We left our heroine in a state of complacency. Everything's going well for her and her family. They have a new found business which her husband took to really really well. It looked like he'll be able to contribute financially prior to graduation and their future was looking brighter than ever. Also, they've made a deposit to purchase a brand new house. They were looking forward to move there by summer so life was ever so exciting!
The business kept her husband busy. Since he marketed to friends and relatives out of state, he travelled at least once a month for a week at a time. Because of their little girl, my friend is unable to travel with him. She trusted her husband enough to allow him to do this. Of course, since he has no job and they were still starting on the business, she ended up paying for the trip, the hotel, and everything else that goes with it.
Well, after 2 or 3 months of travelling, my friend started getting tired of it. So, when her husband told her that he wanted to go again, and this time for 2 weeks, she refused. She said that he really didn't need to travel there often as a lot of the things they needed to do can be done remotely or, if their team there needed help, their upline can go there to assist. Besides, she said, there are a lot of stuff that needed to be done at home. They're getting close to closing on the new house so things needed to be fixed up at home to prepare it for sale. They needed to pack, clean up, make arrangements with the realtor and she needed him to be there to help her. She requested for him to stay put for a few months at least until they're settled at the new place. For some reason, her husband didn't take that request too lightly. As a matter of fact, he fretted a lot about it. Although his reaction was a bit strange, my friend didn't think too much about it. One thing she noticed, though, was that he was becoming quite testy and moody. She thought it was just the stress of the move so she didn't pay much attention to it. Little did she know that something else was brewing deeper inside.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
The World Through Rose-colored Glasses
Life's outlook, so far, can't be anything but rosy for my friend. Having a beautiful daughter just completed her. She is such a joy! She's a feisty little thing - probably took after her mom - but smart. Boy, I can't wait until she grows up and starts dating. She can bring any man to his knees with one look! The Force is strong in that one.
And her husband? Well, let me just say this: he is a rare breed. Not only is he easy on the eyes but he really takes care of himself - a veritable Metrosexual if I ever saw one - manicures, pedicures and all. He's a neatnik. His closet and underwear drawer arrangement can beat Banana Republic's any day of the week. My friend even shows them off to her closest friends and relatives. You'd think that someone this neat can't be relied upon with housework, right? WRONG! Imagine your own prince charming if you will (Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, the good-looking chap next door or next cube over). Slap an apron on him, add a mop on one hand, a baby on the other and a boiling pot next to him. Yep, that's her husband. You can trust him with housework: cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, babysitting. You name it, he does it. He's also quite handy with fixing things around the house and the yard. He was the "Perfect Husband". Good-looking and reliable - quite the catch, wouldn't you think?
If you'd had someone like that, wouldn't you just fall totally head-over-heels in love? Of course! My friend did. That was why she was willing to sacrifice being the solo breadwinner to put him through school. She endured time away from her daughter - working late so she can start building the foundation for a brighter future for their family. After all, he only had a couple of years to go before graduation. Once he's got that diploma of his, then he could find a great job that he would love and hold and be really good at.
In the midst of their peaceful lives, a wonderful opportunity came up. They were invited to participate in a network marketing business with a group of other friends. They checked it out, saw its potential, and decided to join. To my friend's surprise, her husband just took on the challenge and ran with it! He was good at it and he found a niche for himself. Within a few weeks, they were able to line up clients and downlines and their earnings potential started growing by leaps and bounds. It was quite amazing what they had accomplished in such a short time. They were a formidable team - a force to be reckoned with. He had this inner hunger that needed to be fed and the result was that energy and drive to constantly look for leads and new recruits to the business. A good number of these leads and recruits were from out of state which necessitated frequent travels to get everyone properly setup and trained. Unfortunately, this is when trouble started. What started out as a plan to achieve a dream ended up as a beginning to a nightmare.
Up Next: Nightmare begins!
And her husband? Well, let me just say this: he is a rare breed. Not only is he easy on the eyes but he really takes care of himself - a veritable Metrosexual if I ever saw one - manicures, pedicures and all. He's a neatnik. His closet and underwear drawer arrangement can beat Banana Republic's any day of the week. My friend even shows them off to her closest friends and relatives. You'd think that someone this neat can't be relied upon with housework, right? WRONG! Imagine your own prince charming if you will (Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, the good-looking chap next door or next cube over). Slap an apron on him, add a mop on one hand, a baby on the other and a boiling pot next to him. Yep, that's her husband. You can trust him with housework: cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, babysitting. You name it, he does it. He's also quite handy with fixing things around the house and the yard. He was the "Perfect Husband". Good-looking and reliable - quite the catch, wouldn't you think?
