by Cindy Aniceto

Created on: July 01, 2007   Last Updated: December 12, 2009

Forgiveness Never Forgets

I sit down to hear an old woman telling a tale of love and forgiveness, but not forgotten misfortunes. She speaks with a distant look in her eye, about the memories of life with her love, her dearly departed husband. She loved him immensely and you can see the twinkle in her eye and the giddiness in her voice as she speaks of him.

He was a good man with big flaws, and she doesn't want to tarnish his already questionable past. He took her and her infant daughter into his heart and home. Many trials and tribulations occurred because of his marrying a woman with a child, but he paid no attention. This woman took on harsh words and cold shoulders with members of his family, but she kept a stiff upper lip and held her head high.

She is amazed that she did not realize how many years he has been departed. Her son corrected her a couple of days ago. It will be 10 years. She thought 8. She cries a little as she silently remembers the pain of entering their home without him. She misses him. May he rest in peace, she adds.

The twinkle in her eye diminishes as she recollects the way he wronged her and for so many years. His two biggest flaws were women and gambling. She speaks of how loving he was, but how cunning he could be.

She was the breadwinner in the family, as he made very little selling his own stainless steel creations. He had little, if any, education. He would find odd jobs or temporary jobs to sustain them. The creations he made were one of a kind and could sell well, but not enough to support his family, so she worked. She describes with pride the work done picking fruits and vegetables, or packing and jarring fruits and vegetables. They lived very well, thanks to her hard work. She gave her husband and daughter the best, because she could.

She says they used to have separate monies, due to his gambling habits. Sometimes he would win big, but he usually lost his games or spent it on other women. He would not give her his total winnings. He would make excuses for not having money, or lie about a "friend" needing to borrow money to cure a sick child. She would pay for their food with her money because he would inconspicuously hide when the tab needed to be paid. He would steal from her, hundreds of dollars at a time, and then lie about it. She finally had enough when she found the evidence. Adding salt to the wound was finding out that her husband was sustaining a second family. Everyone knew but her. There was no more trust, but

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