“When Patience Is Lost”

(Clarissa Rosalia)

This is gonna be the first time I am going to publish a story about what happened
to a friend of mine recently.

I was with Meredith yesterday, a close friend of mine who holds a higher position
in an office near my place. I have known her with quite a dignified profile and a very
calm person. She is the chief finance officer in a food chain which is very popular
nowadays. I was just about to order a single piece of apple pie when she happened to
get a glance of me on the long line of customers. She tapped my shoulders, say hi and
hellos and invited me to have lunch with her in her own office. They say to reject an
offer is an insult so I decided to go with her. We were having a good chit-chat while
enjoying the healthy diet lunch when the phone rang and with just a few questions over
the phone, I saw Meredith with sudden change of facial expression. Sitting down slowly
back to her chair, her tears fell down like rain and thus, I was in big wonder. I thought
somebody died in her family. I’m sorry, but many thoughts ran on my mind upon seeing
her in that situation. She was silent for a moment, I tried to calm her down, giving her a
glass of water and a tissue paper for her tears. She bowed down her head on the table
and cried so hard that I could almost panic. I was asking her what happened over and
over again, but she just continued crying. After about ten minutes of sobbing, she lifted
up her head and stared blankly at the wall saying, “enough is enough” punching the
table with her fists. I was so worried and shocked with her reactions. Abruptly, she
grabbed my hands and her shoulder bag and told me to go with her. I was totally
wondering where we were going. And when we were outside the food court, she
commanded me to ride at the back of her motorbike saying “ please come with me to
my apartment, it’s just around the next corner”. Unknowing what to do, I just followed
what I was told. We went to her house but parked a few meters away from it. We
walked silently towards her apartment door which was closed. Having the keys ready on
her hands, she slowly opened the door with it pushing it very silently that even me
hadn’t heard a small noise from it. Her apartment is just small but everything is neatly
arrange and in order. A sign that Meredith is a good woman at home. There were two
bedrooms in front of us just facing the front door. In almost tip-toes walk, we went
neared the first room on the right side of the house. Meredith opened the door slowly
with the keys and Goddddd!!!! What a shocking scene we saw on her bed. Her
boyfriend with another woman!!! Both naked and was at the height of extreme worldly
lust!!! I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do. I was stunned and my feet was pinned on
the floor where I was standing. I was staring at the three of them. Meredith was shouting
furiously, grabbing the girl on the hair and dragging her outside the house, naked. Her
boyfriend panicked. Confused of what to do. He was looking for something to cover his
body. He pulled the sheets, cover it to his waist and ran outside where Meredith and the
girl was. Still shocked, I rushed outside. I remembered Meredith. In my thoughts, I
should stop her before she can do anything to hurt the girl. But it was too late. I was
behind Meredith’s boyfriend on the entrance door, when I got a glance of what was
happening outside. The girl was totally naked, dumped beside the ornamental plants of
Meredith’s garden just outside her door. She was crying but Meredith was hysterical.
She was kicking her with her little feet while crying hysterically. Her boyfriend couldn’t
go out. Maybe because of shame. I pushed him aside and went to Meredith. With all my
might, I tried to stop Meredith. Luckily, she was an inch smaller than me and thus, it was
easy for me to pull her out from the girl. I grabbed her with her waist away from the girl.
She seemed to be so dumb that she couldn’t even hear me not until I shouted at her to
stop right on her face. And she stopped. She dropped on the ground crying so hard,
breathless and hopeless. I looked around and found her boyfriend going out of the
house with his shirt on and his pants unzipped. I shouted at him to get the girl away
from Meredith’s place. I was holding Meredith on her wrists but was trying to get off of
me. I then hold her on the waist and tried to hug her and comfort her. In almost
whispering words, I tried to tell her to calm down, to stop and listen. I comforted her,
hugged her, held her as if she was my sister in need of comfort. I wiped her face with
my hanky. I looked around and found no trace of the girl and Meredith’s boyfriend. But,
the neighbours were there. Everybody saw what happened outside. I saw their faces, as
if they were asking questions about the whole thing. I just ignored them and brought
Meredith back inside her house. Sitting on the couch in the sala, I rushed to the kitchen
to get a glass of water for her. And with a just a sip of it, Meredith continued to cry. I
tried everything to calm her down, telling her everything’s gonna be alright. That
everything will pass away and that she should forget about it and move on. I know it’s
hard...it’s painful...it’s unfair...but that’s the least she can do. She wanted to lie down
and get some rest but she went to the other room. She didn’t want to see her room
where her boyfriend had an illicit affair with another girl. Lying down on the bed, I could
see Meredith in an unforgiving moment where she could never find peace. She will cry
and feel like dying...I know...and it will take a long time for her to recover. I know...

It was almost four o’clock in the afternoon and I have to go home. Meredith was
sleeping when I left. I leave a message on her side table telling her I’m going home and
that she can call me whenever she needs me. Afterall, I am a friend. And I told her one
thing more...move on and find a happy life ahead.

On the way and until I get home, I was asking myself over and over again...what if it
happened to me? What should I do? And how would I be? What if I lost my patience
too? What would I do? Oh God!!! Spare me please!!!