A Friend for Nikita - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Sunday, March 12, 2023

Theodore was the first one to wake up that day, and as he woke up, he felt like he was waking up in a different life. Nothing around him seemed the same anymore, it was as though everything had been affected by the devastation that attacked him and Nikita yesterday. He turned and lifted the covers beside him and saw Nikita sound asleep.

”It seems like she’s sleeping peacefully; I’m glad. I just hope she doesn’t give up on finding a boyfriend. There must be another boy out there that would like her.”

He let her continue to sleep, and got up and went downstairs to make breakfast. Though his heart was still broken, he didn’t want to let it ruin his life. He knew he would have to accept that his wife was not going to come back again, and he was going to have to figure out what to do about that. He wasn’t entirely familiar with the Biblical grounds for divorce, and it pained him that he was even considering it.

A little later, Nikita came downstairs. She wasn’t crying, but she didn’t exactly look enthusiastic.

“Hey dad.”

“Good morning, Nikita. Are you feeling any better today?”

“Eh, sort of. I’ll have to get used to waking up in a new reality, one that I don’t like.” She replied, sighing.

“I feel that way too. It just feels like everything has changed. We can’t let it ruin our lives though, we have to press on.”

“I know. I’m sorry I said last night that I wanted to die. I know that that’s not an option, and that God has given me my life for a reason. I want to press on, too.”

Her father smiled, and he gently patted her head. “I’m happy to hear that. I’m making breakfast; do you want anything?”

“Okay.” She replied, and she sat at the table. She smiled a bit too, feeling glad that even though much had gone wrong in her life, she at least still had her dad to support her.

He made pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and Nikita waited patiently. Through all the turmoil she had gone through, she remembered that she wanted to draw her dad something. It was the whole reason why she started taking art lessons to begin with. She thought about it, and decided that she wanted to draw a picture of him comforting her, with a hug, most likely, and underneath, she would write, “I love you, dad.” She grabbed some paper and started doodling what she saw in her mind.

During breakfast, Nikita’s father asked her if she wanted to go on a walk today. It was another beautiful, late winter day.

She thought about it, and though she wanted to work some more on the piece she wanted to do for her dad, she agreed to his offer, seeing that it looked nice outside.

After they were done eating, her father took their plates to the sink and washed them. As he washed them, he noticed in the dishrack the mug that his wife always used for her coffee. She must have forgotten to take it. He picked it up and looked at it for a bit, remembering eating breakfast with her every morning and having coffee with her. He remembered how he enjoyed being with her and how they used to have conversation with each other over breakfast.

”I remember it seemed like you enjoyed being with me too, but boy, you really had me fooled...” He quickly put the mug in a cabinet and moved it all the way to the back. He feared that if he held it any longer, he would become angry and smash it on the ground. He finished washing their plates and utensils and set them in the dishrack to dry. Nikita noticed him looking at the mug earlier, but she didn’t say anything.

Afterwards, they had both stepped outside to begin their morning walk. It was cool, but not so cold that they needed jackets or sweaters; their fur provided enough warmth for them.

“So, anywhere you want to walk?” Nikita’s father asked her.

“Hm, any direction is fine with me. How about we go right?”

“Sounds good to me.”

During the walk, they were both thinking about their future, and what they wanted to do next. Even now, Nikita realized that she still couldn’t let go of Robert. Her heart just couldn’t accept that he was with someone else now, and it worried her.

”No, I HAVE to accept that Robert will never be my boyfriend. I have to move on with my life, no matter how much it hurts. Jacqueline seems like the right girl for him, and I should be happy that he found a girl that he likes, and that likes him. Next time I see Robert, I should tell him that I’m happy he found a nice girl to be with and that I hope they can stay together forever. I do care about his happiness, and plus, it will help me move on and perhaps find someone else.”

Not long after she finished that thought, she saw Robert, and she nearly jumped, not expecting to see him today. However, he appeared to be...sad. He was sitting on the curb in front of a park and his head was down, but not all the way. He wasn’t crying, but he didn’t look very happy. Nikita noticed that he was alone as well.

“Robert!” Nikita called, running over to him with concern, and her father followed.

Robert looked over and saw them. “Oh, hey Nikita, and Mr. Lennick.” He answered, not sounding terribly enthusiastic.

“What’s wrong, Robert? How come you’re sitting out here?” Nikita asked him, sitting on the curb next to him.

“Well, this will probably come as a shock to you, but...” He sighed. “Jacqueline and I broke up last night.”

“What?!” Nikita exclaimed. “Wow! That is shocking! You two seemed like you really liked each other yesterday.”

“We still do like each other, but we found out that us being a couple wasn’t going to work.”

