THE TWO COUSINS

Hows the story? I dont agree. I think this is all absurd. Right after having said some other phrases, she hung up the phone, calmly. - Grandma, why did you give your opinion, wouldnt it be better not to get involved? - In most cases you are right. But you know something: at my age, one has suffered so much injustice, so much ingratitude and so much tragedy, that one gets to have an advantage. - Advantage, which one? - We do and speak whatever we want, since it is Gods will and nothing more can hurt us. The granddaughter, not yet a teenager, began to laugh and, as it was raining, the grandmother felt like telling her a story that she had been recalling for days. - Maria Clara, as you are doing nothing, Ill tell you the story about my two cousins. The two were alike, they both looked like grandmother Gnia. They were very pretty. One was quite white, had light brown hair and greenish eyes, the other one had dark black hair, well formed eyebrows and black eyes. The first one was called Geni and the other Jenifer. They became women around the same time. The father of the first one used to drink a lot, didnt like to work and used to frequent bars. He also liked to go with other women. None of his love affairs lasted long, as he never wanted to lose his wife, who always worked and who supported him and kept the house. It was said that he even had moral defects regarding sex, but this issue was hidden to the community. He never cared much for his children, who were raised by their mother. She was considered to be a martyr by the family because, despite working hard, she was always cheerful and she never complained about her fate. The other girls father was a hard worker, a good father, a responsible citizen. Her mother was a good person, but she got sick cancer that weakened her physically for many years. The disease affected them deeply, to such an extent that it became the sole subject spoken at home. They couldnt accept it. Their home became quite sad. Geni had many boy-friends and she looked desperately for love, among all of them. She looked for someone to diminish her lack of love, from her father.
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Jenifer was enchanted by Caix, a handsome boy, a hard worker who fell in love with her (this was how she saw it) a next door neighbor. He was not really a resident there since he came to visit his parents. She was told, he had so much work to do that he preferred sleep downtown, to not lose time. She believed everything he told her, she was in heaven, believed she was living a true love affair. She needed to live in euphoria a story full of fantasy, to scape sadness of her home. In this way she devoted herself to him, in body and spirit. Mainly in body. It was said that Geni got tired of adventures and decided to anchor at another port. There was a boy who was always around, in love with her, Abed. They were almost the same age. He was not ugly but was a reputable trader. He worked hard, already had his own apartment, a quite good one, a new car and even an apartment on the beach. They began their love affair and everything was going fine. Her mother was delighted with the daughters relationship. It seemed she would have such a better fate. The couple began to eat at good restaurants and the boyfriend gave her marvelous presents. Genis mother-in-law got gifts and this made her stay in the clouds, she felt so happy. Unfortunately, one day, or one night, Jenifer found out that Caix story was different from the one she heard about him. He was married to a rich lady who lived in a luxurious suburb. His wife was so in love with him, that she tolerated his treacheries. He lived on her familys resources, he didnt have a job and even used to have extra-marital relations, in the neighborhood. - And what about his parents? They knew about it, and didnt tell her? - Thats right. According to their distorted moral principles, their son was obtaining the best of life, not caring about others and about the consequences of his deeds. She put an end to the situation and didnt want to see him ever again. He then disappeared for some time. As she was no lpnger a virgin and this took place before the contraceptive pill existed at that time it was tragic to have a sexual relationship before marriage, she had a crisis and suffered a strong depression, despite her family and cousin giving her full support. Courtship with Abed was heavenly, when Geni met Cosme. He was twelve years older, apparently not such a handsome man, he had had two marriages in the past, or relationships, from which he had four children: three with the first woman and one with the second one. He did not pay child support to any of them. He paid rent. He worked, but not enough to get a good income. After a
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weekend at the beach, she decided to call off the secure engagement and to throw herself into what she considered to be a great romance. Her mother didnt agree with the idea. She asked a relative to give her advice, but nothing could stop her. The lack of her fathers love led her to him. As everybody advised her to try another love affair, Jenifer then gave attention to a young man who worked close to her, Damian. He was neither athletic nor handsome. He was an ordinary man. On the first favorable occasion, he declared himself to be in love with her. As he talked so much about morality, morality she told him she was no longer a virgin. Maybe she even thought the situation would end there. But he was in love with her and accepted the fact. - Did her beauty weigh heavily in this story? - In a love relationship, beauty can lead to attraction and to the initial desire. After some time, if someone says that they are together with someone else just because physical attraction, for me that person is not normal. - Why? - After some time, the most important part showed must be the individuals inner aspects. Thus, separated by an interval of six months, the two cousins got married. The first young lady, gave up a financially and emotionally stable situation to go after a passionate adventure, full of risks. And the second one used good sense and married, without love, to a young man who would give her stability. Years passed and the two cousins had children. Jenifer felt no excitement in that marriage. She tried to feel some, she really did but nothing satisfied her. She couldnt find interest in anything. Her husband did what he could to please her, but he couldnt succeed, because her dissatisfaction was charged with stubbornness. She indeed never devoted herself to that relationship and she never really got married, internally. She only got married externally, through civil and religious ceremonies. She started to eat compulsively. Her life was so meaningless that she only found pleasure in food. Geni tried very hard to keep her husband from chasing other women, an impossible task, as the need for adulterous conquests was part of him. She was always in an extreme diet, which was not healthy. She did physical exercises for more than four hours a day, compulsively. She only watched TV, running on an exercise belt, in addition to other exaggerations with her physical appearance. Nothing could satisfy her and she would never achieve peace in that marriage, as she had hoped.
