Surviving Adversity

Late that afternoon Aaron heard the doorbell. When he answered the door he was served divorce papers. After the process server left Aaron walked slowly back to his office and sat to read the papers. At first he was just going to sign them then his anger surged once more. He decided he would be damn if he would just roll over for the bitch. How could she do this to someone she had promised to love for her entire life, to be married to 'for better or for worse, through sickness and health, forsaking all others until death do us part'?

Monday morning shortly after eight Aaron picked up the phone and called his old office. He asked for one of his old work companions, one of the staff attorneys. When he told him what he wanted his friend was horrified, he quickly became angry and said, "Dammit Aaron. I can't believe that bitch could do that to you. I'm not a divorce attorney but I took a lot of family law classes in law school. If you want me to I will represent you for free. I want to get that bitch almost as much as you do."

Aaron trusted Thomas and quickly agreed to his offer. He had been worrying how he would pay for an attorney and his medical care. Thomas agreed to come to Aaron's home that evening and look over the petition for divorce and proposed property settlement.

When Thomas arrived, he and Aaron visited, catching up with each other and office gossip before they began talking business. Thomas reviewed the paperwork then asked Aaron what he thought about it and what he wanted to see happen.

"I just don't know. I suppose I am still in shock. I knew she was upset because we had to cancel our plans this winter. She seemed to resent having to care for me when I got back from the hospital but this was just such a shock I can't seem to think. I didn't even see this coming. From the time the doctor gave me his diagnosis until this hit me I have just reacted. I almost quit doing the things I did to keep up the place. I did a little research on the cancer but otherwise I just...Hell, I don't know what I did. I seemed to be living in a fog. I read a lot but many times I just found myself sitting, not even seeing what I was looking at. I paid attention to Bonnie, ya know but at the same time I just never noticed...Oh, I knew she was upset and she was sharp to me but I thought it was from worry and tiredness. I guess now it was because she was upset over having to care for me and losing or thinking she was losing her pleasant retirement. I just can't believe she would do this to me, to us though. I thought I knew her better than that. I thought she was a better person than that."

Aaron laughed and continued, "Hell, even now I can't wrap my mind around this shit. I mean I have or had Cancer? Crap, it just doesn't seem real to me right now. I haven't reached the anger phase everyone seems to hit when they find out bad shit like this. I'm still in shock I guess. Hell, I don't know. I'm just now getting pissed at Bonnie for what she's done but even that doesn't seem real somehow ya know? I'm scared but at the same time I'm not terrified. I just seem to be floating down life's river letting the current take me wherever it will. I just need to get this shit out of the way so I can live what life I have left."

Tom sat for a moment after Aaron finished his spiel. He knew Aaron was shocked, was dealing with a lot but he was surprised in a way at how Aaron said he felt. Finally he shook himself slightly and said, "Well, I suppose we need to get back to the things I can help you with on the divorce first. I know you need to talk things out and I'm willing to listen and help if I can. We really need to address this divorce issue first though before she rapes you in the proceedings. Unless this house is worth a bundle I think she took way more than her share of the investments. Discounting the moral, the ethical issues here that is just a shitty thing to do to someone in your situation. Just a minute here." Thomas grabbed his notebook computer. "What is your monthly pension? Do you know how much she took from the investment accounts and bank?"

Aaron told him the pension amount and showed him the most recent bank and brokerage statements. Thomas began entering data into his computer. He worked for several minutes then leaned back and said, "I have computed the present value of your pension based upon your new life expectancy considering your current health. Based on that, an estimated value for your house and the balances in your other accounts it looks like Bonnie has tried to make off with about two thirds to three fourths of your assets.

"I think we need to counter file and make a counter offer on the property distribution. Why don't we ask for you to keep your pension and you give up rights to her pension when she becomes eligible for it? We can then ask for all current bills to be paid before distributing investment and bank balances then a 50/50 split of all accounts and the value of the house."

