Wimp?

"On top of that, Howard is one wrong fart away from being divorced. He will suffer privately, trust me."

"Sally doesn't even need to fart. We're done."

"Does she feel that way too?"

"I don't care."

"You have a lot of time invested. You may want to think about it."

I did. I had over 25 years invested. But I had spent a lot of those years giving in. I had spent that time teaching her she could mistreat me. She learned the lesson very well.

It wasn't the infidelity that drove my decision. I wasn't happy about that, but I think I could have gotten past it. It was the attitude, the disrespect, the disdain. Not only could I not put up with that, I didn't believe there was any possibility she could change it. The sad part for me was that I had contributed heavily to the situation by being so irresolute.

I thought about what I said to friends who had been dumped. "Now you have an opportunity find somebody who really appreciates you."

If I found another woman to love, I would not make that mistake again. I would make different mistakes. I would probably be willing to separate over the design on our paper napkins. But I would be a wimp no more.