The man I never knew

Chapter 1: Caleb and I

I sighed as I looked across the room to see my husband sleeping peacefully on the bed looking so vulnerable,this was the only time I was able to see the real him and i made sure i didn't miss it every morning. Tears were threatening to fall,I want to fix my marriage but I didn't know where to start from. I and Caleb met in college in Chicago,we quickly became good friends and lovers. After graduation,he got a good job and I started painting as it was my dream.We got married and were planning to make children,things were going smoothly until one day.

Caleb hadn't gotten home and that was quite unusual,I tried calling his phone and it wasn't reachable. I called his office and I was told he left two hours ago and I didn't know what to do or where to look for him. Caleb doesn't stay out late,he had no friends neither family so there was no one I could call.

The rumbling sky accompanied with lightening signalled the beginning of rain. This was past 12pm and he was yet to arrive,the rain only increased my worries as I drove down to the station to make a report. I was on my way back home when my phone rang,it was Caleb,I breathed a sigh of relief as I picked up the call but it wasn't my husband speaking at the other end. I was informed he got into an accident and was saved by a passer-by before his car exploded. I rushed down to the hospital like a mad woman while praying that he'd be ok, little did i know that the accident claimed the best part of Caleb.

I was glad to know he was ok but also unhappy to find out he had a spinal cord broken and he would be disabled for the rest of his life. It didn't matter to me as long as he was alive because I loved him dearly and he loved me too. I expected we would walk through it together but he changed to a complete shadow of himself. He rarely spoke,ate less and would only stare out our window into vanity for days,the man i once knew was gone and we felt like strangers in the house,I called a psychiatrist to check up on him to make sure his brain wasn't affected and it wasn't,i was advised to give him time and continue to shower him with love and care till he got better but two years had passed now and still Caleb was still the same.

I would wonder most times if he still loved me,call me childish but I miss him,I missed our happy moments together,I missed our steamy nights and passionate love making. I missed everything about him,every attempt I seem to make to move close to him seems to make us drift away further so the only thing I could do was to watch from afar while I distract myself with work. My paintings were one of the best and most sought after in the country so I was busy from time to time and earned enough to take care of us both.

I am every man's dream,I am pretty, successful,diligent and brave but I had eyes only for Caleb,my Caleb.