Aaron looked around then replied, "That seems fairer to me but you know I really don't want this house. I either want her to take it or for us to sell it. I had been trying to get her to let me buy a small acreage on the river with a little cabin on it to move to. I think I will try to purchase that now. It's just downstream from the old mill a half mile or so. I guess it's no more than three quarters of a mile out of town. I could fish from my property and watch the stream flow past while I'm home if I owned it. It's set up on a bluff and very secluded and private. It's only about half the size of this house too. Let's fuck with her and ask for three fourths of the remaining value after bills are paid up to date."

Ok, I'll get on this tomorrow and as soon as I get the paperwork done I'll counter file. We need to know where she is so she can be served. Do you know where she went?"

"No and I haven't talked to the kids to see if they know. Wouldn't her attorney know that?"

"Yeah but I might have trouble getting the information from him." Aaron and Tom talked late into the night before Tom left. Aaron was tired enough he went to bed and slept well in spite of the pain he still had from his surgery.

The next morning Aaron couldn't make himself stay at home for his morning coffee. In spite of the fact he was not supposed to drive yet he went over to the Old Mill for his morning repast. After he walked into the room the door slammed closed with a tinkle from the cow bell hung on it. Cheryl Ross looked up from the range and smiled. She yelled, "Good morning Aaron. What'll it be today? Where's Bonnie?"

"Just coffee right now Cheryl. I just got sick of my own company and decided to come down here for coffee this morning." Cheryl looked at him strangely when he said that but didn't comment further. She knew Bonnie was retired and was surprised she was not with Aaron.

Aaron slowly walked up to one of the tables with a vacant chair and sat with the men already there. He grimaced from the small surge of pain as he moved. After greetings the group continued their conversation. Aaron sat and listened, making a comment occasionally. Finally Jim Ross, Cheryl's husband, asked from another table, "Aaron you seem upset today. You're not feeling bad again are you? I'm surprised Bonnie let you out alone."

"No, no I feel as well as I have in weeks. I'm getting stronger and the surgery hurts less every day." Aaron sighed and looked around the room. He continued, "Bonnie left me a couple of days ago. Guess I had just as well tell ya all. It'll be pretty obvious soon when she isn't seen around. She filed for divorce and I was served Saturday."

Cheryl almost screeched when she exclaimed, "WHAT? My God Aaron what brought that on? I thought you were very happy together?"

"Yeah, so did I. She told me she didn't want to be tied down to a potential cripple. She said we had always planned to travel and enjoy our retirement and just because she thought I would not be able to travel any longer was no reason why she couldn't. She left me to begin her travels I suppose. I have no idea where she is. I suspect the kids do but they are very careful to not let me know. Hell, she even changed her phone number so I can't call her—not that I really want to."

After appropriate comments of sorrow and shock the conversation moved on rapidly. No one wanted to make Aaron feel worse by harping on his bad luck. In a way though that morning's conversation was a good thing for Aaron. Word of his plight spread around the community like wildfire. As soon as his plight became known Aaron began to receive visits from his friends and neighbors. After it became common knowledge around the area that Bonnie had ran out on Aaron as soon as he became ill her reputation was ruined in the area.

The first indication Aaron had that he had become a sought after commodity occurred two days after his visit to the café. He was sitting in his backyard enjoying the evening when Traci Douthitt came walking around his house. She was carrying a picnic basket. "Hello Aaron," she said. I heard Bonnie left you and I remember how painful it is to get around right after surgery. Since you have no one to cook and clean for you now I thought I would make you a little something so you don't have to be on your feet as long."

That was the beginning of his seduction by the older women. The next day Doris Smith came over. She had a fresh baked cake for him. She insisted on cleaning his house before she left that afternoon. Almost every day at least one older woman came to his house to either help or to bring him some food.

