Jason

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Laura

I initially refused to sign the divorce agreement that Jason wanted. I wanted my family, and I wasn't going to settle for anything less. Why did he have to be so pig headed; why did he have to want to break up our family? What I did when I was away from him, and the kids had no impact on them. Jason gave up nothing when I was with Scott. Why couldn't he let me have just a little bit for myself? Why?

Claire told me that if Jason forced us to go to court, she was convinced that the judge would rule in his favour and give custody of the girls to him. I couldn't even think about what that meant. I couldn't imagine that Jason would want to take the girls away from me. Why would he do that?

Claire told me that she had tried her best to negotiate a better agreement for me but that it was about as good as it was going to get. Prolonging the misery would achieve nothing and even if I tried to slow it all, the court would impose a settlement after a year. So, if I wanted to leave the marriage with anything, it had to be figured out now, not later.

I sat and cried for what seemed to be hours. I couldn't even focus on the papers as Claire pointed to all the places that I had to sign. I signed away my marriage. I signed away my children; I signed away the family and home that I so much wanted and loved. I signed away my life.

**********

Jason

I was kind of surprised when my lawyer called to tell me that the signed documents were on the way back to her by courier that afternoon. Laura's lawyer Claire had called my lawyer to tell her that Laura had agreed to the divorce.

I agreed that Laura could have very liberal amounts of time with the kids; but they would live with me in our house. Laura had until the final divorce date to move out. I agreed to an equal division of our financial assets and that she would get half the value of the house not later than the eighteenth birthday, plus six months, of our youngest child.

She would have to contribute to the education account for the girls, only $100 a month for each of the girls. That would be a total of $2400 a year. We had already set up an education fund for the girls and I put $500 a month into it. I started that when the girls were born. I wanted to make very sure that they could afford whatever college or university they wanted to go to.

Laura kept her car, and she could have whatever furniture she wanted from the house to furnish wherever she was going to live. I didn't care about any of it. I even offered to pay for bunk beds for the girls to sleep in at Laura's new place. My bottom line was that I wanted her out of our lives and for the girls and I have less stress to deal with. The uncertainty of whether I had a wife, and the girls had a mother was slowly killing me. At least now, I knew where I stood and could deal with our lives in a rational and organized way.

Laura could move on and do whatever she wanted. She could have some time with the girls and maybe even pay attention to them and their needs. Mind you, if the girls said that they didn't want to be with Laura, I wasn't going to force them. I'd get my lawyer involved again and sort out a new arrangement. We'll see.

*********

60 days later

Laura

Oh fuck. I got a call from Claire, to tell me that she had the finalized divorce documents back from the court office. I was now, officially no longer married to Jason. That seemed really weird. Everything was changing too fast, and I wanted things to stay the way they were.

What is really weird is that I have to leave the house. I haven't even looked for a place to live. I don't know where I'm going to go. I haven't told any of my family that Jason and I were divorcing. Scott told me that he can't take me in. Shit, I was counting on him. I need to talk to Jason; maybe he can help me.

I went to the home office where he was. "Jace, sweetie, can we talk?"

"What would you like to talk about?"

"Where am I gonna go? I don't have a place to go. Do I have to leave? Can't I just stay here a while longer?" Jason looked at me like I had two heads.

"Laura, you've had several weeks to find a place to live. Where is your boyfriend, what's-his-name? Go be with him."

I swallowed hard at that one. "He can't take me."

"Why not, you really like having sex with him. I would have thought that he would be ecstatic about the idea of full-time pussy." He didn't wait for me to answer. He just shook his head and walked away. I could hear the coffee maker in the kitchen working.

Jason had a stack of boxes in the living room. Things that he had already packed for me to take wherever I was going. I had no idea what the fuck to do.

**********

Jason

It was clear to me that Laura had ignored the fact that our divorce was going to become final real soon. She put off looking for a place to move to. She ignored all the things that her lawyer had told her. Things like finding anew place to live. Things like starting the monthly deposit to the kids education account. Things like getting her shit out of the house. I had to call my attack-dog and get her to call her lawyer to remind her that she had until midnight tonight to pack her shit and get out. In reality I knew that she wasn't going do it like she was supposed to.