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- Is it possible that she wanted a husband, similar to her father? Jenifer became a bitter person, she got fat and she was irritable with Damian. He tolerated everything from her, unselfishly. Her abuse was so intense that it annoyed her own relatives. Geni became a stressed person, she was never relaxed. She was suspicious of all women who approached them and her husband gave her reasons to feel that way. The financial instability annoyed her. She never wanted to build a professional career, as she didnt admire her mother, who worked hard throughout her whole life. She even blamed this sacrifice as one cause for her fathers bad behavior. Unfortunately the children became unhappy and problematic people. The fathers of the two died. After some time, it was strange the way they referred to their own fathers. Geni, whose father was a moral degenerated, she always talked about him as being a romantic gallant man full of virtues. And Jenifer, whose father was a decent and hardworking man, a good father and good husband, rarely spoke of him and when she did, she always did it in a pejorative and depreciative way. Time passed on until the two became sick, from different diseases and they died, within six months of each other. - What a sad story, grandma! - Do you know why I wanted to tell you this story? Maria Clara looked at her with her large and attentive eyes. Her hair was dark brown, quite straight and cut straight. She was naive and pure. - Because the two got married in a state of psychological disharmony. - What do you mean, grandma? - Geni had a lack of regard for her father and she looked for someone having the same characteristics. She even imagined her father as being the opposite of what he was. Due to the madness in her mind she did not admire her mother who sacrificed herself excessively. Jenifer wished for much love, different from what she received at home. She never understood why her home life was a tragedy, but there was love, yes, and much sacrifice. Even much affection. She did not value her father because he allowed her to disrespect him, while still alive. - Is it true, grandma? - They were not able to overcome their traumas.
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- Then, what should they have done? - The best they could have done was not to get married and mainly not to have children but this is theory! In practice it is different. People engage in love relationships with all their traumas brought from childhood and all their privations, spreading unhappiness everywhere. It seems they dont want to progress The will to improve must be the most precious of our desires. - But there are people who are even worse, right, grandma? - Unfortunately there are and quite worse. They are the morally degenerate ones, the crazy ones. Im talking about normal or close to normal people. If, someday, you feel upset with some problem or if you have had a non-corresponded love, be silent, in meditation, for a while. For me, the matter of one love substituting another one isnt ideal. Each love experience is unique and nontransferable including the ones involving parents, lovers, friends, etc and they deserve a special detachment, in favor of our balance. Go traveling, study, start a new course or expand your horizons. What you should not do is to look for a false love in order to solve your problems this will only bring trouble to your life and to the lives of others. - Grandma, Ill only have a love affair with a happy ending! - My dear Maria Clara, life is not like that. The reality of the human condition is to live with many of doubts. Living is solving problems. Anyone who has vitality, comes at projects and it is very normal for obstacles to arise. Accepting life as a challenge, we must be obliged to always have positive goals. One who does not worry about anything stops living and begins to vegetate. And even creates things to worry about. This kind of individual ends up taking medicine to be able to fall asleep. - What a terrible thing, grandma. - Dont worry, my love, in your life you will know how to solve problems with calm and tranquility. And you will know how to choose, as your loving companion, a good, joyous, well balanced and hard-working boy. You two will love one another and will always be looking for happiness for both of you. - What a good thing, isnt it, grandma!? - Lets hope so! THE END