Don't Look Back in Anger

"Cathy, we are finished. We were finished when I tripped up over your suitcase that morning. If I had not left, you would have slept with that guy and you were doing it for money. I can't live with someone who even thought that was remotely acceptable. My love for you has gone, my desire to be with you has gone, and I don't want to have children with you. I want us to go our separate ways and build our lives apart."

My sarcastic display had riled up George, and the sobs emanated from Cathy after what I said were making him more so. "Will you look at what you have done to this poor girl. Let me tell you, we are going to apply to the court to claim this is an attempt at reconciliation. Then we will apply for counselling with you moving back here to partake."

I smiled, with no warmth in it, and said, "Do your worst, George. Firstly, this is a business meeting, all the correspondence proves that. Your correspondence was for a meeting with Mr. Johnston, Cathy being here is only incidental to that meeting. Second, not even your favourite judge will enforce counselling because the prenup, which we all agree is in force, states that counselling can only be enforced during divorce proceedings and by the defendant in those proceedings.

"Lastly, the five-year window ends next month for that. Sure, you can apply to extend the five-year period, but knock yourself out. My attorney reckons we have enough to stop it and even if you are successful, all you will do is prolong the agony for both Cathy and me. I will not be moving back and I will not petition for a divorce, so both of us will remain in limbo unable to move on.

"If Cathy wants a family, she needs to find a new husband and she can't do that if she refuses to give me up. I won't be looking for a new wife until I am shot of the baggage associated with the farce this has become. So, George, if you are acting in the best interest of your client, tell her to let it go. I am never coming back and she needs to stop looking back at what we had. It's gone, she needs to look forward for something new.

"Now, is there any business deal here or not, because if the answer is no, I want to leave now and I don't want to come back."

Cathy just said, "No deal, please go. I can't bear this anymore."

I stood, nodded to George and turned to her father, and said, "Goodbye Mr. Johnston, can't say it was a pleasure to see you this time."

I walked out of the conference room and headed for the elevator.

Angela raced to catch up, and entered. "So, will we be seeing more of you?" she asked.

"Nope, this should be it for me," I responded.

The intake of breath showed this was not the answer she had expected.

I exited the elevator, saying goodbye to a silent Angela, and threw my pass onto the reception desk. I noticed it was an employee pass not a visitor's pass.

The drive home was somber, taking me two days with a stop in a rather unpleasant motel along the road.

A week later, my attorney received a letter from George. The letter requested that I not file for divorce at the end of the five-year period, but instead, asked that I agree to attend counselling, in my new town, with a view to reconciliation. The letter stated that Cathy had never stepped outside the marriage, and the only party to do so was me. Apparently, the PI was making regular visits to town to see what I was up to. Cathy, apparently, was prepared to overlook my infidelity.

The letter also suggested that we jointly apply for a five-year extension to the prenup, to allow time to heal the wounds in the marriage.

My attorney laughed, and said, "At least they know they can't enforce that extension."

Also included in the letter was an envelope addressed to me from Cathy.

I really didn't care. Yes, I had technically been unfaithful to Cathy, but I was now in a relationship that had potential. Cathy had been brutal with me and nothing more so when she left the suitcase in the kitchen that morning, knowing it was signaling her intention to humiliate me. I saw no reason to keep my life on hold, and certainly no prospect of reconciliation.

My response to Cathy came six weeks later, when she was served with divorce papers for irreconcilable differences, and contained in the papers was her letter to me, unopened.

That day, I was sitting in the office working on a new proposal when the receptionist rang to say a woman was on the line for me, but she was crying so hard she could not make out who it was. I took the call knowing it was Cathy.

As soon as I answered, I heard her through the tears, "Is this it, are you not willing to try to reconcile with me?"

"Sorry, Cathy, I did try five years ago, but you rejected my efforts. Our time has come and gone--"

She hung up before I finished, the sobs getting even louder than they were before.

A week later, my attorney received the signed divorce papers.

* * *

My life now stretches out in front of me. I have a new woman in my life; where will it go? Let's see.

I have never looked back in anger at my decisions with Cathy, either to marry, to separate, or to divorce. They had been all the right decisions at the time. So now, it is time to just move on and make the most of what life has to offer.

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