Dean Abbott left his office at 4:30 in the afternoon and drove toward his home. He had called Nora earlier in the day and, after arguing passionately, managed to convince her they needed to talk about their impending divorce without their lawyers present.
As he got closer to his house, Dean thought about what he wanted to say. He mentally prepared his arguments as if he were getting ready to make a final summation at the end of a trial. He intended to keep his cool and give this his best shot. He would say whatever he had to do to convince Nora not to divorce him.
When he arrived at the house, he found Nora sitting in the living room waiting for him. She told him she'd sent their son to her parents' home for the night because she knew how upset Dean was about the divorce and didn't want Donny to witness them having another argument.
Dean set his briefcase down and sat on the sofa, facing his wife. He took a deep breath and began. "Nora, I really wish you would reconsider what you're planning to do," he said. "I've been giving a lot of thought about what a divorce will do to Donny."
Nora shook her head as he spoke. "You are amazing, Dean, I'll grant you that," she replied once her husband stopped talking. "Tell me, how much thought did you give to our son when you were running around with other women? I've had doubts about whether you love me for some time, but I always thought you loved Donny. Now, considering what I know about you, I'm not even sure about that. I don't want my son to grow up in a home where the man who is supposed to be is role model has no morals and whose only concern appears to be gratification of his sex drive and inflating his ego."
Dean was taken off-guard by his wife's calm, but razor-sharp response. "Nora, what the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. This discussion wasn't going at all the way he expected it to and he wasn't sure how to proceed. In the past, Nora always gave in to him. She let him make all the decisions, and never questioned his judgment. He never anticipated that his wife would develop a mind of her own.
He knew he was in trouble. He had prepared to argue his case with the "old" Nora and was totally unprepared for this new and unfamiliar one sitting in front of him.
"Dean, I've been thinking about divorcing you for a long time," Nora said. "But I didn't do it, even though I knew I should. I kept hoping things would get better, but they didn't, and I have no hope that they ever will. I faced the facts. It seems to me, the only chance either of us, and Donny, has for happiness is if we aren't married." She was surprised she'd been able to remain calm while she was telling Dean all this.
"Nora, you're talking crazy!" Dean exclaimed. This wasn't like the Nora he'd married. What the hell had gotten into her? "Look, Nora, you know I've been busy tending to business at the firm. I know I probably haven't been paying as much attention to you or Donny as I should have been, but..."
"Dean, it isn't a matter of whether you are paying attention to either Donny or me," Nora said. "The point I'm trying to make is there isn't anything left of our relationship. Even if I wasn't sure you have been seeing other women, we...we haven't made love in so long I can't remember the last time. You're never here, and when you are, we aren't close. When we're together, the tension between us is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I can't live like this. I won't live like this. And I won't have Donny living like this. Not any more."
"What the hell are you saying?" Dean asked. He knew that nothing he said was going to change his wife's mind, and that realization was making him more and more angry. If Nora thought he was going to let her ruin his life and take his son away from him, she had another think coming!
"You're my wife! For Christ's sake, we have a son together!" he yelled, "Of course there's a relationship!"
Nora shook her head. "I think I realized a long time ago that what we had was gone," she said calmly. "If we ever really had anything. I didn't make any attempt to leave before this because it was easier not to. I admit I've been comfortable with the lifestyle we have and I certainly don't relish the thought of losing that. But I can't live like this anymore, Dean. Anything has to be better than this, even being alone."
"You're nuts!!!" Dean jumped to his feet and began to pace. "You've lost your mind! You're talking crazy!! Nora, please be realistic about this!"
Nora looked at her husband, who was walking back and forth, wild-eyed and red-faced and, for the first time in her life with him, she experienced a trace of fear. She didn't believe he would hit her, but she had never seen him this angry and out of control. She took a deep breath. "I am being realistic, Dean," she said, forcing herself to stay calm. "We're through. I am getting a divorce, and nothing you say or do is going to change that."
"No!" Dean responded. He realized his world, which he'd worked so hard to construct, and believed was so perfect, was crumbling.
"You can't stop me, Dean," Nora replied, firmly. "I am not going to change my mind about getting a divorce!"
Dean stared at her. How in hell had the mousy, obedient woman he thought he was married to managed to get so tough all of a sudden? "You can't!" he averred. He was beginning to feel desperate and didn't like the feeling. "I-I won't let you! I-I'll fight you all the way!!! We're not getting a divorce! No way!"
"It doesn't matter whether you fight it or not," Nora said. "I'm dissolving our marriage. And I have a feeling I'm not the one who needs to worry about what will come out in court if things really get dirty."
Dean, stunned by Nora's comment, continued to pace back and forth in front of the sofa. He'd lost control in the one place he always believed he had absolute control, his home. "This...this is crazy!!! This is totally crazy!!!" he muttered.
Nora sat there calmly, watching her husband pace, letting him talk. When he finally ran out of steam, she stood up.
"Dean, it's time for you to leave," she said. "I'm not sure why I agreed to let you come over in the first place. I should have known it wouldn't amount to anything but upset for both of us."
"All right," Dean said. "I'll go." He picked up his briefcase and slowly walked toward the door then he stopped and turned. "Nora," he said, with desperation in his voice, "this is crazy! Please! Think about what you're doing to us!"
Nora heard the pain in her husband's voice and didn't respond for fear she'd break down and cry. As much as she knew this was the right thing to do, it wasn't easy.
Dean looked at her a few moments longer, pleading with his eyes, then he turned and the door closed behind him.
Nora heard Dean's car start, then drive off. She wasn't as upset as she thought she would be. Actually, she was relieved. The meeting had gone far better than she'd expected it to. The prospect of explaining what was happening to her son didn't thrill her, but she knew she could do it. She and Donny would adjust; they'd have to.
She went upstairs, slipped on a nightgown, and sat down on the bed. Frank Miller, a long-haul truck driver she had been having an affair with, was away on a long trip and right now, she wished he wasn't. She desperately needed a hug from him, and the comfort being with him and talking with him would give her.
Frank had called earlier and while they talked, Nora mentioned that Dean was coming over. Frank told her he was worried about what would happen if she and her husband met, but Nora assured him things would be OK.
Frank had a cellular phone in his truck. Maybe she should call him and tell him things had gone fairly well. She reached for the phone, but before she could dial, the doorbell sounded.
"Who on earth could that be at this hour?" Nora wondered. "I hope Dean hasn't come back." She slipped on a robe and went downstairs to answer the door. When she opened it, she was shocked to find Frank standing there, smiling.
Frank walked into the house and pushed the door shut behind him. "I was worried about you, so I took a little detour through Jamestown to make sure you were OK," he said softly. He knew he'd have to push the next day to get the load on his truck delivered on time, but he had to see for himself that Nora was OK after her meeting with her husband.
