One day, my husband came home and asked for a separation. He offered almost everything, but I had some demands that surprised him.
“I want a divorce, Caroline,”After returning home from work one evening, Jerry, my husband, said that. George, our son was at a sleepover. I had just made a nice meal for him.
“Why?”I asked, but the answer was already known. Jerry went to work earlier than usual, and returned home late every night for months. I saw him kissing another woman one night as I followed him. Surprisingly, I wasn’t angry with him.
Jerry asked me for a divorce because he was in love with another woman.
I let him continue the affair, acting like I didn’t know anything. “I’m sorry, Car. It’s just…I’ve fallen for someone else,”He explained. “But I’m willing to offer you the best deal. You can keep this house and our car. I hope we won’t fight about George, though.”
“No, I don’t want to fight about him,”I muttered.
“Yeah. I love my son, and I’ll pay child support. But I want to see him often. It’s just…I can’t fight my feelings any longer. Is there anything else you want? Alimony?”Jerry added.
I could see that his apology was sincere. He had cheated, but he wasn’t a total monster. “Let me think about it,”I was able to reply. Jerry looked relieved, but that night he stayed on my couch.
I thought about George and how to keep his suffering from him.
I didn’t sleep at all. I had been thinking about it for months. I didn’t know if he would leave me for her, but it was a possibility. I was not the woman he married years before. My life was full of many things.
George would be hurt by our divorce. I had to protect him as long as possible, so I offered Jerry a deal that day. “I’ll give you an easy divorce. I won’t ask for anything. Material things don’t matter to me,” I started.
“But it’s fine. I cheated. You deserve to keep these things,”Jerry interrupted.
“Let me finish,” I continued. “I have a few stipulations for our divorce. I want you to give me a month before we file for anything, and I would like you to carry me out of our room bridal style every morning.”
I was able to hear Jerry talking to the other woman over the phone.
“What?”Jerry was confused.
“That’s all I want,”I replied. “Then, we’ll see about that amicable divorce.”
“But I haven’t carried you in ages,”Jerry said more to Jerry. “But that seems more than fair.”
I entered the kitchen to see Jerry going outside to think. He also called someone and I moved closer to eavesdrop.
“Darling, my wife asked me for a month before we officially divorce. She didn’t ask for anything else. Just this month and our divorce will be easy. I promise we’d be together,”Jerry said it to the phone.
We reminisced over our honeymoon.
I don’t know what she answered, but she was probably happy with this response. Luckily, Jerry followed my terms. George was happy that his dad didn’t leave for work so early, and they actually talked. Jerry started to laugh about me being carried after a few days.
“Remember when I almost hurt my back carrying you during our honeymoon when you broke your heel?”He said it one morning.
“I remember perfectly. They were a great pair of shoes, too,”We laughed, I added. I started to receive coffee every morning from him.
One day, George noticed his dad carrying me to the kitchen. “Dad, why are you carrying Mommy around?”My 9-year old asked.
Before it was too late, I wrote him a letter containing the truth. Source: Pexels | Source: Pexels
“Because that’s what couples in love do,”Jerry said. I didn’t know if he was sincere or not, but it brightened my day to hear him say that. But the truth was, I needed to be carried. I felt closer to him over the next few weeks.
Sometimes I saw him outside looking out at the horizon. I wondered if he was looking forward to our divorce, but I wouldn’t get a chance to find out. My time was running out. So I sat down and wrote him a letter.
“Dear Jerry, I didn’t tell you this sooner because I discovered your affair months before you told me. I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and there is nothing the doctors can do. I thought we didn’t need a divorce because I was already dying.”
I felt sick and stayed in bed.
“I also didn’t want our son to go through that only to lose his mother right after. I hope you understand my feelings and take care of him. And I hope the new woman you love will be a great stepmother to him. I always loved you. Sincerely, Caroline.”
I finished my writing and put the letter in our nightstand. I felt worse than ever, and I slept in bed the rest of the night.
“Caroline, I have to talk to you about something…Oh, I’m sorry, did I wake you?”Jerry said this after he entered our room.
“Don’t worry. I was just taking a nap. What’s going on?”I asked him.
Jerry got into bed and I was happy.
“I…I don’t know how to say this. I’m so ashamed to ask. But do you think you could forgive me? I don’t want a divorce anymore. I love you, and I always will. I don’t know what went through my mind, but thank you for asking me to wait,”Jerry said it vehemently.
He laid down on the bed. “I forgive you, Jerry. I love you too,”I said it, and we smiled, holding hands. I closed my eyes and never opened them again.
What can we take away from this story?
- The short life is fleeting.You never know when you may lose someone you love. So cherish and honor them as long as you can.
- You might not have the chance to make things right.Jerry was too late to see the error in his actions and will never be able to make amends to his wife.
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