Marriage Divorce Life Ch. 05

Things between her and Paul seemed to ride like a rollercoaster, from what she said he was explosive, elated one minute, devastated the next. At first, he appeared to be happy to let Shelby and I do our thing, but as time passed, he seemed to react more the way I would.

I overheard a few phone conversations whilst she was with me and even without the loudspeaker, I heard him screaming at her like some crazed lunatic. I was legitimately scared for her wellbeing, but she laughed it off, "That's just Paul, He has been a bit up and down lately."

She seemed comfortable, but as we spent more time together our relationship changed, it stopped being just about sex, it became deeper and we both felt it, we both wanted more. All that held us back was her unwavering loyalty to Paul. I just wished she had shown that level of loyalty to me when we were still married.

It was Jennifer who alerted me to the fact that the ferocity of Paul's responses may have tilted to more than verbal attacks. She rang one night in tears, "Dad you have to do something, I'm afraid of what's happening with Paul. I think he is getting physical."

"Honey, your mother and I still see each other regularly and I haven't seen any signs of physical assault, no bruises or anything."

"Dad I just got off the phone with her and he was literally screaming at her that loudly I could hear everything and there were slaps, like he hit her."

"OK I'll give her a call."

When I called there was lots of chatter going on, apparently the neighbours called the police. Jen wasn't the only one worried.

I listened as she tried to placate the police, explaining it was just an argument. When she got back to me, she complained, "Bloody hell, what a fiasco."

"Are you safe?" Is all I said...

She muttered, "Yes hon, I'm alright, he's calmed down."

He was obviously in a hole, his world as he knew it had come to a complete standstill. He had no income, he couldn't write. He relied entirely on Shelby for financial support, his celebrity status in tatters, he was shunned by almost everyone. Any respect from the literary world long since vanished. He became somewhat of a pariah. His only friend it seemed was Shelby.

It all came to a head rather quickly after that, it was somewhere around midnight a week later. Shelby called me in hysterics. Paul had taken to her and beat her severely. The police were there, he had been arrested and she was in an ambulance on the way to A&E.

I jumped in my car and raced in to help out, offer some comfort.

When I walked in, she burst into tears and threw open her arms and we embraced. Her arms holding that tightly I feared for my ribs.

"Thanks for coming hon, god what a mess." She sobbed.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

Wincing she moaned, "I don't know...I can't explain it he just exploded. I said I was going to work from the office tomorrow, and he accused me of doing that so you and I could meet. I snapped back something like, well somebody has to earn some damn money and that was it he just flew off the handle. It was horrible.

Luckily, she didn't suffer any long-term injuries, she had a fat lip, a black eye and some bruises. Thankfully the neighbours reacted quickly in calling the cops.

She was released and I accepted no argument, "You're coming with me."

She was loaded with meds and fell asleep on the way home. I tucked her into bed and snuggled in beside her.

The next morning, I left her sleeping and arranged with my boss to take some time off to care for her. Of course, everybody knew. You can't keep something like that a secret, he was close enough to a celebrity that the press were onto him and the story made front page headlines.

Shelby was devastated, the news was full of photos of him and her as well. She received hundreds of calls from reporters chasing a story. She insulated herself by turning off her phone and never venturing any further than the house.

As the hullaballoo died down, we ventured a little further, we walked on the beach, we slept late, she read, we listened to music. Paul thankfully was refused bail due to his mental condition and was sent for an assessment before his trial. The downside was he rang continuously, it got a bit much because Shelby didn't know what to do. Watching her crying on the phone to the stupid babbling arsehole became too much for me. I snatched the phone from her hand and barked, "Listen arsehole, this is the last call, got it! I never want to hear from you again, your numbers been blocked, and you are now on your own."

Shelby looked horrified but I snapped curtly, "Shell, if you and I have any future together it has to be without him. I don't care what happens to him, but he is out of our lives."

She stood staring at me, confused and angry. She couldn't hold my gaze and ran off to the bedroom. It was much later in the day when she emerged, and we sat together on the deck watching the harbour. The clouds cast dark mystifying shadows across the rippling waters. The sun mostly hidden behind the misty clouds.

She gazed across at me and I held her stare for an age before she muttered, "I'm sorry Tom, this whole thing has been a stupid drama. I don't know what I was thinking. I should never have started the stupid affair with him. I destroyed our marriage, everything I touch seems fated for disaster."

I lamented, "I wish you had never met him as well, but, and this is a big but. Some good did come from it, I re-discovered a love for writing that had been buried for twenty years. We ended up with this home, which I love. I found emotions I never knew existed, and I am stronger for it."

I watched as she wiped away a little tear before I added, "As for destroying our marriage, well it's not dead yet, not unless you walk away. I'm sorry it took something as catastrophic as Paul to push us to this point, but right now I feel closer to you than I ever have."

She sniffed, "But I have been so selfish, so stupid."

