You are the Flower

YOU'RE A FLOWER

"Roger, I'm glad you agreed to talk to me. Since she has been living with me instead of you, I thought you might be upset and want to get revenge or something. I want to talk to you about Nadi."

"Nadi -- I fell in love with her at first sight. She was flitting around campus charming all the boys and many of the professors. She looked gorgeous with her long, wavy raven colored hair, those luscious lips, breasts that swayed back and forth as she walked, and her hips were always in motion. Have you ever seen her belly dance? Talk about instant hard-on. I can easily see why you have wanted her with you."

"Roger, I hate to have to tell you this, man, but Nadi and I aren't just having a fling. She and I are in love. She wants to be with me full time, but I think she doesn't want to hurt you by telling you she wants a divorce. I am coming to you to ask, no beg you, to let her go. Come on, you haven't raised a stink about her living with me.

"I mean, when we are together, we can't keep our hands off each other. We kiss, we hug, and, yes, we make love. She never says anything bad about you, but she tells me that I make her feel like no other man has. I'm not telling you that to make you feel bad. I'm just trying to give you and idea of the depth of feelings we have for each other. Nadi says that she thinks of me all the time and can't wait until we're together again. Roger, as hard as it may be for you, please do the right thing and let her go - for her sake as well as mine."

"Daniel, I have no doubt that Nadi has told you that she loves you and likes being with you, especially in bed. What you don't know is that she has felt that way about many men, before we were married and since. You are just the latest. Nadi is like a human butterfly. She is one of those rare women that have an enormous capacity to love. While she is with you, the love you share will be overwhelming. Unfortunately for you, what she doesn't have is a capacity to only love one person forever. She will say effusive words of love to you and absolutely mean it from the bottom of her heart -- you will have her affection until she meets the next man who can attract her attention for a while. There is always another flower whose pollen is calling her.

"Nadi is married to me only because I am willing to love her while she is with me and do not try to confine her to just me. If you try to restrict her to just loving you, that is the quickest way to lose her. My advice is for you to enjoy the moments you have now while you can. Instead of grieving when she goes on to the next man, cherish the memories of what you had while she was with you. If you are lucky, she will remember the good times with you and will come back and share the pleasures of her love with you again. Try to own her and you'll never see her again."

"Roger, she may have been that way before, but I know she is not like that now. Nadi and I have even talked about having children. She says she has no children and would love to give me one if I want. I want to have children, but I don't want to have a child out of wedlock. That's part of the reason why I am asking you to give her a divorce. I will insist that she not take anything of material value from her marriage to you. You will get to keep all your assets. I think she is too worried about your feelings to talk to you about a divorce. That should make it easier on her to know you will continue to do well after she's gone. Roger, the fact is that she is not living with you for two months now, so why not divorce her?"

"You say Nadi claims SHE has no children. That's a sematic dodge of the question, 'Has she had any children?' Here, let me show you these pictures. This is Arman who is ten and Misty who is four. Those are the children she has had by me. She is not technically lying when she told you that SHE has no children. It was agreed in advance that she would give me children if I would be their permanent majority, sometimes sole, parent. Legally, I have sole custody of both children. When she spends time with them, she acts as their mother. The reason for the six-year time span between children is that she was with other men most of that time. She even had a child by another man, but she doesn't see that daughter because the father wants Nadi to come back to him only and be a mother and a faithful wife. She has not seen him or that daughter since he gave her that ultimatum. If you want a child by her and still have a loving relationship with her, Daniel, you will have to make the same type of deal I did."

"I don't believe you, Roger. What you have said is ludicrous. You just want to run me off by telling me that crazy story. I believe you're jealous that such a beautiful, loving woman would want to leave you for someone else. I know that you are trying to trick me into believing she's some kind of nymphomaniac incapable of staying with one man. Well, I'm not falling for it. She loves me and only me. I'm going back to Nadi tonight and tell her to file for divorce from you as soon as possible."

"And if she doesn't agree?"

"She will. Nadi has said that she will do whatever I want to make me happy. She loves me that much."

"Are you willing to let me prove to you what I'm talking about before you say anything to Nadi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Take her out to dinner. Let me know when and where. I will unexpectedly join the two of you and we can talk. If she says she wants to divorce me, I will gladly sign the papers."

