NEVER TOO LATE

 

"You left!" She screamed at me

I stood there looking all pitiful. I managed to look up at her and I was shocked at the amount of anger that was written on her face

"Bella, I...." I tried to speak but I stopped seeing the look she gave me

"You know this is what I hate about you, you always give excuses! Excuses! Excuses! Excuses!" Bella barked

"Reduce your voice Bella, I've been trying to get to you for two months now and I couldn't. I only got this opportunity and you want to waste it by screaming at me??" I retorted

She laughed and I could feel the sarcasm in her laughter

I exhaled sharply

"Ohh... You're getting angry? You? You are getting angry? I just hope you know who you should be angry at Mark! You should be angry at yourself!" She said sternly

I frowned my face

"Don't give me that face" she held her hands up in the air, stopping me from from saying a word!

"Are you surprised? Are you surprised? No you shouldn't be surprised that you have to fill forms to see me now" she grinned

"Bella!" I called

"If you dare use that tone on me, I'll walk out on you!" She stated

I could feel the seriousness in her voice. I really needed her right now so I backed down

I sighed "Bella, I really need your help"

She chuckled dryly "You know if only you never gave up on our dream you would not be looking so ragged up, neither would you be begging for my help now"

"I know, okay? I understand. I gave up, I couldn't hold in much longer, I was weak! I am a failure! I get it! I regret it! I regret leaving, I regret not holding on much longer but Bella you can scold me all you want later, I need your help now, I really really need your help"

She scoffed "Mark, it's either you let me scold you now, or you go to the company and fill some forms, stating your reasons why you want to see me" she folded her arms and grinned "So, what will it be?"

"Bella...?"

"I'm even a nice friend. I shouldn't be standing here talking with you. You know if it was someone else I'm sure they wouldn't want to listen to you. You gave up at the last minute. We were at the edge of our breakthrough when you let go. In just two months after you left I found out what we had been doing wrong, I came back to you but you had lost so much interest in owning a restaurant. Now, I run the best restaurant in all of Philadelphia. This could have been us, mark! But you, you just had to give up. You were just so tired of the journey to success." She exhaled

"I'm sorry"

"You're sorry? No, you should be apologizing to your family. Your wife, your children too because they could have been much more comfortable than they are right now but you stole that opportunity from them by giving up!"

I melted as I heard these words roll out of her mouth. She was right and I realize it now. I just hope it's not too late.

"I just couldn't hold on any longer Bella, I was too weak" I wept inwardly

"I saw it and I begged you so many times to accept strength but you never did." She shook her head

"You only preached Christ to me, how was I going to get strength from him" I sighed

"Where do you think I got my strength from? I was weak too, I broke down, I got tired, I felt like stopping, I felt like nothing would work out but everytime I was like that I went back to him and he renews my strength, physical strength didn't bring me this far. Christ brought me this far!"

It dawned on me that I had been foolish all along.

"Isn't it too late to accept Christ?" I asked quietly

"Late? It's not in God's dictionary. Everything is always on time"

She held my hands and we prayed.