Another Brief Conversation

Another Brief Conversation

Story Sentence: This will be the last conversation we have about this.

Author's note: This story is really a short vignette. It details a thirty-minute conversation between a husband and wife in the death throes of their marriage. My original thought was to make it a 750-word story, but I just couldn't make it fit as it took on a life of its own. As finished, it is approximately 5,000 words. So, I guessed I missed the 750 mark by a little? There are no descriptive sex scenes, and no one is killed or maimed. If that's your thing, you should take a pass.

Main Characters:

Lewis Anacortes: Husband to Blaine and father to Rainier & Lacey, age 33. Firefighter with Riverside Fire Authority.

Blaine Anacortes: Wife to Lewis and mother to Rainier & Lacey, age 35. Branch Manager for Chehalis Bank

Rainier "Rain" Anacortes: Oldest Daughter, age 12, daddy's girl.

Lacey Anacortes: Youngest daughter, age 10 and a definite mommy's girl.

Story:

Thirty-three-year-old Lewis Anacortes sat on the freshly finished and scrubbed marine teak wood and iron park bench overlooking Riffe lake. During happier times he and his family had sailed on the lake during countless visits here. He studied the bench's freshly polished brass plaque. 'Donated by the Edmonds family of Mossyrock, in memory of our beloved grandfather Kennewick Edmonds. This bench is for all to enjoy the beauty of the area he loved so dearly.'

As a native of the area, Lewis gave a short, sharp, bitter laugh after reading the inscription. He knew why old man Kennewick loved the area. And specifically, this overlook, where the bench in his honor, was strategically placed. From this spot, Kennewick would frequently rest and peer wistfully at the crystal blue water that had inundated his boyhood home decades ago when Tacoma City Light constructed Mossyrock dam to generate power for the city. Lewis knew the town of Riffe was out there, but it lay nearly two hundred feet below the shimmering surface of the lake that currently reflected the glorious blue sky and broken clouds.

The canopy forest was thick with the various native pines that surrounded the lake. Some of the Western Whites and Ponderosas towered well over one hundred and twenty feet into the sky. As a boy, Lewis always dreamed about climbing to the top of one to see if he could touch the infinite sky.

He had a cherished memory of his late father. One time as a small boy, he and his father were lying on their backs at the lake shore resting. Their ancient H.L. Leonard bamboo fly rods were leaning up against a tree. They were rigged for the landlocked salmon that flourished in these waters. They gazed skyward admiring nature's awesome work while taking a respite. He told his father about his desire to climb to the top of one of the pines. His dad didn't speak or even acknowledge Lewis's statement for several minutes. Just as Lewis thought his father must have missed what he said, he began to sing the line from Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze. 'Excuse me while I kiss the sky.' His father was a terrible singer. He couldn't carry a tune to save his life, but it never stopped him from singing. As his dad's voice repeatedly warbled the line, the youngster Lewis looked around in embarrassment, praying that no one was witnessing his dad's crooning. As an adult though the incident was pleasantly and indelibly burned into his memory.

Lewis lost both parents to cancer when they were relatively young. That fact, coupled with his understanding of genetics, were among the reasons this meeting was taking place. Life was too short.

The lake itself now encompassed Lewis' attention. At almost twenty-three miles long, it was so deep that light couldn't penetrate the darkness that enveloped the once vibrant close-knit community of Riffe. The darkness concealed all evidence that it ever existed because it would never be seen in the light again. Lewis thought it an apt metaphor for his marriage.

To any passerby who wasn't familiar with the nightmare that Lewis had recently been living, it might appear as if he was very serenely absorbing the solitary beauty of the warm fall weather that occasionally visited the Pacific Northwest. The locals still referred to it, despite its current political incorrectness, as an Indian Summer. When it made its appearance, there was no more beautiful time or place on earth. It almost made the nine long months of dreary rain seem tolerable.

