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A Friend for Nikita - Chapter 5

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Chapter 5 – Saturday, March 11, 2023

Nikita and her father slept terribly last night, and when morning came, they felt like their will had been sapped away. Theodore felt sick when he woke up, and yet he had little urge to get up. He was used to seeing his wife next to him in this bed, and the fact that he did not see her there weighed heavily on him. As heinous as she had been toward him and Nikita, he still loved her. She may have betrayed him, but he wasn’t about to turn his back on her. Other men might have given up and looked for a new wife, but he wasn’t about to throw in the towel. There was a small part of him that believed that this marriage could be fixed, but it was going to take a miracle.

He finally got up and walked over to Nikita’s door and knocked on it gently. “Nikita, are you awake?”

“...Yeah.” She muttered, her face in her pillow.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?”

“...Terrible.” She muttered again.

“Is it okay with you if I come in?”

“Yes.”

He opened the door and saw her facing down. He walked over to her bed and sat down near her, and sighed.

“Nikita...I’m so sorry...” He said, simply, putting a paw on her back. She lifted her face out of the pillow and looked at him.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Mom had us both fooled.” She said, wiping away some wetness in her eyes.

“It’s just that...I-I can’t believe this is actually happening. I don’t know if she always felt that way about me, but the fact that she said that she doesn’t love me hit me so hard. Did you...hear what she said about you?”

Nikita nodded a little, and sighed. “I don’t want to believe it myself. I remember all those times when I was younger where she said that she loved me, and those times where she even played with me and said a prayer with me before tucking me into bed. I don’t want to believe it was fake...”

“I know, Nikita, I know... but it looks like the sweet woman I married over twenty years ago disappeared and a monster took her place. I never thought the day would come when I would be referring to her like that...” He said, shedding a tear. “But even now, I still think she can change...”

“I hope she does change, dad, but...I just don’t have much hope that she will. I’m sorry I sound so negative, but after what she’s put me through lately, I just can’t imagine her changing.”

However, Theodore didn’t want to encourage any doubt, even if Nikita ended up being right. “Perhaps she won’t change, but I believe that it can happen by God’s power.”

“But she rejects God.”

“I know, but He can still cause something to happen that would lead to her change. She may have been horrible to us, but we still should pray for her because God cares about her too, and He can soften hardened hearts.” He said, and then he remembered something he read recently in the Bible. He started in Genesis just a few weeks ago, but was already in the middle of Acts. “I recently read an account in Acts where God saved and changed someone whose heart was against Christ and even killed people that followed Him.”

“Really? Who?”

“That person’s name was Saul, and later, he ended up becoming the Apostle Paul. The same person that once hated and killed Christians became someone that would later positively influence millions and millions of Christians in the future with his writings.”

“Wow...and was he even looking to be changed by God?”

“No. He was very zealous in his persecution of Christians. One day though, while he was walking to Damascus to continue his persecution, Jesus appeared to him and stopped him. He could’ve killed him right there, and he would’ve deserved it, but instead, He chose to save him and change his life forever. My point is, if God can save, and change, a murderer, then I believe with my whole heart that He can do the same for Leslie. I just know it can happen!”

“Wow, that does sound amazing. Hm, maybe it could happen after all.” Nikita replied. “I still have some doubt in me though.”

“Just start by believing that what God says in His word is true. There’s a reason He gave it to us; so that we wouldn’t wonder around this dreary planet lost and confused all the time.”

“Okay.” She replied, nodding. Faith wasn’t exactly her strong point right now, but she had enough to believe that it was a possibility that God could change her mother. “I’m going try hard. I just want my mom again...” She replied, shedding a tear.

“I know, I do too...” He answered, pulling her into a hug and brushing away her tear.

After that, the two of them spent a lot of time praying. It was nothing eloquent, but it was full of sincerity. Nikita struggled because she would sometimes start crying while in the middle of a sentence. She wanted her mom back so badly, and she wanted God to save, and change her life.

At noontime, Nikita’s father suggested that they go on a walk and get some fresh air. He wanted to cheer her up, and he wanted to cheer up himself too. It happened to be a nice, sunny day today, and he didn’t want to let it go to waste.

