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Margaret discovers something that makes her reevaluate her entire life when she is still figuring out how to deal with the death of her spouse.
Margaret Freeman made a life-altering choice at the age of eighteen: she married charming, humorous Daniel Hernandez, whom her affluent father disapproved of.
Her father had yelled, “You marry that low-life and you’ll get nothing from me Margaret!” “You’ll see what love really is when you get to live in a one-bedroom rat-hole with roaches crawling up the walls!”
Margaret, however, paid no attention. She had no regrets about her love for Daniel. Never.
The way you make your fist reveals something crucial about your personality.
Kingdom Of Men
Going home to the small flat (which had no space and no insects or rodents) was first charming. Daniel began working at the post office, while Margaret secured a position as a receptionist in a large hotel.
Daniel had said, “Job security, love,” when Margaret pushed him to look for a better-paying position. “I have to know there’s going to be a pension to keep us when we are old!”
Margaret saw Daniel’s fixation on safety. Hadn’t he seen his mother survive on the meager amount that social welfare gave her following his father’s death in a construction site accident? He had been undocumented, and his wife and five children had no insurance or pension. Daniel was adamant that Margaret and their kids would not experience the same fate. Daniel thought they would have that guarantee if they worked for the post office.
But with two kids to support, two meager wages didn’t go very far. Margaret and Daniel were thrifty, but they squandered every penny they made. Very little was left over for savings.
After their two children grew up, moved out, and began their own lives, Margaret and Daniel found themselves back where they had begun. Their daughter went to Brazil, while their son traveled to Alaska.
The death of Margaret’s father occurred around this period. He bequeathed his entire, enormous inheritance to his youngest son, who was unconcerned by guilt, suggesting that time and Margaret’s happiness had not softened his heart.
Your peace of mind can be destroyed if you allow uncertainty to take over.
Daniel was heartbroken. Bitterly, he continued, “This is what loving me cost you, Margaret!” “The life you deserved!”
“No!” Margaret told him sternly. “I wouldn’t trade what we have for all the money in the world!”
However, Daniel became quiet and aloof, and Margaret began to question whether he still loved her for the first time in their thirty-eight-year marriage.
Then Daniel began working a lot of overtime at his job. “It’s this new overnight delivery mail, it has to be sorted 24/7…” he said. However, Margaret noted that Daniel smelt different when he got home at two or three in the morning.
Margaret had never been a fan of lily-scented soap, and he smelled of lilies. She had never been fond of her paternal grandma, but it brought up memories of her. Daniel no longer made love to Margaret until it was the weekend, and he had a lily-like scent.
Margaret initially convinced herself that it was all in her head, but nothing changed. Two years later, Daniel still smelled like lilies, he still came home every night, and worst of all, their joint account was empty of any further funds.
Once, Margaret attempted to bring up the topic with Daniel, but he yelled at her. “Do I also have to report my expenses? I earned this money, thus it’s mine.”
After that, Margaret remained silent and sobbed silently every night when he returned home and turned away from her in the same bed where they had conceived their children.
Daniel’s ‘overtime’ left them with few opportunities to resolve the issues that were ruining their marriage, and they no longer discussed their retirement plans. He spent the weekends playing with God-knew-what while cooped up in the garage, only coming out to eat.
Margaret was certain that she was the most miserable woman in the world, yet believing herself to be the happiest. She began to question whether Daniel had truly loved her after all of her dreams vanished into thin air.
Daniel suffered a heart attack shortly after Margaret and his celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Even before the doctor’s words, Margaret was aware of the prognosis. Slowly, he shook his head.
“Mrs. Hernandez,” he said to Margaret, “I think you’d better be ready for anything. Your husband’s heart is simply exhausted. His age puts him at the bottom of the list for the only viable alternative, which would be a heart transplant.
“He’s sixty-nine,” Margaret abruptly exclaimed. “He’s only sixty-nine, he promised he was going to retire…” Along with Anna, Margaret’s sole grandchild, the children went to New York to say their goodbyes after Margaret called them that evening.
It was all over two weeks later. He had held Margaret’s hand in quiet, but Daniel was no longer there, and he had talked tenderly to his children and granddaughter about the past.
He had whispered, “Margaret,” on his last day of life. “I love you, only you, I always have…” His final remarks were a small consolation after years of uncertainty and discontent.
Although Margaret’s son and daughter shed tears for their father, they left shortly after the funeral because they had their own lives to lead. Anna remained to assist Margaret in accepting her empty home and her ruined existence.
On the day following her children’s departure, Margaret woke up and resolved to erase the past. She placed all of Daniel’s personal items into cardboard boxes for Goodwill with Anna’s assistance.
A scent of lilies hit her nostrils as she was sealing the final box. With a harsh scream, she kicked the box over and spilled all of the meticulously folded contents.
Somehow, the entire story came out when Anna was there to comfort and hold her. “He’s been cheating on me for the last 12 years, coming to my bed every night smelling of another woman;” Margaret broke down. “And his last words to me were a lie!”
The weeping and sharing her suffering were helpful, and Anna proposed that they clean out Daniel’s garage and put an end to Margaret’s suffering. After entering the garage, the two women began going through the life’s accumulation of clutter.
Anna then discovered an old suitcase with rusty locks in a corner. It felt weighty, so she opened it first even though she was going to toss it out. Without a key, the suitcase was quickly opened with the help of an old spanner and a hammer.
“Grandma…” Anna let out a gasp. “Please come here…” Margaret came to her granddaughter’s side after dropping the tin full of nails she had been going through. The luggage was open, revealing an old journal and neatly wrapped bundles of twenty dollars.
Margaret gasped, “Where did this come from?” “This is a lot of money!”
Anna pulled out the journal. With a whisper, “Grandma,” she whispered. “You should read this. When you got married, I believe he began to save whatever money he could. Oh! It was twelve years ago! Pay attention: I began working the night shift for sewer cleaning at the NYC sanitation department today.
“I have to ensure Margaret’s future, and although it’s not an easy job, the income is far greater than my day job. Her dad was correct. I’m a failure. I’m determined to return at least a little portion of what I cost her.
“I told Margaret that I sort the overnight mail and take a shower every night before getting home because I didn’t want her to know. I refuse to introduce such stench into our house.”
As Anna read Daniel’s story of his secret life, Margaret was silently crying. “Look, gran, each month he writes in the luggage what he is packing… A total of almost $300,000 is involved.
The living evidence of her husband’s unwavering devotion and his readiness to do everything for her was the ragged old luggage Margaret gazed into. “Oh Daniel,” she said in a low voice. “And I wasted so much time in bitterness…”
What does this narrative teach us?
Love is built on trust, and once you allow doubt to take over, it can ruin your mental stability. When her husband took on the most disagreeable duties to secure her future, Margaret thought he was cheating.
When it comes to taking care of their beloved, true love will stop at nothing. Daniel ultimately put his health at risk because he would stop at nothing to ensure Margaret was okay.
