It was An Amicable Divorce

They didn't shut up the whole trip home and I learned more about Disney World and Disney Cruises than I ever wanted to know.

Two days later, the four of us were at the supermarket shopping. Food doesn't last too long with three hungry kids. I had sent Ruth and Kerry to pick up some bananas. They returned a couple of minutes later without the bananas, but with Lisa.

"Dad," said Ruth. "Look who I found. She was getting bananas, too." Ruth remembered Lisa from her short stint in the hospital.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." A long awkward pause. "Well, I guess we better move along. Come on kids."

"Sure," she said. "Maybe I'll see you around."

I watched her go and part of me wanted to go after her and ask what happened to us. Then I thought there was no 'us'. It was just me trying to help an old friend; who happened to be my ex-wife.

But, in actuality, I missed the little time we had together, and I didn't know if I missed Lisa, or missed my kids, or missed adult female companionship and the 'good stuff' that went with it.

My brother Matt has a wife. Her name is Rosa. Rosa has a cousin. Her name is Francesca. Francesca and I had, apparently, met years ago, but I had no memory of it. Matt and Rosa invited me to dinner one night. Francesca was there.

It was a nice evening. Francesca was attractive and charming, but there was nothing there that made me want more. I made it clear to Matt and Rosa that their matchmaking days for me were over. Not that I didn't want to be involved with someone; I did.

One Saturday afternoon, my kids were with their cousins at the swimming pool. I went to the park and sat by the lake. I used to do that all the time when I was younger. It was my 'Fortress of Solitude'. Even when the park was full, I could feel alone. I went back over my life. My marriage to Lisa, my meeting and romancing of Connie, marriage, her death, my Army career and my three wonderful children. I was a lucky man. I had loved two women, deeply and passionately and I came to understand that was the only way I could love.

I reached a point where it didn't seem to matter anymore that Lisa had cheated on me. Had we not divorced, I never would have met Connie, and I wouldn't have my children. The reason for the divorce didn't matter anymore.

I stood. I wanted to get back to my children. I turned and almost walked into Lisa.

"I've been watching you for over an hour. You haven't moved a muscle," she Said.

"I've been thinking."

"I figured as much. You used to spend a lot of time here when you were trying to figure things out."

"Yes, I did."

"You and I used to come out here and park right over there." She pointed to a place I remembered well.

"I remember. That's where we kissed for the first time." I smiled.

She punched my shoulder. "It's also where you seduced me for the first time and I was just a baby."

"Seduced you, my ass. You nearly raped me."

We walked to a picnic table and sat.

"It's been a long couple of weeks," she said. "I've missed you."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Do you know why I couldn't go to the Symphony with you?"

"I figured it was none of my business."

"It is your business." She paused. "When we used to go, we would spend the night afterward. We would get a hotel room and take wine and cheese. When the weather was good, and depending on which floor of the hotel we were on, we would turn off all the lights in the room and sit on the balcony naked, and sip on the wine and nibble on the cheese. Then we would go inside and make love. We never just fucked, Michael. We always made love."

"I remember."

"That's why I couldn't go. I couldn't stand the thought of sitting next to you, listening to the music, and knowing that we were driving back here when the concert was over instead of going to a hotel."

We sat there for a long time before I spoke. "I can understand that, but what has happened in the last couple of weeks?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"I don't trust myself around you. You just said that I nearly raped you right over there the first time we had sex. Well, the truth is, I have trouble keeping my hands off you whenever I see you. Like right now, I could very easily fuck you on his table and not care who was watching." We looked at each other for a second before looking away. Then she spoke again. "I came to the realization that you will never love me again or want to make love to me ... or even just fuck me, so I've stayed away.

"I come out here, like you, to think about things. I saw you sitting here and I just watched you trying to figure things out. I would love to know what is going through your mind. I'd like to think that you were thinking if we spent enough time together that you could learn to love me again. But since we are going to live in this town, I'd settle for at least appearing to be friends."

"I like to think we are friends." I said.

"Me too." There was a long, empty pause. "Well, I have to go. I came here to think, but if I stay all I'll think about is you."

