Showdown
My dinner with Karen and her husband was an eyeopener for me. Maybe I was blinded by my own life and the attitudes of my own stay-at-home mom while growing up. While I always had a strong will and high ambitions, I had also fallen into a outdated rut of a marriage that, if not broken, threatened to make me ill or worse. Karen's marriage showed me an ideal and now it was up to me to use my own drive and ambition to work out a plan to save myself. For my relationship with my husband, Peter it was time for a showdown.
Karen was right, I was an enabler. The useless slug of a husband that I was married to was definitely a creature of my own creation. With only myself to blame and ready to suffer whatever the consequences might be, I worked out a plan and put it into play.
With our twenty fifth wedding anniversary just days away, I told Peter I was canceling the party as well as the second honeymoon afterwards. He seemed relieved and possibly joyful at the news. I could actually sense his brain making plans to use the already booked vacation days to do some fishing with his buddies. I immediately set fire to the road map forming in his mind.
"Just stop thinking about whatever is going through your head and listen to me." I said. "The only thing that is canceled is the party. You and I are still taking some time off and hear me, we need to use that time to make some changes."
Of course Peter immediately began to demand to know what I was talking about as well as firing a dozen or so other questions at me. I cut him off saying that I refused to talk about it here and now. I told him I had people to call and things to cancel as I left the room. He followed me through the house demanding to know more but I just ignored him and ended the conversation by getting into my car and driving off. Step one taken.
Step two was not coming home until well after ten pm that evening. The empty can of soup that I saw as I walked through the kitchen showed me that Peter as least had enough skill to open a can and nuke the contents for dinner. I immediately took a long shower and got into bed. Peter was playing hardball and not speaking to me. Everything going according to plans for now.
On the third day of silence after my proclamation and as empty soup cans and other clutter piled up in the kitchen, I walked into the living room and stood between Peter and the television, grabbing the remote off the table and turning it off.
"If you want to stay married Peter, just listen and don't talk until I'm finished."
Peter opened his mouth to speak and stopped to think for a second before closing his lips and looking at me with the coldest expression I had ever seen on his face. No time to lose my nerve. I tightened my mouth into a stern line and focused my eyes on an imaginary point about three feet behind his head before speaking again.
"We are leaving for a trip tomorrow morning...correction, I am leaving for a trip tomorrow morning. I want you to come along but there are conditions. First, you will clean up your mess in the kitchen. I refuse to touch it or get into any vehicle with you until you do. Second, you will pack a bag for about a week away from home and meet me at the front door, bags packed and ready, by 8:00 am. I will pick up up promptly at that time. If you are not there when I sound the car horn, I will leave without you and the next thing you will hear from me will be through my lawyer. I will drive and you will sit quietly in the back. Bring along a book if you like. The ride will about three to four hours long. We will not be speaking during it. That's it. Any questions?
Peter was speechless but only for about a minute. I think I stunned him. I had always been the dutiful wife, compliant and obedient to his wishes. I don't think he quite grasped that I was evolving and it took a moment for his brain to register that thought. However, the pause did not last and soon he exploded with a machine gun belt of questions, asked far to quickly for me or anyone to answer. I let this run down before answering.
"First, I am not telling you where we are going only that it is somewhere quiet, where we won't be disturbed and where I sincerely hope we can work out a way to save our marriage. Second, yes, our marriage may be over. I don't want it to be but I don't want it to continue as it has. I'm not blaming you for this. I am at least as much at fault or even more so but regardless of who caused it, we will either fix or end it during this trip. Of course, if you want, you can end it yourself just by not being ready tomorrow or by not getting up right now and cleaning up your mess in the kitchen. We can talk some more while you do so."
I stopped talking and walked to the kitchen to wait. I was beginning to think that Peter thought I was bluffing and going to call me out but before I could drive home my point by walking out of the house, he slowly came into the kitchen and began gathering his mess into the trash can.
"Can I ask why this and why now?"
"You can ask Peter but I won't get into it until we are at our destination tomorrow. I will say that it has been a long time coming and as I said before, I am as much responsible for this as you are."
"Are you having an affair?"
"No Peter, I am not. Nor have I ever been unfaithful to you. I am also not accusing you of doing so. This has nothing to do with anyone other than you and me."
"Can you at least give me a hint on what to pack? Will it be cool or warm? Will we be mostly indoors or outside?"