5 Chapter 4: The Crazy Cycle

The next day, Rayla gets up first to get ready for work, however before she left, Brad woke up and grabbed her arm gently and turned her around, and gave her a surprise kiss, "Have a good day at work baby…" He said and kissed her head before she left. She kissed him on the cheek, "you too." She said kindly and left for work, as she got Rachel ready for school and dropped her off on the way. "Brad, can you pick up Rachel after school today? I will be late coming home." Rayla said. "Yeah." Brad said watching his women walk out the door, being his wife and daughter.

Brad sighed as he watched both walk out the door. "It… doesn't matter what my parents say about her, she's still my wife…" he said with a grin looking down as he crossed his arms.

Rayla dropped Rachel off to school, "Have a good day at school baby, daddy will pick you up after school." Rayla said kissing her on the head before she got out the car. "Ok." She said kindly and left. Rayla just watched her, and her friends walk into school together, then she drove off for work.

Meanwhile, Brad received a phone call to go into work that night, "Alright, I will be there, but first I need to pick up my daughter from school." Brad said and hung up the phone, having a few more hours of sleep before he got ready for his work that evening.

When Rayla got into work that morning, she did the usual, meet and greet everyone with a friendly smile, ready for the new week. "Good morning Rayla, how was your weekend?" Her personal assistant asked her kindly. "Yeah was good thank you, how was yours?" Rayla responded kindly. "Yeah was ok, the boyfriend took me out for dinner." Her PA said, "Oh that's wonderful. Wished my husband would do that for me occasionally haha" Rayla joked with her PA to lighten up the mood, but deep down, that's what she wanted as well. The women laugh and joke and head in to their morning meeting with coffee in their hands, "Morning Mrs. Porter." Evan said kindly to her. "Morning, Mr. Blade, how was your weekend?" She asked kindly. "Good thanks and thank you again for Friday." Evan said kindly to her in discretion. "Pleasure was mine." Rayla said kindly as they got on with their meeting with the rest of the board.

Song: Nickelback – Must be nice whilst Rayla is at work

Rayla's day at the office was as always, successful, she made it her priority to make sure things were done right, from meetings, to ordering stationary, to ensuring communication was done correctly and everyone understood each other. From filing, to training, to recruitment, Rayla was the best at what she did. Earning the respect and praise of her peers, she felt respected and appreciated at work.

Meanwhile, her recruit, Evan Blade, also excelled at his work. He was an IT genius and a natural leader, respecting those around him and appreciating those he worked with. He operated in the IT division's technical support specialist team to handle complex technicalities of the business and their help desk areas. Rayla's PA noticed his work, "Rayla, he is a very capable person, doing his job well, hey?" Rayla's PA commented. "As long as he does his job well, he will be fine." Rayla further commented as they went for lunch.

During lunch time, she received a phone call from her husband, "Rayla its me." He said, "Brad, is everything alright?" She said to him in surprise, as he almost never called her. "Yeah, I got called into work, can you pick up Rachel?" "Yeah ok, will see you home later." Rayla responded as she sat on the bench on ground level at the workplace gardens. "alright, did you enjoy last night." He teased her on the phone, making her blush. "Speechless huh?" He further teased. "You could say that…." She said blushingly eating her sandwich. "Heh, see you later babe. I love you." He told her on the phone. "I love you…" Rayla said as they both hang up the phone. Rayla grinned looking at her phone, thinking about her husband.

After Lunch, Rayla requested to leave work early to pick up her daughter, of which permission was granted. Rayla picked up her daughter at 3pm after work and they went home together, Rayla bathed and fed Rachel and put her to bed that night, "Where is daddy?" Rachael asked tenderly. "He will be home later baby." Rayla responded kindly and kissed her on the head goodnight.

Being 11pm that night, Brad came home from work. "Brad, welcome home." Rayla welcomed her husband home kindly, as they kissed on the lips gently. "I am going for a shower." Brad told her softly. "Alright." Rayla said kindly and went to bed, being tired herself from a long day at work. As she lay there in bed, looking at her laptop watching the top 10 things men and women like, just out of boredom. Suddenly, Brad comes out the shower and puts her laptop down gently. "Hey…" Rayla said kindly, when suddenly Brad kissed her lips passionately. "I missed you…" He whispered when suddenly, Rachel knocks on their bedroom door, "Daddy… are you home?" She yawned, as she missed her father.

Rayla smiled at Brad, "it's alright…" Rayla said and went to sleep. Brad looked at his wife as she turned her back on him softly, looking at her somewhat sadly as he turned his head to leave the bedroom, opens the door to see his daughter and lift her up in his arms. "Daddy's home Rachel, how was school?" Brad said softly as he went to pick up Rachel and put her to sleep, singing her a lullaby.

