CHAPTER 1

Humble Beginnings

A Vision of Love and the Affection of Faith

They say opposites attract. How true that is in this case,because there were definitely no similarities. Yet still, a meetingof the minds—led to a meeting of the eyes—which—led to ameeting of a more intimate side. It took a while before theunion commenced. Growing up on the same block, there wereyears where they did not get along. They barely exchangedpleasantries if they crossed paths. Then, there was high school.The two rode the bus and train every morning, along withother friends from around the way. Eventually they began tospeak, got to know each other from a teenage perspective:love, laughter, tears, funny jokes and unleashed fears. Theyrealized there was something there between them—somethingthey never expected—a friendship. This new found friendshipgrew with every passing day. After a while, they had to admittheir relationship had reached another turning point. Thisfriendship had turned into a deeper like—and then—an evendeeper love. They decided to see where and how far it wouldgo. So, when the day came for the two to join as one, it was asif time stood still in a faithful moment of loving silence—towatch the unification of two souls as they consummatedA Faithful Love.

Walking hand in hand, they were like two peas in a pod.Where you saw one you saw the other. They were inseparable.There was no doubt, love was in the air. Everything seemedperfect. Nothing was too much for them to handle. Allthe nay-sayers stood in awe and disbelief as these twoopposites—not only came together in harmony—but theywere actually happy! They knew what they felt, followed theirhearts, ignored all the negativity and focused on their growinglove. This was their way of life for a little over a year. Theneyes wondered and tempers flared. Who said teenage love waseasy? Who said any love was easy?

Their love was eminent, but Faith wanted more. Sheexpected something from Love that he was not able toprovide—monogamy. Although Faith was filled with heartacheand heartbreak she still held on to Love; but Love could notresist the enticement of other women. This would lead to theirdemise. He was torn for a while. He tried to remain faithful,but the voices of friends, family and his growing loins werethe driving force of his decision. The pull was too strong. Hecould not resist temptation. Faith tried and seriously thoughttheir love would be enough to sustain the aftermath of hisbetrayal. She was right, but she was wrong!

Although Love found himself attracted to other people,there was still a part of him that lusted and loved what Faithhad to offer. There was something about her that he could notwalk away from. She, too, had an undeniable fixation on him.She was constantly drawn back by his words, his dimples andhis touch. But most of all she was drawn to the way he madeher feel when they were together. Maybe Faith's inexperienceand naiveté made her think one magical moment would changeLove's way of thinking. Maybe sex could be exchanged forone's heart, love and compassion? Faith liked how she feltwhen she was with him and she realized she would have towork twice as hard if she did not want to lose it. She would notgive up that easily. She felt that she could change him, makehim forget about the other women and focus only what the twoof them shared.

What was she thinking? You cannot change people. It isnot a part of our human make-up to change people. Peoplecan and will only change who they are if that is their desire.And for some people that may take longer than others. Forsome it may never occur at all. That is the truth of the matter.

You have to acknowledge to yourself that there is somethingyou are lacking or unhappy with in order for real change tobegin. If you believe that you are content and not makingwrong decisions, then why would you want to change? In fact,it can become very frustrating when someone else is constantlytelling you that you should change this or that about yourself.Imagine being around someone who is always trying to "fixyou" when you clearly do not see a problem. This causes a lotof conflict in most relationships. However, just because youdo not notice the issue, does not mean it does not exist. It alsodoes not mean it does.

Both parties have to have an open mind about how theother is thinking and communicating a concern. It is all in thedelivery! If I tell you I think or I want you to change somethingabout yourself, you will more than likely shut down or becomedefensive. However, if I show you what I think is wrong, youwill be more open to conversation and it can possibly result ina positive change. Effective communication is key and that iswhat both Faith and Love lacked.

For years, there was a constant struggle to make theirrelationship work. One month they would break up and thenext month they would make up, enough to make you dizzy.You were not sure what to expect from these two from one dayto the next. Everyone was confused but for whatever reason,the couple knew they were not ready to say goodbye. Notyet—and—not for quite some time.

Another year had gone by with the same back and forth.Love was living his life with the luxury of having his cake andeating it too. Faith settled for the contentment of the "what if"syndrome. "What if" we can make things work? "What if" Idid things differently? "What if" things could be the way theyused to be? Faith was still living in the past. In her mind, shekept going back to those days when they used to have fun inthe sun and enjoyed life in the moment. To her, those momentsmeant everything! It brought out the good 'ole days and createddreams of a hopeful future. Faith held on to that feeling andthose memories for dear life and hoped Love would, too. Still,nothing changed. Everything remained as it was until that daywhen Faith got served an unexpected curve ball called Life—anew life that is! What would she do...