Building The Emotion And Sensuality

Lesson Two: Carla's Wrath

It was Carla’s 40th birthday. A real milestone, or so she thought.  Pete never pretended to be the sensitive type and Carla had accepted that.  There were so many other things about Pete to love.  Things like his grit and determination to get things done and his boldness in the face of conflict.  Carla had learned to love his rough, no nonsense attitude a long time ago and had settled into a comfortable space with her alpha male.  Still, she was turning 40 and thought Pete would at least make an effort to wish her a happy day.  She only needed to hear it from him.  Flowers, candy, a night on the town were all unnecessary.  All she wanted to know was that he noticed she was growing better.  She had a desperate need to hear him say that she had greatly improved since their early days together.  So much of the world often left her feeling defeated with its endless obsession with youth and beauty.  She had never considered herself exceptionally beautiful but at least that she thought she could correct that with a little eye shadow and lipstick.  But youth was something more elusive that she could do little about.  She couldn’t turn back the years to when she was twenty years old so she had tried to adopt a more youthful, free spirited attitude.  Yet she often wondered if Pete even noticed.  Now, with her 40th birthday gone she thought that he didn’t.  Her throat hardened as tears formed in her eyes.  She knew that Pete loved her even if he never actually said it.  She just wanted to know he noticed her and appreciated her and an acknowledgement of her birthday would have sufficed.

Pete walked in the back door and found Carla standing in the kitchen with misty eyes.
“What’s up, babe?  Are you crying?”
“You forgot my birthday Pete,” Carla half whispered looking away from him.
“Oh.  Was yesterday your birthday,” he shrugged looking into the refrigerator?
Carla’s eyes narrowed as she turned to look at him.
He doesn’t even care, she thought as a burning sensation spread across her forehead.  Suddenly, the room was hot enough to fry an egg.  How dare he dismiss me like that.  She crossed the room with her hands on her hips and her eyes blazing.
“Pete!  I don’t believe you,” Carla snarled through clenched teeth.  “After all these years you still can’t remember my birthday.  You would think for my sake you would at least try.  Just once is all I ask.”
Carla stood face to face with Pete waving one finger in his startled face.
“Well…I…uh,” he stammered.
“And furthermore Pete,” Carla fumed.  “It’s about time that you started to pay more attention to me.  I’ll never understand how you can remember all those sports statistics but you can’t remember one simple day that means so much to me.”
Carla was on fire.  Her thoughts raced as all the years of Pete’s unintentional neglect boiled to the surface.
“Sometimes I wonder what you would do if I wasn’t a part of your life.  You’ve taken me for granted for far too long.”
Pete stood there quietly looking like a scolded child but Carla wasn’t finished.
“Really, Pete.  I know you have never been big on the more lovey dovey aspects of a relationship but would it kill you to just once acknowledge my presence in your life?”

Carla had a headache now and took a deep breath to quiet the pounding around her temples.  She shook her head and took a step back.  She wanted to pick something up and throw it at him to knock him out of his stupor but resisted the urge.  Instead she stared intently at the man she loved and burst into tears.  She sobbed uncontrollably for what seemed like forever and didn’t even notice the hands on her shoulders drawing her closer.
“I’m sorry,” Pete whispered as he kissed her tear stained cheeks.  “I’m an idiot, I know but I do love you Carla and I appreciate you more than you can imagine.”
Carla looked into Pete’s earnest eyes and caught her breath between sobs.
“I know you love me, Pete but it helps to hear it every once in a while.  I’ve never said much about it before but I need you to hear me right now.  I’m not a robot. I have feelings and sometimes they get hurt when you don’t acknowledge me.  I just can’t go any further having my feelings ignored.  Do you hear me, Pete?”
“I hear you baby and please know that I wouldn’t try to hurt you purposely.  Let me make it up to you.  How about we go out to eat tonight,” Pete suggested hopefully.  “In honor of your birthday. What is it, 40 years?  See Carla, I pay attention to you more than you think.”
This time Carla stood quietly.  She found herself both surprised and relieved by Pete’s attempt to be sensitive.  She liked the feeling of comfort and peace that flowed through her now that she had made her needs known to the man she looked forward to spending the rest of her life with.  What a good man, she calmed herself further.  At least he is making an effort to hear and respond to me.
“I’m sorry I blew up at you, Pete.  I love you too.  Thank you for hearing me. I’d like it very much if we went out for dinner tonight.  Give me a few minutes to freshen myself up and I’ll be ready to go.”
As Carla walked out of the kitchen she looked over her shoulder at Pete whose intense gaze was lovingly following her out of the room.  Carla silently counted herself among the blessed as she floated up the stairs content and carefree once again.

Word Count:  974