“Are you up for it?” He asked her.

“Sure, I’ll go.” She replied, feeling better by now. The time she spent with her father talking and praying really did a lot of good for her. She also focused again on what she intended to do today; ask Robert to be her boyfriend. She planned to do it after their lesson today, so she asked her dad if he could come thirty minutes after the end of the lesson to pick her up so she could have time to ask Robert her question. Just thinking about being his girlfriend made her feel even happier, and she was smiling for the first time today.

The walk also did her a lot of good, and when it was near her lesson time, they got back in the car and her father drove her over to Robert’s house.

“Bye Nikita, I love you.” He said to her as she got out of the car with her art materials.

“Bye dad, I love you too.”

“And may you get the answer from Robert you’re looking for.”

“Thanks dad.” she replied, smiling again. “I’ll see you later.” She closed the door and walked up to the house and knocked on their front door.

Robert let her in, and he seemed happy too. “Hi Nikita, come in.”

“Thank you.” She walked into the house, and said hi to Mrs. Lowell.

“Hi Nikita, how are you?”

“I’m good.” She replied, and then she let out a small giggle, thinking about Robert saying “yes” to her after the lesson.

“What’s funny?” He asked her, hearing her giggle.

“Oh, nothing.” She replied, blushing. “Well, I’m ready to start.”

“Awesome, let’s go then.” He replied, wondering why Nikita giggled.

When the lesson started, Robert asked her something that made the smile on her face disappear right away.

“Alright, can I see the shading assignment from last week?”

”No! I completely forgot that it got ruined! I don’t want to drag him into our family drama though. What do I say?!

“Nikita? Why do you look nervous? Are you okay?”

“I, uh, um...” She stuttered, trying to think about what to tell him exactly.

“You did do the assignment, right?”

“I did, but, um, it kind of got, uh, you know, ruined.” She replied, feeling sad again.

“Oh.” Robert replied. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t seem angry with her either.

“I’m sorry.” She said, her eyes welling up with tears again. Robert heard her sniffle and saw her brush the water from her eyes. “I was almost done with it yesterday, but then water accidentally got spilled on it. I brought it with me, but it looks so bad because of the stain.” She continued, her voice shaking.

“Is it okay with you if I see it? You don’t have to show it to me if you don’t want to.”

“S-sure.” She went into her backpack to get the ruined artwork out, and she was starting to cry. She pulled out the paper and set it on the desk. “H-here.”

However, Robert had become concerned with her crying, and he felt really bad for her. He also wondered if it was actually her that spilled the water on it. She told him that “water accidentally got spilled on it,” but she didn’t say who did it. Was she subtly trying to cover for someone else’s mistake without technically lying?

“Nikita, it’s okay.” He said to her gently. “Accidents happen.”

“I know, but I was so happy with how I did on this piece, but it just had to get ruined.”

”There it is again, that vague language. Did someone else ruin her assignment?” He thought, wondering what she was hiding. “But still, I can tell by looking at this that you tried really hard and put so much effort into this. It’s only been a month, but you’ve come so far as an artist. I am really pleased with you, and I will be honest here and say that you’re improving much faster than I did within my first month of drawing. I hope you realize how far you’ve come too, and I don’t want some little accident to discourage you. I spill things on my work too sometimes; it happens to the best of us.” He said, and then he hugged her.

This action took her by surprise, but it was a very pleasant surprise. He didn’t hug her for long, but it felt so warm, comforting, and affectionate. That in itself made her feel so much better already. ”And this is why I love you Robert. Please, never stop being so comforting, considerate, and understanding. You just always know how to make me feel better.

The rest of the lesson went smoothly, and though Nikita was feeling happy again, she was also nervous about asking Robert her question afterwards. She knew that he was very polite, but there was a small fear that he would say “no.” She also knew her dad said that she shouldn’t give up on finding a boyfriend if Robert says “no”, but she didn’t know if she’d actually have the heart to do that. Her heart was set on him, and if she couldn’t be his girlfriend, then she knew she would not take it well. The last thing she wanted right now was rejection; getting it from her own mother was bad enough.

To her surprise, Nikita noticed that Robert appeared nervous too toward the end of the lesson.