I nodded, "Yeah I'm not arguing, but look where it led us...This could be the start of our resurgence, a new start, a new life."

She grinned sardonically, "Tom there never was a competition. I love you; I always have. I got a bit lost and confused but I never wanted to hurt you or lose you."

"Good then we're decided, this is our time."

She nodded and we sealed it with a kiss. As we parted I murmured, "Shell, Fiona and I...we were really close, I mean really close. If she hadn't dumped me, we would not be having this conversation."

She held me tight, "I'm sorry Tom, she must have been lovely, but it means we have a chance...doesn't it?"

I nodded, "What I was getting at is, losing Fiona hurt, to ease the pain I took a trip, just by myself and it was great. What I would love, is to do it again, but this time with you by my side."

She sighed, "You must have had real feelings for her, I'm sorry it didn't work out."

I laughed, "Bullshit, you were like a jealous little girl."

She sniggered, "Yeah I suppose I was; I had this huge vision of you and me living in this wonderful open relationship, but when I saw those photos of the two of you together I was overcome with jealousy. I wanted to bloody kill her. I hated that you replaced me."

I laughed and we hugged, "It's not so easy in reality is it?"

She nodded as her lips grazed mine. As we exchanged nervous glances I asked again, "What about the trip?"

She nodded, "It sounds wonderful, I would love to get away, but what about work, yours and mine?"

"I'm sure they can get by for a week without us. If not, maybe we just cut our losses and retire."

She laughed, "Retire, shit we couldn't afford that."

I shrugged, "I think you're underestimating me again. We could retire, I reckon with your help I could write one book a year, with what I get now we could live on that."

She shook her head, "I guess I have underestimated you haven't I. I think I can get away for a week."

I laughed, "Me to. Let's go."

I think she thought I was joking, but when I came back with my bag packed, she gasped, "You're serious!"

Nodding I mumbled, "Yep, sure am. If you don't hurry, you're going to get left behind."

She packed quicker than me and when we climbed into the Chev and as she rumbled into life, everything seemed calmer.

The trip turned out to be better than I could have ever anticipated. Everything fell into place; it was as if the clock turned back in time and all the shit vanished. We even made love in the back seat like a couple of crazy sex starved teenagers.

When we returned, it was time to take the world by the scruff of the neck We cleaned out Shelby's apartment, cleaned out and returned all of Pauls stuff and put it on the market.

Clearing away the last remnants of Pauls stuff felt like we had turned a page, for the first time since this fiasco started, it felt like a new start.

Paul was charged and sentenced to six months imprisonment but released on probation because of the time he spent incarcerated waiting for his trial. He was served with a non-association order, which required him not to contact, write to or be within five hundred metres of either Shelby or myself.

He did rediscover his ability to write, but without Shelby's guidance he was never able to scale the heights of book of the year again. I guess he did well enough to live on, but his high celebrity status was a long-lost memory.

Shelby and I, well we struggled from time to time, Pauls ghastly shadow did fall upon us at the odd time. Sex was one of those times. Our sex life was great but there was the history of her affair, her revelations about what went on between the sheets still irked. It took a fair while before we were able to experience those wonders.

We tried them all, and as we experimented, we found new and exciting twists that amazed even her. Yes, I gave up my virgin bum to her inquisitive fingers and I have to say it was everything she said it would be.

Without being compared to Paul, it felt like these were our games and we were on our own road to discovery.

Life seemed to open up for us. Jennifer's wedding was a wondrous event. We paid for a honeymoon and they were off on their own life's journey. I'm sure it would be bumpy, there is still a stigma attached to same sex marriage. Shelby and Jennifer did eventually heal their rift. They came and stayed with us many times and it was great to see the walls fall and the love return.

Selwyn and I also found way's past the differences we had. Strangely it happened over cars. He sent me photos of an old Chev that was for sale in Ashburton and I went to check it out for him. An old 54, it was pretty rusty but mechanically sound. Without telling him I brought it on the spot and trailered it home.

Shelby freaked out when I drove in the driveway with it and she Screeched, "Oh my god no."

She did quieten down when I said it was for Selwyn.

That night I emailed him photos of it sitting in my shed.

That Christmas it turned into a huge family occasion although Selwyn and I spent most of it in the shed.

Funny how somethings work out. Working on cars was the thing that kept my father and me close. I learned to love cars, he taught me everything I knew. It was that love of cars which gave me my independence and allowed me to grow. I was glad to be able to pay that forward to my son.

Funny thing was when Jennifer found out I brought him the car she demanded, "Well where's mine?"

Shelby sighed, "Oh god not another one?"

That's how we ended up with another car in the shed. She promised to come and help, but we will see.

There have been bumps in the road, little comments not meant to hurt invoke the caustic memories and we go through moments of turmoil, but our lives together now are so much richer.

For those that don't understand the concept of forgiveness, or that the road of love isn't always straight, well all I can say is C'est la vie.