Divorce isn’t easy under the best of circumstances. And for both Larry and Karen the circumstances were probably as good as it gets.
Larry was forty when he and his wife Ellen split up. It wasn’t a good marriage from the get-go. They were too young, too different, and blatantly ill-suited for one another. It was twelve trying years of trying to get along, with no success.
One short November day Ellen came home late from shopping. Larry had fixed dinner for the two boys and Ellen apologized for missing the mealtime. She seemed nervous. Larry asked his wife what she bought that day. The question led to a suspiciously overlong explanation by Ellen. That was when he had that forehead slapping realization that Ellen was cheating on him. The sales receipt in the bag she brought in was dated from the week before.
Larry didn’t need to say another word. Ellen told all. The marriage was over with no effort on either side to make things right. They both wanted out.
Karen had a similar situation. Her husband hadn’t even bothered to hide or make excuses for his infidelity. He stopped attending family functions, stopped coming home at nights, and stopped being a husband. He made a guilty attempt to reconcile but they both knew they’d be better apart than they ever were together.
The divorce was over quickly. Karen still had nightmares, she still mourned her marriage, and she still went through a weepy period. But, she got over it. Karen was a practical gal and anxious to move on.
Three years passed before Karen and Larry met. It’s a funny story.
It turns out that Larry’s kids went to the same school as Karen’s. It’s Open House at the junior high. One of Karen’s friends said to her...
READ MORE