While Lewis may have appeared calm on the outside, his insides were roiling. He had to live this nightmare alone. He was an only child, and he didn't have many friends outside of the firehouse. Lewis couldn't talk about his problems with any of the guys at the station, because, contrary to how they were portrayed on television, firefighters didn't spend all their downtime revealing their fears and emotions while sharing intimate bonding moments with their brethren. No one dared show any signs of weakness to the others for fear the others would lose confidence in them. Their lives depended on each other. And even a moment's hesitation caused by being unsure if they could trust someone to do the right thing under extreme conditions, could prove fatal. No, Lewis was all alone in this.

He had purposefully arrived a little early because truth be told, he was counting on the healing power of his favorite lake and nature's magical natural oil canvas, to help him get through this meeting his soon-to-be ex-wife had requested.

She demanded it really, and his lawyer told him it would be in his best interests to grant it. It would look good in family court, he was admonished. Besides, his lawyer was becoming frustrated by all the roadblocks Blaine kept throwing up to delay the inevitable. For the life of him, Lewis couldn't understand why Blaine kept insisting that their marriage could survive her insanity.

She wanted her attorney to request mandatory counseling. It didn't matter to her, that in Washington state, a family court judge couldn't impose it. Both attorneys tried to talk to Blaine until they were blue in the face, to no avail. Lewis thought Blaine definitely needed some form of therapy, but that was no longer his concern.

Oh well, he sighed as he thought to himself. It all ends today anyway. Blaine may have demanded the meeting, but Lewis insisted on the location. He knew the summer crowds would be a distant memory, so they were quite likely to have the spot to themselves. This meeting wasn't going to go the way Blaine expected it to.

He glanced briefly at his watch. She was scheduled to arrive in a few minutes, but he knew that in reality, he had plenty of time. For one thing, Blaine would have to drive out on Highway 12 for a good distance, which she hated. She was never on time for anything in her life, including their wedding. She was an hour late for that. He gave the same cynical laugh as the quick memory came to him. He thought it would have been better to have left the church after the twenty-minute passed mark as his best man had jokingly suggested over thirteen years ago.

He quickly dismissed that thought. The truth was, that the first twelve and half years of his marriage to Blaine were a perfect dream. Lewis loved his two daughters, Rainier and Lacey, more than life itself. "Rain," as they called her, was daddy's girl through and through. She was already studying and training to be a firefighter like her idolized father. On the other hand, Lacey was a 'mini-me' of his wife.

This was proving to be just one of a myriad of complications for Lewis. Family courts were loath to split up children. This and the fact that in the state of Washington, there is no statutory age set in family law codes that allows a child under the age of eighteen to choose which parent to live with, in a divorce. According to his attorney though, all was not yet lost. Although complex, Washington's divorce and child custody laws, allowed a husband and wife to jointly submit a childcare plan to the court. If the judge felt it was detailed, comprehensive, and financially equitable for the children they would usually sign off on it without modification. The trick, his lawyer told him, was to get his wife to go along with the very complex proposal Lewis wanted his wife to accept.

Lewis was a realist. Before his lawyer even confirmed it for him, he recognized that his job as a firefighter with the Riverside Fire Authority, the RFA as it was known, would almost certainly prohibit him from gaining primary custody of his daughters. The dangerous nature of the work and his variable work schedule were both almost insurmountable roadblocks for custody consideration.

It took time and money, a lot of money, to develop the plan he had put in motion.

He closed his eyes and let his mind drift back to that horrible day several months ago when his nightmarish existence began. He could never decide if his current life was an episode of the Twilight Zone, or the Movie Groundhog Day. His actuality was at the same time both surreal, and terrifyingly repetitive.

"Lewis, honey, can we talk in the living room for a moment? Please."

He had just completed his pleasant nightly ritual of putting the girls to sleep in their shared bedroom when he heard her voice. Although he needed to get some sleep, because tomorrow morning started his next twenty-four-hour shift schedule, he was anxious to talk with his wife. He was hoping that Blaine wanted to further discuss their mutual desire to buy their own home. The four of them lived in a three-bedroom rental apartment and were anxious to buy a forever home now that they were secure in their careers. They both agreed it would be much better to raise their daughters in a home they owned. It was more permanent.

