Colleen Takes a Lover

"Colleen, what on earth...?"

"You know, David, I don't think mine were ever as lovely as hers. I'm a little envious."

"What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk, David," said Colleen, as Alana emerged from the restroom.

"It couldn't have waited until tonight?"

"It could have, but I wanted to do it here since it concerns Alana as well. Shall we sit on the couch?"

They all took a seat, with Colleen on one end and David on the other. Alana rested her shapely behind on the arm rest behind David. Colleen extended her arm, handing David a file folder.

"What's this?"

"I'm divorcing you."

The look on his face was priceless. Were it not for the seriousness of the situation, and the pain she was feeling at taking this step, she would have found it amusing.

"You're...divorcing me?"

"Yes, David. I think you'll find the terms agreeable. I've not asked for any part of the company, though I added a little extra in the cash settlement to make up for it but it's nothing you can't afford."

David glanced through the terms outlined in the filing and saw nothing objectionable. In fact, it was probably less than the court would have awarded her. The settlement itself, then, wasn't a problem. The only question David had was...

"Why? Or rather, why now?"

"For a couple of reasons, David, but mostly because I love you."

"You'll have to explain that."

"I've loved you since the first time I met you at Sheila Mullen's pool party. We were 17 then and we've been together more than half our lives; almost 26 years. And I want you to be happy. I made a bad choice and damaged us beyond repair, so I'm setting you free to be happy with Alana and your new baby."

Colleen smiled at Alana as her face lit up with the news that she'd actually get to marry he man she fell in love with. David was more shocked than anything else.

"What about you, Colleen?"

"Oh, your generosity will more than take care of me for the rest of my life. I'm embarking on a new period of my life and I'm a little scared. It's exciting."

"Lots of women live alone, Colleen. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Actually, that's not what I meant. I won't be alone for long. It seems I've gotten myself pregnant."

The folder of papers hit the floor with a thud as David looked at his soon-to-be ex-wife in shock. They'd never had kids together, preferring their time together and ability to just head away for a weekend. They had enjoyed living their lives child-free, but now, as their marriage was coming to an end, they were separately embarking on a totally new adventure: parenthood.

"It's Ryan's?"

Even as he said it, David realized what he had implied. Since he hadn't had sex with his wife in months, it had to be Ryan's unless Colleen had ANOTHER lover. He had no desire to hurt or insult her, and was happy when she took the question in stride.

"Just what kind of slut do you think I am?" Colleen said, though in a light-hearted tone and a bit of a chuckle. "Oh, I guess we know the answer to that, don't we? Yes, it's Ryan's."

"Are you two going to make a go of it?"

"Ryan is and always will be a bachelor. We would never work out, and I don't love him anyway. To his credit he made no effort to deny it and has been very agreeable in terms of child support. I won't need the money, of course, but it's the principle. He's even said he plans to make the effort to be a good father, though he has doubts about his ability."

"You're keeping the baby?"

"Your generosity will allow me the freedom to raise my baby, plus I plan to have a full-time live-in nanny, which you will be indirectly paying for. To that end, you probably noticed that I wanted to keep the house."

"I did, which rather surprised me, but I wasn't going to argue."

"You know how much I love that house, and I want to raise my baby there. I think it'll be a good size for us and the nanny."

"I think you're right. I must say, Colleen, I really never expected this, but it makes sense. Do your friends know?"

"Oh yes. We had a come-to-Jesus conversation about their nonsense and lies. They felt bad that they had led me down that path, but I assured them it was my own choice. They finally admitted the truth, but I'm still the only one going for a divorce, so I guess that's a point in my favor."

"You know if you ever need anything you can call me."

"I know, but it's time I stood on my own two feet. I went from dad's house to college to your house. I promise I'll call if I have to, but I plan to do it myself."

With that, Colleen stood up, with David and Alana doing the same. Colleen hugged them both, then turned and walked back out the way she came.

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