She started to walk toward her car. I got beside her and walked with her. Somewhere during the walk, we joined hands.

At her car, I opened the door for her and she started to get in.

"Lisa." She stopped and looked at me. "How many men have you dated since your last divorce?"

She looked at me. "Three."

"Did you sleep with them?"

"One of them. Two times."

She got in her car and drove off. I watched her go. I have no idea why I asked her that. It was none of my business and applied to absolutely nothing. I drove home.

It was the following Saturday. My kids were, once again, swimming with their cousins. I was at the corner of 14th and Grand, when someone ran the light and 'T-boned' me. I woke up in the hospital. My left arm was in a sling. I looked and my mother, brother, and sister were all looking at me. Mom leaned down to kiss my cheek. She took my hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a truck."

My brother laughed. "As a matter of fact, you did. A truck with a drugged-up driver. We put him in jail."

My mother spoke. "The doctor says you'll be fine. You're banged up and bruised ... and of course, your shoulder is sprained, but all in all it could have been a lot worse."

My children visited me later. The girls cried and Jake was fascinated by all the tubes and wires. The girls held my hands and Jake wanted to know why I had a bag of pee hanging from my bed. I tried to explain what a catheter was, but he didn't quite understand. Ruth, being the oldest did understand and wrinkled her nose and made funny sounds while I was explaining to him.

It was late evening and I had convinced everybody to leave because I wanted some 'alone time'. I was tired of company. Dinner that evening had been a cheeseburger and fries. Both were cold by the time they got to my room. I was hungry so I ate everything in spite of it being cold. They had given me enough pain pills so that I was, in fact, 'feelin' no pain'. I was watching the TV when I saw my door start to slowly open. I watched as she came in and stood by my bed.

"How do you feel?"

"I could be worse."

"Are you able to get out of bed?"

"I haven't tried. I don't think they want me to."

"Good." She said then leaned over and kissed me. A long, slow kiss that reached down into the depths of my soul and told me that she really meant it. "I've wanted to do that since I saw you in here with Ruth. Now you can call the administration and report me if you want, but I did it and I'm glad. After I saw you at the lake, I made up my mind that I still love you and if I'm headed for heartbreak, then so be it." Then she left.

I stayed awake until after two in the morning trying to figure out what I thought of that kiss and her pronouncement. I pushed the control button on my combination TV, nurse call, and bed control device and the top half of my bed lowered until it was flat. I knew I enjoyed her kiss, but couldn't decide if it was because it was her or if I was so desperate that any kiss from any woman would have the same effect. I finally dozed off. When I woke at seven, my mother was there. We did the normal 'how are you' routine before she sat on the edge of my bed and picked up my right hand, held it and rubbed it. Then she asked.

"What's the deal between you and Lisa?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I released her hand and reached for the button to raise the top half of my bed so I could return to a sitting position.

"When I got here, she was sitting in that chair asleep with a blanket over her. Was she here all night?"

"I don't know. It was after two when I went to sleep. She wasn't here then."

"Well, she woke up after a minute or two, and told me good morning. She folded the blanket and said that she would go check on your breakfast then she left. That was fifteen minutes ago."

Just then the door opened and Lisa came in with my breakfast tray. She put the tray on the little table and positioned it so that the tray was right in front of me.

"They had scrambled eggs, but I told them you liked them over medium so they changed them. Is that still the way you like them?" She took the cover off the plate and two perfect eggs sat looking up at me. "I also told them you preferred ham over turkey sausage or bacon." She looked at me and smiled.

Then she put a napkin on my chest and started cutting my ham and eggs. She then used my fork to pick up a bite of both and moved the fork to my mouth as if to feed me.

"What are you doing? I'm not helpless."

"Pretty much, you are. Your left arm is in a sling and you're left-handed. You can't feed yourself because you could never use your right hand for anything useful so just open up like a good boy.

I opened my mouth as my mom laughed. I remembered the cold cheeseburger and fries the night before and didn't recall having any trouble eating, but I decided not to say anything.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Carter. Would you like to do this?"

Still laughing, mom said. "No, dear. You're doing fine. I did my share when he was a baby."

