Life Is Too Short

Welcome to the second chapter of my latest story. There's very little sexual content, and there are definitely no characters under 18 engaging in sexual acts.

There will be four chapters posted. All are completed and will appear in sequence with a day or two between. Please provide a rating and I welcome comments. Your thoughts are what I need to improve.

To recap, Ted is recently retired and is stuck in a bad marriage. After learning that his best friend, Dave, is dying, he's even more depressed. But Dave's confession that a number of years ago he had an affair with Pam, Ted's wife, provides Ted with the motivation he needed to file for divorce. At the end of chapter one, Ted was on his way home to confront Pam.

And now, to chapter 2.

*****

Life is Too Short -- Chapter 2

Walking home felt like walking towards the gallows except I was cutting this noose off of my neck. During the planning stage I was firm in my resolve to make it happen, but now the reality of telling Pam was hitting me with full force. Would she scream? Would she cry and throw a tantrum? Could she possibly faint? For sure she would smear the legitimacy of my birth, most likely condemn the quality of my fatherhood or role as a husband. My imagination started spiraling out of control as I envisioned Pam turning into a wicked Disney queen, growing ten times her size before my eyes, her complexion turning darker than a night sky, and her arms spreading out as she announces with a deep, sinister voice: "Now feel all the power and evil from hell!"

My stomach was turning over and I started to fear an explosive emission from my primary waste exit. Wisely, I entered the house through the laundry room so I could make use of the powder room before facing the woman who was my life for the past forty years.

I did my business, washed my hands, rinsed my face with cold water, and gathered my strength for the confrontation.

Pam was sitting at her normal spot on the couch. Some sappy Hallmark movie blared from the TV. I walked towards her, took the remote, and paused the show as I sat in a chair next to the TV.

"Put that back on! I'm watching a movie!"

"You've seen it plenty of times already. Besides, I need to talk with you."

"Talk? About what, and make it quick."

She stared at me with her normal annoyed look. I took a deep breath, calmed myself, and softly recited my rehearsed opening line. "Pam, I'm filing for divorce."

I braced myself for the explosion. She cast her gaze down and I was shocked how defeated she looked. She took deep breaths for what seemed to be five minutes, then opened her mouth, and quietly said, "Okay."

"What?"

Seriously, what kind of response was that? Was she expecting this? Forty years down the drain with a one-word acceptance? I was kinda pissed.

"Just, okay? That's all you can say?"

Her defeated expression seemed to darken. I saw a few tears fall, but her sharp stare forewarned me that an outburst was coming.

"I guess I expected this. This is all about sex again, isn't it? Sex, sex, sex! That's all you care about."

"Yeah, that's part of it. But the biggest part is that you've become way too comfortable disrespecting me. You did a lot more than cut me off from sex. You stopped any type of intimacy. Shit, if I accidently touched your ass while walking by, you'd explode like I was raping you. You acted like you hated me, Pam! I want a close, intimate relationship with my wife, but instead you've shown nothing but contempt and disrespect. How the hell did I deserve that?"

"Oh, you're exaggerating?"

"The hell I am! And now that I'm retired, I want to travel, explore, do fun things. You've let yourself go to the point where all you want to do is sit on that damn couch all day. I've worked hard all my life and I deserve a happy retirement. It pains the hell outta me that I can't enjoy retirement with the woman I've loved my entire adult life, but that's the way it is."

Her tear flowed even harder than before, her shoulders slumped, and I could see her struggling with what to say. "I know I've been horrible to live with. I guess I'm surprised you didn't leave me years ago."

I was stunned that she gave up the fight so quickly. I got up and started to pace and I scratched my head as I tried to process her response. I kept glancing at her. Tears were falling down her cheeks, but otherwise she appeared calm. Returning to my seat, only one question came to mind.

"Pam, if you were aware of how difficult you were to live with, why didn't you try to change or, at least, talk to me so we could get to the root of whatever issues bothered you?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I can change."

"When we were younger, you were the sweetest person I knew. I know you struggled during your change of life, and we saw doctors and you had prescriptions to help with the mood issues."