“Why is that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well, it turns out that we want different things in life, and the things we want can’t happen if we wind up getting married in the future.”

“What do you want in your life that Jacqueline didn’t want?”

“Let me explain...” He said to her, and Theodore decided to sit down too next to his daughter and listen.

~The previous night~

Robert and Jaqueline were walking next to each other in the park. They were walking alongside the lake, simply enjoying each other’s company in the cool night air. The night was clear and a multitude of stars dotted the sky. It was a peaceful and romantic evening, neither of the two imagined that it would be ending tonight.

Later, they sat down on a bench that overlooked the starlit lake. It was quiet, save for their voices.

“Thank God for this beautiful night.” Robert commented, putting his arm around her shoulders. “What made it more beautiful was that I was able to spend it with you.” He said to her.

“You’re so sweet.” She replied, kissing him on the cheek and resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s so hard to believe that we’ve only known each other for a couple weeks, and yet we have such a strong connection.”

“I believe when you find someone you’re meant to be with, then it won’t take long for you to form a close bond with them.”

“I believe we are meant for each other. We have so many of the same thoughts and beliefs about life. And of course, you’re such a gentleman to me.”

He blushed at being called a “gentleman.” It wasn’t the first time a girl called him that either, the other girl to call him that was Nikita. “And I think you’re the perfect lady for me. I love your kind and generous spirit toward me.” He said to her, kissing her on the cheek.

She also blushed, but didn’t say anything. After another minute or so of silence, looking out at the lake, she started to speak again.

“How far in the future are you thinking?” She asked him.

“About our relationship?”

“Yes. I know this is only our first time out, but...do you think about us being married?”

Robert nodded. “I have. I look at what my parents have together, and I say to myself “I’d like that someday.” I think a lot about what it’d be like to spend my life with the woman of my dreams. Marriage is meant to be a beautiful and sacred thing, and I pray to have a good one in the future.”

Jacqueline smiled. “That’s so romantic, I want that too. I’ve also dreamed of having a marriage with a man that loves me. We may not have known each other long, but...I think you’re that man.”

“It could be that within just a couple years, we could be getting married.” He said, smiling too. “Just imagine, we could be husband and wife within a short time and even be starting our own family! It’s quite amazing isn’t it?” He replied, excited, expecting an equally excited response from Jacqueline.

Except that didn’t happen.

The smile that was on Jacqueline’s face faded, and Robert became worried. “Jacqueline? That is exciting, isn’t it?”

“Robert...” She replied, sounding not so happy now. “I...I’m not exactly looking to have children in the future.”

Robert’s eyes widened, he was very shocked at what she just said. “W-why not?”

“I don’t know. It’s just, that, my heart really isn’t set on having kids. If we get married, I just want it to be us.”

“But...wouldn’t having kids be a blessing? I mean, that’s one of the reasons I’d like to get married someday. Yes, having a loving wife is awesome, but I also really want children. I think they’re one of the greatest gifts God could give to a married couple.”

“But we don’t have to have children to be happy together, right? If it’s just us two, wouldn’t that allow us to give more attention and love to each other?”

“I guess it would allow us to give more attention and love to each other, but...having children would make me happier than having a marriage where it’s only us.” Robert was starting to feel very sad, realizing that he and Jacqueline weren’t going to have a future together anymore.

Jacqueline was also starting to feel very sad. She loved Robert, but there was no way they could carry out their own desires if they married each other. Marriages usually contain compromises to a certain degree, but this was one area where neither were willing to change minds.

“Having a marriage with just us two would make me very happy, but...I understand if your heart is set on having children.” she said to him, her eyes becoming watery. “And, I don’t want to take that away from you.”

Robert could see that she was starting to cry, and he wiped her tears away. “And I don’t want to force you to change your desires against your will and make you live a life you wouldn’t be happy with.” He felt his eyes becoming watery too, knowing that all that was left for them to do was break this relationship off. It was gut-wrenching.

“Thank you , Robert...” She replied, hugging him. “I g-guess this means that there’s no use in us continuing this relationship...”

Robert sighed, and a tear fell from his eye. “Yeah...this is it...”

She broke the hug, but was still crying. “I’m so sorry, Robert, that I got your hopes up. I-I hope you will find a woman that has the same dreams you do.”

“It’s okay, Jacqueline, you didn’t intend to make me feel bad. It’s just that we both want different things in life, and we can’t have both those things if we get married. I hope you’ll find a man that shares your dreams too, Jacqueline, you deserve it.”

“Even now, you’re still wonderfully sweet to me.” She replied, managing to smile a little bit. “When you do have your children, I know you’ll do a wonderful job as a father.”

“Thank you.” He answered, smiling a little too. “And I know that whoever will marry you in the future will have a wonderful and loving wife to spend his life with.”

