Valentine's Day Divorce (Story)

[DreamHealer]

“Honey, I’m home,” he called as he shut the front door behind him.

He set his briefcase down in the foyer and catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror that hung there he thought he didn’t look bad for a middle aged man. The dark curly hair had thinned and grayed a little at the temples. The brown eyes were still full of life and sensuality. There were some wrinkles but he still looked tall, handsome and authoritative in his police uniform, attractive enough that many women looked at him and smiled at the office or other public places.

There was no reply from his wife and his mind went back to the times she met him at the door with a smile and a kiss and sweet, concerned conversation about his day.

He felt his face redden and the blood rush to his loins as he thought about the time she greeted him, wearing nothing but her apron and whispered “Dinner is served.”

He remembered how the scent of her perfume enticed him and the beauty of her full breasts beckoned him to touch and taste. He had pushed the centerpiece of flowers and the tablecloth away and they made passionate love on the bare wood of the dinning room table.

It had been so long since he had seen the flame of desire burning in her deep green eyes. There were nights his body ached to hold her, to ravish her once again with the heat of his passion just as he had done so many times in the memories of their past that played over and over in his mind. Memories of her smooth, pale skin, the scent of her long auburn hair, the fire of her kisses tormented him like sensual movies that would never be more than fantasies. Reveries of firelight, candlelight and moonlight, the times and places they consumed each other with hot desire.

He ached to feel the love in her touch once more but she no longer desired him and at best made no pretense of anything more than a “Married” friendship, at worst an open war or troubled truce. He didn’t understand why, he was the same man she had married, still devoted to her. Was she having an affair or had he simply failed as a husband?

He found her in the kitchen, this time fully clothed and taking a chicken casserole out of the oven. There was no pleasant greeting or kiss and tonight JoAnne got down to business immediately.

“Todd please don’t think just because it’s what you want makes it what I want. I told you before this is not where I want to live and you just ignored my wishes. I called the realtor today and he’ll be here tomorrow night to list this house and I don’t want anymore arguments of excuses about staying here.”

There was a time he might have asserted his masculinity and his rights but that time was long gone and now he just wanted peace at almost any price.

“That’s fine” he curtly replied.

He was ready to sell the house, the view of the bay meant little to him anymore, now that they no longer shared it at dawn or at sunset. Maybe when the house sold he would just give JoAnne whatever she wanted and quietly disappear. He had a lucrative career and could afford to give her everything and still make a life for himself. Kurt was almost out of high school, he had raised a sensible and intelligent son, whom, he felt would be able to make it just fine without him there everyday. They could still spend time together, doing man things.

Maybe there was life after divorce as many of his friends could attest to, but divorce, until now, had never been an option he allowed to enter his mind or plans. When he took marriage vows before God he meant them and had done all he could to preserve his marriage and the sacredness of those vows. Now there was never a day that passed that the solution of divorce didn’t travel though his thoughts. Freedom was not what he had wanted but it was beginning to sound better with time and with each rejection she inflicted on him. She was a good person, a giving woman, just no longer good or giving to him.

It seemed an impossibility to touch her heart anymore, not with the expensive gifts of jewelry, the nights out, the tender love poetry he wrote for her. Nothing mattered anymore and he felt like a man drifting in the ocean on a deflating air raft. He was growing tired of begging for her love. It was time to just let go of all the years, the plans to be together forever. Though he knew in his heart he would love her the rest of his life, they couldn’t spend those years together making each other miserable. It would be Valentine’s Day again in a few days, what should he give her, some emerald earrings to match her eyes, or a divorce? He sighed at the thought that the divorce would make her happier.

“JoAnne, I’m going to the store for coffee,” he called out over his shoulder as he closed the back door behind him.

There was no reply and he knew she was glad to have her solitude. He’d grab a cup of coffee at the convenience store and then ride around aimlessly for an hour or two. Eat microwave-warmed casserole when he got home and hopefully by that time he could go to sleep. Another day of being alone, in a world full of people.

The convenience store was close by and the clerks knew him by name. Rhonda, a perky, petite, blond single mom was behind the counter and as soon as she saw him in the parking lot she put on a fresh pot of coffee and a big smile. They exchanged pleasantries; talked about his son, her two daughters as he waited for the fresh coffee to brew. All the ladies at the convenience store and the hamburger places seemed to adore him, with his good looks and polite manners. He could have gone out with some of them….or done more, even though they knew he wore a wedding ring but he never allowed the conversation to go in that direction. He knew he dared not because he was so lonely and an affair might fill some of the emptiness. If his marriage was going to dissolve he was determined it would not be because he had an affair.

