The weekend had passed. It was time for Mark to go. He made sure to make the most of the weekend. He took his wife on a two-day vacation outside Salith State. They visited various places, took nice pictures together and made love whenever they had the chance to. Mark didn't waste time to tell his wife how much he loved her whenever he got the chance.
Whenever he remembered the business trip he was leaving for he became sad. This was not the first and definitely won't be the last. There would be lots more in the long run especially now that he was going to be the CEO of the company. He felt bad for his wife, she would be lonely. No children and he was sure she didn't have very close friends. She had more of business acquaintances.
He had suggested to Leila to invite her sister to stay with her while he was away or take a break from work to go see her sister. But Leila refused. She said burying herself in her work would help her not to dwell in the loneliness and she had Malin and Benita around to keep her company. Mark couldn't convince her otherwise. He wished their situation was different. For his wife's sake. He had brought up adoption as a solution but she wasn't open to the idea. In fact, she made him promise not to mention it ever again. Leila said she wasn't barren and would have her own children soon. Ever since that day, Mark never brought up the idea of adoption. They had tried IVF too but it had failed twice so they decided to give it a break.
The taxi was waiting in the compound already to convey Mark to the airport. Malin loaded his boss's luggage into the trunk of the car. Benita stood by the side watching the emotional couple say their goodbyes. Leila hugged her husband so tightly and Mark did too.
"You just love your work too much. You can come with me you know" Mark said for the
umpteenth time since their vacation. He looked into her eyes with so much care, holding her hands in his.
"I know but babe we've talked about this. My promotion is on the way and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize it. I've told you that I'd be fine. Besides, I need to get used to this because very soon, I know you'll be away more" Leila replied sadly but truthfully. This is all that could happen at the moment.
"But you'll be so alone". He said in a babyish voice. He hugged her again and kissed her hair.
"I'll be fine. I'll call you everytime. We would talk as often as possible" Leila said to him while she was still in his embrace. "Promise?"
"Yes I promise. And you Mister...." She withdrew from the hug and looked into his eyes feigning seriousness. "Promise you won't look at other women there." She held up her pinky finger for a pinky swear. Mark laughed at her.
"I promise baby. My eyes are only for you". He crossed his pinky with hers.
Malin and Benita chuckled from where they were standing. Their employees were a cute couple together. They liked the way the couple admired each other. Mark brought in his wife for another hug.
"I love you darling. Be a good girl till I come back alright. Don't get into trouble. I won't be here to fight for you".
"Hey. I don't need you. I can fight for myself." She said jokingly holding up her arm in an I'm-a- champion pose. Mark laughed at his wife. So innocent. Leila smiled. She held his cheek in her hands and drew closer to him.
"I will be fine babe. And I love you more".
They shared a brief kiss. Mark turned
away and walked towards the car. Malin opened up the car door for him and he went in. The driver was already seated. Leila waved goodbye to her husband. The driver had started the car and he was already on the move. Both Mark and Leila didn't stop waving until they couldn't see each other again. Leila had tears in her eyes that threatened to spill. She looked up at the sky and took in a long deep breath. She turned back and headed into the house.
Leila had taken the day off, she wanted to be with Mark till he left and even after he did, she knew she wouldn't be in a very good mood for a huge part of that day. Instead of bringing the bad energy to work, she thought staying at home in her bedroom and sulking all day long would be better. Tomorrow, she could face life head-on.
Leila went upstairs to her matrimonial bedroom. She hadn't eaten anything since she woke and food didn't matter to her now. She picked up her phone and ordered a box of complete Italian pizza and a large bowl of vanilla flavored ice-cream from her favorite eatery. She was notified that it would take at least an hour before her order arrived. She didn't mind, she could wait. She called Malin on the phone to inform him that she was expecting a delivery, he should receive it and tell Benita to bring it upstairs. After the call, Leila sat down on the bed for a couple of minutes staring into space.
When she had stared enough, she stood up, stripped from the night wear she still had on and headed for the bathroom. She had a warm shower that took longer than usual. After bathing, she applied the necessary body cosmetics and wore a free house dress. She turned on the TV and tuned it to a channel she was not so interested in but that was the best she knew. Leila had never been a TV fan and so was Mark. The television was hardly ever switched on whenever they were together. Each other's company was enough for them; phone and books could also come in handy sometimes but TV was a rare sight. She only wanted to keep hearing the sound of humans from the TV in her room.
Leila laid on the bed and took her phone. When she saw the time, she chuckled at how much time she had spent in the bathroom, very unlike her. Today she felt lazy. She missed Mark already. Leila called him to know where he was. Mark on the other side smiled when he saw his wife's call, she just couldn't wait a little longer.