A Dear John Letter

Here's a very short story for you. I don't have much time and this is a little lunch hour effort that came out one day. Don't take this seriously. It's just a wink.

Edited by Scalia.

Your votes and comments are welcome.

*****

"Dear John,

I simply can't stand it anymore. It is important for you take the time to read this letter so you understand my decision.

I met Steve six months ago at a Denver conference. I'm still not sure what happened and why. Might be the rarefied air of Colorado coupled with a bit too much wine at our closing diner, but the truth is I ended up in bed with that young man.

I had no right to do that. Steve was way too young for me as he is only in his early 30's and I was 45. And there is also the slight matter of the wedding band I wore when he dragged me to his bedroom.

I can't tell you that it was nothing. He was an attentive lover with a lot of stamina. Sex with him was simply astonishing.

I am not belittling you as you are also a marvelous lover, but Steve was different.

That's why I wasn't able to let him go. If it had been only this one lapse, I could have hidden the truth and learned to live with my guilt while resting in your arms. Memories of that meeting would have faded with time. But I was too out of control after that roll in the hay and I needed more. Steve was very willing to give me more.

When you discovered my affair, it had been already four times that we had met, including that first time in Denver. The glimmer of novelty was already fading and we were about to let it die. I don't know if it was our last meeting but it was already too late.

You didn't have to tell me. I know that my evasiveness about my late meetings or my weekend getaway had already spelt my doom. I understand now that we knew each other too well; it was impossible to hide something so life changing.

This mutual knowledge means also that when you kicked the motel room open and discovered us in bed, I knew we were done as husband and wife. Your face was an open book and I was reading disgust, hate and a great sorrow.

Seeing you in the doorway, I knew the life I loved and adored was over. It was without surprise that I looked at you beating up Steve. For a few moments I feared and wished you would do the same number on me. I sure warranted that. But you didn't. You simply left me there in that dirty motel room, where I belonged.

What I didn't know or even envisioned was the kids' reaction. It was already hard to realize that the man I loved so much now hated me. My shame and guilt were overwhelming and your rightful hate was crushing me. But my children's rejection was impossible to cope with.

I went from having everything to having nothing. I had a loving and caring husband. I had two loving children already putting their teeth in the world. And now I have nothing left.

You are not responsible for my action. I am.

For what it is worth, I am very sorry. I love you and will continue to love you till my dying breath. Tell the kids that I understand their reaction and still love them so very much.

But if it is hard to even think about living without you my love, just to think about living without the love of my kids makes it unbearable. That's when I remembered what you told me when I asked what I could do to earn your forgiveness. Well, I did it.

Yours forever,

Martha"

John read again the last paragraph, unable to remember what he said to his wife.

He had walked in the house and known right away that his ex-wife had been there when he saw all the pictures of him and the kids on the coffee table in the living room. Going upstairs, he had found her dead on their bed, an empty bottle of pills in one hand and a letter addressed to him in the other hand.

He was poised over her dead body trying hard to think about that fateful last meeting when it dawned on him what she referred to. He had said so many things, hateful things. He bent over Martha and smelled her breath. Sure enough, he smelled fecal matter.

He shouldn't had said "Eat shit and die".