This Unconventional Kind of Love

Chapter 15: All Good Things

Copyright © 2020, Nikki B. Lourie if you are reading this work on any other domain than Wattpad, it has been plagiarized.

"Are you feeling up for a movie?"

Janessa sighed, wiggling closer to Leslie's body as she continued searching for stars in the night sky. She didn't want the night to end, but all good things must come to an end. "Nah, how about we continue our walk. The chauffeur should be looking for us soon."

"I'll call him and tell him to circle the block," Leslie suggested as they stood to their feet.

"Let me do it," Janessa replied, taking his phone and making the call. She informed him that they would be taking a short walk and that he could wait for them at the lion's fountain. Before the call ended, the car pulled up and parked. He waved at them and Janessa waved back with a smile.

"He's already here, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's waiting for us at the fountain. Come on. Let's see what else is around here." She accepted his arm and they walked towards a cluster of shops. The area was well manicured. Bushes were trimmed to perfection and garden beds pruned until not one weed was evident. It was beautiful and she told him so. The night air was cool and refreshing. They walked along silently at first until easing into an amicable conversation.

"So, have you spoken to your parents recently?" Leslie probed, gently squeezing her hand.

Janessa nodded with a soft smile. "Yes," she finally answered, watching a group of rambunctious teenagers across the street. They looked like they were having a lot of fun together. "My mother and I facetime a lot when she's not in surgery. We're working on mending our relationship. We had a lot of hard talks with each other and she has apologized. There was a lot of crying."

"Umh...this is a good thing. Sometimes you have to wade through the sea of pain to get to the waterfall and see the beauty all around you. We will never understand some of the things our parents do for us. In that moment, there are so many factors to consider: what were their fears, what was the expected outcome they thought would happen, how did they think you would respond? As a parent, you try to do what you think is best for your child," Leslie replied, lifting Janessa's hand to his mouth for a kiss.

"When you realize that you've hurt your child, your pride often won't allow you to make amends because in your mind, you're the adult and they should listen to you, but once you get older and see the error of your ways, an apology and time can sometimes heal deep wounds. Your mother is headstrong, but I think she meant well."

They stopped walking briefly as she processed what he was saying.  He sounded as if he was speaking from experience.  She faced him, gazing up into his knowing eyes as he softly caressed her back and pulled her close for a hug. "I used to be so angry with my father for allowing my mother to get away with half of the things that she did, but I guess he too was acting out of fear," she told him, snuggling closer. 

 "How do I appease and comfort my wife and still make sure that I'm protecting my child? What if my wife is right and this is the only way? Sometimes I feel like he felt as if he didn't have a choice because he was backed into a corner. But then I think about how much he loved me and showed me his love. My father was the good cop and unfortunately, my mother was the bad one. Most times I often gave in to my mother's demands because I didn't want to ruin their relationship. At night they often argued about me when I went to bed. Usually, it was my father begging my mother to be more lenient, but then she would work herself up into a frenzy and recall what happened to me in middle school—he would relent and let her be.