire against family members and fabricate tales. As the family matriarch, she was revered. Her influence was such that everyone took her word as gospel. Any family member she could not control, she would influence others to turn against them and a witch hunt would ensue. Habitually, she manufactured faults within her daughters-in-law. Genova was in constant competition with wives, mistresses, and girlfriends. There was solely one mistress who she never dared utter a word. Raisa was a drug queen pin and everyone knew she was just as ruthless as she was cool. Raisa was the lover of Genova’s playboy son, Rafa. Rafa had a wife, four young sons, and a string of women, one prettier than the next. Raisa never bothered Rafa’s wife, she respected her, everyone else was fair game. Raisa would have Rafa followed, show up unannounced and find him in compromised situations. She would smack him and call him a come mielda. Rafa feared her, he was keenly aware Raisa carried a gun at all times.
Something to declare
Santiago was the firstborn of eight children to an extremely toxic mother. She debased, beat, terrorized, and ridiculed her sons daily. Santiago grew up to be just as narcissistic as his mother. Like his mother, by the age of eighteen, Santiago had three children, born in the same year, by three different women. He has eleven children with seven different women, while solely financially providing for his youngest two children. Every other child never received any monetary or emotional support. His older children envied the youngest two, given they are the ones he had a vested interest in. Fiscally, Santiago did very well for himself however, he began to lose his fortune due to the drinking. Indiscretions were rampant in the marriage. Physical abuse of his wife was a staple and how he maintained total control. Santiago’s affaire with the bottle superseded all things. When he tired of running the streets and returned home, no one was spared of his vitriolic nature. The years of abuse manifested in excessive weight gain in his wife. She had gastric bypass surgery as a means of reinventing herself. While home recovering from the surgery, Santiago beats her, fearing she may finally leave. His youngest daughter is effortlessly striking, coquette. As she walks down the street, there is no shortage, in the awe of men. Habitually, Valentina was debased, ridiculed, and terrorized by the man responsible for loving and protecting her. No wonder, She lacks any motivation beyond being a kept woman even if it means grave degradation. Her lifestyle may seem foreign to many although this is how Valentina was groomed. Santiago projected the hollowness he felt within onto his daughter and she believed him.
Labyrinth
Carolina worked as a bottle girl in an underground after-hours spot, with her allure, body, and personality, an average night yielded between $1,000 and $2,000 in tips. After numerous attempts at the 9 to 5 world, the numbers simply did not add up. Working forty hours per week at $15.00 per hour, after taxes the balance did not even cover room and board, in New York City. Besides, she truly felt alive and in her element after hours. Being popular with the customers garnered a great deal of jealousy amongst fellow bottle girls. Carolina had a knack for men with deep pockets, independent of their marital status. She bewitched the owner of the establishment where she worked, trusting abundance would flow. Quickly the lifestyle ensued. Jet-setting became her new norm, knee-deep in love, Carolina was that girl. The outpouring of love and affection (love bombing)was exceptional until Lorenzo alienated Carolina. He placed her in a high rise apartment, within a gated community, like a caged bird, while disappearing for weeks on end. Left without money or food, Carolina had to fend for herself, lacking in resources, she reached out to relatives for some sustenance. Carolina was undeterred by Lorenzo’s wife back in the states however clueless to his second wife and kids in Panama. Learning of his second wife left Carolina feeling lonely, desperate, and destitute. Patiently hoping for her lover’s return. As Mistress, holidays were reserved for wives, so Carolina was granted time before or strictly following the holiday, never during. The wives knew of Carolina, as she knew of the wives although no one dared to leave their covenant. Lorenzo excelled at grooming thirsty young girls who could easily be inspired/manipulated by the illusion of a lifestyle. Lorenzo frowned upon any sign of autonomy amongst his women. Needy co-dependent and grossly insecure were pre-requisites. Any sort of fraternizing without Lorenzo always required his consent. Approved outings were routinely subject to a last-minute cancellation by Lorenzo, just because he lived in perpetual fear of his women conspiring against him. Independent of having two wives and a mistress, Lorenzo routinely sought out additional women and never concealed anything. As a means to keep women away, Carolina often participated in dalliances with Lorenzo although nothing ever tamed him. After years of living in a labyrinth with Lorenzo, Carolina’s sole desire was a child which Lorenzo immediately denied ending everything for Carolina.