The Story of Dan and Denise

"Andrew, it's Denise. I decided to take you up on your offer if it's still available."

***

"That was delicious, Andrew. Thank you." Denise smiled at him from across the table. Her gorgeous face was illuminated by a flickering candle, which made her eyes sparkle.

"You are more than welcome," Andrew responded with a toothy grin. "You are always good company."

"Oh, I imagine you don't have much trouble keeping company," she said.

"I have to confess, I don't get out much. I hate the dating scene. Ever since my divorce, I've become a homebody."

"I can't even imagine that," she responded.

"Oh, yeah, totally," he said. "I lie around on my couch almost every night, wearing a ratty old pair of shorts and a tee shirt, and I binge-watch TV shows from Netflix."

Denise laughed and took a sip from her wine glass. "See, I was picturing you as the Playboy type. Out on the town every night, dancing and dining with a new hot young woman."

It was his turn to laugh. "Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, this was the first night in a long time that I've spent any time with a hot young woman."

She peered at him from above her wine glass, and then rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Please. You're embarrassing yourself."

He laughed and signed the check. "Ready to go?"

***

Dan sat in his car, staring at the door of Denise's hotel room from across the parking lot. He could no longer deny the fact that he missed his wife. He missed seeing her smile and hearing her laughter. He missed sharing fun times with her and the kids. He missed their quiet times together. Although she seemed like a different woman in some ways, she was still the same smart and beautiful girl he met more than twenty years earlier.

He had a lot of time to ponder something Denise had said at counseling. People do change over time. There was no denying that. He wasn't the same man he was twenty, ten, or even five years before. As the counselor said, each partner in a marriage must either adapt to those changes and grow together or reject those changes and grow further apart. The decision to grow further apart had been his, and he was forced to acknowledge that. The time had come to listen to her side of the story with an open mind.

He exited his car and strolled across the lot to her door. He knocked a few times and waited. When there was no answer, he attempted to peek through the window. Assuming she must have left the room, he began to walk back to his car. That is when he spotted them. His wife and her manager were walking toward her room. Although they weren't holding hands, they were clearly keeping an intimate distance between them.

She gasped when she spotted him and stopped on the spot. Andrew noticed her expression and followed her line of sight just in time to swerve away from a roundhouse punch. Without thinking, he reflexively swung at Dan and connected with his jaw. Dan's knees buckled beneath him and he dropped to the pavement.

Denise shrieked and moved past Andrew to kneel at Dan's side. Dan lay flat on the pavement. His eyes were open, but unfocused. Denise placed her hand on his head and stroked his hair.

"Oh my god, Dan, are you okay?" she asked.

He seemed to regain his focus and looked at her. Then he pushed her hand away and stood to his feet. Without saying a word to either of them, he strode across the parking lot to his car and sped away.

"Denise, I'm so sorry!" Andrew said. "It was just a reflex! I totally didn't mean to hit him."

"You need to leave now," she said. She was visibly shaking. "Thank you for dinner. I'll see you at the office."

***

Dan sat at the bar, slowly rubbing his jaw. He snatched his glass of beer from the bar and emptied it, signaling to the bartender for another round. When he agreed to move out west, he never would have imagined what a dramatic turn it would have taken for every member of his family. If he had a chance to do it over again, he would have found a way to survive in Missouri. The temptation to make big money, and the allure of the laid-back California lifestyle, was simply too enticing.

Whatever doubts he had about Denise's infidelity were erased when he spotted the two of them walking so closely together across that parking lot. The expressions on their faces, and the ease with which they related, made it crystal clear what would have happened next if he hadn't arrived. They were walking toward her hotel room door, after all. If he hadn't been there, what would have happened when they reached that door?

The pain he felt in his chest overwhelmed any pain caused by Andrew's lucky punch. As humiliated as he felt about knowing another man was fucking his wife, it was even more humiliating that she watched that man beat the crap out of her husband. Dan hadn't thrown nor taken a punch since he was in grade school, and it showed.

A woman sat next to him at the bar and smiled at him. Although her hairstyle and clothing suggested she was a young woman, her wrinkled skin proved otherwise. She initiated a conversation, and he gladly obliged. Anything to get his mind off his troubles. Eventually, he offered to buy her a drink. Then another. And another.

Every half hour or so, she would excuse herself and step outside. When she returned to her barstool, she reeked of nicotine and tar. The more he drank, however, the less he cared. At the end of the night, she leaned toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, swaying ever so slightly. She placed her lips to his ears and whispered to him in her raspy voice.

"How about you take me back to my place and fuck my brains out?"

"Mmm, sounds good," he said. "Let's do it."

"Just let me use the ladies room one more time, sweetie," she said, "then we're good to go."

She leaned in and kissed him hard on the lips. She tasted like stale cigarettes and cheap booze. He watched her stumble toward the restrooms and he polished off the last of his drink and signaled for the check. The bartender handed him the check along with a pitiful shake of his head.