The night was cold and he could see the steam billowing out of the heat units of homes and business as he rode around in the SUV. The radio was on as usual, turned to the oldies station and tears filled his eyes when some of the love songs brought back memories of young love and stolen touches in the back seat of his car. He had dated other girls but the moment he met JoAnne he knew she was the one. They could barely manage to keep their hands off each other, even in public. Right after she graduated, two years after him, they married and it seemed their happiness would never end. He knew he hadn’t been perfect but he couldn’t understand what he had done to lose her love.

As he pulled out on the green light into a busy intersection when without warning…..BAM!!!

A loud crashing noise and the shattering of glass filled his senses just before he lost consciousness. When he came to, which must have been only seconds later, since there were no police or ambulances there, he looked out of the crumpled door and saw the rear end of the car that had plowed into him. A man’s body was lying face down in the street, as still as death, a pool of blood deepening around his head. He couldn’t make out the make and model of the other driver’s car; it had rolled behind a dumpster by the side of the street.

After calling 911 on his cell phone, Todd jumped out of the passenger door, since the driver’s door was crushed shut, and made his way toward the body. When he got close enough he realized breathing had stopped. He would do CPR and pray for God’s mercy. This was one of those times he was grateful to be a former street cop and for the training he had received.

He squatted down and gently turned the body over and then the awful truth of the moment hit his heart and stomach like a prize fight punch. The bloodied face with the glazed eyes belonged to his son, Kurt.

“Oh God, please no” Todd wailed as he began to blow life giving breath into Kurt’s lungs while pressing on his chest.

When will that ambulance get here, he’s not responding, God help me, Kurt why did you forget the seat belt? he thought as he tirelessly labored over Kurt’s lifeless body. Unable to hold back the tears he wept uncontrollably as he frantically worked to save his son’s life.

Kurt never opened his eyes or began to breathe on his own, there was no heartbeat, no pulse when at last the paramedics arrived and after securing Kurts’s neck they slid him into the back of the ambulance and without waiting for Todd to climb in beside him they hurriedly left for the hospital. Todd was left standing in the street where he was approached by the officer working the accident. As soon as the officer recognized the uniform and insignia Todd was wearing and the obvious distress he was in, he realized that this was more than just an ordinary accident.

“Sir, could you answer some questions for me please?

“That’s my son in the ambulance, do you mind giving me a ride to the hospital and I’ll answer your questions there?” Todd asked.

“Not at all Sir, I’m sorry, hope he’s alright. Let’s go.”

They arrived at the emergency room and after asking the usual questions, the officer left Todd alone in the waiting room. No one would tell him anything for the first hour but eventually the resident came out….

“Mr. Billings, I’m Dr. Silverton. Your son is alive but there’s brain swelling and he’s in a coma. We’ll just have to wait about 48 hours to know what the prognosis is. I’m so sorry and I wish I could give you better news but where there’s life there’s hope. If he has a mother would you like for the hospital to call her?”

Still too shocked to carry on a conversation he replied, “Thank you for what you’ve done for Kurt but no, I’ll call his mother. It’ll be easier for her hearing it from me.”

“Whatever you prefer and you can go in to see your son for no more than five minutes once we have him settled in ICU. I’ll be in to see him periodically through the night and I’ve called Dr. Tones who is the best neurologist on staff to examine him in the morning. Good Night Sir and I hope we will have good news soon.”

Todd was a real man in every sense of the word, his broad shoulders had carried all of his responsibilities and often those of others but this was one night being a man would be crushing. How could he tell JoAnne that their only son was lying in a coma close to death? He sickened at the thought as he opened his cell phone and dialed.

“Hello,” the soft feminine voice at the other end said then waited for him to speak.

“JoAnne it’s me, I have some bad news. Are you sitting down?”

“Just tell me Todd” she replied with an edge of irritation in her voice.

“There’s been an accident, a car accident and Kurt is hurt. I’m at the hospital, can you drive down? I would come and get you but….well I was in the accident too and the car isn’t drivable.”

The other end of the phone became totally silent, he knew she was absorbing the news, she was always slow and deliberate, sensible in her reactions but he was totally unprepared for the loud wail the pierced his ears next and the uncontrolled deep sobs. She was overcome with fear and grief and he wanted so badly to be there with her, to hold her close and console her.

“JoAnne, Honey calm down, I’m sending a cab for you, don’t want you to drive when you’re this upset. I hope Kurt will be alright and I’m not hurt.”

“Todd were you with Kurt? How were you involved?”

“We collided JoAnne, Kurt’s car is totaled and ours is bashed up pretty bad. I’m calling that cab so be ready when it gets there. Bye Hon, will be at the Lobby door waiting for you.”

