Veiled Affection

Chapter Twenty

The following three weeks existed for me in two parts. Now I don't want to remind myself all that much of the first segment. It is the three weeks that consisted of handling the divorce. After those three weeks, Gregory and I officially separated, and that was that.

The day after that late night phone call with Cate, things moved fast. A few days of arguing led us into contacting our lawyers, which ended up by having the divorce papers there for us to sign. I must say that I remember that moment well.

We sat in the living room next to each other with the papers in front of us. I held a pen in my hand and looked down on my document, evading his gaze. The movement was so simple: I leaned in and scrabbled my signature. So plain, yet I felt it marked a change as my last line was set.

I then gave the pen to Gregory. By that time he had given up on his quest to find out the truth, and his outbursts had been replaced for a state of surrender - he wanted it to be over as bad as I did.

He leaned in and set his pen on the piece of paper in front of him, and there it stayed for a few seconds, stagnant. There was a moment in which I thought he might do something different. But then he dragged his pen across the paper and his document had been signed. Just like that.

I looked at him, he looked back at me, and I barely know what I felt. Relief? Probably. Comfort? Perhaps. Liberation? Most definitely. But there was also a great angst for the future.

He lay his hand on my leg, nodded once, then got up and went upstairs. He stood in the doorway not ten minutes later with a bag in each hand.

''Thank you, June.''

This time I nodded. He turned around and made his way to the entry. I heard the door open and close, and then, silence.

Within those three weeks, there was also the second segment. It were the moments which I spend with her. I didn't see her every day, but the days in which we saw each other were spend well. I didn't got myself utterly wasted, so that helped to not repeat previous discomfort. We mostly spend a lot of time laughing, talking, kissing, and just having fun. I was open with her about my divorce process, and she further explained her home-situation as well.

''Soon I will be all alone at home much more often, '' She said to me one afternoon at my house, ''Andrew is staying in an apartment close by until he finds a place for himself. The kids will stay with him every other week from then on out.''

I glowed with real delight.

''How will you possibly survive?'' I exaggerated.

''I will manage. I got bored of this place anyway.''

''Sure you have, moaner.''

''Say moan again.''

I saw the grin on her face, and I leaned in closer, before whispering: ''Make me.''

It didn't even took a minute before she flourished, her face buried in my neck and her hand down my pants.

Later that afternoon Cate and I sat in the living room, and my legs lay draped over hers. It was silent as we were both emerged in our own book. She was reading another one of mine at the time, and I was reading something along the lines of Mrs. Woolf I guess it was - difference there must be.

My eyes focused on the pages when at one point I heard her sigh deeply. I looked up to found her staring at me.

''How come this feels so easy?'' She asked and I smiled, but then she continued: ''Yet it is nothing of the sort.''

''Don't say that.''

''In an hour he will be home and I will have to play the part of your friendly neighbor.''

I smiled. ''Awfully friendly.''

''You know what I mean. I am just done with having to pretend, that is all.''

''Isn't that all you ever do?''

''This is real, June. It can hardly be described the same.''

There was a pause.

''Let's go away.'' She suddenly said.

''To where?''

''Anywhere,'' She paused. ''Wouldn't you like that, darling? If we could just disappear and nobody could see us?''

''As in a vacation?''

''Sure.''

''You and I alone?''

''I would hope so.''

''You won't get sick of me after two days?''

''I will try my best.''

I smiled.

''Okay,'' I said. ''Let's disappear.''

As I look back now it feels so strange to see these two polar opposite lives, it felt like, happening in the same period of time, during those three weeks. Two different lives that tended to switch places in an instant: I would just have a fight with Gregory, he would barge out the door, and I would call her and hear her voice, and be transported into my life with her; or Cate and I would have an enchanting time together, talking and kissing, and she would go away, to be followed up by Gregory's presence, and the effect would be vice versa.

There were moments, too, in which my two lives seemed to merge. It were times that Cate would come over, and we would talk and laugh, and then Gregory would sit with us, and it felt so ambiguous. Rather I would just keep them separated, and so was the case when the divorce papers were signed.

'Thank you, June', he said to me, carrying his packed bags. As soon as he went out the door, I went upstairs, and copied his action. And when my bags were packed, I sent her a message: All set. Ready to disappear.

Not an hour later I heard a car horn coming from outside. I opened the door and saw her, leaning against the car, legs and arms crossed. I beamed. The sun illuminated her figure, her hair blew in the wind, and that smile on her face was priceless. I almost laughed at the way the whole image looked so movie-like.

I stepped outside, walked over to her, and she held me in her arms.

''You look so hot right now.'' I softly said.

She pulled back and kissed my cheek.

''Get your bags and we are out of here.''