Mike and Miracle’s love is tested by the cruel hand of fate—cancer, infertility, and heartache threaten to break their bond. Yet, in their quiet moments together, they chose love above all else, finding beauty in each other and the strength to keep going. It wasn’t an easy journey, but Mike took the lead, and gradually, Miracle began to open up to him.
One such moment unfolded in the intimacy of their home, where Mike followed Miracle to the bathroom, eager to continue their conversation, having no intention of letting it end just yet.
Miracle, conscious of his gaze, slowly removed her clothes while continuing to contribute to their discussion
He sat down on the chair he had brought into the bathroom. “For gists and the likes,” he had said when he bought a chair specifically for the bathroom. Their discussion didn’t have to end simply because one of them needed to bathe. The other could simply follow and the discussion could continue. He actually did this.
Miracle found it awkward after their wedding to just sit and talk and watch him bathe. He, on the other hand, enjoyed it and most times either joined in the bath or offered to scrub her back.
Now, she was so sure he was watching her even as he talked about his colleague, a professor who got a student pregnant and forced her to abort the baby. She panicked, her hands shook as she slid her underwear down her legs. She turned her back as she was about to take off her bralette.
“What are you doing? Why are you turning away?” Mike stopped her quickly and stood up from the chair.
“I just wanted to take off -”
He didn’t let her finish and said, “I’ve told you to stop turning away from me.”
The tears welled in her eyes just as her breathing got laboured.
“I’m sorry,” Miracle said.
“Its fine,” he responded and helped her unhook her bralette.
Her left breast fell slightly against her chest. Where her right breast once occupied, stood a straight patched line which appeared after she healed from the mastectomy.
The surgery humbled her just as the cancer did when it came. Having just one breast to boast of her femininity made her feel so small and made her hide, especially from Mike.
She stopped hugging him, didn’t want his body touching or feeling the absence of one of her breasts. She wore big boubou gowns even in the house and wouldn’t let him touch her as he used to.
With time, she recovered and accepted her fate just as the surgical line left a permanent scar on her right breast area. Other parts of her didn’t recover: her womb couldn’t house a baby even after all attempts. They had many speculations and tried different medications but none worked.
Their very last attempt was In vitro fertilization, and that took root. They were elated, and just when it was time to receive their baby, she pushed him out, dead. Then the cycle began, again and again, they both watched their hope rise and fall with each miscarriage until there was no pregnancy at all.
Miracle had imagined he would find her unattractive after all she had been through. Mike had loved her body and looked at her like she was a prized possession.
She loved that very effect she had on him and always found ways to tease him and bring him to do her bidding. Initially, she fought the cancer badly, determined not to be overthrown by the deadly disease, but it came hard as well. She shrunk under its gaze, her succulent body shriveled up, her hips gave way for gaps, she lost a good amount of her hair, and lastly, it took one of her breasts. Then infertility came for her, it broke her further, and she hid even more
She hated her body and hated the things it was doing to her. It birthed low self-esteem and it crushed her spirit daily. It broke Mike more. He was clueless and did not know how to help her or help their marriage.
“Just talk to her.”
It sounded crazy when Pastor Ifemi told him to just talk with his wife daily and build true friendship away from their struggles. So he started talking every day, he called her at intervals during the day, and when he was home, he ensured he took the lead to talk and tell her stories.
So he started talking every day, he called her at intervals during the day and when he was home, he ensured he took the lead to talk and tell her stories.
She began to open up then.
Their devotion returned, she prayed with her voice raised and started singing in the house again. In those moments, he assured her that she was beautiful and he loved her body just as he did when they got married and before their struggles began. And it was then he told her never to turn away or try to hide her body from him.
Their devotion returned, she prayed with her voice raised and started singing in the house again.
.
.
He helped her into the bathtub and went back to the chair. He remembered they were having a conversation about his colleague in school and continued from where he stopped.
READ ALSO: Scars That Break Us
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