The look on the bartender's face didn't go unnoticed by Dan. For the first time, it seemed, he contemplated what he was doing. What was he hoping to accomplish that night? Did kissing that woman make up for Denise kissing her manager? Would fucking her "even the score?" This wasn't some game; this was his marriage.

The woman returned from the restroom.

"Ready to go?" she slurred.

"You know, I just remembered I need to be somewhere," Dan said. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to take a raincheck."

"What the fuck?" she shouted. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Sorry," Dan said with a shrug. "I'll call you a taxi if you want."

"Fuck the taxi," she said. "And fuck you, asshole!"

Dan heaved a heavy sigh and turned to leave the bar. "You're welcome for the free drinks!" he shouted with a wave as he exited the building.

***

Dan glanced at his cellphone and took a deep breath before answering the incoming call. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Denise responded. "I'm just calling to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine," he said. "My ego is more bruised than anything else, trust me."

"Dan, I'm so sorry that happened. Andrew was totally out of line."

"No, I had it coming. He was only defending himself."

"Well, regardless, I want you to know that I'm requesting a transfer to another department. I can't work with that man anymore. Not after everything that has happened."

"It looked like you two were getting along well when I saw you."

Denise sighed. "It really wasn't like that. I needed to get out of that depressing hotel room, and he's the only other person I know in this town."

"Right," Dan said. "That's fine, Denise. You can do whatever you want. You don't need my permission."

"Dan...I want to come home," she said. "It's time."

He sighed and lowered the phone for a moment. "I don't know. We can talk about it."

"I never slept with Andrew," she said. "I need you to believe me. I need you to trust me again. I've never given you any reason not to trust me."

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Will you be at the game tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

***

Alex stepped into the batter's box, doing his best to control his breathing, just as his coach had instructed. The first pitch out of Mitch Taylor's powerful right arm sped toward the plate at an inconceivable speed. Alex stood his ground and watched it pass.

"Strike one!" the umpire bellowed.

Alex stepped out of the box and took a few practice swings. Without question, Mitch was the best and most feared pitcher in the league. He was so tall that it was difficult to believe he was only ten years old. He stood on the mound and patiently waited for Alex to step back into the box. He held the ball in his glove in front of him, as motionless as a statue, waiting for his cue.

Alex stepped in again and scratched at the dirt with his back foot. He held his bat tightly in his hands and waited for the next pitch. He decided that he would swing at the next pitch no matter where it went. The pitch shot out of Mitch's hand toward the plate and Alex swung. He actually felt some slight contact as the ball glanced off the bat on its way toward the backstop.

"Atta boy, Alex!" his dad shouted from his position in the first base coach's box. "Way to get a piece of it! You've got the timing down perfectly!"

Alex's heart beat intensely as he stood and waited for the next pitch. He swung with every ounce of strength he had. He felt the ball connect solidly with his bat, and he watched with incredulity as it sailed into the outfield. For a moment, he was so shocked he forgot to run. Then he heard the screaming from the bench.

"Run, Alex! Run!"

He sprinted toward first base, where his father stood in foul territory wearing the biggest smile he had ever seen. He rounded first base and then retreated to the bag when the throw came in from the outfield. As soon as he touched the bag, his father wrapped his arms around him and lifted him off the ground.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Dan shouted. "I knew you could do it!"

Dan released his son and pumped his fist in the air, looking first at Bill, and then finding Denise in the stands. She was standing and clapping with tears in her eyes. Dan's eyes watered as well, and for a fleeting moment they locked eyes and enjoyed the experience together.

***

Alex stepped up to the plate for his second at-bat. He felt much more confident this time staring down at Mitch from forty-six feet away. He scratched at the dirt with his back foot and held the bat in his hands confidently.

Dan watched his son from the first base coach's box. His chest still swelled with pride after that first at-bat. It didn't matter what else Alex did that day. Even if he hadn't gotten a hit, he would still be proud of his son for conquering his fear and standing in that box against the league's fastest pitcher. He knew that Alex had learned something about himself that day that he would carry with him for life.

What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion. Dan's focus was on the batter's box. He didn't see the pitch leave Mitch's hand. All he saw was Alex flinch for just an instant. Then he collapsed on the spot. The sound that was produced when the ball made contact with Alex's skull was nauseating. Alex didn't make a sound. He simply folded like a marionette whose strings had just been cut, and lay motionless in the dirt.

Dan sprinted toward his son and was the first to arrive at his side. He held Alex's head in his hands and called to him. "Alex, are you okay? Alex? Come on, buddy, answer me!"

Denise bolted from the grandstand and rushed around the fence, joining the crowd at the plate. "Someone dial 9-1-1!" she shouted.

"I already did," Bill said, joining the group surrounding home plate. "An ambulance is on the way."

Dan looked at Denise with tears in his eyes. She gently stroked Alex's hair with a shaking hand and examined the large red welt just to the side of her son's temple. She looked at Dan and her bottom lip quivered.

"He'll be okay," Dan said. He reached out to her and squeezed her hand as the sound of a siren blared in the distance.