If you'd had someone like that, wouldn't you just fall totally head-over-heels in love? Of course! My friend did. That was why she was willing to sacrifice being the solo breadwinner to put him through school. She endured time away from her daughter - working late so she can start building the foundation for a brighter future for their family. After all, he only had a couple of years to go before graduation. Once he's got that diploma of his, then he could find a great job that he would love and hold and be really good at.
In the midst of their peaceful lives, a wonderful opportunity came up. They were invited to participate in a network marketing business with a group of other friends. They checked it out, saw its potential, and decided to join. To my friend's surprise, her husband just took on the challenge and ran with it! He was good at it and he found a niche for himself. Within a few weeks, they were able to line up clients and downlines and their earnings potential started growing by leaps and bounds. It was quite amazing what they had accomplished in such a short time. They were a formidable team - a force to be reckoned with. He had this inner hunger that needed to be fed and the result was that energy and drive to constantly look for leads and new recruits to the business. A good number of these leads and recruits were from out of state which necessitated frequent travels to get everyone properly setup and trained. Unfortunately, this is when trouble started. What started out as a plan to achieve a dream ended up as a beginning to a nightmare.
Up Next: Nightmare begins!
Friday, September 15, 2006
A Blissful Life
I've always known my friend as someone who's been very successful in her career life. She has a take charge kind of attitude in life - a very practical and level-headed individual. She knows what she wants and the direction in which she's going to take her life. Her husband, on the other hand, felt a little lost. He was working then in a job that he wasn't too enthusiastic about. The pay was okay but it didn't give him the satisfaction he was looking for career-wise. So he decided to take classes in web/graphic design so he can get an Associate's Degree and find a more lucrative job with better pay in a better company. My friend supported him all the way, allowing him to quit his job so he can focus on his goals and be able to finish his degree quicker.
I know a lot of you are rolling your eyes right now. You're probably saying, "How can she let him get away with that?!". I assure you, she had everything planned and she knew exactly what she was doing. Despite what you may perceive was a sign of trouble ahead, everything was working out very well for them. It was truly a blissful life for them.
A couple of years ago, they were blessed with a beautiful baby daughter. Life just turned even more precious for them. Theirs were a picture of THE happy family -- a successful and fulfilled woman with a wonderful, an attentive (and good-looking) husband and a very beautiful and smart daughter. There was neither sign of any kind of trouble brewing nor signs of love falling apart between them. You can just feel the love, happiness and contentment emanate from them. They were looking forward to a bright future ahead with him graduating soon and with a brand new house under construction. Life was indeed good!
Tomorrow: Stormy Days Ahead!
I know a lot of you are rolling your eyes right now. You're probably saying, "How can she let him get away with that?!". I assure you, she had everything planned and she knew exactly what she was doing. Despite what you may perceive was a sign of trouble ahead, everything was working out very well for them. It was truly a blissful life for them.
A couple of years ago, they were blessed with a beautiful baby daughter. Life just turned even more precious for them. Theirs were a picture of THE happy family -- a successful and fulfilled woman with a wonderful, an attentive (and good-looking) husband and a very beautiful and smart daughter. There was neither sign of any kind of trouble brewing nor signs of love falling apart between them. You can just feel the love, happiness and contentment emanate from them. They were looking forward to a bright future ahead with him graduating soon and with a brand new house under construction. Life was indeed good!
Tomorrow: Stormy Days Ahead!
A Whirlwind Start
They met online years ago on an internet chatroom. Now, now, before anyone of you out there starts smirking or otherwise makes comments about people meeting in a chatroom, I can assure you that a lot of romances started and blossomed in the early days of chatting. I am proof of that - and so are many of my friends - so don't blame their initial meeting in a chatroom as the root cause of what's about to happen.
