I Want a Divorce

Darlene was defiant, "I won't sign them."

"It won't matter. All she has to do is make sure you are officially served. I guess she can have that done at your job so there will be plenty of witnesses. Maybe even have Robert served with alienation of affection. Hey, I could even serve your boss with violation of company policies but that would cause both of you to lose your jobs but that's going too far. I need you to be able to care for the girls after the divorce. I know, I'll just talk to Robert's wife. That should be enough revenge on him."

"Why are you being so cruel? I love you and you love me. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? You said that divorce was going to be hard on both of us. Don't you want to avoid that pain? I promise never to bring up this divorce mess again. Please stay and let's work this out." Tears poured down Darlene's face. Jeff stood still and was quiet. Darlene sensed she may have made an impression. "I promise to be the best wife ever. I won't look at another man. I have given you almost 20 years of a good marriage, two wonderful kids, supported your business even when it meant dealing with you coming in late and dirty. I have been so proud of how successful you have been. Everyone makes a mistake. Please give me another chance. Please."

Finally, Jeff responded. "I tell you what. I will go ahead and take my suitcase and sleeping bag over to the apartment. I'm going to ask you to write down several things. Your words and actions have hurt me more than you imagine. If your answers are what I am looking for, I will consider canceling or at least postponing the divorce. I'll be back at 7:00. You might want to send the kids to your parents or a friend's house, so we can talk freely."

"Yes, yes. Thank you. What is it that you want me to write?"

"First, I want an apology for starting this whole mess and want you to BEG, not just ask, but BEG my forgiveness. Secondly, I want you to tell Robert not to contact you again. Threaten to tell his wife if he persists. Tell him I may file a law suit against him and your company if he doesn't comply. Thirdly, I want you to list all the reasons you can think of about why I should consider staying married to you. Finally, I want you to call Miranda and tell her that you never want to talk to her again. This is not negotiable. If I ever hear the words 'Miranda says I should' again, I am out of here. Are you clear what I am asking of you do if you want us to have a chance to stay married?"

"Yes dear, I think so. I will do everything and be ready for you at 7:00."

"Good. I'll see you at 7:00." Jeff took his suitcase and left.

Darlene started with the end of the list. She rehearsed what to say to Miranda. "Listening to you was the worst decision I ever made. You almost caused me to lose everything I cared for. Don't ever call me, text me, email me or even think about me again. If you see me at a store or restaurant, leave or I might not be responsible for my actions." Darlene was surprised how good she felt after telling Miranda off. Then she called Robert and told him what Jeff had told her to say. It didn't phase her to hear Robert go from begging her to see him one last time in a motel to calling her names and tell her she was probably a lousy lay anyway. She shut him up when she said her husband may call his wife if he caused any more trouble.

The anticipated hardest thing on the list actually turned out to be the easiest - the list of reasons Jeff should want to continue to be married to her. Once clear of the desire for more than what she had with Jeff, she was able to think of all the things that pleased her about their life together. Darlene was able to generate quite a list. "This should impress Jeff," she thought. She had no problem wording her begging for his forgiveness for the divorce scam. "How stupid, selfish, and arrogant I was. Never again." By 7:00 Darlene was ready and feeling confident.

She became a little worried when 7:00 came and Jeff was not there. But it was only five minutes after that he returned without his luggage. Darlene noticed his face had not changed in its seriousness since he had left that afternoon. She tried to be as pleasant and humble as possible. "Here are my responses. I hope this meets with your approval."

Jeff took a long look at the list. He began to tear up as he read it. Darlene started crying because he was almost crying but thought that his expression of emotion was a positive sign. Finally, he spoke, "This is very impressive Dar."

Her heart fluttered with hope and rose to go hug, but he waved her back to her seat. Again, he spoke, "What you have is good, but I still don't get the sense that you understand how badly you hurt me. I'm afraid I have to continue with the divorce."

Darlene was absolutely devastated. Her heart felt like a 20-pound weight had been dropped on it. She fell to the floor sobbing uncontrollably. Her sorrow reached a depth she had never experienced. In her woeful state she uttered, "I have ruined my family's life. I am the worst person on earth. I don't deserve to live. How could I have been so stupid?"

Jeff knelt down to her and whispered, "Now I believe you have an idea how I felt."

With Darlene sobbing on the floor he walked towards the door, stopped and turned towards her. "Am I right that we can date whomever we wish during the separation?"

It was hard for his wife to recover enough composure to speak, "Yes. But . . ." She couldn't stop crying long enough to continue.

"Okay, if we can date whomever we want, what are you doing Friday night? Would you like to go to dinner and a movie?"

"Wh . . .What? Are you asking me for a date?"

"Yes. I figure that we have thoroughly trashed our old relationship, but we might have a chance at a new one."

Darlene got up and almost tackled Jeff with her hug. "Yes, yes a thousand times yes!"