“Are you okay, Robert?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know, you seem a little nervous to me.”

“I do? Oh, sorry. It’s just that...someone has been on my mind a lot recently...” He told her, blushing a little.

“Ah, I see.” She replied, smiling. ”No way! Is he planning on asking me to be his girlfriend soon?!”

After the lesson was over, Nikita packed up her things, and Robert organized his art utensils back to where they were. He let out a sigh and he went to open the door and let Nikita through first.

“Robert? I forgot to tell you earlier that my dad will pick me up a little later, so is it okay if I stay here until he comes?”

“Yes.” He told her, and he walked into the kitchen to get water. She sat on a chair that was placed at the counter. He asked her if she wanted anything to eat or drink.

“Oh, I’m okay, thanks.” She replied. Right now, it felt like there were so many butterflies in her stomach. She was starting to shake slightly, and he noticed it.

“You’re shaking; are you alright?” He asked her.

“I’m ok-kay.” She said to him, feeling very terrified all of a sudden.

“You don’t look okay to me. Are you feeling sick?”

“N-no.” She answered, and she figured she may as well just get to asking the question now since he was catching on that something was weighing on her. “But, um, well...” She started, and Robert listened to her.

“Yeah? Something on your mind?”

”Well, here goes nothing!” She thought, ready to finally ask her question. “Robert, someone has been on my mind a lot recently as well.”

“Oh really? Who?”

“Well, uh, he hasn’t been on my mind for long, but...I really love him.” She said, her eyes starting to water. “And, well, I was going to ask him today if he, uh, wanted to be my boyfriend.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re so nervous. Well, I have to confess something too.” He told her.

“What’s that?”

“The person that has been on my mind a lot lately...happens to be a girl. I also haven’t known her for long, but I already feel so strongly about her. I really believe we were meant for each other.”

“I feel the same way about the boy that I like. I just can’t imagine my life anymore without him.” She brushed away some water that was forming in her eyes. “He’s been so wonderful to me, and I’ve never met anyone like him before who’s been so caring, thoughtful, considerate, and just the perfect gentleman.”

“Wow, he sounds like a real find! What’s his name?” Robert asked her.

Nikita’s heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, and her breathing had gotten faster. She was sweating a lot, and she could hear the blood just rushing through her head. “H-his n-name is...i-is...R-“

Just then, there was a knock at the front door.

“Robert!” Came a voice from outside; it was one Nikita didn't recognize.

“Oh, that must be her.” Robert said. “Excuse me.”

“Who is that?” Nikita asked, her heart still racing.

“It’s Jacqueline...my new girlfriend.”

Nikita nearly screamed, and she turned to see who this Jacqueline was. Robert opened the door, and at the door stood a very beautiful and young Flarettata who appeared to be about Robert’s age.

“Come in!” He said to her, giving her a hug. She hugged him back and kissed him on the cheek. All Nikita could do was stare in disbelief as her hopes and dreams shattered before her very eyes.

“Hi Robert, how are you?” She asked, walking into the house.

“I’m doing well. I just got finished teaching my other art student. That’s her over there; her name’s Nikita.”

Nikita managed to stop staring and she tried to be polite to her. “H-hi Jacqueline.” She extended her paw towards her.

“Hi Nikita.” She replied, shaking her paw. “Robert’s told me about you and how impressed he is with how much better you’ve gotten in a short time.”

“H-he has?”

“Yeah. I’m actually his other student.” She took the seat next to hers.

“Um, th-thank you, Robert.” Nikita said to him. She did recall him mentioning having another student, but she didn’t think anything of it. She had no idea that his other student would end up becoming his girlfriend.

“You’re welcome, you deserve the compliments.”

“That’s what I love about you, Robert. You always have something nice to say about others, and you always know how to build others up.”

Robert blushed. “Th-thanks.”

“S-so, how long h-have you t-two been...” Nikita started, and she cleared her throat. “B-boyfriend and girlf-friend?”

“Well, Jacqueline and I have had just three lessons together now, but she asked me to be her boyfriend just yesterday after our lesson. We haven’t known each other for long, but it just feels like we belong together, and in fact, need each other.”

