Roses and Sonatas [Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns]

Chapter 49

I sat on the sofa in Mikhail's room, still shivering convulsively despite changing out of my cold, wet clothing and into a thick robe, and despite the hot milk I was drinking and the crackling fire in the fireplace. Mikhail sat on a chair opposite me, watching me with concern as I trembled and sipped my drink.

When I had announced that I wanted a divorce, Ina and Mikhail both had gasped and stared at me in shock. Ina recovered first, saying, "Alice, are you quite sure about this? It's only been three weeks—surely you can't have any problems already that you can't work out?"

Then Mikhail spoke up, saying, "While I admit that I would be delighted to see you free of him, nevertheless I beg of you to take a moment first to reconsider and not rush into anything. Think about how long you took to decide you wanted to marry him in the first place. Don't run off and divorce him hastily in a fit of pique, because you may not get a second chance if you do."

"It's not a fit of pique! It's that... I've discovered that he isn't at all who I thought he was, and I can't even stand to be in the same room as him right now. Ina, I'm sure this is what I want, so what do I need to do?"

Reluctantly, she pulled out some forms from a file cabinet and passed them over to me with a sigh. "If you're absolutely certain.... First, you need to file for a trial separation. You can do that on your own—you don't need anything from Cam for that. The requirements for divorce are the same for both Konohana and Bluebell. First, complete a trial separation of not less than two weeks; second, complete a minimum of four one-hour sessions of marriage counseling from a qualified counselor; and third, both of you have to complete and sign the petition to have your marriage dissolved. The qualified counselors in the two towns are the two mayors and Dr. Ayame. Nathan has expressed interest, but to date he hasn't completed his application for approval. The sessions need to all be with the same counselor, but you can choose whomever you prefer. If you do change counselors for any reason, you must start over and complete the full four hours with your new counselor. But before you fill in the paperwork for a trial separation, why don't you first get out of your wet things, warm up, and rest? I must say, whatever it is that has happened seems to have taken its toll on you—you look bone-weary."

So she'd taken me up to her apartment, found a thick, warm bathrobe for me to borrow, and while I changed, she made me a large mug of hot milk. She brought me back downstairs and handed me over to Mikhail, asking if he would be willing to keep an eye on me while I rested.

Back in his room, after several minutes of sitting and watching me, he spoke up. "Alice, what's this all about? What happened? Why do you think you want to divorce Cam?"

At his questions, I began to shake harder and harder, until I could barely keep from spilling the cup. Seeing my distress, he came over and sat next to me, taking the cup from my hands and holding it to my lips. After a few more swallows, I began to relax a little, and the trembling subsided somewhat. He set the cup down and leaned back, waiting for an explanation.

After another few minutes passed in silence, he leaned forward slightly, saying, "Well, Alice?"

I felt my face crumple as the tears began again. Sobbing I turned towards him and threw my arms around his neck. He tensed up, startled, then awkwardly began to pat my shoulder. As soon as I could speak again, I told him what had happened—about falling ill so suddenly, the doctor's visit and the result of her examination, then about Cam's shocking response to the news and his venomous accusations.

When I looked at him, he appeared incensed—staring straight ahead at nothing, his jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. "That brainless son-of-a-bitch," he fumed to himself. He blinked and his eyes came into focus as he turned to look at me. He visible effort, he forced himself to calm down, then smiled reassuringly at me. "It'll be okay, Alice. Don't worry. I'll go talk to him."