"I stopped taking them. As soon as they seemed to help, you starting pressuring for sex again, and... I just... I couldn't!" She lost control and was openly crying now.

"Pam, I told you that if it was a problem, I could go without intercourse, but you cut me off from any type of affection. You wouldn't even tolerate me touching you or kissing. Why the hell did you do that?"

"I don't know! It doesn't matter anymore. Just... just do what you have to do. We'll probably both be better off."

There was quiet for a few moments as we both processed what had been said. She was the first to break the silence.

"Why now? Why didn't you leave me years ago?"

"Because you know I don't believe in divorce, and I take my vows seriously. I said 'for better or worse' and I meant it. But learning you'd been unfaithful changed that."

Her face turned bright red.

"Unfaithful! I've never..." Her screaming stopped as her mouth suddenly trembled and her eyes went wide. "Oh, no. Dave told you, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

"He swore he never would. I guess he's trying to clean the slate before..."

"Yeah, maybe. But when you decided to screw around with my best friend, you had already cut me off because you said sex no longer interested you. Why the hell did you want to have an affair with Dave?"

"It... it doesn't matter anymore. It was a horrible mistake. Can we leave it at that?"

"Well, fine. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay by me. I just don't understand why you decided to treat me like shit for all these years. I'm sorry we're down to divorce, but I need to live my retirement years with a sense of joy and not have to wake up each day dreading how the day will go."

"I understand, Ted. I really do," she said, fighting through the tears. "But, what am I gonna do? What's to become of me?"

I paused to think. She really caught me off-guard with her reaction. I expected a fight, and instead she put up a mild protest and quickly changed her response to complete surrender. It was time to reveal some of the plans that would address her greatest concerns.

"I've given a lot of thought about that. I know with your health problems that you really can't live alone. When we talked about wills and stuff a while back, Kelsi and Bret promised that they'd have you live with them if anything happened to me. I talked to Kelsi and Bret about this and we've come up with several options."

"She knows you're leaving me? Oh, God... does she know about what I did with Dave?"

"No, she doesn't know about that, but I did tell her about the divorce so I could be sure she was okay with the options I have in mind. She wants you to live with them. To make that easier for them and help them get a house where they can start a family, I'm suggesting we give them this house as part of our financial settlement. Another option, if the three of you want, is we can find a house better suited with an in-law suite instead of making changes here. Within the settlement we'd be sure to cover any cost associated with that. I think that's what they'd prefer."

"I'm guessing you have all the financial stuff figured out."

"Yeah. I've met with lawyers and Bret as our financial consultant. He introduced me to a woman in his office that specializes in estate financial planning. She knows how to structure things so we can give Kelsi the house and protect them and ourselves from paying too much in taxes. These documents detail everything, including how we will gift the house to Kelsi and Bret."

"I like the thought of staying with Kelsi."

"I knew you would. She's gonna come over in a few minutes to be with you and talk."

"Okay."

"Bret will come by later and I'll be back. We can go over everything then, but you should look this over before Bret and I get here. I'll give you some advance warning that the savings and investments are heavily weighted in my favor because that's the only way I can afford the retirement I want. Your current lifestyle doesn't demand nearly as much capital. Regardless, I will never let you suffer financially. Kelsi will make sure of that and she'll have access to a sizable account to handle any emergency needs."

"I'll read it, but I'm sure you are being fair. When are you coming back?"

"Around six, after dinner. I'm gonna leave you alone for a while so you can think things through, and I'll be back then."

"All right. Ted?"

"Yeah?"

"I know it doesn't seem that way, but I do love you."

"I know. And, whether you believe it or not, I love you, too."

*****

Kelsi arrived and I briefed her on how things went with her mom, then I left. Driving to Dave and Allie's, my mind was cluttered with confusion. Pam's reaction was nothing like I'd anticipated. I knew there were still a lot of details to unravel and the loss of a forty-plus year relationship weighed heavily on me. It didn't take long to realize that the relationship had been gone for a while, and my spirit began to rise with a growing sense of elation.

My friendship with Dave and Allie went beyond knocking on doors, so I opened the door and was attacked into an embrace by Allie.

