I'm declaring a contest of my own... of sorts. If you go to my author's page, I have submitted the first chapter of 3 stories on the same day (10/30/15). I will write and post the next chapter of the highest rated story every week or two (or maybe three) until all the stories are done.
These should all be pretty short stories, around 3-4 chapters. If there is one or more stories that aren't well received (less than 4.25 rating), I will post a summary and ending to them, so that those readers who liked that story aren't left wondering what happens next.
If you really like this or the other stories and want to read more, please vote 5-stars, so that I know and will keep it going. If you hate it and want to save others from the pain you've felt, I'm giving you the power to make it stop. I also enjoy reading your comments, so feel free to tell me what you thought of the story, or what's on your mind.
Thanks for reading!
*****
Lost and Found
My ex-wife, Liz called me as I was approaching the end of cell phone range in my truck. I put the call through the Bluetooth in the car stereo.
"Hi Ben, how are you doing Sweetie? I just wanted to catch you before you start your hunting trip to say good luck and be safe." She said
"Thanks hon." I replied. "I'm almost out of cell range, so if I lose you, it may be a few days before I call back."
"You'd better call me back anyways, and you'd better come over for dinner when you get back, we have something we'd like to discuss with you." Liz replied.
"Sounds good. Give Brooke my love, and I'll share some meat with you if I get an elk." I offered.
"Thanks, but I'm not holding my breath." She joked.
"Yeah, me neither." I replied.
We said our goodbyes and the call dropped as an enormous Colorado mountain fell into position between the cell tower and my phone. As soon as the call as the call was disconnected, my MP3 of an Italian language lesson started back up again.
It was a running joke between Liz and I when we were married what I was actually doing with my hunting time, since I had been hunting since I was a child, and had still never shot a deer or elk.
"There's always next year." My father had told me when we used to hunt together. The thought of my father brought a dark cloud over my head. I hadn't spoken to him in over a year, not since he had disowned me.
***
I had married my best friend. Literally. Liz and I had been inseparable since we met in our church youth group in middle school. We had each been raised in strict conservative Christian families. We said our pledges of chastity before anyone had even explained the birds and the bees to us.
We were married the summer after high school graduation, and that was when the problems started. We stuck it out for 7 long years, during which time we both went to college, and Liz attended law school against the wishes of her family.
We never had any kids, luckily. After 7 years of marriage, we both realized how unhappy we made each other, and separated amid a big fight. Divorce followed a few months later. Both of our families called me, and called her, begging us to stay together, then pouring on the guilt, and finally passing judgement. We were disowned.
Liz and I each turned to our best friend for support - one another. We agreed that we had made terrible spouses, and while we still loved each other, we could never again live together, and certainly not stay married. We had the world's most peaceful divorce. Liz's friend and co-worker, Brooke, agreed to be a lawyer for both of us, and expedited the process.
Liz was a bit of a packrat, and that was part of our problems. I was meticulous, and enjoyed order, while she spread out over every horizontal surface. I took only my clothes and a few possessions when I moved out, and there was no fight over who got what. Liz kept the stuff. Money was split evenly, and I had my best friend back.
By far, the biggest marital fight Liz and I had was over sex. Liz's libido was low to start with, and with birth control and antidepressants, she could barely stand missionary sex once a month. She never masturbated or watched porn, and was initially angry with me for doing so.
After our divorce was final, Liz asked Brooke to move in. She was a co-worker at Liz's law firm, and was also asexual. Liz swore that she was not gay, or even bisexual, but she craved a relationship and human contact with no sex. They shared a bed, and according to Liz, cuddled and talked every night, but that was the extent of their relationship.
Disaster struck when my parent's ran into Liz and Brooke shopping and holding hands. Within hours, Liz's parents were at her door, demanding to know the details of their relationship. When they saw that the two women lived together and there was only one bed in our old townhouse, they assumed that their daughter was gay.
I didn't think that there were levels of disownment, but Liz and I were both pestered to get back together, and end our "sinful" lives. When we refused, Liz and I were both sent copies of our parent's wills showing our portion of our inheritance was to go to the church, and a homosexual reform organization.
Liz and I banded together even closer, and Brooke became a close friend to me as well. We could talk about anything, including sex and relationships. They set me up on blind dates with their female friends, many of who couldn't believe that Liz wanted them to date me, her ex-husband.
A few of the women made it past the first date, and one even made it to girlfriend status, for a while. We wanted different things from life, and agreed to go our separate ways.