"That's a deal. In fact, I'll have the papers drawn up and have them there for you to sign."

*****

AT THE RESTAURANT

Roger came in the restaurant and spotted Nadi and Daniel. "Nadi, how nice to see you."

"Roger, how wonderful. Will you join us? Daniel and I haven't ordered yet. Please sit down."

"Is that okay with you, Daniel? I don't want to interrupt something."

"Please, Roger, join us."

"Do you two know each other?"

"Just acquaintances."

"Well, let me introduce you two then. Daniel, this is my husband, Roger. Roger this is my lover, Daniel. This is such a treat to have my two favorite men together at one time. Roger, do you have any recent pictures of the children."

"You know I do. Here, look on my phone. This is the one from Misty's recent birthday party before she smeared birthday cake in her brother's face."

"That was so funny. I really had a great time. I wish I could have stayed longer but Daniel had tickets to the play. Roger, you have done such a good job raising the kids. I can't thank you enough."

Daniel asked, "Are you saying that you are the mother of those kids?"

"Yes. I gave birth to them, and Roger has custody. Aren't they precious?"

"Of course, but why don't you live with them and Roger if you're their mother?"

"Because I'm living with you, silly. I make sure I go see them every chance I get, don't I Roger?"

"Yes, and they enjoy every moment with you as do I."

"Stop it. You're going to make me cry."

Daniel was stupefied. "You two are still married. You have two children together. Yet, Nadi, you tell me that you love me so much that you want to continue to live with me. I don't get it."

"Daniel, of course I love you. I can't believe you doubt that for a moment. I love spending time with you, talking with you, cuddling with you and, of course, making love with you. What's so hard to understand?"

"If you like being with me so much, why don't you divorce Roger and marry me? We could share childcaring for the kids with Roger."

"Why would I want to do that? Roger and I have a wonderful marriage. I love him very much. Most importantly, he understands me and what I need. He loves me without wanting to confine me that old-fashioned belief of one man -- one woman. Aren't you happy with the love that you and I have shared?"

"I was very happy until I heard what I am hearing tonight. Nadi, if you truly love me, you not only have to come home with me tonight, you will have to agree to divorce Roger and marry me. If you love me as much as you say I do, you will do what I ask."

"Daniel, I do love you as much as I have said. You don't understand my ability to love a lot of men a great deal. Hasn't our time together been wonderful? Why can't you just enjoy it while you have me with you?"

"Because I can't share the woman I love with other men. I love you exclusively and I want you to feel the same way."

"Well, that shows you didn't pay attention in kindergarten."

"What?"

"You were supposed to have learned to share in kindergarten. Roger, can you take me home tonight? Daniel is trying to make me do something I don't want to do. I don't think I want to stay with him anymore."

"What about dinner?"

"Don't you have something to eat at the house?"

"Sure. I always keep a few things you really like."

"Do you mean you can fix one of your delicious shrimp salads?"

"With plenty of sweet pickles diced up in it."

"Let's go. I'm starved."

Daniel stammered, "But... "

"Sweetheart, I'll come by and get my things when you're at work. Daniel, I'm sorry it didn't work out. I really loved being with you. I just can't be possessed by any one man."

Roger said in parting, "Sorry old man, but I told you so."

*****

AT THE HOUSE

"Kids, look who's come for a visit."

"Mommy, mommy!" They ran and hugged her.

"Oh, I've missed you two darlings."

"We missed you too, Mommy. How long will you stay this time?"

Before she could answer, Roger answered for her. "Let's not worry about that. Let's figure out what we can do to enjoy her while she's here."

After the kids went to bed, Nadi asked Roger to talk.

"You are a wonderful man. So many men don't have it in them to let their wife explore love with other men. I've come to realize more and more how special our love is. Thank you, Roger. I do love you so."

"And I love you."

"Haven't you ever had the temptation to try and get me to stay home and be faithful and just have sex with you?"

"Flowers don't poison the butterflies if they want them to return. I think I read that in a fortune cookie once."

"Let's go to bed. I've learned some new ways of extracting pollen since I visited you last."