"He's still a baby." Said Lisa as she wiped my mouth with my napkin.

I ate everything on the tray and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She did let me drink my coffee by myself. When I was finished, she used my napkin to wipe my mouth again and then she kissed me ... again.

After she left, mom said. "Michael, you have a woman in love on your hands. What are you going to do about it?"

"I have no idea." I said as I stared at the closed door.

I was there for two more days and I found out that she never left the hospital. She spent the nights sleeping in the chair by my bed. If anything concerned me, she wouldn't allow anyone else to do it. The only other person allowed to feed me was Ruth who thought it was cool; so did Kerry. Jake found it hilarious.

The morning of my release, she was there to wheel me down to the entrance where my brother waited to take me home.

"Call me if you need anything." She said as she leaned down and kissed me again. This is becoming a habit, I thought as Matt drove me away. I looked at him and he had a smirk on his face. "Not a word," I said. "Not one word." He didn't say anything, but the smirk never went away.

My first night at home, I called her.

"I was hoping you would call." She said.

"Thank you for all your help at the hospital. Would you consider coming over and helping Ruth and Kerry fix dinner? They want to, but they need a little help."

She was there in 20 minutes and I could hear her and the girls laughing as they fixed dinner. Jake usually stays clear of the kitchen except to get something from the refrigerator, but it wasn't long before I heard his laughter along with the others.

She stayed and ate with us at the insistence of my children. After dinner, the girls volunteered, for the first time in memory, to clean up. Lisa came into the living room to chat while the girls cleaned. Jake had no intention of helping his sisters. The girls finished and all three of the children went to their rooms after telling us good night and giving us hugs. Even Little Jake hugged Lisa.

Lisa and I were talking. The children took their showers and went to bed. Lisa and I were still talking. It was close to midnight and I was showing signs of tiring.

"Sleepy?" She asked.

"A little."

"If you need help taking your shower, I'm available. She smiled.

"I, uh ..."

"Not in the shower, silly. I can wrap your sling so it won't get wet."

"I don't need the sling. I'm not helpless." I said.

"Okay," she said. "I'll go on home."

She got up, grabbed her purse, came over, and kissed me good night.

Staying awake thinking was becoming a habit I didn't care for and that night was no exception. One of the things which had been niggling the edge of my brain was that something about Lisa was different. It was two days later when I realized what it was. She didn't smell the same as I remembered. As a matter of fact, she only smelled of soap. A very pleasant soap, but soap nevertheless; never any perfume. That was it! No Tabu.

During the next couple of weeks, Lisa was at my house at least four times a week. The children got used to her making dinner and eating with us. I liked it as well.

I was notified that I had a permanent teaching position and school was starting soon. I had completely forgotten about clothes and supplies for the kids. We took care of their supplies okay, but when it came to the clothes, even Jake didn't want me to shop with him. We were discussing it at home one morning and Ruth said. "Lisa knows more than you do, Dad. She can help us."

"Maybe she isn't available."

"Call her."

I put the phone on speaker.

Her phone rang. "Hi Michael."

"Hi. I'm having a mutiny on my hands."

"A mutiny?"

"Yeah. It's time to buy school clothes and my three ragamuffins don't have any confidence in my choices." There was a chorus of agreement from them.

Lisa laughed. "That's because you shouldn't be picking out girls' clothes." Ruth and Kerry cheered.

"Mine neither," piped up Jake.

"So, they want you to go with us."

Silence. Then I heard a sniffle.

"Really?" She asked.

"Really. If you don't have time, they'll just have to deal with me."

"No. I'll make the time. When?"

"Now." Came their unanimous reply.

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Yes. Yes, I did."

I could almost feel her smile.

We picked her up and we went shopping. It took until late in the day and I never saw my kids have any more fun. We got home and ordered pizza for dinner. They started trying on the stuff they bought and we had a big party.

It was getting late and I asked Lisa if she was ready to go. She looked around. The kids were still goofing around and eating what was left of the pizza. "Not really, but I guess I should."

"Okay kids. I'm taking Lisa home. Get your showers and get in bed. You should all be asleep when I get back."

