Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset Read Online Free PDF Page A

reveal her problems to her friend. Once she told the truth about what was going on with her, she could never take it back.
     
    “Kalena, If I tell you, you can’t tell anyone else.”
     
    Kalena looked at her as if she’d lost her mind, “Since you’ve known me, have I ever been the gossiping type?”
     
    “No you haven’t. I’m just nervous about revealing the truth.”
     
    “You don’t have to tell me.”
     
    “I do. I have to tell someone and you’re the only person that I feel comfortable with.” Tamika took a deep breath and prepared herself to tell the truth. Kalena sat patiently and waited on Tamika to speak. While they sat in silence, the waitress brought them their drinks. The silence between them wasn’t awkward. Kalena didn’t mind silence and sometimes she wondered if she’d missed her calling as a therapist. She thought that was what she wanted to do, but her internship at Pfizer during undergrad changed the path of her life. She didn’t mind because she wasn’t sure if she could handle listening to problems all day as a profession. It seemed like an overwhelming job that provided no relief.
     
    Tamika finally began, “I’m having problems in my marriage. I don’t know what happened and I’ve been trying to be patient, but things don’t seem to be getting better.”
     
    “What kind of problems?”
     
    “I don’t even know where to start,” Tamika blurted out. “It’s been going on for over a year. He’s been so different. I love him, but the spark isn’t there anymore.”
    “Sexually?”
    “Right.”
     
    “Are you no longer attracted to him?” Kalena asked.
     
    “Yes, I’m still attracted to him. He’s the one that doesn’t want me,” Tamika admitted in embarrassment.
     
    She couldn’t believe that she was saying those words out loud. She never thought in a million years that her husband would not want her. They were the couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. The only reason she hadn’t gotten pregnant was because of her IUD. Sex was the one area of their relationship that was always on fire and she loved it.
     
    “Wow, I don’t even know what to say about that. But you know, they say that sometimes men act like that when there is a problem at work.”
     
    “I don’t know. From what I know, things are going good with him at work. But you may be right. He never wants to talk about work and he even seems upset about his accomplishments. I partially understand why he’s acting like this. His current career isn’t his first choice. He always saw himself living his life on the field.”
     
    “Exactly. I know it sucks, but his new reality may be hitting him like a ton of bricks. He never truly mourned the life that he thought he would have.”
     
    “Ugh, I just feel like he’s hiding something from me. I don’t know this person Kalena. I’m afraid that my marriage is falling apart before it has truly begun. I thought that things would only get better when we got married, but I was wrong.”
     
    Kalena sighed deeply. She wasn’t quite sure what to say because marriage was beyond her knowledge. She’d heard more than enough rhetoric about marriage as she grew up in the church and she’d seen her own parent’s marriage. Sometimes she wondered if she wanted to get married at all. Men always seemed to act crazy once those papers were signed.
     
    However, she wasn’t going to allow her mildly jaded view cause her to give her friend bad advice. Ultimately, she wanted her friend to be happy and she knew that getting a divorce would destroy Tamika. Also, Reggie seemed like a pretty nice guy, overall,  and she hoped that the two of them could work things out. Reggie needed to get it together and treat her friend better.
     
    “I don’t know what to say, Tamika. I’m really sorry that this is happening to you and I wish that you would have told me sooner. I can’t believe that you were going through this all alone. You know better.