Like a lot of young adults in the early '90's, my friend totally got into chatrooms spending wee hours of the night chatting away. She met this guy online and they hit it off. My friend agreed to meet with him - cautiously, I might say - in a public place, in case the guys turns out to be a serial killer or a sexual predator. They met in person and sparks flew! The guy was totally into her, pursuing her tenaciously. This threw off my friend a bit because he was a lot younger than her. She felt that whatever they had wouldn't last because of the age issue. However, in a matter of months, he suggested moving in with her (he's from a different state). Still cautious about where their relationship would end up, she made him aware that if he does decide to move, it would be because he wanted to do it for himself and not because of her.
Well, he did move. He packed up everything he had in his car and drove across state lines to where my friend lived. (By the way, during this time, he was engaged to another girl. I couldn't recall if they were still living together at that time or if they already fell apart before he met my friend. Anyway, remember this scenario as it would be significant later.) Obviously, he was quite smitten by her to actually decide to leave everything behind for her. Quite the romantic, eh?
They lived together for a while and got married a couple years after. Their wedding was very romantic! It was an outdoor wedding, set high above on the hills. Flowers and leis were flown in from Hawaii. It was truly exquisite! My friend worked on each flawless detail -- down to the centerpiece of each table. Okay, now this I have to share: each table has a centerpiece on which were snippets about them - favorite songs, colors, stories about their dates, how he proposed, etc. During the reception, the DJ would shout out the table number and play a song dedicated to that table whose centerpiece matches the song being played. Isn't that the best wedding idea or what?! Anyway, sorry to digress, but it truly was a very memorable wedding. I felt that this was something that would last because I saw the love in their eyes and how perfect they were for each other.
Like a lot of young adults in the early '90's, my friend totally got into chatrooms spending wee hours of the night chatting away. She met this guy online and they hit it off. My friend agreed to meet with him - cautiously, I might say - in a public place, in case the guys turns out to be a serial killer or a sexual predator. They met in person and sparks flew! The guy was totally into her, pursuing her tenaciously. This threw off my friend a bit because he was a lot younger than her. She felt that whatever they had wouldn't last because of the age issue. However, in a matter of months, he suggested moving in with her (he's from a different state). Still cautious about where their relationship would end up, she made him aware that if he does decide to move, it would be because he wanted to do it for himself and not because of her.
Well, he did move. He packed up everything he had in his car and drove across state lines to where my friend lived. (By the way, during this time, he was engaged to another girl. I couldn't recall if they were still living together at that time or if they already fell apart before he met my friend. Anyway, remember this scenario as it would be significant later.) Obviously, he was quite smitten by her to actually decide to leave everything behind for her. Quite the romantic, eh?
They lived together for a while and got married a couple years after. Their wedding was very romantic! It was an outdoor wedding, set high above on the hills. Flowers and leis were flown in from Hawaii. It was truly exquisite! My friend worked on each flawless detail -- down to the centerpiece of each table. Okay, now this I have to share: each table has a centerpiece on which were snippets about them - favorite songs, colors, stories about their dates, how he proposed, etc. During the reception, the DJ would shout out the table number and play a song dedicated to that table whose centerpiece matches the song being played. Isn't that the best wedding idea or what?! Anyway, sorry to digress, but it truly was a very memorable wedding. I felt that this was something that would last because I saw the love in their eyes and how perfect they were for each other.
Welcome to Blindsided by Life!
Welcome to Blindsided by Life! I started this blog to tell my friend's story -- a story that is far stranger than fiction. The events that happened to her this year has the workings of a soap opera but with a much more menacing and frustrating plot. She often said during our conversations that if she were to hear this story from someone else, she would think of it as anything but true. And for a long time, that was how she felt - that the stories she was telling me were all about someone else and not actually happening to her. I told her that I should write a book about what she's going through because they were just insanely unbelievable. She agreed so I did the next best thing to writing a book - I started this blog.
I'm sure many of you who are reading this can relate to what she's going through. If so, I'd like to hear from you, too. This blog should serve as a good compilation of our life experiences - both good and bad - and hopefully more good than bad. Feel free to comment and post your stories.
And now, on to our story!
I'm sure many of you who are reading this can relate to what she's going through. If so, I'd like to hear from you, too. This blog should serve as a good compilation of our life experiences - both good and bad - and hopefully more good than bad. Feel free to comment and post your stories.
And now, on to our story!
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