The women prepared meals for him and offered to clean or drive him until he could do so for himself. Aaron gratefully but grudgingly accepted their help. Three weeks after Bonnie left Aaron's health had improved enough he could do much of his own work and drive himself places once more. He began to try and wean the women away. When they accepted the fact he could now care for himself in most ways he began to receive invitations from the local widows to accompany them to the Senior Center dances or to come to their homes for meals. He resisted, insisting he still needed his solitude and he wanted to stay close to home because he still tired easily.

In all this time, his children were careful to not tell him where their mother was. He quit asking for her address and refused to listen to them when they tried to tell him anything about her. He did all he could to not drag them any deeper into his troubles. One day shortly after he was able to drive once more Aaron went to his son's home. He knew his son and wife would be at work.

Aaron used the key he had for emergencies and went into his son's home. He spent over an hour searching but he finally found a phone number and address for Bonnie. She had obtained a new cell phone and even had set up a different e-mail address in order to better hide from Aaron.

Aaron called Thomas that evening and gave him the information. Three days later Bonnie called Aaron and lit into him. She was beyond angry. She was livid, so angry she could hardly talk and was hyperventilating. "You fucking asshole," she said. "How could you even dare to think this counter proposal is fair? You either accept my proposal or I'll see your ass in court. I'm not going to give up my future for you or any other damn man."

As many divorces do this one drug on. Both Aaron and Bonnie became angrier at each other as things progressed. They could not agree on anything. Finally the case came before the judge. She heard both sides of the case and considered the evidence. You could see she was angry as she listened to testimony and questioned Aaron and Bonnie. Finally, about eleven a.m. she banged her gavel and said, "I am going to retire to chambers and think about this case. Court recessed until one p.m."

It was almost ten after one when the Judge returned to the courtroom. She sat and looked at first Aaron, then Bonnie. She said, "I thought I had seen everything in my career as an attorney and Judge but I was wrong. I have seen families fight over money. I have seen abuse and outright theft from one family member by another but I had never seen such cold callous disregard for one spouse by another until today. It is bad when a couple divorces for financial reasons when one goes into a nursing home. But for you Mrs. Talkington to just walk out on your husband before he is even able to care completely for himself after major surgery and then try to take almost all of the family savings is just too abhorrent to countenance. You made almost no effort to see he got back on his feet. You did not wait to see if he could resume a normal life with you. You only cut and ran to try and preserve your luxurious future.

"I have decided to grant the divorce to Mr. Talkington. I will not accept either version of the settlement agreement. I order all Mr. Talkington's health care costs be paid from joint assets through the end of the divorce waiting period. I further order you each keep all your individual pensions. Mrs. Talkington, since you thought the ¾ split of resources was fair, I so order that split."

Bonnie had been looking angry during the lecture and upon hearing they were going to have to pay medical bills from their joint account until the divorce became final. She began to smile when the Judge said she was accepting the ¾ property split.

The Judge began talking once more and continued, "I hereby order Mrs. Talkington to immediately transfer the entire investment account into court supervised trust until such time as the amount of medical bills can be determined. At that time said bills may be paid either from joint bank accounts or by liquidation of some of the investments. Any other bills incurred jointly through the date of separation are to be paid from the joint funds also. The remainder of the investments and the value of the bank accounts as of the day of separation are to be distributed in the ratio of ¾ to Mr. Talkington and ¼ to Mrs. Talkington."

Bonnie screamed and said, "You can't do that! I worked all my life for that money. We went without vacations and scrimped and saved so we could live well after we retired. I deserve more than a quarter of it."

The Judge banged the gavel and demanded quiet. She said, "Mrs. Talkington. If you cannot control yourself I'll hold you in contempt of court. You may have worked and saved during your marriage and done without some things you might have wanted but I cannot in good conscience let you walk over this man when he did nothing wrong. You, ma'am, have done something morally reprehensible and have tried to take advantage of a sick man, one who did nothing to you other than become ill. You deserve a penalty and this is it. Had you split in better circumstances and made a more reasonable proposal perhaps a different settlement would have been more reasonable. In my opinion that is not the case." The gavel banged down once more and the Judge continued, "Case Closed."

