“No, you are not a fool,” she pleaded. “Please hear me out. I never cheated on you.”
“Oh, really?” He walked towards the door and left without uttering another word.
Juliet’s heart clenched when Kurt shut the door with a slight bang.
She knew she had lost the love of a good man; a man who had been nothing but good to her.
“My God, what have I done?” She started crying uncontrollably. “I’m done for!” She fell to the ground as the intensity of her misery overtook her. She couldn’t believe all her hopes and dreams about being Kurt’s wife someday had suddenly crashed.
Juliet met a married man; Mr. Craig, a little over a year ago at a conference for accountants in town. They became close during the five days conference even though they were working for different companies.
He would always call her once in a while, and they would chat for hours on the phone.
Mr. Craig had told her from the onset that he and his wife were having a difficult time in their marriage. It did not surprise her when he proposed a relationship to her.
Juliet, with strings of failed relationships, was in dare need of a man at the time, so she accepted. She continued with the affair until she started developing stronger feelings for Kurt even before the valentine.
Juliet announced out of the blue to Mr. Craig that they had to break up two months before the epic Valentine’s dinner in Kurt’s house.
“We need to talk,” she had said that night during Mr. Craig’s visit.
“What is it?” He asked. “Is everything okay?”
“I met someone,” she took a deep breath and said. “An old classmate of mine.”
“I knew it!” He said, his voice higher than normal. “Jules,” that was his pet name for her. “You have been emotionally detached in recent times. I even thought it’s because of that promotion they didn’t give you at work.”
She was surprised he had already noticed the emotional shift in her.
“You met an old classmate?” He wrapped his arms around her. “So you want to leave me just like that?”
She wriggled herself out of his arms. “We had an agreement.”
She had told him at the beginning of the relationship that she would stop seeing him as soon as she finds a man.
“I know.” He smiled ruefully and reached for her again. But she moved further away. “It’s not going to be that easy Jules,” he ran his hand through his beard and slumped on the nearest sofa, looking mournful.
She didn’t say anything; she didn’t know what to say.
“I can’t stop you,” he leaned back on the back of the sofa and covered his face with his hand. “I will miss you, Jules, you are a kind girl. A very sweet girl.”
He left sadly afterwards.
Juliet got up to lock the door. She stood with her back against the door and wrapped her arms around herself.
She stared at the sofa Mr. Craig had just vacated for a long time. Then she burst into tears, feeling dirty and ashamed of herself. Knowing she shouldn’t have started that affair for any reason.
He started calling her every day from the next day. But she refused to pick his calls. He eventually stopped weeks later when he realized she had truly moved on.
She and Mr. Craig had sex a week before she ended the affair. As usual, they didn’t use any protection because it was during her safe period.
More tears of anguish ran down her cheeks. She wished she could turn back the hand of the clock.
She picked her phone to call Kurt, but he didn’t pick. She dropped her phone back on the sofa after eleven tries. She barely slept a wink overnight. She was drifting in and out of sleep consistently until she had to get up and start preparing to go to work.
Kurt’s number stopped going that morning. She called her elder sister to tell her what had happened, and she advised Juliet to give him some time to cool off.
One thing Juliet wanted desperately now, in the midst of all that was happening, was Kurt’s forgiveness. She knew they could never be together anymore. But she wanted him to listen to her story and believe what really happened.
She waited until the weekend before she went looking for him. She just wanted to tell him the true story and to ask for his forgiveness.
Juliet arrived at Kurt’s doorstep five minutes before seven in the morning on Saturday. She knocked on his door and waited.
“Who is that?” She heard his voice about three minutes later from the other side of the door.
Her breath hitched.”It’s me, Juliet,”
It had been an entire week since she heard that velvety voice of his last.
“What are you doing here, Juliet?” He asked with a frown on his face when he opened the door.
She thought his anger would have abated a bit. But with the way he was looking at her, it was obvious it hadn’t.
“Good morning Kurt,” she greeted. “I need to talk to you, please.”
“Go away Juliet,” he snapped at her. “You don’t have to say anything: what is done is done.”
“Kurt, I beg you in the name of God, just hear me out. Please,” she pleaded.
“I have told you I don’t want to listen to any story.” He exhaled sharply. It was obvious he was trying hard to control his anger. “You have to leave now. Go away!” His voice was so harsh and it brought tears to her eyes.
Juliet sucked in a deep breath. “You have to let me in, please. I have to tell you what really happened,” she said in a rush. “I won’t leave until you hear what I have to say.”
She didn’t care about his anger. She was ready to stay outside his door all day.
Exasperated, Kurt looked into her eyes briefly and stepped out of the way. “suit yourself, come inside.
She walked inside, heart pounding with anxiety.