"Oh, Dave," she cried into my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I found I couldn't let her go and she didn't seem to mind. I longed for some form of intimate contact for so long, and Allie's firm, slim, five-foot three body felt so damn good. I'm sure she thought I was overcome from emotion after dealing with Pam. Being honest with myself, I was loving the affection. Still seated in his favorite chair, Dave broke my lustful spell.

"Hey, you two! I ain't dead yet."

I blushed as we slowly parted. "Sorry, Dave, but her hugs are much better than yours."

Allie was blushing too, and that smile she always wore seemed even brighter than it usually was. "Uh... I'll get us some beers and be right back."

I wandered towards Dave and plopped into a chair across from him.

"Ted. Are you okay? Did it go all right?"

Allie shouted from the kitchen. "Hold on till I get there."

Dave twitched his head toward her and looked at me with a smile, which is the universal silent message men all share. "Women!"

Allie got comfortable and I told them all the details. Once I finished giving them the scoop on the confrontation, I rose to get ready to go.

"Thanks for letting me cool down, guys, but I should head out and get some dinner before I go back to the house."

"Sit your butt down," Allie scolded. "You're having dinner with us and we have more to talk about."

"Don't argue with her, Ted." Dave was laughing at me and, for the first time, I could see a twinge of pain behind his façade.

"All right, then. I guess I'm staying."

Allie served up a restaurant-quality dinner of filet wrapped in bacon, fresh corn, and baked Idaho potatoes. These folks knew me. This was my American favorite meal. We lightly chatted while we ate before Dave got around to what they had on their minds.

Dave's demeanor got very serious. "Ted, what are your plans now? Are you going to stay at the house for a while until Kelsi and Bret move in?"

"I'm not sure. Kelsi said their lease is up at the end of next month. She said they're willing to move into the house now and move their nonessential stuff into storage. I'm assuming they'll want a new place, and that will give them time to decide. I figured I'd find a short term lease while I look for my own house, but if they want a new place I'm not gonna be able to float the new house plus the house I want until the old place sells. Whether they stay there or not, it's gonna need some work before I put it on the market."

Dave looked at Allie with a little smile, clearly indicating she needed to take the ball and run with it.

"Well, Dave and I have been doing a lot of thinking and talking. We need to ask a huge favor of you."

I let the silent pause continue, not being sure what was coming. Allie continued.

"You can be a big help to me and Dave and we can also help you if you could stay with us until... well, while Dave is ill."

If I thought they were only doing this for my benefit, I would have hemmed and hawed. But I could see the burden weighing on them as they considered what Dave's last weeks would be like. I responded immediately.

"Absolutely. I said I'd be here for you, and that sounds like a great plan."

Allie rushed to me in tears and hugged me. "Oh, good Lord, thank you! You have no idea how much this means."

Dave joined us and put his hand over mine. He was temporarily too overcome to say anything. Allie picked up the slack.

"As things progress, eventually we'll have a hospice nurse here. But we expect there will be difficult tasks before hospice as well as during."

Dave had gathered his composure. "We'll need a nurse for sure, 'cause I don't think you'd wanna be wiping my butt."

"No shit!"

Dave started to have one of his famous belly-laughs. "Exactly. No shit." The laughter started to cease as his face got a bit more serious. "Besides, my friend, I think Allie will also need lots of help after that sweet chariot carries me home."

We talked about the necessary details, and shared some very special moments together before I had to return to the house... uh, Pam's house. Actually, Bret, Kelsi, and Pam's house.

Life changes were starting to happen faster than I've ever experienced in my 67 years. Many of the changes, for me personally, were positive--except, of course, for Dave's situation. On all fronts, I had to stay strong. I hoped I was up to the challenge.

*****

I walked into the house and Kelsi ran to greet me with a big hug. Bret and Pam were talking in the next room, so I was sure they wouldn't hear us quietly talk.

"How is she?"

"Better than I thought she'd be. She's actually pretty relaxed. She hates that you guys are splitting, but she admits it's best for you both. And, she actually seems really excited that she'll be with me and Bret."