We rode in silence to her house. I walked her to her door. For the first time in many years, I initiated the kiss.

"Thank you for today," I said.

"Any time." She said as she touched my arm and smiled. Then she went inside.

I waited just a few seconds before I rang her doorbell. She opened the door immediately. It was like she was waiting for it.

"Could I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Why aren't you wearing Tabu anymore?"

She looked at me and tears came to both of her eyes. She took my hand. "Come with me." She took me to her bedroom and dropped my hand. She went to her chest of drawers, opened the bottom drawer, and took out a box. She put it on the bed and opened it. In it were our wedding album, her rings, our marriage license, and a stack of letters. The last thing in the box was a half full bottle of Tabu. "I sealed this bottle the day I asked you for a divorce. It was your perfume and the bottle is one you bought for me. I haven't worn it or any other perfume since." She put it back in the box and put the box back in the drawer. "I will wear it again when you ask me to."

I took her hand and walked to the front door. When we got there, I opened the door and turned to face her. I took both of her hands in mine.

"There is a concert Friday night in OKC. I'd like for you to go with me and wear it."

She looked at me, her eyes got big and she started to cry. I don't remember her ever crying so much. I didn't know anybody had that many tears in them. She couldn't stop so I went back in the house, closed the door, and held her. It took her a long time to stop. When she did, she reached around to my right rear pants pocket and pulled out the handkerchief she must have remembered I always had there. She stood there drying her eyes.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"Seriously."

"You're not kidding?"

"I'm not kidding."

"Should I take an overnight bag?" She asked the question in such a way that she was almost begging me to say yes.

I smiled. "Just your toothbrush. You won't need any clothes."

She launched into me and knocked me into her front door.

On Friday afternoon, I picked her up. She was beautiful and she was wearing Tabu.

The trip was quiet.

The symphony was ... well, I'm not sure how it was because I didn't pay any attention to it. I just kept looking at Lisa who was looking at me.

About 20 minutes into the program, she leaned over and whispered. "We don't have to listen to it all, you know."

I whispered back. "I know but the anticipation makes it more exciting."

"I'm tired of anticipating. I want to make love with you. My panties have been soaking since we left home."

"Shhh" Came from the row behind us.

"Get a room." Came from the row in front of us.

"Good idea." I said as I stood, grabbed her hand and we made our way out.

Thirty minutes later, we were in our room. I was shaking. She was shaking. The whole room seemed to be shaking. I went to her and hugged her.

"Would you like some Champagne?" I asked softly in her ear.

"No. All I want is you."

We separated and I looked at her. She wore a very nice evening dress. I wore my Tux. I turned her around and she lifted her hair so I could get to the zipper on the dress. The back of the dress was pretty low cut so she didn't have to lift it very far. It was like she had oiled the zipper because once I started it, gravity seemed to take over and it just slid down. When it got to the bottom, I turned her around and put my hands at the top of her dress just above her breasts. She took a deep breath as I slowly and gently pulled the top down. Just before her nipples were exposed, I stopped. She looked at me with a question and doubt in her eyes.

"Anticipation." I said.

Then I took off my Tux jacket, untied my bowtie and took it off. We both sat on the edge of the bed. I took off my shoes and socks. She took off her shoes. We just looked at each other as we did it. We both stood and faced each other.

Studs usually make my formal shirts difficult to button and unbutton, but Lisa always had a way to make fast work of shirt buttons. She had never tried it when I was wearing a tux because we couldn't afford a tux when we were married. She would grab the tails of my shirt and pull upward and spread the shirt at the same time. It had always worked for her and it did this time as well.

She pushed the shirt off my shoulders and it floated to the floor. She undid my pants, put her thumbs between my shorts and skin and started bending her knees. As she lowered herself, my pants went with her until they were at my ankles and I stepped out of them. She was at eye level with my dick and she just stared at it. Then her hands went to my hips and pulled me to her. Her mouth opened as my dick neared it. It jerked upward one time and she actually grabbed it with her mouth. I pumped twice and pulled out. Then I reached down and pulled her up. She looked at me with questions in her eyes.