They stood up from the bench, and they gave each other one last hug. They wanted the best for each other, but it would mean their separation.

“Goodnight, Jacqueline. I wish you the very best.”

“Goodnight, Robert. I do too.”

With that, Jacqueline let go and began to walk away from Robert and back to her car to go home. Meanwhile, Robert just stood there.

”It was my very first relationship with a girl, and it ends right on our very first night together...I’m not exactly batting a thousand...” He sighed, and he sat back down on the bench and looked out at the lake like before. He bowed his head and asked God for guidance, wisdom, and hope. He wanted a family so badly, but he didn’t want to just marry any woman that crossed his path. He wanted to be sure that he would be happy spending his life with that woman, and that she would be happy spending her life with him. He didn’t know if he’d find another girl like Jacqueline, but would also want kids. He decided to trust God with his worries and concerns, and when he was done praying, he got up and went back home.

The next morning, he decided to go out for a walk, and he wound up at the same park he and Jacqueline were at the previous night, but on a different side. Thoughts of his talk with her came into his mind again, and they made him feel sad, so he just sat down on the curb and try to let the sadness subside. This was when Nikita and her father found him.

~~~~~~~

Nikita was very touched by the account, and she felt sad for both Robert and Jacqueline. They were two people that loved each other and yet had no choice but to separate because of differing desires.

“Wow, Robert...I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“Thanks Nikita.”

“I think it’s sweet that you want children. I know that any child would be blessed to have you as their father. You seem like someone who would be great with kids.”

“Thank you, that means a lot to me.” He replied, smiling.

“You deserve it.” She replied, smiling too. “To be honest, I would like a family someday too, but I’m starting to doubt if that will ever happen. Things have just been terribly rough lately.” She sighed.

“Wait a second, you were about to tell me yesterday that you were going to ask someone to be your boyfriend. Just when you were about to tell me his name, Jacqueline came to my house and interrupted you. Did he turn you down, or something?”

“Well, not exactly...” Nikita replied, starting to feel uncomfortable now. She wasn’t sure how Robert would take it if she told him that she loved him and wanted him to be her boyfriend, barely one day after breaking up with Jacqueline.

“Oh, did you get scared and not ask him? You seemed really nervous about it yesterday.”

“Well, that’s not really it either...”

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking? Did he say that he doesn’t want a family in the future?”

“...No.” She sighed, realizing that she had found herself in a corner, and that Robert was going to find out the truth very soon. “I’m going to tell you what happened, so please, brace yourself.”

“Okay...” He replied, wondering why she would tell him to brace himself. ”Does this have to do with me?

“You see, um, I never got a chance to ask that boy if he wanted to be my boyfriend. It wasn’t because I couldn’t find him yesterday, it was because I found out he had a girlfriend before I could tell him.”

“Wow, really? That must have been horrible! I’m sorry that happened...” As Robert was saying this, he was recalling his conversation with Nikita about how she was telling him who her boyfriend was, and how she got interrupted by Jacqueline. It struck him as a little odd that she seemed really nervous in front of him; it wasn’t like she was going to ask him to be her boyfriend, right?

”Why was Nikita so nervous talking to me yesterday? Unless I was the person she wanted to ask, it doesn’t make any sense why she would be that overly nervous in front of me. She also told me that she found out he had a girlfriend before she could ask him, and if it was me she was asking to be her boyfriend, then that would make sense because my girlfriend came over before Nikita could finish telling me who she was going to ask..."

Nikita watched Robert as he connected the dots in his mind, and she watched as his eyes widened. He slowly turned his head back to her. “Nikita...?”

“Robert...” She replied, her head turned away, blushing like crazy. “The one that I wanted to ask to be my boyfriend...was you.”

Robert was speechless at first. Though Nikita had been nice to him, he never thought that she wanted to be his girlfriend. He then thought about their other interactions, and how she would complement him a lot, and even call him a “gentleman” at times...just like what Jacqueline called him. After thinking about how she treated him, it became obvious to him that she wanted him as her boyfriend.

“Wow, I was so blind!” He said. “Given the way you speak to me and always say nice things about me, I should’ve considered that perhaps you wanted me to be your boyfriend! I can’t help but feel extremely guilty for upsetting you yesterday. I know you must have felt horrible when Jacqueline came over and you found out she was my girlfriend.” He said to her, deeply saddened.

“It’s okay, Robert. I blame my insecure nature for not asking you sooner. Don’t blame yourself for anything.”

“Well, let me take some of the blame at least. If I had known you had wanted to my girlfriend, then I would’ve talked to you about it sooner. I should’ve been able to see it, but I didn’t. How could I have been so woefully unaware?” He sighed.

