Convenience

Part 82

Beatrice mumbled. "Any woman. It wouldn't matter." With a sanguine expression on her face she said, "Any woman would do!" She felt sad. She shouldn't be feeling like this, not about him. Not after five years. Not living with him. Ever. And she had learnt to live without him.

David's eyebrow quirked, and acknowledged her statement.

Of course, he wanted a wife. Have kids. But a few weeks ago he realized it wasn't just about getting any wife! Finding a woman, who met his criteria for his wife, was not enough. It was about finding the one! But a few weeks ago, for a man who had dated beautiful women for most of his life, his reaction to his current, overlooked, wife, for over five years, was puzzling. That was when he realised he had already had the one! He just didn't know it, five years ago. Unnoticed. His fault. He was so busy with his business; he didn't make any effort to stop her when she left him, five years ago. The biggest error in his life.

Right now it wasn't the right time to explain to Beatrice. A, she wasn't in the right frame at the moment. And, B, they were standing in a car park , probably with lots of people watching them. David wanted to change the topic, but he shook his head, "No." He said, "Not any woman. You."

Her eyes darkened. Emotion gathered momentum. When she eventually spoke, her sardonic tone wasn't lost on him. "Too late." She threw him a withering look.

David narrowed his eyes and again shook his head. "Not too late. In any case, if you still want that divorce, we have to meet, to sort this." She was about to challenge that statement. Again he put up a hand. He clarified. "Either way we need to meet." Unrelenting, he reminded her, "You know that I will fight for our marriage." Their eyes met. He held her gaze as he said quietly, "And you know, from your research on me, that I will fight hard for what I want."

Of course she knew that. She asked his previous girlfriends various questions before she married him! And one of the questions she had asked, would he fight for his principles and values!

Beatrice told him softly. "You have had five years to fight for me." She needed to hold things together. She said brusquely, "You don't want me!" She added, "Then or now!" She looked totally affronted.

"Not true!" He shook his head, but he acknowledged some of it. "Ok, maybe not when we first got married." This was obviously going to get worse before it got better. "I didn't know you back then." He told her. Clearly this was another big mistake, not learning about his intended wife at that time. Just accepted his grandfather's opinions and relied on his advice.

"You still don't!" Beatrice corrected and looked speculatively at David.

He murmured lamely but honestly. "We slid into separation." She scowled. David continued, ran his fingers through his hair. "I have told you. Repeatedly." She glared. He ignored that. "I have been frank." He stated in desperate exasperation "Direct. Straight." He squared his shoulders. "I have made my intentions clear." He persisted, "But now, it is down to you."

Beatrice's heart and head were back to fighting, again. She was speechless for a few scant seconds. "Really?" Sarcasm. 

Resolutely, David started again, "I have been honest." He stated firmly in a tone of voice showing his frustation, "Told you exactly what I want."

She was immediately furious. Again. "Really?" Sarcasm again. Her eyes sparked angrily.

"Yes. Really. I will fight for our marriage."

Again Beatrice gulped. Eye contact remained.

 He said firmly. "You might not believe that you haven't changed."

"Of course. Yes. I have changed. I don't suffer fools!" She folded her arms. "And I'm not stupid." Her eyes eloquent, conveyed her message.

He could see the storm in her eyes. He continued, ruefully, "You might not believe that I haven't changed." He challenged.

"Yes." She hissed.  "I know you have changed. Obviously." She threw him a warning glare. "You can now see me!" Beatrice snapped. She continued to fix David with one of her fiercest glares.

He ignored her glare. "As you said, five years ago, you were different." She pursed her lips. He adopted an innocent stance and confidently continued, "The woman I married wouldn't have kissed me the way you kissed me today!" 

Beatrice's cheeks blushed. "How would you know!" She snapped. The storm in her eyes raged.

David steeled for the verbal battle they were about to engage in, "You are not prone to spontaneous moods. You thought carefully before you kissed me!"

Beatrice thought silently, kissing was not exactly a careful thought in action.