Run Delia Run by Cindy Bokma

Author:Cindy Bokma [Bokma, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Foster Embry Publishing, LLC
Published: 2020-06-12T18:30:00+00:00

The honeymoon was a disaster. Instead of feeling full of love and ecstasy, I was nervous, worried I made a mistake by marrying a man like Leo. I often thought after my parents died, I would never find anyone to love me. Then Leo swooped in, offering me love, comfort, and protection.

“No one will love you like I do,” he whispered into my hair as he held me tight.

Sometimes he told me, “You’re mine. I can’t live without you.” He’d stare with those steel blue eyes full of such intensity that my breath caught in my throat.

There were times that his words made me feel loved; other times, I wanted to burst into tears.

During our honeymoon, he switched gears, telling me how much he loved me and then in the next breath he’d tell me I was clumsy or stupid. I learned not to reply. Defending myself only stirred him up.

He’d get a glint in his eye and he’d grin, rising to the challenge, reminding me of a blood thirsty trial lawyer. We’d argue until I was defeated. It was draining and left me exhausted mentally and emotionally so eventually I refused to engage. I nodded and agreed with whatever Leo said. It was easier that way.

“Have you ever thought of getting braces?” He asked one afternoon when we were sitting in a bar, sipping Mango Daiquiris. A light breeze ruffled my hair. “The clear ones, of course.”

“No, why?” I sipped through the straw, savoring the sweet flavor. On the white sand beach, a couple rubbed suntan lotion on each other. I dragged my eyes from them back to Leo who was staring at me, laser beam focused.

“Because that eye tooth is really bothering me. It’s not aligned with the other ones.” Motioning to his own straight white teeth, he said, “We’ll set you up with a cosmetic dentist when we get home. You need a little Botox above the eyebrows, too; your eyes look droopy.”

“I like my crooked tooth.” I laughed and waved my hand like I didn’t care but deep down, I couldn’t believe he was insulting my looks. “I think it gives my face character.” I said it lightly, but his need for me to be perfect all the time was wearing thin and I wanted to scream.

He cocked his head to the side and was silent for a minute. “Delia”—he grimaced—“you need to fix that tooth or I will live the rest of my life staring at it whenever I look at you.”

Turning away, I didn’t answer but wondered why he always needed to point out my imperfections. I bit back the words I wanted to scream, telling him I’d never be perfect. There were many times I quietly seethed in anger from his critical words. I told myself he was older, he knew better. He had more life experience and knew how to fix everything. But still, something I couldn’t name nagged at me.

For the rest of our honeymoon, all I could think about was that pesky eyetooth.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.