Craig maneuvered the car out of the way and came down. He rummaged the trunk for a while and hurried after his heartthrob holding a nylon bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other. Didi's strides were like failed attempts at the long jump exercise. She was half running, half walking, unheeding the weight of the downpour upon her shoulders. He soon caught up with her.
"What do you want from me" Didi almost screamed when she turned and saw Craig.
"Please, let me walk you home" he pleaded.
"As what?" she retorted.
"Didi, I beg you. You shouldn't be under this kind of rain" Craig pressed further.
She kept on sprinting, circumnavigating the vehicles amidst loud petrifying honks.
Craig kept the umbrella above her. If she wasn't going to get back in the car, then at least she wasn't going to get drenched on his watch. Another trip to the hospital was the last thing they both wanted.
The rain had reduced? Didi wondered.
No. It was Craig, her Craig. This was the one man she could have kept her life with and feel safe, excusing God and her family. Time and again he had proven too good to be real, his flaws notwithstanding. At first Didi had been reluctant, but soon enough, she couldn't help herself. God Himself would have testified that Craig was one of His angels in heaven.
Craig had given her everything, even his blood. He had being briefed that it was a risk, still her Craig was willing. No, the doctors had said "eager". As images of them in hospital wears revived in her mind's eye, Didi stopped. This was too much. It made no sense at all. Why would a man who had invested so much in her and in the relationship walk away from it all? Didi turned to face him. They were now on the pedestrian lane and closer to where she lived.
"Craig, please put me out of my confusion" Didi begged looking straight into his eye. She was shivering a little now. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. The expressions had been stolen by grief. Didi waited a while for him to say something, anything, but he said nothing. They stood facing each other with Craig refusing to hold her gaze. When she turned to leave, he took out a thick wooly, draped it over her shoulders and handed her the umbrella. Didi looked too tired to argue with him and he was glad. Craig looked at her longingly. This was the only person he had loved at the risk of all. She was the last person in the world he had wanted to hurt. But for him not to hurt her, he had to hurt her. Craig watched her walk away till she disappeared at the bend. She certainly didn't deserve this, no one did. Craig winced at the thought of the pain Didi was going through.
"God, I'm going to die!!!" he cried up. "This is too hard. Please help me. I know you can hear me Lord, just talk to me. What am I going to do without Didi in my life? Why would you just take her from me like that? No. Please Lord, I've grown so attached to her, what am I going to do?" Craig prayed in his thoughts as he trudged on to the car. "You should have just told me from the beginning Lord. How do you bring me this far and ask me to sacrifice? This is not fair at all. . ." Craig rambled on and on till he got home. Finally, he went silent, exhausted from the turn of events.
On entering the house, he sank to his knees. It was more because he was out of strength than from a desire to perform a religious act. Then he figured out that he might as well pray.
"Look God" he began "I'm too tired to fight anymore. I've been fighting for weeks and what good has it done? So I gave her up as you said. But it is killing me and you know it. You could have averted all of this, yes I know you could. Or is it that you just want me to suffer? But why? What have I done? Tell me Lord. Talk to me" Craig was a mix of emotions. He felt angry, and hurt, and confused, and worried, and cheated, and heartbroken and on top of all that, he was just plain tired. In the last three weeks he had felt energy dissipating right through him like air from a deflated balloon.
Just as he made do to drag himself up the floor to bed, Craig heard the first of his answers.
"Thou shall have no other gods before me"