There was a flurry of activity all around him, patients and families, white garbed nurses. It seemed like forever before her cab pulled up at the lobby door and she jumped out. Her hair was in disarray and she still wore her bedroom slippers along with jeans and a sweat shirt. Not at all like JoAnne who had impeccable fashion sense. The hurry of her departure was evident.

He gently placed his arm around her shoulder and for a moment their eyes met in pain and empathy.

“Todd is he alright, what happened?”

“There was an accident Joanne, our cars collided in an intersection .I‘m afraid Kurt took the brunt of the impact”

He watched in shock and disbelief as the empathy in her eyes retreated and fury crept into them like a wild beast.

“Todd you bastard, you almost killed my son. What were you doing? Absorbed in your coffee and loud music? Damn you Todd,” she screamed so loudly that everyone around them stared at the drama being played out before them.

He braced himself and tried to keep a cool head and a calm voice, after all this was his son too and he hurt no less than her.

“It wasn’t my fault JoAnne, Kurt ran the red light. I was already in the middle of the intersection when he hit me.”

Her anger gave way to sobs and he reached out, took her in his arms and whispered assurances that it would be alright, while stroking her hair like a little girl. For a brief moment he felt her body relax and lean into his but quickly she pulled away and asked to see Kurt.

They found the elevator and got off at the fifth floor ICU lobby. Todd approached the young nurse at the desk.

“We’re Mr. and Mrs. Billings, we’d like to see our son Kurt.”

“Please have a seat in the waiting room Mr. Billings, the doctor will be right out to speak with you.”

They sat side by side on a leather love seat that seemed as tired as they both were. Soon Dr. Silverton appeared looking even more tired than the sofa and with a concerned look on his young face.

“Mr. and Mrs. Billings I am so sorry to tell you that the MRI has revealed significant damage to both your son’s kidneys. They have shut down, are badly bruised and it’s doubtful that they will recover and function properly again. We are keeping him on dialysis until he regains consciousness and we can evaluate the possibility of a kidney transplant. His body can function well with only one healthy kidney. I’ve called in Dr. Regis, the best urologist on staff. There is some very good news, we have found no brain damage and when the swelling goes down he should come out of the coma. We need to immediately begin to evaluate any siblings and the two of you as possible kidney donors. Does Kurt have any brothers or sisters?”

“No, Kurt is our only child and you can begin with us right away Dr.” Todd replied.

“Good we will start as soon as you spend a few minutes with him.”

“Wait,” JoAnne said, “this is moving way too fast, just give me some time and let me see my son.”

“Fine,” Dr. Silverton replied, “but we don’t want to wait any longer than necessary to formulate our plan. If neither of you are an adequate match we’ll have to wait for a donor. Come this way and you can see him now.”

Kurt lay perfectly still with tubes and wires everywhere. His handsome face was discolored and his whole head extremely swollen. JoAnne took his hand in hers and wept deep, agonizing sobs.

“Oh Baby, My Poor Baby she whispered again and again until at last she responded to Todd’s arm around her waist, turning and throwing herself into his arms like an injured child.”

“It’ll be alright, Darling, one of us will be a match and he will be good as new in no time. Now let’s go they said only five minutes in here with him,” Todd said as he led her away toward the waiting room.

In the empty waiting room they sat side by side on an old leather sofa. After JoAnne had wet his shirt with tears she composed herself and looking straight into his dark-chocolate eyes with her jade ones she began to speak,

“Todd we need to talk, there’s something you need to know. There’s no need for you to be tested. Kurt is...well… he’s not your son.”

The words hung in the air like a winter storm, darkening his whole world and it seemed as though everything was suspended, including his breath and heartbeat. He sat up straight and withdrew his hand that was covering hers.

“What are you saying JoAnne, I mean….what are you saying. Kurt is another man’s son? Who, why?”

“Why, you want to know why? You really have no clue do you? You think just because you love me and are kind to me when you’re home, that should be enough. You remember how it was after I lost the baby? No, you probably don’t, I don’t think you ever really noticed. Anyway… for a whole year after I lost the baby I was so depressed I didn’t want to live. I cried almost constantly but you weren’t around much to see it Todd. You were working overtime and constantly out of town for training seminars. When you were home you were preoccupied with other things most of the time. I put on a happy face, made you dinner, made love with you and you went back to work a happy man…while I struggled to stay alive.”

He was pulled apart with a sense of guilt for failing her and righteous indignation at the thought she had cheated on him

“JoAnne, you never told me, you never let me know, I had no idea things were so bad for you. I never meant to fail you that way. Who is he, tell me, I need to know.”

