When is love enough

While I was writing Tom/Jen story, what someone said to me earlier this year came to mind.

“If you love someone enough, you wouldn’t want to put her in a situation where she has to choose between me and God.”

I wonder when someone says that, does it mean he really loves her or he doesn’t love her enough.

As least for Tom, he didn’t love Jen enough to leave her and she didn’t love herself enough to leave him.

************

“You should go out with your friends more often,” he said as he watched her put out her last cigarette and at the same time wondered when she had started smoking.

He looked at the ashtray which was already overflowing with cigarette butts. A few butts fell off the asthtray onto the creamy white carpet.

“There are almost two packs of cigarettes there. Did you smoke all that by yourself?” Tom asked.

“Eerrr… yes. A little stressed. I got to finish this review. Due tomorrow.” Jen said without lifting her head to look at him. Her eyes fixed on her laptop and she typed away fiercely.

“When did you start smoking?” He asked, frowning a little.

“When you launched your second album.” She answered, still looking at her laptop.

“Was that also the reason why?” He asked quietly, almost in a small voice to make his guilt a little less audible.

She stopped typing for a second and continued even more ferociously than before, attempting to let her typing drown the truth that their relationship was heading off to an unpromising future. She had no choice but to allow his selfish indulgence in his music to slowly eat her inside, scraping away her hopes, her dreams and her own individuality.