I went to the bedroom that she had been occupying (the master bedroom) and started cleaning it out. I took the bed apart and dismantled everything that I could. The small things; the lamps and bedside tables I moved to the hallway in anticipation that they would be moved to the garage.

"Laura, do you want all this stuff? If you do, fine. But if you don't, I'm selling it. Either way, it's leaving this house." She looked at me, aghast. I kept working as I moved the bed frame, the headboard and footboard, and the mattress and box spring slowly down the stairs and toward the garage. She sat in a chair in the living room and I could see that she was crying.

"Come on, get up and get to work. If you want all this, move your behind and do something for yourself. Otherwise, it goes."

After what seemed like hours, I saw her pull out her cellphone and start calling someone. I have no idea who the fuck it was. She made three calls. Then she put the cellphone in her handbag and I heard my cellphone start to chirp. The consequences that I talked about earlier were starting to be felt.

It was her father on the phone. "Jason, what the hell is going on? Laura told me that you're making her move out of the house! What the hell?..."

I interrupted him. "...George, did Laura tell you why?"

"Jesus, it doesn't matter why. Why, in the name of christ would you try to make her leave her home!?"

"It's a very long story, George. I'm happy to tell you the whole thing. Why don't you and Susan come here. It's going to take a bit of time to tell you everything you'll want to know. You'll both want to hear it." He said that they would be here in an hour. I put my phone away and found Laura. "So, are you going to tell your mother and father the truth about what you've been doing for the last three years or shall I?" Her head snapped up and I could see actual fear in her eyes. It was clear to me that she hadn't even told them that we were divorcing. It was going to be a shock to them. This was going to be a right shit-show.

As I went to the home office to retrieve all my paperwork, I heard the door slam and Laura's car speed away. I figured that she was off to Scott's apartment.

An hour later George and Susan arrived, and I spent a good amount of time telling them everything I knew about Laura's affair with Scott. I showed them the divorce paperwork and the final agreement that was worked out. Both of them had a couple of drinks to help them absorb the news of the end of their daughters marriage. To say that they were disappointed was an understatement. To say that they wanted to wring her neck, was probably accurate.

They looked at the stack of boxes in the living room and then asked me what I was going to do. I said that my aim was simple: look after my children, reorganize my home and adjust my schedule at work. Beyond that I hadn't made any plans.

Susan wanted to know if there was any way, at all, that I could forgive Laura and keep our marriage together. I told her that I'd tried, several times over the last three years, and every time I asked Laura to give up her affair, she refused. I told them that at the end of the day, Laura was an adult, I don't own her so I can't tell her what to do or demand that she stop. It was very clear to me that her refusal spoke volumes about what was important to her. That her family was a second priority. Her sex life with her boyfriend was her first priority.

I asked them if they were willing to take her in. They both looked at me and shook their heads. George said, in a very solemn tone, "She got herself into this shit, she can get herself out of it."

They wished me well and told me that if I needed any help with the kids, that I could count on them. I thanked them and they left to go home.

**********

I called Scott. When he answered I said, "Put her on the phone." There was a short pause and then I heard "Hello."

"Your mother and father just left here. You might want to not call them for a day or so, because they are plenty pissed at you right now." I waited a few seconds while she said nothing and then I continued. "What are you going to do about your things? I'm moving all your stuff to the garage. If you don't move it by next week, I'm giving it all away; your choice." And then I switched off the phone. If this woman isn't going to realize that we're divorced she needs to see a therapist and get a dose of reality.

I know her plan; ignore everything that she doesn't want to deal with and everyone else will eventually give in to her and her life will carry on just fine.

**********

A week later

I wound up calling a moving company and they came and packed up all the things that I figured Laura would want. I had it put in temporary storage, expecting that she'd eventually come around and tell me where to send it. Laura's been staying with Scott, who's been calling me every day asking if she can come home. My answer, every time, is 'she doesn't live here anymore.' The first time, the response was 'fuck!' and then he hung up.