“And I was really scared too, at first.” Jacqueline said. “I was scared about asking you to be my boyfriend, especially since my family rejects me. I had the fear that I would be rejected yet again, but I was so overjoyed when you said “yes” to me. I thank God that He put us together.”

“I do too; I can’t imagine what the rest of my life would be like without you. You have such a gentle, generous, and kind spirit in you. I’m so blessed.” Robert said to her.

Jacqueline blushed and smiled, but Nikita couldn’t bear this any longer. She was feeling very sick right now, as if her whole future had been destroyed. As she listened to them talk, she couldn’t disagree that Robert and Jacqueline were perfect for each other, and she believed she would never have another chance with him again.

It was over.

“Oh, isn’t that your dad’s car out there?” Robert said to Nikita.

She turned around and saw him parked out on the curb. “Yeah.” She replied simply, and she quickly grabbed her pack and just ran for the door, wanting to leave as soon as she could.

“Wait, you’re not going to say bye?” Robert asked her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” She replied. Though she just wanted to leave, she didn’t want to just throw them a flippant “bye” and dart out the door. She decided she would still try to be polite.

“Bye Robert, bye Jacqueline.” She said, trying to smile.

“Bye Nikita, I’ll see you next week.” Robert said to her.

“Bye, and keep up the good work.” Jacqueline told her.

“Thank you, I will.” She replied, and she opened the door. Before walking out though, she turned to look back at Robert just one more time. ”Goodbye Robert. I know now we’ll never be together, but I hope that Jacqueline will make you happy. You’re still a true gentleman to me, and you deserve a lady who’s as nice as you are. Maybe I will find someone someday, but I guess that day isn’t today...”

Meanwhile, Theodore was prepared to congratulate his daughter on getting Robert as her boyfriend. He sat there waiting for her, ready to hear the good news. However, when he saw her walking toward the car crying, his heart sank.

”No...it can’t be...”

He reached over and opened the door for her, and she climbed in and threw her pack in the back. He immediately pulled her into a tight hug, letting her tears fall onto his chest. He didn’t know why Robert had turned her down, but he suddenly felt angry at him.

“This isn’t right...you’re such a sweet girl...” He told her gently.

“Robert didn’t turn me down...he got a new girlfriend yesterday, and she dropped by just before I could tell Robert I love him and that I wanted to be his girlfriend.”

“Unbelievable, you missed him by just one, stinkin’ day. This is just...horrible.”

“Can we just go home, dad? I just want to go to my room.”

Meanwhile, as Robert and Jacqueline were talking, he noticed Nikita’s father holding her as though comforting her, and she was shaking, as though sobbing. ”Nikita?! Why is she crying?”

“Robert? What’s wrong?” Jacqueline asked him, her back to the window.

Robert hesitated for a few seconds. “Nothing, I suppose.” He replied, though he sounded a bit down. “So, are you still up for tonight?”

“Of course.” She replied. “It’ll be our first date; I’m pretty excited about it.” She said, smiling.

“I am too.” He replied, smiling too, and kissing her on the cheek.

When Nikita and her father got home that afternoon, she went straight up to her room and closed the door. She buried herself beneath the covers and cried her eyes out. She was clutching her stomach as it was in great pain. Her crying was so intense that it was hurting her. Her father could hear her almost screaming as though she were being tortured, and it broke his heart.

”My poor little girl didn’t deserve this! Why does everything get taken away from her?! She gets bullied at school, gets a poor excuse of a mother, and now she loses the one boy she had her sights on, the one boy that really cared about her and had an impact in her life! Why does she always get the short end of the stick? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD?! He pounded the table in hot anger, almost breaking it. He put his head down on it and cried too. He wanted the best for her, but the best did not seem to want Nikita.

In fact, it seemed no one did.

Nikita had never felt so crushed in her entire life. She felt like she had been mercilessly cast into a pit of which there was no escape, and the entrance had been sealed, trapping her in it forever. She would be left there all alone and with no hope for the rest of her life. She was doomed to die alone, and when she would finally pass away, nobody would care. On her gravestone would be chiseled three words.

“Ugly. Filthy. Trash.”

As she lay there under the covers in her relentless agony, she longed for Robert’s warm hug again. She really wanted to be with him right now as his girlfriend. She wanted him to hold her and keep her close and comfort her right now.

