Chapter Two.

2.

He opened his eyes and stretched. The curtains were already spread and the sun was shining on his face. He loved the feeling of heat on his body and was ready for the day. He turned his head to the left and was bewitched by the most beautiful, naked woman he’d ever seen. Her curvaceous legs were glowing in the shades of the sunrise and her breasts were perfectly plump and full of life. Her radiant skin went so well with her yielding lips and her angelic, dark eyes. This made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. However, he had a sad, aching look on his face.  “You truly are so beautiful,” the man whispered. The woman was startled and ran into the bathroom trying to cover herself, embarrassed and ashamed.

The smell of the honeyed bacon and salty eggs wafted around the kitchen. The woman bobbed down the stairs with a horrific look of disgust.                                     “You know I can’t eat this. Why would you make me something I can’t eat?”                   “You’ve been eating basically rabbit food for the past few months; I think you deserve a treat, don’t you?” He tried to lighten the mood by smiling his tremendous smile. She used to love that smile, his naturally pursed, pink lips against his tiny teeth. She always thought they were cute. Now he had pale, thin lips that camouflaged into his grey, skeletal face. She used to love how strong his arms were, how they would sweep her up and pin her against the wall. The intense look of enchantment they used to give each other when their eyes met. His firm black eyes fixated on hers. She would ruffle her hands into his thick black hair. That strong, forcefulness made her feel like a woman. But now, his hair was thinning. His legs looked weak and his arms were fragile. It appeared like he hadn’t slept in days. The dark circles around his eyes resembled murky caves, caves that hid foreboding secrets inside.

They ate in silence. She stared at the other end of the table and saw the oils bleeding out of the bacon, the runny, yellow yolk dripping off the side of the plate and the crumbs from his bagel all over his t-shirt. “You make me sick!” she said.                                             “What is wrong with you? Every time I try and make an effort all you do is find all the negatives about it. You know, I’m attempting to do my hardest. We’re having a baby together and I want to help you in every way I can. But you’ve got to let me in, you’ve got to let me help you. God help me, you’re not perfect. No one is. I’m just trying to do my best.” She was silent. Everything was silent.                                                                                               “I’m leaving you, Shen.” She said motionlessly and departed.