Unhappily Married ✓

27. The Article

"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."—Mignon McLaughlin

It has been ten days and I still can't get Todd out of my head. I've lost touch with him after I moved out of his house—no phone calls, no text messages, nothing. I don't know how long it will take me to get over him, perhaps a month, a year or...forever.

Often I think of going back to him, but it'll be an impracticable thing to do at this point of time. It's quite wicked how fate brought us together for a month and then tore us apart yet again. I guess, no matter how much you love each other, when you're not meant to be, you're not meant to be.

But this is not fair, I mean, everyone deserves a happy ending, right?

Someone clears their throat and I look up to find David smiling broadly at me.

"Buenos días."

"Morning David, how're you?"

"I always knew you could pull it off, Stella. I'm so pleased with the great feedback your article has been getting," he says, adjusting his chrome yellow tie.

I nod.

"Not many people have the courage to take risks, Stella. I'm very proud of you. Buen trabajo," he says, patting me on the shoulder.

I give him a faint smile. "Thank you."

David leaves me to my work and makes his way to his office.

It was never easy to write this article and I really had to beat my brains out to get it done before the publishing date.

Sighing, I pick up the new edition of All Heart and flip straight to my column.

                                                           "How to Not Destroy Your Marriage"

When you get married, you believe you and your soulmate will live happy together till the end of time. But after some time, it dawns on you that things aren't going the way they should. A point of time comes in your life when the smooth road of marriage starts turning bumpy.

Suddenly, you've a sinking feeling that maybe this marriage thing was a mistake. The feeling becomes stronger with time and a certain day comes when you start wondering why you got married in the first place. You desperately want to break this cycle of fights, anger, frustration and disappointment, but you're just helpless.

Okay, let me quote a wise person here: "Marriage, like life, is a journey-not a destination-and its treasures are found not just at the end but all along the way."

Don't expect your marriage to be a calm sea, because someday, large waves are definitely going to break on the shore. However, that doesn't mean you should give up everything. It's natural, so don't feel woozy and calm down. Just take a deep breath and don't be too hard on each other.

Arguments are a part of married life; don't let them get in your way. I'm not saying to stop talking about something you both don't agree on. What I'm trying to say is that your moment of madness can make you say things that you'll most probably regret later. Give each other a little time to think; you can always reopen your discussion the next day. Don't try to prove each other wrong all the time. I've realized the more I tried to prove my husband wrong, the more disconsolate I became. You don't always have to agree with each other, but try to be considerate of your spouse. Trust me it will work.