"He caved!"
"Wait," I asked, stepping aside to allow Jenny admittance into our home, "what are you talking about?"
"Marcus!" she replied with glee, "he's agreed to both the divorce and the custody agreement!"
"You're kidding!" I replied excitedly. "That's fantastic, Jenny!"
"My lawyer says that he's supposed to sign the papers this afternoon. Then, as soon as they're couriered over to him, my lawyer will file them with the court! I'll be a completely free woman in less than a month!"
"Wow!" I remarked, hugging my friend. "Have you had a chance to tell Gretchen?"
Jenny's eyes lit up at the mention of the woman she loved. The couple had made it nearly six weeks without uttering the words, but then Jenny hadn't been able to hold back any longer. She'd been like a tick who'd gorged itself on too much blood. One more sip, and she would have popped. She'd admitted her feelings for my lawyer last weekend as the pair had been staying over with us. Her kids had been with Marcus, making it possible for the couple to spend most of the weekend together. Jenny had admitted to feeling a moment of panic after the words had burst out of her mouth, but Gretchen had quickly returned the sentiment, erasing all of Jenny's concerns.
"She was absolutely thrilled when I called her!" Jenny replied. "I know she's tired of all this sneaking around. It's probably been like being back in the closet for her. But in just a month's time, the two of us will be able to start our life together. Did I tell you that Gretchen is considering subletting her condominium in the city so that she can move in with me and the kids?"
"No!" I squealed excitedly. "That will be so cool, having the two of you living next door!"
"Won't it? And with Marcus having the kids on the weekends, we can always be assured of being able to party with the two of you!"
"What is all this noise about?" came the sound of Alexandra's voice as she appeared in the kitchen with an amused look on her face.
"Wait until you hear Jenny's good news!"
Jenny spent the next few minutes reiterating what had happened. There were hugs and congratulations all around. I couldn't help but wonder if Alexandra wasn't thinking about how long it would take for my marriage to end. Steve had been quiet of late. I had attended a work function with him two Saturdays ago and played the role of a doting wife. Steve had behaved himself for the most part, right up until our ride home. He'd spent that time trying to convince me to give us another chance. It seemed to me that he wasn't finding the single life to be much to his liking. I'd wanted to say "
too bad
," but I hadn't. There was no need for me to be unnecessarily cruel when a simple no would do.
Since then, I hadn't heard a word from him. I hadn't been back to the house that was technically still ours since then. I'd already moved all my mementos and the antique pieces my maternal grandmother had left me out of the house. The furniture really wouldn't have fit in with the clean lines and minimalistic design at Alexandra's house, so, I'd rented a storage locker and packed it with all the things from my old life. Then I'd padlocked it away β the same way I'd filed away all the memories of the life I'd shared with Steve. They were stored in a mental vault to which I had quite purposefully forgotten the combination.
"Now all we have to do is get you out of your marriage to Steve!" Jenny announced. "Then the four of us can double date in public!"
"So, you're prepared to come out?" Alexandra asked.
"I've already told my mom!" she replied with pride. "I'm not as close to my dad, but I'll tell him the next time I see him."
I knew that Jenny's parents had been divorced since she was a teenager. According to her, her father had always been a challenge to deal with. He'd struggled with a gambling problem that had led to the divorce. It had also resulted in the family losing the home they'd lived in.
"How'd your mom take the news?" I asked with interest. I knew that it would be my turn, eventually, and I had to admit that that thought filled me with trepidation. I was a daddy's girl growing up, and I still felt that urge to make him proud. The thought of him rejecting me because of who I loved filled me with fear.
"She was surprised, to say the least," Jenny replied. "She kept asking me if I was sure. I told her that I was one hundred percent gay and probably always had been. I'd just fought against it to fit in with most of society. She finally told me that she would be happy for me if I was happy."
"That's great, and the way she responded is pretty common," Alexandra replied. "Straight parents grow up expecting their kids' lives to be like theirs. When it doesn't happen, it sometimes takes them a moment to adjust."
"Well, I'm ready to tell the entire world!" Jenny replied. "And any of my friends who can't handle it will no longer be a part of my life."
"You've got us," I replied. "You don't need anyone that can't handle you being who you were meant to be."
"And between me and Gretchen," Alexandra added, "we know hundreds of great people who will be nothing but supportive friends once they get a chance to meet you."
"I can't wait!" Jenny replied with a large grin as she bounced on her toes like an excited child.
Her excitement made me ache for my own freedom. I leaned into Alexandra's arms and was rewarded by her hands wrapping around me. Yes, I wanted to get from Steve what he owed me, but was it worth it to have to continuously hide who I was? Wouldn't it be worth being able to publicly proclaim my love for Alexandra, even if it meant giving up the big payday that was coming?
I realized that I didn't know the answer to that question.