***Please read part 1 for the background to this story***
*****
I woke up fully clothed on top of the covers of the bed. My head was about to split open and my mouth tasted like someone shit in it. As I sat up on the side of the bed trying to decide whether to throw up or not, the memories of the previous night came back to me. Now what do I do?
First order of business is a shower, then coffee and breakfast if I can stomach it at Denny's across the street. As I drink my coffee, I decide on my course of action. I see several calls and voicemails from Pam which I immediately delete. First I call Amy, my office manager at the office. I let her know that I will not be in today and probably next week either.
"Everything okay boss," she asks?
"Not really, I have a lot I need to deal with now. I'll fill you in later. Tell Pete (who supervises the delivery side for me) that no one is scheduled to be off, so he should have a full crew. Call me if there is any problems you can't handle. Thanks Amy."
Next call goes to my buddy Joe, who got divorced last year. He told me his lawyer did a good job for him, so I get his name and number. "I'm sorry bro, I know what your going through. Good luck," he said.
I call the lawyer, Hank Peterson. His secretary tells me he has a cancellation and she can fit me in at 2:00. After eating what little breakfast my stomach can handle, I decide to try to find an apartment before going to the appointment.
I settle on a one bedroom a couple blocks from my office that will lease on a month to month basis. I can walk to work if I choose.
The appointment with Mr Peterson goes as well as can be expected. This is a no fault state and I just want to get it done quickly. I just want to protect my business, Pam actually made more in salary than me, so no alimony. We each keep our retirement accounts and split the rest 50/50. I don't want the house, so we will sell it or Pam can buy my half out. He told me what I needed to do to protect my finances, insurance, etc. Hank said he can have it done by Wednesday and we decided to have her served at work.
I make the immediate changes needed to protect my financial interests, then go to the tavern that I usually hang out at and start to drink heavily. As I start on my fifth Jack Daniels, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up into the face of my son Scott.
"Hey Pop, you okay?"
"Hey Scott, no I'm not but I guess I will be eventually. How did you find me?"
He laughs and says, "I called Amy and she said you called off, so I figured you would be drowning your sorrows and where else but here? Mom told Ann and I what happened, we're both in shock."
"Yeah, me too," I reply sadly.
"Mom's a wreck! You think you can give her another chance?"
"Fuck no, not a chance."
"Okay Pop, but no more drinking. Let's get some dinner and I'll drive you home."
Once he dropped me off at my new apartment, I of course started drinking again. I stayed drunk pretty much the whole weekend. Pam called me a few times everyday but I ignored her calls. I spent the next week getting my accounts in order and setting up the apartment. It was furnished but I got all the extras I would need. Pam got served on Wednesday and my phone blew up with calls. I ignored all of them except for the ones from my daughter Ann. She tried to reason with me, almost excusing her mom's behavior. I ended that conversation quickly!
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Pam's Story
What the fuck is wrong with me? I had the best man possible and I shit all over him. I got served with divorce papers at work today. It was nothing more than I deserved but it still crushed me. The asshole I ruined my life with has made himself scarce at work, I have only seen him in passing and would not speak to him anyway. I heard he has asked for a transfer to another department. I've thought about ending it all, but I could not do that to my kids. How did I get to this point?
Tim and I have been best friends since our freshman year in college. After we started dating and got married, our relationship was always based on that. We had a great marriage, not perfect but who's is? I was raised by conservative parents and was always uptight when it came to sex. We had a very loving sex life but I knew Tim wanted more. He had some pretty wild relationships prior to us dating and wanted to do some of that stuff with me but I just could not do it. Tim was great about it but it still caused conflict from time to time.
Things got worse when I hit menopause. I had crazy mood swings and hot flashes. When my metabolism slowed and I gained a lot of weight, I got depressed. Tim was supportive but I am sure I was very difficult to live with.
Things got a little better when my doctor got my hormones better regulated and I changed my diet. Tim as usual was very supportive and dieted with me. I started going to the gym and the extra weight started to come off. I started feeling better about myself.