"That's good to hear. I've gotta ask one more time, though. Are you sure having your mother in the same house won't be too much? I don't want you to bear a burden because I can't stick it out."

"Dad, Bret and I are excited about it. Really!"

"I just know from past experience that it's tough for two adult women to live in the same house. Your mom will try to take charge, but you and Bret are the heads of this household now. Are you confident mom will be okay with that?"

"Actually, she already told me that I'm the boss of the house."

"That's, well, both great and surprising. So, let's go ahead and get things rolling."

Bret looked up at me as he stood from his seat at the table. "Hey, dad!"

"Bret. Where's my beer?"

"It's your house. Get your own damn beer!"

We shared a bro-hug before I went to the fridge.

"Pam, are you doing all right?"

"Yes, I'm good. We've been planning and scheming, and going over the documents you left. It all seems good, but I'll have a lawyer look it over."

The mood in the room was strangely friendly. I felt quite relieved. "Is there anything you want to go over?"

"Actually," Kelsi interrupted, "Bret and I have something important to discuss first."

I turned from the fridge and saw my daughter and son-in-law, both with huge beaming smiles.

"Uh, dad," Bret stuttered. "I... uh... knocked up your little girl!"

Pam stood and grabbed Bret into an embrace while Kelsi nearly tackled me. Pam was shrieking with delight while Bret's face flooded with tears of joy.

"Oh, I'm gonna be a grandma and have a baby in the house! Ted, can you believe it?" Pam beamed at me until she quickly realized how I might misinterpret her joy. "I... I'm sorry. I hope you know I..."

"Sweetie, I completely understand. Look at it this way. I think going our separate ways at this stage of our lives gives both of us the opportunity to do what we love to do and find happiness."

The timing couldn't have been better for Kelsi's announcement. It's amazing how things came together and every member of my family would benefit from, of all things, a divorce. I looked at Pam and it was good to see her smile.

*****

Pam and the kids did decide to find a new home that would fit all their needs. I set a budget a bit over the value of my old house, and told them to start looking. I told them I'd be living with Dave and Allie to help them during the tough times ahead, but that I would stay in Pam's home for another week while Kelsi and Bret prepared to move in. Pam would never have to live alone.

Something else Pam did surprised me. As Kelsi was leaving, she whispered to me that her mom told her about the affair with Dave. She hugged me, I guess assuming that the affair really upset me, and told me she was proud of how I was handling things. Once again, my little girl got me tearing up.

Sleeping was difficult that night. My brain kept processing my personal happiness and the relief that washed over me. I pondered how great things worked out for my family and how I was looking forward to a grandchild. I considered how I was thankful that Dave and Allie wanted me with them during the difficult times ahead. In the midst of what could be considered turbulent times in my life, I was truly blessed and filled with gratitude.

*****

The following week, Bret and Kelsi took vacation days, and I rented a dumpster. Decades of accumulated crap cluttered our basement, garage, attic, and every nook in the house. Pam joined us, and the four of us filled the garage with items to donate to a local charity, and everything else we didn't want went into the dumpster. It took four days of hard work, but it was a job long overdue. Selling the house gave us the motivation we needed.

On Friday of that week, I packed what I needed to live day to day, and had a moving company box up all my tools, toys, the furniture Pam said I could take, and the remaining things I wanted in my own home. They'd all be in storage until I found a permanent place to live. On Saturday, Kelsi and Bret moved in, and I said goodbye to my old house as I got ready to go to Dave and Allie's. Before I left, Pam came to me and gave me the first hug I'd had from her in a long time.

"Ted, this is strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's a day I never thought would happen to us."

"I'm truly sorry for how I've treated you. Kelsi is gonna help me find a counselor or someone to help me figure out why I've let things get outta hand like this. But, I think you said it best. This will be good for us both for a lot of reasons. But, please, don't hate me. I don't want to lose the good things from the last forty years."

"Well, with a grandchild on the way and with you living with Kelsi, we're still gonna be in each other's lives. I think that's a good thing."

"Kelsi, Bret, and whatever babies they have are what I need to feel complete. Listen, I know you need a life companion, sweetie. That's the way you're built. Find a good one, okay?"