As the sky grew darker and Nikita’s insatiable sorrow swallowed her up, Theodore was falling into a mess as well. He had attempted to call Adonia’s house again so he could speak to Leslie. Finally, she answered the phone.

“Dad, mom told me that you yelled at her and you were being unreasonable with her. She also said that she doesn’t want to talk to you or Nikita again.”

“Adonia, your mother is not telling the complete truth about me. Yes, I did raise my voice to her, but that was because she was demonstrating rather despicable behavior last night. She had told me that she had always hated Nikita, and that she didn’t love me anymore. Please, put me on the phone with her. I have to do whatever I can to get her back and make this marriage work.”

“Mom told me that her marriage doesn’t matter to her anymore anyways, but sure, whatever. I’ll let her tell you herself.”

Later, she had handed the phone to her mother.

“Leslie, please stay on the phone for me. Adonia told me that our marriage doesn’t matter much to you anymore, but it still matters to me. You gave me your word on our wedding day that you would never leave me, and I did likewise.”

“Theodore? Can you just drop it? It’s over. I take back all those words I told you that day.”

“Why do you hate me, Leslie? What did I do to you?” He asked, not yelling, but hurting tremendously on the inside.

“Well, how about the fact that you insisted that we have another child, which I never wanted? That was selfish of you. And how about the fact that you actually devote sincere affection to that waste of space? She’s hideous, and no one wants her except you. You’ve wasted so much time on someone that shouldn’t even be in existence right now. She’s only here because of your selfishness.”

“Wait a minute! You agreed to have a second child with me, and I never forced you into it! All I did was mention that I would like to have another child, but I never said that I’d hate you or leave you if you didn’t agree to it. You said “no” the first few times, but you eventually agreed to it. Why did you go through with it if you didn’t really want to?”

“No, you whined like a baby whenever I said “no.” I only agreed to go through with it to make you shut up about it finally.”

“You know darn well I didn’t do that. I never whined about it. Why are you lying?”

“You did. Besides, ever since Adonia landed this career, I have since discovered that...this is where I belong. Sorry, but life in a typical house with a typical husband and daughter is very boring to me. I’d much rather be with people who have exciting lives and careers. However, your career involves you sitting in front of a computer a lot, and what the heck does Nikita even do?”

“Draw...” He replied, sighing.

“Sure, okay. Whatever, it sounds boring and unproductive.”

“If you wanted someone with an exciting career, why did you even marry me?!”

“Because it’s something I discovered about myself only recently. How about if you pick up an exciting career and get rid of Nikita somehow, then I’ll probably come back to you.”

“What a vile thing to say! Where would she even go?!”

“I don’t know, how about throw her out onto the street, or maybe give her to a family that actually wants an ugly little runt for some reason? Or better yet, just drive her to the middle of nowhere and leave her there so that way she’ll never come back home. There are so many possibilities.”

There was a pause before Theodore spoke to her. “You know, I really thought I was going to get through to you somehow, but now I realize that you’ve hardened your heart. I’m in pure horror right now at what you’ve become as a person.” He said, starting to cry. “But please understand this; I still love you, and I will still try to make things right. You’re making this so bleak right now, but I know that nothing is impossible with God.”

Leslie sighed. “No. Just forget it. Don’t try anymore. Don’t bother calling me or Adonia anymore, and don’t bother showing up to our house to win me back. We are through. Understand me?”

“We are NOT through.” Theodore replied, growling through gritted teeth.

“Whatever. Bye.” Leslie ended the call.

However, Theodore’s emotions were getting the better of him, and he wanted to try yet again. He was not about to take “no” for an answer. He vowed on their wedding day to her that he was going to fight for their marriage and that no matter what tribulations would come their way, he would do his best to keep the marriage afloat. He was going to try up until the bitter end.

He was going to find out though that tonight would be the bitter end.

He dialed Adonia’s phone again, and a female voice was heard. However, it didn’t belong to either Adonia or Leslie.

“We’re sorry, but the number on the device you are calling from has been blocked by this number. For assistance, please press zero...”

