Princy D. Emmanuel--When Love Is Dead

Let me tell you a short and true story. This is the story of my family, my parents. I was born into a family of five boys, of which I was the oldest. We were all college graduates and successfully married with a good living. All of us, my parents, were successfully married too.

From the outlook of things you see, life is too complex. When I was fifty years old, it was my parents' 50th anniversary.

I wanted heaven and earth to bear witness to that happy, unstained marriage, so I called all my brothers, and we started making a grand plan for the celebration.

There was apparently every reason in the world for a good and memorable celebration.

I finally went to my dad to ask him his desires about the party and what he would want us to incorporate into the celebration plan.

He said nothing; he was not even happy about any form of celebration. I couldn't really understand why, but one thing was sure: he was not enthusiastic about this.

He said I should do it whichever way I wanted. I wasn't very comfortable about his manners in this regard.

So I left him alone and went to my mother. I equally told her about my intentions, but her reaction was even worse than that of my father.

She did not want any party or celebration. I was confused. I went home to think about their strange behaviors.

I knew something was deeply wrong, but I couldn't see what and why. My father married my mother as a spinster. I never saw or heard them quarreling or arguing about anything.

They always lived together, slept together, and ate together for over fifty years without any crisis, so it was impossible for me to visualize the reasons for this coldness.

I had to go back to my father. I sat him down and asked what was the hidden matrimonial problem he had with my mother.

He was reluctant to talk to me at first, but I insisted I was the eldest of his children. If there was anything wrong in the family, it was my legitimate right to know.

He said that was true, then he opened up.

He said to me,“ my young friend please sit tight and listen’.

My father asked how old was the youngest of us.

I said thirty years old my father sighed and waited for a moment and then continued.

He said for the past thirty years my mother did not allow him to have any conjugal relationship with her; she ultimately refused every advance he made.

I found it weird. I said,“ for the past fifty years you both slept on the same bed and in the same room. How could that be possible? ’

He said that my mother was in the best position to answer that question.

He only opened up to me because I insisted and he had said enough he would appreciate it if I could leave him alone then.

It was like a bad dream, a nightmare to me I couldn't believe my ears.

I remembered they say,“ beauty is only skin deep,’’ my parents' marriage was only having a good outlook, it was rotten inside.

And when I was a young man I used to pray that God should give me a marriage like my parents.

I then thanked God that he did not answer that prayer. I would have been in a serious conjugal dilemma like my parents too.

I went to see my mother in her store. She ran a grocery store right in the same block we lived.

She had about three clients to attend to so I sat down quietly and waited for her to finish up with them.

So after that she was done. I asked her to sit down that we needed to talk.

Then she sat down quietly beside me and said son what is it again? Is it about your party you still came to disturb me.

I said no mom, “this has nothing to do with the party, this is about you and dad, what is the problem with you?’

Dad told me that for the past thirty years there was nothing like a conjugal relationship between you people.

“ I need to understand why you have put up such a bad and wicked attitude in this marriage’.

I also said that I was sure of two things: Dad had always been a good father and a wonderful husband, he did not deserve this from you.

“ Why have you been so cruel to my father? I need to know mom.’

She kept quiet for a moment, staring at the empty space in front of her, then she finally said my son, I understand how you feel.’

“ You see if I put your father through this I knew he didn't deserve it but I just couldn't help myself’.

“ Son, I never loved your father for one single day, you see son love is a natural and spiritual thing you can't control your heart’.

“You can't control who you will love or not it all happens naturally and I believe there must be some angelic powers behind all this’.

“ The destiny I might call it, I must be frank with you my son, your father has always been a good husband to me.’

“ But it takes more than that to love a person’.

“ When I was a spinster I was living with my aunty. She wanted me to get married’.

“ So I told her that there were two men who wanted to marry me. I loved one but did not love the other one’.

“ So she took me to a clairvoyance to inquire which one was going to be a good marriage in the future’.

“ The seer said that the one I loved was going to die very young.’

“If I married him I was soon going to become a widow but the one I didn't love was your father’.

“If I married him we were both going to be fruitful. It was going to be a blessed marriage and very successful.’

“We were going to live to a good old age.’

“ I told my aunt that I wanted to marry the man I loved and live after as a widow rather than marry the one I didn't love and live happily with him.’

“But my aunt refused. She said that she was not going to see me become a widow, she forced me into marrying your father.’

“ That was how I became the wife of a man I never loved. You see my son. I tried so hard during our years of marriage to love him but it was not possible’.

I discovered in life that people don't decide who they love or hate. It happens naturally’.

“ If I hurt you or your father I am so sorry about that I didn't mean to hurt anyone, it was just the way nature turned out to be’.

“ Can you understand my son, and please forgive me and ask your father to please find a place in his heart to forgive me. I am so sorry’.

“ As a matter of fact your father never offended me nor hurt me but there was just no love in my heart for him’.

Then she kept quiet. I did not say a word again. I just stood up and went to see my father. I told him everything my mother said.

Then I told him to remarry another woman but he said no he had made his choice he was ready to die with that.

I was extremely unhappy. I called a meeting with my brothers and I told them everything.

Everyone was so sad we had to call off the party.

But there was one thing I learnt: love is not a natural thing, it is deeply spiritual.

AUTHOR"S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

His name is Princy D. Emmanuel. Born and raised in Paris France though from L. A. California. A post graduate of SORBONNE universite de Paris France. A bilingual, French and English. Presently living in Lagos, Nigeria on research for materials for his forthcoming novels.

He said to me,“ my young friend please sit tight and listen’.

My father asked how old was the youngest of us.

I said thirty years old my father sighed and waited for a moment and then continued.

He said for the past thirty years my mother did not allow him to have any conjugal relationship with her; she ultimately refused every advance he made.

My name is Princy D. Emmanuel. Born and raised in Paris France though from L. A. California. A post graduate of SORBONNE universite de Paris France. A bilingual, French and English. Presently living in Lagos, Nigeria on research for materials for his forthcoming novels.

Where Love Is Dead