He stopped by the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, on his way to the living room. He plopped himself down on the well-worn couch they had inherited from his folks. He turned to Blaine, crossing his right leg over the left so he was facing her. He toyed with the loose piece of Blaine's blonde hair that always covered her ear for a moment then gently pulled it place behind her auricle and dropped his hand to rest on her shoulder. "What's up, honey?"

He didn't really remember much after that. His memories of their conversation were mostly fragmented soul-piercing stabs to his heart in a kaleidoscope of shock, incredulity, and anger. His memory, however, was crystal clear about his response. Months later, he was still embarrassed by how shockingly weak and emotional his reaction was. He cried, he actually cried in front of her. It was so pathetic that he could actually sense Blaine's pity. He stumbled out of the house and away from the source of his agony.

One good thing about being a firefighter, there was always a bunk available to crash on. No one ever asked a question about his constant presence. Everyone knew the divorce statistics for the job.

Days later he was able to piece together what his wife had said to him. She didn't ask permission, she told him what she was going to do.

When he at last returned home, he was going to plead with his wife not to destroy their family. He intended to beg her to go with him to counseling to see what they could salvage their marriage. But before he could even begin, he was immediately ambushed by his loving and innocent daughters. Blaine had promised him they would be at her parents' house for the meeting. He turned to look at his wife standing there with an evil smirk of victory on her face.

The love he once had for her had long since disappeared. Now it was being replaced by a searing hatred. He glanced at Blaine, his normally placid face contorted in rage, bordering on homicidal. For a moment, her look of superiority was wiped off and replaced with fear.

But, it was at that moment his girls started in on him. In their blissful ignorance, they were begging to understand why he was leaving them. He had to literally pry himself free of Rain and Lacey's desperate embrace as they pleaded, screamed, and wept. Rain was the hardest. "Daddy, how will I ever become a firefighter without you?" He knew to his dying day this scene would play over and over in his mind, no matter the outcome. Lewis, however, knew that the alternative would be worse in the long run for his ladies.

In the end, though, he was grateful to Blaine. In an instant, he turned from a weak victim to a man whose path was clear. Lewis made a mental note to thank her one day. He regained his dignity and took the first step in his reclamation. Today was his thank you to her.

"I know this is hard for you ladies, and hopefully, one day you will understand. It's just that your mom and I have grown apart. We want different things out of life. I promise you though, I will never leave you. I will see you often and love you forever." He never looked back at Blaine. When he finally freed himself from his girls' clutches, he marched purposefully out of his apartment for the last time.

Lewis hadn't spoken a word to his soon-to-be ex-wife since that day. He had wisely let his attorney do all the talking for him.

Lewis didn't know if he had dozed off, or if he was so lost in his memories that he just lost track of time.

"Hello, Lewis. Thank you for meeting with me. Our daughters really miss you."

Her voice, that was once a reassuring and nurturing welcome to him, assaulted his mind like fingernails dragged across an old chalkboard. He shook his head to clear his mind. It was showtime.

"My lawyer told me to do it, Blaine. In a perfect world, I would never have to look at your ugly face again." He never even looked in her direction. He stared straight ahead at the lake seeking strength from its peaceful familiarity. He did hear the shocked breath she sucked in.

Yes, she thought this session would go differently. Lewis involuntarily smiled and looked at her.

"I know this is your dime Blaine, but I have to tell you something before you begin. This is the last conversation you and I are ever going to have about this. If you repeat just one of the ridiculous reasons you have repeated ad nauseum for how this will make our marriage stronger, if you tell me one more time how much you love me, if you tell me it's just my fragile male ego getting in the way, if you even intimate that I'm at fault for breaking up the family, I will get up and walk away from here in a heartbeat. At this moment, I am so disgusted with you, that I am getting physically ill just being in your presence."

"Lewis, I ah...I d-d-don't know..."

