Sometimes life has a way of influencing my stories. Such is the case with this story. Fair warning, this story will be in three parts. In a way it's a deviation from my normal stories. I hope you all enjoy.
Just to let those of you know, who follow 'The One' and 'She's Special', no I haven't forgotten about them. I will have more chapters posted for both of them later this week. As with all of my stories, any and all feedback is welcome. Good or Bad.
~honeywldcat~
Prologue
Why does it seem that life always has a way of kicking your butt?
Denise thought to herself. After being married for ten years, she thought for sure that she knew what to expect from her husband. Cooking his meals, cleaning his laundry, working odd jobs when it was convenient for him, and raising their seven year old son should have been enough, but apparently not.
Denise fumed, "Lying, cheating, sorry son-of-a-bitch!"
After opening the cell phone bill which just happened to list all incoming calls and show an astronomical bill that she had no idea how to pay, she saw the same number listed over and over. Over five hundred text messages were sent from her husband's cell phone to that same number. At first, she tried to convince herself that it was a mix up. Some screw up that the phone company made.
After talking to the phone company, she realized the screw up was her complete and total faith in her husband. It took about thirty minutes to find out who the phone number belonged to.
I should have known,
played through her head. He had been making trips to a new shop that the company he worked for had opened at least a couple of times a month. She thought it odd when he said that cell phone coverage was iffy at best there, but she trusted him and let it go. Never in a million years would she have thought that Joe would have cheated. He was her best friend, the one person she had always been able to talk to.
Sure he had been acting distant lately, but Denise just thought that was due to stress at work with his new promotion. Not that he was screwing around. She wanted to rant and rave and went to pick up the phone to call a friend, then realized that she didn't have a friend that wasn't a friend of both of theirs. Somehow over the years, she had lost touch with the people she used to be close to. Denise's life revolved around Joe and Michael.
For the first time in years, she felt that familiar feeling of her old self emerge. The person she used to be, the one who spoke her mind and actually wanted to be known as something other than Mrs. McCarty or Michael's mom. How did she just let this happen? How does a person go from being an individual to just being someone's wife or mother?
Sitting on the bed that she shared with her husband, she thought back to when she lost herself, when she no longer felt the need to rock the boat and do the things she wanted. That's when the tears started. Her whole being rocked to the core with sobs tearing through her body, a grief so horrid and strong that it felt like a heavy blanket smothering her. Not only was she grieving for the loss of her best friend and husband, but also for losing herself.
When the phone rang, she had half a mind to just let it ring. The thought of talking to anyone right now, wasn't something she felt like she could do. In the end, practicality won out. It could be an emergency.
Tentatively she answered, "Hello?"
Anger rushed through her veins at her husband's voice, "I won't be home until late tonight. I have to handle a few issues with the shop."
"Well, hello to you too, honey. My day is just perfect, thank you for asking." She sarcastically interrupted.
"Sorry, I'm just busy. Someone is calling in, I have to run. Don't wait up."
"Joe?" She waited to hear him respond before adding, "Do me a favor, will you?"
He sounded exasperated, "What, Denise? I have to take this call."
"Tell Lisa hi for me." When only silence met her response, Denise laughed, "Yeah, your silence just told me the whole truth." With that she slammed the phone onto its base and picked it up, base and all, shattering it against the bedroom wall.
From that point on, her day went to hell. Between crying and trying to go about her daily routine, she felt lost. What was the point? Like it ever mattered what she did or didn't do. Giving up on getting anything done, she walked outside. As a rabbit hopped across the yard, she realized that she would get through this even though it didn't feel like it. Yes, it hurt, but life goes on. Somehow she would pick up the pieces of her shattered remains, if only for her son.
At the end of the day, Denise was bone tired. Her whole body ached. Knowing that she would have to actually speak to Joe at some point didn't help. After making sure Michael had a bath and brushed his teeth, she settled in to read him a bedtime story.
Tears threatened to fall again as her son asked, "Where is Daddy?"
She tried to smile at Michael, but new it was weak at best. Rubbing his hair away from his face, "He had to work late. Do you want to call and tell him goodnight?"
Michael shook his head no and asked, "Why doesn't he want to be with us?"
Denise couldn't stop the tears that fell from her face, "Oh, baby. Your daddy loves you, don't ever think he doesn't."
It's me he doesn't want.
"Don't cry, Mommy." She wanted to stop, but couldn't. How could Joe do this to them? His actions not only destroyed her, they also hurt their son. For the first time, instead of her soothing her son's pain or sadness, she held on to him like he was her lifeline.
