Disco Nights Ch. 03

I leaned down and laid the envelope in front of Lisa. "Repeating what I said that day nineteen years ago, here are the divorce papers. You should get a lawyer and have them reviewed. I did not file on grounds of adultery but on grounds of irreconcilable differences." Lisa just looked at me in shock, tears running down her face.

Looking up at everyone staring at me, I said, "I know what some of you are thinking, why are you doing this now and why so harsh, why so public?

I shook my head, "How do you balance the scales of nineteen years of humiliation and disrespect? Nineteen years of knowing your wife was sleeping with other men. And how many people, other than her lovers were aware of her behavior? A marriage is built on love, commitment and trust. For twenty five years I lived in a marriage without it. The bill has come due. Now it is time for Lisa to pay up."

"And why now? First, I honored my promise before God to be a real father and raise my daughters to the best of my ability. To be there for them when they needed me

Well, our kids are grown up, and have become well-adjusted adults. Maddy has her own home and family. And Kate has successfully made the transition to college and it is unlikely she will ever return home except for short visits.

Second, we have been married twenty-five years and I am forty six years old. Physically I am probably as healthy as I have ever been. I still have most of my hair, although it is somewhat grayer now, and I am young enough to start over. There is still time to find someone who wants to be with me and only me, someone who values faithfulness and fidelity. Someone I can love and will love me in return. Someone I can trust.

And lastly, I have been offered a three year assignment at National Guard Headquarters in Washington. It is a great opportunity for me and it will pretty much guarantee my next promotion. After that, who knows? A couple of defense contractors have already expressed an interest in my services after my tour is completed. Anyway my new job starts in thirty days and needless to say, I am excited about this opportunity on both a personal as well as a professional level.

Tomorrow I am leaving for Washington on an orientation visit and a house hunting trip. I will not return to our home except to pack up the things I want or need."

I gazed out over the faces of friends and family, remembering the good times and the not so good times. Thinking about that first life lesson that I forgot once, that nothing stays the same.

"And as Paul Harvey says, 'Now you know the rest of the story'."

Looking down at Lisa, I said sadly, "Good bye Lisa. I loved you with all my heart once. And part of me will always love you. I gave you everything I had but it wasn't enough." Lisa buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

"Maddy, Kate, give me a hug. I'm leaving now. Take care of your Mom. Despite everything she did to me, she was always a good mother to you."

And with that, I closed that chapter of my life and briskly walked out the door, eager to start the next one.

The End

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I want to thank all of you who read my story and those of you who made comments. To answer a couple of the questions you posted -- Yes, this is my first attempt at writing fiction. Or historical fiction or maybe more accurately alternate-history fiction as it somehow seems to me.

If you enjoyed it, that's great. But to be honest I wrote this story for me. It has been percolating inside of me for over thirty years. It was time to let it out. How much of it is true and how much of it is fiction? That is between me and my journal!

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