He Did Not Come Back the Same, Part Iii

For a month Laurie mulled and brooded, even tried to think it wasn’t her fault, if Stan had just told her the things he did maybe she wouldn’t have left him at all, but such thoughts were nothing but a stall. The fault lay entirely on her end, she’d failed to even try to comprehend. But finally she summoned her courage and went down to his small apartment, she meant to explains the things she did, but when he answered and she caught his scent to his lips her own instantly went, Stan was surprised, but her lust was strong, so like most men, he just went along. It wasn’t until after, lying in bed, rhat the first tears came to her eyes, He said nothing, just gently stroke her head, didn’t have to ask what was on her mind, After several long minutes she cried: “I now understand why you were hurting, But it’s too late, I screwed up everything.” He tried to hug her close in his arms, but she struggled, pulled herself away, said,”I’ve tasted of other men’s charms, and there is nothing that I can say, what I’ve done deserves only your hate. there’s no way to go back to what we were then, for what I did, I can’t be forgiven.” Stan struggled and said,”So tonight was just you trying to give me a pleasant ‘so long?’ I don’t buy that, because if it were true, you wouldn’t be feeling the pain this strong, would not want forgiveness for your wrong. You want to still love me, but don’t know how, unsure if you’ll love the man I am now.” The words struck her hard, and she stammered, he just put a soft hand to her lips. “There is no need to get so bothered, I think that there’s a solution to this, I have an idea and this is it: If some love remains, come back tomorrow, we’ll take this by the day, and see how it goes.” Laurie didn’t think that this plan could work, but she found herself each night coming back, she didn’t know how he didn’t feel hurt at the compassion she had lacked, but every night they’d end up in the sack. Before long she’d left her apartment, in fact she never left Stan’s bed again. Wasn’t long before they called the lawyers, said they weren’t needed anymore, Laurie looked back on what they were and saw glimpses of what was in store, taking on the demons they abhorred. Stan wasn’t the same, that much was true, but no longer was she a cowardly youth…