The End Of Possibilities: Preface

The End Of Possibilities, Or Was It?

Preface

She arrived to pick up the kids as he anxiously waited in the bedroom. As she walked in, he was cleaning up the room, putting away the children's clothes and toys. She crossed the living room, as she seemed uneasy to be here, the house he now took up residence without her. She looked at the walls, all covered with their pictures.

Her raven hair neatly pushed up into a ponytail; she adjusted the small halter-top she wore on hot days like this. Her pale skin glowed softly from the heat of the sun that was high in the sky today. Light beads of sweat coated her forehead. Not for the heat outside, more so from the anxiousness of being 'home' again.

He heard her behind him and he slowly turned as she entered the room. His eyes misted up as he looked at the woman he loved, and then without warning he had left her. He mentioned something about how much he missed her, and wished reconciliation was possible. For a fleeting moment he saw a glimmer of the love she once had for him in her eyes, but in the next, it was gone. It was now replaced with a cold and icy glaze as she realized what he was saying. She shook her head, and let the words process in her head.

She turned away from his stare, drew in a deep breath and said she could never come back. She loved and cherished his brother now. He was her everything and nothing would or possibly could come between them, not even the father of her children.

"Dean, I can't do it, not again. We've been down this road before. You left me a long time ago and yet you say you still love me. How can you say that and stand before me, living in this house by yourself when we could've been something great. I had such a high expectation of a good life for our kids and us. You threw that out the window when you left. I didn't think you would or even could contemplate leaving me, not to mention our kids."

Her voice was jagged and rough. She was furious with him and the idea of him asking her to come back. She took another breath, and paused only slightly before continuing, venting her rage on him.

"I've moved on. I'm happy now and I never thought I would be after you left. You broke my heart and shattered an idea of us ever being happy again. The kids need a stable home, and Pierre can offer that for them. Don't bother saying anything else, or trying to win me back. It's over Dean, plain and simple."

She turned away again, this time taking the children's hands, their toys and their overnight bags and leading them to the living room door. The kids looked puzzled, but they knew that mom and dad loved the two of them very much. The little boy looked back at his father, and gave him a small yet gentle smile.

He was devastated, but he did not let on just how much that her remark had hurt him. He continued to clean the room waiting for her to leave with the children. He quickly finished up, and returned to the living as they were getting ready to leave. He kissed his little boy and little girl goodbye, possibly for the last time, and watched as they made their way out the door. He watched them as they climbed inside the minivan and waved with a forced smile as they waved back at him. One last look at the woman he loved, and his smiling face turned into one of despair. He knew that she would not come back to him, nor to this house again, and that upset him immensely.

As she drove away, he let the emotions he had been holding back surface, engulfing him in an overpowering wave. Closing the door behind him, he let them leave without ever saying another word. He returned to the bedroom where the kids had spent the night, and collapsed on the floor holding his little girls teddy bear, the tears flowing freely now, as he realized that he had lost the battle, and quite possibly the war. He would never see her again, as his brother had won her heart and her affection. He knew that he would have to accept that fact, but right now, he wasn't ready to do so.