Aaron and Thomas were standing outside the courtroom visiting when Bonnie and her attorney exited. She glared at him and started past then stopped. Her attorney tried to pull her away but she shook him off and said, "You selfish bastard. I needed that money to have a good life. It could have made things better for me. All you're going to do with it is spend it on doctors. At least one of us could have still had a good retirement if you hadn't been such a selfish ass."

Aaron felt a surge of anger. He whirled toward Bonnie and started to respond when each attorney pulled their client farther apart. Thomas said, "Easy there hoss. You won. Just let it go and move on."

"Yeah, I know but..." Aaron shook his head and continued, "You know I thought I knew her. I would have trusted her with anything, hell; I did trust her with it all. I just wonder when she changed or if I just didn't really know her at all. Now I remember times in our marriage when she showed this selfish side and I would give in. Usually it was when she wanted to buy something I didn't want to spend the money on or when she would insist on a more extravagant vacation than we had initially planned. Looking back I can see where the seeds for her treachery had lain dormant for years. I just can't believe she would have done something like this though."

As soon as the divorce was granted Aaron purchased the small acreage and cabin by the old mill. He had moved from the house he shared with Bonnie after he purchased the small cabin and acreage. Aaron rented the house to a young newly married couple. He agreed to let their first six months rent count toward a down payment so they would have enough down to obtain the loan if they decided they wanted to purchase the house in the future.

Days passed and Aaron became stronger and stronger. He spent most of his days either landscaping or caring for the property, fishing, sitting in his back yard or laying in his hammock watching the stream flow past. His new home was secluded enough he took to wandering around the house and yard nude. He found he really loved the feeling of freedom that gave him. The summer sun felt wonderful on his body as the heat baked him and warmed his cold bones. He loved the way the cool breeze caressed his bare skin cooling him with the coolness it picked up from the river.

Almost every day he went either to the mill or Steelville for coffee in the morning. Many days he would also go out for a small lunch. He usually went to the Old Mill because it was only a half mile from his new home and he could walk. Since he needed exercise he would just walk there and back.

Evenings he either prepared a light supper or ate food one of the older women in the area brought him. He never wanted for companionship. In fact, many times he wished he could hide from the women so he could enjoy his privacy. Aaron found he was a very desirable commodity—he was a male with reasonable income, single and not too decrepit to do things with the women. They flocked to him like bees to honey. After he had lived in the cabin for several weeks he finally let the women and his friends Jim and Cheryl Ross talk him into going to the Senior Center dances in Steelville. Now that was an eye opening adventure for sure!

The first time he attended a dance he rode over with Jim and Cheryl. Just before they entered the building Jim said, "Aaron I don't know how much you know about these dances but I want to warn you about them. There are several couples like Cheryl and me but there are a whole lot more single people here. Single women outnumber the men about six or seven to one. Some of the single men who do come either don't dance or don't get around too well. That makes men like you who get around pretty well a very sought after commodity."

Jim Ross grinned and continued, "I don't know if you are interested or not but if you need a little lovin' it's pretty easy to hook up with one of the ladies here if you haven't already. This place is a little like Las Vegas. You know, what happens at the dance stays at the dance. Mostly we don't know what goes on or at least we pretend we don't. There are a couple of the ladies you need to watch out for though. Doris is a skank. She's a nice person to talk to but, well, she's pretty promiscuous and doesn't...well, she may have more than one man a night and she isn't too careful about diseases. Lorraine is almost as bad but from what I hear she does use condoms. Most of the rest of the ladies are just looking for companionship although if they like you enough some of them will take you home after a few dates."

Aaron was shocked when Jim told him about the women. Almost all the names Jim mentioned were women that had been to his house more than once. Doris had been there about three times a week and had made some suggestive comments he now realized were probably meant very seriously. Many of the women who had helped him out were there just to do that though. They would visit, clean, bring him a small dish or even a full plate meal but visited as friends rather than women hunting for a man.