Catastrophe

This is the third story in a collection called 'New Lives'. The first 2 stories were 'Ice Storm' and 'The New Guy.'

Catastrophe

"I'll really miss you, Ronnie," Jane said, holding back tears, "But I think you'll love it here." Walt smiled weakly and nodded. On a cool late summer afternoon, they toured the campus, waited in line, paid the bill, chose classes, moved into his new dorm room, and gathered with other freshman families in the auditorium for the President's welcome speech.

College was Ronnie's first step into adulthood. As much as they wanted him to grow up they had dreaded this moment. She hugged Ronnie harder than she ever had before, and then Walt hugged him, too. They forced themselves to walk away, hurrying so Ronnie would not see their grief. They sat in their car waiting for the courage to leave. From now on they and their son would to live in two different worlds. There was no going back.

During Thanksgiving dinner they told him they were thinking about looking for another house.

Ronnie was surprised. "Why? What's wrong with this house?" he asked.

"We want a place that's smaller, newer, and closer to our jobs," Jane answered. Ronnie did not like the idea, but did not say anything. This was his home. He felt he would lose his only connection to his childhood.

"Well, okay, I guess." He did not say anything else. A new house would be a strange house; their home, not his. Just as he had put them behind when he went to college, it seemed they were about to put him behind and move on with their lives. He did not like this, but said nothing.

A few weeks later, he told them he would not be home at the Christmas break. He had a job working near the campus and his employer needed him full-time, and if he left to come home he would lose the job. They did not like the idea but did not say anything. For them, it was another reminder that his life was not here anymore, it was there. They told him they understood; they would miss him and would send his gifts to him.

Jane had to admit they were 'empty-nesters' and was sad for a few days. She sat down with Walt to suggest something. "This will be our first Christmas alone since before Ronnie was born," she said.

He sighed and nodded. He had also been brooding about missing Ronnie at Christmas. "We're both gonna miss him," he said, softly.

"And I was thinking we should do something different," Jane said.

Walt perked up. "Like what?"

"Let's book a cabin at a resort in the mountains." He immediately agreed. Maybe they could lose themselves in various recreational activities. Neither realized they were also hoping, as it were, to re-create themselves.

They spent the entire first day in their cabin, in bed. "What does this remind you of?" Walt asked, smiling.

"Honeymoon?" Jane asked. Walt nodded. "I think we fucked for a week," she added, grinning.

"I can't do that now," Walt said, "But we can still do a lot." He was already erect just from watching her undress. He got in bed and reached between her legs. Jane sighed and let him gently arouse her. She opened so he could get on top and enter her.

"That feels so good," she whispered. Walt was moving slowly in and out. "But it feels different. Why?"

"We're free, again. We can do whatever we want, even start over if we want to," he said, without stopping his fucking.

She was moaning, now. "Oh, I want to," she said as he thrust a little deeper. "If this is what you mean by starting over, let's start over as much as we can this week!" Walt grunted and sped up. She gasped when he had his orgasm. "Oh, God, I really felt you."

He rested a moment and pulled out. He looked at her and noticed something was missing. "You didn't?" he asked.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. If we're gonna start over, we're gonna do it with a bang!" He put his fingers inside her and immediately found her g-spot. She jerked her pelvis up off the bed. He smiled as he worked his fingers. "Stay with me, baby. Just a bit more." A moment later she cried out 'yes' and drenched his fingers with her orgasm. He kept stroking until she calmed down. "That's more like it," he said, and kissed her.

They talked about how they both wanted and needed a new life. The first step was to find a new house. The expectation of change gave them a feeling of excitement and adventure which carried over into their love-making. Even when they were not having sex they were touching each other, holding each other, kissing, and taking languorous baths together. It was as if they were re-discovering each other's bodies and re-igniting their love at the same time.

They called Ronnie to wish him Happy New Year and told him about the new house. All he said, coldly, was, "That's nice."

By the end of March they had moved, unpacked, settled in, and were looking forward to planting their backyard garden. They stored everything that belonged to Ronnie – his bedroom furniture, clothing, bike, toys, and sled – in the attic. Nothing of his was left behind or thrown away.

In early May Jane received the phone call that changed her life. Walt had a serious car accident and was in the ER. She called Ronnie right away. It was near the end of the semester and he was pre-occupied with finals.

"Oh, no! How bad is he?" She told him Walt was conscious and seemed mostly okay but she did not have any other details and promised to call him when she did. A week later, when Walt's condition had stabilized, it was clear that his injuries were more mental than physical. It was amnesia. He had not forgotten everything, but there were huge gaps in his memories. The worst was that he no longer knew Jane was his wife. She was devastated but did not call Ronnie because she did not want to distract him. He did not call her, either. She assumed he would come home after finals.

She stayed with Walt as much as possible; taking care of him, talking to him, and desperately hoping to jog his memory. The doctors told her the longer he went without remembering, the less likely his memories would ever come back. She slowly realized that, although they could be physically together, they would never again be together emotionally. Walt was now like a friendly and sweet child, and she was the nice lady who took care of him. Their marriage was over.

She and Walt had dreamed of a new, more wonderful way of being together. Now their dream was gone. His accident wiped out their love, hope, happiness, and joy. They were no longer the love of each other's' lives. She went from being Walt's wife and lover to being his care-giver and guardian.

Then Ronnie called and told her he would be away all summer. He was going on a trip with some classmates. They had been planning the trip for months and his expenses were already paid. If he backed out he would lose his deposit.

Jane felt abandoned and alone. First she had stopped being Ronnie's Mom, and now she was no longer Walt's wife. She would have to figure out who she now was, and maybe change and adapt, even become a different woman with a new identity. She did not know whether she could do that. What was worse, she did not know whether she even wanted to. Maybe her life was over, and there was nothing she could do about it.