The Answer

Amri wondered if he should even bother anymore. It had been years of constant battles to the extent that he had almost forgotten the reason why they were together in the first place.

However, it was that 'almost' part which had made him stay and try to make things work somehow.

The 'almost' still meant a lot to him deep in the corner of his heart where the hurt, pain, bitterness and frustration did not reach.

Lately though, he felt that even that part hidden in his heart of hearts wasn't going to be enough anymore to sustain him through more years of constant fighting and fielding uncalled for accusations.

He knew the hidden portion of his heart loved her tenaciously still, but the ceaseless arguments which went round and round and never culminates were wearing him down.

She had given him a week to respond to her ultimatum.

This was nothing new to him. She was fond of threats and laying the law down and all these while he had played for keeps, and that usually meant answering her with what she wanted to hear. Now though, he was having a hard time deciding what he would actually do in the face of her recent demand.

Self-preservation was screaming for him to cut his losses and run. He knew no one could fault him if he called it quits after having tried so long to make a go at something which had long since decided it was beyond repair. And of course, there's the thought of happiness... that wonderful circumstance he had long since left behind. For certain he was entitled to have it back. By rights no one should have to endure a tormented existence for eternity and right now it seemed to him that if he gave her the answer she wanted yet again, he was dooming himself to endless misery for he did not think that they could ever go back to the beginning when the two of them equates joy instead of pain.

Still with all that sound arguments and many more like it which had run rampant through his mind, he was reluctant to put the axe in their relationship, dismal as it might be.

It was that 'almost', the faint remembrance of how incredible it had been when they first started being together, that gave him pause.

All these while, their relationship was held together by him holding on to those cherished memories.

Those memories... he allowed himself to visit them once again, but he realized what they had then should not deter him from cauterizing the big gaping wound that has obscured everything else for so long.

He took a deep breath and pressed the speed-dial button to the woman who had imprisoned him in unhappiness for so long.

"So?" Her voiced asked almost in contempt.

He could picture her gloating already at what she thought was his capitulation yet again.

"No," he replied simply and hung up the phone. He had given her the answer, except he knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear.