The lawyers were scheduling a first meeting to get things going and then the hard bargaining would start. My bottom line was that I wanted the divorce dropped entirely. I wanted to keep my husband and my daughters. I wanted my life to stay the same.
My lawyer asked me when was the last time I saw my children. I stumbled a bit trying to answer. She realized that I was trying to bluff my way out of the divorce and then she said that maybe I needed to be prepared to come to some agreement with John.
**********
Week 100
John
I haven’t seen or talked to Andrea for weeks now. The girls have stopped asking about their mother. I decided that it was time to start purging the house of things that were Andrea’s and things that reminded me of her. I cleared out her closet, boxing everything up and making sure that photographs of her were taken down. That included family photos that we had in the hallway. I put our wedding album in one of the boxes with her clothes.
The girls and I had a heart-to-heart talk about their mother one night at the supper table. I tried my best to make it as painless as possible to tell them that I didn’t think that she would be coming home to us. They wanted to know if their Mum loved them anymore. I told them that she did but that Mum was going through some mental health issues that she needed to get resolved so she could be a good mother again. I know that I lied to them but I wanted needed to shield them from the truth. The truth would not do them any good; they were little kids for goodness sake. They were sad and there were some tears. Diane, in her wisdom, talked to me alone and said that she knew that her mother had left them, and me, and probably wasn’t coming back.
“Dad, we’re here to to help you too. The three of us talked and we know that Mum doesn’t want to be with us. If she did, she would be here. But she hasn’t been home for a long time and that tells us that she doesn’t want to be our Mum any more. We also know that you like your friend Jane. Is she going to be our new mother?”
To say that I was surprised by the maturity of my oldest daughter would be an understatement. She knew what was going on. Maybe not the gory details, but she got the message that her mother was sending.
“Would you be upset if I were to ask Jane to come live with us?”
Diane looked at me with a smile,”Does she make you happy, Dad?”
I looked at my very wise-before-her-years daughter and nodded my head.
“Then I guess we know what you want to do. You just need to do it.” She got down from the stool at the kitchen island and headed for her room. Her younger sisters were waiting for her.
**********
Jane
The father of my baby called and told me he was on the way over. When he got here he had a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a pint of my favourite ice cream. The man knows the way to my heart.
I took the flowers and put them in a vase and then proceeded to open up the ice cream and devour it.
John looked at me with a grin, “want to share a small bit of that ice cream?”
I smiled back, “Get your own spoon.”
He took a spoon full of the delicious chocolate delight and then posed a question to me.
“So, have you given some thought to our baby and a plan for when you’re hugely pregnant and then after our child is born?”
We had talked about a bit of the logistics of having a baby and I had told him that since it was my decision to get pregnant, it was my responsibility to take care of the child. I’m very independent and I have resources that I can use when I need help. I make a good income. Besides, John had his own children to consider.
“I have a plan in place, yes. You recall that this baby was my idea. I’m the one that will take care of him or her.”
“I know that, but as the father of your baby, our baby, I want to be part of that plan. If you’ll let me.”
“Of course, I’ll let you. You don’t need an invitation.”
“Good, because I have a plan, too. Get your coat and come with me.”
I looked at John with a very curious expression and he took the tub of ice cream from my hand, put it the freezer, put the two spoons in the sink and started for the door. “Come on.”
We got in his car and drove in the direction of his house. I had been there before and had met his daughters several times but this time things had a different feel about them.
“So, you’re being all mysterious. What’s going on?”
“You’ll see everything in the fullness of time.”
This was a mystery. We arrived in his driveway and standing on the front step was his three girls. They were all dressed very nicely and when we got out of the car, they greeted me and opened the front door. What the hell was going on?
We went into the kitchen where there was some food laid out for us to eat. Cold cuts, bread, cheese, and some coleslaw. There were bottles of water and soft drinks in an ice bucket. The girls were looking at me with an intensity that implied that there was something going on that they were clearly involved with.
The girls offered up the food and we made sandwiches and took some water and sat at the kitchen island.
I had a million questions but started off with, “So girls, this is lovely, what’s the occasion?”
Diane appeared, as the oldest, to be the designated spokesperson. ” We just wanted to make you feel welcome. Dad told us that you’re going to have a baby in a few months.”
“Well, thank you and yes, the baby is due in about six months. I’m going to start showing soon.”
The three of them were now looking directly at my stomach. As if they could see the baby and trying to see if it is a boy or a girl. It was funny to watch them.
John cleared his throat. “I asked you to come over to our house because I have a question for you. One that you don’t need to answer today or even right away.”
Okay, now he had upped my curiosity to a new high.
He continued. “The girls and I have talked about this, at length, and so I would like you, if you want to, to come live with us. I, we, want you to move in here. To live here. With us.”
Oh my god! Was he proposing? My mouth was open and I needed a quick drink of water. “Ah, ah, ah…”
Before I could answer, he continued, ” Take your time to think about it. There’s no real rush. We have a few things to do before you would move in. Some redecorating and a few items of furniture that need to go away and some painting.’ John was walking towards the master bedroom as he was talking. He opened the door and walked in. I followed him. The room was completely empty. The door to the walk-in closet was open and I could see that it, too, was empty. The bathroom was in similar condition. It didn’t take much to deduce that Andrea was gone, not just from their lives, but now their house, their home. The divorce was in full-swing.
John waked around the empty room, ” I had all of her things boxed up about a month ago and sent to her condo. I got rid of the bedroom furniture; gave it to the Salvation Army.”
“Where are you sleeping?” My face had a stunned expression and my tone was one of astonishment.
“In the spare room. The bed is big enough for now. I have painters coming in this week and I need help in picking out the new furniture for this room. Would you like to help me?”
**********
Week 104 — 2 Years
John
Roy called me today and asked me to come by his office, at my convenience. That’s rare that a lawyer does that, so I got in my car drove there as fast as I could. I didn’t know if it was good news or bad news, but right now any news was welcome. I wanted the divorce from Andrea to get done, the sooner the better. My girls and I had made the mental and emotional separation quite a while ago and now all I wanted was the court stamp on the official document. I had things to get on with.
When I arrived at his office I was ushered right in. His secretary handed me a bottle of water as I sat down. Roy had a huge smile on his face. Damn, I was hoping it was good news.
“Well, John, I’m pleased to report that the negotiations with Andrea’s attorney, have gone well. She has accepted pretty much all of the conditions that I put to her and I expect that she will sign the agreement in the next two or three days.”
Holy Shit! “Tell me the details please, Roy. What about my girls?”
He cleared his throat, he did that to give emphasis to his words, “She had agreed to you having full custody of the girls.”
It was if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had gotten what I wanted. The rest were mere details.
“You will keep the house, and the contents of the house, you will keep the family bank accounts and your investment account, it’s not big but it is important. You will receive the sum of $100,000 from Andrea to form the education account for the girls. Andrea will waive any claim to your marital property. You will not have to give her anything.”
I’m sure that I didn’t hear anything after he told me that she had agreed that I would have custody of the girls. I took a huge drink of the water. Part of me was elated at the news and part of me was sad that my marriage had come to this. All because of her need for sex with other men. I was reminded that she viewed me as less than what she wanted. But, I knew that she would never be happy with just one man. I knew that this divorce was inevitable.
I looked at Roy and thanked him. I figured that the bill for his services would be hefty, but in the long run it would be worth it.
“When will it be official? When can I get on with life?”
“In about two weeks. I have a judge friend who owes me many favours and she will fast-track it for us.”
“Do we all have to show up in court?
“No, the lawyers will take care of it all. Congratulations, John. You must be very happy at this outcome.”
“Thank you Roy.”
Was I happy at the outcome? I’m not sure that I was. I mean, how could you be happy with the knowledge that your life would take such a huge turn in the wrong direction that your wife, who you thought was faithful to you, would be such a conniving woman and hide her real feelings from you, all the while have three children with you. That was the part that amazed me. The second part was that by some miracle I had landed on my feet and had custody of my three daughters and had a new relationship that seemed like it was certainly going in the right direction. Now, I had a very pregnant woman that I was more in love with every day and that I very much wanted in my life. I had a new beginning. I had a lot of work to do.
**********
Andrea
My lawyer called me and told me that she had worked out a deal with John’s lawyer. She also said that I had gotten off cheap. It seems that John’s lawyer had pretty much all the details of my life and was prepared to let a judge know what I was doing. My lawyer pretty much agreed to everything that John wanted and told me that I was lucky to get away with just that. She told me that she would have the documents couriered over to me the next day and for me to sign and send back.
I did that.
**********
Week 106
Andrea
A courier delivered an envelope from my lawyer with a copy of the final Dissolution of Marriage Decree. It was now official. I was no longer married to John. And really, since I had agreed to him having full custody of my daughters, I wasn’t a mother any more.
I drove by my old house a couple of days ago hoping to get a glimpse of my family and there was a strange car parked beside John’s in the driveway. I slowed down, didn’t see anyone and kept on going.
It struck me right then that I had fucked-up in very big way. Sex had ruled my brain to the point that I ignored everything that was important in my life. I relegated my family to the unimportant. I made my need for sex the thing that drove all my decisions. I’m so stupid. Now what the fuck do I do?
**********
Week…who cares…just over three years
Jane
My husband and I have a son. We have another one on the way. Our daughters (yes, they’re my daughters, now — they call me Mom) are over-the-moon to have a little brother. They dote on him constantly. They fight to see who gets to push the stroller when we go out. It’s so cute to watch.
My husband is wonderful. He is the everything that I ever wanted in husband, and more. I can’t believe how lucky I am.
We sold the house and moved into one that better met our needs. Especially with five children.
Remember what’s important in your life and pay attention to it.
I have to pee, again. This one is constantly pushing on my bladder.