This crazy cycle went on for a while, until one night, Rayla couldn't take it anymore. "Brad, you need to put your foot down with Rachel, she can't keep coming to our bedroom like this, there is no "us" any more. You need to teach her..." Rayla said when suddenly, Brad interrupted her, "what do you want me to do? Huh? Do you hate my daughter that much?? Do you!?" Brad said in an angered tone of voice, almost yelling at her in anger. "No!! What's the matter with you!? All I am saying is that you need to teach her, Brad!" Rayla tried to explain to Brad, but he wouldn't listen, because in his mind, he thought his wife hated his child and his paternal instincts kicked in to protect his daughter.

They went to bed not talking to each other that night, with contempt in his heart towards his wife, and Rayla, feeling saddened within herself and her heart hardened. "I don't know how much more of this I can take…" Rayla cried within herself.

The next day, Rayla just gets up and gets ready for work, as she glanced at her husband in bed with the blankets covered to ignore her and not listen to a word she said, she knew he was awake. "I know you're awake and you can hear me...Take Rachel to school today, I am going straight to work. You are right, she is 'your' daughter after all." Rayla said with a poker face and in a lowered tone of voice in anger and left the bedroom, knowing her husband was awake and heard her request, closing the door gently not to wake up the baby.

He opened his eyes slowly as he took a deep breath and uncovered himself with the blanket as she left. He sat upright and put his hands in his face as he took a deep breath out of frustration and sighing a breath for a moment.

Driving to work that morning, Rayla punches the car door in anger, driving to work.

Meanwhile, Brad gets up and gets ready and takes Rachel out for the day, taking a day off work and doesn't take Rachel to school that day. "Boss, I need a day off, just need to take a little breather" he told his boss on the phone. "Sure thing Brad, is everything alright?" His boss Mr. Taganuga asked him. "Yeah just, something came up" he said. "understand, I will get your shift covered. Next time I need 24 x hours notice, understand?" his boss told him. "Yes sir" Brad said and hung up the phone. "Rachel, lets get you ready, lets go to the park today, hm?" Brad said kindly to his daughter as he got her ready and took her to the park.

Brad takes Rachel to the park that day and buys her ice cream and they both sit at the park together in this father and daughter bonding time. "Maybe Rayla is right…" Brad thought to himself that morning, letting sink in what she said the night before.

"Sit here Rachel…" Brad said kindly to his daughter sitting next to him eating ice cream together, her little legs dangling off the wooden chair bench, as Brad watched the other parents with their children, most of the couples were together. Brad smiled at them as he looked at Rachel tenderly. "Hey Rachel, daddy needs to talk to you ok?" Brad said kindly. "Yes daddy?" Rachel said, being a little six year old girl. "Baby, when mummy and daddy are sleeping…" Brad said when suddenly, "I am sorry daddy…" Rachel said, "For what?" Brad questioned looking tenderly at his daughter.

"For knocking on mummy and daddy's door sometimes...." Rachel said innocently. "Honey...." Brad said, when Rachel continued further on:

"I… knock on your door because you are hurting mommy…" Rachael said. Brad's eyes went wide open when she said this out of shock and confusion. "What?!" Brad exclaimed and said in total shock and extreme blushing embarrassment. "I saw you on top of mommy once hurting her and she was screaming…." Rachel said innocently.

When Brad heard this, his eyes went wide open, looking around vigorously at the people passing by, suddenly, putting his hand on her mouth to stop her from saying any more. "Shhhhh!! Don't say that in public, Ra... Ra...Rachel…" Brad blushed looking away.

"Shit, how do I explain to a 6-year-old…" Brad thought to himself. Suddenly, Brad took a deep breath, "Baby… daddy is not hurting mommy…." Brad said as he chuckled as his face went completely red. "Really?" Rachael said innocently. Brad put his hand on his head in shame, shaking his head in embarrassment.

"She thinks I am hurting Rayla…quite the opposite actually" Brad smirked and thought to himself. "Baby… Daddy would never hurt mommy in any way… ok…. You will understand one day when you grow up and get married thirty years from now. When you get very old, understand?" Brad said kindly to his daughter. "Ok daddy..." Rachel said hugging her dad. "Good girl, Let's go home and make mommy some dinner when she comes home from work tonight." Brad said kindly to Rachel. "Okay!" She cheered. "Just wait until Rayla hears about this…" Brad said to himself, as he and his daughter walked home from the park. "I hope no one heard what Rachel said...." Brad thought to himself in shame.