Lewis was sure Blaine was getting ready to repeat her sickening, 'but I love you both' spiel, stuck his hand up in her face. "Let me save you the trouble, Blaine. Do you see this?" He pointed to the large, ubiquitous manila envelope on the bench seat. "These are the divorce papers that will end our marriage. You are going to take them with you when you leave here in a few minutes. You are going to sign them after you have your lawyer review them. You will return them to my lawyer's office within 36 hours." He turned away from her to take in the breathtaking vista again, then he continued. "Your lawyer will confirm that everything in here meets the state requirements for a child-rearing plan..."

"B-b-but, I don't want..."

"And, I didn't want a cheating wife, so as a result, we're both going to get a divorce. Now pay attention because this is important." Lewis sighed in frustration, even though deep down he knew Blaine would make it more difficult than it need be. "The child-rearing plan is what the family court focuses on most. What I'm proposing is fair. We don't have much, so the rest will be split down the middle. You will have custody of the girls..."

"What? You aren't going to fight me on it?" Blaine sniffled.

"Of course not. The girls will need their mother, and despite being a really shitty wife, you've been a decent mother, so no. And, you will keep the apartment so the girls won't need to change schools or have to find new friends. I'll pay half the housing costs and provide more than the minimum child support required. I will also have ample visitation with my girls. It is all spelled out in here."

A myriad of emotions played across Blaine's mind at this point. She was surprised, happy, and disappointed all at once. She was counting on Lewis' love for his daughters to keep him home and their marriage together. It was at this moment, that Blaine began to understand what she had lost, so she began to weep in earnest.

"Look, Blaine, the reality is that with my hours and job risks, I know that I don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting custody of the girls. If you had sex with the entire Seahawks football team on the fifty-yard line during halftime of a playoff game, it wouldn't change that fact."

"B-b-but, Lewis, can't we..."

"Don't interrupt, Blaine, we are just getting to the good stuff. You are going to want to pay very, very close attention to this next part." He snapped impatiently at her. He pulled a thick letter-sized envelope from his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it and began to look through its contents.

"As I was saying. If the divorce papers aren't signed and on my lawyer's desk within thirty-six hours, exactly as they are written, every member of your family, your co-workers, your manager, as well as every other person you ever knew, will all receive a copy of what's inside. This is your copy. It is a detailed accounting, in vivid living color of what you did to end your marriage. And more importantly, a record of what you have demanded that I accept as part of continuing to remain married to you." It had been expensive, but worth every penny Lewis had spent to get the investigator's report. "I will also make certain my daughters know exactly how and why their family was destroyed."

Blaine was obviously shocked by what she saw. She couldn't imagine it was true. No, it had to be lies. Her lover wasn't that man. Lewis is lying.

Lewis honestly wasn't sure he had the nerve to actually go through with it, as it would hurt his girls too much. But then again, he didn't really think he would have to use this nuclear option. Besides doing so, might end up with him in jail and unemployed. Revenge porn laws were a two-edged sword. He was also really counting on her lover being who Lewis thought he was. And, most importantly, Blaine being as servile and gullible as she appeared to be where the asshole was concerned.

"The key here though, Blaine, is that they are to be signed EXACTLY as I am proposing. If your lawyer calls mine and says, 'my client and I...' or if he changes a single comma, period, or semi-colon, the gloves come off and your entire world knows what a piece of shit you are."

Blaine, shocked as she was, continued to leaf through the investigators report. She could only continue to sputter nonsensical noises, sniffle, and weep throughout Lewis' monologue while just shaking her head in disbelief. This wasn't supposed to be going like this. Why couldn't Lewis understand?

"Now, of course, this is a quid pro quo arrangement I am proposing here, so this is what I'm willing to do in exchange for your cooperation. I promise that I will never bad mouth you, or place blame on you for the breakup of our family to my daughters. I will even act courteously to your boyfriend if we are all together at one of the girls' functions. Hell, I'll even shake his slimy hand if required. For all intents and purposes, I will conduct myself politely and civilly as if we simply decided to amicably go our separate ways. I will do exactly the same for every one of your family and friends. I will even babysit on short notice if you and slimeball want to take a last-minute weekend fuckfest somewhere. In short, I will be the best ex-husband any cheating wife ever had."