THE NARCISSIST'S WIFE

“What were you doing with him?” Kevin asked, his heart pounding with anger. “Nothing, we were just talking,” Lydia answered as she placed her bag on top of a console which was at the entrance of their door. “Talking! In his car, Lydia, for heaven's sake, don't you have any dignity left in you? You are a married woman, for pity's sake. “Kevin, you are just overthinking, and that’s what you always do every time you see me with any man,” Lydia cried, sitting down on their elegant black leather couch. Lydia was the kind of woman who made silence fall around her. Tall, elegant, with skin so rich and smooth “ Are you crying? You always do this, Lydia. Why are you crying? ” “I don’t like the way you accuse me of infidelity in our marriage, and you know I can never cheat on you.” Wiping the tears on her delicate skin, Lydia answered, looking at Kevin, who was about to explode with anger. Slowly, he approached Lydia and held her hands, trying to hide the intense pain he felt in his heart. “ I am sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted at you. That wasn’t mature of me. Do you want something to eat? " ***** Back in the kitchen, Kevin was preparing Lydia’s favorite meal as Lydia sank onto the couch, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen of her phone. “She must be texting that Benson guy,” he thought as he clenched the knife so tightly in his hand, taking out his anger at the onions, which he was chopping so fast just to keep himself distracted from what was going on in the living room. ****** It all began six years ago when he was in the library. Kevin was a quiet and lonely lad who always buried himself deep in books, but behind the curtains, he craved connection and a deep sense of love. Maybe it was because he spent his childhood in a family where his papa didn’t recognize him as his son and always found him to blame for his mama’s death, or maybe it was something more that always drove him towards chasing love. He always wrote small love notes and left them in the library books as a way to escape his loneliness, hoping that his sweetheart would read them and burn for him. One day, as he was going through a returned book, he found a reply, and it sent a jolt zipping along his backbone. “Your words wrapped around my sensitive heart like a warm, soft, and fluffy blanket, wish I could meet you,” the note said. His heart started beating rhythmically like the hallelujah drums. He looked around to see if he could acquire clues on who sent the blissful words, but the students didn’t like the library that much. All he could see was the blind girl who was always sitting in the same spot in the library, and her friend Stella deeply glued to their books. "Could she be the one?" his thought ran wild as he had known Stella since their first year on campus, but he never cast her as his Juliet. “This is going to be harder than I thought,” he thought to himself as an idea flashed through his confused mind. He picked up another note and allowed his pen to whisper sweet verses from the depth of his heart, and placed it in the same book, allowing the pages to hug his words on the note. He then wandered to the most secluded nook, hidden behind towers of forgotten books, so that he could get a sneak peek of his Juliet. Stella scanned the library to see if the guy no one knew was around, and she went straight to the aisle where she had found the book with the love note. She was excited to find another note inside. She took it swiftly like a ninja and hurriedly went back to her seat. Kevin was cautiously observing, and when he saw Stella, a sharp pain of disappointment hit him. He didn’t like Stella not one bit. He covered his face, ashamed and unable to hide the embarrassment. “The stranger left another one.” The words drifted over to Kevin before he could turn away. Stella, who was excited about the note, started reading it to the blind girl who was sitting next to her. “I'm sure my words made him smile,” the blind girl shyly said. “You are falling for him, aren’t you?” Stella asked teasingly, “Which direction should the pen take now?” Kevin had been quietly absorbing the entire conversation from the shadows, his heart dancing like the burning flames. “Thank God it's not Stella,” he said as he released a quiet sigh of relief,“ but who is that girl?” He somehow felt a spark in his heart. Maybe it was love at first sight, or maybe it was a wave of sympathy washing over him; he couldn’t tell, but all that was in his mind was that he had to talk to her. ****** Early the next morning, he rushed to the library to study for an exam which was late that afternoon. He was in a rush and didn’t notice the guide's cane standing next to the study carrel, causing him to stumble and land hard on the pavement. “Hey, are you okay?” asked the blind girl as she extended her hand. Perhaps it was fate or maybe a coincidence. Kevin couldn’t tell as he reached out to grab her hand. It was soft and so warm, and her beauty was the kind that lingered in the mind long after she was gone. Soft, haunting, and unforgettable. “Sorry, I should have watched where I was going,” Kevin said with a sweet smile on his face as he dusted himself. “No, it's my entire fault for placing my guiding cane so close to the pathway. I’m sorry for the pain I caused you,” she said in an apologetic tone. “It's okay, I'm not hurt. My name is Kevin, by the way.” “My name is Lydia. Wait, did you say Kevin? Why does that name sound so familiar?” Kevin knew why, but couldn’t bring himself to tell her. They studied for hours, talking in whispers, hushed words, and warm laughter only they understood. ***** “I love you, Lydia,” Kevin said softly, his voice trembling with emotion. Five months had slipped away like a breeze through an open window, but he had been planning for this moment, dreaming of it every single day. The candles were lit and flickering at the center of the table, and her favorite meal, chicken with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus, was set before her, a meal that took him few burns and bruises to cook. Lydia sat across from him, her eyes shining bright in the candlelight. “But I'm blind, Kevin,” she whispered, her voice barely holding back pain, How can you love a girl like me? ” “I will be your eye until you can learn to walk without me, until we can find a way,” he said, placing his hand over hers on the table, his grip soft but sure. “I am an incomplete woman, I cannot be the woman that you deserve.”