“Well, what’s done is done. We can just attribute this to bad timing, really. I don’t want to play any blame games, because it will just make us feel even worse. I’ll just have to pick myself back up and keep looking, and I hope you’ll do the same. You deserve a wonderful and happy marriage with a girl that loves you and wants to be with you forever. You’re easily the nicest and sweetest boy I’ve ever met, and you deserve a girl who has those qualities too. In fact, in the darkness that my life has become, you are one of the few shining lights in it. Even if we’ll never end up together, I want to thank you for being so wonderful to me, and for being one of the few who has treated me with any dignity.” She then stood up and went to him and gave him a hug. “I hope that we will at least always be friends, and that we’ll still talk to each other even when we go our separate ways in life. I hope that is okay with you, my friend.” She said, starting to cry.

“It’s more than okay with me.” Robert was tearing up too, not realizing before just how much he meant to her. She never told him all the things that she had gone through lately concerning her mother, and he didn’t know the full extent of her misery, but he was so touched that he had such a positive impact on her life. He hugged her back affectionately, and as they hugged, certain thoughts started entering Robert’s mind...

Nikita broke the hug eventually, feeling a little better now. She would never be Robert’s girlfriend, but at least they could still be friends.

Or so she thought.

“Nikita, I was thinking about this just now...”

“What?” She said, wiping a tear away.

“I was thinking...do you still have any desire to ask me to be your boyfriend?”

“I still would like that, but since you just broke up with Jacqueline yesterday, it wouldn’t feel right to ask you right now. Why?”

“Well, to be honest...I like you very much too. All those things you have said about me were so thoughtful, and you have a very humble, caring, considerate, and persistent spirit. If you want another chance to ask me to be your boyfriend, you can take it.” He said, a playful smirk coming onto his face.

“Wow, thank you R-robert...” She blushed considerably. “So, are y-you offering what I th-think you’re of-ffering?” She stuttered.

“Well? Go ahead and ask.” He said, still smiling.

Nikita looked to her father, and he mouthed something to her.

“Do it!” He also couldn’t resist smiling, so happy that Robert was basically offering her to become his girlfriend, just like she wanted.

“Okay. So, um, Robert. Do y-you want to be, um, my b-boyfriend?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Nikita let out a scream for joy and she hugged him tightly. “Thank you! Oh my gosh! I’m so happy right now!!!” She cried out, crying again, though now she was shedding tears of joy.

Her father was also very joyful, unable to resist shedding some tears himself. It warmed his heart greatly to see his daughter so happy. Given all the garbage that had been happening to her lately, he was glad that she could at least have one of her dreams fulfilled.

Robert was filled with joy too, and was thankful that he was able to be in another relationship with a girl that loved him so soon after his first relationship failed. It was almost unheard of for such a thing to ever happen.

“I love you, Robert.” Nikita said to him as she cried onto him.

“I love you too, Nikita. I’m so thankful to God that it worked out this way.”

“I am too.” She replied, still hugging him. “This is a miracle.”

“So, what do you want to do right now?” He asked her.

She broke the hug. “Um, I don’t know. I’m okay with just taking a walk together.”

“Sure, we could do that. Is that okay with you, Mr. Lennick?”

“Of course.” He replied, still smiling. “I’m happy that you two are together, and I trust you that you will take good care of my daughter.”

“Thank you, sir. I will do my very best for her.”

Theodore extended his paw to Robert, and they shook paws. “Thanks, Robert.”

“You’re welcome.” Robert nodded.

“Just be sure to bring her back before six.” He told him. “It’s a school night.”

“Yes sir, I will make sure to do that.”

“You’re not going to walk with us, dad?” Nikita asked him.

“I’m going to go back home and let you two enjoy your first date together.”

“Thank you, dad.” Nikita said, smiling. ”Oh my gosh I’m actually going on a date!!!" She thought excitedly. She ran to him and hugged him. “Thank you for being awesome!”

“I just want you two to have fun together. Goodbye.” He said to them, and Nikita let go and he turned to go back home. Nikita walked back to Robert, and they began their walk together. It was their first walk as boyfriend and girlfriend, and she would treasure it in her heart forever.

Later that day, they came across a fair, and they decided to go in and enjoy it. They decided to go on the Ferris wheel ride together, and they rode in the same little carriage. As they sat there, enjoying the ride, Robert had his arm around her, and Nikita leaned against his side. She felt so warm and cozy that she nearly fell asleep during the ride. She just didn’t want this moment to end.

“I’ll always love you, Robert.” She said softly.

“I’ll always love you too, Nikita.” He said back, giving her a little kiss.

After he had said and done that, Nikita drifted into a comfortable sleep as Robert’s arm was still around her. She was as happy as could be.