One More Time

One: Divorce?!

Divorcing me?! Was he joking?! I was only 26, I couldn’t get divorced already! I was too young! What about our love making just four hours ago?!

“Divorce?” I croaked out. My throat had suddenly closed up, my breathing became ragged and I couldn’t find my voice to speak.

            Keith leaned back. “I’m glad that’s off my chest.”

            “Off your chest? How long have you been holding this in?” I questioned him. Suddenly, I was filled with energy. No longer was I tired, no longer couldn’t I speak. I wanted to know everything, and why.

            “A couple of months now. It’s not you, it’s me.” Oh great, that’s not cheesy. And we all know it’s me. I climbed out of bed and threw my robe on.

            “I need coffee.” I mumbled, as I quickly shuffled out of our bedroom, down the hall and into the kitchen. I could hear his heavy footsteps following me.

            “Emmy, can’t we just talk?” Keith cried out to me.

            “Talk? You want me to talk to you right now?” I grabbed onto the kitchen counter and took deep breaths. I needed to stay calm. We could work this out.

            “Why?” I whispered.

            “There’s… I’ve just… We’ve grown apart.” He murmured.

            “Who is she?” I asked, knowing his answer already. He was right, we had been growing apart, yet he had been growing close to someone else in the process. I hadn’t changed. He had.

            “This girl from work.” Girl?

            “Girl?”

            “Well, yeah. From the um, school.” He cleared his throat. As much as it hurt to know he loved another girl so much that he could divorce me, I just hoped to God this girl was a teacher of some sort.

            “She’s not a… a… a student is she?” I managed to ask. I swear to God my heart stopped beating.

            “She kinda is.”  

            “This girl, you’re leaving me for, is a student? What the hell are you thinking? You know that’s illegal don’t you?” I suddenly found myself screaming.

            “Yes, I know it’s illegal. But she’s eighteen, a senior, and she’s not my student. We haven’t done anything. I wouldn’t do that to you. But we’ve talked. A lot. She knows about this too. And... I think I've fallen in love with her.”

            This was unbelievable. My husband was leaving me for an eighteen year old high school student, who was well-aware she was breaking up my marriage?

            “I don’t believe this.” I said, slipping into a nearby chair.

            “I’m sorry this is so unexpected. I thought you felt this diminishing too.” He was apologizing for not warning me? Couldn’t he apologize for breaking my heart? Couldn’t he apologize for marrying me, only to “fall in love” with a freakin’ eighteen year old? Yet, he was apologizing just for the sake of apologizing.

            I stared at him. He looked exactly the same the day of our wedding. His brown hair was slightly tousled in a sexy, yet non-messy way. His black eyes staring into me, except tonight they were emotionless, whereas three years ago, they were filled with love and lust for me. I bet that’s what she notices when he looks at her. He probably gazes at her adoringly and lovingly… Oh my heart just ached thinking about it.