Theodore put the phone back down and just stood there, defeated. As much as he didn’t want to accept this, he realized that he would likely never see his wife and older daughter again. The marriage was officially over, and the family would never be together again.

I tried...I really did... He thought, and he turned to head up the stairs and just go to bed. Though he was hungry and hadn’t had dinner, he didn’t care to eat anything anymore. Never before had he felt so helpless and uncertain about the future. He had to accept that things would be different now, and that he was going to have to raise Nikita on his own from now on.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he could hear Nikita still crying, though it didn’t sound as intense as before. He walked over to her room and gently opened the door. He saw a small lump under the covers where his child lay crying. Without saying a word, he walked over to her and sat down on her bed like he did this morning, and he massaged her with his paw.

“D-dad...I-I’m so s-scared.”

“The world around us may crumble to pieces, but I’ll be here for you, my sweet girl.”

“I f-feel like I w-want to die.”

“Nikita, no. It’s true things are horrid right now, but you still have me, and you still have God.”

“I’m f-finding it s-so hard to b-believe right now. I w-want to, but m-my life is f-falling apart. Why c-can’t j-just one thing g-go right for m-me?”

“I will be honest with you...I don’t know why God is allowing this to happen to us. Just earlier, I was trying to talk to your mother again, and she actually blocked our number. I don’t know why this is happening, but, please listen to me...this is no reason to give up. I feel scared too, but I still believe that nothing is impossible with God, even when we see no way out of it. Even if we lost all our belongings and our house burned down...we’d still have each other. I will never abandon you, and I will always support you as long as I live. Everyone else may call you names and insult you, but you are a beautiful treasure to me. You mean the world to me, and I will always love you.” He said, and he kissed her on the forehead, even though she was still beneath the covers.

“Thanks d-dad. Th-that means s-so much to me. I am thankful th-that I still have you. I love you too.” She slowly crawled back out from under the covers, and her face looked damp from all her crying, and her eyes were red. She walked over to him and hugged him, and he hugged her back. Much of her life may have been destroyed, perhaps permanently, but she at least had her dad. “If you can still have faith after all that happened, then...I will still hold on as well. Thank you for encouraging me.”

“I will help you however I can, you have my word.”

Later, Theodore walked back to his own bed to go to sleep, and Nikita followed him.

“Dad, I know I’m fifteen, but, can I sleep in your bed too?” She asked him that for the first time in nine years. “I just...want company right now.”

“Yes, you can sleep in my bed.” He replied, smiling a little bit, remembering when she used to do that whenever she got scared as a little girl. She used to knock on their door, and he would open it. She would then ask him if she could sleep in their bed because she was scared of something, like, a bad lightning storm, or she thought there was a monster under her bed. He would say yes and let her scamper up onto their bed and sleep between her parents.

There was no bad storm, nor was there a monster under her bed, but there was terrifying uncertainty on the horizon that brought fear into Nikita’s heart. Her father fell asleep before she did, and she lay there not far from him under the covers. She found that her thoughts were still on Robert, even though she could no longer be with him. She still loved him, which made the pain in her heart worse. She didn’t know if she would ever get over it, and it worried her.

”God, please, I-I ask for Your wisdom and Your guidance. I don't know where my life is going to go anymore, but I n-need to trust You. This is so hard for me, and I need all the help I can get because I'm so weak... I-I want someone to spend my life with, who also loves You, Lord, and I just pray You would allow that to happen..." She muttered to God through tears, trying to wade through the doubt and loneliness and have the faith that all things would work together for good to those that love God.
Well, I got this out pretty fast. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it, and stay tuned for chapter six, and the epilogue following. Thanks :)

A Friend for Nikita - Chapter 1 
Next ---> A Friend for Nikita - Chapter 6 
Previous ---> A Friend for Nikita - Chapter 4 

3/18/16 - Edited the ending where I had the "still, small voice." I determined that this wasn't dispensationally correct and had Nikita pray instead, like what all Christians should do in their time of trouble.
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Nyaasu's avatar
What a bleak chapter! D: Poor Niki, and Theodore too!

He's become such a good father though, since this story began, and that small bit of happiness makes me feel a little better. :3

I'm I suspense, but hoping things get better for both of them!