Scott was lurking outside my office wanting to talk. He was adamant about wanting me to do something with Laura. She was in his apartment and wouldn't leave. She hadn't gone to work for days and didn't even get out of bed most days. "You have to come talk to her." He pleaded.

"Ah, not my problem any more, Pal. You wanted her before, well, she's all yours now. You deal with her." I got in my car and drove off.

I did call Laura's mother and father and told them that I had talked to her boyfriend and I thought that they really should go see her and talk to her about getting psychiatric help. She was in a big rut and wasn't doing anything to get out of it.

I left it at that and went home to my daughters. I had supper to make.

**********

One year later

Jason

"Come on girls, shake a leg, we gotta go!"

It's been challenging these last months, getting used to a new schedule, reorganizing the house, and then selling it. The new place is a bit different and actually has a pool in the backyard. We also have a big driveway that can accommodate the cars, the truck and the trailer.

You just realized that I said 'cars' plural, in the my last sentence. So, what is up with that; why do I have more than one car and the truck? Well, the answer is really pretty simple. You recall that I got to know a woman, Diane. Well, after I got divorced, we started to spend a lot more time together. We like to do the same things, we get along really well, and so I asked her if she and her daughter, Matilda, would like to move in with us. She thought about it for a week or so and then said 'yes' they would really like that.

We talked about it and I told her that I'm not looking to make a lifetime commitment, at least not yet, but I figured that it made sense for us to live together and share costs. She agreed and packed up, sold her house and the two of them moved in. So far it's worked out just great. Diane and I share three girls, a home and a bed; we have a good relationship. Matilda treats me as if I were her father. She loves for me to read her bedtime stories. Beth and Janey treat her like a little sister, they play with her and they often read to her at bedtime.

We have been travelling a lot in the camper. I make a point of researching new places for us to go and things to do and see when we get there. So far, it's worked just great. I don't plan to rock the boat and do something that we might all regret and ask her to marry me; just yet.

The sad part of all this train-wreck is that Laura only sees her daughters once-in-a-while. And by that I mean maybe one day a month. She moved to an apartment close to her job and beyond the small communications that I get to tell me that she wants to spend a day with the girls, that's pretty much it. The girls spend a few hours with her and come home. I try to talk to them and make sure that they know that their mother's lack of seeing them is not because of them. I might need to get them some professional help; we'll see if it's needed. Matilda is a big distraction for Beth and Janey. The three of them have a lot of fun together.

**********

Diane

Jason and I and the three girls are a family now. The thing with him is that he's so easy-going and fun to be with I look forward to every day with him. The kids all get along and so it simply works. We're a family. We all love to head out in the camper and go to parks with things to do. The girls love to hike and ride bikes and run around the campground. It's nice to see them be free to play and get dirty and do things without having them be over-organized. When we're glamping, we don't have to be helicopter-parents.

The main thing is that I really love to spend time with Jason, just him and me together. The kids are in bed and we get to have adult time. That might mean talking, it might mean Jason giving me a foot rub while we sort out our daily lives and it might mean us naked and having the sexual intimacy that we both crave.

I can't believe that Laura gave him up by ignoring him. Her conceit was so big that she forgot that he needed her attention; it wasn't all about her. But in her mind it was all about her. She wanted her cake and to eat it at the same time. So stupid; so delusional. Well, she deluded herself out of a husband and children and a home. I hope she got what she was looking for; I did.

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Laura

I was doing some errands on the weekend and saw Jason and his girlfriend with the girls and what I figure is her daughter. They were laughing and obviously having a good time. The kids were eating ice cream as they walked. Jason and her were holding hands.

That should have been me holding Jason's hand. Why do things have to be so hard? I don't have an answer to that. I guess I made some bad decisions and didn't realize that Jason would be...well, he wouldn't like what I was doing. Scott booted me out and we're not seeing each other. I miss him. I miss the kids and I miss Jason. I miss his touch, I miss his smile and I miss him in bed next to me at night. I miss my house.

I miss my life.

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The End