“Just a stranger, someone I met at the library. Someone who listened and understood my pain. It only happened twice. I needed somebody Todd, and something I wasn’t getting in our marriage. He made me feel like I was the most important thing in the universe. We met at the library every Tuesday night and afterwards we’d go for coffee. You never realized because you were either on night duty, working overtime, or out of town. One night when he walked me home he pulled me into the alley and before I really had anytime to think about the consequences of what I was doing he had me on fire for him. It was explosive Todd, more so than sex with you had ever been. The other time we went to his place but then I broke it off and never saw him again. I think I was in love with him but I couldn’t live with the guilt and I didn’t have enough guts to leave you. When I realized I was pregnant I knew it wasn’t yours, we hadn’t been together sexually in a while, I knew it was his baby but I just let you think it was yours, made it easier for all of us, you were too distracted to suspect the timing was off. We won’t be able to have Kurt’s father tested for a kidney match. I read recently in the obituaries that he’s dead. I’m glad you know. It’s been a burden to carry this secret for eighteen years. So now you know, what do you plan to do?”

He sat like a stunned statue his head bent over in his hands. A big sigh escaped from deep in his chest and through his tears he looked up and gazed into her eyes.

“The fault lies with both of us, what should I do JoAnne? I’m hurt deeply and I’ll confess to you that there seems to be no love or desire for me left in your heart. I was going to give you emerald earrings for Valentine’s day but was considering asking you if you would prefer a divorce instead. So I think we should try to support each other now and get through this. I never want Kurt to know the truth. We’ll be there, with a united front for Kurt’s sake and when he’s recovered we’ll decide if we want that divorce.”

Tears pooled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks as she whispered, “Thank you and at this point I don’t think I want those earrings for Valentine’s Day.”

He sent her home in a cab, insisting that he should stay the night close to Kurt. There was no change and after spending the next day in the waiting room They went home that night and Todd slept in the guest room. It just seemed like the right thing to do, less emotionally draining for both of them.

As he lay alone there in the dark memories flooded his mind, strong emotions his heart. Hurt and anger at what she had done, remorse at how he had failed her. He tossed and turned and slept little.

The next morning at the hospital they got the news that JoAnne was not a suitable match to donate a kidney but after insisting that he be tested too, the results showed that Todd was miraculously close enough that with the powerful anti-rejection drugs available, his kidney just might work.

Around noon, Dr. Regis a distinguished gray haired gentleman in a white lab coat walked toward them and held out his hand to shake Todd‘s.

“Well I assume you must be prepared, Mr. Billings to donate a kidney to your son?”

“No,” JoAnne spoke up, “We can’t assume that Dr. Tones, Todd may need to think about it.”

The expression on the doctor’s face alternated between puzzlement and shock as he waited for Todd’s reply.

“Of course I’m ready to do this for my son, the sooner the better,” Todd said as he took JoAnne’s hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze.

“Great, we’ll schedule it for tomorrow then.”

They spent more time with Kurt that day, a special time of thankfulness and joy. The surgery was scheduled for the next day so they went home early to rest. Tomorrow, would be Valentine’s Day and Todd was proud of the gift of love he would be giving his son. Yes, Kurt was his son, he would never think of him any other way.

He lay in the darkness in the guest bedroom with only the light of a full winter’s moon flooding in through the window. The small box was there on the night stand, beautifully wrapped in pink velvet, it held the exquisite emerald and diamond earrings and matching necklace he had bought JoAnne for Valentine’s Day. Tomorrow he would give them to her along with his offer of a divorce. He reached for the box and turned it over and over in his hands, as thoughts did the same in his mind. Would she accept his offer? Finally sometime after midnight he fell off to sleep but sometime later was wakened by the soft warmth of her body against his back and the fragrance “White Diamonds” perfume in the air.

“That mine?” She asked as her hands reached out and took the velvet box from his.

“Yes, it’s those earrings I promised you and they are yours, even if you take my offer of a divorce.”

“Forgive me,” she whispered as she pressed closer to him and he realized there was only his tshirt and boxers between him and her bare skin.

“Forgive me too, Honey. I’ll never be distant and uncaring to you again.”

“In that case, she replied, as she nuzzled his neck and the fullness of her breasts pressed tightly into his back. “I’ll take the earrings, and a night of love.”

Tears filled his eyes as he turned to face her. She was stunning in the soft moonlight, as beautiful as she had been the first time they made love so many years before


“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he whispered as he took her tenderly in his arms and kissed her with more fire than any other man ever could have.

[mit4mitali]

It's really very nice story. i like it.

[DreamHealer]

unn kay liay tu mainay zamanay kay dukh sahay------- tuhmat woh bewafa ki laga kar chalay gayee------ hasrat mujhay un ka dili ahtaram hay------ chund din woh dosti jo nibha kar chalay gayee---