***

Dan and Denise sat side-by-side in the waiting room of the hospital. Nurses, doctors, and other medical staff scurried around them as they sat in silence. Bill sat beside them in silent support. Dan was bent forward with his head in his hands, while Denise stared at the door in anticipation of the doctor walking through it at any moment.

"It's my fault this happened," Dan muttered. "It's all my fault."

"Don't be ridiculous," Bill said. "That pitch came in so fast, Alex probably didn't even see it. There was nothing you could have done, man."

"He didn't move," Dan said. "He stood right in that box, just like I told him, and didn't move a muscle. I screamed and yelled at that boy for weeks. Told him not to step out of that box when the pitch comes in. So he didn't. He did just as I told him."

"Dan," Denise said, softly, "it's not anyone's fault. It was a freak accident. It just happened, okay?"

Dan looked at her. His eyes were bloodshot. "I kept telling him to be a man," he said. "Stop acting like a scared little wimp, I said. I took all of my own insecurities and put them on that poor kid. The whole time it was me who should've manned-up. I'm so sorry, Denise."

She paused for a moment and looked in his eyes, seeing the pain he had inflicted upon himself. She looked at Bill, and he seemed to take the hint. He rose from his chair and excused himself, leaving them alone.

"Dan," she said, "we need our family together now more than ever."

"I know that," he said. "You're right. The past few months have been really difficult for all of us. It hit me harder than I expected. Losing my business, uprooting our family, moving all the way out here, becoming a house-husband..."

"Dan, you provided for our family for a long time. You put me through school. Everything our family has right now we owe to you. You won't be a house-husband forever. You'll find a good job and things will return to normal."

He nodded and smiled briefly. "I know. I just...it's just going to take me some time to adapt to change."

"You never did like change," she noted with a smile. "I should have been more aware of what was happening with you. I was so focused on this new job that I kind of lost focus on everything else. What you said in the counselor's office about me being selfish? That stung a little."

"I'm sorry about that," he said.

"No," she said. "It stung because you were right to some extent. I was putting my job before my family in a lot of ways, and I wasn't as focused on our marriage and our family as I should have been. That won't happen anymore. I learned that lesson."

He smiled. "God, I hope he's okay. Did you see the look on his face when he got that hit?"

She nodded and smiled. They embraced and held each other tightly amidst the bustling chaos of the hospital floor. The front entrance opened and Holly appeared, looking disheveled and panicked. She spotted her parents and sprinted toward them. Dan and Denise rose from their chairs and the three of them embraced.

"Is he okay?" Holly shrieked.

"We don't know yet," Dan responded. "There was some bleeding beneath his skull. They have to relieve the pressure and stop the bleeding. We're waiting to hear from the doctor."

Holly cried on their shoulders and held them both in a tight embrace. "Oh, god, Mom. I have missed you so much!"

***

A Christmas tree stood in the corner of the room, illuminated only by the morning sunlight pouring through the windows. Holly bolted down the stairs and turned the corner, snatching her book bag from the floor on her way to the kitchen. She reached into a cabinet, snatched the last Pop Tart from the box, and turned to sit at the table.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dan said. "Is that the last one?"

Holly sighed. "I know, I know. Don't leave empty boxes in the cabinet."

She moved toward the cabinet, but Dan stopped her. "Don't worry, I got it. This time."

"Look at you softening up on the rules," Denise noted with a smile.

"I'm not softening," he replied. "I'm picking my battles."

She strode toward him, straightened his tie, and whispered in his ear. "Just as long as you don't go soft on me tonight," she purred.

They kissed just as Alex entered the kitchen.

"Eww, gross!" he said. "Get a room, you two!"

The family sat at the table and frantically finished their various meals and beverages. Alex was the last to sit at the table, yet the first to finish. He gathered his books, shoved them in his bag, and headed toward the front door.

"Hey, did you forget something?" Denise called to him. She gave him a warm embrace, and brushed his hair from his face, noting that the patch of hair near his temple was almost fully restored. She kissed his forehead. "You'll never be too old to leave this house without giving your mom a hug. Have a good day at school."

Holly followed soon thereafter, and gave her mother a hug before departing. Dan picked up his satchel from the countertop and patted himself down, ensuring that he had remembered everything he was supposed to carry with him.

"Have a good day, honey," Denise said, giving him another kiss. "See you at six?"

"Depending on traffic," he said. "Whose turn is it to cook tonight?"

"Ummm...it must be yours," she said with an impish grin.

"Yeah, right," he said. "What time are you heading into the office?"

"I just have a couple of calls this morning, and then I'll head in. I'll be home by six."

"I'm liking these new flexible work hours!" he said, giving her one last kiss before heading out the front door. On the way to his car he spotted his neighbor across the street, who was working on his landscaping. The old man gave him a wave as Dan strode toward his car, and Dan returned the gesture.

"How's it going, Hank?" Dan called.

"Can't complain," Hank responded. "How about yourself?"

Dan opened his car door and tossed his satchel into the passenger seat. He smiled and turned to his neighbor. "Never better, Hank," he said. "Never better."